Tag Archives: Dicken Liu

Hold on to your bricks – Dicken Liu’s amazing LEGO Alien spares no expense

Last week Dicken Liu made waves with an unlikely alternative build and instructions to turn the Creator 3-in-1 Cute Bunny into an Alien face hugger. Not one to rest on his laurels, Dicken is back with the most impressive and insane alt-build we’ve ever seen – a large-scale Alien Xenomorph and another spin on the face hugger, this time drawing exclusively on the parts from Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus Rex (which reviews editor Bre called one of her favorite builds of all time). Was Dicken so preoccupied with whether or not he could create these alt builds that he didn’t think to stop if he should? Who am I kidding, of course he should have! It’s amazing. Force of nature Dicken Liu always finds a way.

Dicken is a prolific builder who over a few short years competed in LEGO Masters China, was invited to display his works at the LEGO House Masterpiece Gallery in Billund, and was crowned Builder of the Year in 2023 on this very site. His builds include everything from characters to architecture to silly gags. Lately, he’s been exploring alternate ways to display and remix sets, and with the Xenomorph rebuild, Dicken’s talents truly shine.

While Xenomorphs are most commonly seen in the films with a black carapace, tan works surprisingly well for the creature, matching the on-screen colors of the face hugger. Dicken manages to use the limited curved bricks from the T-Rex set to sculpt a dead-on Xenomorphy head, aand the the many bony elements give it the extra Giger touch. Conveniently, there are enough of the slender ribs left to make a face hugger with clasping legs and curving tail that make it much more menacing than the bunny version.

Dicken generously provided free instructions for his face hugger alt build, which lets anyone make their own LEGO face hugger for under $20. If Dicken shares instructions for this latest masterpiece, we will update so that you can re-engineer your own T-Rex into an even deadlier apex predator.

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In space, no one can hear you hop [Updated – With Instructions]

Taking an official LEGO set and building something new with it has been a common activity ever since the launch of the modern building block, with many early sets featuring alternate models pictured on the back of the box. But Dicken Liu has taken this to an entirely new level, and I will never look at a rabbit the same way again… The tan and light nougat color scheme perfectly matches the terrifying stage in the Xenomorph life cycle known as the facehugger. If you dare to look closer at the creature’s maw, you can even see a few small brown espresso handles serving as part of the creature’s squishy underbelly.

UPDATE: Looking to build your own adorable(?) facehugger? Dicken shares the instructions on Instagram.

Bedtime for Bowser Jr.

They may be selfish, mean, and bad to the drybones, but somehow King Koopa and his kids still come off as charming and loveable. They’re like a family of Charlie Browns, always missing that football. It’s that sympathetic side that TBB regular Dicken Liu brings out with his LEGO tribute to Bowser Jr. The Koopaling looks so vulnerable outside of his shell, ready to tuck into bed. Hopefully papa will sing him a few bars of Peaches as a lullaby.

This little scene is packed with some delightful parts and techniques. Dicken models Jr.’s shell on the massive Mighty Bowser set. The Nexo Knights lampshade comes from the Beastmaster’s Chariot. The Koopaling’s eyes were exclusive to the Powerpuff Girls Team Pack for LEGO Dimensions, and I’m pretty sure that Bowser Jr. is keeping his little tuft of hair dry with an inside-out Scala sleeping bag. The results are utterly adorable. Please, Mario, go easy on the little guy!

Cyber-statue scrutinizes samsāra

If you need a place to say a prayer to the ghost in the shell or the god in the machine, look no further than this LEGO cyber-punk temple by Liu Di Kai! This holy site borrows pieces from a bunch of different LEGO action product lines. The building on the right is decorated with the heads of the Hero Factory villain Xplode, the swords higher up on that tower have been a staple of Ninjago since 2021, and the swords above the statue are from Monkie Kid 2023. Speaking of the statue, this one is modeled after Avalokiteśvara who was given eleven heads by Amitābha – in this case borrowed from C-3PO. What would you pray for at this statue? A sword? Cyber-shoes? I’d want some extra arms to play drums with!

Got an achoo? Guile’s gotchu!

Once you see this clever LEGO tissue box built by Dicken Liu you really can’t unsee it. I dare you to forget about it. See, you can’t! But that’s how it goes with really fun and clever stuff. The ever-vain Guile from Street Fighter is known for his Sonic Boom and sweet flattop haircut; the latter replicated nicely as tissue. Now you can dream of knocking M. Bison’s lights out every time you blow your schnozz. If that’s not a flawless victory I don’t know what is!

The fast and the furious

Some of the magic of Dicken Liu’s LEGO work is his ability to capture speed even when his creation is standing still. This is the case with this biomechanical leopard; the tail, the curvature of the back, and the purposeful gaze all leads me to believe that some serious business is about to go down. Someone or something is about to be destroyed and maybe even made into lunch. Do biomechanical animals eat? It’s a question I’d rather not find out, thank you very much!

Who wouldn’t take an apple from this sweet old woman?

The Evil Queen’s witchy disguise in Disney’s Snow White is a frightening sight, but as captured by LEGO Master Dicken Liu, she’s downright adorable. The witch’s scale lets cloth elements seamlessly drape around her hunched form, and the brick-built elements emphasize curves and canted angles that turn LEGO rigidity into a cartoon come to life. Dicken includes some sly Disney nods in that characterful face. The beady eyes are sourced from Moana’s rooster companion Hei-Hei in the Disney Duos set, and the nose appears to be an unpainted prototype of Alice’s hairpiece. Once again, Dicken impresses with his innovative techniques and knack for character. Why not take the witch’s apple, let your dreams come true, and revisit some of our favorite Dicken Liumodels?

A lovely white LEGO tower in the style of Lord of the Rings

This architectural scene by dicken liu would look right at home alongside the official LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings 10316 Rivendell, with arched airy towers in white, twisted trees, and a waterfall. Inside each of the two domed structures are giant green and blue gems worthy of the glory of Numenor. Several unique gold-colored elements are used as accents for the white towers, and the many steps carved into the rock in zig-zag patterns add to the mystery.

One of the classic space blunders

Feeding wildlife is generally frowned upon, even at your local park, but more so on alien worlds where lifeforms have too many legs, teeth, or tentacles and where the only thing protecting your body from asphyxiation or worse is a brightly colored space suit. I’m not sure if the happy-go-lucky LEGO spacefarers in Dicken Liu‘s playful scene are taunting the local fauna for science or just for kicks, but I sure hope they brought enough gems to share with all the locals. Last year we named Dicken Liu Builder of the Year for his clever parts usage and joyful models and this vignette lives up to that reputation. For the surface of the alien world, he uses hexagonal rotors from the Nexo Knights line, which tessellate nicely with 2×4 wedge plates. Red crowbars make for convincing legs for the insectoid aliens, while Nexo Knights make a return for the larger alien’s half-dome head. Liu titled this build Scavengers Reign, perhaps in reference to the creepy cool animated series which offers many clear reminders of what can happen when you get up close and personal with strange lifeforms.

Watch for the right time to build something new

It’s that time again, LEGO fans! We’ve got yet another exceptional creation by Dicken Liu, and this one is the embodiment of exceptional timing. Well, maybe not exactly in the way you were thinking. This goofy, anthropomorphized alarm clock is an exceptional accessory, with it’s cartoonish arms and legs jutting out from a watch face adorned with a blue boomerang for hands. And while it may not actually tell time, at least the band does clip together to make it the perfect brick-built fashion statement.

Can you best this chest in your tabletop battles?

It’s a good time to be a fan of LEGO, Dungeons, and Dragons (not necessarily in that order). Partly, that’s down to the release of the epic LEGO Ideas 21348 Dungeons and Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale, as recently reviewed by our resident Dungeon Master Kyle. But equally, its release inspires talented builders like Dicken Liu to build their own creatures of fantasy! The humble mimic is a staple of D&D campaigns, and this one seems a little more dangerous than most. Normally you just need to watch your hands when diving in for treasure – but with its hatchet and shield, you’ll have a hard enough time just getting near this particular chest!

The Brothers Brick LEGO Builder of the Year 2023 [News]

We here at The Brothers Brick have poured through the list of LEGO builders we’ve featured on the site for 2023. With so many excellent creations blogged by us in those 365 days, it’s always tough to find the singular builder who went above and beyond in that time – who not only rose above their peers, but also improved upon their work from past years. And when we specifically looked for someone who seriously stepped up their game in the year 2023, it was clear who fit the bill.

The Brothers Brick is thrilled to announce that Dicken Liu is our TBB LEGO Builder of the Year for 2023.

Read up on Dicken Liu’s award-winning 2023 below!

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