Tag Archives: Tong Xin Jun

I just can’t contain myself!

You have to admit, container homes have been a hot topic as of late and I’ve admittedly watched a few guided tours of them on Youtube. Are they well insulated? Can I still have a vast LEGO room if I lived in one? What about an art room? And a crafts room? These are all questions I don’t yet know the answers to but it doesn’t make me any less intrigued. Tong Xin Jun may be able to answer those questions for me. This little container home looks pretty fabulous. It’s a simple two-story affair with an inviting front porch and a covered stairway chock full of neat build techniques.

Container House II

Around the back, the panels are removed to see how container living might look from the inside. That cozy sofa and TV just might be calling my name.

Container House II (Interior 2)

Corner bakery really takes the cake

Many LEGO builders pay homage to the very popular Creator Expert modular building sets, with good reason. They are full of architectural details, bright colors, and playful slice-of-life scenes. This corner bakery by Tong Xin Jun is a wonderful build inspired by a real-life painting. But while the overall look may seem fairly simple, if you take a closer look you will see many details that show off a lot of interesting techniques.

Corner Bakery

On the ground floor, the windows show racks of freshly-baked loaves of bread and pies. The balcony above the door is made from upside-down curved slopes. But I think my favorite detail is the inverted sloped above the second-floor windows. which are paired with modified plates with slope in a way that seems to fit perfectly.

The perfect combination of Star Wars and Gundam

This stunning model was created by Grammaticul with incredible renders by Tong Xin Jun. The build features elements of a classic X-Wing fighter incorporated into a Gundam mech. The red head crest is actually built to simulate the Rebellion symbol with a kunai piece creating the pointed centre. The X-Wing cockpit is embedded within the mech’s torso and features all main colours of a typical Gundam design. In this first image, there is also the nice touch of a snake piece representing smoke ascending from the barrel of the gun.

Gundam WING X-0 (X-Wing Gundam)

The wings and boosters are splayed out on the back of the model with vibrant pink engine details. Ninja daggers represent the tips of the laser guns which extend from the main wing segments.

Gundam WING X-0 (X-Wing Gundam)

With all that weight, it is no wonder that the model would need a stand. Perhaps we will see this build face off against a TIE fighter combined with a Zaku in the future. The intricate details of the model provide it with a slender and elegant style while having recognizable features of both an X-Wing and a Gundam.

Gundam WING X-0 (X-Wing Gundam)

Beautiful on the outside and on the inside

I had to look really good to see that this model by Tong Xin Jun is built and rendered digitally. The fact that only existing colors were used certainly helped fool the eye. This cute little house is complete. It comes with its own vineyard and wine cellar, and what more could a person ask for during a pandemic? The brick build base makes this model look very polished. Creating a difference in texture between the path towards the house and the lawn adds to the feeling that the lawn is filled with autumn leaves. And have you seen those roof dormers? The best thing about this house is that it is fully furnished from the basement to the attic. And the furniture wasn’t an afterthought. It is designed beautifully. Sometimes a fan of LEGO uses a part in a way it was not designed for, but it just makes sense. The round 2×2 tile with wood grain pattern used as a cutting board/charcuterie plank is an example of this.

Autumn Winery

You’re so vain, I bet you think this model is for you

The Victorian era saw a celebration of the gothic, the elaborate, the ornate, across everything from architecture to wallpaper, from calligraphy to crockery. The period saw a revival of the baroque and rococo styles popular a century before, and furniture design was no exception. This Victorian Vanity Set is a collaborative build by brothers Tong Xin Jun and J.J.Tong. It delivers an amazing recreation of typical rococo styling. The black structure provides an excellent backdrop to the gold detailing, and the white top gives plenty of space for some well-built beauty “equipment.” Don’t miss out on a closer look at the make-up gear, particularly those perfume bottles and the flowers — lovely designs. The seat upholstery is an easily-overlooked highlight of the build, and it’s a great bit of work. Yes, this is a digital build, and I’d be worried about the stability of that mirror frame in “real life,” but it’s a beautiful creation all the same. Great stuff.

LEGO mirror beauty retro

Alright, break it up, dummies!

There is so much to love about this digital ice breaking scene by Tong Xin Jun. The striking color choices of the Land Rover Defender and the vessel it is pulling is appealing to the eye and seems to be this builder’s signature move. The broken ice patterns are nothing short of mesmerizing in their execution, their glass-smooth tops are accurate for a windswept arctic tundra. This is achieved by lying bricks and slopes on their sides in a SNOT (Studs Not On Top) configuration. The slopes change direction only at the bow of the vessel, accurately depicting how ice chunks would react to being plowed through and the transparent bits in the boat’s wake is an excellent touch. The entire composition is indeed a work of art. The scene seems a bit precarious however. Ice chunks smaller than the Land Rover may not support its weight and, as seen from this view, I squint and wonder why all the minifigs would be shirtless in a frigid arctic scene.

Icebreaker

Click to find out why.

The future of Harley-Davidson is bright. Also sea-foam green.

When you think of Harley-Davidson, you probably think of growling fat hogs that guzzle gas and leak oil. But Tong Xin Jun has seen the future of Harleys and it is bright and clean. What you are looking at is a color-modded render utilizing some parts you wouldn’t readily think to use. You may recognize a Mindstorms EV3 Ultrasonic Sensor just over the front tire and Technic actuators act as shock absorbers. Unless there is a stash of odd-colored parts that I don’t know about, this sea-foam green, orange, white, pearl gold, light gray and dark gray combination can’t quite work in real brick with this model. Still, it is an inspired choice by the builder and lends to a sleek, futuristic feel to the bike.

Harley Davidson FullOrbit™ (Left Side)

Here is an alternate view better showcasing those transparent piston cylinders. It would be neat if motorcycle tires came in anything but black, but for now, computer rendering, photo manipulation, or some good old paint are the only ways to get that done.

Harley Davidson FullOrbit™ (Right View)

Yeah, I’ll have a dozen of everything!

You may have seen the LEGO modular building sets, the newest being the 50s Downtown Diner and the Corner Garage. More than a dozen have come out since 2007, and while each is unique, they follow a certain set of rules. Once mastered, builders can use them to imagine new modular buildings of their own to construct a cohesive town layout. Diabetics may want to turn away now because you’re about to watch a writer lapse into a sugar coma as Tong Xin Jun has rendered the perfect doughnut shop to sweeten any town layout. Here Eastern meets Western design elements, as many buildings do in crowded cities. The left section of this modular boasts the aforementioned doughnut shop (mmmm doughnuts) and the apartments above are adorned in rare sand red while the right side sits a cozy Asian noodle shop.

Doughnut Shop

Each floor lifts for maximum playability within, and like all good modulars should be, each interior space is well appointed. The added sun rays in the last photo adds warmth to this cozy and inviting interior. I can just smell the fresh-baked doughnuts wafting through the air.

Doughnut Shop (Exploded View)

Doughnut Shop (Interior)

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to be alone with an entire box of doughnuts. Don’t judge me, I am not proud of what I am about to do. Go check out the builder’s photostream or something or better yet, here is a previous time we featured this same builder. Now go on, stop gawking at me. I am not an animal, I am a human being!