Tag Archives: Tino Poutiainen

Mobile Suit Gundam: Cardboard’s Counterattack

It’s the day before a convention and you’ve got no costume. What do you do? All that’s in your room is cardboard boxes, filled with this year’s wave of new LEGO sets. Hmmm, if only there was some way to utilise the cardboard to make a costume…

Perhaps you need some inspiration from the Cardboard Gundam! This fun build by Tino Poutiainen is presented in a tan colour scheme that works perfectly for the model. The eyes are represented by Technic hole bricks and provides the model with a gormless expression. Even the floppy shield is great as the bend represents a fold in the cardboard. The application of stickers prevents the build from looking too plain and with an interesting selection used, see if you can recognise what sets the stickers are from. Armed with what appears to be a NERF gun and cardboard tube beam saber on its back, this must truly be the most powerful Gundam.

So, there you have it. How’s your costume looking now? What’s that? You spent all night building those LEGO sets instead? Good choice.

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Those that watch as cities fall

Ominous beings turn their gaze upon the last city as it is swallowed by the rising sands, the rubble of ancient roads leading to and from nothingness. Otherworldly figures and a crumbling metropolis created by the laudable Tino Poutiainen inspire plenty of stories to tease our minds. Titled Trio, this mysterious group of dark figures with lantern-like heads tower over the ruins of a great city as it fades into the dunes. The construction of this scene transcends its components. This microscale model almost doesn’t even look like LEGO! Bars and bar clips attach to 2×2 plates with holes that give the figures their long legs and rounded bodies. Their lamplight heads use radar dishes with white studs or a rounded bottom plate for contrast. The tan plates and cheese wedges lead into a block of light bluish grey plates and tiles in various orientations, accented with grill tiles whose exposed sides make up the windows of the city. A fantastic model reminiscent of the post-apocalyptic world of Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind.

Say Hello to the Hygogg

From the anime, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, comes the weird humanoid octopus that is the Hygogg. Though it might not look like it, the Hygogg is an actually aquatic mech, used in special operations. Tino Poutiainen has captured the alien look of the original design while also adding his own unique style to the build. A variation of slope pieces have been used to great effect to create the wide shoulders and bulky wrists. The small pink eye in the centre of the torso could be the tip of a lipstick piece and the stickers used on the head are also accurate to the original design. Tino has done an excellent job of creating this oddly proportioned mech in LEGO form.

If you care to step outside, there’s work to do

Life in space sounds fun, but there’s still work to be done. Tino Poutiainen shows us a slice of orbital life in Starboard drydock, complete with a complex clump of technology and a cleverly constructed astronaut. Standout details include the layered helmets, flex tube arms, and astromech head incorporated into the backpack. The satellite is super swanky, too, with an interesting hinged cover for the electronics. The organic curves from the string elements add just a touch of weightlessness to the scene as well.

Tino is no stranger to sharing cool space-themed builds, but my favorite creation of theirs is the more fantastic Glass Cerebus. What’s your pick?

It’s time to take a stand

What makes a great LEGO spaceship? A stylish cockpit? Massive engines? Mindblowing stickers all over the wings? Tino Poutiainen has a different view, and it’s all about the stand. The first time I saw this stunning built, my attention was instantly captured by the fantastic design of the base that the ship is resting on. So simple and clever, it proves that you don’t need thousands of different kinds of pieces to surprise everyone with something new. And once I noticed the ship, I can’t help smiling at the smart use of the Technic Roborider head in red.

I’m just trying to appreciate the gravity of the anti-gravity situation

I’m something of a sucker for sleek, futuristic racers. Whether the physics of the blazing fast machines checks out is another matter, but I’m no scientist, so who cares? As long as it looks cool, I’m happy. Tino Poutiainen knows how to build something with LEGO that’s just up my alley, inspired by the videogame Wipeout, which is all about anti-gravity racers. How does it work? Umm, well, shoot, where’s one of those scientists now when I need them? Er, it works, you see, by utilizing the power of superb color blocking (the Blacktron fan in me is loving the black and yellow, especially the thin stripe in the back using hinge bricks) along with a perfect amount of greebling, together with a simple yet crisp base in a contrasting color. Does it look fast? Yes. Is it sleek? Yes. Is it just about perfect? Yes.

This isn’t the first time we’ve featured LEGO builds by Tino Poutiainen, nor is it the first time we’ve featured some LEGO Wipeout anti-gravity racers. You should do yourself a favor and check them out.

It takes guts to build something like this

I have resorted to cheap puns to grab your attention with that title but now that you’re here, you’ve got to admit this is pretty cool. You’re looking at (or looking through) a new LEGO creation by Tino Poutianen called Glass Cerberus. The traditional guardian to the gates of hell is fearsome enough as a three-headed dog but the mythical creature has now seeped into nightmare territory. We’ve seen a lot of gutsy creations lately, what with it being close to Halloween and all. Now if only I could gain this hound’s favor perhaps we can find a favorable end to this post. Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good widdle boy? Just kidding! It all ends in unspeakable horror.

Who coils around the ruins under the sea?

Generally speaking, all the LEGO pieces can be divided into two huge categories: bricks of strict geometrical shapes and more sophisticated, organic-looking elements. The thing is, it takes much more than just a handful of organic shapes to design an awe-inspiring creature — you have to find just the right combination of pieces. This is exactly what Tino Poutiainen achieved in his most recent 12×12 vignette. There are so many things that impressed me in this work, and I particularly like how a dark red flex tube is combined with light yellowish-green fangs. And if you are afraid of sea-serpents, keep your eyes above the water level and you’ll find a set of brilliantly designed sails made with 3×2 cupboard door pieces.

The other other Michelangelo

One of my biggest gripes with a certain variety of religious art is the portrayal of angels. I know you’ve seen it, too. Angels are cute: either chubby naked kids or else delicate and fairy-ish. How could a super-human cosmic entity be cute? Aren’t there any sculptures or paintings of muscle-bound ones that could be played by Chris Hemsworth in a movie? Sure, I know, angels don’t have bodies, and thus no muscles, but still. When one of them is called Michael the Archangel, a warrior of God who fights Satan and casts that fallen angel into Hell, one would expect more than a mild mannered, almost dainty face and spindly limbs in any portrayal, at very least. Enter Tino Poutiainen.

His LEGO version of the archangel might be made of small plastic elements, but there’s some serious power in that torso. And the arms avoid being spindly, too, due to those tires. And that hair! Everyone knows you fight better with serious flow (and play hockey better, too). Coolest of all, though, is that circle of wings that also holds up the halo. Such an elegant touch! The arrows in the shield make good use of the feather element, though who launched them is a mystery; everyone else seems to be cowering away from this mighty protector.

Love LEGO angels? Then check out some more at this link to see ones we’ve featured before!

Mictlantecuhtli? No thanks, I just ate.

In Aztec-culture Mictlantecuhtli was the god of death. In Tino Poutiainen‘s LEGO version, he’s…well, still a god of death, I suppose. Perched atop a grey stepped pyramid, this deity has got to be giving that little golden LEGO microfig the major heebie-jeebies. I really like the figure’s bright colors and innovative posing. There’s clever part usage to appreciate, too, like the blue minifigure hoop-blade weapons for bracelets, dark tan Technic rod skirt, and the silver Technic ball ends for earrings. I also dig that brick-built skull.

And yes, I think I’ve identified a new trend. This is the third creation I’ve written about recently with that “Technic gears for teeth” thing. I’m going to have to give it a try myself.

Just out for a stroll under the old Elktree

Either the hunter in this LEGO creation by Tino Poutiainen is secretly a pacifist, or he’s just clueless, as he strolls along between the giant legs of the elusive Birchwood Elk. A creature who might have been entirely inspired by those black parts used for the hooves, which are truly the perfect part. The foliage sprinkled throughout the legs and antlers, along with the blend of black parts mixed in with the white simulate the distinct look of a Birch tree.

Where Anakin lost a game of The Floor Is Lava

Here’s a teeny tiny LEGO rendition of Mustafar, lava-drenched mining planet, and the venue for The Big Jedi/Sith Showdown between Obi-Wan Kenobi and his errant apprentice Anakin Skywalker. This microscale Star Wars build by Tino Poutiainen is a cracker, packed full of clever parts usage and smart styling. Hammers and spanners make up many of the distinctive details of the mining facility, and a line of rollerskates adds some interesting textures to the structure’s upper surface. Best of all, a miniscule rendition of an AT-AT Imperial Walker which is the smallest-whilst-still-recognisable design I’ve yet seen. Lovely stuff.