Tag Archives: Spaceships

This junkyard’s a fest

Gather round the old battered ship for a bit of haggling and jawing! The dilapidated hulk of a downed spaceship sets the scene for a colorful marketplace in this diorama by Australian LEGO builder Rod Iseppi. Displayed as part of his club’s Bricktober virtual event, the old junkyard is teeming with banners and streamers that remind me more than a bit of some scenes from the new Star Wars trilogy, except for the presence of a few creatures like an eagle and an ankylosaurus pack animal. With the piles of scattered debris you can tell this place has a fascinating history and you’re sure to find some treasures. The garage doors elements in particular make a perfect drooping awning.

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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.

This warship is all about the curves

From the wedge-shaped Star Destroyer to the cylindrical Saturn V, we’ve seen a lot of different shapes used in spacecraft design. This one built by F@bz, however, is a completely new direction.

I have never seen so many sloped downward curves in my entire life, and I don’t think I’ll see them anywhere else but here. F@bz’s ship looks like something that Thor might sail out of Asgard, or a vessel of Humanity in Warhammer 40k. Either way, I’m buying a ticket for the next cruise onboard.

Seriously. Almost nobody can find a use for these weird parts that hail from the mid-2000s LEGO Sports theme, and then F@bz goes and uses all of them. Nicely done!

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.

An impressive carrier for drones

September has ended, and with it, the month-long spaceship building challenge known as SHIPtember. This construction drone carrier by Sunder_59 is packed with details not immediately evident. Aside from the forward launch bay, there are platforms on either side for drones to land.

The other side of the ship features a series of cargo containers for much-needed construction materials. And those engines are an excellent digital part usage. I also really love the subtle curve of the front fuselage.

Chill out on this spaceship!

Theme crossovers are always a delight to see, especially when there’s an absurd amount of Friends animals involved. Case in point, The Deep Freeze Befriender, a stunning SHIP built by Chris Perron’s. This spaceship pays homage to the LEGO Ice Planet 2002 theme, referencing its iconic color scheme and Deep Freeze Defender set. But there’s more to this ship’s unique shape and rad angular windshields. The absolute best feature is on its inside — a decked-out intergalactic penguin resort, complete with a full lounge and bar serving ice slushies with a pool and water slide. Measuring at 144 studs long and 73 studs wide long, this ship’s interior provides ample waddling space for a couple of dozen penguins.

There’s something about seeing these guys playing Go Fish under the neon-lights of the VIP room that has made me let go of all the grudges I’ve held against Friends critters. The penguin lifestyle is nothing short of luxury, especially when there’s unlimited BBQ fish kebabs and ice cream cocktails to consume, all while cruising through space in the chillest of all spaceships.

And remember — you can’t spell friendship without SHIP. Click here to see another penguin Ice Planet 2002 build by Chris from our archives!

Purple Highlighters...In spaaaaaaace!

As much enjoyment as I get out of microscale builds, I find that it’s the really large LEGO creations that get my blood pumping. That’s why I look forward to SHIPtember – that magical time of year when talented builders like Marin Stipkovic deplete their personal brick stock to create SHIPs aplenty. Reaching the goal of 100+ studs in length is no easy task, but Marin accomplishes it in style with the Phunky. I love the unusual color scheme of the mirrored transparent purple windscreens in the command deck, That, combined with the overall shape, reminds me of a giant purple highlighter. If, you know, stationary was more like space-tionary. No, I will not be explaining that terrible logic jump any more than that. Instead, let’s take a moment and admire the other clever part usage like the new goggle rings from the 75551 Brick-built Minions set along the underside.

From the side you can get a better view of the Phunky’s rail gun and beam cannons, as well as the sweet color gradient along the hull. (For those of you wondering, the Phunky was already at 107 studs long before the guns and thruster burst were added.)

Don’t think Marin is limited to just building giant markers…I mean spaceships. Check out their other featured builds!