Sonic and Mario have shown that LEGO and video game mascots are a perfect match. While Sony Playstation doesn’t have a definitive mascot, there was a time when Crash Bandicoot nearly took the honors. DW_Builds pays tribute to the dashing hero with a model so apeeling it could only have been created for the New Elementary “Mind that Banana” contest. The builder takes advantage of the new banana colors found in the Botanicals Chrysanthemum set for Crash’s wild hair and comically gaping mouth. Jumbo macaroni tubes make up Crash’s curved torso and loping legs, while minifig arms serve as expressive eyebrows. These days Crash is more of a retro mascot than a vital part of gaming culture, but given the success of gaming IP in cinemas lately, maybe Sony will try and bring him into the live-action world with American-French actor Timothée Chalamet
providing mocap and Jack Black phoning it in as Dr. Neo Cortex.
Tag Archives: PlayStation
Move over Mario, mini mascot Astro Bot is here to play with LEGO
Nintendo has Mario. SEGA has Sonic. LEGO fans can build with both! Playstation has had its share of platforming mascots over the years, from Crash Bandicoot to Spyro the Dragon, but they didn’t stay exclusive or endure. But now Sony’s throwing its hat into the mascot ring again with Astro Bot, the adorable platforming robot who celebrates all things Playstation. Builder and gamer dad curtydc pays tribute to the bot in LEGO form and the results are pixel-perfect. From TV head to thruster toes, curtydc captures Astro’s adorable energy. My favorite detail and building technique is found in the stand where three frayed cables are created from macaroni tubes filled with brown stems. Simple yet effective, and instantly recognizable to fans of Astro’s games.
The city of Midgar…before the Mako disaster
As dystopias go, Midgar from the cult-classic game Final Fantasy VII has to be as dystopian as it gets – a Pangea of slums surrounding a giant reactor sucking out the planet’s lifeblood and to top that off, it always seems to be night in this location. Fletcher Floyd conjures up an amazing micro-scale LEGO build of the most iconic setting in the widely loved game.
In a circular pattern, Floyd assembles a menagerie of smaller light grey elements to construct the metropolis. Literally any grey LEGO piece you can think of is included in this build – from 1×1 cones and cylinders, to lightsaber hilts and binoculars, even chalices and steering wheels help render the industrial mess that is Midgar. The area surrounding the city is rendered with some tiles and mostly 1×1 plates in earth tones such as tan, reddish brown, and light brown. Overall this build perfectly recreates the look and feel of Midgar in miniature.
LEGO Cloud Strife and his Chocobo ride into the sunset.
When Final Fantasy 7 came out for the PlayStation console in 1997, I spent many, many hours playing it, and one of the most pleasurable aspects, aside from kicking the pixels out of a multi-stage boss in epic 45-minute battles, was riding all over the world on my trusty Chocobo, searching for the elusive Giant Cactuar. This creation by Vincent Kiew captures the game’s protagonist, Cloud Strife, astride his Chocobo in large scale.
Vincent managed to make the Chocobo look very light on his feet, which is exactly how they looked and felt in the game. Also, Cloud is very accurate to his on-screen inspiration, down to the large clunky hands, his giant sword slung across his back, and that signature spiky anime hair.
Gravity ends as the race begins...
When it comes to futuristic racing games, the Wipeout series has been going strong since it first appeared on the Playstation back in 1995. Thanks to Volker Brodkorb, we can now enjoy two Wipeout racers in LEGO form, such as this sleek-looking bad-boy. The builder has done an excellent job at using curved slope elements and hinges to form the aerodynamically shaped body. The red, white and blue color scheme is also particularly well-executed.
Next up is an exciting ride comprised of dark blue and different shades of gray.
The split down the front-end of this flying vehicle makes for an excellent contrast to the first model. This one also makes good use of custom cut stickers from the Ninja Turtles Shellraiser.
Old school and new gen gaming controllers in LEGO
A couple builders share their love for LEGO and video games with scaled-up models of controllers from past and present. First, from Cecilie Fritzvold, is the sleek PlayStation 4 controller. Cecilie shows great attention to detail, creating the D-pad with fairly new 2×3 shield pieces in black spaced out slightly, and the centered speaker with the right number and arrangement of holes.
Chris Maddison takes us back 30 years before the PlayStation 4 with his classic Nintendo Entertainment System controller. Chris nails the colors and line work of the classic game pad, making it difficult to tell at first the model is made with LEGO bricks.