A little while back Teik Joon posted a series of creations based on the concept of an extremely eccentric yellow galactic delivery service called GHL. I like the way each odd little vehicle has a specific purpose.
First the SNAIL, which specializes in extremely slow delivery.
And then my favorite, the FLEA, which is an unmanned vehicle designed to use archaic infrastructure.
The updated Arshada fighter by Don Wilson (thepaleman9) has all sorts of goodness from its rugged shape to the color blocking and sticker usages. I’m really sold on the orange windscreen, which highlights the core of this nimble fighter. Note that a bit of color can go a long way. Also, photoediting plays a huge role. Thanks to Zack Milenius (NewRight) for his touchup on the picture, the colors stand out even more compared to the raw photo.
Garry King‘s massive Battlestar Rubycon from Battlestar Galactica is yet another impressive SHIP that you shouldn’t pass up. If you’re also a fan of the franchise, you may be interested in the fan-fiction story for the ship on MOCpages.
The repetition of ribbed textures on the hull is a distinctive feature of this creation. They are best viewed in this picture below:
When I saw Ted Andes‘ Bionicle/System hybrid creation called the PARASITE, I took an instant liking to the Bionicle claws at the tips of the limbs. It’s also important to note that this nasty scavenger has adapted both offensive and evasive functions, and the escape pod would make for a nice hovercar.
Ben Fellowes has built a three-foot-long LEGO version of the SSV Normandy from the new Xbox 360 game Mass Effect 2.
I’m personally not sold on the Mass Effect series, after the first installment struck me as more than a little chatty, but I love this ship.
(Thanks to reader Michael for making sure we saw this.)
This speeder by Cole Blaq is a very nice build. But somehow the monochromatic color choice really makes it pop. I’m loving the tan.
Titolian‘s robots are creative, fun, and well dressed. Gentle-Bot 4000 is certainly no exception. Sporting turn-of-the-century fashions (love the watch-fob!) and splendid, poofy sleeves, the GB4k is most certainly ready to serve tea at any time.
Watch out for the mustache, though.
We’ve hardly blogged digitally constructed and rendered creations, but Kevin Walter‘s Klingon Bird of Prey needs no explanation to be featured. This 13’5″ X 11’ X 5’1″ mega sculpture is the culmination of two years of work. You should check out the large image on Flickr, on which it is still difficult to identify a recognizable brick. I can only imagine what this thing would look like in real life.
Checking the links in the last post brought me to this gorgeous green bike by Pierre E Fieschi:
Yes, those are the minifig stands from 7595 Army Men on Patrol.
While we’re at it, I can’t pass up this Spark-class microscale space carrier:
In our fifth installment of interviews with LEGO luminaries, Keith Goldman crosses the Atlantic. Take it away, Keith!
This week’s builder is one turtle-neck away from being the Carl Sagan of the Classic Space Crowd, Peter “Legoloverman” Reid.
Pete is known for his fine detail work, impeccable presentation and disarming smile. When I was recruiting heavy-hitters for my Zero Hour on Highway 44 project, Pete Reid was at the top of the list.
I sat down with Pete in his favourite booth at Old Pink Dog Bar on the lower south side of Han Dold City. We drank Nutrimatic beer and talked about Supermarine Spitfires, Benny Hill and the war of 1812. We also talked about LEGO.
Keith Goldman: What percentage of your builds never makes it to Flickr? Give us an example of a time you’ve failed with an idea or model.
Pete Reid: I’d guess around half the things I start don’t make it online. I feel duty bound to maintain a certain level of quality. A poorly-finished, half-assed model would reflect badly on my existing stuff. I can’t produce magic every time – sometimes it’s safer to destroy things than risk my reputation. I can’t build in that quick, instant gratification way anymore. These days, every move needs to be carefully considered (and preferably agonised over) before I’ll let it be part of the finished product. I fail all the time – there are just as many misses as hits.
I’d love to be able to build a big, beautiful Neo-Classic Space SHIP, with an insane level of interior detail and an exterior form to make a man weep. But I’ve had bad experiences building large models, and I’m daunted by the amount of time, money and effort I’d have to invest. I just don’t know if I could see it through.
KG: Sometimes I end up building things top-down, which isn’t terribly practical when building a structure. Do you have an order you build in, or a direction? Does it vary according to the type of model you are attempting?
PR: Totally. When I’m building ships I generally start with the cockpit, and let the model evolve and flow out naturally from there. With robots I usually start in the middle of the chest and work outwards (just like real robot builders do). Can I just ask – why would you start building a model from the top down, Keith?
KG: I’ve frequently read criticism of other old-school builders that goes something like: “Yeah, he’s ok, but he basically builds the same thing over and over.” I don’t read that or hear that about you. What do you think of that critique in general, and why have you beaten the rap over the years.
PR: I can’t believe I’m not accused of repeating myself more often. I remember when I first read the word ‘boilerplate’ on a LEGO forum (I think it was you who wrote it, actually). I felt a terrible guilt – you were talking about me, clearly. At every phase during my life as a builder I’ve developed things in tiny, mind-numbingly dull increments.
Could it be that nobody’s noticed I’m only capable of building four things, slightly differently, over and over? There’s infinite diversity to play with, of course, but I still feel like a charlatan sometimes.
More of Keith’s interview with Pete after the jump: Continue reading
That’s right, it’s a new contest, over at classic-space.com. The challenge, put your brick where your mouth is. People love to talk about how they could do a better job designing a LEGO set than the folks at LEGO do. So here’s the challenge, DO IT! Build a great space set! Mark Stafford, a designer at LEGO, has graciously offered to serve as a judge for this contest, but it is NOT an official LEGO contest. LEGO didn’t put me up to this, and they won’t be taking any of your ideas and turning them into sets. There will be prizes, though, thanks to Steve Witt. Each size category winner will receive a space set of that size.
More details are here.
This is just a fun micro space station by Philip Stark (Erdbeereis1) in a theme he calls Spatlantis. In addition to the little construction details, I like the overall feel of a jellyfish combined with a mechanical space station.
