Tag Archives: Iron Builder

All hail the peacock’s plumage

The male peacock is one of the prettiest animals in the entire animal kingdom. Sorry, ladies but that bro is has got it going on! Even the LEGO frogs know it; just look at them, basking in his magnificance and glory. This bit of cross-species love is brought to you by gGh0st who is competing in the Iron Builder competition. The seed part is the watering can and they’ve used twenty-five of them here. I’m sure there’s a watering can pun I could have used here but I’m just too in awe of this pretty peacock to think of it. Let me know in the comments if you have some because otherwise my watering can is dry.

Peacock

What’s the best Christmas film to be rendered in LEGO?

December is a little over a week away, which means we will soon have the annual debate over what the second-best Christmas movie is. Wait, second-best? You heard me! You can keep your Home Alones, your Nutcracker adaptations and your Die Hards (if you’re that way inclined). As Eli Willsea clearly knows, The Muppet Christmas Carol is the undisputed festive film champion! It’s wholesome, it has some great songs, it’s not too cheesy (Muppet cast notwithstanding), and it inspires creative use of LEGO watering cans. What’s not to love?

"It's not easy being a green watering can"

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

Cactus makes perfect

I love a bit of meta in a LEGO build. Eli Willsea is taking part in Iron Builder, where the challenge is to use the watering can piece in new and unusual ways. Now a watering can is a tool to help keep your plants alive. So Eli has used it to bring a plant to life in brick form! But why not go further? Why not choose a plant that is famous for not needing a lot of water, like a cactus? Now we’ve got a hint of irony involved too! Pretty much all that’s missing now is a good pun. What to do for that, I wonder…

The Cactus Caretakers

Water (and frogs) under the bridge

This saccharine sweet little LEGO scene is brought to you by famed builder Eli Willsea. With adorable frogs under a bridge and equally adorable birds on it, what’s not to love? This is an entry for the ever-popular Iron Builder competition; this time the seed part being the watering can in lime. Eight were used to denote the frog eyes. I especially love that one frog peeking from behind the bridge. It’s just so sweet! Even the wee caterpillar seems happy to be eaten in this delightful little scene.

Frogs Below the Bridge

Home is where you hang your hat…or sometimes it just is the hat.

The Iron Builder competition has already taken us on a LEGO tropical vacation. But Duncan Lindbo is upping the ante with a natural beach setting for this hermit crab build that uses 8 of the required red Technic Rotor Blades. But this crab isn’t content with your everyday shell. He’s making his home in a brick-built replica of the Rebel pilot helmet from Star Wars. Makes you wonder what’s on that note in the bottle. Perhaps the plans to a secret weapon the Empire is about to bring online?

Message in a bottle

Flippin’ in my flops

While autumn is in-uh-bloom, which means torrential downpours here in the Pacific Northwest, LEGO extraordinaire Dan Ko takes us on a summer vacation. He’s competing in the infamous Iron Builder competition and we’re all as pleased as Hawaiian Punch, by golly! He’s used four of the requisite red Technic Rotor Blades to construct the neat beach chair. I suppose that alone would have pleased the Iron Builder Gods but he’s gone the extra mile to depict a sunny beach scene in a travel case. I can feel the warm sand getting into all my nether bits! With Iron Builder, there’s no telling what our esteemed builders will do! Here’s to hoping Dan Ko will take us on vacation again soon.

Flip or Flop

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- Heroes on a Half Shell-Turtle Power!

The esteemed Iron Builder competition is firing on all cylinders and the equally ‘steamed LEGO builder Duncan Lindbo has answered the call of duty. This time he’s used the requisite red Technic Rotor Blade to render Raphael’s ninja-eye-mask-scarf-thingy. Thanks to my chosen title, those of us of a certain age now hear the theme song that was the soundtrack to our Saturday mornings and are remembering the sewer-dwelling, pizza-loving crime-fighting antics of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It all made sense when we were twelve! Here’s to hoping Duncan Lindbo continues to be our action-packed Saturday-morning-and-every-other-day soundtrack.

Hero on the half-shell

Iron Builder: It’s like a beautiful dance with a LEGO chainsaw!

When a new Iron Builder competition starts up, it’s hard not to feature some of the fantastic creations that come from the parts-usage head-to-head. In this round, both our competitors are trying to best utilize the Technic rotor blade in red. In a strategic move, challenger Duncan Lindbo attempts to cut down his competition with a brilliant chainsaw creation! It’s such a clean model, with excellent lines and a superb use of the seed part. But the log it sits on is equally impressive, all knotted and gnarled on the exterior, yet smooth and ringed where it was recently cleaved. Good luck to Duncan and his challenger Dan Ko as they duke it out!

Chainsaw go brrrr

From the annals of Iron Builder comes the Iron Carousel

It seems our contestants over at Iron Builder are wrapping up their competition and LEGO phenom Joe (jnj_bricks) is going out with a bang. They needed to use the golden handcuffs as their seed part and Joe makes great use of them a whopping 73 times!

Iron Carousel

I’m not sure if my favorite carriage is the frog or the boat. Check out the video to see this magnificent carousel in action and let us know in the comments what your favorite detail is and also let us know how you think this round of Iron Builder will pan out.

A charming pair of scavengers

If you are stuck in a post-apocalyptic LEGO world scratching out a living recovering unusual salvage from the before-time, there can be no mode of travel more reliable than a beast of burden who can also defend your stash. This duo of ride and rider by Justus M. are ready for anything as they scour the landscape for supplies to trade. Built for the Iron Builder challenge, the golden handcuffs are used 40 times, most noticeably in the feet, and as a woven blanket under the beast’s saddle. One of my favorite details is the gas mask, made with only 6 parts, and that roller skate is the perfect part usage!

Scavenger

Dinner starts promptly at six. Bring handcuffs.

Sometimes it’s nice to dine in an exquisite setting decked out in a shirt, tie, jacket, nice shoes, and handcuffs. Wait, what? Let me explain. This opulent LEGO dining room was built by Joe (jnj_bricks) for the Iron Builder competition. The seed part this time is golden handcuffs, and Joe used twenty-eight of them here. So it’s not so much a Fifty Shades of Gray thing but more of a Fifty Shades of gold thing. Look at all that gold! I’ve spotted several pairs of handcuffs in the chandelier, the backs of the chairs, and even comprised of the curtain ties. Have I missed any? I particularly enjoy the very three-dimensional portraits along the walls. The older gent I presume is the patriarch of the household and a bit of a grouch who uses the word “indubitably” on occasion. Perhaps that’s a word I should try out at my next formal gathering. More butter, Lino? Indubitably!

An Exquisite Dinning Room