Polish builder Jarek brings us this completely crazy and awesome trio of bio-mechanical exoskeletal creatures. He says he built them off-the-cuff as a break from another model, but you’d never be able to tell, since they’re packed with fantastic details and clever techniques.
World War Brick is a LEGO fan event organized by Brickmania that brings together builders who display LEGO models inspired by historical and military themes. The second annual event will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota at Brickmania Toyworks.
Discount pre-registration for weekend passes (the private convention) ended yesterday, but you can use a special coupon code for TBB readers when you register and get $10 off: TBBWWB
As with most LEGO fan conventions, you can also see the models on display during public exhibition times, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Head on over to WorldWarBrick.com for complete details
The High Mobility Military Wheeled Vehicle, better known as the Humvee or Hummer, has been the standard general purpose vehicle of the US Military since the mid-Eighties. As such it is a popular subject for military builders. Despite the easily recognisable angular shape, it’s not an easy vehicle to build properly, certainly not if you want it to look decent with minifigs. In the last weeks Project Azazel has been steadily cranking out new versions, but I am going to highlight one.
It is the Humvee Avenger, a version used by the US Army for air defence armed with Stinger missiles and a .50 machine gun. The body of the model has a width of seven studs, which is an excellent compromise between detail and interior space on the one hand and a size that does not make the minifig look like a midget on the other hand. The presentation doesn’t hurt either. I’d love to see one in woodland camouflage or a maxi ambulance next.
Most of the mechs we see are hard, utilitarian machines bristling with guns and rocket launchers and big steel panels. Which is cool, to be sure, but sometimes it’s refreshing to see a different take. This gorgeous mech by Legorobo is wonderfully organic, and armed with one of the coolest looking battleaxes I’ve ever seen.
Some people see LEGO as a toy, other people see building with LEGO as a form of art, but some people, myself included, tend to use it as a medium for building scale models. There are obvious limitations when building a scale model using mostly angular elements of a certain (minimum) size, but nonetheless it is possible to achieve a high degree of accuracy.
Lately I have been updating some of my existing models, including my F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter. Another builder who is working on a LEGO model of a Hornet (or make that Hornets -plural) is Corvin Stichert. He recently made a direct comparison between a line-drawing of the real jet and a side-view of his work in progress made in LEGO Digital Designer.
He did such a good job that it made me (and him) wonder how my Hornet stacks up. (In fact, I was a bit worried, as I do have a bit of a reputation to uphold.)
Well, I am not disappointed and I think you’ll agree that, even though Corvin and I have made some rather different choices, the agreement between both our models and the profiles is about as good it gets on this scale.
LUGPol’s Air Marshall mrutek returns to TBB with a smoothed out warbird from WW2. This time mrutek sets his sights on the workhorse of the Russian air force, the Yak-1. Although the design was Russian, the Yakovlev 1 was also used by the Lotnictwo Wojska Polskiego (Air Force of the Polish Army). Enjoy today’s offering of military history.
At Emerald City Comicon earlier this month, Josh and I had the pleasure of meeting Steve Snoey, the writer/director of a Kickstarter-funded forthcoming short film America’s Fighting Dinosaur. Turns out Steve is a TBB reader himself, so we talked about just how awesome a LEGO version of “Sammy” could be.
Bruce Lowell (bruceywan) has taken up the challenge, rendering an absolutely wonderful LEGO version inspired by Sammy, alongside the men (and pterodactyl) of the “373rd Reptilian Infantry Squad”:
One of my favorite details that might not be especially obvious in the main photo above is that Bruce’s base for his little diorama is in the shape of a dino footprint:
We hope you like this as much as I do, Steve! Check out lots more pictures on Flickr.
There’s something about the Sixties. In the Western world the standard of living was rapidly increasing and there was a sense of optimism about the future that shows in the design of the cars and jets from this era. Technology seemed to promise a better a life for everyone. Anything seemed possible. Aeronautical technology, in particular, moved forward at an amazing pace. A manned aircraft first flew faster than the speed of sound just after WW-2, but by the Sixties operational jets were routinely flying at speeds more than twice as fast. Even higher speeds didn’t just seem likely; they seemed inevitable. In many ways the Convair F-106 Delta Dart is typical for jets from this era, with a highly swept-back wing, a sleek area-ruled fuselage and a sharp nose.
However, something sinister lurks underneath. The Sixties were also a time when it looked as though the Cold War could turn very hot. A high speed meant the ability to intercept enemy bombers from a larger distance. Intercepting bombers was what the F-106 was all about, with an unguided nuclear-tipped air-to-air missile tucked in its internal weapons bay. This makes a long stand-off distance a very desirable feature!
I hope I can be forgiven for blogging one of my own models, especially an older one. It was built for an article in Brickjournal Issue 22. It has been out for a while now and this prompted me to finally post multiple pictures.
The Soviet BAZ 135 Transporter-Erector-Launcher built by Marcin Witkiewicz (Nexus 7.1) ticks many boxes I like: it’s a truck, it’s military and it carries a ballistic missile on its back. The missile, coincidently, appears to be the type known to NATO as the FROG-7, for Free Rocket Over Ground. It was exported to dictatorships all over the world.
There may be a few modified parts on the front, but don’t let that distract you. The chunky tyres are a nice match for the ones on the real vehicle, the detail is excellent and, most impressively, Marcin has managed to capture the slightly oddball styling typical of Soviet military trucks.
Specifically the Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind SdKfz 161/4, by A. Bellón, A.K.A. Panzerbricks. Enjoy tonight’s slice of WW2 history, and check out the builder’s website if you’re interested in more of his work.
There are a lot of cute little Tachikomas floating around lately, but this isn’t one of them. This mighty legged-tank by Dylan Denton is a bit more serious, and it’s got the looks to prove it. Based on a mech in the anime series Sound of the Sky, the Takemikazuchi looks deadly as it goes for a stroll through the snow.
Moritz (nolnet) has created an assortment of thought provoking scenes. I respect the fact that he has left out any sort of description and instead allows the viewer to come to their own conclusion…I will do the same.
You must be sure to click through the full photoset.