Tag Archives: Graffiti

Tags and trains: Capturing the gritty side of the tracks in LEGO with Sérgio Batista [Interview]

We’ve been admirers of the LEGO trains from Sérgio Batista for some time now. Builing at 1:45 scale, Sérgio recreates the trains of his native Portugal in incredible detail, earning prizes and the attention of local media. In his latest project, it wasn’t the trains themselves but the setting that caught our attention – specifically the minifig-scale graffiti on the ruined buildings, walls, and train cars along the tracks. Some might call painting on bricks in this way vandalism, but we were taken by how immersive the effect is. It’s a side of life by the train tracks that you don’t often see in LEGO or models in general. We reached out to Sérgio to learn more about his love for LEGO trains and how he came to playing with graffiti in his latest work.

TBB: First off, how did you become interested in LEGO train modeling?

Sérgio Batista: Since childhood, I have been fascinated by trains. I was born in the ’80s and grew up in the ’90s, often riding suburban trains with my parents. As for LEGO, I had catalogs featuring the Metroliner, which had a design/shape similar to the Portuguese trains I used to ride (the CP 2300 series from the Sintra Line). However, it was an expensive set that my parents couldn’t afford, so it remained just a memory.

Years later, as an adult, I emerged from my dark age and bought the Metroliner on eBay around 2005/2006. That’s when I thought, what if I built Portuguese trains in LEGO? I searched online and discovered the work of builders like James Mathis and Raised on Brickshelf, and I figured I might be able to do the same. I came across BrickLink and began my journey to replicate Portuguese trains in LEGO.

Next stop, more on Sérgio’s LEGO train journey

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A brush with the Rebellion

I’ve seen a lot of Star Wars LEGO creations over the ten-plus years I’ve been writing for The Brothers Brick, and after awhile many of them start to blur together. This little diorama by Abe Fortier caught my eye though, and not because of the urban industrial architecture (which is well done) or the carefully textured base (which is also well done). Instead, it’s the graffiti that covers the walls of this Imperial base on Lothal. The brick-built portraits of a Rebel pilot and bloody stormtrooper are perfect pieces of Rebel propaganda that are so rarely seen on screen.

Your other shoe is in another tower

Is it just me or running shoes look especially cool with massive city landmarks in the background? Look at this fantastic graffiti concept by Toryman. It’s just a shoe and N Seoul Tower, but there’s such an awesome vibe to this art.

Of course, it’s not “just” a shoe and “just” a tower. Take a closer look to notice all the cool LEGO element applications for perfect 3D effect.

Massive brick with a sick secret!

Large-scale LEGO bricks have been done many times in the past but this gigantic brick by Tommy Frost takes it to a whole new height. At a 22x scale, Tommy was able to achieve a high level of detail, going as far as adding the raised LEGO logo on the top stud and even the small slit below the side stud. This particular brick is referred to as a headlight brick (or sometimes Erling brick) and is one of the earliest elements that enables sideways building, called SNOT (studs not on top) building. A wonderful graffiti-style art on the side gives a hint as to the secret that this large brick holds.

Removing the LEGO logo on top reveals that this SNOT brick doubles as a tissue box! A wonderful play on words and a fantastic model! Check out more views below.
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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.

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.

Wolverine minifig street art in Brighton, England

While I’m obligated every time I highlight graffiti to say that I don’t condone vandalism, I love to see great street art. This photo by clockity shows the artist’s progress as he squeezes Wolverine in between some larger pieces.

Have any of our readers in Brighton seen this in person? Know who the artist is?

Graffity Coq

Moscovite Silvavasil_LEGO combines street art and LEGO with his latest effort entitled “Graffity Coq”. With this colorful burn he joins the ranks of urban-inspired builders like LEGOSTYLES and Cole Blaq and Orion Pax.

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