Tag Archives: Ocean

Atlantean jetbikes and umbrellean jellyfish

Whenever Steven Erickson and Mark Erickson get together you know it is going to be LEGO magic—underwater magic, in this case. But maybe that’s my undying urge to live my life as the mermaid I know that I am—or at least was in a past life. Or maybe it’s the amazing underwater creatures that these builders created.

Atlantean Jetbike

Using the jellyfish mask for a jellyfish isn’t groundbreaking, but it is nice to see these odd parts pop up in creations. The true brilliance is the use of the trans pink umbrella to create an even bigger jellyfish. The leaf parts work great representing the tentacles. The Bionicle Olmak mask works great as an underwater vehicle. The only thing I am not sure about is the faucet used as a steering wheel.

Atlantean Jetbike

This stunning 93-pound LEGO turtle kingdom was nearly 20 months in the making

Everyone knows that an Archelon is a species of marine turtle that went extinct during the Late Cretaceous period. What this LEGO build supposes is, maybe they didn’t and then a hermit community built a castle on one’s back. Archelon Castle by Fraser Ratzlaff is a fanciful, Mindstorms-powered, articulated creature with 4 independently swaying appendages, an anatomically correct mouth masticating a lobster, and oh yes—the entire beast (and affixed castle) slowly rotates 360 degrees. Hitch a ride as we explore the intense environmental storytelling of this build that took almost two years to create.

ARCHELON CASTLE

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You wouldn’t want to be this fish’s dentist!

Mitsuru Nikaido has constructed this haunting model, taking inspiration from aquatic creatures found in the depths of the ocean. Specifically, this build is based on the strangely named footballfish, from the same family as the anglerfish. The body is covered in armour like plates, providing the model with a robotic aesthetic, until you get to the mouth. The twisted, organic looking teeth, recreate the horrifying appearance of the fish, along with the round gleaming eyes. Beware dear readers, I’ve heard that this model uses a golden bionicle orb to lure in unsuspecting LEGO fans…

Footballfish_06

Nature can be beautiful but also scary

Based on shelled animals such as mollusks, Martin Vala has created this complex build. The model has a carefully structured shell that twists around, forming swirling patterns. Ball joints and sockets have been used to portray this formation with smooth angled pieces representing the rounded parts of the shell.

Child of the Sea

The top-down view lets you really appreciate the shaping of the model. The shadowy tentacles at the front make it all the more terrifying as they splay out in various directions with a small, haunting mouth at the centre. Hopefully, this creature’s personality doesn’t match its appearance.

Child of the Sea

LEGO City 30370 Ocean Diver – A polybag that was manta be [Review]

LEGO is known for releasing some very massive (and expensive) sets – a World Map, the Colosseum, and even the Titanic. But there’s another scale to consider – the polybag. Small, affordable sets that span the range of micro-vehicles to minifigure-based adventures. While these polybags are a little too compact for our usual in-depth reviews, they still deserve their day in the sun. So come along as we explore a recent offering – LEGO City 30370 Ocean Diver. Available briefly as a gift with purchase directly from LEGO, this set also had limited availability in other retail outlets.

Click to read the full hands-on review

A lovely scene at the seashore

When you are feeling stressed out, where do you go to unwind and re-connect with nature? Maybe someplace like this tropical beach by Brickleas, built for an Iron Builder contest using the white radar dish piece, used quite skillfully as steps, a sign, and shades to block the sun on the roof. And in case you missed it, the seagulls as well. One of my favorite features, aside from the shack, is the sand and surf, using slopes and bricks in shades of tan, including dark tan for the sand at the water’s edge.

Iron Bay

Watch out for the giant squid of the deep!

Be careful of how far you venture into the ocean or you might meet a terrifying creature such as this. Aiden Rexroad has built this frightening squid with a long shadowy form and piercing lime-coloured eyes. The organic style of the model is created through the use of a variation of inversed tires, placed along the squid’s outstretched tentacles. It appears there is a continuous ball joint system under the rubbery limbs, allowing the creature to pose, providing the model with the ability to drag unsuspecting victims down to the depths. Bohrok helmet pieces represent part of the monster’s body, which contributes to the odd rounded proportions of the squid.

If you didn’t think this build was scary enough, take a look at the huge array of teeth encircling the mouth. This creation demonstrates a vast knowledge of pieces and a unique understanding of the different ways in which LEGO pieces can be utilised.

Giant Squid

You can check out more articles on unusual LEGO creature builds, here.

Silently striding the seven seas

Upon the seafloor walks the oblong mechanical LEGO creation known as the Barents Sea Strider, built by Ivan Martynov. So yes, this creation is based on the actual Barents Sea Spider. And yes, I looked it up. And no, I’m not going to post the picture here. It’s gross and I’m trying not to have arachnophobic nightmares.

Anyways, aside from the creepy spider it’s named after, this is a super cool build. The long green legs remind me of the Bionicle Dark Hunter Nidhiki set that came out in 2005. I like the gray train wheels (perhaps custom colored) used as the leg joints and the small yellow bricks used in the leg supports (hailing from another brand, like the occupant). It’s the tiny details in every build that make it stand out. I also like that the transparent piece is a dome, giving the robot operator a 360-degree view of its surroundings so it can more easily see its prey. Perhaps this underwater arachnid has plans for a crab dinner?

Research station amid a vibrant reef

Working with a new part can be a challenge. Finding how they fit into the system can lead to surprises and disappointments. Ultimately, dedicated builders like Tom Loftus find a way. Armed with tons of teal from the Ninjago Jungle Dragon and challenged to examine the functionality of the transparent VIDIYO Canopy (as he calls it), Tom found himself under the sea at this Reef Station. He gave me some insight into some of the extra pieces he worked into the model, including finally making use of the drone elements introduced last year.

Reef Station

Read on to see more of the details in this colorful underwater scene

Beneath the waves of 4546B

Have you ever been chilling in space, floating in your ship one second, only to wake up on a water world as the sole survivor of your crew? We’ve all been there, but thankfully the Alterra Corporation has you covered in the event of such a mistake. Those familiar with the Subnautica game series will surely sympathize, having swum in the suit of Ryley Robinson themselves. Builder Lysander Chau was inspired by their time in the oceans of 4546B to build this scene of a crab-squid chasing after the Seamoth.

Subnautica

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In the lap of LEGO luxury

Sometimes owning a mega-yacht just isn’t enough. It turns out the owners of this particular M/Y Dytan also wanted a LEGO model of their luxurious ocean cruiser. Thankfully, Arjan Oude Kotte has a certain set of skills that make jetsetters dreams even more dreamy than they already are. This 1/68 scale model is 110cm long and 27 cm wide.
Arjan tells us the original 74m Dytan yacht was built in 2012 by Nobiskrug. She features an exterior design by Reymond Langton and an interior by Reymond Langton and Mark Berryman. She cruises at 12 knots and reaches a top speed of 14.0 knots. She can sleep up to 12 guests taken care of by a crew of 21.

M/Y Dytan

The main image looks a bit render-ish, which it is, but here is a secondary shot of the impressive brick-built model within the context of a real-life LEGO workspace.

DSC_3256

If being on a boat is your jam, then navigate on over to see another large oceangoing vessel by the same builder.

Smooth as a baby’s... bottlenose?

I’m always impressed when a builder manages to make LEGO models completely smooth. Going stud-less can be hard, and even harder when dealing with organic shapes. This bottlenose dolphin built by Ken Ito (暁工房) may show just a few studs, but the body shaping is superb! The arch of the back end and tail are particularly well-executed.

It seems as though this builder has a knack and a penchant for these kinds of creations. Marine life is just a snippet of what he can do. Stick around to see more like this!