Tag Archives: Takamichi Irie

I’ll play my Nest Ball to search out this Pokémon TCG card made of LEGO

Bringing a 2-D trading card into the third dimension certainly feels like a job made for LEGO. And Takamichi Irie puts those bricks to work, moving the Pokémon Chikorita into the active position. The ‘Mon is an impressive recreation, extending a mushroom to the “camera” using one of its vines. And the terrain is downright astounding, brimming with vegetation and crags in front of a gradient pixelated background. But the features that take this build from astounding to jaw-droppingly awesome are all the references to items from the game surrounding the card: Master Ball, Rare Candy, Pokédex, Potion, Full Heal, and PlusPower. Even the kanji at the top of the card spells out the Japanese name of this particular pocket monster.

Pokémon Card

One more thing before attaching a Grass Energy and going in for the attack. As with all trading cards, there’s always a second side to consider. And Takamichi didn’t skimp on the details when flipping the model around. Mimicking the back of the Japanese card to a T with some dynamite lettering and the 7 circles representing the 7 different Pokémon types in the card game, it’s just as impressive as the build’s front.

Pokémon Card

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These iconic LEGO shoes “just do it” for me

It’s like the old saying goes: “If the shoe fits, build it out of LEGO.” At least, we’re pretty sure that’s the saying. Either way, The Brothers Brick regular Takamichi Irie shows us what the Nike Air Penny 2 would look like in brick form. This isn’t his first foray into footwear, and it shows.

Penny 2

A lot of care went into making the shoe look like, well, a shoe—from the countless curved bricks for shaping to the dinosaur tails that form the tied laces. My favorite detail, however, might be the simplest: the iconic Nike swoosh. When it comes to the award for best use of LEGO bricks to create a famous logo, I’d say it’s a shoe-in.

Penny 2

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You can’t step on LEGO if you’re stepping around in LEGO!

Famously, stepping on LEGO is one of the most painful experiences known to humankind, second only to stubbing your little toe. (Woe betide you if you stub your little toe on a LEGO creation.) But what does stepping in LEGO feel like? We should ask Takamichi Irie. He has made the bold choice of creating a red Nike sneaker out of bricks. They say you need to suffer for your art, but even so, it’s a brave builder who willingly makes something where you’re always stepping on studs!

Zoom Kobe 6 Protro

Thankfully for Takamichi’s feet – or one of them, at least – he has got a normal shoe to complete the pair. And to be fair, the brick-built one does compare very well to it! It’s so well shaped, it actually looks kind of comfy. And you wouldn’t need to worry about finding one in your size: you can always build it a little bigger. You know, maybe there’s something in these brick-built shoes after all…

Zoom Kobe 6 Protro

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This flower mantis wants you to put up your dukes

This LEGO flower mantis built by Takamichi Irie is so pretty. It’s also deadly if you happen to be its prey…or a male flower mantis. I’m not sure whether I want to fight it or kiss it. Either way, it’s probably best I keep a safe distance from anything that would bite my head off after mating, not that I’d be into that sort of thing. (Well, that got awkward fast!) While you’re mulling over how that would work out, take a look at why we are so smitten by anything Takamichi does. On second thought, maybe I can give this pretty flower mantis just a tiny smooch. What can go wrong?

Flower Mantis

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This frog is a (paper) cut above the rest

When it comes to mixed-media LEGO creations, we can all take a page from takamichi irie.
The papercraft body of this amphibian draws the eye, while the friendly smile and cherry-based toes  showcase just what plastic can do.  Inspired by a calendar page, this model brings joy to even the most dreary day.

Frog

The underside shows off more of the traditional “LEGO construction” in play. Clever use of  minifigure posing stands attach the rear legs at an unusual angle, and rounded 1×2 modified plate gives the front legs articulation, too. Frog

If you find this frog as adorable as I do, you’ll want to check out some of Takamichi’s other paper-LEGO hybrids, a crab and a bull. Or maybe explore the full range of his creations we’ve featured previously.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Papercraft and LEGO make for the cutest crab

Exceptional arthropod builder Takamichi Irie probably could’ve engineered a crab completely out of LEGO. He didn’t need to make a paper shell – but that wasn’t the point. Combining his love for LEGO creatures with his uncle’s passion for papercraft, he has formed an adorable crab.

Crab

Under that paper shell is the unique parts usage we’re used to. The hotdogs work well as legs, and the bulb elements (Bionicle eye) are perfect for the eyes. In addition and as usual, the arrangement of the pieces makes it look organic.

Crab

This artistry and attention to detail must run in the family because Takamichi has also gained inspiration from his late grandfather. The last time we featured one of his pieces, it was a mixed media bull also using papercraft. Check out it and his other work in our archives.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

The legendary big three – the ’96 Chicago Bulls

If you were growing up as a kid in the 90’s, without a doubt you had to be a fan of the Chicago Bulls, at least I felt that way during the time. Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, and Scottie Pippen weren’t just great basketball players, they were icons of the sport and the era. Takamichi Irie brings back some of the vibes of those days through his figural LEGO builds of the dream team.

The BULLs

Irie shapes the bodies of the big three completely out of bricks, with musculature utilizing sloped pieces. Smooth pieces such as tiling, slopes, and 2×2 round bottom plates also help in rendering the legs and arms of the figures while articulation is provided by 1×1 modified plates with clips. The Nike swoosh on a couple of the players’ shoes are portrayed by claw pieces. The heads of the players are given some definition with 1×1 tiles and cheese slope pieces. While the bodies are blocky, human figures are extraordinarily difficult to render using bricks, especially at this scale. I believe Irie’s combination and configuration of elements really produced the closest one can get to recreating these figures in LEGO at such a size. Looking at the build as a whole, I remember the glory days of the Bulls’ past, but I am also reminded that I need to check out the Netflix docuseries on the Chi-town bulls – The Last Dance, which may have inspired these awesome models

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No bull about it, there’s LEGO here.

Trust me when I tell you, we are already impressed by Takamichi Irie’s LEGO work. But when a builder of his caliber breaks the rules a little (or a lot) we take special notice. 2021 is the Year of the Ox so we were happy to see this rather charming and (ahem) unorthodox creation grace the interwebs. Takamichi tells us it takes inspiration from his grandfather, who was an artist and graphic designer who had unfortunately passed away last September. The horns, tail, and hooves are LEGO pieces but the body is constructed from cut and folded card stock. Some gluing most certainly helped the process along. The end product is reminiscent of the official LEGO Forma sets so perhaps this isn’t as unorthodox as initially thought.

Ox

Whether this irks your purist leanings or inspires you to break the LEGO mold a bit, you’ve got to admit this is pretty neat. Check out more of his work in our archives.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

A beetle with a bit of style

Japanese tiger beetles are one of the coolest bugs on the planet. Not only is this epic predator shrouded in a rainbow, but it also sprints the equivalent of a human ultramarathon every day. It’s one of the fastest-running critters out there. I certainly wouldn’t want to mess with those mandibles either. Takamichi Irie is known for his exceptional LEGO beetles, and this is one of his best. The body shape and mosaic-like exoskeleton really make it stand out and come to life.

Tiger Beetle

Takamichi’s unique style involves the use of loads of minifigure hands. You have to wonder how he gets them. Does he have a hundred poor minifigs without hands, or does he get them in bulk? Maybe our past interview with him will shed a little light on his work.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Big ‘wig

One of the most prolific LEGO bug builders, Takamichi Irie, has presented us with another of his crawly critters. Now, even though I work with animals for a living and don’t mind the creatures that typically freak out other people, earwigs are not my favorite. There’s just something about how fast, erratic, and alien they are. And even though those pincers can’t really hurt a human, I’d rather not give them the chance.

Earwig

Fun fact: earwigs do not crawl in your ears at night to lay their eggs; that’s just a myth. Their name is actually derived from the fact that their teeny tiny wings are shaped like human ears. YES, wings. It is extremely rare, but they can indeed fly. Nope, nope, double nope.

You can read our interview with Takamichi to learn more about how he builds his various creatures (not just bugs) and other epic creations.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

One bug you want to catch

Here’s a gentle reminder that there’s still beauty to be found in nature. Japanese builder Takamichi Irie shares a lovely LEGO rendition of a cicada. I really admire the fragile construction of the wings. Whips, bar holders, tubing, and minifigure hands combine in a delicate symphony of nice part usage.

Reading up on cicada’s life cycle, I’m reminded that many varieties spend most of their lives underground, only emerging once a year. Some don’t even appear for 13 years or more. There’s something familiar about that right now. Can’t quite put my finger on it, though.

Cicada

If you like this bug, be sure to read our interview with Takamichi. This builder has been making amazing insects for a long time.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Another feisty droid that will probably steal the show

I’ve been consciously avoiding all things Star Wars: Episode IX including the teaser trailer, but I’ve learned in some ways its almost useless to resist. It’s impossible to hide with the fans of LEGO and Star Wars taking to the brick to recreate what they’ve glimpsed in trailers and at Star Wars Celebration. This droid companion seems to be the new rising star and is cleverly captured in action by Takamichi Irie. All we know so far is that the droid is named D-O. We can’t help but notice that it’s also painted in our very own TBB colors!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.