Tag Archives: dan.ko56

Never ending fun in the sun

It’s that time of the year again when the Rogue Olympics contest sweeps the LEGO community. The first round’s theme is “Above the clouds”, and builder Dan Ko delivers this wonderful scene from the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story. Coming in at 27 parts, the scene features Atreyu and Falkor flying through the sky, an iconic and immediately recognizable scene from the movie. What I really like about this build is Falkor. The luck dragon’s body comes together with a series of battle droid bodies. At this scale, they work well to bring the Falkor’s face and body to life.

Die unendliche Geschichte

Joust waiting around in the summer heat

Something that’s great about LEGO and it’s many unique pieces is the wonderful geometry when they come together. Builder Dan Ko demonstrates this beautifully with these four knights waiting for their turn in the joust. Each of these knights have their own distinct armor and look, and it’s all so satisfying to see. The first knight, from left to right, is mostly curves, their neck craning forward. The second knight is tall and lanky, though their big shield more than covers them, something that’ll help in the competition. The third knight has scale armor, providing more than enough protection and maneuverability over their opponents. The fourth and last knight reminds me of a clockwork figure with that gear for their pauldron and the round textured brick of their arm. If you stand with the knights in their gradient line maybe they’ll tell you stories of their grand exploits and adventures.

Before the Joust

A hands-on approach to caterpillars

This huge LEGO caterpillar is constructed with giant minifig hands by builder Dan Ko for an Iron Builder challenge. Dan cleverly uses the bright green hand pieces for the many legs of the towering insect. The caterpillar possesses a wonderful color palette with those pastel pieces at every segment. Red leaves frame the caterpillar’s face, giving it bushy eyebrows and a great beard. The antennae test the air as the caterpillar rears up to intimidate the hunter. Nearby plant life watches the scene indifferently, not really a care in the colorful world. What’s cool about this build is the ingenuity it demonstrates with a part limitation. The giant minifig hands are the parts to work with, and Dan found a creative way of using them. The caterpillar is awesome, and I hope it can be friends with the hunter instead of enemies.

The Hunt Is On

Tiny tall tales

Working with a limited number of LEGO pieces can be a real challenge, but builder Dan Ko rises to meet it with this tiny but awesome build! Building with as few pieces as possible really pushes you to get creative on how to represent your subject, and Dan shows us the way with all the clever parts usage. For example, minifigure skater helmets make up Alice’s shoulders while mugs make up her hair. Orange leaves stand in for the Mad Hatter’s hair sticking out from under his hat. I love the use of shuttle bay doors for the book’s pages! Minifigure hands make up Rapunzel’s flowing hair, which acts as a bookmark of sorts for the open book. And there’s particularly crafty usage of the transparent handle as the heel of the glass slipper. Go ahead, take a closer look and see what wonders you’ll find among these tales!

Once Upon A Time

Release the TIE fighters!

Well, those are a different kind of TIE fighters… Dan Ko built the most striking microscale spaceship for a Space Jam contest. I’m in love with it, and that may or may not be because of the teal – my favourite colour. The colour scheme with the purple highlights somehow feels like it belongs in an established universe. Whether it be LEGO Classic Space, or any sci-fi franchise, this carrier appears to swoosh straight out of it. The part usage is also worth noting – teal coloured brick separators and the little bow ties that represent the tiny starfighters.

The Wraptor Carrier

Want to see more builds with teal? I sure do! We have a whole collection of them here!

A face as pretty as a song

At first glance this build by Dan Ko is interesting enough. The LEGO Space Police Logo draws you in, and maybe if you’re a child of the 80’s you’ll recognize that red beast as a Mantisaur from the He-Man universe. Or maybe you’ll just dig the Mantiasur’s cool part usage like hotdogs for eye ridges, feet, and claws. Or the 1×1 round plate “teeth” that remind me of another creepy build from Dan.  But then you look closer at the rider and you can’t help but think….”Hold on. That dude has a guitar for a head.”

Woop-woop! That's the sound of da police!

How do you feel about this character? Do you want to be his friend or do you want to pull a Hendrix and remove this being from our reality entirely? I admit to being slightly torn, myself. Anyway. If you want to return to the noble past (future?) of the Space Police, I suggest you view some of our previously featured builds!

The most interesting prom date you’re going to find.

Leave it to Dan Ko to create a creature that takes interesting part usage to a whole new galaxy. Titled “The CandyDate“, this depiction of alien student Dor Zinoir incorporates underused parts like a crab for a hand, Dimensions game pieces for foot-pods, and what appear to be minifigure fishing rods for the spindly legs. There are also minifigure arms, disembodied hands, and Unikitty tails in the mix. That nose is throwing me, though. It looks like a minifigure head/helmet, but I can’t place it.

The CandyDate

Take a closer look after the break

This Alien Queen is Thicc

If you’re a fan of the LEGO Art theme, odds are you’ve acquired at least one “Thicc Separator”, the wide, black version of the classic brick separator tool. I know they seem to be multiplying rapidly in our household. Dan Ko may have figured out why. Using a Thicc Separator as a base, they’ve revealed the tool’s true form – that of an Alien Queen. And if you look close, you might even spot some black hot dogs. I’m not sure that’s related, but it sure is creepy.

Alien Queen Bust

Want more alien goodness? Check out our Xenomorph tag!