Electric and hybrid vehicles are all the rage at the moment, but frequent TBB builder LEGO 7 has something else in mind. This whimsical crab-boat fuels itself as it wanders the sea and shore. The crab portion of the build is full of great details, and the boat is simple but immediately recognizable. My favorite part, however, is the old fisherman. With so many small details like the hat, beard, and the little pink element used for the mouth. There is even a small rubber duck next to him. He reminds me of Ivar’s character from the restaurant chain where I used to get fish and chips with my family when I was a kid.
Tag Archives: Crab
This fab crab can point you in the right direction
The “Beast Masters” category of the Summer Joust 2024 competition is producing some wild flights of fancy, and this cartographic crustacean is no exception. Pohaturon‘s “Crabtographer” imagines a world where seafaring guilds wouldn’t get far without the expertise of giant crabs who know their stuff. And speaking of technical know-how, I adore all the unconventional uses of commonplace and less-than-common pieces to give this build some extra flair. Check out the One Ring used for the naval officer’s buckle, or the white energy blast standing in for melted candle wax, for example. Both the crab and the officer are dynamic and well-executed, and it makes me long to explore this fictional world a little more. If only I had a map…
Why crab-walk when you can take a taxi?
Aside from its charming hilarity, one of the best things about the #TimeforCrab LEGO building challenge is the huge potential for a good pun. And when it comes to brick-built puns, Maxx Davidson has form: see last year’s Bic Viper, for instance, or the Stuffed Crust-acean built for this same challenge. This one is clearly inspired by the black-and-yellow crabs – sorry, cabs – seen primarily in New York. The checkered stripes extending to the legs are a big clue for that. The ‘wheels’ in the four legs serve to drive that home, too. But the best – and cutest – detail is the flat-cap adorning that crabby taxi driver!
No one out-carcinizes the Hut!
They say that evolution has tended to converge upon a common crab-like shape, and it appears this is true in LEGO as well. All over the brick-built internet, LEGO artists are coming up with crustaceans aplenty during this #TimeForCrab, likely spurred by the Cancer season on the astrological calendar. It’s in this vein that TBB regular Maxx Davidson shows us the carcinization of pizza, a work appropriately titled “stuffed crust-acean.” And that pun isn’t the only thing I’m jealous of here: check out the expert use of the minifigure hoodie part as gooey, melty cheese on this supreme slice of the seafloor. The pizza box is brilliant as well, swarming with baby crabs with carapaces of ‘za.
Imagine a bowling ball, but angrier
“Carcinisation”; a very fancy word that means “some animals tend to look more like crabs over time”. This build by Djokson demonstrates what might happen if even our tanks turn into crabs! Djokson has tone a fantastic job of creating a round rolling shape for the tank using unusual parts. The Crab-Tank’s forehead is made from a handful of rubber handles from the short-lived Vidiyo line, the yellow disks on either side of the body come from the old X-Pod line (oh the nostalgia!), and the little warrior in the cockpit is sporting a old technic helmet for protection. I don’t know about you, but I’d feel crabby if I had to square up against that thing!
It only takes a pair to party properly
Nathan Hake proves that holiday celebrations don’t need to be crowded affairs. This adorable bundled-up penguin and his dancing crustacean friend are celebrating in style all by themselves. The penguin is sporting a one-of-a-kind jacket that’s just his size, with a furred collar, shiny buttons, and big pockets for keeping a few extra fish snacks on hand. The crab doesn’t need a coat to stay warm, as he dances the night away with a turn of the crank on his gift box – hopefully he doesn’t spill his drink.
The siege of Old Bay was entering the sixth week when the crabs came calling.
Siege weapons are cool and all, but Aidan Hayward adds some much needed flavor by infusing a trebuchet with the great taste of crab. A great meld of system and Hero Factory armor, this crustacean crusher has pincers for pinchin’ when the going gets tough. There are fun construction touches to be found, too, like the minifigure head and bandanna that help give the crab a suitably grumpy expression on either side of the black hot dog eyestalks. The shell-mounted rock-hurler is pretty nice, too, with a heavy looking grey counterweight ready to toss what looks like an enormous pearl (a silver Technic ball) at whoever is unwise enough to stand in the way.
Does this build inspire the seafood lover in you? Check out what’s going on under the sea in our crab archives.
A child’s imagination is a wonderful thing
While we often features builds by AFOLs, sometimes it’s important to remember that LEGO is, fundamentally, a kids’ toy. BetaNotus‘ local LEGO User Group (LUG) has borne that in mind with their latest challenge. Each builder was assigned a sketch by local children, and tasked with turning it into a MOC. It’s an adorable idea that has resulted in a rather cool-looking monster! It’s a skilful piece of building, but it still manages to retain the inventive charm of what a kid’s imagination can conjure up.
Midwife /ˈmidˌwīf/ (noun) a person (typically a woman) trained to assist women in childbirth
Do you know why we’ve seen an influx of LEGO crab creations lately? No seriously, do you? Because we’re pretty confused on the matter. We featured this one a few days back, then this one followed by this other one and now Ivan Martynov presents his crab simply called Midwife. I’m not sure if this qualifies as TMI or not but we’re pretty sure there are also other crabs infesting our various cracks and crevices. Despite the burning and itching, I rather like the odd color scheme and bio-mechanical feel of this design. The multiple eyes are quite unsettling and it appears as if she’s manifesting smaller pink crabs from her own head. It really takes me back to high school prom night! Anyway, check out all the other reasons why Ivan Martynov kinda gets under our skin.
Putting the art into arthropod
You may have recently noticed a dramatic increase in the number of crab creations in the LEGO community. Rising with this increase has been the use of the pun ‘feeling crabby’ – which, to be fair, is a good one. Heck, we’ve even used it twice (yes, twice) on this very website, and those weren’t even written by resident pun-meister Lino. DanielBrickSon has rather forced our pincered hand into using it a third time. In our defense, how else would you describe this piece of artwork? It’s named the Hana Crabba, and I can’t tell if that face is camouflaged to ward off predators or if this is some sort of ancient crustacean deity. Either way, it doesn’t look best pleased to have been turned into a beautiful piece of brick artwork. How ungrateful!
How would you like it if someone picked YOUR apples?
Hungry? Me too. But this crab from Patrick Biggs doesn’t care about just how tasty that apple looks. None for you! Maybe try talking to that little pink frog…they might have some sway with the big grey crustacean custodian. On the building front, I like Patrick’s construction in the pincers and legs. The grey of the armor plating offsets the stark white of the tree bark and the green of the foliage. Plus, pink frog. Gotta love that.
There are plenty of other treats in our archives if you’re still feeling crabby.
That’s one beautifully arranged hat
Feeling crabby? Maybe this this cutie from Matt Goldberg can lift your mood. This creative crustacean has all the great organic shaping you’d want and is topped with a lovely bouquet of greenery. Is it the aquatic equivalent of an FTD delivery person? A decorator crab doing its best to camouflage itself? Perhaps this is prom night and the corsage was overzealous. Whatever the case, I adore this fun build.
If you’re still crabby, though, there are plenty more critters in our archives!