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.
Brian Kescenovitz (aka mondayn00dle) is back at it, building more of the best Mecha around. This time he’s got this aggressive grey beast called the Weaver. It even fits a figure completely inside–which, come to think of it, may make it a large exo-suit. At what point does an exo-suit become a mech? Whatever you care to classify is as, though, there’s no question that it’s of the species awesome.
Who says all big spaceships need to be covered with greebles to look great? This gorgeous space Destroyer by Dutch builder Red Spacecat employs clean lines and smooth surfaces, and it looks fantastic. Don’t let that fool you, though; it’s still packed with plenty of details, like the hidden torpedo ports.
I’ve noticed a lot of futuristic military scenes made recently and I wanted to give it a go as well. I spent one day to make the olive green tank and two more days for the backdrop. I tried to emulate the urban decay style with what time I had, but my lack of experience working in this style limited the techniques at my disposal. After this I will pay closer attention to other creations in the genre. It’s one thing to build a model and another to make a scene for it. You can see the description video on YouTube.
Here’s a photo of just the tank, that was the easy part I’m used to :)