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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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:
The 101 of making all things cute: stubby limbs, round tummy, huge eyes! If you ever need something huggable, cute and irresistible then stick to these basic rules and you’ll have a winner. Builder Swan Dutchman is on a roll with a series of adorable “cuddly toy” style wildlife creatures made from LEGO that will surely tug your heartstrings. If I had to pick a favourite, it’s got to be that tiger, which reminds me of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. LEGO element nerds will find it amusing how those whiskers were repurposed from minifigure Wolverine’s claws.
I always feel a deep sympathy for moths stuck indoors at night, attempting to flutter straight somewhere but instead circling a nearby electric light they mistake for the far-off moon or stars. LEGO lepidoptery enthusiast Revan has constructed a gorgeous white moth alighting on a patch of ground, complete with sprigs of grass enlarged to great proportions. Revan has captured the big black eyes and stubby little legs of these adorable fuzzy night-time creatures.
Next time you see a moth trapped indoors, be gentle and help it, won’t you?
While I have no fear of ants in general, this one scares me to bits becomes of its huge size! I’m not sure what Leonid An was thinking when building this monstrosity. Like me, I bet many of you right now are instinctively reaching out for a rolled up newspaper or a boot to stomp this bug. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to see if the builder churns out more of these realistic looking creepy crawlies.
When in need of whacky (and some times unsettling) creations, Fedde Barendrecht‘s photostream is always a good place to start, with fresh material being added on an almost daily basis. If you are interested in finding out more about Fedde’s work, I recommend reading the interview we did with him recently. His latest creation is a strange combination of the ancient demonic god Cthulu and the famous videogame character Pac Man. The result is a strange, funny-scary monster with some nice part usage and techniques, most notably the teeth inside the spherical Death Star piece.
