Is it a kaiju? A demon? Something from another planet? Whatever the answer, the Protoweapon XV1 – “Nightcrawler” – by Andrew Steele is certainly a threat to us all. With a form that’s an unholy fusion of mech and organic, this spikey beast is coming for us, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Personally, I hope I get done in by the clawed hands and not the yellowing clown grin.
Click here to see the monster up close.
Without a doubt, the Two Towers is definitely my favorite Lord of the Rings movie. I have fond memories of going to a small town theater with my friend to watch it soon after it had come out. The contrasting story arcs kept my attention in a state of absorbant wonder though I honestly remember the scenes with Treebeard the most. There were plenty of accompanying Lego sets for the movies but in their wake, fans have created intense models of their own to celebrate their favorite scenes. Craig Jansen was clearly inspired by the Last March of the Ents while building this massive model of Treebeard, Merry, and Pippin heading to Isengard.
Just check out the parts Craig used in this model! The first thing I noticed were the eyes. Treebeard’s eyes, almost glowing in the dark of Fangorn forest, have a distinct presence in the film. Craig did really well with them here. I thought those are printed eye studs but upon closer examination, I realized they were black technic bushings with yellow flextubes cut to fit inside. Simple but brilliant, I must say. They give the model Treebeard’s striking glare.
I do not need to tell you guys that LEGO is a lovely medium to express your emotions. We quite often see creations being made to celebrate special times in a person’s life. Bart de Dobbelaer however shows us LEGO can also be used to express the harder times in life. In this creation, a single white figure is battling their inner demons. The demons look really quite bizarre and scary. The Hidden Side eyes gets used for the demons eyes. This isn’t a far stretch but it is very fitting and creepy looking. Not using white on the demons but going with yellowish-green further adds to the contrast between the demon and the white figure. At first, I thought the mutant T-Rex head or jaw was used for the jaw of the monster but upon further inspection, this is not the case. The jaw doesn’t open horizontally but vertically which for some reason freaks me the hell out. Thank god our hero is equipped with a big weapon to fight this three-headed monster.
This beast looks ready to pounce! Joss Woodyard has created a cheeky-looking creature that sports an interesting colour scheme. Throughout the design, dark red is contrasted with azure blue providing the model with an eye-catching appearance. Spiky armour parts make up the mane and the protruding jaw has only been used in one Ninjago set so far. Exo force arms form its stomach and also hold unicorn drills, adding to the model’s prickly aesthetic. It is easy to imagine this creature in a fantasy setting, bouncing around and causing mayhem.
Recently LEGO revealed the latest wave of Creator 3-in-1 sets. Right from the get-go this series looks to be pretty awesome, and now it’s time to see if they live up to the pictures! Per tradition, the line is showcasing at least one animal-focused kit, LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31121 Crocodile. The set contains 454 pieces and features not only instructions to build a crocodile, but also those for a snake or frog as well. It will be available June 1st in Europe, and August 1st in North America with a pricing of US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £24.99. Come along as we sneak a closer peek at this toothy critter.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with a copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
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Let’s start with the obvious; this monster Tytharer by Aiden Rexroad is incredible. The combination of traditionally mechanical parts like black Hero Factory armor and hoses actually feels organic here, thanks in large part to the medium azure Technic axle connectors flowing along the back. But it’s the subtle curve in the water below the beast that makes this LEGO creation feel alive to me. There’s an impression that the same wind keeping the creature aloft is churning the sea below it. And even though the base of this creation is only a fraction of the length of the centerpiece beast, it’s impossible for me not to imagine an entire ocean stretched out below him.
Alex’s latest LEGO creation is nightmare fuel and not only because it looks scary. This reminds me very much of the series Hannibal. In the show, a stag man-creature appears to the main character. It is a reference to the Wendigo. A Wendigo is a mythological creature or evil which originates from the folklore of the First Nation. It is often said to be a malevolent spirit which possesses human beings and invokes feelings of insatiable hunger. Is has a desire to cannibalize other humans. I am not sure what Alex’s inspiration for this creation was, but this is what it invokes for me. So as if that is not nightmare fuel enough I felt it necessary to look up some of the parts for you. With Bionicle and Hero Factory not being my field of expertise, it took quite a while. The head itself is a true work of art using only two pieces. The Hero Factory Witch Doctor was used for the lower part of the face. The top part was realized using the Bionicle Mask Iden. One of the best things about this creation is the small peekaboo the ribs give you. You can see the internal organs right through them. I love how even a touch of pink can’t make this thing look cute.
I’ve been fascinated by the shoebill lately. I mean, that’s not unusual, I’ve always had a love for animals both odd and familiar but there has been an uptick in my shoebill YouTube searches lately. They’re such weird and majestic creatures who seem to know things beyond our understanding. Do you agree? I guess you just need to see the same YouTube videos I’ve been watching to know what I mean. So with that said, you can imagine my delight to see that Mitsuru Nikaido has built a lovely LEGO shoebill mech. Of course he has! With his distinct style and love for animals, he has consistently been among my favorite builders. Here’s why.
Currently, our study of the nautilus suggests their shells are traditionally white and dark orange. But then again, we understand less about our ocean depths than we do about the moon’s surface. For all we know, there are beautiful black nautiluses residing in the murky depths beyond our reach. If there are, I hope they look like this one built in LEGO form by Moko. Sleek and mysterious. The unique curvature is made using the crane jaw element from recent space-themed sets. Not only does the swirl look cool, but the design made by the axles in the Technic brick holes does as well.
Curious where the baseplate came from? This particular base only came in the 2009 Pirates set, 6241 Loot Island. While you’re here, stick around for some more animal builds, as well as other creations made by Moko.
One of the most famous frogs in the world is the red-eyed tree frog. This gloriously rainbow-colored amphibian has graced many a poster. In fact, I had the one with them stacked on top of each other hanging on my own wall growing up. What I didn’t realize at the time was that those cute little ones definitely aren’t babies… Anyway, Joffre Zheng continues the admiration with this roughly-lifesize LEGO sculpture. Simple but adorable. Fun fact: their vibrant colors are mostly for attracting mates, but also safety. They try to keep the colorful parts of their body hidden while they rest on leaves. Then when a predator comes, they open their eyes and flash those legs to startle the would-be killer.
Another fun fact: the scientific name for this rainforest creature is Agalychnis callidryas, and the species part of that name derives from Greek words meaning “beautiful tree nymph”. Fitting, right?
You can check out more cool animal builds in our archives, as well as more creations by Joffre.
If you’ve been reading the Brothers Bricks for a few years, no doubt you’ll recognize the distinct style of LEGO characters created by Patrick Biggs. I always tend to come across them online in the same way: I’m browsing some social media platform and this fantastic LEGO model scrolls onto my screen. I think to myself, “this is amazing, who built it?” And then I read the caption and realize “Of course, it’s Patrick!”
While I’m sure he agonizes over parts selection and placement, his models have an effortless look to them; the organic feel makes me believe they naturally grew, rather than being pieced together by an intelligent designer. With this Elk, there are so many things to love about how it’s sculpted, but my favourite is the legs. The 1×1 round plates stuck in the sides of the technic connectors – while not an uncommon technique – perfectly imitates how joints are thicker than other parts of the leg. And the armor plates on the front of the hooves so perfectly represents that layer of overhanging thick fur, really bringing this woodland creature to life. I’ve long been a fan of Patrick’s work as a LEGO artist and his ability to adeptly mix system and Bionicle elements, and this is one sculpture, in particular, I’d love to find a place for on my mantle.
Of course, an enchanted forest is filled with strange mushrooms of varying sorts, maybe even some mushrooms that get up and take a hike. Steven Erickson builds up a magical little LEGO mushroom guy he lovingly named “Shroomkin,” and he is as he should be, hanging out in a mystical little forest that is partially brick-built.
Shroomkin’s brilliant blue cap is composed of many 1×1 blue plates with some white 1×1 round tiles rendering spots. This fun guy’s stalk is a whole-body sporting a neat red and yellow brick-built tunic made up of tiles, bricks, and cheese slopes. One arm with a 1×1 tile with clip piece can hold a staff, while the other arm sports a 1×1 round tile printed as a compass – useful for excursions in the woods. Shroomkin stands tall and looks out at his station – a brick-built patch of greenery comprised of many small green elements along with some different flower pieces in popping colors. What a wonderful build for the spring season.
