Over the years, we’ve featured a number of great LEGO vehicles from the Alien franchise, from the ever-popular Cheyenne dropship & APC to the Sulaco and Nostromo. But I think Grantmasters is the first builder I’m aware of to tackle the massive ore refinery that the Nostromo is designed to haul through deep space. At this scale, the famous freighter is built from only eight pieces, but is still quite recognizable.
Vince_Toulouse presents another piece of exotic dieselpunk technology with his latest transport bearing resemblance to a train. There are some old school elements at work including skateboard ramps and basketball hoops. My favorite portion is the generator in the mid-section, where I can already visualize the dark blue fins rotating. Check out more photos on Flickr.
There are so many ships in the Star Wars Universe and always new ones to discover if you’re a casual fan. I’ve never heard of the Wild Karrde smuggling ship until seeing this rendition by KW Vauban. The model stays true to the appearance of the original and even features a detailed interior that you can see in the gallery on MOCpages.
Space news typically makes me giddy. When LEGO is in the mix, it’s all the better. On September 2 the Russian Soyuz rocket launched a new crew to the International Space Station for Expedition 44. This new crew will join astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, who are spending one full year on-board the ISS as we study the effects of long-term space travel in preparation for future deep-space missions.
Image courtesy of the European Space Agency and CollectSpace
Expedition 44 includes veteran cosmonaut Sergei Volkov (Russia), Aidyn Aimbetov (National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan), and Andreas Mogensen (European Space Agency). Why are we telling you all of this? Andres Mogensen is Denmark’s first ever astronaut and has brought LEGO with him aboard the ISS to mark the occasion. Along with the crew and supplies for their mission, 20 minifigures flew aboard.
Image courtesy of the European Space Agency and CollectSpace
According to Mogensen, “ESA and LEGO Education have partnered together for this mission, and among other things, we are running a competition for Danish schoolchildren to tell a story about my mission using Legos.” Mogensen recently completed a fantastic AMA on Reddit, if you wish to read more.
For more information on the mission and Expedition 44, check out Collect Space, the European Space Agency, NASA, and follow Andreas Mogensen on Twitter.
I’m not sure what’s going on this year, but we’re certainly seeing a lot of very large LEGO SHIPs in August (SHIPgust? Augtember?). Tim Schwalfenberg takes his inspiration from the venerable Homeworld PC game, with a super-detailed battlecruiser that’s easily one of my favorite SHIPs in several years. And at 140 studs long, Tim didn’t spare any length to achieve the shape and color blocking needed to achieve the distinctive look of the source material.
I’m always a fan of the multi-view graphic:
Sometimes there isn’t a need to reinvent the wheel, just change about half of it and give it a fresh paint job. That’s exactly what Zach (zachmoe) did with his amazing micro-scaled ship:
This ship might look slightly familiar, it’s based on Rob (dasnewten)’s Prometheus which we’ve featured before. Zach made it his own by upgrading to a quad engine arrangement, and adding the delightful little dock on the side. And if you’re wanting to try to build your own version, Rob has graciously provided some breakdown so that even us non Titans of Space can build one.
As regular readers of the blog may know, Nick Kappatos and I build a joint display every year for BrickFair. This year, we wanted to contrast between organic and mechanical, as well as high-tech sci-fi and low-tech creations. We also just really wanted to build a bustling bazaar. It was also high time to work some motion into the display, even it it was simple. While the motion isn’t terribly complex, I have to say that I think Nick’s rotating ring has a perfectly sci-fi feel to it that I love (and can’t take credit for). I also tried my wobbly hand at a fly-through video… with an iphone.
Chris Perron modeled this swept-back Classic Space-inspired planetary truck on his microscale version from earlier this year, and it looks wicked. The long, low windscreen on the back is a fantastic design element, and gives this rover a very futuristic feel. The brick-built wheels are a great touch, as well. Chris says it features working steering and suspension.
Shannon Sproule takes us to the rubble left behind on a crumbling planet, as we are safely ensconced within an all-terrain surveying vehicle, capable of plowing over even the largest piece of scrap. I love how the arms on the front give the vehicle a submarine aesthetic, perfect for the caustic environs of a ruined world.
Builder extraordinaire Nick Trotta is famous for building highly complex spacecraft and polishing them to perfection, and that reputation is well-deserved as evidenced by the Atomium. Not only has Nick built a stunning model, but he’s rebuilt and redesigned it enough times that he can build it completely from scratch in one sitting, as if he were following (his own) instructions. This works out great for us, though, as we get to see exactly how everything fits together, thanks to a nifty time-lapse video of Nick building the model start to finish.
And if one isn’t enough, his previous model, which is also lovely but has a more industrial workhorse feel, also features a complete construction video so we can learn a few pointers.
This Juggernaut by Tim Clark has an immense, weighty industrial aesthetic, and I love it. This looks like the sort of spacecraft capable of carrying its crew to the very brink of human survivability, and coming back intact.
I’m a sucker for starfighter spaceships, and this beauty by Mitch (Gamma Raay) is simply amazing:
You might recognize the Mitch’s name, but probably not associated with Space ships. Mitch usually builds bionicle, which we’ve featured multiple times. This time Mitch has integrated Bionicle pieces seamlessly into this wonderful build. I love how everything just comes together at very unusual angles for a LEGO build, and his attention to shaping and using pieces seemingly designed just for the purpose makes this a thoroughly well throughout and executed build.
And like all good starfighters, it looks great an any angle, including the top:
