The perfect cure for a case of ‘The Mondays‘ is surely some fantastically designed sci-fi LEGO. Today’s pharmacist, dealing out the proper dose is none other than LEGOLIZE IT MAN.
And remember boys and girls, follow the instructions on the label, and never exceed the maximum daily dose. Recommended to be taken on a full stomach.
I told myself I wasn’t going to blog any Ma.Ktoberfest 2013 offerings this year because like some of you I find the whole end of the year sci-fi themed months to be a little overwhelming and Brother Tripod has that particular beat covered. However, my love of a great diorama overrides any such petty concerns and it is my pleasure to share with you “Super Jerry” by Logan (∞CaptainInfinity∞) that has just the right mix of detailed vehicles, understated landscaping and good photography from a builder who knows how to frame a shot. The tree isn’t too shabby either.
So Evan (Lego Junkie) is on a bit of a roll with cool builds it appears. He has just posted this absolutely beautiful supersized Maschinen Krieger hardsuit. Ma.Ktoberfest aside, this build is wonderfully designed. By taking this to a much larger size than we are accustomed to seeing for these sorts of builds, Evan was able to achieve a great amount of details and shapes that simply would not have been possible at minifig scale.
This Eggeater by Logan (∞CaptainInfinity∞) is pretty spot on considering how wacky of a shape this starfighter has. He has used a lot of neat techniques throughout the build, in particular I really like how he achieved the detailing along the top of the gun. And then of course there is the brilliant photo composition, the combination of brick built foreground and digitally edited background is incredibly pleasing to the eye.
So I will eat them in a box
And I will eat them with a Falkes
And I will eat them in a house.
And I will eat them with a Fledermaus.
And I will eat them here and there.
Say! I will eat them ANHYWHERE!
I do so like
green Eggeaters and ham!
Thank you!
Thank you,
Sam-I-am!
As LEGO builders we each find our own style in which we create. For myself I have always concentrated on the aspects of playability, so as a result tend to sacrifice aesthetics for function in many cases. LEGO has and always will be a toy for me. I wish I could categorize myself as a LEGO artist like many builders out there, but who am I kidding, I build this stuff to play with. Another side effect of this mindset is the tendency to disregard certain pieces of inspiration if I think the resulting model would be too fragile to play with. I can now use my sons as an excuse to perpetuate this habit, but honestly they do not impact my thought process because I want to swoosh and zoom my models just as much as they do.
Which leads me to One of Pluto, a piece of Maschinen Krieger concept art that I first saw years ago while perusing the internet for all things Ma.K (shortly after first being introduced to the genre by Tim’s early Ma.K stuff). The design completely intrigued me. It was so vastly different than anything else in the universe but somehow still fit in perfectly. Like all cool pieces of concept art I immediately contemplated the possibility of building it with LEGO. However, quickly dismissed the idea due to the clearly un-LEGO friendly shape.
Well that was 6 or 7 years ago, and over that time I got up the nerve to take a crack at it. It was in fact during last Ma.Ktoberfest that I intended on building this, but real life got in the way and I never ended up starting anything. I still had my bag of dark grey boulders, which I ordered specifically for the project, set aside. So about a week ago I start fiddling with the parts. But I soon discovered that I had my mind too set within a controlled and symmetrical style of building. If I was going to be successful I had to completely change the way I normally build. Those that know me, know that my collection is in dire need of sorting, but for this project I think that fact actually helped. Because instead of going through a bin of parts looking for a specific piece, I simply rummaged through the bin and collected an assortment of pieces that I thought could work. So my starting point was a large pile of random dark grey bits and bobs (& my boulders). I knew that if I could get the general configuration of the bulbous abdomen figured out the rest would fall in place relatively easily. I experimented with several internal structures to get the right general shape with boulders, but again found myself concentrating too much on playability…I needed to admit to myself that this was going to be a display model only. Once I decided that, I quickly found a set up for the abdomen that gave me the right shape. But what totally surprised me was that once I used the assorted strings, hoses and rubber bands to add the detailing, they in fact held the boulders in place so well that it became super robust and easily swooshable. The upper ‘torso’ and head took a few tries as well, but were certainly simpler than the abdomen. I am super happy with the end result both in terms of aesthetics and playability. This will definitely be sitting on the ol’ LEGO shelf for quite some time.
In the end this build has made me realize that stepping back and looking at a project from a different perspective can be hugely beneficial. I took a fresh approach and actually ended up with familiar results.
Happy Ma.Ktoberfest everyone.
Andy Baumgart (D-Town Cracka) is no stranger to military hardware. But his latest creation has a little sci-fi twist of the Maschinen Krieger variety. And it is rather brilliant.
The rough and tumble detailing coupled with the custom paint job/stickers makes this look right at home in the Ma.K universe. Even the name is perfectly suited for the genre.
And check out this blueprint edit…how cool is this?!
Well if SHIPtember has taught me anything, it’s that it will be one tough act to follow. Gargantuan spaceships of all shapes, sizes and colours have been created throughout the month. So what better way to segue in to Ma.Ktober than a Maschinen Krieger themed SHIP.
Now, I use the term ‘SHIP’ loosely here, because let’s be honest, it is basically a giant space barbell. But it did drain me of most of my 2×2 white tiles, curved slopes in both dark grey and white and did reach the 100 stud minimum length requirement. Also it swooshes like a dream, so I’ll give it a pass just this once.
But really I am not here to talk about my SHIP, I am here to tell you all to set aside your technic beams and large plates, pick up your curvy bits & bobs and get ready to make sweet sweet Maschinen Kriegery goodness. And not wanting to break with tradition my friend Victor Vercesi designed an absolutely amazing piece of work based on some of my Ma.K models. Again the design is available on Victor’s Society 6 Shop or his Redbubble Shop to buy on T-Shirts, Art Prints, phone cases, stickers etc.
So if you aren’t played out from all the SHIPing, pop on over to the Ma.Ktoberfest 2013 Bierzelt and join in on the fun.
LEGOLIZE IT MAN proves once again that he is a master at building robots with a brilliant amount of detail. ROLF is a superb mish-mash of 3A and Ma.K with a nice sprinkling of Aliens. One factor that really stands out for me is the amount of visible anti-studs, something that I try and stay away from, but in this case it totally works. The sticker work and overall presentation really reinforces the cool factor as well…and it must be pointed out that chair use where they aren’t actually chairs always earns bonus points.
Edit:
Well it appears I should have waited a bit to post, because Legolize has now made ROLF a girlfriend…everyone, meet JANNE.
Ok, last post I promise…
Pascal just posted the final poster of all the Ma.Ktoberfest entries. Huge thanks to him for the amount of effort doing all that editting!
So what is my opinion on this past month? One word, “WOW!”
When I first planned on organizing the build challenge, I figured there would be a decent amount of participation, but the sheer number of builds and the quality thereof absolutely exceeded all expectations. It really was neat to sit back and watch so many builders get in on the fun. So gigantic thank you to all that participated, it was an absolute blast!
176 BUILDS BY 64 BUILDERS
Well Ma.Ktoberfest wraps up today, what a month it has been. Stay tuned for my final announcement, but in the meantime I want to make mention of one builder in particular who most certainly stepped up to the plate. Keep in mind he has done all of this while at the same time editing everyone else’s contributions for the final poster…
Not since Nnenn’s epic Novvember performance, have I seen a contribution to a monthly build challenge on par with what Pascal (paukaru76) did this Ma.Ktoberfest. Each day of the month he posted a different model, and his ability to capture the aesthetic with his unique minimalist style is just beyond awesome. The creativity just makes me so happy :)
So a HUGE thanks to you buddy! You kept producing brilliant stuff the entire month, and kept us all entertained!
Please be sure to click through his photostream if you haven’t already, there is some absolutely glorious stuff in there. Here are a few of my favourites:
Happy Ma.Ktoberfest & Hallowe’en to all!
A new super-ship by Pierre is a tough act to follow, but here goes anyway!
I find it incredibly challenging both to build on a deadline and to build within someone else’s aesthetic — I’ve managed to avoid both over the years. I’d admired LEGO creations inspired by Maschinen Krieger for a long time, and I’m reasonably sure I ran across the original Kow Yokoyama kits in hobby shops back in Japan in the 80’s, but I’d never tried my hand at the theme.
At the end of September, I decided it was time to seek my fortune in greener pastures (yup, I’m available!), taking a few weeks off to look for a new gig. Thus, with more “LEGO time” than I normally have, the Ma.Ktoberfest build challenge organized by TR and Pascal seemed like the perfect opportunity to participate.
Faced with a big pile of curvy bricks, I got into the Ma.K spirit by pumping out a few variations on TR’s wonderful SAFS (Super Armored Fighting Suit) design. As much as I love all the hyper-detailed suits at larger scales, I think TR’s design is absolutely perfect for minifig-scale.
This “Wolverine” anti-air unit is based on an original design by B. Kreuger of Maschinen Krueger, where I found quite a lot of inspiration and reference.
But building a few small hardsuits wasn’t what I set out to do; reproducing one of Maschinen Krieger originator Kow Yokoyama’s designs was high on my list of Ma.Ktoberfest priorities. Perhaps a big curvy hovertank might’ve been simpler than the fiddly bits in this automated reconnaissance robot, but I’m fairly pleased with my “Neuspotter”.
Ultimately though, I wanted to create an original design of my own that still felt like it could be from the Maschinen Krieger universe. My “Kookaburra” incorporates pneumatic tanks underneath a sand-green cowling. Oddly, I’m proudest of the detailed base and crew…
Here’s the Kookaburra on patrol with another variation on TR’s SAFS design, a space-based electronic warfare version I’m calling the Growler.
You can see all of my Ma.Ktoberfest contributions in my photoset on Flickr.
So, having overcome two of my building blocks — deadlines & others’ aesthetics — I think it’s time to treat myself to that Ma.Ktoberfest T-shirt that TR designed!
Well I think Sean & Steph Mayo (Siercon and Coral) win the prize for making me laugh the hardest at any LEGO model! I love a good play on words at the best of times, but you mix that with Maschinen Krieger during Ma.Ktoberfest…and you know I am gonna like it :D
And you simply must watch the commercial!
Well played guys, very well played!!
I would link to the Creations for Charity site for those that may be interested in buying this glorious creation…but too late, I already bought it for myself!
