Tag Archives: Matt Goldberg

Pollinator from another planet

Far away, on some advanced planet, there are probably cyborg animals. I mean, the likelihood of Earth-like creatures seems reasonably high. And cyborgs aren’t just made from our imagination. Look at prosthetics — medical advancements are headed there more and more. Matt Goldberg gives us a glimpse of that with his latest LEGO build. This bee has circuitry! While the trans-blue Insectoid wings call attention, there are other great features too, like the marbled Bionicle Mohtrek mask used in the abdomen. My favorites are on the head, where skates are used for mandibles and minifigure hands attached to sausages form the antennae. Also, let’s not forget that colorful flower, cleverly built with purple Bionicle Pakari masks.

We try to keep it light here at TBB. But on a somber note, did you know our bees are in trouble? Without bees and other pollinators, we’d starve. We’re not going to be able to develop cyborg bees anytime soon, and even if we could, the real thing deserves our help. Please take a moment to learn what you can do, and check out these sites for more information on bees and their impact. Every act helps – even small and easy ones like planting a little bee garden and providing a refreshing bee bath.

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This robot is just Galador-able

LEGO’s long lost Galidor theme wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s no denying that those unusual parts can lead to some expressive creations. Matt Goldberg gives us a stellar example with Gage – “An AI of boundless curiosity, sparked by an inexplicable lightning incident.” Gage isn’t only a Galador remix, though. There are elements here from other classic LEGO themes. Check out the Aquazone pincers for hands, and that Bionicle mask for the back of Gage’s head. Throw in some “new” parts like those transparent pink 1×1 round tiles for eyes and a minifigure ice skate for a nose, and you’re ready to party!

Matt has made more photos of Gage available in a Flickr album, showing off Gage’s range of motion and emotion. And when you’re done checking those images out, you can peruse more quality robots from other builders in our archives!

Tex Wrangler hits all the sweet spots

Matt Goldberg’s latest LEGO creation is challenging me to step out of my comfort zone. I am a fan of LEGO but bionicle and technic LEGO are just not my cup of tea. My knowledge of parts in these themes is very limited too. But Matt’s creation is so damn perfect that I just have to cover it! LEGO western was my favorite theme when I was a kid and the Tex Wrangler hits all the sweet spots for me. From the spurs to the big golden revolvers to the bullet belt. The Hero Factory Chest Badge makes him look like the town sheriff and the Ben 10 flexible shoulder neck piece partly turned inside out works perfectly as a cowboy hat.

He just wants to axe you a question

LEGO builder Matt Goldberg is no stranger to creative part usage. Scalesquire B. A. Konstrictor, here, is a good example of that. A Legends of Chima flywheel fairing and CHI Cragger lower jaw are just two of the details that caught our eye. If you look closely you can spot minifigure-scale microphones and ice skate accessories incorporated into that stylish silver armor.

Matt’s builds sometimes raise more questions than they answer. In this case, does “B. A.” stand for “Bad Attitude“? One can only wonder.

Constraction faction, why the detraction?

I’ve got to be honest, I never liked constraction figures from LEGO. Personally, I thought Bionicle was lame and more than a little cheesy, the Knights Kingdom, Ben 10, superheroes, and Legends of Chima big figures even worse, and the Star Wars ones at best mildly interesting. Better than Galidor, certainly, but not by much. I was a System builder, period. Perhaps my position is evolving, however, or else I just love great LEGO building when I see it, because this character from Matt Goldberg is amazing. The color blocking is on-point, with bold, crisp red contrasting with the grey, and that gold visor just pops. The whole head is just perfect, in fact. Add in some superhero power bursts, and you have a dynamic sci-fi hero ready to save me from my anti-constractionist bigotry.

We met in passing

The passenger pigeon went extinct in 1914, the victim of deforestation and overhunting. Matt Goldberg pays tribute to this lost species with a beautiful LEGO recreation. This build is a complex mix of Technic, Bionicle, and System parts, with overlapping panels recreating organic curves. Minifigure arms help shape the head, and small radar dishes and 1×1 round plates give this bird just the right mournful eye line. I also like the inclusion of some props to give some context to things. The perch may be a simple build, but the tan creates a nice color contrast for the plumage. It’s a somber image, but a lovely one.

Birds are a popular subject for LEGO builders. For more avian goodness, check out some other featured models.

Eye don’t know about this one.

(With apologies to Prince)

I was dreamin’ when I wrote this, so forgive me if it goes astray. When I saw this MOC I could have sworn it was judgment day. The guy was all golden, there was LEGO lightning everywhere. Transparent yellow radar dishes, you know Matt Goldberg really cared.

Um.

Something something……Tonight we’re gonna party with the creepy Eye?

Okay, so maybe the lyrics don’t exactly scan, but being just a little off-kilter seems very appropriate for a review of this creation. The Eye is a mysterious figure that really grabs your attention. A skillful mix of Bionicle, Hero Factory, and System parts combine in way that meshes well, while at the same time feeling like things don’t exactly align correctly for this reality.

Matt built this as a Secret Santa gift. You have to hope the recipient was impressed. Maybe a little frightened. Maybe a bit of both.