I never mistake a build by Moko. His style is unique and colorful, similar to that of anime and Gundam concept art. In his most recent creation, the Raptor, Moko rocks a dark red and gray color scheme, a combination too rarely seen in mecha. I love the swiveling turret with mounted machine gun, and the use of tank treads as the ammo belt.
The Raptor can also collapse into a “parking mode”, making it easier for the drivers to dismount.
Ringo is mine. Wait, we’re not talking about the band? Jokes aside, while the stag beetle may not be amongst my favourites, this one by Grant Davis must be one of my favourite LEGO recreations. There is lots to like about this scaled-up insect, from the detailed legs to the realistic head and the Iron Builder competition’s seed part used as the wing covers – with the base placed just deep enough in the inverted tire for their curve to flow naturally.
The only gripe I have with it are the wings’ supports, the kind of which I have never seen in a real beetle before.
Isn’t it marvellous what builders are able to come up with using literally handfuls of LEGO bricks? We’ve featured Grantmasters microscale slight of hand before. Looking at this elegant build, it’s possible to imagine fields of these thirsty beasts thundering the Great Plains in vast numbers. I’ll leave you with these inspirational words from a Buffalo: Stand your ground. Have a tough hide. Keep moving on. Cherish wide open spaces. Have a strong spirit. Roam wild and free. Let the chips fall where they may!
The placing of a LEGO model in a natural environment generally makes for poor photos which ruin the illusion of scale. However, this bejewelled clockwork dragonfly by Duncan Lindbo is the exception to the rule. The parts and colour choices here are perfect, creating a wonderful impression of functional mechanical elements and a smart clockpunk aesthetic. Displaying the dragonfly on a real lily-pad turns out to be a stroke of genius, highlighting the model’s non-biological nature, and perhaps prompting musings amongst more philosophical viewers on the contrast and blurred boundaries between artifice and life.
It’s a bad day in the fog for this hapless crew of mariners. They’ve stumbled across the most infamous sea-beast of yore, the might Kraken, whose arms entangle ships like playthings. Mark of Falworth’s awesome diorama sets us right in the middle of the action as the giant cephalopod drags the ship to the watery depths.
The fog (made with a fog machine, not Photoshop) adds a grim bit of horror to the scene, and the technical details are outstanding. Check out the suction cups made of buckets, and the peeling planking of the deck.
The Tasmanian Devil may be a whirling mess of destruction, but he’s still a lovable addition to the Looney Toons lineup. He’s also one of the few Looney Toons characters I’ve never before seen LEGO-ized. This caricature by Oliver Becker nicely fills in that gap, giving Taz his famous hands-raised stance and ravenous mouth.
The Brothers Brick have been on location in Billund, Denmark to take a peek at the still-under-construction LEGO House.The Masterpiece Gallery in LEGO House is the dedicated gallery space where impressive fan-made and fan-inspired LEGO models will be on display once the house opens later this year on 28th September. This week senior designer in LEGO House, Stuart Harris, was able to reveal that the three giant models on the three podiums in the gallery will be a DUPLO dinosaur, a TECHNIC dinosaur and a SYSTEM dinosaur.
Fantastical creatures are a regular feature here on The Brothers Brick, but sometimes builds of real animals are just as impressive. This small bull by LEGO 7 definitely falls into that category, managing to pack in a lot of detail at a relatively small scale. It looks so much better than the large single moulds LEGO usually does for its “official” animals. Greats parts usage too with the angled slope for the huge leg muscle and printed 1×1 round tiles for the eyes.
I’m not exactly sure what Anthony Wilson was going for with this undeniably expressive piece of LEGO art, but if his plan was to instill terror, I’d say he nailed it. Just look at those eyes. The self-removed heart, exhibited neatly in a glass case, doesn’t comfort me at all about this fellow’s intentions. He looks like he’s in a bad mood and wants to tell you all about it. No doubt Pale Man will fit in nicely with my other nightmares about giant spiders and man-eating bears.
(1) Keep your Gizmo away from bright lights, (2) don’t let him get wet, and of course (3) never feed him after midnight …no matter how much he begs. If you can stick to these rules, then you might be ready to build your very own 1980’s furball. Or it might just be safer to admire John Toulouse‘s adorable LEGO Mogwai (complete with a stylish wooden box). Yeah, that’s probably your safest bet.
There seems to be a persisting presence of bird builds in the LEGO community, more so than other animals. Now Paul Lee joins the fun with his recreation of a Hyacinth Macaw. It is one of my favourite kinds of parrots personally, but I never expected it to be the bird of choice for nearly anyone else. While the legs are simplistic (still realistic), the facial detail and feather texture more than make up for it.
The struggle of man and beast against nature is depicted movingly in this captivating scene by Australian builder aido k. The imagery here is sublime thanks to the exquisite posing: the man, desperately clutching his cloak to provide some relief from the biting wind, pulls his reluctant steed through the blizzard in hopes of reaching warmth and comfort before his dwindling supplies are finally exhausted. The scene is full of subtle details (such as the grass bending in the wind) which enhance its sense of realism, no doubt felt by all who look upon these two weary travellers.
