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?
It was fun, silly and therefore I was inspired to write about it. Sandro Quattrini built this Tankhead mech and was himself inspired by Emerson Tung’s Tankhead art. It’s like a circle of inspiration! I enjoy the color scheme, complex curves and overall stance and attitude of this mech. The oversized gatling gun it carries isn’t without its charms either. Maybe it’ll inspire you to build something. What does it inspire in you? let us know in the comments. While you’re at it, check out why we think Sandro Quattrini is an inspiration to us.
Alternate realities are all the rage these days. Consider, for example, the variant reality where Benny (the lovable 1980’s Spaceman from The LEGO Movie) was fixated on robots instead of spaceships. Psyro TtunTomato has been peering into this timeline and brings us a stunning rendition of Benny’s Titan Mech. The classic space blues and greys are there, as is the transparent yellow canopy we know to expect. But check out that arm rocket – a clear tribute to the 897 Mobile Rocket Launcher. I also love how Benny’s Space Squad is still ready to lend a helping hand as the ground crew. There are a lot of great construction techniques on display here – I’m particularly fond of the design on the feet and hands. Even the display stand is an interesting build, with integrated LEGO ingot elements creating a smooth-yet-greebled texture. I’d love to see this one animated…have they finalized the script for The LEGO Movie 3 yet?
Classic Space Nostalgia runs high in our archive, too. A plethora of great Neo-Classic Space builds are just a click away!
Here’s something some of us can relate to: You gather the family for one of those formal portraits and dad has some unsavory opinions, mom worries about your eating habits, brother would rather dress as Batman and the less said about little sis the better. The end product is a study in angst and dysfunction forever immortalized over your parent’s dining table. LEGO builder Joseph Zawada has a similar vibe going here except this family is a bunch of mechs. They most certainly share a family resemblance. There are four mechs in all but, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to show you just two of my favorites.
Click to delve deeper into family dysfunction
When I saw this LEGO cat mech by Dan Rubin I immediately thought of that meme of the lady yelling at a cat who seems perturbed by a plate of vegetables. That image, and just about every variation of it I’ve seen so far, has tickled my funny bone to no end. There’s just so much absurdity to it! I imagine the cat growing into a giant mech suit and then taking sweet revenge on Miss Whiny-Yelling-Crying-Pants. Point that finger at me, will you? Hah! The imagination soars with hilarious scenarios. Anyway, that meme is not where Dan took his inspiration, as it turns out. This idea spawned from the bunny mech from Sucker Punch and the fact that LEGO produced a snarling printed cat face on a half-dome. I can’t even fathom which set that part would have come from but surely some of you know so be sure to let us know in the comments.
You can be forgiven for barely remembering the droid bounty hunter 4-LOM who boasted roughly one second of screen time in The Empire Strikes Back. But for LEGO builder Greg Dalink, 4-LOM (stands for; For the Love of Money) holds a special place in his heart. He’s working on a series of battle mechs that houses the Star Wars bounty hunter for which it resembles. You know, for when a bounty hunter wants to work more conspicuously. I love the greebly details and overall black and gun-metal color of this mech. The Bionicle shoulder pads make great compound eyes and the breathing device (do droids breathe?) is an amazing touch.
The best part is the head opens to reveal a 4-LOM minifig driver nestled inside as seen in this photo. It seems 4-LOM loves money and the feeling of being inside himself…or something. Ahem. Just click this Greg Dalink link to see some of the other bounty hunter mechs in action.
Charlie Jones has given construction equipment a futuristic upgrade with this digital build of a quadrupedal excavator. While the main arm looks to be largely stationary, there’s no doubt we’d still have tons of fun making this mech stomp around the sandbox. In the hierarchy of toy vehicles, tank treads beat wheels, but robot legs beat tank treads any day of the week.
