If you saw our review of the LEGO Marvel Hulkbuster: Ultron Edition set last year, you might recall there was some disappointment with the figure’s appearance. John Car has come smashing though with a more faithful looking rendition of the Hulkbuster. While it uses some of the parts and stickers from the original set, the proportions feel bigger, beefier and Hulkier.
Photo-realism is very hard to achieve when you also include LEGO minifigures as the protagonists. Sure, LEGO enthusiasts are comfortable with the not-quite-human proportions, but there’s still that feeling that you’re looking at, well, toys. Not so with the work of Lego_nuts. This builder is also a photographer who knows how to transform a well built set into a stunning composition that feels like a frame from any on-screen Marvel movie. In Raining Battle, Iron Man and War Machine face off against a horde of alien nasties, amid the backdrop of a drenched New York alleyway. Rain and water are everywhere, diffusing the light and giving an air of menace to the scene as a whole.
The alley’s LEGO details include trash cans and waste bins, a newspaper box, and plenty of railings and fire escape ladders. But the vertical span of the buildings is what gives this image such a sense of depth. It feels like our heroes are at the bottom of a very deep hole. I’m sure they’ll win, though.
We recently featured another beautiful LEGO photo from this artist, featuring the entirely different fantasy world of Harry Potter.
Everyone can (almost) be Tony Stark with the right instructions, and here’s your (pretend) chance to be an Avenger! Hachiroku24’s cute chibi version of the Mark 1 from the movie that kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe is adorable in every single way. And it’s complete with the added missile launcher and the flame thrower. I’ve gotta love how the negative space is created with the cheese slopes bring the character’s eyes to life. Well? What are you waiting for? Go burn some bad guys already!
Renowned builder Jonas Kramm is no stranger to the world of Steampunk superheroes. In 2013, he created an amazing Steampunk Batcave, and now returns to the theme. This time he has re-imagined Marvel’s Ant-man and the Wasp as Geantelman and the Steam Wasp. The Wasp is a bit removed from her spandex-clad cinematic counterpart but still sports a version of the iconic Pym bug-control helmet. The rest of the figure features an interesting mix of parts, including wings constructed from window lattices, a torso from Talia Al Ghul, and skirt from Elizabeth Swann Turner.
Geantelman also wears a steampunk version of the ant-control helmet, but that’s overshadowed by the giant ant he’s riding. (I say giant, but is it really? Who can tell with these size-changing heroes. For all I know this could be a 1:1 scale build.) The ant is full of great details, like the use of a Nexo Knights breastplate with shoulder pads as the eyes. Multiple copies of Luke Skywalker’s cape form the wings, a mining helmet is used as the lower jaw, and the often-used ice cream scoops represent steam. The real stinger though? That has to be the wind up key on the end.
By now the ending of Avengers: Endgame has been well and truly revealed to the world through Disney’s own marketing. The fact that Captain America can wield Thor’s hammer is common knowledge. Regardless of how you feel about that sort of spoiler, you are sure to find joy in Sam Beattie‘s recreation of the iconic moment in LEGO. Sam has enhanced the build with a few custom stickers, but even without them, there’s no question of what you’re looking at. (LEGO has released a large scale figure of Cap in the past – 2012’s Buildable Hero Captain America (Set 4597). I think it’s fair to say that the look there is…somewhat less accurate than’s Sam’s.
Some of the fun details from the build are the use of a gold ingot for Cap’s belt buckle and the whip used to shape Mjolnir’s strap. I also like how the support beams in the rubble work well at this larger scale. Standing atop that rocky and flame-strewn battlefield, Cap looks ready to kick some serious butt. And speaking of butt, here’s a rear view of the build showcasing “America’s ass.”
The comic book concept of a multiverse is a cool thing. The heroes and villains you know are seen through a distorted lens, bringing new twists to established characters. Markus Rollbühler brings us a steampunk version of Spider-Man and Doc Ock that could easily fit into a sequel of Into The Spider-Verse.
Spider-Man is still pretty recognizable with signature torso and mask, but the red cloak gives us our first hint that things are different. Markus then makes use of rare parts to complete the look: the hat from the Toy Soldier and legs from The Lone Ranger’s Captain Fuller.
The foe that Steampunk Spidey is facing off with is Doc Cog, a twist on Doctor Octopus. The base figure uses no Doc Ock parts, instead taking pieces from more hard to find figures. There’s Hawkeye’s head, a helm and torso from a Retro Spaceman, and the legs of the Portal Emperor of Atlantis. Doc even stole Luke Skywalker’s cape.
Doc’s arms are the star of the build, of course. These steam-powered appendages make use of everything from throwing stars and daggers to minifigure crowns. My favorite element, though, is the classic use of ice cream scoops to represent the steam.
Mech builder extraordinaire Kelvin Low goes by the Flickr handle chubbybots, which aptly describes his sometimes chunky building style. Kelvin also has a knack for re-imagining and rebuilding official LEGO set mechs with stunning results. They are often much more detailed than then their official LEGO counterparts, such as this Hulkbuster sized War Machine. Kelvin’s model not only looks great, but it is highly poseable, with a fully loaded arsenal of guns, rockets, and cannons.
Hidden throughout the model are several transparent red plates that complement the transparent red 2×2 round plate with rounded bottom used for the main reactor. I think that Rhodes is set up to give Thanos or anybody else who gets in his way a serious run for their money.
LEGO has taken the wraps off the next life-size brick-built attraction to be displayed at their booth during San Diego Comic-Con this week. This six-and-a-half foot model portrays Tony Stark in his Mark LXXXV suit from Avengers: Endgame wearing the infinity gauntlet, with what appears to be light-up energy effects snaking up his arm. It took LEGO master builders 35,119 bricks and 255 hours to construct.
Check out this time lapse video chronicling the model’s construction, along with more photos below.
Amazon Prime Day is just around the corner, and we’ve already spotted some good deals. These are great deals if you don’t already have the LEGO sets in your collection.
When you click through this link (or any of the links in this article) to shop at Amazon, The Brothers Brick receives a small amount back — at no cost to you — which helps us bring you the quality content you’ve come to expect. So if purchasing anything on Amazon — not just LEGO — please consider supporting The Brothers Brick when you do so.
LEGO just revealed the Spiderman Advanced Suit minifigure as the Marvel Exclusive Minifigure that will be available at San Diego 2019 Comic Con. The Advanced Suit was designed for the successful Playstation 4 Spiderman game released in 2018. There’s no information on how one can obtain these at the moment at the event.
Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame is probably the biggest movie of the year. Although, a lineup of LEGO Marvel sets was released in April, the design team made an excellent job not spoiling any plot details. Now, once the whole world learned the outcome, LEGO has something to surprise us with. Pepper Potts in her Rescue armor, Black Widow and Infinity Gauntlet-wielding Hulk all come in 76144 Avengers Hulk Helicopter Drop. The 482-piece LEGO Marvel Avengers: Endgame set hits store shelves November 25 and will retail at US $59.99.
There was a time about eleven or twelve years ago when I thought a good Iron Man movie could never be made. Thankfully I have since learned the folly of my ways. It turns out you really can make a good movie (or several) about a fast-talking red and gold metal-clad superhero. Ben Fong proves you can also make a good Iron Man LEGO creation.
This well-crafted figure is fully posable but Ben goes the extra distance and features LED lights in the hands, eyes, and chest-mounted arc reactor. Another excellent touch is the lifting mask that reveals a goateed Tony Stark. This stellar figure will have us all declaring “I am Iron Man!”
