Tag Archives: Spaceships

Along the pink stream of sinkers and floaters

“Do the black units house digital essences? Is the pink fluid some sort of coolant? Do they clump together and need to be separated? Do the spiders drink the coolant and keep the ducts clean? Is working at this Stasis Temple considered a great honor?” These are numerous questions that builder Shannon Sproule asks but doesn’t have the answers to. However, this does reflect a freeing way of stream of consciousness in building by experimenting with neat colors and textures without regard for their purpose.

He tells us, “If I was the other Shannon (Young), you would’ve gotten a beautifully-written backstory, but since it’s me you only get a few brain farts and a hand wave to pseudo-religious-technology.” That’s OK, Shannon. If I were any other Brothers Brick contributor, I would have thought up a more high-brow title. Good thing we’re all friends here.

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A curve inside a spaceship

There are many ways to build curved forms from the humble brick – some more imaginative than others. Take a close look Didier Burtin’s Interplanetary Cruiser and you’ll spot a unique one. The interior docking station has a beautifully bowed shape, formed from two 32 x 16 blue baseplates held under tension. Despite the obvious frustration this must have caused Didier during the building phase, it was clearly worth it, giving his creation an unexpected and individual look.

Viewed from the rear, not only do you see the lovely thrusters that you’d expect on a spaceship this size, but also further evidence of the builder’s skill. A range of visible hinged plates clearly show how the model’s structure absorbs the stress created by the flexed plates.

Take me back to Classic Space

Adult builders of a certain age hold a special place in our hearts for what we call “Classic Space.” With the Apollo missions fresh in the history books and with Star Trek, Buck Rogers, and Star Wars capturing our imaginations, LEGO hit a sweet spot with their space theme from about 1973 to 1987. For many, they were likely among our first LEGO sets and the fond nostalgia for the theme remain with us forever. Guido Brandis captures this feeling nicely with his LL-942 Star Fire II. There are rules to the “Classic Space” look; blue and light gray are used in nearly equal measure while trans-yellow is for windscreens. Red, used very sparingly, is usually reserved only for rover rims but is utilized here as the pilot’s uniform. Modern elements not available to us in the ’70s and ’80s create a perfect synergy between the old and the new. Even its “LL” designation stands for “Legoland” and was used in the original sets. This sure takes me back!

Awesome minifig-scale Bubble Ship from Oblivion

No matter what you might have thought of the 2013 sci-fi film Oblivion, starring Tom Cruise, you can admit it featured some sweet tech. From the electric motorbike, to the huge water hoovers, to that giant upside-down pyramid, the film’s visuals were stunning. One of the most iconic vehicles was the super-maneuverable light plane which was quickly nicknamed the Bubble Ship. This stunning model by Riskjockey captures the stark, delicate visual aesthetic from the film, including swiveling landing gear. I love the smooth engine pods and the clever use of the new gyro-sphere and hatch from the Jurassic World theme for the cockpit.

Another nice part use is the large triangular panels used to create the geometric symmetry of the fuselage of the ship.

This is not the first version of the Bubble Ship–or even the second–that has been featured here on TBB over the years since the movie’s release in 2013.

A spaceship built for two

Is there anything more romantic in this universe than a trip to some distant world in a two-seat Neo-Classic Space ship? Aussie LEGO fan aido k makes the dream come true for this lovely couple of space explorers. Just like many other great LEGO models, the design of the spaceship started with a single piece, in this case, a bulky Spinjitzu rotor. The amount of exterior elements on the ship’s body and wings looks just perfect; massive engines, a couple of pipes and small grills create a totally swooshable model.

Classic Space has never looked as good as with these jaw dropping details!

Benny would not only be thrilled but ecstatic and going bonkers with this upgrade of the Classic Space 928 Galaxy Explorer. Builder Alec Hole did such a great job and so jaw-dropping of an upgrade that it almost looks like it could have come out of a scene in a sci-fi movie. The detailing and greebling in key spots paired with minimal stud exposure give it a very sleek look. Measuring in at almost a meter in length, this is one sweet spaceship that I wish I had in my collection.

LEGO V-19 Torrent from Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Every installment of the Star Wars movie franchise has brought a plethora of new spaceships and other vehicles which continue to inspire LEGO builders around the world. In addition to the movies, the six seasons of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series also introduced many more. One of the more distinctive fighters to emerge was the v-19 Torrent. This LEGO creation by Thomas Jenkins shows off some of the features of this highly maneuverable 1 man fighter.

Inspired by the F4U Corsair, the V-19 Torrent was designed for vertical landing and take-off, with the folded wings allowing more fighters to fit in the hanger of the Venator class star destroyers used by the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. Thomas has very skillfully recreated the clean angles using a number of angled slopes and Technic lift arms.

Enjoy interstellar exploration in style with this sleek and silver spaceship

Cole Blaq is well-known for his LEGO spaceships, such as this starfighter we shared back in December. We’re pleased to see Cole back again with another slick-looking spacecraft. The color scheme is particularly striking, relying heavily on dark metallic bricks with a dash of tan here and there. This combination feels believably modern.

The sands of Jakku

The great desert of Jakku conceals the remnants of the Empire’s defeat, the great hulk that used to be the Imperial Star Destroyer Inflictor. We’ve seen this setting in LEGO before, but this new take by kofi looks magnificent. The smooth sand dunes created with tan tiles and curved slopes give the Inflictor heft, making you feel as though it really buried itself into the ground as it crashed.

Be sure to check out these other interpretations of the crashed Star Destroyer on Jakku, including the amazing model that won our LEGO Creation of the Year award for 2018.

This singularity engine is a singular sensation

Even though the month-long LEGO ship-building challenge known as SHIPtember may be months behind us, epic models started in or inspired by this ultimate challenge are still showing up, and this late entry by Spencer Hubert really captured our attention. The name suggests that the primary weapon involves heavy gravity, and the ship’s many details combine to make this vessel both elegant and capable. One of my favorite details is the subtle angle built into the sides of the forward fuselage.

The color choices for the top and bottom cones at the front really pop, and the extensive dark gray greebly details throughout are well integrated into the body of the ship. Another great part use is the airplane landing gear used in the recesses on the side mounted engine housings.

Obi-Wan will get his revenge with this awesome LEGO UCS-scale Jedi Starfighter

LEGO’s ever-popular Ultimate Collector Series of Star Wars ships has one glaring gap: the prequel movies. Whether you grew up with the original trilogy or the new, you have to admit that there were plenty of amazing ship designs in the prequels, and LEGO has made only a few as UCS-style models. Martin Latta is fixing that with this incredible custom model of Obi-Wan’s Jedi Starfighter from Revenge of the Sith.

The ship’s combination of wedge-shaped wings and radiator flaps with the smoothly domed fuselage makes the ship a real challenge to translate into LEGO, but you wouldn’t know it from Martin’s model, as the parts fit together seamlessly. One particular detail I love is the grey triangular road sign that fills a gap on the back of the cockpit. Continue reading →

Blacktron dropship is seriously loaded

A long time ago, in a toy box far, far away…there were Classic Space LEGO sets. Blacktron followed in 1987 and was characterized by its black, yellow, and transparent yellow color scheme. They were a thriving intergalactic crime syndicate until the Space Police tracked them down in 1989. Many LEGO fans have created custom Blacktron-themed models over the years, including Jme Wheeler, who built this imposing dropship as a tribute. The model does a great job of capturing Blacktron’s distinctive aesthetic.

The dropship features retractable landing gear, a bomb bay in the belly that drops, and a substantial missile rack that unfolds from the tail. I think it might even be packing more firepower than the U.S.S. Sulaco’s dropship from Aliens.