Tag Archives: SHIPtember

Giddy-up! It’s time for a ride on this LEGO Iron Horse

Clocking in at 105 studs long, this Seriously Huge Investment in Parts (SHIP) by Scott Wilhelm may not have made the SHIPtember deadline of Sept. 30th, but it’s still a masterful work of interstellar spaceship-ery. The hints of red stick out brilliantly on this carrier, adding a pop of color to shades of tan and gray. The detail work is simple but well-accomplished, and I adore the tiny turrets lining the top of each “wing.” But my favorite bit has got to be the cavernous docking bay on top of the SHIP, lined with some great technical texturing. If you’d like to see more of the B212 Iron Horse, or the rest of the Alliance fleet made to commemorate 10 years of SHIPtember, be sure to check out Scott’s Flickr album.

B212 Iron Horse - Alliance Fleet Carrier

SHIPtember’s never over, we just get SHIPtober

Although they call it SHIPtember, the nature of the beast means we often get enormous LEGO spaceships popping up well into October. Building one is one thing, photographing such large creations is a whole challenge unto itself! SweStar has risen to both challenges in admirable fashion. I love the muted colours on this freighter; the sand green and blue coupled with those pops of yellow and orange looks really good. I really love the fact that they’ve expanded the scene beyond just the Seriously Huge Investment in Parts (SHIP) too. The containers, ground crew, and that adorable orange loader all add a charming extra touch.

RV-16 Freighter Ship

Welcome to the Lone Star Trek State

As a San Antonian born and bred, I can say with absolute certainty that some Texans would absolutely make their state pride their identity, even in deep space. And Umbra-Manis has brilliantly captured that sense of pride with this SHIPtember digital creation, the RTSS Chiltepin. This ship would be worthy of our attention even without the Texas flags. Look at all the interesting textures, from the use of Artoo legs and hinge-less hinge bricks along the upper portion of the hull to the use of the underside of jumper plates on the cargo containers. And those recessed circular portions along the top are fantastic. But the inclusion of the flags, and the space-based Republic of Texas backstory, does so much storytelling that makes this a next-level creation. It’s easy to imagine a crew mess stocked with Big Red, Blue Bell ice cream, and Whataburger. I wonder how it refuels, though. Are there Buc-ee’s in space?

RTSS Chiltepin - Main

a SHIP not of this world

SHIPtember is officially over with but that doesn’t stop us from enjoying these seriously huge LEGO ships that we’ve seen lately. Take Maxx Davidson’s Aeronautilus, for example. The rules laid out by the LEGO Gods a millennia ago state that a Seriously Huge Investment in Parts must have at least 100 studs on one side but it says nothing about which side. This otherworldly SHIP is 104 studs high and 108 studs on the diagonal plane. Its construct is so alien in appearance, that one can barely imagine the beings that may have constructed it. Maxx, as far as I know, is an Earthly being but you get what I mean. My favorite part, besides its odd color scheme, is the smaller ships being launched from strange hatches throughout the hull. I imagine this is how a botfly works. Kinda gives you the warm and fuzzies, doesn’t it?

Aeronautilus- Shiptember 2023

The latest in interstellar LEGO tech-quila

LEGO builder Pico van Grootveld toasts the end of SHIPtember (a month of creating spacecraft that are 100 studs or longer) with an agave-inspired hauler clad in an appropriate shade of green. Including features like a warp drive, anti-asteroid lasers, and fuel extension vats, this 139-stud starship is the preferred method for hauling limes, salt, and spirits from one side of the solar system to the other. The shaping here is beautiful, with well-crafted stabilizing fins along the sides and a technical-looking front hatch for quick loading and unloading. It’s just the thing for those late night runs to the triple sec nebula!

Tequilatron Trans-stellar hauler - SHIPtember 2023

Autumn always brings a splash of color

This time of year is exciting for a few reasons; one of which is the diversity of color that autumn brings. The other neat thing about September, (or should I say SHIPtember?) is the bevy of massive LEGO ships we get to feature here on The Brothers Brick. Take Nathan Proudlove’s HMY Seraphim, for example. Her Majesty’s Yacht, HMY Seraphim, the personal transport and diplomatic vessel for Her Imperial Majesty, Catherine De Marques, the Empress of the Holy Roman Galactic Empire is glorious in scale but apparently, Her Majesty also demands lots of color. Who am I to argue, for I am but a plebe? While I’m well aware that Nathan’s scope of influence is as vast as Her Majesty’s kingdom, in terms of color and pattern, I’m willing to bet a dollar that Nathan borrowed a little DNA from concept designer Chriss Foss for this one. Am I right?

HMY Seraphim

In the future, navy ships will all be 100 studs long and made of LEGO

I have a friend who used to live near a big naval base, and by virtue of having a view of the sea, he became something of an expert on all the various ships that would sail past. Fast-forward a couple hundred years, and with a space-side apartment, he might have seen ships like Ryan Olsen‘s LEGO frigate fly past instead. Ryan has given this ship a detailed backstory befitting its enormous size. It’s purportedly part of a Space Navy, and it’s easy to see the inspiration behind this behemoth. The grey, angular paneling and bridge surrounded by masts and sensor arrays are nice nods to the navies we know now. But for me, the giveaway was the big numbers on the side. It’s a great detail that makes this spaceship that little bit more believable.

USS Alliance

EVE Online’s Sarum Revelation brickified with LEGO

Building a 100+ stud long LEGO SHIP (Significantly Huge Investment in Parts) in no small feat. Building one that is a highly accurate recreation of a preexisting design? Well that’s exactly what Eugene Levin did with this beautiful model of the Sarum Revelation from EVE online. The attention to detail is superb and he even managed to sneak his own icon onto the hull. Check out more photos below and his Flickr page for comparison shots with the original in game ship!

In-game model comparison

There’s a Significantly Huge Investment in Pictures below

Wake me up when SHIPtember ends

Talk about a Seriously Huge Investment in Parts, this massive Maersk vessel offers plenty of space for all your cargo hauling needs. Builder Simon Liu, one of the founders of the SHIPtember prompt, has created yet another masterpiece to add to the ranks of this year’s armada. Built to scale with the New Hashima city collaboration that Simon previously contributed to, this cargo freighter will be added to the display as they attempt to make the whole city three times larger. When landed, this gigantic hauler will fit right in with the towers of the current skyline.

Wake Me Up, When

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This bowed ship cuts through space like an arrow

Another SHIPtember LEGO spaceship blasts its way through space! The bows from the Horizon game series serves as -soccerkid6‘s inspiration for this piercing craft. It comes in at 104 studs in length (or should we say height?) and weighs just over 3 pounds—the weight of such fine design! It’s nearly impossible to miss the bow influence in the design with the bend and curving bits at the top and bottom. Where an arrow could nock on a bow rests the central engine and the pointing bridge, giving a clue that it’s a microscale ship. I like the color choices of the build, with that yellow drawing you in to the middle with the teal highlights to balance it all out. The details of the ship stand out and work well together, allowing us to fully appreciate the look and feel of the clever craft.

Project Azarel

One Kooky Covenant

Throwing a Classic Space twist onto a concept design from Alien: Covenant sure is one way to do SHIPtember. Flickr Builder Space Kook brought their A-game this September with at least five different ships over 100-studs, either in length, width, or height. Jumping around between scales, Space Kook drew inspiration for their fourth build, the LSS Covenant. Taking design cues from early concept art of the USCSS Covenant Colony ship from the Alien movie, large solar panels flare out at the rear of the ship. Progressing further up the body, past the cargo holds, you’ll see a little fighter or drop ship peaking over the main hull of the colony vessel. Decked out in blue and yellow with white and black accents, the choice to craft this ship in Classic Space regalia allowed Space Kook a plethora of parts and design cues. Between the two references, it’s no wonder this creation has such a satisfying bow. The bumble bee stripes and yellow view screen complete the Classic Space homage while sensor arrays and directional boosters grab the eyes as satisfyingly accurate greebling.

Shiptember 2022, The LSS Covenant

This builder really went the extra mile during SHIPtember to accomplish the Herculean task of building not just one, but five massive 100-stud vessels. The techniques and parts used show off  Space Kook’s ingenuity with the process across all five and it’s definitely worth checking out the other four ships that they created this year.

A silky frigate for those deep space patrols

Builder Red Spacecat serves up a silky smooth LEGO frigate for SHIPtember. Coming in at a length of 120 studs, this ship possesses the curves of a luxury liner and the firepower of a deep space frigate. The ship retains lovely definition for each section, despite having mostly white pieces. This allows the colors of the details to really pop and stand out, especially the black details against the stark white body. I particularly love the engine wings with their colorful banding and slick design. And check out that tower at the ship’s rear center–it has nice shaping and parts usage. Overall, I’d say this frigate wins both space battles and battles of style. It’s a great display piece and awesome design for a spaceship, no doubt in my mind.

Frigate