If you aren’t familiar with Ultraman, allow me to introduce one of his many nemeses, the kaiju Yamaton — a heavily armed battleship with vicious claws and sharp pointy teeth. This microscale LEGO Yamaton by TOKYO TAG TEAM is inspired by the monster that initially appeared in the Ultraman The First manga. I love the trans-blue of the bridge and main deck windows and the aerials and dishes mounted all over the top. The mounted ninja claws make perfect complimentary guns to the main triple gun Technic pin connector turrets. The characterization of the mutated shark part of the kaiju is simply perfect; from the point of his snout with metallic eyebrows, through to his belly/hull with nasty clawed feet, to the tip of his strong tail.
Tag Archives: Creatures
Crouching tiger, hidden cannon
Tigers have the reputation for being fearsome beasts at the best of times, but turn a tiger into a mecha tiger with some hidden weaponry and you have created a whole new level of danger. Christian Lintan has created a mecha tiger that almost looks like a statue with only white LEGO parts used. The crouching stance is spot on, a pose that can be recognised in domestic felines as well as their bigger cousins. Powerful legs, robust torso and a muscular neck are all nicely defined by a mix of curved slopes and wedges.
And if those sharp claws and bared teeth are not enough to frighten off any would-be attacker, the deployment of this tiger’s cannon should do the trick.
Evolution is so creative – that’s how we got giraffes
And thanks to the creativity of BrickBro we got this adorable baby giraffe. Just like the proper African giant, this animal is entirely covered in distinctive coat patterns made with bricks, plates and even 1×1 tiles of just two colors, tan and brown. Upon closer inspection it’s easy to see that just like the author’s previous build — an elegant flamingo — this giraffe possesses a couple of unexpected building techniques. For instance, the lower part of its body is built with studs facing down.
Gentle giants from the Jurassic era
Builder Nathan Haseth has got something right with these lovely giants that I can’t place my finger on. They just feel like something that should be coming out of a LEGO factory for all of us to enjoy. He’s built a gang of prehistoric herbivores: Triceratops, Parasaurolophus and Ankylosaurus. The color scheme may not be scientifically accurate (as far as we know) but the contrast is certainly appealing, especially the nice techniques used for the various bodily textures of these beasts.
Beware the noble beast, but enjoy its grace
Serbian LEGO builder Djorkson is an adept Bionicle character builder, but this majestic black gryphon seems to be mostly made of exotic system parts, whilst retaining a Bionicle core. There are many interesting techniques used throughout the build, especially the shaping of the head. I must say I have a soft spot for mythical animals and the Gryphon is one of my secret favourites.
The builder has more photos in his Brickshelf folder, for anyone who is interested in alternate viewing angles.
Don’t swim alone in the shallows
Luckily for this stranded surfer, a sturdy-looking buoy was nearby when the great white shark attacked. I haven’t seen the classic movie that Letranger Absurde‘s most recent LEGO creation is based on, but I instantly recognized the scene from the trailer. Like all of Vitreolum’s characters, this brick-built Blake Lively has some great contours and details. I particularly like her shredded wetsuit and asymmetrical hair. The shark poking his head out of the water is also pretty adorable.
There’s nothing like that in the fossil record
This scene by Didier Burtin reminds me of the hit 1990 monster movie Tremors starting Kevin Bacon. It features a worm-like monster of unknown origin that terrifies folks in a desert town. It slithers underground and feels the vibrations on the surface to detect – and then rise to devour – its next victim. So, if there’s no fossil history of these gargantuan man-eating snakes, I can only deduce they must be of an alien origin.
The one that didn’t get away
Many people build animals out of LEGO, but mostly they call them something general, like “fish” or “bird”. But every now and then there is a creation like this rainbow trout by Lino Martins, which is very much specific. While the construction is simple for the most part, the trout has all the details that it needs. I knew exactly what it was just from the thumbnail, so that has to stand for something!
We can rebuild him, we have the technology
Thank goodness Eero Okkonen had the incredible foresight to rebuild this lizard beast. After all, there aren’t that many Tyrannosaurus Rexes left in the wild! Using ABS plastic and discarded Bionicle technology, Eero was able to piece together all that remained of this once-great creature (including his Duplo grass spine and even the very tip of his tail) and transform him into a six million dollar dino.
Then nightly sings the staring owl
Owls are mainly nocturnal, solitary birds of prey who are known for their silent flight. Most birds of prey have eyes on the sides of their heads, but the owl’s forward-facing eyes facilitate their low-light hunting. Shawn Snyder has created a LEGO owl with plenty of attitude and a somewhat impudent glare. This is an owl who knows his position, with those piercing, hooded eyes, sharp talons on show, and wings spread wide in an act of defiance.
That’s a lot of character to be displayed by a brick-built owl – I feel watched.
Calosoma australodrepa
Insects and other arthropods lend themselves surprisingly well to be built from LEGO. There are many elements like hinge pieces and wedge slopes that are oddly appropriate for building creepy crawlies. Olga Rodinova (Ольга Родионова) uses such pieces very well to create this (probably very smelly) beetle.
The question is: Who... are you?
Although often offering wise words to Simba, the wizened old Rafiki nevertheless delights in riddles and unorthodox tutelage. Channeling that spirit of unconventionality, builder SephiMoc FF7 uses quite an interesting assortment of LEGO pieces to bring life to this sage from Disney’s The Lion King. The eccentric mandrill is recognizable with his brightly colored face, which is framed with white fur made of feathered wings and various horn elements. Look closely and you’ll spot that Rafiki’s eyebrows are a handlebar, while the ball joints give this character plenty of poseability.
The bold choice of a purple background works splendidly, offsetting both the white face and the grey body, as well as complementing the orange logo nicely. There’s even a tiny Simba cub for Rafiki to gloriously hold aloft: