Tag Archives: Mech

LEGO Ninjago 71761 Zane’s Power Up Mech EVO – Now with a frosty icing of extra weapons [Review]

Historically, the LEGO Ninjago theme has been based on the animated series – with released sets providing real-world playtime for what you saw on the screen. In 2022, however, LEGO is taking a different approach. As LEGO designer Niek van Slagmaat shared on Twitter, this wave is meant to be “a line of Ninjago that [will] not only stand on its own without content but also be the epitome of Ninjago toys.” That means no series tie-ins and a celebration of the “core values” of Ninjago. There’s still a unifying theme to this new group of sets – EVO. The idea is that a base model is upgraded with additional weapons to become more formidable. Sounds interesting, right? But how does it work out in practice? We’ve taken a look at LEGO Ninjago 71761 Zane’s Power Up Mech to find out. This 95 piece set will be available on January 1st for US $9.99 | CAN $13.99 | UK £8.99, but you can read all about it right now!

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.

Click to read the full hands-on review

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The military mech with the gleaming eye

Armed and ready for combat, this mech has a menacing stare with its single prominent eye. Created by Keith Espinoza, the build looks as though it can strike some dynamic poses with its articulated joints. The mech comes equipped with a rifle and jetpack, perfect for blasting off into the battle. Curved tube pieces form around the eye, creating a smooth robotic look around the head. There are also some sharp angles at the chest, which contrasts nicely against the rounded sections of armour on the mech.

If the mech needs a quick speed boost, it can hop onto a hover unit, most likely used for covering long distances. Seeing an army of these flying towards you would make for quite an intimidating scene!

Need a mech for desert combat? This one is more than ready

Moko has created this fantastic mech in a tan colour scheme, perfectly suited for blending in with desert terrain. The build has a stocky appearance suggesting this machine is heavily armoured and can take a beating. Some of the most interesting details can be found in the design for the dust covers over the joints. At first glance, it doesn’t even look like any recognizable LEGO piece but they are actually made of the lower half of ninja mask pieces stacked on top of each other.

Equipped with a rifle, missile launcher, and a heavy cannon, the mech has the ability to do some serious damage on the battlefield.

There is also a video that demonstrates some of the building techniques which Moko has used to create this impressive machine. Another cool feature that can be seen in the video is the use of coffee cups as missile pods.

You can check out more of our articles on fascinating mech builds, here.

This classic Gundam design is portrayed perfectly in LEGO form

Nobu_tary has created this accurate interpretation of the original Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam. You can tell Nobu has studied the classic design as the proportions and angles of the mech have been faithfully recreated. A white boomerang piece represents the famous “V fin”, while the dark space between the eyes is created a quarter circle tile. Around the middle section is where the cockpit would be located, which portrayed by window frames placed sideways. Even the beam rifle has the stocky proportions of its original counterpart. Let’s hope that the shield is sturdy enough, as it would often get sliced up in the anime.

Orange juice served in a steel cup

LEGO builder Marco Marozzi serves up a tall glass of orange juice, but watch out! It’s probably deadly. Stomping towards you is the Orangehead-III Mech, created for an unknown purpose. Carrying heavy pumpkins? Pulling carrots out of the ground? Squeezing oranges into a slurry pulp? Whatever it does, it looks like it’ll do a killer job at it.

Marco’s model is fantastic. From the pistol fingers to the tire shoulders, it’s the use of unorthodox pieces to provide details that really makes this a solid mech. Can you spot other unique parts, such as the car hood (bonnet, for you folks across the Atlantic) used at the base of the torso?

Ice Penguin Mechs are go!

LEGO builder Chris Perron has delivered precisely what the world needs now. That being four Ice Planet mechs piloted by penguins that take inspiration by Dungeons and Dragons roles. Do I need to repeat that? Four Ice Planet mechs. Piloted by penguins. Inspired by D&D. What part of that don’t you understand? Our first offering totally rocks out on an icy guitar.

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Snout and Buzzer may or may not have good intensions

Meet Snout and Buzzer. They’re not your average mechs. The LEGO builder with the enigmatic name of Sheo. tells us that Snout is a scout mech equipped with a sensitive sensor array. Meanwhile the Buzzer mech emits a powerful field of pure bliss. Anyone affected stands paralyzed. All of this sounds fishy to me. Now why would this pair go looking for people and then give them pure bliss? At what cost does this bliss come by? And what is with those bright red minifigures? Are they a fuel source? This creation boasts more questions than answers. Still, I might like just a sample, a tiny taste, a micro-dose of that pure bliss. It’s the trendy thing nowadays, isn’t it? perhaps rub just a tiny bit of it on my gums and then I can decide if I want to procure more. Wise decision, do you think? While you’re mulling that over, check out the other times we were tempted by this builder’s offerings.

Destroy the environment with more efficiency, eh

LEGO builder Titolian brings you the formidable LumberMech M-3000. In his own words, this mech is “the finest piece of logging equipment to ever come from the forestry mechsperts of Northern Canada, this behemoth comes equipped with every tool needed to level acres upon acres of natural beauty. Its innovative internal engine runs entirely on maple syrup, making it one of the first tools that actively destroys its own fuel source. We didn’t think that one through…” Thankfully this would be the first and only time anyone has thought up a short-sighted solution to a difficult problem in the history of the world so we should be in the clear, right? It’s easy to forgive clearcutting on such a colossal scale when it’s done in an awesome plaid shirt. I mean, look at it! I’m smitten! We’ve been charmed by this builder’s work before. Check out what I mean here.

What? I just want to shake your hand!

It was nearly a year ago that Faber Mandragore released the first version of their Jäger Mobilanzug into the wild. Since then there have been some quality design upgrades – this mech suit has been “re-armed” with enormous and hefty claws instead of the previous arm cannon. Range attacks are apparently still possible with that new shoulder-mounted gun, but it’s obvious this mech is now ready for more in-your-face mayhem. I particularly like the use of Technic gears in the shoulder assembly.

The opening cockpit and driver are also worth calling out. The functional feel of this build makes me wish that the smaller LEGO-released Mechs were half as formidable.

Faber isn’t limited to just reimagining old builds, though. Take a stroll through their other featured creations to really get a feel for what this artist is capable of!

The Rock Raiders theme gets an upgrade

Rock monsters beware! Deus Otiosus has constructed this fantastic tribute to the classic LEGO theme, Rock Raiders. The models mimic the colour scheme featured in the original sets which makes these creations feel all the more authentic. Snowshoes form the upper part of the dragon’s head with spear guns representing horns. The brown piping across the chest is similar to the style of the windscreen piece that was frequently used in the original sets. The wings have an unusual construction, with large fans at the upper areas and stacked clip pieces at the lower sections. There is also a fun speeder build which uses a Bionicle mask to form its front section. It seems the Rock Raiders have a powerful new ally, ready to pierce through layers of stone in order to find precious energy crystals.

Rock Raiders was one of those fantastic LEGO themes with rich lore and intriguing storylines. Check out more articles on custom LEGO Rock Raiders models, inspired by the boulder-breaking heroes.

The perfect combination of Star Wars and Gundam

This stunning model was created by Grammaticul with incredible renders by Tong Xin Jun. The build features elements of a classic X-Wing fighter incorporated into a Gundam mech. The red head crest is actually built to simulate the Rebellion symbol with a kunai piece creating the pointed centre. The X-Wing cockpit is embedded within the mech’s torso and features all main colours of a typical Gundam design. In this first image, there is also the nice touch of a snake piece representing smoke ascending from the barrel of the gun.

The wings and boosters are splayed out on the back of the model with vibrant pink engine details. Ninja daggers represent the tips of the laser guns which extend from the main wing segments.

With all that weight, it is no wonder that the model would need a stand. Perhaps we will see this build face off against a TIE fighter combined with a Zaku in the future. The intricate details of the model provide it with a slender and elegant style while having recognizable features of both an X-Wing and a Gundam.

It’s hammer time with this mech

Keith Espinoza has built this bold warrior mech, complete with the armaments of a hammer and shield. The guardian has a great colour scheme with subtle hints of turquoise and warm yellows. The head’s round shape is created by the use of a life ring which is partially hidden under the crest of the helmet. Elegant curves are shown along the border of the shield, possibly suggesting that the mech might even be a type of royal knight. The hammer looks ready to do some serious damage with its curved hook on one side. Probably best not to get on the wrong side of this mech or you might be in trouble.