Tag Archives: Joseph Zawada

A dysfunctional family portrait

Here’s something some of us can relate to: You gather the family for one of those formal portraits and dad has some unsavory opinions, mom worries about your eating habits, brother would rather dress as Batman and the less said about little sis the better. The end product is a study in angst and dysfunction forever immortalized over your parent’s dining table. LEGO builder Joseph Zawada has a similar vibe going here except this family is a bunch of mechs. They most certainly share a family resemblance. There are four mechs in all but, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to show you just two of my favorites.

Mechtober 2022 - Family Portrait

Click to delve deeper into family dysfunction

Beware this gilded monster of the deep

Everyone in the village knows not to sail too close to the undersea cavern that Apahir calls home…but today they got careless. Joseph Zawada has crafted a kinetic scene of a gilded leviathan making the fishermen pay for trespassing in his realm. Joseph has long been inspired by the gold adorned enemies in the video game Bayonetta, and he used Brickscalibur as a way to finally scratch that itch with a beast of his own. The result is a monster that’s beautiful to behold, but terrifying to see up close.

Apahr, the Gilded Leviathan

There’s an art to this build.

This amazing stylized character build of Persona 5’s Ann Takamaki by Joseph Zawada pushes the limits of LEGO art in impressive ways. The offset round tiles in the hair highlights suggest an entirely new style of mosaic building, and the use of negative space in the mouth to create thin lines and shapes not possible with existing brick is an inspired move. I also have to note the creative part usage in the eyes; I’ve spotted everything from minifigure hands to flex tubing. Truly, this is a work of art.

Ann Takamaki

Check our our art tag for even more examples of great creative expression in the plastic brick medium.

Hands up ready for the boom

We see lots of LEGO buildings and battles, from sci-fi through to fantasy scenes. What we don’t see as often are brick-built “special effects” which capture the dynamism and danger of an explosion as well as in Joseph Zawada‘s siege scene. Chunks of masonry and minifigures go flying in different directions, and trans-red and yellow projectile bars effectively create a feeling of energy and heat as the blast tears the castle wall to pieces. The wall and castle gate sport a gnarly level of texture and some smart arches to break up the expanse of grey, and the wider landscaping provides an effective backdrop for the combat action. But it’s the explosion which catches the eye and makes this feel like a still from some epic movie. I feel sorry for the castle’s defenders — it looks like there’s another boom coming with that trebuchet unleashing the next bombardment.

Siege of Kastermore