With summer ramping up in the northern hemisphere, now’s the perfect time to find new refreshing drink recipes to beat the heat! This LEGO still life of spicy lemonade from umemaruko looks like it could be straight from the June issue of Bon Appetit. While the build itself is elegantly simple, the arrangement, colors, and photography add up to pure delight. This is the first time we’re featured umemaruko on the site, but their feed is definitely worth checking out, especially if you enjoy botanicals and brick-built decor for the modern home.
Tag Archives: life-sized
Always wash your hands before handling LEGO, kids
Until 3 years ago, it would have been hard to predict just how ubiquitous an item the soap dispenser has become. So much so that they now pop up in LEGO models, like this one by Pedro Sequiera. It’s a neat model, very nicely presented – it looks worthy of being a still-life piece regardless of its brick-built nature! It’s spring-loaded, so it has some built-in functionality to it. But the best detail might actually be the labeling on the side. A selection of printed tiles make up the typical warnings you might expect to see on soap bottles. Mainly these are re-purposed number plates, but the use of piano tiles for a barcode is so clean!
An elegant weapon from a more civilised age (namely, 1999)
There are plenty of life-size LEGO lightsabers out there (including LEGO’s own promos), both from the Star Wars films and builders creating their own. Dicken Liu has taken inspiration from an altogether different source for their 1:1-scale brick-built laser sword hilt, however. This LEGO lightsaber is a model of, well, a LEGO lightsaber! I suppose that technically makes it 12:1 scale. This minifigure accessory has been virtually unchanged since the Star Wars line made its debut 23 years ago. Here its form is very faithfully recreated, making good use of the myriad round and curved slopes in the LEGO parts catalogue. Interestingly I think virtually all of the external parts you see here didn’t exist back in 1999, when we got the first Star Wars sets!
The external shape is not the only interesting thing here, though…
No lie about this LEGO cake!
I wouldn’t advise taking a big bite out of this LEGO cake by Martin Gebert! This was built for a 101-piece challenge, and each of those hundred and one parts are used well. From white frogs and unikitty tails on the frosting to an obscure Scala flowerpot, this cake’s parts usage is pretty sweet! The layers of various chocolate and raspberry jelly filling look delicious and the flowing frosting tops it off wonderfully. And the cherry on top? It’s a dark red minifigure helmet.
Brick’s Gambit
Nowadays, custom chess sets built from LEGO are not at all unusual. It is after all the most popular board game and can be played over and over again without getting boring. It has also recently experienced a surge in popularity following the Netflix series Queen’s Gambit. Being easy to build from LEGO, it is something many builders do at least once in their life. Here, Daniel Barwegen adds his own flair to the arsenal of stylised LEGO chess sets.
I was immediately drawn to the uniquely spindly pieces with the wide bases. Some pieces like the king and queen continue the design to their crowns, which are sharp and angular, and even the horse-heads of the knights include teeth and gears. I love that the pieces appear easy to grip, like straws and pencils, rather than not having enough space between neighbouring pieces. The textures on the rooks are also well done without being overbearing.
And yes, we’ve noticed that some pieces are not in their correct squares. And so has the builder. That’s the beauty of LEGO and chess – you can easily move the pieces back to their correct place without ruining the game.
Check out more life-sized builds of things other than chess sets!
LEGO shows off a real Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycle with Technic exterior [News]
LEGO has unveiled a brief video and photos of a real Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycle with a Technic exterior. The hybrid model is meant to celebrate the European launch of the 42107 Technic Ducati Panigale V4 R. The motorcycle’s exterior was created by LEGO Certified Professional Riccardo Zangelmi, who had never built with Technic elements professionally before this project. The final model weighs 400 pounds (180 kg) including the motorcycle innards, is composed of 15,000 bricks, and took 400 hours to build. Unlike other life-size models, this LEGO Ducati exterior has no glue and was created by hand and not using 3D modeling software.
42107 Technic Ducati Panigale V4 R currently retails for 54.99 GBP and will sell for $69.99 USD | 99.99 CAD when it launches in the Americas on August 1st. (Editor’s note: The press release below states that the set will cost $59.99 USD but we have independently verified with LEGO that the price will actually be $69.99 USD which is consistent with the price displayed on the LEGO Store Online.)
See more photos and video of the life-size LEGO Technic Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycle
How about a life-sized Britten V-1000 motorcycle?
What are you doing with your time? If you answered anything other than building a life-sized motorcycle out of LEGO then let me stop you now. Because Australian builder Ryan McNaught and his team has done just that. Cool, right? It’s probably way cooler than whatever the hell you’re doing right now. But before you go wallowing into a swirling cesspool of self-doubt and despair, let me point out that Ryan is a LEGO Certified Professional. He does this kind of stuff for a living, so that is why he builds such cool things. Toyco in Auckland asked them to build something special for their big store event and this is the result. Ryan tells us that “The Britten V-1000 motorcycle is not only a record-breaking piece of revolutionary engineering, but it is also a Kiwi icon and a testament to the vision of a single man.” Wow, I guess not being tied down to anyone-in-particular has its benefits. So now you can feel less sad about your lonely, uncool existence. See, it’s a post with a positive message!
While you’re mulling that over, here is a close-up of just some of the engine and organic exhaust pipes in detail. Toyco is holding a local contest to guess the exact amount of LEGO pieces this motorcycle contains. That figure is still confidential but based on this close-up I’m going to take a well-educated guess and state 42 pieces. Come on, Ryan, am I even close? You can tell me!
Plot your course to Leviathan
I love to see LEGO parts used in innovative ways, as well as LEGO creations that are just a bit different from what you normally see. This map by alego alego hits the target for both of those things for me. While the 1-to-1 map and accessories aren’t huge by LEGO model standards, they’re all jam-packed with detail and nice parts usage. The map itself is a simple mosaic, including a well-integrated circular compass rose, as well as appropriate printed tiles. The perfectly sized black compass case is very simply represented by the Vader pod piece. My favourite details are the hilts of chrome knives used as pins on the map, and the subtle use of these rock/claw pieces as wax piling up at the bottom of the candle. What creative part usage can you spot?
Close to the stars: LEGO Star Wars X-Wing lands on the top of Europe [NEWS]
To promote Triple Force Friday, LEGO GmbH took their Star Wars celebration to the Swiss Alps, unveiling a giant LEGO X-Wing atop Jungfraujoch, also known as “the top of Europe.” While it’s not the first life-size LEGO X-Wing ever made, it is the first time one has been displayed atop the Alps!
Full press release (rough translation from the original German press release) and image gallery from LEGO below.
Close to the stars: LEGO Star Wars™ X-Wing™ lands on the top of Europe
Jungfraujoch, Munich – October 4, 2019: “Do or do not. There is no try,” says Jedi Master Yoda to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars™: The Empire Strikes Back. Yoda then uses the Force to lift an X-Wing™ out of the swamp, making the impossible possible for Luke. In the spirit of this message, on “Force Friday,” October 4, 2019 LEGO GmbH unveiled atop the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland a faithful LEGO® replica of the distinctive Star Wars™ X-Wing™ starfighter from the Skywalker saga. True to the motto “The Force is in your Hands,” LEGO GmbH wants to show that even things that may seem too challenging can be mastered by landing the large model at the highest point on which an X-Wing™ has ever landed – at least in this galaxy.
With the landing of the LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing™ on the longest glacier in the Alps, LEGO GmbH also celebrates a very special partnership; the licensing agreement signed 20 years ago marked the beginning of a successful intergalactic journey that has since brought people together across both generations and countries.
The LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing™ was built by LEGO® Certified Professional Georg Schmitt with his ten-member team, made entirely of 2.5 million LEGO bricks, and measures a remarkable ten by ten meters (32.8 ft x 32.8 ft). It took more than 1,500 hours to build the LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing™.
“For 20 years, LEGO® Star Wars™ has been inspiring children and adults worldwide, representing limitless play and building. Bringing a life-size LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing™ onto the Jungfraujoch symbolizes the power of creativity and shows that, with the new LEGO® Star Wars™ sets in our hands, it’s up to us to continue the story after the last episode,” explains Florian Gmeiner, Senior Marketing Director at LEGO GmbH. “Playing with LEGO® bricks inspires your imagination and allows you to tell stories and sometimes even master challenges. With this event we want to motivate everyone to believe in their dreams and their potential, because: ‘The Force is in your Hands.'”
Fans of all ages can look forward to ten new LEGO® Star Wars™ sets, which will be available in stores worldwide on October 4, 2019. In addition to new LEGO® Star Wars™ products for the movie Star Wars:™ The Rise of Skywalker, which will be released in cinemas in Switzerland and Germany on December 18, 2019, there will be a reissue of the Yoda™ sculpture as well as a new version of the popular Millennium Falcon™, with which young and old can create their own personal adventures in search of Kylo Ren’s™ Shuttle. With the new LEGO® Star Wars™ sets, the story is retold – it’s in your hands!
For more information about LEGO® Star Wars™ products, visit https://www.lego.com/de-de/themes/star-wars (US | CAN | UK)
Now you’re playing with portable power
As a slightly sentimental fool, sitting on the shelf directly above my workspace is an original Nintendo Game Boy that fills me with moments of reminisce. LEGO sculptor Chungpo Cheng has created a smashing rendition that would not look out of place in my hands or alongside any of his other life-size models of Minifig utensils. The iconic “three rounded and one sharp angle” corners of the Game Boy have been captured nicely, and the spacing between the buttons brings brick-built gaming to the streets.
What really gets me, though, is the power light. Quite a few LEGO Game Boy’s have been made over the years, but this is one of the first I have seen that has such a realistic looking screen. My guess is the light was made out of a red mechanical claw pushed through the back of the ever popular headlight brick.
For a quick look at a maxi-solution to never loosing your keys again, check out Chungpo Cheng’s giant Santa minifigure key chain.
Grab a bite to eat at the Potion Shoppe
You feel that? That’s your sudden desire for a picnic lunch. A second ago you didn’t feel it but now you do. You may or may not want these particular food items, but you do want food now. That is the power of suggestion and it just goes to show how suggestive LEGO can be. In this life-sized food arrangement, builder Little John sculpts strawberries using these red wedges. The quarter cheese wheel, even the knife and cutting board evoke memories of healthful weekend lunches on the patio. The carrot uses much larger wedges in orange, these plant bits and green hoses for the stalks. My favorite item on this menu is the fried chicken drumsticks.
Like what you see so far? It turns out this is merely one element of a much larger collaborative immersive experience called the Potion Shoppe that was on display at Brickworld in Chicago. Bon appétit!
