Tag Archives: Space

From giant space carriers to starfighters, moon bases to moon buggies, whether you love LEGO models inspired by real-world space programs or science-fiction, you’re in the right place.

Orange and brown and very uncanny

I have no idea what this robot’s task is, but I think I’d probably prefer not to find out. What I do know, however, is that this organic-looking LEGO bot by Marco Marozzi plays host to a myriad of unusual parts used excellently. The oddest might be the brown Bellville horse saddle that makes up the bot’s mid-section between the orange bits, but don’t miss other details like the brooms behind the head or the maraca antenna. And ultimately, whatever its purpose was, I can’t escape from feeling this is what No-Face from Spirited Away would look like if he were a robot.

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It’s a whole new world out there

When humanity finally makes it out into the farthest reaches of space and potentially finds extraterrestrial life, it’s doubtful it would look much like the lifeforms we know. And this alien world scene by LEGO builder Bart De Dobbelaer looks the part perfectly with a thick growth of…something. Plus, with its moody lighting, striking colors, and ominous planetary body in the background, the scene is highly atmospheric (so much so that the explorers don’t have their helmets on!). The large, scattered dark blue slopes make an interesting texture that’s reminiscent of broken shale. Look closely and you’ll spot lots of cool parts being used, but my favorites are the clear rings from Clickits on the alien growth.

This isn’t a spaceship, it’s a LEGO brain-teaser

As you might imagine, being the managing editor for The Brothers Brick entails looking at a lot of LEGO creations. With space being one of the most popular LEGO genres, I’ve seen my share of spaceships. And while I see plenty of spaceships I love, it’s not often that I come across models that truly cause my jaw to drop, but spaceship guru Nick Trotta routinely does so with his mastery of brick geometry. One of the best spaceship builders around, Nick’s latest creation, dubbed the Heavenly Strike, is a perfect example of how you can fit LEGO pieces together in truly mind-blowing configurations. So I’m going to dive into this one a bit more than we do on our usual articles because I’m absolutely enthralled.

At first, you see a superbly slick spaceship with an impeccable color scheme (with a few gorgeously custom copper-chromed elements). It’s angular and appropriately futuristic without being over the top. And, while it’s easily overlooked, that display stand is quite a nice creation on its own. But look closer, and you’ll start to see that very few pieces align in the way that you’d think they should, and nearly every surface is fitted an odd angle.

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An entirely different kind of X-Wing

When it comes to starfighters, there’s no limit to the shapes and colors used by LEGO builders, and inspiration comes from many sources. Take this x-shaped starfighter by Chris Perron, who built this spicy fighter as part of a unique challenge using another builder’s starfighter as a starting point.

I can’t decide what I like more about this fighter, the amazing angled cockpit formed by 4 converging panels, or the 4 wings detailed with magenta and blue. Here is the fighter alongside the ship from another builder.

See you at Pier 3... if you can make it back to the surface safely

We rarely focus on the piece count when discussing digital builds. Well, it’s not surprising since accumulating a palette of real-life bricks is a lot more challenging than copy-pasting some from a digital library. Nevertheless, designing something mind-blowing always requires a lot of skill and an artistic eye — whether you work digitally or not. I was totally taken aback by a diorama Finn Roberts revealed the other day. Being a result of thorough planning and an enormous amount of designing, this digital masterpiece brings back one of my childhood hobbies — spending hours spying insanely detailed posters from LEGO promo catalogs.

The composition, the focal length, the depth, even the angle — everything seems to be just perfect in this photo. Finn shares that it took him seven months to finish the designs of the facades. And these are just a part of the whole diorama, which weighs in at nearly 12,000 pieces. The crowded alley of the pier fit about 60 minifigure characters; I find a new one each time I look at the image! And if you are not into minifigures, check out these amazing shots of the facades. The longer you look, the more parts you notice that didn’t make into the final shot even though they are still there.

Greebles galore

There are very few LEGO builders whose creations give me the chills, but Bart De Dobbelaer is definitely one of them. Intruder Alert is where we see all of Bart’s photography, editing, and building skills combine into one work of art and the result is haunting… and gorgeous. My eye is immediately drawn to the silhouettes of the unidentified intruders, poised and ready. The walls are decked out with greebles and ominous neon lights have been cast to really set the atmosphere. The ribbed hoses running across the length of the floor, several of which are slightly bent, add to the realism of this scene. According to Bart, we’re looking at his entire light bluish gray collection greebled on the walls of this passageway. The spikes on the armed intruders, the textures on the floor and walls, and the curvature of the entrance all work in harmony.

Got your favorite sci-fi soundtrack playing in your head? Then you’re ready to check out some more of Bart’s creations.

Behold the Blacktron Dreadnought!

Excerpt from Captain Nathan Proudlove‘s Log, M-Tron Freighter Miranda: “It was supposed to be a routine trip. Get the cargo, haul it to the destination, and go back home. But instead of cargo, the drop point consisted of this… thing. It was huge, like a long black dart bristling with death. We tried to reverse course and fired a warning shot at the Blacktron warship, only to realize it was in vain. Each of the three weapons bays on the warship opened to reveal gigasonic missiles, launched and reaching out to us like claws of an otherworldly deity. The bridge crew and I launched the escape pods and fled before it could catch us, but all other hands were lost…”

This behemoth is none other than a Neo-Blacktron Rocket Ship. It leaves a lot to the imagination, which is exactly what you want when building massive space ships. I love the detail here, such as the engine nacelles coming out of the wings’ front and back, and the sensor work at the rocket’s top. The three labeled doors on the side make me imagine that those are either weapon ports or docking bays, or both. The best part by far is the Blacktron logo embedded into the ship, stating the ship’s evil allegiance to the bad guys of LEGO space.

It’s come full-circle

Andreas Leander has us reeling at the sight of this mesmerizing SHIPtember build. Though its perfection might deceive you, the STS Serpent is not a render! This stunning LEGO exploration vessel measures to around 110-120 studs long, including its rear engine and cannons. The secret to its cookie-cutter form– a skeleton of curved train tracks hidden under layers of slope bricks and tile pieces. Andreas does a wonderful job of balancing smooth and greeble, opting for a textured “underbelly” in contrast to a smooth, studless exterior. The cannons on its side are a fantastic addition, really, the chef’s kiss on top of it all. It’s truly a vessel fit for any space expedition!

Lovin’ this SHIP? You can check out other builds by Andreas by clicking here.

Hammerspace

The thing I like best about The Brick Artisan‘s space-based creations is the technical backstory worked into each one. The LL-856 Hammerhead is a vehicle of discovery; measuring gravitational and magnetic fields to learn more about planetary bodies. Built firmly in the Neo-Classic Space style, the bold blue of the main hull contrasts nicely with the heavily detailed mechanics in grey. Two parts inspired this build: The yellow canopies, and a blue castle turret.

Seen from the top and bottom, you can appreciate the sheer volume of greebling that adorns this ship. All that detailing makes this ship feel super-functional, even if the implication is that the two pilots can’t stand to be in the same room for very long.

As a final question, does this build remind anyone else of a Benny-fied version of the 70849 Wyld-Mayhem Star Fighter? Just me? Oh well.

Orange and White as the new Blue and Yellow

Cargo transports don’t always have to look like they stepped out of the set of Aliens, you know. Clean lines and bright colors make this LEGO hangar build by Boba-1980 stand out to me. The focus on white and orange harkens back to the Mars Mission theme, as well as the current City Space designs. (The City influence can been seen in elements like the canopy window from 2019’s 60225: Rover Testing Drive.) I like how having a second cargo pod as part of the scene lets you get a feeling for how the dropship operates. I also like the fact that there’s an exposed outlet and plug on the back wall. That’s a bit of detail I don’t come across very often.

Boba describes the theming as “CS.NextGen” – Classic Space the Next Generation. I’d love to see more builds in this style. I mean, I love classic space and all, but there’s always room for alternate universes that aren’t simply Neo Classic Space.

Among these massive SHIPS, here comes the tiny Terribilis

With the fleet of massive SHIPs we’ve seen lately it’s refreshing to know that someone still loves small, one-man spacecraft. This LEGO Blacktron attack craft was built by none other than The Brothers Brick’s own Mansur Soeleman. While he could have written a better post about it himself, once I’ve dedicated thirty seconds into a post, there’s really no stopping that engine. With that said, I’m smitten by Mansur’s use of these pieces from the Ninjago Arcade Pod sets. I also like that this diminutive yet deadly BT-145 Terribilis is named after the equally diminutive and deadly Golden Poison Frog. We’ve been smitten by Mansur’s creations before and while they refuse to give me the keys to our recruiting office, I’m guessing this is why he’s writing for us now.

Orange is the new bley

Every year, for a little over a month, the LEGO sci-fi fans among us get a treat: SHIPtember. A celebration of insanity and massive amounts of small interlocking bricks, it is one of my favorite times of year (it doesn’t hurt that I enjoy everything else about autumn, too, like Oktoberfest beers and wool sweaters). One name that consistently shines out among the rest is ZCerberus, who, perhaps taking his cues from the changing foliage of the Northern Hemisphere, has created a fleet of massive orange spaceships. This year’s model is a repair frigate, LL885, ready to fix any small fighter that might have an issue. Small cranes, tons of greebles, and lots of roller coaster tracks make this one a great addition.

Love orange spaceships? Then check out ZCerberus’ other builds, since he has built a whole fleet of them.