We haven’t had many Steampunk builds on here lately. It about time for one. This Landship is a sort of cross-country locomotive and looks like it packs quite the punch. I especially like the side-mounted turrets. I’m sure Beau Donnan intended it, but they remind me of the guns on the British “Mark” series of World War I tanks.
A collection of Lugpol members (Pit, Mrutek, Rasch, Ciamek, Glaz_Pimpur, Misiek, Zgredek and Kris Kelvin) have combined forces to produce this stunning diorama of the Eastern Front. The diorama is presently on display at Gdansk Town Hall and if I was near the area I’d certainly be checking it out.
The diorama is full of amazing details, wonderful buildings, decay, flora and excellent military vehicles. Kris has a collection of his shots and a lot of links to further shots in this set. This is my favourite diorama ever and sets the bar very high. I’m even more amazed that with so many cooks the broth is so delicious.
PS. If anyone can provide links to the other builders please post them below.
I’m not sure exactly what the bits of Shannon Sproule’s (Shannon Ocean) tank do but I sure do love the lines of it.
The Light Infantry Grid Runner (LIGR) is my own take on a future fighting vehicle, in the style of the JLTV. I felt that my Iron Mountain Legion theme needed a small scout vehicle, akin to a Jeep or Humvee. Arguably, the name is a bit of a reach, but once I’d decided to put “Light Infantry” in the name, I couldn’t help but try to name it Liger. While this is a post-apocalyptic theme, every apocalypse has a before-time, and these were clearly designed to run on or across a highway grid girding what would become the wasteland. Yeah, that’s the ticket, it’s a Grid Runner.
I thought that it was important to make it capable, and fun to play with, so I started by building a chasis with suspension. From there, I tried to add the usual visual style of the theme, so the model is a little tall and oversized, and, obviously, dark gray. In further pursuit of playability, I added working doors and tail hatches, and a nest on the roof.
Brian Williams (BMW_Indy) yet again shows his expert vignette craftsmanship in his build of the Battle of San Juan Hill. Everything from the custom-built horse, the explosion, the grass field, the sloped hill, and the display base separate this creation from the ordinary.
Sorry if I suckered any baseball fans among our readers, this post is about a big green tank by Jason Heltebridle (Moctagon Jones). The smooth curves of this creation, coupled with the unusual gun certainly push this well into the sci-fi realm. Some of the details on the turret are also quite nice, in particular, the work between the wheels.
What’s more, it has taken me long enough to write this post, that it seems Jason has posted ANOTHER interesting tank.
Minifig customizer The-Bricker combines chopped-up bits of BrickArms, judicious use of paint, and a lot of glue for a really great commando fig.
Custom minifigs frequently don’t stand up to closer examination (and often look best in person), but don’t miss the photo’s large size for all the details.
I’ve been enjoying Kaptain Kobold‘s fun little LEGO creations for just about as long as I’ve been blogging, and I’m especially enjoying his latest set of microscale arms and armor from World War II.
Alan’s Renault FT-17 tank and Heinkel He 162 “Volksjäger” fighter jet illustrate that you don’t have to put a lot of parts together to make really great, recognizable models.
My favorite is this Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, complete with spinning prop and tiny guns.
Mark (petzoldhaus) from Youtube built a motorized Siege Tank from Starcraft 2. Not only does it run by remote control, it also converts into siege mode for punishing your opponent’s clumped up ground forces and buildings. You can see the internal workings in this video.
LEGO M4 Sherman tanks are the single most popular tank to build, so it’s nice to see a builder break out of that mold and reproduce in LEGO a less popular but more interesting tank design. PhiMa does this with the tank that preceded the Sherman, the M3 Grant.
Three reasons I think the Sherman is so popular are because 1) They were the most common tanks by the end of World War II, 2) The convention is to build them in gray (standing in for olive drab) and gray is a fairly common color in LEGO, and 3) The structure above the chassis is fairly straightforward (though the curves are hard to get right in LEGO). In contrast, M3 Grants were used widely by British forces in North Africa, requiring tan instead of gray/olive, and they’re a lot more complex — especially with those two turrets — above the treads.
But PhiMa’s version isn’t just about the pretty exterior; he’s built significant playability features into the model, including a full interior and detailed engine.
I’m sure it’s a surprise to see me blog about anything other than our charity auctions right now, but I’m giving it a shot. Here’s an APC for my Iron Mountain Legion military theme. I built and photographed this creation before my son was born in January, and I’m finally managing to get it uploaded.
I built this to compliment the other creations that I’d already built for the theme. I’ve uploaded my initial sketch of the design, and hopefully, you can see a bit of my creative process. I tried to incorporate some of the details I used in the wheeled tank I built for this theme, including a similar front and headlight configuration, and beveled top. I also tried to add some APC functionality, like hatches, and a removable top (which I failed to photograph).
Ed Diment (Lego Monster) will be arriving in New York City in two weeks with his USS Intrepid aircraft carrier to assemble and display it at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum.
Ed will be there for two full days, Friday April 15 and Saturday April 16, after which the LEGO Intrepid will be on display through September. This is a great opportunity to meet Ed and see his epic World War II vessel in person.
Read all the details on the Intrepid Museum website.