This expressive vignette by Chris Maddison shows how much effect some simple posing and a bit of ingenious landscaping can impart. This scene reminds me of a re-imagining of Wall-E, featuring a fantastic humanoid robot. Good stuff.
Tag Archives: Space
All in the details.
Jeffrey Matthews (Jeffykins) proves that you can take a relatively simple build and put it over the top with finishing details.
The ship itself is a great little swooshy starfighter, but the sticker work and play features make this all the more awesome. In particular, check out the subtle use of small bits and pieces on the wings for antennas and sensors…not immediately noticeable, but absolutely genius!
Be sure to check out the photo set for all the nice little tidbits!
EDIT:
I knew this thing looked familiar! I was just browsing around Peter L Morris’ older stuff, and came across his Zarfly. It is always cool to see an awesome build expanded upon! Especially when done to this degree!
LEGO CUUSOO 21101 Hayabusa spacecraft [Review]
I recently took advantage of the free shipping going on right now to pick up 21101 Hayabusa, the second project to receive the necessary votes and become an official LEGO set through the original Japanese version of LEGO CUUSOO.
Given the space fever I currently share with many of you, I thought I’d let you know what to expect if you order it yourself.
The instruction booklets for both of the LEGO CUUSOO sets I’ve bought (the other being the Shinkai 6500 submarine — the very first successful CUUSOO project) have included lots of information about the real-life vehicles that inspired the sets. The Hayabusa booklet is bilingual (English & Japanese), and available in several additional languages from the LEGO CUUSOO page.
As I learned from the LEGO Hayabusa booklet, the real Hayabusa was a Japanese sample-return spacecraft launched in 2003 that rendezvoused with the asteroid Itokawa in 2005. Five years later, Hayabusa returned to Earth carrying particles from the asteroid. The spacecraft sported ion engines — you know, like TIE fighters! The mission’s project manager was Junichiro Kawaguchi, who made it into the set as a minifig.
One of the things that’s so interesting about the LEGO CUUSOO process is seeing the differences between the original LEGO fan’s design and the final design as a LEGO set. According to the press release earlier this year:
The original Hayabusa model on LEGO CUUSOO was built by Daisuke Okubo and achieved 1,000 supporters on the Japanese-only version of LEGO CUUSOO in the spring of 2011. LEGO model designer Melody Louise Caddick designed the final model, refining earlier concept models based on Daisuke’s original project.
The final model does look very different from Daisuke’s original design (above). I have to admit that I do appreciate the details and overall shaping introduced during the official redesign, proving that a collaboration between a regular builder and a professional designer can yield great results.
The build itself is fun though fairly basic, but what innovative techniques can you really expect from source material that’s basically a box with wings? My greatest disappointment is that the spacecraft’s body is built from yellow bricks rather than gold — the only (pearl) gold piece is the radar dish that serves as the reentry vehicle on the front. Then again, I suspect that chrome and pearl gold might be expensive colors to produce, given their overall rarity.
I recommend this set as a display model for collectors; this isn’t a set that you buy for the parts (I certainly don’t intend to take it apart and sort the pieces into my collection). Nevertheless, I think 21101 Hayabusa is a must-have for any fan of realistic LEGO spacecraft. The set goes for USD 49 from the LEGO Shop, and includes 369 pieces.
Entering the Gate
Simon Liu has been having some fun with blacklights and transparent LEGO pieces, and to great effect. This space portal glows ominously as it prepares to engulf a ship. This is different sort of example of what Andrew was talking about the other day with adding more variety and interest to models via means other than simply the construction itself. Here, for instance, the blacklight (and good photography to capture its effect) makes all the difference, taking this model up a huge notch.
The joy of leaving your LEGO model in someone else’s capable hands
I’ve seen some wonderful collaborations between talented LEGO builders and photo editors over the years, and though I certainly can’t claim to be either, I included a note in my description of the Aldrin Mars Cycler I posted yesterday saying that I wouldn’t mind if somebody felt like Photoshopping it onto a cool space photo. halfbeak left me a comment offering to help, and we were soon exchanging ideas in email.
I wouldn’t normally post one of my own LEGO models twice, but I’ve learned a few things along the way that I thought I’d share.
After nearly 10 years of posting my LEGO models online, I find myself pretty locked in to the “Dorling-Kindersley aesthetic” of LEGO photography and presentation — a three-quarters view of the LEGO model on a neutral (usually white) background. (I know Chris has strong opinions about this, too.) Even as I was envisioning something flashier than my unedited photo in my head, it was still basically the same thing, except with Mars in the background. Halfbeak combined views of Earth and Mars with the NASA logo and some text to create something that looks a lot like the publicity photos NASA releases for its missions. Way cool.
I also have a tendency to let the LEGO model take over the whole photo, but halfbeak scaled it down in several of his edits to really emphasize how tiny a human creation is on the cosmic stage.
In many of his edits, he changed the orientation of the spacecraft from my original photo, turning it on its side and even upside down — after all, there is no “up” or “down” in space.
One of my favorite edits is this vertically oriented photo, with Mars hanging above the minuscule ship. This one is now the wallpaper on my phone.
Ultimately, my Aldrin Mars Cycler isn’t necessarily the favorite among the things I’ve built, but these photos demonstrate how stellar presentation can take a fun but fairly middle-of-the-road model to a whole new level. These are now easily my favorite photos of something I’ve built. I’ve also learned to look beyond how I’ve photographed the model in thinking about how best to present it.
Huge thanks to halfbeak for truly awesome work! It’s amazing what variety he’s created from just one original photo.
See all twelve photos on Flickr.
MDI.12 “Huski” exploration vehicle
The MDI.12 “Huski” by m_o_n_k_e_y has forced me to take a brief break from my current obsession with historical and near-future spacecraft rendered in LEGO. The Huski appears to have independent suspension on its balloon tires, an airlock/hatch, and some sort of cannon (which I’ll assume tracks and shoots errant meteors and not aliens, since this is an exploration vehicle).
I’m also currently obsessed with excellent presentation, and something as simple as combining multiple pictures from multiple angles can make a LEGO model pop.
Gemini 4, first American spacewalk
Dave & John Xandegar continue their space-themed LEGO models with this Gemini capsule, with astronaut Ed White performing the first American spacewalk. I love how Dave & John built the underside of the capsule. Ed White is suspended above the capsule not by zero gravity but by a wire inside the yellow LEGO tether.
More photos on Flickr. (Via The Living Brick.)
Soviet Lunokhod 1, first robotic rover on another world
I watched a show on the Science Channel called “Tank on the Moon” last night, about the USSR’s Lunokhod robotic rover program, and learned just how much today’s rovers on Mars owe a debt to these Soviet lunar rovers. Built during the 1960s in secret, Lunokhod 1 landed on the moon in 1970 and operated for four months. The feat of launching, landing, and successfully operating a remotely operated rover on another celestial body wouldn’t be repeated again for nearly 30 years, with the Sojourner rover on Mars.
After watching the show, I felt like my own collection of LEGO rovers was incomplete, and felt inspired to build one. However, I soon remembered a wonderful LEGO version of Lunokhod 1 by Japanese builder Kei-Kei over on CUUSOO.
(Kei-Kei’s presentation is even what I would’ve done myself, with the Classic Space baseplate and Star Wars planet standing in for Earth in the background. I may still build one of my own, but this one’s too good to not highlight here on TBB.)
Head on over to CUUSOO to support this excellent project.
Blacktron Scimitar XX-99 starfighter
Halfbeak has offered to ‘shop my Aldrin Mars Cycler onto a lovely spacey background, so it only seems fair that I highlight some of his great presentation work while I wait. He uses both a schematic and an edited background to showcase his latest LEGO model.
The model itself is a fun little build with lots of cool details (like the cockpit that splits open), but what really sets it apart is these two complementary presentations of the model.
Mars Rovers Sojourner & Opportunity + Aldrin Mars Cycler
Having immersed myself quite deeply in both the recent news from Mars and as a judge of the Real World Starfighter Contest, I felt compelled to do a bit of building to scratch that space itch. I’d already built Stephen Pakbaz’s Curiosity, so just had to build Sojourner (landed 1997) and Opportunity (landed 2004 and still operational) in approximately the same scale.
There’s nothing functional about my LEGO Sojourner, but Opportunity has working rocker-bogie suspension (which I struggled mightily to build, since the design is different from Curiosity’s, and I couldn’t simply scale down Stephen’s LEGO version). I plan to build the lander at some point, too.
After he landed on the moon with Neil Armstrong, astronaut Buzz Aldrin came up with an idea for a craft that would cycle back and forth between the Earth and Mars, providing significantly greater comfort for astronauts during the five-month journey. With the cancellation of the Constellation program, the dream of regular travel to and from the Moon and Mars seems even farther away. Nevertheless, I still find the idea inspiring, and built my own rendition of an “Aldrin Mars Cycler”.
Real World Starfighter Contest winners announced
Those of you that have been around the community long enough, may remember a contest that ran many moons ago… :P
Well after some very lengthy deliberation, we have finally narrowed down the entries to declare the 3 winners!
1st Place
Shannon Ocean’s Boeing C-15 "Strike Eagle" with a score of 175/200
2nd Place
Mainman’s Project HAVE SHIVER with a score of 169/200
3rd Place
Pierre E Fieschi’s 1973 ‘HERCULES’ Nuke Platform with a score of 168/200
We scored a total of 11 entries in our semi-finalist round. These were the other 8 semi-finalists:
4th- Halfbeak’s Moonrock 1 with 157/200
5th- Ted Andes’ Gladius with 156/200
6th- Fernald’s Solid Fuel Starfighter with 155/200
7th- xiei22’s Pilum with 153/200
8th Brainbikerider’s Chernobog with 152/200
9th Lego Junkie’s Soyuz 7-K12 with 150/200
10th madLEGOman’s Spaceghost with 149/200
11th bloei’s ISF Zodiac with 143/200
To say that the judges were impressed with both the quantity, but more importantly the QUALITY of the entries is an understatement. You didn’t make it easy on any of us to judge, but you also all made it extremely fun to watch!
So a huge CONGRATS to the winners, and also to all that participated! Also a giant thank you to all the judges, and especially Stijn and More Bricks for the prize sponsorship!
Peter and I have already talked about this becoming a recurring contest…it was just an absolute hoot to be a part of!
RIP Neil Armstrong (1930-2012), first man on the moon
Three days ago, astronaut Neil Armstrong died of complications after heart surgery. For a blog full of space-themed LEGO models (and recently obsessed with NASA’s latest adventures on Mars), it would be wrong to ignore this major news story. Neil Armstrong’s achievements, alongside all the other astronauts and cosmonauts of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and today, have inspired many of our contributors and the builders we highlight here every day.
McWii of customBRICKS posted this a couple weeks ago to honor the anniversary of the moon landing in July. It’s only fitting that we highlight it here to honor the man who left so many footprints like this one on the moon (though the famous photograph is actually one of Buzz Aldrin’s footprints).
