Tag Archives: Dystopian

Some buzz-worthy air travel

I’ve got to say, the latest LEGO build by Mr Youm is pretty fly…or rather, is a pretty fly. All the little black bits are sculpted so precisely to create that insectoid face. Zamor spheres wrapped in red rubber bands, an air tank holding a pair of fangs, and lever handles stuck inside a 1×2 grill plate are just a few of the many excellent examples of novel part usage in this bug. But my favorite touch is the use of gray technic pins to create the texture of its wings. The stacking of those pieces, framed in black tubing and bars, is an off-the-wall solution to a problem normally solved by builders with a specific piece of plastic.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Camera shopping in dystopian District 7

Clad in the octagonal LEGO bricks from the Aquazone theme, the Nakano Camera Corner by Ids de Jong is a beautiful bit of cyberpunk cityscape. The seamless integration of such an awkward part is very well done here, as are all the little details accompanying the famous “NCC.” All the essential pieces of cyberpunk are present. Stripes of tiled kanji adorn the agglomeration of shops, each one created in its own style. Technological tubing and futuristic adverts are peppered throughout. Even the minifigs are tricked out for the depicted dystopic future!

While the view from the corner is quite impressive in all its yellow glory, I appreciate this alternate angle of the model even more. It really showcases all the fine details Ids crammed into this urban chunk-ola. The gutter pipe that snakes down this side of the structure is absolute genius! Color changes showcase the haphazard wear on the conduit, and the elbow that’s now supporting some plant life feels so natural amid the jumble of this decaying metropolis.

A car repair shop that has all the right parts

While this section of downtown by EMazingbrix has definitely seen better days, it certainly can’t have seen better LEGO part usage! I’m absolutely in love with the front door of that apartment building, utilizing a 1×1 bracket for a hinge plate, and a white rubber band to frame the window. The steps leading down from the door are fantastic, as are all the textures on the buildings walls and roof. And the blotches of moss along the sidewalk and structures provide an excellent run-down feel. But my favorite bit of this build has got to be the roof of the repair shop, with its latticed slopes poking out the top. The shop sports a clean finish compared to its neighbor thanks to some superb use of sloped bricks laid on their sides.

In search of land, promised or not

In the distant dystopian future of LEGO builder Andrea Lattanzio’s imagination, a colony of survivors braves the seas and storms searching for land. Based on “Le Navigator” by Simon Laveuve (a miniature artist known for grungy, industrial dioramas), this ramshackle pile of outhouses and palettes is covered with clever techniques and textural details. Towering antennae and string lights add height as well as detail to the model while reactor-powered turbines under the barge move the colony, frothing the sea of loose studs below. The olive-green, dark nougat and medium azure plates detailing the structures add a “cobbled together” effect by intentionally misaligning them.

Continue reading →

Battle of the brick bots

The robots are taking over, and who doesn’t love a good mech when they see one? Adam Dodge‘s LEGO war mech looks to be a pretty unique take on the archetype — it really looks like Wall-E on steroids.

The caterpillar tread and slightly boxy aesthetic of this build are what are reminiscent of Wall-E, but of course all of the added brick-built artillery and armaments make this bot look quite a bit less than friendly. Certainly the weaponry of this build is where the great parts-usage happens. The gatling gun which is also the right arm of the bot is comprised of technic pieces. Some white 1×1 cones serve as unveiled missiles on the shoulder of the machine. The body/cockpit is constructed from mostly bricks and slopes with some tiling serving as accents. Overall this is one mean looking bot, perhaps an unfortunately fitting image for the rather dystopian times we are in currently.

Practical magic

It’s a common practice to touch up LEGO images with a bit of post-production magic. Sometimes it’s knocking out a background that isn’t quite clean enough, or maybe it’s going the other direction and putting a galaxy behind your spaceship. There’s nothing inherently wrong with extending a build by giving things clarity or context. However, Marcel V. shows us that everything doesn’t always have to be “fixed in post”. Tearing apart is 100% LEGO, from the craggy landscape to the clouds on the horizon. And the photo itself is untouched, free from any editing.

The short focal length gives clarity to the foreground elements like the lone wanderer (and faithful canine companion), and adds an air of mystery to the objects in the distance. Are those vines (constructed from 1×1 round brick and dinosaur tails) responsible for the fractured rock? Are they just taking advantage of another calamity? Just how close is the horizon? Are those storm clouds or an onrushing menace?

A behind the scenes look reveals some of the complexities that went into this creation. It’s interesting to see the different layers of construction that combined so seamlessly in the final image.

I don’t know about you, but I’d love to see more photos from these adventurer’s travels. There’s just something special about the practical nature of their world that speaks to me.

A streetcar named Dystopia

Get your ticket for a cable car ride to the apocalypse in this dystopian future scene by Hellboy.lego. Your final stop is Catastrophe St. & Devastation Blvd. where trouble awaits around every corner!

The things I most appreciate about this scene are the little stories spread throughout. An intrepid traveller embarks at his stop and finds himself in dangerous surroundings. A madman protects his arsenal of garbage, while a shadowed figure lurks in a corner just waiting to relieve unsuspecting tourists of their possessions. Peril also comes from above in the form of a gun toting survivalist on the roof, looking for an opportunity to strike.

There are even spiders and a couple of baby dinos thrown in for good measure! I also love the overgrown look, accomplished using a wide variety of plant pieces in different shapes and colors. The organic palette of the foliage and crumbling gray building facade create a nice color contrast to the excellently built tan and blue cable car. The cracked and broken pavement is not only a great detail, it also breaks the straight line of the base, adding to the overall decrepit feeling of the scene.

Smoothly keeping dissidents at bay

This slick robotic four-legged police unit, dubbed KA-9 by LEGO builder Red Spacecat, has such a polished aesthetic to it that I could almost see it called the “iProtect” in our dystopian future. The ultra-grippy toes made of rubber Technic axle connectors is a genius design, and the subtle detail of eschewing larger tiles for a series of 1×1 tiles on the upper legs gives the perfect impression of heavy armor plates.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

That famous opening line from Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities is as good an introduction as any to Paddy Bricksplitter’s microscale diorama of the same name. The juxtaposition of the glistening white utopian towers and the smoke belching grime of the dystopian factory below creates some wonderful drama. There are nods, as he acknowledges, to the cyberpunk anime Battle of Alita as well as science fiction classics such as Things to Come and Metropolis. In the end, its Paddy’s own style that steals the show, relying on clever repeats of simple LEGO elements and atmospheric lighting to show the contradicting sides of his future city.

Living the dystopian dream

Ah, to get away from it all — just pack up your trailer and head out of town. Well, according to LegoFin in 2046 you might just end up living in one of these dystopian suburbs. A collage of jumbled junk, all of course expertly built, from the resourceful layering of dishes to create the defunct electrical transformers, to the lovingly detailed generator out back.

The caravan’s design uses some cleverly arranged slopes, giving it its distinctive shape; a real home from home, it’s got everything you need… well, alright it has a bucket. Still, if you do get lonely, there’s always that suspicious-looking drone to keep you company.