If you need a space fighter to hunt bogies with, this LEGO ship by Linus Bohman might be just the thing you need. Linus built this fighter around a skeleton of railroad track parts including curves and straights from the 4.5V era and six Duplo curve sections. I’d argue that this build is all horsepower, no ballast, with huge engines embedded in each wing. All-in-all, the grey details between the rails provide a nice buffer, while the rails themselves couple everything together!
The Stinger Mantis is the iconic hero ship and base of Cal Kestis and his NPC companions during his adventures in the Jedi: Survivor and Fallen Order games. This fantastic piece of Star Wars design is recreated in high LEGO detail in this model by Tim Goddard. Tim has spared no expense, and pushed LEGO’s clutch power to achieve the outstanding greebling (or scientific texturing, if you will) on the ship’s vertical fin. I love the details on the outboard engine; the front of the engine is a white life preserver, while the rear nozzle features a ring of clip-and-tube-holders.
Check out more views of this cool LEGO Star Wars model
Before there was Star Wars, there was Space: 1999, which told the story of the residents of a moon base blown into the unknown (along with the moon itself) by a thermonuclear explosion. The vehicle of choice for those unlucky explorers was the Eagle, rendered here in LEGO by builder klaupacius. Unlike a certain well-known Corellian freighter named after a different bird (which appeared on big screens in 1977, two years after Space: 1999), the Eagle was inspired by actual Earth-built exploratory spacecraft. This build accurately conveys the transporter’s utilitarian nature from those nuclear fusion rockets all the way to its sleek nose cone.
Captain Redbeard sails again on this LEGO model by Okay Yaramanoglu! This whole build is a love letter to the classic Pirates set Red Beard Runner from 1996, with everything from the masts and crane to the fast-flying escort and hyper-cannons mirroring the details of the original set. The pair of rowboats used as “air” intakes is an inspired decision, and Yaramanoglu has added some great greebling around the deck using various small and textured parts. That said, those sailors on the prow are starting to turn blue. Maybe someone should get them a spare oxygen tank?
Seeking their fortunes across the stars, this renegade band of LEGO rapscallions aren’t just smugglers. They’re full-on space pirates, at least according to builder Librarian-Bot. Inspired by the 1993 set 6268 Renegade Runner, this creation was inspired by the “Space Pirates – Back to the Caribbean Galaxy” competition happening over at Eurobricks. The ship’s sail has been transformed into a large beveled wing, still striped in black and white. A large rocket engine has been added to the schooner’s aft section, and the large cannon mounted below the ship looks devastating!
Check out the engines and figs!
You may have noticed a distinctly blue-green tint to some of our featured LEGO starfighters lately. The likes of Inthert, Mansur Soeleman, and now Alec Hole are building up a Star Wars squadron based around the best colour in LEGO’s palette: teal. This one is loosely based on the E-wing that finally entered the Star Wars canon in the Ahsoka series. I say loosely, as it’s a tad bigger than the in-universe design. Bigger engines, bigger hold, bigger guns. So naturally, it had to be called the Capital E-wing! A nice tongue-in-cheek name for a very fine starfighter.
It looks like this year is the year of SPACE for LEGO. They are pumping out some lovely sets in multiple themes, including Technic. The latest wave appear to be some heavy hitters, especially with LEGO Technic 42181 VTOL Heavy Cargo Spaceship LT81. Space nerds a mile away did a double take when pictures started to surface. Plus, a marriage with Technic functions could be an epic pairing. So let’s take a deeper look at this beauty to see if the build is as fun as it looks. The set, which contains 1365 pieces, will be available March 1st and retail for US $109.99 | CAN $139.99 | UK £89.99.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews
The idea of space pirates is nothing new. After all, even in space you’re not safe from marauding villains. But what if we delve into LEGO’s take on pirates, and add some space to that? Step forward, Gregory Coquelz! One of the more unique sub-themes of LEGO pirates was the Islanders from the mid-1990s, which is where Gregory’s spacey inspiration comes from. And although you might expect one of the ships to be turned into a spaceship, it’s in fact King Kahuka’s mask which gets the starship treatment! It’s a really fun and well-executed idea. The red cockpit bubbles for the eye-holes are especially neat.
The angles on this LEGO starfigther in the Star Wars style are out of this galaxy! But I expect nothing less from Inthert who is well-known for his black magic brickery, merging smooth sections with studs in all directions. With not a single stud in sight, there’s still plenty of greebly textures (as in, like the surface of the Death Star) and excellent part usage. One example of this is the tooth element and the roller skate on the front section. The way the angled wing accents attached to the side guns look like they fold right into the main wings is magical.
This picture of the underside reveals even more note-worthy details, like the hint of landing gear next to the gun attachments. There’s also some well-placed original dark gray elements to give the belly of the craft a weathered look.
Check out this superb LEGO Y-wing built by FlyInSpace. It’s a dead ringer for one of the original studio props! Superb shaping, a ton of greebles, and… The same size as your smartphone?! Yes, this model is actually a lot smaller than it might look at first! Certain pieces do provide clues as to its scale, such as the pair of cabinet doors used as the cockpit roof. Quite how FlyInSpace has managed to pack so much greebley goodness into such a tiny package boggles the mind. A miniature marvel!
This compact asteroid prospecting ship, made of LEGO by Jan Woźnica, would fit in very well in the universe of The Expanse, with structural supports and a engine-as-down design common among the working class “belters” spacecrafts. The overall shape even reminds me a bit of an asteroid, with an almost ovoid shape. The small maneuvering thrusters at the back and sides are a nice detail, and that airlock is perfectly placed for any needed spacewalks.
What does it take to succeed in the Iron Forge? Well, I don’t exactly have any experience to draw on, but you can be sure that a bit of ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking will go a long way. Exhibit A: Nate Chiles‘ latest effort. In this early phase of the contest, the seed parts are not always as prescriptive as in the Iron Builder finals, so the ongoing second round challenges builders to use any LEGO piece tagged as a cup or goblet. And that does technically include the actual LEGO mug that forms the engine of this spaceship. Or at least, we’re assuming that’s what’s going on here. The alternative explanation is that this is a standard minifigure mug, and Nate has a shrink ray. Are they even allowed in this competition? Can we get a ruling on this please?!
