Tag Archives: Scrap

Meaner than a junkyard...er...dog?

When I think of a junkyard dog, I think of something big and terrifying, like a mastiff, Doberman, or pit bull, one of the dogs with big teeth and a nasty (if mostly undeserved) reputation. But Joe here keeps something even scarier on hand at his scrapyard: a Chihuahua. You might think I’m joking, but I’d rather face down a raging pit bull than a feisty bug-eyed ankle-biter. That’s why I’m quite content to view Faber Mandragore‘s latest LEGO creation from a safe distance, behind a screen with a keyboard in between. I love the depth of field created with the massive heap of tires and rusted junk behind the fence, with a blurry excavator ready to pick stuff up with its claw; it gives the picture a sense of realism, allowing it to fill the frame. Then, of course, there are the piles of rusted cars in the yard, perfectly aged in a difficult medium to show weathering. I just hope those workers have had their tetanus boosters!

Joe's scrapyard

This is not Faber’s first attempt at classic cars; check out our articles on others of Faber Mandragore’s LEGO builds.

Making and scraping a way through the galaxy.

Junk traders and scrappers are very common hobbies or occupations in the Star Wars universe. Not everyone can be a top politician from Coruscant, and in the outer rim territories dealing in junk is practically a way of life. Thomas Jenkins’s LEGO model certainly embodies the ingenuity and scrappy spirit of such a universe.

What I love most about this model is that it is truly from the imagination, it is not something we’ve seen on screen, but it most certainly looks like it could be from Star Wars. Of course the build utilizes many key elements that create the overall aesthetic, most notably the sail from Jabba’s barge and some imperial cargo boxes. The dark red and white bricks and tiles utilized in the bottom fin and two side-wings give the appearance of parts scrapped from Republic ships, while the grey elements give off an imperial vibe. The model as a whole looks like a speeder bike mixed with a hang-glider and a T-16 Skyhopper; it is certainly something I could imagine gliding around on Tatooine.