The word “LEGO” tends to inspire thoughts of the traditional bricks that have been a staple of playtime for generations. But this spindly bubble-bot by Djokson is here to remind us of just how far the LEGO system has come. With nary a traditional brick to be found, this collection of gears and tubes is assembled into a robot that’s teaming with personality while being short on traditional studs.
I love insects and spiders. Really, I do. Tops on my LEGO wishlist is the new 21342 Ideas Insect Collection but boy, does looking at insect photos make my skin crawl! I’m scratching as I type and that is a testament to how realistic this new flea creation by Mitsuru Nikaito is. “Associative itching” is a real thing and, according to the science-y types at the University of Pennsylvania, itchy associations crosses species because primates get it, too. It’s a sensation so good, I decided to pass it along to you all. Let me know in the comments if you’re feeling it too and, if you love creepy-crawlers, check out our insects archives for more skin-crawling goodness.
This LEGO creation by Duncan Lindbo imagines a world in which man and machine work together as one. Our Minifigure driver in the cockpit there spends the day moving heavy steel beams with the help of his mech. Sometimes such strenious activity can work up a mighty thirst (for the human, not the mech) and that’s why it’s nice that this powerful robot arm is gentle enough to grasp the fellah’s boba tea and hand it to him. I’m sure the bot asks for nothing in return except a little gratitude from time to time. I just love it for its striking blue color scheme!
So far we’ve looked at some sets from the larger end of the Dreamzzz line, but the eleven set range has a wide range of price points. The less expensive sets feature some of the same fantastic minifigures and imaginative builds, so let’s take a closer look at two of them: 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny and 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot. These mech-like sets each come with a hero, a large companion, and some sort of nightmare villain. 714543 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny comes with 259 pieces, 1 minifigure, and 1 Grimspawn, and can be preordered now for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £18.99; 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot has 237 pieces and 2 minifigures and can be preordered for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £18.99. Both sets will be widely available on August 1st.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
This new LEGO creation by Sandro Quattrini and we’re all pretty thrilled, by golly. I’m loving the intricate details, the ape-like stance, and the fact that this thing resembles a walking airplane. I seriously want to live in this world for a little while. It turns out that you can as this is based on the work of famed concept artist Emerson Tung and his A6M-S Koumuri Jethead art . This isn’t the first time we’ve been impressed by Sandro’s work, in fact, he was named The Brothers Brick Builder of the Year in 2022. Nor is this the first time he has been inspired by Emerson’s work. Check out our Sandro Quattrini archives to see what I mean. This may be the most interesting thing I’ve seen all day and I’ve Googled potatoes and jelly.
There are MOC builders, and then there are Mech builders and their knowledge of crafting exquisite robots from the humble LEGO brick is worth praising often. Here, Mohamed Marei delights with his latest offering. Blending system bricks with constraction figures isn’t always a straight forward task but Mohamed often does so with ease. I love the colour palette of this Mech with the Sand Blue pieces serving as armour, overlaying the various greys of the mechanical parts. They perfectly compliment each other here with the trans pink pieces adding suggestion that this fella isn’t afraid to defend itself. My favourite detail has to be the Bionicle mask serving as chest armour, and whilst we’re calling that out, the use of the armour piece from the Jango Fett buildable figure adds the suggestion that this mech means business too.
LEGO builder Duncan Lindbo invites us to take this mech for a walk; or rather, a run. It’s a Ridge Runner racing mech built for speed. He tells us that this is basically a rocket ship on legs. But Duncan, is it an ACME brand rocket ship? For some reason, I now have Roadrunner cartoon scenes running through my brain. Meep meep!
Spring has sprung and we’re seeing vibrant colors outside suddenly. And also bunnies; lots and lots of bunnies. LEGO builder Tom Loftus is surely feeling Spring in the air as evidenced by this delightfully bright mech. It makes use of a plethora of purple pirate hats which come from the 10313 Wildflowers Bouquet set from the Botanical line. If you haven’t picked up any of these sets just yet I strongly advise that you do. It is probably my favorite line nowadays and this is coming from a guy who is totally gaga for cars and monsters and stuff. Amazing non-flowery things can be built using the parts from these sets. Give the Botanical archives a gander to see what I mean.
When it comes to your flathead needs, LEGO builder Red Spacecat has got you covered with this awesome mech. It’s based on concept art by Aaron Beck, and Spacecat has deftly translated it to the bricks, retaining its uncanny valley-ness of an almost-but-not-quite humanoid shape. And of course, there’s that distinctive flat solar panel head, and I have to say I am loving how much use those gold triangle tiles get as solar panels in LEGO fan builds. It’s a small thing, but I also keep returning to the joints on the arms; they’re so perfectly industrial; you can easily imagine just how this thing moves.
Ninjago has produced more mechs than any other LEGO theme over the last decade. And while the Monkie Kid theme is a relative newcomer, having premiered in 2020, there have been many mechs and mech-like models released so far. This includes a bigfig scale Demon Bull King, and a mini-mech for the new Yellow Tusk elephant from the January 2023 wave of sets. But which theme makes better mechs? I decided to compare two mechs from each theme (at a similar price and part count) in an attempt to answer that question.
Find out which mech is the winner!
I’m certain there’s a great joke in here somewhere about the abundance of Mitsuru Nikaido’s LEGO creature mechs and the mating habits of rabbits but damned if I can figure it out. While I may be tapped for jokes tonight, it makes me no less of a fan of this builder’s, by now, iconic color scheme and his amazing creatures both familiar and bizarre. Anyway, enjoy this cute bunny mech and check out our Mitsuru Nikaido archives to see what else this builder has miraculously sprouted. And if you have a better joke than what I’ve already stated then please let us know in the comments.
I like my mechs to have a purpose, and the MA-3 Svipul from LEGO builder MySnailEatsPizza has some great backstory:
Armored weapons platform typically used for ceremonial purposes. While based on the mass produced MA-2 frame, the MA-3 is uniquely equipped to handle operations in cities. Its two Phase-Tech Power Trade-Offs are most often fitted with Phase Claws, though short range blasters are occasionally employed. The Svipul is piloted by Colonel Juergen Krenn.
Lore aside, I really enjoy the head design. The use of the Chakram minifigure weapon reminds me of the Ninjago 71765 Ninja Ultra Combo Mech. The transparent purple in the wrist blades is also a plus for me, as are the well-articulated feet and the inverted Bionicle mask in the torso. It looks like a great action figure to play with, too. Nicely done!
There are even more mighty mechs in our archives. Why not take a look?