Tag Archives: Tank

Imagine a bowling ball, but angrier

“Carcinisation”; a very fancy word that means “some animals tend to look more like crabs over time”. This build by Djokson demonstrates what might happen if even our tanks turn into crabs! Djokson has tone a fantastic job of creating a round rolling shape for the tank using unusual parts. The Crab-Tank’s forehead is made from a handful of rubber handles from the short-lived Vidiyo line, the yellow disks on either side of the body come from the old X-Pod line (oh the nostalgia!), and the little warrior in the cockpit is sporting a old technic helmet for protection. I don’t know about you, but I’d feel crabby if I had to square up against that thing!

Roller

The other LEGO build known as “Spike Prime”

While it may not be driven by a LEGO computer brain, The Hedgehog by Andrea Lattanzio still means business. This tank definitely gives Raiders of the Lost Ark vibes, with side turrets and a villainous-looking driver. Building in a single color like dark gray can be a risky move, but with plenty of dynamic textures, shadows and exposed studs help to break up the monotone. Instead, the build is alive with textures…and spiky treads.

The Hedgehog

What’s in Hank Pym’s pockets?

Everyone has their favorite LEGO keychain. Maybe it’s the Beskar slab GWP from May 2022, or a classic 2×4 brick in your favorite color. Personally, I’m rocking Spider-Ham on the keys to my LEGO studio. And builder Bricktacular Builds gives us a brick-built version of Hank Pym’s infamous tank keychain, along with a couple of Pym Particle Discs, all built to a 1:1 scale. While the whole setup is downright adorable, my favorite bit has got to be the use of this 2×2 socket to hold the tank’s cannon. It’s the perfect piece in the perfect color and at the perfect scale to anchor the build in microscale-reality.

Upgraded firepower to win those Halo battles

The Covenant should beware the LEGO builds coming from EliteTC, like this awesome Scorpion tank. It’s always a blast to drive one of these in the Halo games, and seeing it translated into LEGO brick is a great sight. It’s a vehicle that works well in the medium with its angles and details. EliteTC does a good job of getting the shaping right, from the barrel of the main gun down to the tread sections for mobility. The greebling is slick, capturing the finer points of the vehicle. If you told me this could move on its own, I’d believe it! It looks fully mobile, like it can’t wait to blast down some Banshees or duel with some Wraiths. It’s a wonderful build for an iconic gaming vehicle.

Scorpion

Pink, playful, and packing plenty of heat

This interesting treaded tank by Plastic Pauper is not here to play nice, loaded with weapons, from a rotating barrel to a clutch of missiles to a side-mounted minigun. Don’t let the paint job fool you. There are a few nice parts used, starting with the small launcher which uses microphones for the missiles. And if you look closely, you will find there is a lipstick element on the side of the big cannon.

Inchwurm: Missile barrage mode

How a handful of LEGO minifigs can support the medics and other Ukrainian heroes on the frontlines of Russia’s invasion [Feature]

As dawn broke across Ukraine on February 24th this year, the Russian Federation launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine. In my day job, I’ve been working with software development teams in Ukraine for nearly 15 years, mainly in Kharkiv, barely 30 miles (less than 50 km) from the Russian border. In the first hours of the invasion, I messaged an old group-chat from my previous job saying, “Stay safe, my friends.” My former colleagues began waking up to air raid sirens, rocket attacks, and fighter jets roaring over their heads, and I watched their online status turn from yellow to green as they began sending brief replies saying they were safe so far.

Brickmania Ghost of Kyiv Mig-29 fighter jet kit

Brickmania “Ghost of Kyiv” custom Mig-29 fighter jet kit

Through colleagues like these in Kharkiv, Odesa, and the capital Kyiv, as well as ex-pats here in the US, I’ve grown to love the Ukrainian people and their independent spirit. Ukrainians have been fighting for freedom and democracy ever since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. That fight became much more visceral in 2014, when a democratic “Revolution of Dignity” overthrew a corrupt, oligarchic and pro-Russian government. Russia’s Vladimir Putin immediately responded by annexing Ukraine’s Crimea region and began a proxy war to take over the industrial Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. This led not just to atrocities like the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 that year, but an ongoing Russia-backed insurgency against the democratic government in Kiev — for many in Ukraine, the Russian invasion began in 2014, not on February 24, 2022. But since February, through the Russian army’s mass killings of civilians in Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, and elsewhere; ethnic cleansing of over 2 million Ukrainians to Russia; and ongoing indiscriminate rocket attacks and air raids against civilian targets like schools and shopping centers throughout Ukraine today, the full-scale invasion this year has proven that Russia intends to commit terrorism and ultimately genocide against the nation of Ukraine and its people. In the 5 months since the Russian invasion, most of my old team relocated to western Ukraine, though nobody in the country is safe from Russian rocket attacks and bombing. Some staff from my old company chose to stay behind in Kharkiv, and at least one has even laid down his life defending his city and his nation.

Read more about how the LEGO fan community has stepped up to help Ukraine

The brick is mightier than the sword

Everyone knows LEGO’s late-90s Adventurers theme was based loosely on Indiana Jones, and this fantastic diorama by norlego drives home the point by doing some character swapping, putting Johnny Thunder and Baron von Baron into the iconic tank scene from The Last Crusade. The build is magnificent, with the massive Hatay Heavy Tank looking straight out of the movie (which, as norlego points out, was a custom design for the film, not a real-world tank). Let’s hope Johnny doesn’t get raked over the treads!

A Sinister Tank Chase

norlego has been revisiting the Adventurers theme and giving it some much-needed love, starting with the splendid Adventurers Camp we featured last year. Check out more of norlego’s builds in TBB’s archives.

Swords to plowshares

Spring has sprung, and farmers all across the northern hemisphere are headed back into the fields to prepare for harvest season. For example, Stefan Johansson has depicted a LEGO Ukrainian couple getting ready to test out their newly-acquired 40-ton harrow. But all joking aside, this creation speaks volumes on a universal truth: war doesn’t spare anyone. Whether it’s a soldier on the front lines or a farmer just trying to bring in their crop, the brutal attack on Ukraine has hit everyone in some way. And in times like these, when grandmas are taking out Russian drones with jars of pickled tomatoes, I’m reminded of a line from the video game Portal 2: “…when life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back!”

Spring harvest in Ukraine

But I’m sure you didn’t come here for Cave Johnson quotes, so we should probably talk about the build. The color and style of the ground is exquisite, reminding me of walks through mint fields in northern Indiana. The sunflowers are simple, but extremely effective! I love the angles and texturing on the tank, but I think the tractor is the real star of the show here. You can see from the picture below, this machine has the look of a real LEGO set coming out of Billund. I can’t imagine it being built any better!

Massey Ferguson Tractor

Artillery for the not-so-Grand Army of the Republic

The problem with having a Grand Army of the Republic is that you need somewhere equally grand to store it. Even a TX-130 Sabre Tank would probably not fit in your average Joe or Josephine’s garage. Tim Goddard has the solution: make them tiny!  Tim is a pro when it comes to small-scale Star Wars building, and those skills are evident here. Efficient parts choice is everything when it comes to microscale to ensure the builds remain recognisable. The minifigure socket wrenches are inspired choices for the side cannons, and the subtle angle of the pontoons is also accurate to the source material. The angular cockpit is represented by a single sloped brick with a jumper plate. These might be simple parts, but they are the perfect solution in this scenario!

Republic TX-130 Sabre tank

Grab the bug spray!

It’s been a few months since builder Oscar Cederwall gifted us with one of his LEGO creations. Everyone deserves a break and this winter has been particularly worthy, however his latest creation reminds us that summer is on its way with a vengeance. Thankfully the swarms of flies we’ll be dealing with won’t be quite as formidable as this Wisp Scout Tank. As usual, Oscar shows off his detailing skills with the greebly legs of this flying menace. The interesting wings are swords from the Exo Force Sky Guardian Mech from back in 2007. Though it might be the oddest piece amongst the build, the literal standouts are the bright blue Modulex pieces featured in the turrets. The contrast was both a design choice and a color limitation since, as Oscar puts it, “Modulex colors are a bit odd because they mostly don’t match any other LEGO System colors.” Thankfully they make for great accents on some already intricate turrets.

Wisp Scout Tank

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Bubble trouble in the desert

This LEGO Desert Tiger tank built by Andreas Lenander is chock full of great personality. It’s a creation that proposes more questions than answers. Like what is is doing there? What purpose does it have? And what is with that pink-helmeted driver? And most importantly, would they hang out with me? Because whatever trouble that driver is getting into, I most assuredly want to be a part of it! Those tracks are brilliant and even the ground and spires are brick-built using clever techniques. What’s not to love, really? There’s plenty more to love when you click the little blue link to see what else Andreas has done.

Desert Tiger

Tankducken is more dangerous than deep-fat frying

With the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner in the US, it’s time for a quick PSA about deep-fat frying your turkey. If you fill the fryer with too much oil, or don’t make sure your turkey is entirely thawed and dried, you could be working with a recipe for disaster. But that’s not the most dangerous fowl-related thing we’ve encountered. No, that has to be the Tankducken by Michael Kautzer. This massive meal is a twist on the culinary “Turducken” concept – a duck stuffed into a chicken stuffed into a turkey. Yes, inside this single-tread, carrot-firing war machine are two feathered pilots.

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