Tag Archives: Frost

With February comes LEGO rovers

February is here again… man, how time flies. While most people think of Valentine’s Day, personally, I dream of the LEGO rovers that flood the internet during Febrovery (one of many building themed months in the LEGO fan community) Often taking inspiration from classic space themes of days gone by. Frost seems to have picked up a few of the recently released LEGO Creator 31148: Retro roller skate and put those new pink wheels to excellent use. The angled suspension puts the cockpit at an interesting angle, and the long articulated arm in back fits right in with the classic space look, perhaps from a long lost “Pink-tron” theme.

PinkTron Exchange Students

Rovin’, rovin’, rovin’. Keep them doggies rovin’...

Although Febrovary has drawn to a close, there’s no reason you can’t start prepping for next year. Tommy Frost brings us Ted’s Custom Rovers, a small business ready to help you arrive to next year’s party in style. Maybe take a test drive in this custom ride with Classic Space yellows and blues, along with a unique style of wheel treads. Those inverted transparent-blue radar dishes kind of remind me of suction cups. Maybe this rover climbs walls? I’m sure the low gravity conditions make that a tad easier.

FebRovery 2022 Part 28

This rover looks great from all the angles, too. I’m particularly fond of the exhaust system and front grille work. Stylish, functional, and vaguely plausible mechanics – a real win in my book.

Ted's Custom Rovers

Is your heart still roving around? Why not let it take flight with some more Neo-classic Space goodness?

Get a load of this rover-loader

How many rovers would a rover-loader load if a rover-loader could load rovers? That’s the question that Tommy Frost asks us to consider with this delightful space forklift and the series of boxed lunar rovers that it’s got to pack onto (or off of?) a heavy-duty transport. There’s lots of whimsy packed into this scene of hard labor, from the jaunty tilt of the forklift’s roll bar to the hard-hatted foreman with a video monitor for a head. I wonder if the lower gravity makes the work go quicker. That would explain the huge smile on the forklift driver’s face.

FebRovery 2022 Part 27

Theodore Q. Spacepants cares about the environment and stuff

This past month we featured a lot of LEGO space rovers because of Febrovery or something. Well, it’s now March but we’re still having plenty of fun with it. Take this awesome rover by Tommy Frost for example. With a couple of VIDIYO Boomboxes, four knobby tires, and some weird plant life, we’re whisked away to another planet, one that Theodore Q. Spacepants is happy to be a part of. You see, Theodore cares deeply about environmental issues and volunteers for the B. Good Foundation’s Spaceplant Conservation Project. he says it wasn’t really a job because he didn’t get paid but, like most things we volunteer for, it was a whole pant-load of fun. That’s pretty much how I describe my time spent here volunteering for The Brothers Brick, a pant-load of fun. Check out why we think Mr. Frost is also a pant-load of fun.

FebRovery 2022 Part 24

That little alien critter almost was Monorover roadkill

Sometimes LEGO releases parts that are so big, they seem challenging to use in a build of your own because they are so noticeable. Frost isn’t afraid of a challenge and is actually quite well known for using odd big pieces in their builds, just take a look at their gallery. The windshield of the Pop-Up Party Bus is such a piece. It is huge, it is trans purple and it only has been used for this one set. Frost used it in their Monorover. The build features only one wheel, hence the name Monorover. But that one wheel is massive! Which goes along great with the big purple windshield.

FebRovery 2022 Part 11

If you peek through the windshield you’ll notice a really nice angled display using the 1×2 round plate and the angled bar with stud. The colour scheme of this rover also is to die for. The teal compliments the purple and the trans purple wonderfully and the grey gives it that Classic Space feel we all know and love. Frost also proved that, even though LEGO Vidiyo didn’t last long, they produced some stellar minifigures.

Penelope’s Friendly Viper

What do you build when your sister asks you to play with her LEGO? I’d say a Disney castle or a fantasy adventure diorama. But according to Frost, sister’s bricks are perfect for building a Vic Viper or two. Obviously, for her favorite characters, like Penelope. I like this one for its shape and glowing coral color, which looks amazing with open space in the back. Even such a simple Vic Viper got a couple of nice piece combinations, like the tiny bow and arch pieces on the tip of the wings.

Penelope's Friendly Viper

This frosty friend just wants to play, hopefully

Djokson has constructed this cheerful-looking wyrm in a chilly colour scheme, ready for winter. The head is mostly made up of ice-styled pieces, including Strakk’s mask from Bionicle which represents the nose of the creature. At first, the eye might appear to be a normal stud but it is actually a heart piece from the Clickits theme. A dots strap is placed across a balloon segment forming the creature’s stomach, portraying a round, organic look. The wings, in white and transparent blue, have only been featured in one set which was a large buildable Chima figure from 2014. By using a selection of unusual parts, Djokson has succeeded in creating a unique build with a cute and charming appearance.

Boreal Wyrm

Do space police dream of astronaut llamas? Who would we even ask about that?

The current cold weather in the US has nothing on the cold of deep space. The aptly named Frost brings more love to Febrovery 2021 with the Spy-Trak V: “Trakin’ Spies since ’89”.  Complete with removable prison pod, this sweet ride has an aggressive stance that’s sure to intimidate any Space Llamas it runs across. It’s also an homage to the classic 6895 Spy Trak 1 set from 1989.

Febrovery 2021 Chapter 5 Hot Pursuit

Frost was kind enough to showcase the rover from multiple angles. You can really appreciate the ant-like shaping, and the strong contrast between the transparent red windscreen and the blue of the main body. This is the sort of build that goes to show you don’t have to use a million parts to make a slick creation with outstanding lines.

Spy-Trak V Multiple Views

Frost is building an entire fleet of rovers, and is even writing story around them. Here’s the starting point if you want to read along! And when you’re done, be sure to cruise our archives of other Febrovery builds!

A cool rover for February

February is the least favorite month for many people, at least in the Northern Hemisphere; it’s often cold, still dreary, and all the magic of winter and Christmas is long forgotten. But not for me. It certainly helps that my birthday falls in this shortest of months, but there are many other positive features to recommend it. For example, it is the month to build LEGO rovers (Febrovery). I love rovers. And what better way to combine winter with rovers than a solid Ice Planet 2002-inspired rig like this one from the appropriately named Frost? It’s got giant wheels that are really erasers (perhaps it erases its own wheel marks from the snow?), the glorious trans-neon orange canopy, and the can’t miss blue-and-white color scheme. Some stickered pieces from the Galaxy Squad make some nice details, and I love white greebles. The coral highlights set it apart though, which is good because this is on Ice Planet 2003, not 2002.

Febrovery 2020 day 23

A-roving a-roving a-roving I’ll go with a set of balloon tires

Across the moons of the outer systems, thin dusty soil causes problems for surface vehicles. Without big chunky tires, your fancy new rover isn’t going anywhere. LEGO builder Frost has put together a flashy moon rover with the requisite balloon tires but also bedecked in an eye-popping color scheme. The tires are a beefy joy, tiles attached to caterpillar tracks wound around standard wheels. This design allows for a multi-layered multi-colored look, perfectly matching the bold styling of the rest of the vehicle. The curved stripes over the bonnet are nicely done, as is the front grille and the integration of the angled windscreen and roll-cage parts around the rear. The fin sticking from the rear is easy to miss amidst all the color, but is a great use of a parts separator — lovely stuff.

Brightly coloured LEGO moon rover

Whatever they offer you, don’t feed the plants!

Builder Frost takes us to a forbidden planet where the plants have a mind of their own. We’ve featured some of his terrific space builds here in the past and he doesn’t disappoint in this latest offering. While this couldn’t be considered “Classic Space” in the LEGO sense, it exudes a wonderfully vintage vibe.

Oh, you said space PLANTS

I’m a big fan of old science fiction pulp novels. Their covers, painted in lurid colors, have a certain take on weird fantasy visuals that doesn’t really exist anymore. This model really captures the feeling of those old covers with its oversized alien-looking, tentacled plants. I appreciate the thoughtful use of transparent pieces that really help sell the bizarreness of the landscape. In particular, I’m quite fond of the blue and purple lighting pieces and the pink half domes. The decision to use the Flash Gordon style suits on the space travelers further drives home the whole 1940s look.

Not satisfied with a purely stationary LEGO creation, Frost has built animation into it and as an added bonus, the large green egg-like centers glow under blacklight. As you can see in this video, the large tentacled plants move and sway, beckoning our heroes ever closer to what may be a gruesome fate.

A month of deals at Honest Joe’s Used Rovers

For the past several years LEGO space enthusiasts have been getting together on Flickr each February to showcase planetary exploration rovers of all shapes and sizes. While it’s not a contest, as the month draws down one builder, in particular, is standing out as the unmistakable leader of this year’s Febrovery event. US-based builder Frost has certainly been no slouch with one new eye-catching rover after another each day so far. We’ve already featured his glamorous P6R, but now is a great time to highlight some of the other fantastic rovers he’s added to the current lineup. Here’s one which looks as if it was made specifically for a space-faring Clark Griswold:

FebRovery 2019 Day 14

This thing is ugly, but in a really good way. The lime-green body, wood paneling and gold trim grants a rather funky, 70’s vibe. I wouldn’t be surprised to find an eight-track player and shag carpet inside this futuristic station wagon. Further down the line, Frost’s two-wheeled rover is ready to cover some ground with its single axle, Segway-esque design: Continue reading →