Tag Archives: Sculptures

The key thing here is that this is a key thing.

You have to wonder what sort of portal this eerie LEGO key from Mihai Marius Mihu is designed to unlock. Something tells us that it’s a door better left unopened. I love the organic curves in both the gold and black elements, and the chain wrapped around the shaft is a clever touch that adds some unusual texture. But the main thing that interests me is what appears to be an eye set into that golden Ninjago Spinner. Should this creation be winking at me like that?

Demonic Key (revamp)

If you’re in the mood for more spooky looking builds, check our our Horror Tag!

 

This brick-built cat is life-sized…and it loves you just as much.

I’m a cat guy. Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs, but they can be a tad needy. That’s why I appreciate the independent streak of a cat. Sometimes you need your pet to go entertain itself for a while, right? You can’t always be hugging and cuddling and… Well, anyway, that’s why this life-size cat LEGO creation by Ed Diment has got me thinking I might need to trade up. Why shouldn’t I have a LEGO cat instead? It takes up the same amount of space as my cat, and it’s got those cute tufts of fur in the ears made from teeth plates. But it doesn’t need to be fed or taken to the vet. And it will shower me with just as much affection as my cat does. Which is to say none. Rascal, I don’t know if you’re reading this, but…I just want to cuddle. Why do you have to hurt me so?

Catatonic

Who says dinosaurs are extinct?

This colorful LEGO sculpture by Shannon Sproule is a pretty darn accurate recreation of a northern cassowary. It checks all the boxes in terms of color, shaping, and even size. In real life, this bird is mostly black aside from the head and it lives in New Guinea, northeast Australia, and surrounding islands. But one of the most notable things about it is that it’s giant and formidable. Its size and weight are comparable to the emu, although the emus have nothing on these guys when it comes to battle. Cassowaries are considered one of the most dangerous birds in the world.

Cassowary

These birds are actually pretty shy and try to avoid humans, but if threatened, they’re not afraid to attack. They can kick like a kangaroo and their dinosaur-like feet have terrifying raptor-esque claws. In particular, one toe has a straight spike that can get as long as a human hand. Yikes!

One of my favorite parts of this build is how well it’s photographed. Sometimes the right lighting can really make a build, and in this case the bird comes to life with that little bit of shine on the radar dish that is used for the eye. While you’re here, check out TBB’s other articles featuring animals. Shannon’s sci-fi/space builds have also been featured on our site.

Anansi the trickster and god of all knowledge comes to life in an astounding LEGO sculpture

When I first saw this magnificent LEGO sculpture by Ekow Nimako, I knew it had to be his. The elegant, all-black theme is his trademark. But what I didn’t realize is that this is much more than a beautiful fictitious character.  This is Anansi, an important deity in West African mythos. Ekow has a wonderful talent for pulling you in and inspiring you to look further, both literally and figuratively. So I’m here to share the gift of what I learned… and you might want to zoom in.

Click to see more pictures and learn about Anansi

You light up my life. You know, because you’re a lamp.

There’s something extra cool when LEGO crosses paths with Art Nouveau. This amazing wasp-winged table lamp, designed by Ted Andes, was inspired by antique Tiffany lamps. And as cool as that lampshade “glass” is, I admire the twisting metalwork accents the most. Although the small details like the gracefully curving wall plug and period-accurate light-switch are also in the running.

Wasp Wing Table Lamp

Taking off the top, you can better see the brick-built vintage lightbulb and the complex construction that went into the shade’s base. Seen out of context, that lampshade could easily double for a Matrix-inspired robotic vehicle. Amazing work, there.

Wasp Wing Table Lamp

Built as part of the Bio-Cup contest, Ted was limited to using 100% LEGO elements. That means that this lamp doesn’t light up…yet. Ted says that he plans to add that “non standard” functionality in the future, with an eye on displaying it at an in-person LEGO convention. You know, when those are a regular thing again.

Everything is melting! Also everyone!

The new Everyone is Awesome set is, well, awesome. But inclusivity and cool monochrome minifigures aren’t exactly new ideas. Just ask Andreas Lenander – they’ve been building in those themes for a while now. Andreas has combined earlier builds into a stellar group display that showcases the full range of melty creative possibilities. Out of the group, my favorites are still the black and white builds, even if the stark contrast there doesn’t lean into the more colorful…hold up. Is that Batman I see hiding behind the red waterfall?

The beginning...rainbow

Don’t think that Andreas is limited to one thematic style, though. Check out a full range of great builds that we’ve featured in the past!

Building an Iron Man Gauntlet? It’s a snap! (maybe)

Building large-scale movie prop replicas actually isn’t easy at all, but Flickr builder Claudio Tavella makes it look like a snap. This 702-piece, Infinity-Gem-laden Iron Man gauntlet looks every bit as impressive as the real thing. There’s even a great video of it, showing off the full “in the round” view.  My favorite details are the curve at the wrist and the transparent cheese slopes as the gems. And, of course, that movie-accurate “snapping” pose.  Getting human shaping like that to read correctly is another tricky thing to reproduce well.

LEGO Iron Man Gauntlet

It feels like this would be a great companion set to the upcoming 7619 Infinity Gauntlet. We can only hope that when and if LEGO takes its own stab at this, the results are equally stellar.

This tree is deer to me.

Have you seen the film Annihilation? It’s one of my favorites; a great mix of storytelling and really gorgeous (if disquieting) visuals. alex-mocs has perfectly captured the eerie beauty of biologic mutation seen there with their creation The Shimmer.  There’s some very creative work in the base, with animal-oriented LEGO elements melded seamlessly into the greenery. The star of the show, though, is the central tree/deer creature. My favorite touch is the Bionicle ball-joint connector that forms the mouth. You can almost hear the sound this being is making, but is it a cry of pain or celebration? Like most things in the Shimmer, it’s really hard to say for sure.

The Shimmer

The biologic themes of this creation are very apt, considering this was an entry to the Bio-Cup challenge. Check out our archives for more featured builds inspired by that contest!

Impressive life-size LEGO skeletons

Don’t be rattled by these life-size LEGO skeletons from Tomáš Kašpařík (“Chairudo”) (Skull design by Matthias Richter). The size of this build is impressive, to say the least, and it’s even more impressive that the sculptures can be moved and put into different poses. These are some white LEGO bricks that I do NOT want to yellow out. Scale aside, it’s amazing how much detail Tomášis able to achieve with a single color, from the joints to the ribcage to the skull.

LEGO skeletons

A humerus joke must have tickled their funny bones in this pose.

LEGO skeletons

I find your lack of LEGO disturbing

LEGO artist Ekow Nimako is celebrating May the Fourth with this amazing sculpture of the original Sith lord, Darth Vader. This massive helmet is just about life-size and as is typical for Ekow, incorporates a huge variety of LEGO elements ranging from Technic panels to slopes and even the big quarter saucer panels from the 90s. Ekow says this is only the first part of a larger build he’s working on.

See more of Ekow Nimako’s LEGO models on TBB, and listen to our interview with Ekow about race, inclusion and LEGO.

From the depths we will arise anew

From time to time we like to check in with an enigmatic LEGO builder who calls herself why.not?. Sometimes her subject matter is dark. Sometimes it’s real dark. But in every case she has us intrigued. Her latest offering is untitled. They’re all untitled. I mean, it’s not like she forgets to name them, she actually types in “untitled” for every creation she does. But this time we have what appears to be a beautiful, brightly lit angel emerging from an underground place. Black city buildings flank her on either side, even the ground is black. She uses red lighting to not only create patterns on the buildings but to denote the readable words “out” and perhaps “dream”. Could this represent our artist emerging from a dark funk? Is this a new chapter in her life or is it a phase? Either way, we remain to be intrigued. And why not?

untitled

There’s something fishy going on here.

A while back IKEA released a line of LEGO-compatible storage boxes. We’ve seen some creative builds based on them before, but this creation by Chi Hsin Wei (LEGO7) is a little sus. Sorry, I mean “fishy”.  The white IKEA box makes for a perfect insulated container, transparent 1×1 brick makes realistic ice, and metallic silver tile and slopes add just the right sheen to the saury. The brick-built sign with pricing really elevates the build, giving everything context and letting you imagine visiting your favorite fish-monger for the catch of the day.

Saury

I don’t want to carp on about what a great build this is forever, so I suggest you go check out some other featured fishy builds.