Tag Archives: Sky-Fi

Secret weapons of the TIEwaffe

Whether the mission calls for flushing fugitives out of hiding or reducing enemy bases to rubble, the imposing TIE-110 bomber will have the rebels on the run. Over the past two years, Jordan Fridal has been mashing up Star Wars vehicles with WWII aircraft in LEGO to brilliant effect. For his latest build, Jordan fuses the TIE Bomber with a Messerschmitt BF-110. The model captures the best of both sources, supplemented with custom stickering for the windshield and insignia. While I would hate to be on the receiving end of the TIE-110’s payload, I do wonder how that asymmetry would fly for in-atmosphere bombing runs.

TIE-110 update

The TIE-110 joins a growing roster of Imperial sky-fi craft: the TIE-109, TIE-190, and TIE-262. It’s quite a fearsome fleet! Thankfully Jordan made sure the Rebel Allies have equally awesome fighters.

die TIEwaffe!!

Albatross dropship soars the sci-fi skies

The Albatross multi-atmospheric carrier ship is a brutalist beast of aerospace engineering dreamed up by concept artist Theo Stylianides and recreated here in LEGO by Vitus Barth. The massive dual-colored wings look incredible and pose quite a structural challenge for the builder. Vitus does a great job matching the form of his inspiration while making some creative choices with color that enhance the build as a LEGO model, such as making the top of the craft in tan and using black for the impressive “orbit breaker” thrusters and intakes.

Albatross

We first featured Vitus’ work back in 2007 and it’s great to see he’s still creating and sharing amazing sci-fi builds.

Aerospace LEGO enthusiast nails hammerhead aircraft design

Capturing the subtle curves of an aircraft’s wings and fuselage in LEGO takes incredible skill. Seeing the lines in Damien Labrousse‘s “Shark Fighter” aircraft, one can’t help but sit up and take notice. The ever-so slight tapering from 6 studs wide at the cockpit to 10 at the rear is masterfully done. The wings and flaps are also top gun design. Damien based his model on a piece of concept art from E Wo Kaku Peter, and the results perfectly capture the inspiration’s silhouette, while making a few creative deviations that help the model shine in LEGO. In a fitting callback for this nautically named work, it shares the same registry number as the LEGO City Seaplane.

Shark Fighter

These Star Wars/WWII mashups are just plane awesome

It’s no secret that George Lucas looked to World War II-era dogfights for inspiration when envisioning the space battles of Star Wars, so a mashup of the two in LEGO form simply makes sense. Here, Jordan Fridal elegantly blends the celebrated North American P-51D Mustang with Star Wars‘s X- and E-wings, with pleasing results. The two ships (fittingly nicknamed “Rebel Scum” and “Laser Bait”) look ready to duel German fighter planes or Imperial TIEs, whichever they happen to run across—a testament to both Lucas’s original vision and the skill with which they were executed in brick form.

E-51 to X-51 comparison

Bringing Star Wars down to Earth

It’s a matter of record that George Lucas used World War II combat footage as a placeholder for the starship battles in early cuts of the original Star Wars. LEGO builder Jordan Fridal has built on this fact by creating an inspired series of digital mash-ups; Star Wars vehicles combined with the WWII-era planes that might have stood in for them before the special effects were done. Here we see an X-Wing/P-51 Mustang trying to outrun a Tie Intercepter/Messerschmitt ME BF-109. And just like groundbreaking special effects need a team to complete them, sometimes a LEGO creation takes more than one person to bring it to life. With that in mind, Jordan credits brick_squadron and Inthert for a bit of help on the X-51.

Take flight with Crimson Squadron and build your own sky-fi aircraft

I’ve always been a fan of Sky-Fi aircraft. It’s a glorious retro-futuristic look, typified by the Xbox classic Crimson Skies, and the creations of LEGO builders such as Jon Hall and John Lamarck. To pull myself out of a recent bout of builder’s block, I set myself a challenge — to build a series of Sky-Fi aircraft, in a common colour scheme, with a similar overall style, but each design different. Crimson Squadron is what emerged over the next few weeks…

lego sky-fi plane

The first of the squadron’s aircraft to roll off the production line was this twin-engined beast — the Bulldog. It established the signature elements which sit across the rest of the fleet: the red and chequerboard livery, a whiff of a muscle car from the up-front intakes, a bubble canopy for a fun retro feel, and an overall super-condensed chunky chibi look. I was pleased with how the Bulldog turned out and immediately set to work once more.

See more of the Squadron and instructions to build your own

Flying the skies in old-school style

A good piece of Sky-fi art never gets old, and this alternate-WWII Tomahawk Kaiju Interceptor by Albert is a wonderful example. Making ample use of sand green slopes and tiles, this twin-tailed LEGO fighter is skillfully built with angled wings lined with forward-facing cannons and outrigger engines. One of the neatest details is the moveable inset rudders. It may not be the most aerodynamic design, but it sure looks cool, and after all, that’s what Sky-fi is all about.

WWII_Tomahawk_kaiju_interceptor

AR-31 Swordfish cuts though air and enemies alike

No stranger to building wonderful and totally imaginative aircraft, Jon Hall brings us a gull-wing fighter plane that looks like a cross between a Corsair from World War II and a Star Wars TIE fighter. Like so many of his other aerial creations, Jon’s latest flyer – dubbed the AR-31 “Swordfish” – is exquisitely designed and presented. From the inverted gull wings and functional-looking pontoons to the bright color scheme and exposed engine components, this torpedo-armed seaplane has so much to love.

AR-31 Swordfish

The wings and twin boom give the aircraft an undeniably sleek look, despite the bulbous fuselage. This plane and others by the builder are reminiscent of the Second World War and even interwar periods. Back then, aircraft designers went wild with all types of unique and downright crazy prototypes (see the French Breguet 410 or the USSR’s weird but intrepid Zveno Project). Jon’s planes, however, are completely and 100 percent original. In fact, one of his nicest touches is also developing the world in which they exist. It’s a fun addition that always leaves me wanting more.

AR-31 Swordfish

These backstories and cinematic photos help bring these awesome creations to life. When it comes to this style of building – called “Sky-Fi” in the LEGO community – Jon is no doubt an ace. Check out many other great creations on his Flickr.

A truck that puts the “up” in pickup

This fanciful LEGO creation by Martin Redfern was inspired by the concept art of Ian McQue. I like how the front hook seems to be holding the truck aloft (although the delightful greebles in the back are more likely culprits for the vehicle’s propulsion system). The grays and browns give this build a lived-in vibe, but they are nicely balanced by the vibrant red.

Flying Pick Up ( Inspired by Ian McQue )

Originally built in 2016, this model was one of the inaugural models displayed in the Masterpiece Gallery of the LEGO House. We’re glad to see it back together again after a rough return flight.

A bomber with character

It definitely takes talent and building skills to create a realistic, yet funny vehicle or aircraft. John C. Lamarck nails it with a chubby JL-450 “Wolverine” inspired by fighters and bombers of the 1940’s. A perfect choice of stickers completes its clean look very well, but it is its short and clusmy body that really creates the character.

JL-450 Wolverine

Take to the skies in swarms with the F11 Locust

Sky-Fi is a niche branch of science fiction, essentially pushing the aesthetic and technology of WWII aircraft to the extremes. This zippy fighter by Thomas W., which he calls the F11 Locust, is a prime example of the artform, mashing up elements of numerous WWII fighters into an awesome new aircraft design. It’s rife with clever bits from a LEGO angle, too, from the minifigure hands as manifolds around the radial engine to the car mudguards with the headlight protrusions as perfect machine gun mounts. The rad sand green, orange, and white color scheme also helps bring a touch more sci-fi to the mix.

F11 - Locust (first version)

An ace Sky-Fi fighter

When it comes to the “Sky-Fi” Dieselpulp style of LEGO building, one man is the undisputed master of the air: Jon Hall. He strikes again with his latest retro-flavoured aircraft — the P-98 Nemesis. The shaping of the hefty triple-fuselage structure is excellent, and there are loads of lovely touches on display — the strong colour-blocking, the raked exhausts peeking from beneath the engine cowls, and the racks of ordnance slung under the wings.

P-98 Nemesis

Packed full of Jon’s trademark attention to detail, the model includes custom stickers, a folding undercarriage, and a detailed cockpit interior. Check out this view of the seat and the instrumentation panel with its trio of joysticks. And don’t miss the spanner mounted up-front as a gun sight — great stuff.

P-98 Nemesis