This impressive 3-foot long container ship by Jussi Koskinen can transport over 700 2×4 brick-sized containers from across your living room to wherever you need them. The use of the curved slopes helps create the gently curved contour of the hull, which is reinforced with a sturdy Technic frame that allows one to pick up the ship from either end. Smooth sailing ahead!
70s Sweden. What do you think of? If you didn’t say ABBA, there’s something wrong with you. But here’s a fabulous LEGO diorama from LegoJalex which manages to capture the era perfectly without a hint of the Scandi-SuperTroupers. We’ve got an excellent orange Volvo 242 in the driveway, but for me, it’s the surrounding scenery and attention to detail which make this model pop. I love the textures of the different walls, the use of forced perspective to create the buildings and factories in the distance, and the little touches like the pail and the abandoned football in the grass.
The car itself is a smart model in its own right, well worth a closer look…
Lighthouses are surely the most romantic of buildings — often remote, surrounded by bleak rocks and crashing waves, and dedicated to seeing mariners safely home. Tim Schwalfenberg captures the haunting, desolate beauty of a lonely lighthouse in this fabulous LEGO creation. The almost monochrome colour-scheme creates a melancholy tone, only enhanced by the singular figure on the observation deck, staring out into the night. The subtle splash of yellow in the lamp, and the suggestion of a beam lancing out into the fog are lovely touches. The construction of the lighthouse itself is excellent, with a sense of textured brickwork not often achieved in a single colour, and a beautifully tapered cone.
Well here’s a fine collection of vintage furniture, perfect for adorning the study of any LEGO professor. I’m assuming spacecolonel intended these for an academic’s office because of the crystal skull on display atop the bookcase — seems like the sort of thing a historian or antiquarian might have lying around. Whilst the models are fairly simple, there’s a couple of nice techniques on show here — I particularly liked the window shutter at the base of the grandfather clock, and the depth of detail provided by the brown ice-cream scoop parts used in the coat stand.
If you fancy getting your hands on these fine pieces of furniture, and helping a good cause at the same time, they’re for sale as part of this year’s Creations For Charity event.
Sometimes the use of interesting techniques, or a lot of clever parts usage, can overwhelm a LEGO model — distracting from the creation as a whole, interfering with the design intent. However, this
café model by César Soares manages to create an attractive and cohesive scene whilst being packed to the hilt with ultra-smart building techniques. The brick-built signage and the lovely brick-built furniture might catch the eye first, but don’t miss all the surrounding textures. It’s worth zooming in to check out the tile roofs built of air tanks and ingots, the uneven stone paving, and those walls — the red brick facade is constructed from plates and bars, and the lower grey wall is built out of briefcases!
If you’re looking for a full-service gas station and a cozy diner where you can take a break, then Andrea Lattanzio has the place for you. Take a step back in time to this vintage LEGO gas station complete with diner and repair shop — all your roadside needs taken care of. The rounded corners of the building and its smooth red lines reflect the Art Deco style of the era, and there are great details to be found amongst the fuel pumps, road signs, and telegraph poles. Check out the photos on Flickr for interior details and more.
Take a moment to appreciate the restful atmosphere around the Dudok Pavilion — a restaurant in a park, put together by Niek Geurts. This LEGO creation has wonderful clean and crisp lines, which the builder says was inspired by the Dutch Modernist architect Willem Dudok.
Sometimes these kind of architecture-led creations can feel a little sterile. I like the way Niek has populated the scene with numerous minifigures, enjoying the pavilion facilities on what looks like a pleasant afternoon…
The restaurant has an interior, but it was the little touches around the outside which really caught my eye. I loved the bicycles leaning against the wall. Such a minor detail, but so sweet, and so Dutch!
There are dozens of reasons to love both old and modern LEGO City sets, but still not all adult fans are happy with huge molded pieces that aircraft models are built of. Jussi Koskinen presents a very elegant alternative to bulky fuselages. No surprise it took him about three months to finish this brilliant ATR 72-500, which features a very smartly designed body.
Skilfully designed and executed interior holds 28 passengers, 2 pilots and even a flight attendant — enough room for all your City travellers!
Italian builder Luca Di Lazzaro continues his wonderful series of LEGO buildings — we previously featured his beautiful LEGO street scene and Udine’s Piazza San Giacomo — with another romantic corner of paradise. What I love about each of Luca’s creations is how the buildings are all angled off the grid that LEGO studs enforce on less-innovative builders.
See more scenes and details in this lovely LEGO creation
“Calmwater Cliff House” is a beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired multistoried LEGO house nuzzled into a rocky cliff by a sandy beach. Created using black, dark tan, light tan, and reddish brown — or, as betweenbrickwalls puts it, “the colours of the 20th century” — this is a modern home integrated into the landscape to suit a 21st-century lifestyle.
See more of this Wright-inspired LEGO architectural masterpiece
If your haven’t travelled to Italy this Summer, Luca Di Lazzaro is bringing a piece of Italy to you. This stunning diorama is full of Mediterranean sun thanks to a brilliant choice of colours — tan, dark orange, reddish brown, and some touches of dark green and sand green. However, the unique irregular shaping of this tiny street is what makes the build look totally Italian. No wonder why that tourist minifigure looks so lost and delighted!
An extremely neat piece of Hong Kong by Vincent Lai is actually much more sophisticated than it may seem at the first glance. Three different architectural styles — the “legged” version that stands on the pavement; cantilevered one at the corner; and the typical set-back type with smaller windows — represent the evolution of the city throughout the second half of the last century. Moreover, the diorama tells several stories of ordinary citizens. For instance, an old lady picks up unwanted paper boxes and cartons in exchange of little money, while one of thousands of light trucks, buzzing around the city, is parking outside for loading. And, of course, bonus points are for the retro road sign piece, which is out of production for 20 years already.
