Part of the fun of Halloween for me was always the cheap plastic trinkets; pumpkin buckets, spider rings, and especially the vampire teeth. But Josephine Monterosso has put those dollar store dentures to shame with this set of blood sucking biters. A pair of Dots bracelets make a perfect base for Dracula’s gums, and the resulting creation is perfect for anyone practicing to become a dentist of the undead.
It’s not the biggest or most elaborate LEGO creation we’ve ever showcased here on The Brothers Brick but I was excited to write about it nonetheless. This little offering by Josephine Monterosso is called Illegal Robot and apparently, that was enough to pique my interest and get this wee bot onto my to-write list ASAP. She goes on to explain that this was built from modified parts and illegal connections. The shoulders and upper arms are cut ends from a chain and the hands are held in place via cut stickers wrapped around the pegs. The purists would not like this; the last time we upset them we got a record number of complaints from folks with AOL email addresses. I’m chuckling inside, Josephine. Thanks for being a total rebel!
Good day, and welcome to the Great White North! Here we’ve got a beautiful LEGO BrickHeadz build by Josephine Monterosso featuring our favorite fictional Canadian brothers, Bob and Doug McKenzie. Played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas respectively, the duo were featured on the Canadian SCTV in the 80’s, as well as the feature film Strange Brew. And Josephine does a great job of recreating their countenances in this blocky medium. I love the 1×2 jumper plate used for their mouths, locked in a heated discussion about long underwear and back bacon. Then there’s the ingenious use of the minifig pom-pom for the top of Doug’s tuque, and tires as his earmuffs. But my absolute favorite detail has to be the angled plates used for their jacket collars! It’s so fitting given Brickheadz dimensions. And, well, if you disagree, you can take off, eh!
Way back in May of 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off with Iron Man. Now, a mere 12 years later, Josephine Monterosso pays tribute with an amazing microscale rendition of the Mark I armor. As you’d expect at this tiny size, there’s a lot of meaning packed into each and every piece. The legs, made of robot claws add some weight to the hips, and the connection grooves on the minifigure hands that make the arms manage to suggest elbow joints. The round helmet (looks like the base of a lever to me) conveys the right shaping. But the real star is the torso – made from a single roller skate. Not only does that part provide all the necessary attachment points, it also transforms the central LEGO stud into a perfect ARC reactor. It’s amazing how much information you can get from just six tiny LEGO elements.
As impressive as the armor is, it’s also important to call out the setting Josephine built for it. Without this jagged rock backdrop, you might have mistaken the figure for a robot or even a sci-fi spacesuit. It may be a “simple” build of slopes and plates, but it adds great depth and context to the scene. Makes me wonder what other Marvel Moments might be possible at this scale. It’d make for a great, space-efficient diorama!
That was Thomas Edison’s recipe for innovation. But he failed to mention the importance of keeping things simple. When it comes to LEGO creations, sometimes the simplest models are the most impressive, and this wonderful LEGO lightbulb by Josephine Monterosso is a great example. It may be comprised of only seven pieces, but this economy of parts only makes it all the more impressive. The transparent minifigure head and clear space helmet make for the perfect recreation of retro lightbulb curves, and the short length of silver ribbed hose is a nice way to evoke a screw thread. Maybe this LEGO lightbulb will give other builders ideas too!
Amidst the summer heat, Josephine Monterosso’s brick-built grapes look quite refreshing, not to mention realistic. They look like they were just picked off the vine, right down to the green leaf hanging off the end of the stem (the leaf appears to be a green minifig cape). The grapes themselves are purple Technic ball joints, a part which has been around since 2001 but never appeared in dark purple until this year (you can find it in sets 76103 & 41342). A good part can be made even better with the proper technique, and I especially love how Josephine used plant pieces to create a very organic looking bunch of grapes. Bon appétit!
