Tag Archives: Zombies

Briiiiiiicks... Briiiicks!

The stereotype for zombies is that they wander aimlessly, looking for brains. But Dan Ko‘s is a little different. If you listen closely, you’ll find that some of them aren’t actually looking for brains, but for bricks. It seems even AFOLs aren’t safe from the zombie apocalypse. Brains are no good! Zombified Fans of LEGO (ZFOLs) need bricks to fill their heads with. This one has turned to a pink roller skate, which by coincidence does look a bit like a regular brain. All the better to blend in with the horde of the undead!

Zombiiiies!

Check for cordyceps with this LEGO FEDRA scanner from The Last of Us

Like many, I’ve been glued to my TV every Sunday night to watch the next episode of The Last of Us, a show (based on a popular video game series) that supposes a world overrun with fungally-infected zombies. The remaining shreds of the US government, known as FEDRA, rely on handheld scanners to check citizens for potential infection of the mind-manipulating cordyceps fungus. And Julie vanderMeulen gives us one of those very scanners in LEGO form. Her construction has some wonderful clean lines, masterfully utilizing curved and straight slopes to give the device the proper shape. I love the simplicity of the trans-green screen, indicating an uninfected individual. The grid pattern made by the transparent 1×2 bricks replicating the lines of lights on the scanner from the show. But the perfect touch is her use of the gear at the top of the box, adding just a bit of technological texture to an otherwise sleek design.

FEDRA scanner

Halloween Zombie Freak-Out 2019!

What are your Halloween plans? Mine are to buy a bag of candy for trick-or-treaters, stay in and watch a few schlock horror flicks, but leave the lights out in hopes trick-or-treaters won’t actually come so as to have all the delicious candy for myself. What? Don’t judge. I like schlock horror flicks. It would seem Pieter Dennison has some schlock Halloween plans of his own that involve surviving the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Shipping containers make great zombie deterrents (right up until they learn to climb) and a rickety ladder serves as optimum transport between the two of them. I can’t see how that can go badly. Cattails (nature’s corndogs) populate the center area while the power lines in the background are an excellent touch. If this layout was a movie, I’d totally watch it with a bag of candy. Trick-or-treaters be damned!

halloween 2019

The zombies are coming, so why aren’t you running?

I would not like to be the lone man with the dog in this latest build from Austrian builder Sanel Lukovic. With only his trusted canine companion and his guns, gear, and guts, things do not look hopeful with a ravening herd of mindless zombies pouring around every corner down the decrepit street. The decay and dereliction of the once bustling industrial sector is beautifully crafted, with exposed studs here and there showing how things have been slowly coming apart. Bits of various brownish hues sprinkled about create the appearance of rusted metal, while the overgrown vegetation tells us that no one with any brains has lived there for some time. So why has the lone figure returned to risk his noggin among such undead adversaries? We don’t know.

Apoca zombie

What we do know is that the scene itself is huge, with the sprawling rail yards and the broken street. I love the stacked shipping containers with partially opened doors using minifigure hands as handles, as well as the brick warehouse facade with cleverly arched windows. Sharp eyes will notice that the large spool for cables in the foreground is made from two Fabuland tables placed end-to-end. Some builders might disagree with me, but I also appreciate it when tiles are not fully pressed down to look like loose boards, like on the flatbed rail car. Careful details and creative parts usages abound throughout, making this a build that needs to looked at a few times to see everything.

Detail picture 4

It’s close to midnight, and something evil lurkin’ in the dark...

There were a couple of things about Plants vs Zombies that kept me hooked to the game a little longer than it was probably supposed to – the mesmerizing and never-ending melody and seeing this particular reference to Michael Jackson in zombie form! Builder Hsinwei Chi beautifully captures the in-game version of Michael in full detail, including his signature one-handed white glove. The power of pop culture just makes me want to whip out my mobile device and take it for another spin!

PVZ Michael Jackson

Hit more to see a couple extra iconic poses!

Zed gets taken to the curb like the trash that he is

It feels like years since we’ve featured brightly colored zombie-fighting vehicles, so I’m rather pleased by this “apocafied” garbage truck built by Guy Smiley. Not only do all the great post-apocalyptic add-ons work wonderfully — the slatted front windscreen, the spikes, gun turret, and roof rack with sun shade — the underlying truck is excellent, particularly the trash can lift mechanism.

Zombie Trasher

Guy says he built this for a zombie-themed contest, so I hope we see more excellent vehicles like this in the coming weeks, though Guy has certainly set the bar high for other builders!

When the zombies come, a damp cellar is like a palace

While not luxurious, it is definetely the desire of any apocalypse survivor to find somewhere like this cellar to hunker down. This particular “palace” by Gareth Gidman was built for the Brrraaaaaaaiiiiinnnssss!!! contest on Eurobricks. The cellar section looks very lived-in, with weapons and sustenance positioned so it looks filled, but not cluttered. I should point out the use of broken tiles; while not purist, it is good that the builder found a way to still use his ruined pieces. On the ground level we see some well-built decay with a broken window, overgrowth, and cracks in the walls. Some nice minifig action makes for a well-rounded scene.

The Hideout

(As a side note, I have seen brown pieces break much more often than other colours, and seeing Gareth’s broken brown tiles, I am more convinced that this is statistically relevant.)

You want to know what I was before all this? I was nobody. Nothing.

Fans of the graphic novels or the AMC show will appreciate these Walking Dead LEGO creations by Jonas Obermaier. The first scene features everyone’s favorite post-apocalyptic redneck, Daryl Dixon. Jonas created a sleek motorcycle for Daryl that has just enough detail (look, there’s even some chrome!) to look like a million bucks. He also turned out Daryl’s legs for a more natural pose.

Daryl Dixon's bike

Jonas’s other Walking Dead build is a gruesome scene featuring Negan. There are a lot of interesting building techniques here, but what I love most is the ribbed hose (cut into strips) used to enhance Negan’s bat. And word on the street is that Jonas is working on a larger Walking Dead display for ComicCon Germany, so we should be seeing even more Walking Dead LEGO very soon!

Negan

Zombie outbreak at the last enclave

Is this encampment the last bastion of humanity in a world gone awry? Or are there other holdouts, lone refuges for the few who still know friend from foe. I suspect the inhabitants of this outpost created by Lego Master don’t know, but they’ll keep on fighting against the undead hoards no matter what.

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Click to see more of this huge zombie apocalypse diorama

Dale Horvath’s RV from The Walking Dead in LEGO [Instructions]

While Dale may not get to enjoy his retirement driving around the country with his wife in an RV, we can all enjoy this great LEGO rendition of his iconic vehicle from the first two seasons of The Walking Dead, built by hachiroku24. The builder has included numerous key details, including all the gear Dale needs on his roof to keep watch over the survivors’ camp. I particularly like the rolled up awning.

Dale's RV from The Walkind Dead (with instructions)

If you want to build your own LEGO version of Dale’s RV, the builder has provided step-by-step instructions in the following video.

The (LEGO) Walking Dead

I have to disclose I’ve not ever seen The Walking Dead, inspiration for Jerome Vaillant‘s gorgeous diorama. I can’t speak to show accuracy or what it’s portraying, but man do I appreciate some of the lovely landscaping techniques going on here.

There’s a lovely sense of overgrowth, and I absolutely love the goat pen. That, along with the sunflowers, really caught my eye. Then there’s the buildings. They are lovely, dilapidated, and full of detail with the siding, doors, and foundation. I love how the windows look with the brown framing.

Here's not here

I highly encourage you to check out Jerome’s photostream for more amazing scenes from The Walking Dead and other popular films and shows.

It’s Alive!

Kosmas Santosa got out of his comfort zone, due to a challenge from a friend, and built this scene of the undead coming back to life. The atmosphere he has achieved here is awesomely creepy. I give me the chills just looking at it.

Graveyard (OYCZ Challenge)