Tag Archives: F@bz

Chrome Crusher redux: less chrome, but more crushing

There seems to be a lot of nostalgia for LEGO’s Rock Raiders theme going around at the moment, and I am so here for it. French builder F@bz has turned his attention to 4970 Chrome Crusher. I always thought this was the coolest Rock Raiders set, and F@bz has done a great job of upping that cool factor! There’s been a touch of realism added too. The original cockpit piece was quite open to the elements, and this one made from ladders and a net will probably offer a bit more protection from any small rocks flying around. The drill also looks more purposeful. It isn’t chrome like the one in the set, but I think this one truly is a thing of beauty!

4970 The Chrome Crusher RMX (01)

The Black Sparrow

Streaking though the sky comes the latest LEGO creation from French builder F@bz! Clean lines and great parts usage are present throughout this flying ship. The angles on the wings use a wonderful old slope brick with studs on the slope. The splash of purple and yellow really pop and the light blueish gray of the engines give great contrast to the deep black of the wings. I particularly like the use of the large rotor blade running down the center of the fuselage.

L'Epervier noir (01)

Locked up in Tower #7

Continuing his series of architecture inspired designs, builder F@bz adds this futuristic tower. Suitable for a scene from a superhero movie, the multiple levels are created with the clever use of Minifigure handcuff pieces. Layered on top of each other and overlapping between levels around the structure, the cuffs are nestled as close together as they can. This repetition leads to a satisfying result, especially when contrasted with the colorful, picturesque landscape of the base. The well-manicured hedges and trees line either side of a pink and gold road leading right up to the ground floor of the tower.

Architecture#7 by F@bz (01)

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A Vic Viper that looks carved from wood.

We’ve seen a wide variety of Vic Viper themes recently: Ice Planet, Fire Fighter, Mazinger. But this Viper that reminds me of my parents’ 1970s living room décor is maybe the most surprising one of all. F@bz used at least 60 decorative spiral bricks to create a ship that feels like a handcrafted piece of carpentry. The motif is further accentuated by the arch pieces used for the wings and the pearl gold elements that feel like brass fittings. It’s a ship that would make Nick Offerman proud.

VV Majalis (01)

Two-tone spaceship is one nice model

If you only take a look at one big grey LEGO spaceship today then it should be this one — put together by F@bz. Big grey spaceships are often… (how can I put this politely?) …maybe a little dull? But this one is a cracker, primarily down to those large patterned areas on the spaceship’s front section. They’re built using 1×4 shooter parts, whose split colours and diagonal details make for some interesting shapes amidst the “alien language meets corrupted bitmap” feel of the futuristic decoration.

Large LEGO spaceship

Whilst the camo-style patterns up front might capture the initial attention, there’s further good use of shooter parts around the craft’s bridge area. It’s Technic shooters this time, providing a nice bit of texture along the ship’s sides to complement all that lovely greebling up top…

LEGO spaceship greebles

Monster murals under a microscale urban jungle

Architects of tomorrow see solutions to many problems facing society today and modern concrete jungles often lack the greenery that people need to escape. One solution exemplified here in the sixth microscale architectural model by builder F@bz is elevated green spaces and this one seems to be thriving. The bright green vines lifted from Friends sets and the myriad of leaf pieces create overgrown foliage that contrasts the dark grey, tan, and black of the city structure below.

Architecture#6 by F@bz (01)

The slanted supports for the sky park give way to exposed bits of railway leading out from underpasses and tunnels through the metropolis. Thankfully, the dark colors of the city are accented by playful bits of graffiti achieved by using various printed bricks. The expressions and colors that F@bz used for the art work well with the textures of the walls. Tiny details of brown and sand yellow make up the area around the lower train tracks with bright red fencing along one side and a smaller guard wall at the base of the graffiti wall. The little trains work wonderfully with the scene. I wish I could sit back in one of the top seats and take in the view of the rising cityscape above me.

Architecture#6 by F@bz (02)

Catamaran Vic Viper

Vic Vipers always have had my interest. Mainly because I do not enjoy building space creations myself but I really admire those who can actually build within the theme. This LEGO Vic Viper by F@bz really is something else. It has to be the biggest creation with the least amount of parts I’ve ever seen. F@bz manages to use a part I would never ever consider to be of any use outside of the set it came in. They used the catamaran base for the ‘wings’ of the vehicle. The rest of the spaceship uses a quite demure color scheme that complements the brightness of the colors of the catamarans. Check out their gallery for more views of this amazing creation.

Nerthus VV (01)

This warship is all about the curves

From the wedge-shaped Star Destroyer to the cylindrical Saturn V, we’ve seen a lot of different shapes used in spacecraft design. This one built by F@bz, however, is a completely new direction.

Star Nergal (01)

I have never seen so many sloped downward curves in my entire life, and I don’t think I’ll see them anywhere else but here. F@bz’s ship looks like something that Thor might sail out of Asgard, or a vessel of Humanity in Warhammer 40k. Either way, I’m buying a ticket for the next cruise onboard.

Star Nergal (04)

Seriously. Almost nobody can find a use for these weird parts that hail from the mid-2000s LEGO Sports theme, and then F@bz goes and uses all of them. Nicely done!

Curve your enthusiasm

LEGO has released a lot of great sets in their Architecture theme, but they all have one big drawback. They’re all based on buildings that exist. I mean…c’mon. This is LEGO we’re talking about. Can’t we be a bit less derivative and a bit more creative? Happily, F@bz didn’t limit themselves to recreating a landmark, they built something new for us to enjoy. In Architecture #1, we get a functional, realistic-looking building with some pretty unique shaping. Those big curves are made from a series of split-level plates sandwiched between 1×2 transparent plate, bent around a curved-slope base. Sweet.

Architecture # 1   (01)

As enviable as that curve is, though, don’t overlook some of the other great details. The roof-level mechanics include ingots and minfigure accessories. My favorite, though, is the stamped letter used as a tiny statue/sign in the courtyard.

This is F@bz’s first venture into microscale building, but hopefully not the last.

Color out of space

We see plenty of spaceships here at The Brothers Brick but we rarely see any that are quite as colorful as this one. A LEGO builder who goes by the name of F@bz has conjured up a space tanker that would look right at home in a carnival…parade…fire? Carnival parade fire. I’m seeing some very retro pieces that may have been pilfered from some old Aquazone sets from about 1996 or so. The tanker pieces, or at least the ones with the “AT.02” decal, come from the Exo-Force Mobile Assault Tank from 2006. If ever F@bz gets tired of this colorful model (but who would, really?) it can get pried apart using the two new dark turquoise brick separators included in the design. Now that is totes fabs!

Leucocargo (space tanker) 01