I’m not always a fan of steampunk creations, but I love this build by Ted Andes (Ted @ndes). There are a lot of nifty little details on this build, and they’re largely intentional. I especially like the big glass eye, and the glass old style gauges on the side. The builder’s description of the symbiotic relationship with the wind-up cowboy is also a nice touch, and the perfect bit of steampunk absurdity.
It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Felix (Mountain_King), but he comes back with this fantastic Steam Punk Train which chugs along and connects his Empire:
Not only is this one of the most amazing trains I’ve seen, it’s also of course a fully functional train. Felix tells us that inside this beauty there are 4 power function XL motors, the battery pack, the IR receivers and a bunch of LEDs! Oh and don’t forget to check out that awesome smoke work with the 2×2 round plates.
Check out more detailed shots of his train on his photostream.
Alex Jones (Orion Pax) brings to brick form one of my favorite movie ships, Captain Nemo’s infamous Nautilus. Although the Disney version differs significantly from Jules Verne’s description, its distinctive styling is iconic and I’m glad Alex has chosen to follow this rendition.
The steampunk spider from Wild Wild West is arguably the most memorable part of an otherwise forgettable movie. Leave it to none other than Imagine Rigney to render it in Lego to add to his collection of gigantic Lego creatures. Check out more photos in the builder’s Flickr set.
And now for a SHIP of a different sort, a steam boat that never was by teen builder Stijn Oom (DutchLego) who makes his third appearance of 2013 on the Brothership. The hull has a very pleasing shape and the builder uses just the right amount of genre boilerplate with the brushed gold trim and wooden sections without things getting too out of hand. It’s great to see an engine that doesn’t seem woefully underpowered as so many Steampunk vehicles do. The string is a nice touch and so is the steam-pipe that curves around the side of the hull. My only gripe is with the stand, it sticks out in a bad way, but the rest of it is so well done that we’ll let it slide….this time…but you better watch yourself Stijn!
The entertaining piratical musician was built by Sweetsha. The dreads look appropriately unwashed, and I like how well the essence of the character is conveyed in a relatively simple build.
Sweetsha is apparently engaging in a seed-part contest, with the brown claw piece as the mystery part. His floating windmill island is also worth highlighting. The clouds as structural elements to stabilize the base and hold the flying machine aloft are a nice touch, and the round Hobbt-door is too cute. Be sure to check out his flickr-stream for more cool models utilizing the brown claw.
It’s time to ride the rails with Ted Andes aboard the mighty land-yacht called Intrepid, an Art Deco style train built with the Steampunk genre in mind. I was drawn in by the brutality of the cow-catcher, but I stayed for the smoothed out lines and clever photography. According to the builder this model was constructed for an upcoming book by TBB regular V&A Steamworks.
I need to get in on this publishing frenzy, all the cool kids these days are either writing books about LEGO or being featured in them. I thought print was supposed to be dead? Good luck with the book, Guy and crew, if this photo is any indication of the overall quality I’m sure you’ll do quite well.
Jonas (Legopard) is rapidly becoming one of my favorite builders, not least because he demonstrates talent in multiple themes. His latest build is this excellent conversion of the Batcave into the quintessential look of the steampunk aesthetic — complete with Batman in a top hat and what appears to be a wood and brass Tumbler.
And since we’re featuring one of Jonas’ mashups, here’s another. Behold the Classic Space DeLorean:
C’mon! How awesome is that?!
Here’s a quick recap of things seen around the LEGO booth on Preview Night at San Diego Comic-Con 2013 yesterday.
Team Back to the Future member and project contributor of the newly released Back to the Future CUUSOO set, Masashi Togami, was hanging out at the booth with Tim Courtney, LEGO CUUSOO Community Manager.
This lovely, giant-size, brick-built display of the upcoming LEGO Minecraft sets was very popular among the fans.
At 7 PM, they did an unveil of the Minecraft sets at the booth. Executives from Mojang did the honors.
In one corner, you can try out a demo of the upcoming LEGO Marvel Super Hero Game. It’s blast to fly around as Iron Man with repulsor jets or Hulk-out and smash everything in sight. Just for trying out the game, you got a LOKI key chain and a LEGO Marvel Game Poster. Free swag is cool.
And a final note, they are launching the steampunk-themed Master Builder Academy Invention Designer (Level 4) set
[We’ll have more on this closer to release -AB]. The first 100 sold at the booth will receive a signed and numbered artist’s print of the snazzy illustration of LEGO steampunk featured in the ads.
Going in the opposite direction, chronologically, from the last post yesterday, here’s an armored hand car by Beau Donnan (Ɍaillery).
Two minifigs fit inside this “railtank,” pumping the adorable little war machine forward.
Though posted nearly a year ago, I also can’t pass up Beau’s wonderfully inventive windmill locomotive in the same alternate history theme.
captainsmog has knocked one out of the park with this build. I love the details, the color choices, the asteroids, the derelict and the presentation. Well played!
You really need to see this in a larger size in order to appreciate the details…
This amazing “Steam Castle Falls” diorama was presented at the recent Fana’Briques expo in Rosheim, France, and represents the combined effort of three builders: Arnaud Besson (74louloute), Olivier Curto (oLaF LM) and Jimmy Fortel (6kyubi6). My complete absence of francais aside, I wish I could have been there to see it.
Weighing in at over 20,000 pieces, and taking each builder over four months to make, the diorama is clearly the result of a lot of effort. It is impressive that three builders managed to make something work together so cohesively, especially when you consider that the three live in different corners of France.
Furthermore, the major part of the diorama went on a 1000km trip, while another section took a long train trip. And unfortunately for everyone, the diorama could have been even bigger, had the originally planned fourth builder “Capt’n Spaulding” been able to participate.
With major inspiration from this picture, the diorama follows a loose interpretation of a medieval theme. Although I get a strong vibe of techwest anime cartoons as well. Regardless of what inspired it, it’s certainly an incredible work.
