Tag Archives: Sci Fi

A dragon that’s both sci-fi and fantasy

This blaster-wielding LEGO dragon by builder Sandro Quattrini is a glorious mix of D&D and cyberpunk. The sculpting on the figure is exquisite, as we’ve come to expect from Sandro. The visor design feels both like it belongs to Geordi La Forge and the Mouth of Sauron. I love the use of these 12-tooth gears for the dragon’s teeth. And the feather pieces making up his goatee are wonderful. Combine that grin with the attitude conveyed in the figure’s pose, and the message is clear: no one in sci-fi or fantasy tells this guy what to do!

Dragon Hunter

And before I go, we’re just going to have to talk about that blaster! Much like the figure, the gun incorporates the mechanical and biological into a single design. The use of the red Dragon Masters horse helmet is particularly nice. Of particular note is how Sandro has used minifig hands here. While on the top of the weapon, they provide a natural flow indicating a dragon’s spine. However, on the underside of the barrel, they’re used in a rigid line, in keeping with the artificial aspects of the blaster. Two sides of the same part.

Dragon Hunter's Blaster

Call of Duty zombie mode ray gun perfectly recreated in LEGO

If there’s a quartermaster of the LEGO building community, then it’s got to be TBB alum Nick Jensen. Time after time, Nick’s incredible LEGO models turn out more like carbon copies of the weapons he’s imitating. And this ray gun from the Call of Duty franchise is no exception! All of the details are spot-on.

Ray Gun — Call of Duty Zombies

See all the accurate details Nick has built into this Call of Duty ray gun

I’d love to see this robot lift a crate of forks…it’d be so dang literal.

Sci-fi builder extraordinaire Tim Goddard never fails to impress. Part of what makes his creations work so well is how much thought Tim seems to put into the fictional functionality of his builds. This forklift bot is a perfect example. By eschewing a typical humanoid form and anchoring the droid’s shoulders on an a-frame above its face, the droid looks more than ready to handle weight loads several times its own mass. And the slight angle in the hips gives a sense of life and character to the build. Tim goes the extra parsec by placing the robot on a base that makes perfect use of angled tiles and ingots to suggest a massive sci-fi locale in a very small space.

Forklift bot

Behold where the fate of the galaxy is decided

In the far future, the Galactic Council prepares for another lengthy debate. Bart De Dobbelaer has constructed this fascinating creation, which shows alien council members seated around a strange centrepiece. The spiked orb is encircled by train tracks in medium azure and, according to Bart’s lore about the build, the orb might be an artificial intelligence unit used to assist in the governing of the galaxy. The layout of the model almost looks like a city due to the variety of protruding structures and piping details. Medium azure features again, creating a colourful outline around the build while contrasting against the grey. With an intriguing orange glow emitting from below the orb, it leaves the observer to wonder what mysteries lie in the depths of this structure.

Galactic Artificial Intelligence Council

This bad, blue Bionicle is boss!

This outstanding LEGO Bionicle creature by Max Howell feels like it just came out of a sci-fi thriller. The massive claws, tiny probe-like legs, and a serious case of five-head give me the impression that this “Badnicle” is a Toa’s worst nightmare. The part usage is excellent, especially the inspired choice of chest plate. And I love the tires bulking up its arms. My only question is, does anyone else get a Megamind vibe from that color scheme?

BADNICLE

Who says entomology is all about creepy-crawlies?

Here’s a theory: animals and sci-fi make for a perfect mix. Don’t believe me? Check out this trio of LEGO vehicles courtesy of Devid VII! They are all named after animals, all feature relatively limited colour palettes, and all look amazing. First up is the Froggy, whose ball-jointed feet remind of the Tachikoma that have inspired so many brilliant LEGO creations:

Froggy

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A carefully tended tree thrives in a dark and distant future

There is much more to this stunning model than just a pretty tree. Tim Goddard creates a stark focal point using color for the tree but many neutral shades for the rest of the scene. One of the subtle details that struck me right away was the use of dark gray ingot pieces in the structure just next to the right robot arm, which provides a distinct shadow texture. The nearly completely recessed ladders lining the gently curving back wall are another. Framing the tree with the robot arms and including the many tubes bringing what is likely water and nutrients re-inforces the extreme value of this tree as part of a larger untold story.

Last of its kind

A little slice of Zeta Halo in the palm of your hand

It has been a while since the last Halo game, but The wait is over, with the release of Halo: Infinite, Master chief is back, and ready for action. TBB alumni Rod Gillies crafted a little slice of the massive and partially damaged ring which is the setting for the game in spectacular detail, with pine trees, rocky ground, one of the many alien artifiacts, and even the hexagonal structures that make up the ring below and around the surface. The scene by itself would be great, but miniature versions of four vehicles from both the Banished and the Space Marines are gravy on a very tasty dish.

Infinitely Small

2021 was the year Nannan made Contact

2021 brought us problems we would have never fathomed a few years ago. It was a year of civil unrest and a slew of COVID variants that’ll probably have us covering our mask-holes in public indefinately. But 2021 had brought us some great things as well. Right at the tail end of that year, The Brothers Brick alumni Nannan Zhang built this piece he calls Contact. It was inspired by something Jan Woznica built a couple months ago that ended up becoming The Brothers Brick’s 2021 Creation of the Year. It’s a fine thing to be inspired by and Nannan recreates the style nicely with his verion. I’m loving the minty green elements and the simple yet striking composition. I find it exciting when one great builder pays homage to another.

Contact

Been spendin’ most their lives living’ in a Theives’ Paradise

Renowned LEGO builder Bart De Dobbelear tells us that “The golden city ruins of Kadena were renowned for their loot and riches.” Oooh! It’s ours for the taking, then. Look at all that beautiful gold! Book my flight, I’m calling in sick! But then he goes on to say; “Many thieves tried their luck, but only a handful escaped the clutches of the city’s guardians.” Wait, guardians? I knew there would be a catch! Cancel that flight. I am not sure if the crazy-haired crab-robots or the two thuggish-looking fellows are the thieves or guardians. Perhaps the guardians are unseen and they’re even bigger and hideous-er than what is pictured here. Either way, I want no part of it. My sense of adventure ends right at making cheap and awkward intros but it really goes no further than that. I’ll just be happy with the pay TBB gives us. Wait, they pay us, right? Don’t they? It’s hard to keep track when everything is direct deposit these days.

Thieves' Paradise

While I work that out with TBB’s Human Resources Department, you can check out why Bart De Dobbelear is in a league of his own when it comes to creating fabulous textures and far-out alien worlds. Wait, do we have a Human Resources Department?

This sci-fi craft leaves me feeling thunderstruck

One of the things I miss most now that I live in California is thunderstorms. Sure, we occasionally get a bit of rain. But it’s rare that that lightning flashes or the windows rattle from the vibrations of a thunderclap. And I always used to find that so soothing. So, if I had a chance to take to the skies in the ThunderGlide by builder Rubblemaker, I might never come down again. This craft channels the atmosphere’s own electrical power through its lightning rod to stay aloft as long as a storm is raging. Which is pretty rock and roll, when you think about it. What’s more, the use of ample pentagonal tiles on the wings and the tubing on either side of the cockpit call to mind the keys and pipes of an organ. Imagine flying through the rain in this bad boy with a little Iron Butterfly playing. Yeah, that’s the life for me…

ThunderGlide

Alien’s Nostromo recreated in the brick

1978’s Alien is a watershed moment in sci-fi cinema — tapping into the enthusiasm for all things sci-fi following the success of Star Wars, but using its interstellar setting to spin a very different, very adult, and very scary tale. LEGO builder Bousker perfectly recreates the film’s opening sequence with this depiction of the eerily quiet interior compartments of the starship Nostromo. Ron Cobb‘s original production design for the ship’s interiors have become as iconic as Giger’s famous design for the film’s beastie. The Nostromo has an industrial functionality and a cold but lived-in look, coupled with a whiff of the 70s with those curves and stark white walls. Bousker has captured the feel of both design and sequence perfectly — I particularly love the curved couches, the ladder between decks, and the scattered equipment awaiting the rousing of the crew from their cryosleep. Classy touch to add the cinematic black strips to the image too.

LEGO Spaceship Alien Ron Cobb