Tag Archives: Mecha

We all love a good LEGO Gundam or Macross mecha, but LEGO builders everywhere are also creating excellent models of their own designs. Have a look at them here.

LEGO Metabee is absolutely spot on

If you missed the brilliant show that was Medabots, think of it as Pokémon and replace cute fighting animals with deadly robots. Sound awesome? It most certainly is.

Paying tribute to the series is the extremely talented nobu_tary with a rendition of the main Medabot in the series, Metabee. Continuing the Pokémon analogy, Metabee actually looks a lot like Pikachu with the black and yellow color scheme. Hmmm….

Metabee

Along with all the other great shaping and parts usage (those grenade launchers/horns are great!), my favourite is an orange recoloured plant piece used as a muzzle flash.

Metabee

The height of Devonian-futurism

This mechanized, heavily armored fish looks like an unholy cross between a Dunkleosteus and the hardsuit from District 9. Japanese builder Mitsuru Nikaido has created a truly distinctive look by layering various LEGO flag elements in dark gray over a white internal structure. I’m not sure whether this belongs in the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum or the National Museum of Natural History.

LEGO Mech Ancient fish-08

Massive Gundam RX-78-2 Mobile Suit looks stunning in LEGO

We’ve featured dozens of LEGO Gundam models over the years, but this one by JAN LEGO just might be my favorite yet. From the grills on the side of Gundam’s head to the heat vents on the chest, this LEGO Gundam has every detail you’d expect from Bandai’s “Perfect” series of challenging plastic models. Though the builder didn’t share exact dimensions, it’s also a huge model, judging from the photos — I’m guessing at least two feet tall.

LEGO GUNDAM RX-78-2

Click through to see more photos of this huge LEGO Gundam model

Scout mech takes inspiration from Overwatch’s D.Va

The mecha world seems to have fallen in love with D.Va’s bright pink mech, and it has already been the basis for a great LEGO build. But today we have a new mech inspired by the pink robot/bomb in the form of the Scout Walker by Nate Rehm-Daly. Make sure you check out the back view to see the design of those spindly legs and a cockpit closeup to see the superb shaping that was accomplished at this small scale.

Scout Walker

Don’t let this mecha dragonfly bug you

You would be forgiven for thinking that Big Brother was spying on you if you saw Mitsuru Nikaido’s mech dragonfly whizz past. This is no ordinary insect with its cybernetic appearance and yet the builder has managed to maintain the delicate form of a real dragonfly. I particularly love those dangling legs and the repeating structures within the main body and tail.

LEGO Mech Dragonfly-01

If you like mecha insects, you will like this mecha damselfly we previously blogged.  Mitsuru’s dragonfly is significantly larger than the damselfly and would definitely require a heavy duty fly swatter.

A song of ice and fire...Mechs

Ninjago is one of the most popular LEGO themes, and I can see the appeal — it’s ninjas with elements and hi-tech gadgets. It’s every (big and small) kid’s fantasy. And while I’ve collected many sets from this theme over time, the most current one, Ninjas vs. Sky Pirates, is just a dream come true, and to celebrate that, I decided to build my own Ninjago-inspired mechs!

First, Lloyd’s Modified flyer from the Set 70605 – Misfortune’s Keep. When I first got the set, I knew I was going to like the ship, but I was pleasantly surprised by the concept of the flyer, so I just pimped it — added new arms, a lot more greebling, more attitude, and the name “Fujin”, and called it a day.

"Fujin" - Lloyd updated flyer

Click to see more Ninjago-inspired mecha!

LEGO mech * (black + yellow + weird) = Awesome

Every so often you come across a model which makes you sit up straight and PAY ATTENTION. This unusual mech from tankm does exactly that. The combination of atypical shaping, the double cockpit, and the in-your-face color scheme creates immediate standout from the crowd of regular LEGO mechs which appear on a regular basis. However, this model isn’t all just bluster and noise, there are also some great building details which reward a closer inspection.

tkm-STILTwalker-01

I’m not sure if this is a walker or a flyer, or some sort of chimeric combination of the two — the rear view suggests this bad boy can take to the air if it needs to. All I really know is this thing looks like a two-headed death pigeon decked out for a Blacktron parade. I like it.

tkm-STILTwalker-08

Cutest Police Patlabor

Lee Young has nailed it with these super-cute chibi Mobile Police Patlabor mecha models. Despite the dinky scale and super-deformed proportions, these guys still have an impressive chunky heft about them. They look like they’d just relish the opportunity to suppress your street protest.

patlabor 2 + patlabor 3

Lee has been building a few mecha figures at this scale recently. Check out this pretty damn awesome rendition of Optimus Prime using your local downtown for cover…

Optimus Prime

Beware the Bloody Tortoise

Sometimes you don’t realize you’ve been following a very talented builder. Over this past year, six different TBB contributors have blogged mecha by Marco Marozzi, but I really didn’t take notice myself until I just looked through his photostream on Flickr and thought, “Oh, that was by Marco too? And that? And that?” With a broad variety of styles, from spindly to stompy, Marco shows he can build beyond the boilerplate of bipedal Gundam-style “mobile suits.” With judicious use of stickers, excellent color blocking around the central core, and believable greebling on the arms and legs, Marco’s latest mecha is a near-future industrial marvel, whose purpose may not be entirely peaceful…

Bloody Tortoise Medium Mech

Donald Duck mech is ready to take the fight to Mickey

Looks like Donald has finally had enough of that mouse hogging the limelight. Dvd‘s latest creation shows just how everyone’s favourite anthropomorphic duck plans to even the score. This is the sort of model we love here at TBB — it’s not just good fun, it’s a really well-built mech too.

Donald's Mech Walker

Too often these kind of mash-ups rely too heavily on the presence of the minifig to explain themselves, but here the job gets done with excellent colour-blocking — realistic-looking, but also unmistakably “Donald”. And if you need any more convincing this is a cracking mech model in it’s own right, then check out the beautiful greeble-work on the legs…

Donald's Mech Walker

My only criticism here is the photography is a little washed-out. I wonder if a gray backdrop and less harsh lighting might have given better contrast for the base and white elements of the model? However, that’s minor nitpicking at an otherwise excellent creation.

This LEGO drone cannot wear skinny jeans

This LEGO drone by Guy Smiley has the build of a machine aimed at impact and intimidation rather than agility and speed.  It bears a resemblance to the drones in the awesome short film Keloid, a source of inspiration for LEGO  drones since 2013.  Those thunderous thighs would make a grown man quiver, not to mention the weaponry carried in its arms.  I’m not exactly sure what type of weapon is in its left arm, but it looks like some sort of futuristic chain gun with a handy supply of rounds in the chamber.

Keloid Drone

I particularly like Guy’s colour blocking technique, the use of two main colours nicely highlight the shaping of his drone.  There are some clever parts in there if you take a closer look, it’s not often cupboard doors form the head of a drone!

If you liked this build, Check out this previously blogged Militech Weapons Platform and drones by drone builder extraordinaire, Devid VII which were also inspired by the film Keloid.

Keeping things running at optimal level

This rad little droid built by Marco Marozzi has all kinds of neat details packed inside its frame. I especially like face, with the thin tire squeezed in between two translucent orange armor plate pieces to break up the orange a bit. Though the droid is what grabbed my attention here, don’t miss the overall maintenance scene with engineers in oversize helmets — a bold idea to choose over standard minifigure headgear, but it works well.

Droid Maintenance