I couldn’t help myself, I just had to build something post-apocalyptic of my own. The tank in the picture above is a work-in-progress, and ultimately I’d like to build a diorama for the vehicles and minifigs, but I like the ‘figs enough to call them done.
The Jomon clan:
Their allies the Emishi:
And their enemies, the Yamato:
Michael Jasper never ceases to amaze in his ability to evoke the spirit of famous historical characters. Oh, and he’s one of the most innovative minifig builders around — check out Van Gogh’s painting and those pantaloons on Sir Francis Drake!
Vincent van Gogh:
Sir Francis Drake (and his wondrous pantaloons):
Steve Vargo‘s latest addition to his horde is an infernal rider — a Demon Major astride a hellhound. Nice.
The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman was an important comic book series published between 1989 and 1996. Shane Larson has emerged from a yearl-long absence from the hobby to recreate The Endless in minifig form.
And don’t miss Shane’s take on the moment that Percival Lowell thought he had discovered canals on Mars (via the inestimable Klocki):
Jared “Kaminoan” has announced a very cool contest with an incredibly cool prize: Create a historical figure using only official parts (no custom parts or decals) for a chance to win a chrome-gold C-3PO!
Head on over to Fine Clonier Forums to read all the details.
Now this is a contest I can really get into (assuming I haven’t exhausted my ideas already)!
minifig presents the two main characters from Léon (called The Professional here in the States). That’s Jean Reno as Léon and Natalie Portman (many years before she shaved her head) as Mathilda.
Reminded by the pictures of their upcoming livestock shown during BrickWorld, I recently ordered a rather substantial number of weapons and accessories from BrickForge.
I wrote a review here on The Brothers Brick of modern weapons from BrickArms last February, so I thought I’d do the same with my new collection of BrickForge products. BrickForge primarily sells historical and fantasy accessories, including Greek, medieval, and “Elven” armor, as well as unique hair and beards.
The Photos
First up, Greek Hoplites and Norse warriors:
Next, a bunch of knights and dwarfs (or “dwarves,” if you prefer):
A wizard and Robin Hood:
Finally, “The Mysterious M” and some partially LEGO Nazis:
Click the individual pictures for descriptions that include which BrickForge products I used, and check out the full photoset, where I’ll be adding some minifigs I didn’t get to when I wrote this review.
My Review
As with the BrickArms weapons I’d bought before, the test for any “LEGO-compatible” accessories is how well they integrate with official LEGO elements. (And it’s going to be difficult not to compare BrickForge with BrickArms, since that’s my only other point of reference.) For me, this has to do with several factors:
BrickArms solves most of these challenges by using ABS (the same plastic as most LEGO) and only selling its products in black, the easiest color to match. A major difference about BrickForge is that it has far more products in many more colors. BrickForge accessories are durable, feel pretty much like “real” LEGO, and photograph well (as proven by Armothe, Kaminoan, and other customizers).
The only remaining potential problem, then, is their color. Here’s what I observed about the BrickForge colors when compared with LEGO colors:
So, in nearly every case, BrickForge produces accessories that match official LEGO elements well, and therefore BrickForge weapons do indeed meet all of my criteria for great “LEGO-compatible” products.
My one qualm is that some of the colors don’t seem 100% appropriate for the accessories that they’re available in (though perhaps I’m not thinking creatively enough). That’s just a matter of choice when you buy them, so a “problem” that’s easy enough to solve from the buyer side.
Ultimately, I think what makes BrickForge products so great is how they enable builders to extend LEGO in ways that using only official parts can’t (“Duh,” all the customizers say). The prime example of this is their Greek set. For $3.00, you get a helmet with a plume, a javelin, and a big round shield. Many builders have approximated these with the dragon helmets, regular spears, and other round shields, but the effect isn’t the same, and the BrickForge versions are so much more authentic.
Another of my favorite accessories is the beards. Available in 10 colors and two lengths, they’re much more realistic than the long white and gray (and non-production black) official beards. Perhaps we’ll see some new colors with the upcoming 7036 Dwarfs Mining set, but I doubt we’ll get new, shorter beard molds. BrickForge beards are the perfect solution.
Overall, I’m very happy with the selection and quality of BrickForge accessories, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with next. Oh yeah, we already know: Livestock! :D
Alan Saunders illustrates the moments after Antarctic explorer Lawrence Oates spoke his famous last words. I love the miniature camp in the background.
