Tag Archives: NPU

Avert your eyes, purists! Illegal Robot is here!

It’s not the biggest or most elaborate LEGO creation we’ve ever showcased here on The Brothers Brick but I was excited to write about it nonetheless. This little offering by Josephine Monterosso is called Illegal Robot and apparently, that was enough to pique my interest and get this wee bot onto my to-write list ASAP. She goes on to explain that this was built from modified parts and illegal connections. The shoulders and upper arms are cut ends from a chain and the hands are held in place via cut stickers wrapped around the pegs. The purists would not like this; the last time we upset them we got a record number of complaints from folks with AOL email addresses. I’m chuckling inside, Josephine. Thanks for being a total rebel!

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Miniature LEGO floating island sports a hoot of a nice part usage

Using only 92 LEGO elements, this whimsical model of a floating rock with a miniature windmill by Mbricks packs quite a lot of nice part usage, or NPU! While hair pieces make great foliage as they come in a rainbow of colors, my favorite part is the white owl used as a cloud. A couple of flexible whips make excellent roots.

A backyard construction project

A product of the recent “Construction Constructions” LEGO building contest over at New Elementary, Jaroslaw Walter has implemented quite the assortment of construction contraband in this backyard diorama. First up is the expert use of the forklift roll cage for the legs of the lawn chairs and table. This furniture sits on an area of pavers made of bulldozer treads which add the perfect bit of texture to the patio area. And the dozer scoops for planters along the left wall are a brilliant choice, fitting into the rest of the scene expertly. But my favorite usage has got to be all the minifig wrenches used throughout the scene in everything from a lock to plant stems.

Electric scooters and fantasy figures

I normally applaud new LEGO parts, but this did not go for the electric scooter part introduced a couple of years ago in the friends theme, that was later used in the LEGO city theme. Maybe it’s because I am not a fan of electric scooters. Who knows. Duncan Lindbo however has proved me wrong. In their latest creation the electric scooter part is used multiple times to represent the insect-like feet of a tank. The part I dread so much, looks amazing and really is, what makes this creation so special. What also is special is that we get friends figs from a different range of themes. We get Noctura from Elves sporting pants and a cap, Namaari form Raya and the dragon in her official form and a third fig composed of regular Friends parts sporting a The LEGO Movie hairdo. It is fun to see how these two fantasy figures fit the Sci Fi theme so well.

The hippest holiday builds we’ve ever seen.

We’ve often praised Dan Ko for his inventive parts usage, but these two Christmas ornaments might just take the cake…or fruitcake, as it were. Starting with a set of legless minifigure hips as faces, Dan has crafted Santa and the traditional Christmas Nutcracker as ornaments suitable for hanging on any LEGO fan’s tree.

Santa’s got minifigure parts working overtime, as a single leg fills in for his beard. And I’m particularly impressed with the small space Dan was able to leave in the Nutcracker to denote his chompers. Make sure to check out more of our coverage of Dan’s impressive builds right here.

Here’s the scoop on this wintry scene...

The latest LEGO creation by builder Evancelt‘s depicts a wintry scene with an impressive castle towering above the nearby village. The castle, with its yellow colour scheme, is reminiscent of the classic LEGO Yellow Castle, but what impresses me with this castle is that the walls are made from a digger bucket! In micro builds like this, I’m always impressed when parts you wouldn’t expect should work really do work so well!

But it’s not just a great castle on display here. Surrounding the castle is a beautiful wintry scene complete with snow-covered forests, using various horn pieces, and a small village which utilises the printed plate from the latest CMF series, but my favourite piece of detail in this scene? The snowy mounds made from white croissant pieces!

Now, all this talk of winter leaves me needing to find an open fire to warm up…

Command and control your space

NPU, or Nice Parts Use, is the fan term for taking an unusual and seemingly single-use LEGO element and cleverly incorporating it into something else. It’s rare to see the NPU ethos applied to expensive electronic components, however, that’s exactly what TBB alumn Benjamin Stenlund has done with the 9V battery box controller on this Vic Viper, positioning it so the infrared emitter becomes a cool cockpit. Of course, don’t miss the carrot blasters on this greebled entry to the Novvember fan challenge, too.

Sentient Automated Planetary Explorer

There’s nothing equally amusing as a well-written background story for a cool goofy-looking LEGO build. This seemingly silly robot by Bart De Dobbelaer actually comes with hilarious story. Still, I’m more impressed with the building techniques! The face inside a transparent box from a LEGO VIDIYO set is a gem, but maybe its funny legs or neat landscape will impress you more..?

This microscale forest scene is hair today, gone tomorrow

With fall finally here, my favorite time of year, a stroll in the woods is a delightful way to pass the time, strolling among quiet ruins as the fall leaves drift to the ground, as in this scene by LegoHobbitFan, which uses a variety of hair elements as billowy foliage. Log printed tiles make the perfect path, and a few of the trees are made with stud-shooters, turning weapons into trees.

Rodent problems don’t last long when this beast is around.

This purple pest-catcher by LEGO builder Dan Ko is an excellent example of repurposing pieces for unexpected uses. This wolfen beast’s snout is crafted from a purple minifigure motorcycle, and his tufts of fur are leaves. The result is a ferocious-looking beast that’s happy to keep the city streets free of vermin, who are clever little brick-built creatures themselves.

Agra Sunstriker, Beat Wizard

Back at it again with another fantastic figure, Builder Eero Okkonen makes use of some interesting parts from Monkie Kid’s new Galactic Explorer. After watching the Moon Knight finale, this seems like an ancient Egyptian hero in the modern era. Just imagine him strutting up to a bad guy, dropping that boom box, hitting play, and kicking butt in step with the power of the gods.

Drop the beat

Non-toxic but still inedible

Deep in the forest, far from the beaten tracks, a colony of fungi fruits from the remains of an old tree. Builder Paulo Loro brought new life to some old table scrap mushrooms by integrating them into this natural display. Fungi can be difficult to identify so its hard to say if these are based on enoki, shiitake, or something else—I’m no mycologist. All I can say is there’s a certain magic to the twists and turns the mushrooms make. Tail pieces are used to represent the stalks of the fruiting bodies while dish pieces represent the different stages of caps. The most mature of the species use the rock elements with eggshells underneath as gills.

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