Tag Archives: Fabuland

A Star Wars Fabuland hangar with a special feature for folks dealing with sight loss

We seem to love the LEGO theme of Fabuland here at The Brothers Brick. We’re also big fans of Star Wars, in case you haven’t figured that out. So naturally, when Stewart Lamb Cromar posted his new Fabuland Tie Fighter hangar, we were pretty thrilled. The Darth Vader TIE Fighter and the army of Perry Pandas looking very much like stormtroopers are quite charming. What we didn’t expect, however, was to learn that Stewart has been dealing with sight loss. As a result, this hangar, which would have normally taken him a few weeks to construct, took nearly a year factoring in eight eye surgeries and their associated recovery time. For individuals such as himself, Stewart included an extraordinary feature built into the detailing of this hangar.

Fabuland Hangar ????????????

Click to discover what I mean

This small LEGO fishing boat is simply Fabu-lous!

Building the gentle curve of a boat hull in LEGO bricks can be a challenge. That is, unless you find an old Fabuland boat part in your collection like Norton74. He promptly put it to good use as the start of a fishing boat full of the kind of details we have come to expect from Andrea. The simple dock gives a good setting without taking attention away from the vessel. It includes a small cargo hold and a rig for hauling in the day’s catch. Round, white studs give the boat a proper wake in a bed of transparent blue as it approaches the dock at the end of a long day.

Fab Boat

What the world needs now is a TIE Bungalow

The other day I was telling anyone who would listen, which was precisely no one as it turned out, that LEGO has never produced a UCS TIE Bomber. Well, if Stewart Lamb Cromar was within earshot we might be best bros by now as his write-up for this creation states pretty much the same thing. There is no UCS TIE Bomber so Stu (can I call you Stu?) took matters into his creative hands with the Fabuland TIE Bungalow. It combines the joy of living in a sweet Fabuland-style house with the exhilaration of being all Star Wars-y and bombing rebel bases. Sign me up! Billy Bear even somewhat resembles the all-black-clad TIE Fighter pilots. Combining awesome themes is pretty much Stewart’s thing. If you dig the Fabuland vibe, (and who doesn’t, really?) then check out our Fabuland Archives to see unique creations by Stewart and others.

'TIE Bungalow' ❤️???????? (1/7)

Fabulous + soldier = Fabusoldier?

When it comes to arming animals, Moko is one of – if not the – best in the business. We’re big fans of his work, and apparently so are the residents of Fabuland. They’ve moved on from the happy-go-lucky bright colours of the 1980s and are upgrading their armory. After Peter Pig and Lionel Lion, Bonnie Bunny is the third character to get their own mech, and this one gets airborne! There’s some serious Apache helicopter vibes here – the olive green looks great. And there’s in-flight snacks! It seems even a mech-suit army still marches, and flies, on its stomach.

FabuSoldier 03

Picking up the pieces, Fabuland style

I’ve always had a fondness for a good fan-made redux of an old-school LEGO set, and this lovely overhaul of 3634 Charlie Crow’s Carry-All by Jens Ådne J. Rydland fits the bill perfectly. The classic Fabuland truck has been expanded drastically from its original 17-piece build, adding lots more detail like the wooden truck bed and more details on the undercarriage. The trash bin was in the original, but a lamppost and cobblestone street have been added to complete the diorama.

3634 revamp

Then why is it a HAMburger?!

This cyborg version of an old Fabuland figure is pretty torn up about your food choices. Flickr Builder Moko has been making mechs for a long time and, after creating some cyborg versions of LEGO animals, they’ve moved on to some LEGO legends. For the unfamiliar, Fabuland sets were introduced at the end of the 70s and went out of production at the end of the 80s. As Moko puts it in his blog, Fabuland offered a more “picture-book-like world view” with anthropomorphized animal citizens. Think of them as the middle sibling between Duplo and LEGO with a twist of Richard Scarry’s Busytown. Though these figures and sets aren’t produced by LEGO anymore, they still have a core fan group among some collectors due to their rarity and obscurity.  Here Moko has created a mercenary cyborg soldier with an edgy appetite. The plethora of detailed, hinged elements that Moko uses combine in the arms, legs and bodies provide a thick, responsive frame to protect the rider within. Fully armed and prepared for combat, this mech only has one week spot but its a necessary one. After all, how else are you supposed to keep eating during battle? Can’t have crumbs in the cockpit either.

FabuSoldier 01

Aside from all of the amazing details and angles that Moko has created, the solid yellow crystal piece with a red brick as French fries is a stand out detail here. The color-blocking and range of motion that Moko employs always renders a satisfying product that reads well and strikes envy in LEGO mech fans everywhere. Either that or fear, given its intense arsenal and bulk.

Fabuland celebrates LEGO’s 90th Anniversary

Stewart Lamb Cromar regularly delights us with his Fabuland creations. But his work has never made us this hungry before. To celebrate LEGO’s 90th anniversary, Stewart has crafted a layer cake large enough to be the party venue for these Fabuland mice. We can almost taste the numerous 1×1 round tiles acting as sprinkles, and the dozens of Unikitty tails subbing for piped icing…but, unfortunately, the mice are making us second guess having a slice. At least one of them is willing to vacuum up the crumbs.

‘Lego Mouse Party’ ???????? (1/7)

Fabuland Ganesha doesn’t judge you

We’re used to being in awe and maybe a bit flabbergasted by the wild and wonderful LEGO creations of Ivan Martynov. But this time we’re like; is that even LEGO? It’s a computer render, as it turns out, but still a neat concept. Here we see Elton Elephant as Ganesha, the Hindu god of beginnings and the patron of intellectuals, bankers, scribes, and authors. He’s one of those cool, laidback dieties who doesn’t judge your shortcomings because he himself isn’t without folly. I, on the other hand, can be judgemental, at times. I am forever furrowing my brow at the antics of others. If you’d rather we didn’t shake our heads with quiet condemnation at how you treat others then quit acting like an entitled high-and-mighty brat, Karen! (Wow, that escalated fast.) While you’re clamoring to reach my manager, why not take a gander at some other Fabuland creations built by totally fabulous grown-ass adults.

Elton Elephant

Fabulous Fabuland AT-AT walks straight into our hearts

When you hear the words “Star Wars,” I bet the word “trilogy” pops into your head. Whether it’s the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, or the Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars defines itself by its cinematic trios. That’s why it’s so fitting that Stewart Cromar has created a third model in his Star Wars x Fabuland series – the FAB-AT-AT, or “Fabuland Playhouse.”

'FAB-AT-AT' (4/4)

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Fabulous Fabuland Homestead

No Fabulous Fabulandspeeder is complete without a Fabulous Homestead. So we are very grateful that Stewart Cromar continued to fabulize Star Wars sets. Whenever you buy a LEGO Star Wars set and you open up all the bags and spread out all the parts on the table you’ll notice that a lot of the parts are light grey, dark grey, or black. Then there are some pops of colour but those are mostly used in the construction of the vehicle and later covered up with light grey, dark grey, or black bricks. Completely the opposite of the Fabuland theme and therefore it is ever so delightful to see these sets get the Fabuland treatment. Some of the original Fabuland parts work so perfectly that LEGO might have to consider recoloring those parts to light grey, dark grey, or black for future releases of Star Wars sets. For instance the mailbox top works perfectly as an arched rooftop and the refrigerator door looks stunning as a front door to this lovely Tatooine Homestead. So LEGO, please consider bringing back some of those iconic Fabuland pieces.

‘Tatooine Homestead’ (1/9)

Fabulous Fabulandspeeder

I wish this was an actual LEGO set. I would forgive LEGO for making Luke’s Landspeeder as often as a Spider-Man movie gets shoved down our throats. This makes me wish that LEGO brought back its old Fabuland theme, instead of my own favourite Bionicle. And so does Fabuland super-fan Stewart Lamb Cromar.

‘Fabulandspeeder’ (1/4)

Fabuland was a theme in the late 70s into the 80s, which started as a step between DUPLO and classic LEGO. It released a year after the first modern minifigure, as well as the first space and castle sets. The goal was to build a universe of friendly, funny, animal-headed characters that appeal to both boys and girls. The design of the sets were simplified and consisted of mostly primary colours – red, yellow, and blue.

‘Fabulandspeeder’ (2/4)

Similarly, Stu built his Fabulandspeeder with the default “Fabuland colour scheme” but with all the detailed goodness that Star Wars builds offer. He also used genuine Fabuland parts, including a loose house door he procured second-hand, as the original piece is built into a big panel.

Check out some more Fabuland-themed builds here!

Fabuland with a modern twist

It’s neat when LEGO builders team up with others to build something truly unique. Lasse Vestergård worked together with his mom to built two Fabuland layouts. This one uses only bricks that existed in the ’80s and nicely represents the whimsy and primary color palette that the theme encompassed during its ten-year run.

This one, however, uses modern pieces and offers a more updated earth-toned palette.

A close-up shot of the paddleboat showcases some of the large kid-friendly pieces Fabuland was famous for, particularly the whimsical arched windows and the one-piece hulls for both the paddleboat and the little rowboat.

Its modern counterpart ups the piece count considerably but gives more depth and texture to the water. Plants and flowers are well detailed but the same Fabuland characters retain their original sweetness. Which do you like better?