The Southern Air Temple

I've never watched The Last Airbender, so I'm unfamiliar with the source for this model by Hacim Bricks. But I can still appreciate a great build without knowing the inspiration. The forced perspective going on here is extremely cool. I really like how the structures in the front are fully 3-D, but the ones towards the back are a lot flatter. This gives the whole build a real sense of depth, even though the builder says it's only 26 studs deep.

But Where's the Ninja?

The Classic Castle Contest is currently under way, and I'm loving it. Every couple days, there are several absolute gems that pop up in my feed. This peaceful Oriental bridge scene by 'LL' is one of my favorites so far. The bridge perfectly evokes classic Eastern architecture, and very cleverly uses the old rope bridge pieces for the arch. But what I like best about this build are those trees. The grey trunks compliment the fall leaves very nicely, and the addition of some roots really makes them look accurate.

Norse ship!

Get it? Nice...Norse... I know, I know. I'm sorry. Anyway, Mark of Falworth built this awesome Viking-esque ship for CCC 14. It seems that building a curvy wooden ship like this would be difficult, but Mark does a fantastic job with it. The shaping on the bow is phenomenal: it has a nice curve overall while still looking like individual planks, just like in real life. Also, the subtly shaded green water makes for a nice change from the slightly unrealistic bright blue water we're used to seeing.

Curvy Carrier

As most of you know (unless your internet has been down for a month), SHIPtember is almost over, which means that lots of ships are finally starting to pop up. Tim Schwalfenberg's latest sci-fi offering is very unorthodox (in the best possible way). Lots of spaceships are very angle-y, with plenty of hard edges. Tim's ship, however, is almost entirely curvy, making for an extremely eye-catching design. I particularly like the few trans-light blue accents; they really go well with the white and gold.

Space Castle Mash-up

When I first saw the Nexo Knights theme, I was excited, because I figured people would jump on the whole medieval sci-fi genre. There haven't been many Nexo Knights MOCs yet, but this one by Dubbadgrim is exactly what I was hoping for. It combines castle elements, like the main wall and the landscaping on the base, with some cool science fiction parts, like the anti-aircraft gun and the robots. I wish we'd see mash-ups like this more often.

Medieval Village

I often can't decide which genre I like more: science fiction or castle. Recently, I've been leaning more towards sci-fi, since SHIPtember's coming pretty soon. But this wonderful build by Mark of Falworth is swaying me back in the other direction. I really like the style of all the buildings; the more rustic wood-and-plaster houses combine beautifully with the elegant stone church. It's too bad that we don't see stone buildings built from tan more often, since this one is splendid.

Firebird

As soon as I saw this beautiful build by VSefrem, I knew I couldn't not blog it. The bird itself is absolutely gorgeous; the repeating circles really give it a lovely texture. But I personally think the tree is just as awesome, since it's extremely organic and non-rectangular. The technique used is very cool and innovative. In fact, I'm not entirely sure how all of those pieces are attached! Consider me wowed.

Just Bobbling Around

This six-pack of Star Wars characters by LegoJalex is the perfect mashup of two highly collectible things: LEGO and bobbleheads. All of the characters are wonderfully chibi, and they very nicely recreate the originals despite their simplicity. And of course, all the figures really bobble, using a brilliantly simple mechanism. Check out the video to see them in action.

To Da Moon!

It seems to me that the "One small step for man" would be a bit smaller here, considering this is LEGO. Dorian Glacet built this awesome Apollo lunar lander and moon rover. The lander uses some clever techniques and looks very accurate (to my untrained eye, at least). But my favorite part of the build is the set of tracks left behind the rover. It looks very cool and really evokes some of those pictures the astronauts took on the moon.

EDIT: This model by Dorian is actually a reworking and representation of a lunar lander built by Saabfan. So, since credit needs to go where it is due, I wanted to mention both builders here. This is a good example of how work from two equally skilled builders can be combined to great effect.

And... Boom!

As much as we all love seeing enormous, complex, meticulously detailed LEGO creations, it's hard to deny the appeal of a clean and simple build, like this brilliant little scene from Letranger Absurde. It's not mind-blowingly huge or complicated, but it's entirely awesome. In fact, its simplicity just serves to highlight the genius NPU in the mushroom cloud.

Cutting-Edge Mechnology

This mech by Gamabomb, who is quickly becoming one of my new favorite builders, is absolutely awesome. With its large head and spindly little legs, it's cartoony enough to have a lot of character, but still looks very realistic and menacing thanks to all the cool details it has. I particularly like the curved bit on the side of the mech's head, as well as the shaping of the angles on its chest.

Shplat!

LEGO is a fantastic medium for activating imagination. Whenever I see a new build, it gets me thinking about a scene from a movie, or about the potential of a new technique or narrative. But this build by Letranger Absurde is the first LEGO build I've seen that makes me think of a specific sound. Every time I look at this picture, I hear a vivid "splat!" just like in Loony Tunes. That splatted bug makes fantastic use of that weird Toy Story octopus bottom, for a true NPU. Brilliant and hilarious work here, not to mention the on-point character building.

Robot Hit Squad

I always love it when a sci-fi creation actually looks realistic and practical. This group of robot assassins by Devid VII is a great example of military sci-fi realism, with lots of functional-looking greebles and a very aggressive, utilitarian look. The drone in front makes great use of minifigure parts, such as using legs as a major part of the arms. Devid says that there are more robots coming in this series, and I can't wait to see them.

In the Barrels

Say what you will about the overall quality of the Peter Jackson Hobbit films, it's hard to deny that the Barrels out of Bond scene from The Desolation of Smaug was pretty cool. This awesome version by Graham Gidman beautifully captures the action. The part of this build that sticks out the most to me is the water: it's fantastically dynamic and extremely convincing. Also, the overall landscaping is very solid, with a few lovely trees, great color-coordination, and some of the best rockwork I've seen in a while. Oh, and those brick-built barrels are awesome.

Tsukiko

Confession time: I never watch any anime, ever. Not saying that I wouldn't like it, I just haven't watched any. So, I have absolutely no idea who or what this build by Djordje is. But I really dig it. This gal is a beautiful example of what can be accomplished by combining System and Bionicle pieces. Also, all the shaping is fantastic (especially on the skirt), and that purple hair is just awesome.

A Herculean Effort

I know what you're thinking. "A post about a SHIP? It's not September yet!" But Migalart apparently didn't get the memo, and I'm not complaining. He says this was his first attempt at a SHIP, which makes this awesome build, named Hercules, even more impressive. There's a lot of great detail in this, from the texturing on the main panels to the center greebling. I particularly like the tiny windows on the front, they really give the ship a great sense of scale. And that photo edit is just gorgeous!

Update: Migalert uploaded a new pic with some tweaks and no effects, what an insanely cool design and execution.

It Is Your Destiny

I've only played Destiny a few times (bad nerd, I know), so I didn't recognize this build by Jayfourke. I do, however, know an awesome spaceship when I see one, and this definitely qualifies. The shaping is very unique and very cool: I particularly like the big scoops and missile pods on the sides. Also, I'm really digging the orange color scheme. It's quite a nice color which doesn't get used often enough, in my opinion.

Having Lots of Faun

As awesome as this build is, I've goat to ask ewe to not faun over it too much so Toltomeja doesn't get sheepish. And I just horned in fur puns. Six now. But anyway, this idyllic scene from a faun-filled valley is very cool. The vegetation is extremely convincing, especially the grapevines and that beautiful tree. I also really like the almost ramshackle roof, which makes great use of minifig flippers.

Just Troopin' Along

I'm not often a huge fan of Bionicle/Hero Factory style MOCs, but Djordje's builds always impress me. This futuristic trooper is no exception. It amazes me how the builder can get such unusual and disparate pieces to mesh smoothly. For example, the bottom of the soldier's head is the cowling from a Chima Speedor. Such a weird piece, and it works perfectly. I also really like how realistically posed this guy is, from the way he's holding the gun to his "come at me, bro" stance.

Strongarm

Two popular types of mechs are ones that look very realistic and utilitarian, and the ones that have a lot of character. This mech by Aaron Williams is both. It's just bursting with character, what with the almost cartoony proportions and the organic pose, but it also looks like it would be useful in the real world. There are lots of awesome little details, such as the hydraulics in the shoulders and the white dot on the left knee. Very cool.