Tag Archives: Julie vanderMeulen

In space, no one can hear you croak

Our amphibious friends have been making great leaps in the field of space travel, as shown by this LEGO model by Julie vanderMeulen. This ship, dubbed the Pond Hopper, was built to help frog-kind see if the water really is bluer on the other side of the wormhole. With a water-lily radar dish on the back, and gold accents throughout the build, any frog will be able to travel in style in a frog shaped cabin. So say it with me, folks: that’s one small step for a frog, one giant leap for froggy-kind!

Pond Hopper

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This nursery rhyme just became a nursery ride

“There was an old lady who lived in a shoe, who had so many children, she didn’t know what to do.” On the other hand, LEGO builder Julie vanderMuelen‘s version of the footwear-dwelling senior citizen clearly knows what she’s doing. The old shoe has been upgraded to a fancy new roller skate, with all those children strapped in and ready to go. The old lady herself has settled behind the wheel, which rests snugly above the delightful curve of the roller skate’s tongue. It’s not hard to imagine those exhaust pipes belching whimsical smoke as this tricked-out skate rolls out to beat Mother Goose and Little Bo Peep in a drag race.

There was an old lady who lived in a roller skate

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Check for cordyceps with this LEGO FEDRA scanner from The Last of Us

Like many, I’ve been glued to my TV every Sunday night to watch the next episode of The Last of Us, a show (based on a popular video game series) that supposes a world overrun with fungally-infected zombies. The remaining shreds of the US government, known as FEDRA, rely on handheld scanners to check citizens for potential infection of the mind-manipulating cordyceps fungus. And Julie vanderMeulen gives us one of those very scanners in LEGO form. Her construction has some wonderful clean lines, masterfully utilizing curved and straight slopes to give the device the proper shape. I love the simplicity of the trans-green screen, indicating an uninfected individual. The grid pattern made by the transparent 1×2 bricks replicating the lines of lights on the scanner from the show. But the perfect touch is her use of the gear at the top of the box, adding just a bit of technological texture to an otherwise sleek design.

FEDRA scanner

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100 studs? B.E.A.T. that!

LEGO’s Vidiyo theme may not have lasted terribly long on shelves, but it certainly left a big impression on builders. Julie van der Meulen has repaid that favour in a big way too – a seriously huge way, in fact! This Seriously Huge Investment in Parts (SHIP) isn’t a sprawling research station, or a space-faring man-o-war – it’s apparently owned by a DJ whose only purpose is to travel the stars giving free concerts. It looks resplendent in a typically Vidiyo colour scheme, with black, coral red, aqua, and everyone’s favourite, teal. Best of all, it has a backronym name that suits it down to the ground – the Big Engine Auxiliary Tug, or B.E.A.T. Vidiyo may be no more, but it seems like it’s in safe hands in the LEGO community!

SHIPtember 2022: B.E.A.T. 82

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A ship of rafts among the raft of SHIPs.

The annual LEGO fan celebration of SHIPtember has drawn to a close, and that means we get to revel in some really great, and huge, spaceships! My personal favorite this year is the B.O.A.T. by Julie vanderMeulen. This Blockade Out-runner Agricultural Transport is more than just 102-studs of streamlined goodness, it’s also a really clever way to make use of all those rubber rafts that pile up in your collection. Julie describes their use here as “24 individual bulk cargo pods…capable of delivering anything from apple pies to live zebras.” Also noteworthy is is the use of old Alpha Team: Mission Deep Freeze printed 12×3 wedges. It’s apt, as it’s also very cold…in space.

SHIPtember 2021: B.O.A.T.

Spaceships come in all sizes, too. Check our our archive of awesome LEGO spaceships for even more out-of-this-world creativity.

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Make friends and go on adventures with Theodore Tugboat

Theodore Tugboat was an icon of Canadian children’s television in the late 1990’s. As a Canadian that grew up in the 90s, Julie vanderMeulen LEGO recreation of Theodore hits the nostalgia just right for me. The face and hat are sculpted perfectly to evoke Theodore’s friendly, happy-go-lucky attitude. Looking past the character, this is also an excellent model of a tugboat. All the details, such as railings and spotlights, are present to help make it authentic. Not satisfied to simple mount the tires on the side, Julie has added LEGO string elements to make them look as if they’re actually tied on.

Theodore Tugboat

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