Tag Archives: skull

This Viking build tells its own story

Ross Fisher continues his LEGO Viking tale in his latest build, in which Viking raiders are repelled, leaving the survivors to take stock in the pouring rain. And let’s take a look at that rain; It’s rare to see the clear aerial used to such great effect as it is here, with the heavy rain adding an extra layer to both the landscape and emotion of the scene.

Legacy chapter 3: a soon parting

The minifigures are displayed under the shadow of a giant’s skull, adding a foreboding presence to the build. The giant’s helm is wonderfully constructed too, taking its shape from a hull piece that effortlessly presents the Viking-style helmet we’re all familiar with. The whole build is then presented on a hovercraft base, adding a nice display to this build.

I always enjoy seeing the inventive use of LEGO parts that Ross employs, and I’m looking forward to seeing where he takes this adventure next!

Quite the creeper, this grim reaper

An amazing LEGO creation doesn’t always need to be a big one. This is proven by Moko. They created a grim reaper and it is the best one in LEGO minifigure scale that I’ve ever seen. The base of the grim reaper is a regular all black minifigure with the modified skull head. For the hood of the cloaked figure the black technic helmet including black visor have been used. It sure is nice to see a classic part like this resurface every now and then. The classic minifigure hood has been used to represent the sleeves of this grim reaper. And last but not least the Hidden Side ghost pedestal makes this figure tower over other minifigures when it comes to its height. This all combined makes one scary grim reaper.

Death

A dead bird’s eye view

Every time I see builds like this my mind goes wild with ideas for Dungeons and Dragons-themed sets. Though the LEGO Group may never make that dream come true for me, at least I can cherish the ideas of builders like Hugo Rouschop. This Orc Watchtower is perched precariously around a giant bird skull upon a nicely sculpted, spire-like rock structure. We all know scaffolding and bones are essential components to orc architecture, as well as chains and hanging cages with, of course, more bones. Add a net and some ladders and you have a place any orc would be proud to work in.

Orc watchtower

This angle makes the giant bird skull much more obvious. The bony beak rises above the roof while the eyes lay just below the platform. That roof technique is achieved with a net wedged between tiles and plates above and slide shoes below. Attachment points on the support beams keep the roof in place while the rest of the structure naturally curves.

Orc watchtower

Hugo certainly has a knack for orc builds. He has a good eye for fantasy and his builds are imaginative and playful. Now that I’ve got orcs on the brain, I’m going to go catch up on Critical Role for the rest of the night. Thanks for that, Hugo. Really.

Nothing a coat of paint won’t fix.

There’s a lot going on in this sculpture by Adam Betts. Gravity defying, drippy, creepy, and undeniably imaginative, Paint Pouring On A Minifig Skull is a creation that deserves a close look. I like how the underlying skull is a great match for the suggested bone structure of a minifigure head, and how the fondant-like paint overlay perfectly captures the “skin” and facial features as the paint covers the superstructure. The suspended paint bucket is also well done, and I love the tiny touch of the banana splashes.

If you like this build, be sure to check our archives for more skullful creations.

Marrow of the Earth

I have to admit that I am not familiar with the source material for this mysterious being, if there even is source material. Therefore, I can only appreciate this LEGO creation by Anthony Wilson for what it is: a beautiful creation made out of LEGO. The main model of the skeleton looks like it is actually quite sturdy and articulate, and the black cape suits the dark feel of the subject of this creation. Although the entire skeleton appears to be symmetrical, the head isn’t, which gives it character. The rainbow-colored shrubbery adds a very nice contrast to the dark side of the creation. This surely is a beautiful portrayal of life and death.

Marrow of the Earth

Alas, a fellow of infinite jest

Pardon the nonsensical title, but who can look at a skull-like this and not think of poor Yorick? Unfortunately, we used the quotation that I’m sure many of you are thinking of for a LEGO skeleton holding its own skull in 2006, forcing me to use the messy hacked up title that I did. That wasn’t the case for TBB alum Nick Jensen though, as he sculpted quite the smooth looking skull.

ODDBALL. Play ball.

I don’t think I’d be wrong to call Nick the master of 1 to 1 LEGO weaponry, so it makes sense that he’s also skilled at recreating what happens to someone who faces down the wrong end of that weaponry! This LEGO skull is a great exemplar of what can be done with rounded and angled elements like slopes and wedges. I can’t really explain why, but I love the way the 3×4 triple curved wedges are held in place with 2×2 corner tiles to shape the sides of the forehead. The gold tooth is a nice touch too!

Skull Island, when is the soonest I can move in?

I was a kid in the ’70s and ’80s with above average drawing skills but typically childish tastes in what I liked to draw. With the Hardy Boys, Johnny Quest and Treasure Island well within my wheelhouse of influence, it was a sure bet that many of my childhood drawings included some kind of skull island. Whether it be a Dino-Skull Island, Rhino-Skull Island or Bat-Skull island, I was totally into it and would imagine a whole slew of baddies who inhabited these remote, exotic islands hellbent on ruling the world. You probably wouldn’t be surprised to learn that…not much has changed in my adulthood; my art still boasts similar themes from childhood, including a skull island lair or another from time to time. This is why I was so thrilled to find a kindred spirit in Bob DeQuarte.

Skull Island

In one fell swoop, this builder rekindled so many childhood dreams and sparked, let’s be frank, more than a few recent ones. For this, I am thankful for builders like Bob. Anyway, I just wanted to say my piece about this awesome island. I hope you can all be as thrilled about it as I am. Just in case we’re tracking on a similar wavelength, here is another time Bob opened a magic door into childhood dreams.

Skull Island

Skulls could use more greebling in general

If you’ve read The Brothers Brick for awhile, you may have seen us reference the word “greebling” or “greebles”. The term was first used by special effects artists working on Star Wars and it describes all of the doodads and doohickeys on the surface of an object to help things like spaceships look more…well, spaceshipy. This effect is used heavily by LEGO builders, in fact, if you search Wikipedia for “greeble” you’ll find a photo of a LEGO creation. (Heck yeah!) Ethen T uses this effect, not for spaceships, but rather in a clever mosaic render of a LEGO skull. Subtle light gray, then dark gray parts rounds out the effect nicely and adds dimension to an otherwise flat-ish surface. This piece acts as a stark reminder that inside each of us is a disgusting skeleton hell-bent on scaring neighborhood kids! This is why I can’t wait for Halloween.

Lego Skeleton Face Greeble Mosaic

And be sure to check out our LEGO glossary for explanations of greebling and many other bits of LEGO terminology!

Have you had enough water today?

Dehydration is serious business. It can cause headaches, fatigue, blurred vision, brain fog, dizzy spells, seizures, bladder stones-or even cause you to totally become a sun-bleached desert skeleton like this poor animal here. While the condition is unfortunate, the execution of this piece presented by Toa Aparu is totally awesome. Nearly equal measures of Bionicle and system parts meld together to create a neat cattle skull and the sandy terrain is an excellent touch. The whole composition acts as a stark reminder to always make sure you drink plenty of water, dear readers. Also a daily dose of The Brothers Brick couldn’t hurt either.

Skull of an animal deceased from dehydration For Bio-Cup2019 Theme: Disasters Subtheme: Meteorological (Dry/Hot)