Tag Archives: Iron Builder

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.

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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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

Tiny LEGO model of El Dorado hides a surprising secret

This LEGO microscale model of El Dorado, the legendary city of gold, by Justus M. packs a lot of tiny details into such a small scene. I love how the leaf element here takes on a different size at this scale. The builder adds many small colored plates and other parts in pastel that are common with South American cultures. But there is more to this model than meets the eye. Subtly included ramps turn this scene into a GBC (Great Ball Contraption) module. See if you can spot the 20 gold handcuffs used in this Iron Builder entry.

Warships used to look so much flashier

You know what the problem with military vehicles is these days? It’s all so grey. Or stealth black, sometimes. Or a drab green. Or some – anyway! Point is, they’re not very interesting colours. Back in the day, warships on the high seas sometimes had a fair bit of bling on them. Joe (jnj_bricks) harkens back to these flashier days by throwing some golden LEGO handcuffs at this Man-of-War. Coupled with that dark blue, it looks rather smart. Sure, it’s not very practical – you could see this coming a mile off. But isn’t that for the better, so that we can appreciate this masterful little build?

How it’s made: nano-fig special

Ever wondered how LEGO’s nano-figs are made? Caleb Schilling has given us a sneak peek at their production line mid-manufacture. Bet you thought it was all ABS and injection-moulding, eh? Think again! Now I’m no expert, but I believe that inside this machine, there are tiny little gremlins (smaller even than nano-figs) armed with tridents, who carve these pieces out of coloured plastic. These tools of theirs are wonderfully versatile. You can see two of them sticking out the side, which when pulled presumably give the gremlins a poke, so they know which shift to be on. Some older ones also seem to have been re-purposed for the conveyor belt. How resourceful! It’s a wonder such production methods aren’t used elsewhere, really.

(Hm? What do you mean, I’ve failed the trial period for TBB’s production expert…?)

Slicing at life with a pixilated pitchfork

Confused by the title? Sounds like an impossible task, much like participating in the Iron Builder competition where two LEGO builders try to use a single part as much as they can. And IB gladiator Jonah Schultz has taken a huge stab at using the Minecraft trident in this “slice of life” scene. It contains such ingenious use of the wrong end of the weapon, throwing tons of sand green diamonds all over the place for various fencing and knobs. But don’t miss the drainage grate, composed of the trident’s prongs.

Cut through the swamp, they said. What could go wrong, they said.

This scary LEGO swamp scene is brought to you by Caleb Schilling. It’s his first entry into the new Iron Builder competition so that means job security for us and scores of entertainment for you. Speaking from experience, Iron Builder is difficult so, like our adventurer, Caleb is probably feeling like he’s waist-deep in peril right about now. The seed part this time around is the Minecraft Trident. It’s been used to excellent effect several times in this swampy scene. Among the spooky creatures lurking in the background is a shadowy Woody. Unsettling stuff, indeed!

Wyrms: like dragons, but cuter

Supposedly, the difference between dragons and wyrms (and wyverns, and drakes) lies in the number of limbs they have, and whether they have wings or not. That may be so, but the name “wyrm” just sounds cuter than the others, don’t you think? Maybe that’s why Jonah Schultz refers to this adorable little LEGO guy as a wyrm, even if it technially has too many limbs to be one. That minifigure-leg snout is too cute to belong to a fire-breathing monster! How do we square this particular circle? Maybe Wyrm is its given name? Wyrm the Dragon. Yeah, that sounds fitting! If a little confusing…