Tag Archives: Insects

A very hungry LEGO caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the most enduring and beloved works of childrens’ literature thanks to the distinctive style of creator Eric Carle. 55 years after eating its way through readers’ hearts, the Hungry Caterpillar is back in LEGO form courtesy of another distinctive artist, Pan Noda. A character build like this is a departure from the uncanny architecture and liminal spaces we’ve come to expect from the builder, but there’s something about the Hungry Caterpillar that makes it feel at home in Pan’s pantheon. Maybe it’s those haunting eyes of life preservers atop Scala foam? Or the dozens of cherries that turn eerily to fur along the caterpillar’s back. Or the existential question of whether a hole in a book is part of the book or the absence of book. In any case, it’s a brilliant build. Were it not for the apple leaf in the foreground, it would be easy to overlook that it’s a LEGO model all!

Walking Robot：The Very Hungry Caterpillar-Type

It’s time to flee the great LEGO space flea

Menace and malice are the motto of Malefactor, the latest LEGO build from Scott Wilhelm. With outer plating of dark red and mouthparts and limbs clad in black, this giant parasite still appears to have some of the essentials of space travel like rear thrusters and forward battery. So is this a living creature, or a spaceship with a natural inspiration? I’d rather not get close enough to find out!

Malefactor

He has the whole world in his hands

This giant LEGO ant carrying the entire Earth by Plaåtart’s Creations doesn’t seem so farfetched considering that ants can carry 100 times their weight. That would be the equivalent of me lifting a semi-truck! Meanwhile, here I am straining to get a gallon of milk out of the fridge like a weak wussy-man. Unless this is a well-known builder in disguise, this appears to be the first time we’ve featured their work here so let’s give them The Brothers Brick Bump they rightly deserve. With build quality this (ahem) strong, we look forward to seeing whatever else this builder will lift up in the future.

Ant Carrying the Earth 2

The lotus and the damselfly

Mattia Careddu takes us on a journey to Sri Lanka with a LEGO version of the Nymphaea Nouchali, or Blue Lotus, the country’s national flower. The model makes good use of  Hero Factory cocoon elements as petals, and syringes double as stamens. Admiring the flower is a Prodasineura Sita, a species of damselfly endemic to the island nation. Minifig hands make for excellent hairs on the delicate insect’s spindly legs. Care Creation regularly finds inspiration in unusual LEGO elements or subjects not typically seen in LEGO models. This tiny model does both!

Journey to Sri Lanka

Think wasps are only good for being a nuisance at picnics? Think again

Wasps are something of a bête noire when it comes to animals – they’re probably the least liked of all the insects. Having been stung by a fair few in my time, I’d have to agree; but if anything is going to change my mind, it’s Shamisenfred‘s innovative LEGO interceptor. Christened the GUÊPE (French for wasp, or more literally, WASP), it’s said to be a craft with “erratic, unpredictable movements”. Yep, sounds very on brand. And speaking of which, I love the use of the chevron-shaped wedge pieces to create the ship’s body, as it mimics the hexagonal nature of wasp or bees’ nests. I bet it still packs a sting, though…

"GUÊPE" interceptor

Upping the ante with some Nice Parts Use

F. S. Leinad is up to his usual LEGO-building antics again. This is a creation that he tells us he’s been antsy to share, inspired by one single part. Who could have anticipated that Garmadon’s helmet would make such a great nose for this bug? Not me! He’s upped the ante on this one. And while I could antagonize you all with some more ant-related puns, they might be getting a bit antiquated already. Let’s just file this build into the NPU anthology and be done with it.

Ant

Luxurious travel for the art-deco arthropod

It’s always a treat when Vince Toulouse graces us with another LEGO build. He has developed a very unique style, and we’re big fans of his insect-inspired retro-futuristic sci-fi builds! That may be a mouthful, but it gets the point across. What should we call this, Insectpunk? Anyway, we featured something called a Myriapod way back in March 2020, and Vince has revisited the concept with this gorgeous red and gold consist! It’s only fitting that an insect-inspired train would use a bunch of legs from the Insectoids line. There is surely no more stylish way for bugs to get around!

Myriapodotrain

Christmas is for caterpillars, too!

What do you think of when it comes to festive animals, either in real life or in LEGO form? Reindeer are a given. Turkeys are probably up there too. How about insects? If your answer to that is yes, either you’re getting 21342 The Insect Collection as a Christmas present, or you’re Nathan Hake. His charming caterpillar is braving the cold for some winter fun! Much like Nathan, this caterpillar is quite the sculptor – a smorgasbord of slopes and curved slopes on their sides make for a very convincing snow butterfly. Having an extra pair of hands clearly comes in, well, handy!

Clive the Christmas Caterpillar

Be sure to check out a 360° view of Clive on Nathan’s Flickr page. And Merry Christmas!

A hungry LEGO caterpillar with a can-do attitude

If you thought a LEGO watering can wasn’t much use outside of setting a scene in a garden, you have not seen an Iron Builder competition. In the contest, an unusual seed part is used in each build, to challenge the builder to think creatively. gGh0st does not disappoint with this caterpillar, whose many segments use the watering can in lime to great effect. The spout makes the perfect leg, clinging to the branch. But I do wonder what this would look like from any other angle…

Caterpillar

Do I make you itchy?

I love insects and spiders. Really, I do. Tops on my LEGO wishlist is the new 21342 Ideas Insect Collection but boy, does looking at insect photos make my skin crawl! I’m scratching as I type and that is a testament to how realistic this new flea creation by Mitsuru Nikaito is. “Associative itching” is a real thing and, according to the science-y types at the University of Pennsylvania, itchy associations crosses species because primates get it, too. It’s a sensation so good, I decided to pass it along to you all. Let me know in the comments if you’re feeling it too and, if you love creepy-crawlers, check out our insects archives for more skin-crawling goodness.

LEGO Flea mech_05

This builder brings the beautiful bugs

LEGO will be launching the The Insect Collection soon and, as a result, some of our favorite builders are a little buggier than usual. Take, for example, this lovely Orchid Mantis built by LEGO 7 that is adorned, like its namesake, in pink and white. The flowers come from 10311 Orchid set from last year.

蘭花螳螂

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Even more ideas from the LEGO insect kingdom

While we’re all itching to get our hands on the LEGO Ideas Insect Collection set, builder James Zhan created his own take on some of the other critters from the phylum Arthropoda. First up, a pair of comically-adorned beetles slug it out in the forest floor’s ring for the title of bug boxing world champion. While the stag beetle (in blue) certainly has that look of determination, the Japanese horned beetle (in red) is certainly no slouch. And judging by the belt it’s rocking, this is far from its first time in the ring. Don’t let the beetles distract you entirely, though. Those adorable pink flowers growing out of a corner of the ring are quite the detail!

classic duels

In a more true-to-life depiction of insectoids, this quintet of fireflies know how to light up a scene. While still featuring cartoonish “bug” eyes, these insect of the family Lampyridae put transparent neon LEGO elements to good use on their posteriors to signify their glowing potential. And once again, the background is a fantastic bit of flora, featuring three types of fungi growing out of the log that’s the base of this build (one is on the other side of the creation). But then again, we know James can certainly turn out a fantastic plant when he has to.

Summer Nights - Fireflies