Tag Archives: Inthert

The brightest of battles amongst the stars

From movies to TV shows to LEGO models, we all love a bit of Star Wars action. But one of the persistent criticisms of the franchise is the peculiar need it appears to have to return to similar planetary environments over and again. In an entire galaxy of apparently habitable planets, it seems weird we keep ending up on desert or frozen worlds. Here’s a LEGO creation that decides instead to revel in the possibilities of alien environments, setting a battle between the Republic and the Trade Federation on the colourful world of Tealos Prime. I love the bright foliage and unusual tones in the scenery here — a brilliant contrast with the typical grey vehicles of the Star Wars universe.

The scene, a collaborative effort from Tim Goddard, Mansur Soeleman, and inthert is an absolute cracker — massive in scope despite the micro scale employed on the individual models. Check out this wider top-down view which reveals the full size of the layout, with scenery ranging from forest to cliff-side landing pad, and the impressive array of vehicles from both factions…

This water isn’t the purist I’ve ever had

Not every LEGO creation has to be made exclusively with LEGO bricks. Of course, there are some whose radical purist dogmas forbid anything besides what was intended by The LEGO Group to be used in creations, but they are extremists. Many builders would say that cutting, gluing, or painting go too far, but most other things are okay. And some say that anything goes, as long as the end result looks cool. Now, I’m not sure where Inthert falls among these groups, but this creation transcends mere LEGO and becomes something different with the inclusion of a real-world spray bottle. It may not be the sword of Exact-Zero, or the Polish Remover of Nail, but its incorporation into the build is both genius and surprising.

Yet Another Harebrained Scheme

It seems that Farmer Gary needs to water his field, and has come up with a novel way of distributing the necessary fluids. Will it work? Unlikely. But the build, built for MOC Wars 2020, is great. Check out that weather vane, for example, using an ice skate and a minifig hand. Or the grass, with sand green 1×1 clips. The variation in texture between the building, the path, and the vegetated areas works perfectly, displaying a keen eye for detail. If only Farmer Gary were so keen.

OSHA would like a word

Some LEGO creations are great at telling a story. Take “Clunker” by Inthert, for example. The story here is: “Mining asteroids is a sucky, sucky job.” This scene of futuristic yet questionably maintained drilling equipment is full of great details and part usage. In particular, I’m enjoying the Minecraft-esque blocks that are being removed from the surface. I’m all for hyper-realism in LEGO creations, but when you can keep things “blocky” for a reason…well, it’s a nice treat.

Clunker

A stand-out technique is the texture of the rock, created by layering lots of ball-socket plates. A more subtle, yet impressive, trick is the use of the firing pins from stud shooters braced diagonally in the underside of 1×1 plates. I hadn’t seen that one before. I shouldn’t be too shocked about that, though, as this build is part of the MOC Wars 2020 competition. You have to be as tough and skilled as these miners to survive that.

It’s not always about the spaceship.

Don’t get me wrong; I love LEGO space ships. The more swooshable a build, the happier I am. Sometimes though, it’s not about the ship, but the people who keep them flying. In Repair Yard, builder Inthert shows us a slice of life from the mechanics who keep things moving. (And, apparently, the cat that helps out, too.) This model was created for a contest focused on the creative use of grill tiles, and there’s certainly several great examples of that here. Note how they are used with crossbows in the radar array on the right, as texture for the crates, and the steps in the stairs on the gantry. Look even closer, and you’ll see them as part of the engine detailing (coupled via minifigure handcuffs, no less) and the work stations in the background.

Repair Yard

The rest of the build is fun, too. I like the crack in the paved area created by keeping a slight gap between sloped elements, and the choice of lilac for the plant stems gives the whole thing a nice extraterrestrial vibe. I do wonder, however, if I’m reading the story of this vignette correctly. It sure looks like the mechanic on the ladder pushed that shiny red button, giving the other tech a face full of soot from the engine. Surely Inthert would be nicer to these characters, right?

New parts, bold style, deep space

There seems to be some LEGO builders who, when they sit down to build LEGO models, they really pump them out..and in fine form too. Inthert’s recent experimentation with new parts has brought out some great technique and this follow-up ship to his previous creation, 6-H Cargo Hopper, holds its own. Named the TRE-O, it has an almost Microscale feel, which may be partially due to the impression the solid white leaves. There are so many tasty combinations in this little vessel, so let’s just talk about a few. The curved top 1×2 brick dominates the front arms, which slide beautifully into a wheel arches. Twin 1×4 curved slopes adorn each fin further up, giving it another nudge toward its microscale feel. Another fun detail is the new 2×2 plate with thin rotation stem acting as the base of an antenna mount.

TRE-O (1)

The new pneumatic liftarm with connections for hose has instantly proven itself as a perfect engine or thruster, and this shot shows it off really well. Though the back to back 3×3 slope wedges (introduced in the Overwatch range) look great, the shaping of the rear portions of th three fins sets the stern off for me.

TRE-O (2)

Big things really do come in small packages

This charming little cargo hauler by Inthert has so many great parts I’m not sure where to start. Actually, I know exactly where to start. Take a look at the pilot, sitting in the perfect cradle made from two of these shoulder pieces from LEGO 75973 D.Va & Reinhardt from the Overwatch theme put together. Genius! There are also a few of these Technic hinge parts, used on either side of the thruster intakes. Now, moving to the back, the black cargo rig makes perfect use of the little holes at the center of the red turntable bases to secure your deliveries.

6-H Cargo Hopper

Lean, green and mean.. Built for separating the pack.

Early in May, we showcased Inthert’s previous Speeder, and now barely a month later he shares another great one. His new LEGO Speeder Bike comes with the feeling of a deluxe personal outrigger, capable of some spectacular turns. Impressively bold in colour, Victor-Vine’s Bike looks striking with the simple but well-balanced gradient running through its core. The main body, built from twin green brick separators, gives way to its sleek design and powerful rear end. The steering pinion-shafts lead to the lengthy upper-stock, reaching the nose rudder with ease. It makes me wonder what sort of G’s it would pull taking a tight corner. The front end is held together with a couple of 2×2 white Rubber Bands, giving enough pressure to keep the nose assembly in fine form.

Victor-Vine's Bike

Towards the engines, we see some nice parts usage, tightly constructed and predominantly in black. I was personally pleased to see the white 1/2 Technic Bush and the Modified 1×2 Plate with Ladder. Such a simple element like this ancient ladder plate, tends to be abandoned for the 1×2 – 2×2 Bracket and a couple of 1×2 Grills, so it’s good to see it pop up here.

All orange, all the time

If you have been even a marginal LEGO buyer these past few years, you might be familiar with the ubiquitous Brick Separator. I have dozens of them myself. They come with nearly every set nowadays, mostly in orange, however they have made some rare appearances in green and now in dark turquoise. But what can you use them for besides prying up that pesky 1×4 plate? If you answered “build Torrac’s Race Bike with them”, then you might be a builder who goes by the name Inthert.

Torrac's Race Bike

Every angle of this futuristic hover bike is expertly crafted, proving that with a bit of imagination, you can find inspiration beyond an obvious purpose. Even with the humble Brick Separator.

Torrac's Race Bike

AT-RT nimbly navigated across the floor of a sinkhole on Utapau

It’s a good thing that clone troopers are genetically enhanced because there is no way an average Stormtrooper could pilot an AT-RT so smoothly over slippery rocks. This fun scene by Inthert combines a well-designed AT-RT, perfectly scaled for a minifig, with some nicely sculpted rock-work.

AT-RT On Utapau

LL-109 Exploration Craft hearkens to the past

2019 is already proving productive for the prolific Inthert who has unveiled another stellar model after the chrome-enhanced Naboo Starfighter earlier this week.

LL-109 Exploration Craft

This time it’s a gorgeous explorer ship in Classic Space livery. The builder crafted this ship from leftover table scraps from an earlier build, and we’re all lucky he found a use for them. You can see one notable chunk composed of rocket cones with vehicle brushes embedded inside, which was apparently a happy accident in the parts bin.

LL-109 Exploration Craft

Another cool bit can be found at the rear of the ship where the engine nozzles are built from a ring of scythe blades. There are even more details to be found, I invite you to take a closer look to explore all the creative parts uses while this ship explores the stars!

A shiny upgrade for the N1 Naboo starfighter

Embracing custom LEGO pieces can have dramatic results. In builder Inthert’s case, the decision to swap out standard grey bricks for custom chrome elements (taking a cue from the UCS Naboo Starfighter) on the upgrade of his 2017 version of the N1 Naboo starfighter is a shining triumph. Not only does this new version of the classic Star Wars ship capture the sleek lines of the original, something we saw from him recently in his TIE-Proteus model, its burnished finish echoes the art deco motifs of the Old Republic. I’m put in mind of the allure of vintage sports cars, whose glistening engines can’t help but entice even the non-motor enthusiast.

N1 In Chrome

An ultracompact TIE-fighter for those living in busy supercities

Despite its simplicity, for many years the famous TIE-fighter remains one of the most popular subjects for building experiments among LEGO fans. Inthert‘s restless imagination creates some of the most usual versions of the most iconic star-fighters. Now, the latest TIE-Proteus is a particularly cute subject, definitely devised in an attempt to solve traffic problems around the largest of the First Order’s bases.

First Order TIE-Proteus

Jokes aside, this very smart design features a whole bunch of brilliant solutions, among which I particularly love simple, yet amazingly elegant landing gear.

First Order TIE-Proteus (3)