Tag Archives: Summer

Flippin’ in my flops

While autumn is in-uh-bloom, which means torrential downpours here in the Pacific Northwest, LEGO extraordinaire Dan Ko takes us on a summer vacation. He’s competing in the infamous Iron Builder competition and we’re all as pleased as Hawaiian Punch, by golly! He’s used four of the requisite red Technic Rotor Blades to construct the neat beach chair. I suppose that alone would have pleased the Iron Builder Gods but he’s gone the extra mile to depict a sunny beach scene in a travel case. I can feel the warm sand getting into all my nether bits! With Iron Builder, there’s no telling what our esteemed builders will do! Here’s to hoping Dan Ko will take us on vacation again soon.

Flip or Flop

A Summer folding chair in the middle of Autumn

That air is brisk out there! Autumn most certainly has arrived, making me want to don a warm sweater and maybe sip a pumpkin spice latte. But maybe it’s warm where Dicken Liu is because clearly he has summer on his mind as evidenced by this LEGO folding chair. He even titled this piece Summer Nights. If the desired effect was to have me thinking of summer, even as the wind howls and rattles our ghost Halloween decorations, it worked! I can just about feel the comfort and warmth of a starry summer night. The tea and the side table are a nice touch, too. The mushrooms are also neat!

Summer Nights-01

Summers at grandma’s house

This LEGO build from Qian Yj awakens warm feelings from my childhood, of summer visits to my grandma’s house. From spending time with grandma, to watching TV together, and even having some sweets–this build hits all the memories! Not only does the build feature nostalgia, but check out the textures around the scene too. It’s rich in diverse textures and colors, such as the tile work of the patio floor. I really enjoy the plant life around the place, particularly the vines and lattice with a cute cat perched atop it. Of course, one of the most delightful parts usage I appreciate about the build is the use of the modified plate with double bearings as the roof tiles. Check out the rest of the build’s details and see what cool things you can find.

Midsummer Night

LEGO fun in the summer sun

Up here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s that dreary time of year. It’s a gorgeous place to live, but gloomy, bone-chilling rain continues for weeks at a time, making even those who love rain crave the sunshine. I can’t wait for summer, and this adorable LEGO sand castle is a cheerful reminder of what’s to come. Built by fellow Seattleite Peter Zieske, it uses clever angles to give it that classic shape.

Sand castle

I’m a big fan of this playful creation, which includes an excellent shovel and a colorful spinning pinwheel. (Yes, it’s actually motorized to spin!) But this isn’t even my most favorite build from Peter! While you’re here, take a look at his awesome record player and adorable wind-up penguin!

A box full of summer, courtesy of IKEA

The product of the recent LEGO-IKEA collaboration, the BYGGLEK box, has practically become the new LEGO baseplate. I’ve already seen a ton of interesting models incorporating this new 3D template. Lego fjotten’s modern boxy beach house is a great example of the creativity that can be achieved with a studded plastic parallelogram.

Bygglek Beach house

Fjotten uses two of these boxes for the first and third stories of this structure while the second floor is a hybrid — part BYGGLEK box, part brick-built. I really enjoy the application of brown tiling, bricks, and black telescope pieces to create balcony railing, flooring, and stairs. Fjotten also cleverly adds windows onto his building by utilizing the notches molded into the boxes. Of course, all of the ancillary details of the build – the furniture, grill, jacuzzi, and other brick-built pieces of décor are a delight. I have to say, adopting the BYGGLEK box in this capacity is actually quite advantageous in that Fjotten probably saved a lot of time and bricks by using it to compose the majority of the structure. Models like these really serve to show the true creative energy builders can channel through any LEGO element or product, and I am excited to see more builds incorporating these boxes in the future.

New LEGO City Police summer sets revealed includes a runaway speedboat, a driller, and lighthouse arrest [News]

We get a look at 3 new City police sets that are slated to be available in August as revealed by retailer Brickshop.nl. All three sets have pieces that range from 160-189 pieces. All three sets feature chase scenes, including a helicopter, a police car, and a boat. Each set comes with two minifigures, each featuring a single police officer and three cleverly named criminals. The prices are only listed in Eurodollars at the moment, and we’ll update them as soon as we get more information.

Click to have a closer look

LEGO Technic Summer 2020 sets fully revealed [News]

Last week we had a first look at the June-December German consumer catalogue images of the upcoming Summer 2020 LEGO Technic sets. Today we get to have a look at the actual box art as revealed by the retailer Meinspielzeug. While we still do not have the regional pricing,  part counts are now available for all three sets. These will be available August 1st 2020. We will update the US, UK and Canadian retail prices as we get more information.

Click to see the box art of the new Summer LEGO Technic 2020 releases

LEGO DOTS summer 2020 sets revealed including bracelet mega pack, second tile expansion pack and more [News]

LEGO has officially revealed the second wave of products in its successful new LEGO DOTS 2D tile-based arts and crafts theme. The new sets include a bracelet mega pack with five bracelets and a “super rare” tile, picture frames, a desk organizer, a jewelry box, three individual bracelets, and the second expansion pack of “Extra Dots.” Prices vary from US $3.99 to $24.99 with availability from LEGO beginning on May 24th (though some retailers are already selling them).

Notable tiles scattered across the various products include new animals like a penguin and monkey, BFF hearts, new emojis, a “super rare” circle of hearts only included in the bracelet mega pack, food including pizza and popcorn, a pink version of the new gem element, and a classic space ship (almost as good as the one in our LEGO SPOTS April Fools joke).

Take a closer look at the new LEGO DOTS Summer 2020 product lineup

A small piece of summer can be enough

Depending on where you live, this creation by Dvd might be something you might identify with strongly right now, or instead as a little piece of summer to break up your winter mood. So sit back and, despite its simplicity, take the time to enjoy the little slice of summer – like a real vacation!

Amazing Summer

I like how few pieces the builder needed to perfectly capture the spirit of summer, with little details like a speedboat dragging an inflated banana, a beach hut that probably houses rentable surf boards or drinks and even a towel and beach seats built at this tiny scale. The best part is undoubtedly the waves though, built into the base with just a little bit of variation in height to simulate them breaking on the sand.

Popsicle truck is too sweet to miss

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, the summers never got that hot. But that didn’t stop every kid in the neighborhood from chasing down the popsicle truck, clutching their allowance whenever that twinkling version of Daisy, Daisy was heard piped out of an old loudspeaker. Sven Franic has captured this vibe perfectly in this wonderfully detailed popsicle truck built using aqua, which is impressive, and the perfect color choice for this model.

Popsicle express

The addition of a table and chairs, and a bright, colorful awning really completes the scene.

Popsicle express

Waving the summer goodbye

Summer’s officially gone, but summer creations are always in. In this model by Italian builder Devid VII, a perfectly adorable little crab needs to beware lest he be swept away by the crashing tide.

Run Crab, run!

LEGO Super Soaker 50

This one brings back the summertime memories. Bruce Lowell (Bruceywan) has recreated the iconic Super Soaker 50 in a compact size that retains all the detail and glory of the original. I remember the first time I fired one off. It was so awesome. Everyone who had one felt like they ruled the backyard. I quickly upgraded to a ‘100’ but nothing matched that initial thrill of the Super Soaker 50. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Bruce!

LEGO Super Soaker