Japanese builders make mecha like Canadians make maple syrup. Now I don’t think mecha would taste nearly as good on my waffles, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t love them equally.
Flickr user Dak Yuki proves my point with his Armored Core:
Be sure to browse through the full photoset for all the cool poses & other goodies
NOW the question is whether mecha would taste good with maple syrup???
Cheers to Stijn & Peter for the heads up
Here’s a fun little build by Andrew Lee. He’s managed to pack a great deal of detail into a small package. I’m a fan of energy axes and circular magazines, so the armaments leave me happy.
It looks like Andrew posted a whole team of bots last night, so make sure to check out his photo stream.
This morning, I came across two mecha models, from two different builders, that share a common attribute. Their legs are all quite thin, one might even say elegant (or flimsy). Personally, I have trouble keeping mecha with thick legs and joints standing, so I really appreciate the effort that went into these.
First, there’s the Zip Kit by Dave Steeves. It had an old-school mechwarrior vibe that I dig, and while the construction of the base is simple, I quite like it.
Next, is the VT-318 Kelly, by Rod Gillies. He could just as well have called it the black swan, as it stands balanced en pointe. It’s also a cool looking mecha, once you get over the shock that it’s actually standing.
I really miss the heyday of Japanese LEGO mecha builders a few years ago, where it seemed like a stellar new mech appeared online almost constantly. Growing up with Gundam and Macross on TV in Japan (well, when I was allowed to watch TV by my missionary parents…), giant robots piloted by impossibly chiseled youth still hold a special place in my heart.
Thankfully, I can still get my Japanese LEGO mecha fix from builders like LEGOROBO (legorobo:waka on Flickr). His AFA-8 Cynomys walker is full of crazy angles and believable details whose purpose I can only imagine. Just check out those toes!
My crony from Philadelphia Carter Baldwin returns to TBB with his latest mecha, the NATO ‘Gorgon’ Mobile Frame. Based on concept art by flyingdebris, Carter brings the futuristic war machine to life with some very inventive techniques. The only question remaining is which gorgon this respresents…Stheno, Euryale or their more famous sister Medusa?
Timothy Pendarvis ZephyrChaos has an interesting new mecha he calls “Soren”. Although the builder does not say as much, I suspect it is honor of reclusive Girondist Soren Roberts. It does have a striking resemblance to Roberts after one of his infamous paint-thinner binges. Perhaps I’m wrong though, Timothy could be referring to nineteenth century Danish philosopher Soren Kirkegaard or perhaps Søren Rasted – former member of Scandinavian band AQUA. Only ZerphyrChaos knows for sure, and he ain’t talkin’.
Ignore me, enjoy Soren.
And yes, paste-eater, it does fit a fig.
Flickr user Garry_rocks has been churning out an endless supply of stunning mecha and hardsuit designs ever since he joined in November. I tend to overlook strictly virtual creations more than I probably should, and Garry reinforces that I should pay closer to attention to LEGO Digitial Designer (LDD) models more often. The fact that he creates these models without being able to hold the bricks impresses me even further, when I build it is always by trial & error and just generally fiddling with the pieces. If you haven’t already, you must take some time to browse through Garry’s stream. It is guaranteed to inspire all the mecha and sci-fi builders out there.
Garry has a total knack for creating fantastic cockpit designs at a relatively small scale…trust me when I say that I have been making notes.
I’m loving This new scene by Zane Houston. Frankly, as soon as I spotted a mecha gorilla in a thumbnail, I was sold. Then, I saw a diorama of it ape-handling a truck, and I got excited. When I zoomed in and saw that the mecha was piloted by a chimp? Well, I for one, welcome our new ape masters.
