In some form or another, the Space and Town themes have been some of the most consistent offerings from LEGO over the years. But sci-fi builder extraordinaire Tim Goddard imagines a world where they’re one and the same. This trio of trucks are traversing a terraformed territory to bring the settlers the same goods we enjoy here on Earth – including new LEGO sets! In a world without invading space aliens, these microscale big rigs bring plenty of futuristic flavor without the need for any laser weapons or photon torpedoes. And, just like the semi-trucks you probably see on the highway daily, Tim has given the same basic design a wide variety of color options. The result is a set that feels more like three independent truckers than it does militarized space fleet.
Tag Archives: Tim Goddard
A sizable selection of small spacecraft
It’s almost advent calendar season, which means LEGO fans the world over will soon be assembling some tiny spaceships from Star Wars and the MCU. But Tim Goddard has gotten a jump on things by crafting his own fleet of miniature spaceships. Despite their small size, there’s lots of cool shaping and detail to be found. From the minifigure videogame controller used as wings to the green and red thrusters on an Octan ship, Tim has crafted a fleet of microscale marvels.
A trio of Star Wars TIE Fighters to tie you over
Man, I love good LEGO builds in an alternate scale! Here we see a trio of TIE Fighters built by Tim Goddard. They’re not quite microscale, but probably what we’d call closer to Midi-scale. Tim calls it Trophy Scale which would be great to receive such a trophy. The Darth Vader TIE Advanced X1 and its regular TIE escorts are handsome on their stands and showcase just about as much detail as their bigger UCS counterparts.
Tim tells us he has been thinking about building the entire Death Star trench run in this scale, which would still be massive and jaw-droppingly impressive if he pulls it off. In the meantime, just tie yourselves over with a couple of the good guy ships, an X-Wing and A-Wing. Now don’t get cocky! Actually, we prefer when you do get cocky. It usually makes for good LEGO creations and amusing subject matter to write about.
This bunny burns rubber.
Tim Goddard is known for his marvelous mechs and spectacular spaceships. But it’s important to branch out and flex your creative muscles every so often. That’s why we’re so enamored with this racing rabbit. Tim’s done an amazing job of capturing the animal in motion and creating a sense of speed in this static model.
What’s in a spaceship?
If space travel ever takes off in the way that science fiction imagines, zipping from one corner of the galaxy to the other in anything less than many lifetimes, the technology to power it will surely look quite alien to us. That’s why I love this LEGO spaceship by Tim Goddard, because it’s filled with things that I have no idea about, yet they look undeniably cool. Inspired by the illustrations of thisnorthernboy, this unique spaceship’s color is almost as striking as its shape, with the medium blue and white setting the tone, and the pops of red providing a lot of visual interest to the details.
The USS Goldsmith is ready for some boldly going
When you’re looking to join the Federation, be sure to ask for Tim Goddard‘s USS Goldsmith by name. This Overture class starship’s crew specializes in first contact and related negotiations. It also specializes in some high-grade LEGO building techniques to create the seamless front saucer section and iconic nacelles. One of my favorite details are the Technic gears just barely visible under the transparent neon orange domes, a nice nod to the classic Enterprise model’s visual effects.
Multiple viewscreens active after the jump
The ship is the knife and outer space is the butter
I always knew LEGO could be sharp (underfoot), but this ship from Tim Goddard really shows off how sharp! There’s not a curve to be seen, outside of the canopy, on this interceptor, giving it the intended sharp-edged appearance. The ship looks like to could cut through anything as it speeds along on its mission. It possesses the style choices of the classic LEGO Space theme–always a welcome sight! Even the canopy is in the color scheme of the theme, but that’s not where it comes from… The canopy is the only curve in the build, and it comes from that most excellent Lightyear 76832 XL-15 Spaceship set. It’s the perfect canopy for this build, lending itself well to that tapering wedge of the nose. I also really appreciate the sloping where the wings join the body. The use of wedge slopes with hinges isn’t a new technique, but it’s one that works really well for filling and adding definition.
Taking a look beneath the ship reveals the full arrowhead-like shape of the interceptor. It also reveals some cool detailing, like the laser cannons mounted under the wings, done with brackets, round plates, and lightsaber hilts. However, my favorite detail on the underside are those brackets running down the midsection of the nose. They create a neat effect I just can’t get over, especially when paired with the other textures around them. Not to mention, these no doubt add some dynamism and choice when it comes to a display stand. They offer plenty of connection points for an angled display scene.
A new piece inspires an adorable droid
When Tim Goddard sees a new LEGO piece, a new droid can’t be far behind. Tim’s put the recent 1×2 round brick with center bars to use as the torso in this adorable bot that’s full of life. The bend in the abdomen helps convey a sense of motion, while the dark turquoise and pearl gold create the perfect pops of color against the mostly gray robot body.
Rancor vs Skorpenek – Microscale battle between two miniature monsters
If you were as thrilled as I was to see the mighty rancor roar in the basement of Jabba’s palace in theaters when Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi premiered in 1983, despite the stop-motion effects that showed us something of its actual size, then you would probably enjoy the season 1 finale of the Disney+ show The Book of Boba Fett. Tim Goddard has recreated the scene in miniature, pitting a pair of newly canonized Skorpenek devastator droids against Boba Fett riding on the back of a raging rancor.
SPOILER ALERT The rancor not only wins, but more than a few parts get ripped off and shoved in places they were not meant to go.
Speeding to the scene of the crime
Builder Tim Goddardreturns with a LEGO speeder bike in this Space Police-inspired build.
I love speeder bikes, they’re an excellent quick build with table scraps and a fantastic way to practice just how useful those smallest LEGO pieces can be. This is seen from the very front of the bike where a Boomerang and Binocular are paired together to serve as steering vanes
What I particularly like is that the entire speeder bike is built around a bicycle frame. The frame serves as a great starting point to connect the wider build. The bike is made all the more striking by limiting the colours to those most familiar to Space Police fans, the recent Space Police Series 21 Collectible Minifigure is a perfect pilot for this one!
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!
I’d love to see this robot lift a crate of forks…it’d be so dang literal.
Sci-fi builder extraordinaire Tim Goddard never fails to impress. Part of what makes his creations work so well is how much thought Tim seems to put into the fictional functionality of his builds. This forklift bot is a perfect example. By eschewing a typical humanoid form and anchoring the droid’s shoulders on an a-frame above its face, the droid looks more than ready to handle weight loads several times its own mass. And the slight angle in the hips gives a sense of life and character to the build. Tim goes the extra parsec by placing the robot on a base that makes perfect use of angled tiles and ingots to suggest a massive sci-fi locale in a very small space.