Well, okay, strictly-speaking it’s an Exo-Suit, but I’m sure Benny the Spaceman would still love this Neo Classic Space-styled exoskeleton by Devid VII. There’s an obvious nod to the Pete Reid’s original LEGO Ideas Exo-Suit set, but the frame is much tighter and more compact, and the mechanical-looking greebley detailing is altogether different. Normally I’m not a fan of models set against broader backdrops of the same colour, however the photography and image processing here is excellent, using depth of focus to ensure the central model doesn’t get lost. And all that work allows the use of the detailed space hangar backdrop — lovely sci-fi goodness.
Tag Archives: Mecha
Stand back or you’ll get burned
The creation of LEGO Mech models is in intricate process whose complexity is often under-appreciated. While most LEGO creations are static and fixed in place, a well-built mech often has multiple points of articulation, and requires sufficient balance along with flexible poseability. The play factor is something that you can’t really feel from a photo, but only appreciate its looks from a design perspective. I’ve been lucky enough to hold this creation by Benjamin Cheh in my own two hands, allowing me to see in detail how the parts provide maximum articulation of shoulders, arms, and wrists, and how it all fits into place in a modular fashion.
Hit more to have a closer look at this fire beast in detail
Easily lift up to 10 tons with the Raptor Mobile Crane powersuit
Dutch builder Pico van Grootveld has been building a series of “Raptor” powersuits over the past few weeks, but his latest is definitely my favorite. The mobile crane variant looks great in yellow with the red crane boom, complemented by warning labels and a whole bunch of gears and other exposed machinery.
See more of Pico’s great powersuits in classic LEGO themes
LEGO Horizon: Zero Dawn Corruptor war machine
Marius Herrmann shows his mastery in constructing machinery from video games with this Corruptor from Horizon: Zero Dawn. His intricate use of Bionicle pieces, minifigure utensils, and string throughout add to the intimidating appearance. However, it’s the techniques to create the tail claw that is most outstanding to me.
If you enjoyed Marius’s Corruptor, you may also like his colossal Thunderjaw, or try your own hand at constructing Wayne de Beer’s Tallneck.
UNSC HRUNTING Mark III “Cyclops” exoskeleton from Halo Wars
The “Cyclops” mech appears in the Halo Wars real-time strategy games, reproduced in excellent LEGO form by ZiO Chao. While it may appear rather tiny in the game, seeing it at minifig-scale helps emphasize what a big stompy thing it really is. With an overall dark gray or olive-drab color scheme like most UNSC vehicles, I particularly like the pop of color from the yellow cockpit canopy. ZiO’s build features custom-printed tiles for the UNSC logo and other details, and it’s fully poseable. Armed with a massive cannon on its arm, the Covenant better beware!
There is no problem that cannot be fixed by a combat mech
Dealing with the “situation” from an earlier build by Devid VII, the astronauts get their combat mech ready for action. There are so many tools, canisters and other industrial elements everywhere that I feel comfortable trusting them with anything.
While the detailed floors, clutter and minifig action are great, the star of the show is obviously the mech with its beautiful angles and an orange face. I love you, mechy…
Build your own Blacktron Rectifier to prevent robot turtle supremacy [Instructions]
We all know that Peter Reid’s robot turtles are cute in their unarmed state, but they have been becoming increasingly heavily armed and dangerous. When robot turtles undergo a population explosion and arms race, it is inevitable that other cute robots will suffer. To address this robotic imbalance, Luc Byard has designed the Blacktron Rectifier, a scorpion-like mecha that will help to calm those little turtles into submission.
Luc has kindly provided a parts list and breakdown instructions to build your own Rectifier.
See step-by-step instructions for this adorably terrifying Blacktron Rectifier
Salvage your treasures from under the sea
Imagine a future where the sea levels rise rapidly, causing massive flooding to coastal regions and changing seaside resorts into underwater history. Jonas Norlen has used this scenario as the back story to his latest LEGO creation, Storken, a giant robot developed by the Coast Guard to salvage things from the bottom of the sea. The Storken looks super futuristic with cables and lights aplenty, albeit with a hint of comedy thanks to those gangly limbs. The hovering Coast Guard helicopter above the robot is ideal to give a sense of scale, and the same goes for the cute little truck in his hand and the blue tractor at his feet. I particularly love the colour blocking used for the robot, which gives it a very realistic Coast Guard ‘corporate’ feel.
Utilising a Storken to find the soap in the bath tub is definitely considered overkill.
One-armed frog mech on the march
Take a look at this unusual LEGO mech by Chris Perron. The colour scheme may be fairly standard for a creation inspired by the Maschinen Krieger universe, but the rest of it is beautifully odd. The frog-like legs have great functional-looking greebles, and the splayed toes of the feet are chunky enough to look like they’d keep this bad boy balanced. The central pincer arm is well put-together, the twisted piping to the rear adds a bio-mechanical touch, and the mech’s “face” manages to be both cute and eerie. Best of all, Chris has built an excellent base — lovely shaping, nice colour choices, and a fabulous depth of detail. This is a cracking LEGO model, wonderfully presented.
Make your own MaK – fresh off the sprue
Surely even the most die-hard LEGO builder has also dabbled in model kits? Who hasn’t spent time pruning the parts off a sprue and reaching for the glue? Builder Andreas Lenander takes some inspiration from Peter Reid’s Turtle Robot kit and gives us the opportunity to put together a little hardsuit inspired by the Maschinen Krieger universe. This creations is totally appropriate for MaK, as the theme originally came about as a collaboration by “kitbashers” — modellers who would customise plastic kits into near-future creations.
Four guns, two legs, one purpouse
Autumn is quite the time for LEGO community projects; having blasted through SHIPtember with some massive spaceships yet to be covered, we are moving into Ma.Ktoberfest at full speed. If you are not up to date, Ma.Ktoberfest is an annual October building challenge when builders create mecha, hardsuits and even spacecraft inspired by the Ma.K (Maschinen Krieger) universe. One of the first to pick up arms (or bricks?) is Marco Marozzi with this beautiful curvy bipedal mech.
The mech just oozes with Maschinen Krieger aesthetic. From domes and curved surfaces to hoses, guns and intense technical details. It stands out even without considering the source material, with an exotic colour scheme and unique shaping. Marco really shows how to make a creation within some restrictions, without letting them define the build.
Elegant guardian robot
This super-sleek LEGO robot figure looks like it could have stepped straight out of some Destiny concept art. Red mixes up regular System bricks, Technic connectors, and “Constraction-figure” pieces to great effect. The tan and dark grey colour scheme is nice and simple, and allows that splash of red in the robot’s face to really stand out. I love the shaping of the shoulders and that round boss on the chest, they give this creation an individual style.