Just a short time ago The Brothers Brick hosted a rather tasty space inspired contest and the world was flooded with amazing futuristic eateries. While driving in too late for that contest, the Space Grinder 2900 ECO by Rat Dude has arrived from a future where food itself is a lot less appetizing than it is now. With a simple two point operating system, the Space Grinder 2900 ECO truly embodies the phrase “food on the go”.
Although this vehicle is titled “Light Armored Squid Attack Fighter”, it doesn’t look like a squid. Squids are soft, cuddly, and cute. No, wait, that’s kittens. Squids have eight tentacles, ink sacs, and lightless fishy eyes. Actually, this space fighter (ink jet?) from BobDeQuatre doesn’t really look like anything with which I’m familiar. But the unique curves and thoughtful patterning appear nautical indeed. Like something one might find scuttling near a coral reef. Why not a squid? Anything with guns like this can call itself what it likes.
Nick Della Mora has built a chunky microscale walking tank straddling an irregular section of lunar landscape. The tank itself is a good bit of building, with hefty firepower and a suggestion of mechanical details around the leg joints — not easy to accomplish at this scale. But what sets this model apart is the classy presentation. The landscaping and choice of black background really make the image pop.
A beautifully-lit space corridor scene? Yes please. SweStar is the builder behind this great little model, and they’ve done an excellent job of creating a whole galaxy’s worth of atmosphere in a tight space. There’s a genuine sense of tension and impending trouble here. I want to know what’s going to happen next.
All too often, LEGO space models can be a sea of light gray. This cracking little creation from Chris Perron breaks the mould with a wonderful splash of color.
The mech obviously features a bold color scheme, but there’s some great parts usage on show too — check out the use of the alien legs as feet. And I’m enjoying the metallic silver pieces, particularly the figure’s staff which I think adds a nice little touch of fantasy to this sci-fi scene.
Chris says this was inspired by another builder’s model in a very different genre. I think it’s cool when builders link to their inspiration like this, it shows how ideas travel and change from person to person.
We’ve featured a couple of justin_m_winn‘s scenes of everyday life in the future previously. His models just keep getting better. This latest creation has a strong sense of being part of a greater world — the control room seems an island of activity in some kind of vast hangar. There’s a good use of lighting too. Sometimes nice interior touches in models are lost in photographs, but not here. Check out those classic printed control panel slopes…
You know you’ve seen a great spaceship model when it inspires you to try to build your own, and this model by Leonardo Lopez does that for me.
The design of the Tizona is excellent. With four huge thrusters, this thing looks like it can go really fast, and the two main canons fit the design beautifully. The cockpit is also very creative and fits a minifig inside, but what strikes me the most is the unconventional shape and amazing colors.
The Fifth Element sits squarely in my top five sci-fi films of all time. I absolutely love the characters and world that’s been created. Priovit70 has crafted this fabulous fly-in retro hot-dog stand that looks like Corbin Dallas may have swung by on more than one occasion, depending on how many points were on his license that day. I like to believe he took Leeloo there and she was less than impressed.
It’s colorful, it’s got character, and there’s a great story going on with this place.
Don’t let the wings fool you, this isn’t a flying mech. It’s a three-wheeled cycle from the mind of Vince Toulouse. It’s not often I see a vehicle that looks truly unique, but this one definitely fits the bill, making great use of those Hailfire Droid wheels and Ant-man insect wings while somehow achieving a great retro-futuristic panache. Look closely and you’ll spot a rare Belleville crown as a decorative detail, and even notice that this isn’t minifig scale; instead it seats a Technic figure.
It’s 3.5 miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. It was quite the feat to figure out how to transport a moon rocket from point its assembly point to the launch site, since rockets weigh QUITE a bit. The solution? The crawler-transport. This workhorse of NASA’s fleet moves a stunning 1 mile per hour, and uses over 100 gallons of diesel fuel per mile when fully loaded. The crawler transport goes under the mobile launch platform; the vehicle is assembled on top. Then the crawler goes on its merry way to the launchpad, and off it goes.
These beauties are massive, and dorian glacet brings us his fabulous version along with a modified orbiter from 60080 Spaceport. He’s extended the shuttle, fuel tank, and boosters, which give the whole build a better sense of scale.
Norton74 has built a maintenance bay, home to a chunky tank decked out in Classic Space livery. Round here we love it when people build interesting new creations that pay homage to retro LEGO themes. This scene totally fits the bill.
The expected mix of blue and gray, and the trans-yellow windows, are all present and correct, plus there’s an excellent sense of activity with all those minifigs bustling around. However, the undoubted star of the show is the tank itself, and I’m pleased the builder posted a “hero shot” to showcase it in all its glory…
There were some amazing entries cooked up for our Space Chefs contest. It took us a while to narrow the field down to our absolute favorites. But the votes are in, the judges have decided, and here are the results.
First place in the Cosmic Kitchen category goes to IamKritch with his fabulous Intergalactic Sushi stand…
We loved the compact kiosk, the clever use of curved pieces to create a space-age feel, and all the fun and detail — in particular, all the printed tiles and the bin monster!
And first place in the Space Chefs On-The-Go category goes to Ted Andes for his Gruel Wagon…
This made some of the judges laugh-out-loud. It’s a great idea, well-executed. The flow of the gloopy gruel from the hose is particularly good.
Click to see the runners-up & the Master Chef winner!