Tag Archives: Spider

A creation so good it’ll give you arachnophobia

Writing for TBB is pretty great. Sure, we’re chained to our desks and at the mercy of our lemur overlord, but we get to write about some cool LEGO creations. Every once in a while though, we get creations like Eli Willsea‘s terrifying spider here. All this does is give me the heebie-jeebies. Which, to be fair, may be the point. With those big pointy teeth in the drooling mouth, you can imagine where this creation gets its name – “The Hunger”. If only the construction of this beast wasn’t so good, then I might be able to stop looking at it…

The Hunger

We look for these nightmare-inducing creations, dear reader, so you don’t have to.

Holy Jumping Peacock Spider!

Sullivan R has constructed this charming build based on a peacock spider. In real life, the tiny spider waves its colourful back and long legs in order to entice a mate. This build has some excellent details such as the use of Rahkshi worms which represent its fangs. Minifigure hands portray delicate hairs on the spider’s extended legs. The long horn pieces on the back form the unusual curved patterns which surround a red central area, represented by a shoulder armour piece. The end result is an adorable model that hopefully won’t get eaten by its potential mate.

Maratus volans (Peacock Spider)

Automotive versus Arachnid

The wild ride that was Harry Potter’s experience at Hogwarts was surely extremely traumatic. Ron was obviously afraid of spiders but even Harry was jarred by this encounter from the Chamber of Secrets built by Stefan Johansson. The trusty, rusty Ford Anglia may have abandoned Harry and Ron after they crashed it into a tree but its loyalty never faded, as it proved by saving them from being eaten. Whether it has a mind of its own from Arthur Weasley’s tinkering or from all that time in the Forbidden Forest, it’s not going to let some giant creepy-crawlies munch on some kids.

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The mechanical Huntsman never stops its search for prey

In usual fashion, builder Mitsuru Nikaido is back with another Mechanical Creature. This time it’s a Huntsman spider with some heavy Matrix vibes. This builder always has clever parts usage paired with an iconic color scheme that is simple but recognizable.

LEGO Mecha Huntsman spider_05

This model’s feature part would probably be the skis used in each of the spindly legs. But if you look closely, they’re also in the mouth of this creepy guy. Runner-up for parts usage would be the hinged bar holder, which is used to add some rigidity to the legs as well as to emulate the spider’s eight eyes. That Sentinel-style cephalothorax is a tight build that uses a Hero factory chest plate and hinged panels to hide its inner workings.

LEGO Mecha Huntsman spider_08

The abdomen continues the trend of the hinged panels to capture its curves. I always love how Mitsuru uses hoses and angled tiles in his models.

LEGO Mecha Huntsman spider_04

Hopefully, we never have these running around like the Boston Dynamic Spot bots showing up more prevalently nowadays. I will have no defenses against their terror.

A LEGO spider that is clearly terrifying

Spiders are are terrifying at the best of times and builder @brickybricks82 ups the ante with this transparent monster reminiscent of the crystal spider from the movie Krull. The gold hinges on the leg joints make a great (and necessary) accent that is repeated in the feet and fangs. The red transparent eyes add an additional look of menace and I’m particularly fond of the egg shaped spaceship windscreen for the abdomen. If you run into this beast in the basement, you better hope you see it before it sees you.

LEGO Iconic 40493 Halloween Owl and 40497 Spider & Haunted House ornaments [Review]

Is it Halloween already? It feels like it around here, as we’ve had the opportunity to review LEGO Iconic (Seasonal) sets 40493 Halloween Owl and 40497 Spider & Haunted House, and they’re a bit of a mystery. Both will be available starting Aug. 1, the owl for US $14.99 | CAN $19.99 | UK £13.49 and the spider for  US $9.99 | CAN $12.99 | UK £8.99.

Both sets were very simple to build and are rather fun to use as home decor. Let’s dive into the pumpkin patch and get into the review.

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick early copies of these sets for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read the full, hands-on review

A spider mech to give you the creepy-crawlies

LEGO spider mechs aren’t too uncommon, but most of the time they give the impression of a machine with a lot of legs–after all, that’s what they are. But this one by Joss Woodyard is enough to trigger an arachnophobe. OK, technically it’s based on a Harvestman (AKA daddy longlegs) which isn’t a spider. But it’s still an arachnid, and with all those eyes and creepy arms and dripping….something–shudder–it definitely counts in my book. The green bits on the legs are the Technic wire clip, which you may have seen a lot of around here lately, since it’s being used in the latest Iron Builder challenge.

Harvestman - Plague Mech: Amalgam

Get back you knobby white freaks!

First Order Lego has been killing it lately with some out of this world LEGO Star Wars Creations. And if you search my post history here on The Brothers Brick, you’ll see that I love sharing top-notch LEGO creations based on Star Wars. So naturally, this scene from Chapter 10 of the Mandalorian had to be shared.

“Krykna Escape” The Mandalorian Chapter 10

Aside from the beautifully crafted snowy landscape, the first thing you notice is the Krykna of various sizes. An amazing variety of pieces have been used for the spiders’ legs, from different kinds of horns to bananas! Some spiders are small, some are dead, but my favourite one is the one we can’t even see – the giant one just coming around the corner! There are plenty of other details presented to explore here, but custom-made little bitty baby Yoda is not to be overlooked.

Arachnophobia triggered

Eli Willsea must not be afraid of spiders, because there is a really big one made of LEGO in one of his latest creations. The creation itself, as well as the spider, features a lot of yellow 9V Track Switches, and a few deserve a special mention. I am particulary fond of their use for the spiral stairs as well as the clock pendulum. But the 9v Track Switch isn’t the only cleverly used brick in this creation. The bagpiper’s hat gets used as a pillow in the chair, and the bookcase consists of a lot of bookbinding. It also appears that a judge or two is missing his gavel. Can you spot them?

Spider Infestation

Aragog, the king of arachnids

In my opinion, one of the most terrifyingly fantastic beasts in the Harry Potter series was found in Aragog. Although he was friendly to Harry and his friends, he was still a giant spider and that’s just all sorts of freaky. LEGO builder CheeseyStudios brings us a small vignette of the entrance to Aragog’s lair, making me wish any of the several official LEGO sets had looked half this good. The massive toppled tree has the heft it should, with lighter color wood exposed where it cracked. And Aragog himself feels more spindly and spider-like than his official counterparts, But the best detail, in my opinion, is the little mushrooms sprouted from the log. They’re a simple design combining a radar dish and a beveled gear, but together they make the smooth top and fluted undersides perfectly. Combined with a black sausage for a curving stem, and you couldn’t ask for a better LEGO fungus.

Aragog's Burrow

A spider worth thrashing with

When you see a spider crawling around, is your first inclination to use the power of your shoes? What if I told you you could be snuffing out the next ace arachnid guitar player like Grayson M‘s Sid the Spider. He looks frighteningly awesome, right down to his studded jacket, sharp-looking shoes, and classic red and white guitar. He even has a golden ring on one of his left legs; that’s so eight-legged metal!

Sid the Spider

Mech made of minifigures

Minifgure accessories are an often underused section of the LEGO parts palette. While many builders may think up creative ways to integrate these parts outside of the use they were designed for, many of us lack the quantity needed to carry out our ideas. Markus Rollbühler manages to pull it off with ease though with his latest mech Black Widow.

Mech Monday #43: Black Widow

Obvious standouts are Count Dooku’s lightsabers and the skeleton pattern armour, and both elements help give the legs an organic shape, while the armour’s print is perfect for an arachnoid style mech. I’m personally quite excited to see the relatively new neck bracket with 4 handles used to help shape the body of the mech. When that piece was revealed, I expected to see it in more creations and I’m hoping this is the start of a trend. Non-minfigure parts are expertly used here as well, such as the main section being flawlessly shaped with a Zamor Sphere holder forming a natural spine. Finally, my favourite bit of texture is created using a Technic connector on the legs – not only is the piece functional, but it looks good too!