Gladensong (A Fairy Tree House)

While surfing the pages of Eurobricks I happened across this magical gem. The post is from Sean Mayo, of the duo Siercon and Coral, this is from his new profile Random Vector.

Normally I would try and point out techniques and such that make this a special MOC but this time I will be content to let the picture do most of the talking. Just some little bullet points.. 

• The treehouse itself.
• That adorable little boat.
• Well everything really....

As a side note if you want to explain what it means to be an AFOL and want to show someone what we aspire to, you could do worse than send people a link to Sean and Stephs flickr. It's a real tour de force of techniques, themes and style.

He Ain't Heavy.. He's the Mark/5...

Nick Trotta brings us the Heavy Light Mk/5. Mark tells us this began with major inspiration from a sketch by the talented J. C. Park. As the build continued Nick put in his own refinements with help from a number of building buddies. The colour scheme is great with the wonderful yellow accents really popping. One of my favourite aspects of the build is the way this looks like a real world craft rather than a sci fi build. The complex angles are seemlessly integrated and the snot work all over is very easy on the eye.  

I'm also a big fan of the subtle sticker use and the engine details too. If like me, you want to see more about how this craft is built, you can watch a quick video Nick has uploaded on his stream.

Hauptmann Jäger

With the last embers of SHIPtember fading away we are now in the slightly more eclectic embrace of the Ma.Ktoberfest. For those unfamiliar with the Ma.K (Maschinen Kreiger) universe, its a world ravaged by nuclear war. The forces that remain operate all manner of mecha, hardsuit and flyers.

Calin has revisited the iconic hardsuit that most people associate with the Ma.K aesthetic having built one previously in 2012. The red colouring is a slight departure from the usual greens, greys and olive colours but for me that just adds to its appeal.

The builder has skilfully integrated the minifigs head into the MOC with an open cockpit. This for me  is truly what differentiates and elevates it above builds of its kind. Fans of Ma.K will applaud the use of the star wars pilot helmet as it really resonates with the pilot models used in the original kits from the 80's.

Boss Fight

I must confess I haven't actually played a castlevania title since the late 80's but when I saw this build I knew that a) Jerac is back! b) I want to dust off my emulator and hit the retro trail!

I don't know the creatures name but he comes from the game Aria of Sorrow.  As usual this Boss starts off as your average Joe,  a fireballing guy in a suit but after a good whipping and a healthy stomp or two he morphs into this flying behemoth.

There is so much to enjoy about this MOC, the body shaping, flowing hair and bone work topped off with those vibrant red entrails and a bang tidy edit to boot! Welcome back Jerac I for one have missed you!

Braewood Castle

JAAPXAPP has finished his first largish scale Castle MOC and I love it! The roof work is a particular highlight. For me The walls hit exactly the right balance between detail and not being too busy! I really like the area around the door frame, and those the arches are perfect. The gentle curves on the roof give it that authentic fairy tale feel. It might be a bit controversial but I am not the biggest fan of the ultra piece intensive, higgledy-piggedly castles which seem to be in vogue right now, I do appreciate the aesthetics on those but this looks like a proper castle that has been built to last!

The colours and textures of this build are an instant winner for me and as always with my favourite builds there are a nice selection of minifigs with excellent posing adding a nice touch of flavour.

Geek Chic - Fabulous Furniture

LeTranger Absurde brings us this delightful set of office furniture! The scale is quite deceptive, I'm not normally one to get excited about furniture (my wife loves cushions and mirrors) but this really tickled my fancy.  I love those micro star wars vehicles on the desk ahd the inclusion of minifigs as dolls is a delight. I also really admire the details of the wood panels that fabulous lampshade. Why not swing by and take a look LeTranger's photostream it's abound with delights!

Things Are Never As Scary When You've Got a Best Friend.

Adam Dodge brings us these instantly recognizable Brickheadz of cult favorites Calvin and Hobbes. Adam admits to "stretching" the accepted boundaries to make the Hobbes build more proportionately appropriate. Adam is on a roll with this theme, it's one I personally haven't bought into just yet but I'm certainly starting to see the appeal!

Things Are Looking.... UP!

Jonas Kramm has built this wonderful little MOC of Carl Fredricksens flying house from the 2009 PIXAR movie UP! Jonas explains he has a very limited amount of the right colored LEGO bricks so this was his solution - to build at a smaller scale. There's a lot to admire here, the vibrant use of colors, the snot work, the wonderful lattice work on the porch and those cleverly mounted window frames. Another classic from Jonas, it certainly lifted my spirits UP!

Dual Cowl Phaeton Duesenberg

Builder Bricksonwheels has created a 1:8:5 scale replica of a little known luxury car the 1935 Duesenberg SJ Dual Cowl Phaeton. I must admit I was not familiar with the car but a quick google images search reinforced my first instincts, this is one of the best LEGO scale models I've ever seen. The tasteful use of chromed pieces really finish off this piece of art. The details on the build really catch the eye. the delicate windscreen wipers, rear view mirror and hood mounted mascot are delightfully ornate, not to mention the clever parts usage of the chromed telephone receivers as door handles.

Let's take a look beneath the stylish curves of the hood, the builder has paid meticulous attention to recreating the supercharged 419cu (6.8 liter) eight in line engine. This car was capable of a top speed of 205 km/h - quite a feat in 1935!

If all the above wasn't enough the doors also open, there is a detailed interior and the soft top roof comes down! Head over and take a look you won't regret it!

Gobble Gobble... Blam Blam Blam!

timofey_tkachev is full of surprises. He recently wowed us with his ORCA. So I opened up Flickr and saw this turkey MOC. Decent build I thought, love the use of the balloon pieces for the wings! and the presentation with the plate and real glasses is bang tidy.

It turns out this is actually a transformer! Timothy spares us any wacky back story or explanation. I like to think this is a highly sophisticated 21st century assassin robot sent by ultra radical vegans intent on eradicating meat eaters....This could just as easily have come from the latest episode of Rick and Morty, I just don't know - maybe one of you guys can fill me in? Either way I love both aspects of the build. Head over to his stream and take a look! I just dig that minifig turkey as the face and top half of the turkeybots head!

Hope this doesn't put you off your dinner!

IG-88 Assassin Droid - Watch Out Meatbags!

IG-88 is arguably the deadliest Robot Bounty Hunter in the Star Wars universe. Eric Druon has updated his IG-88 robot MOC previously made in 2007. This super accurate build measures 40cm/16" tall and has plenty of articulation and great detailing. I love the bandolier, and am pleased to see the droids distinctive silhouette has been so faithfully reconstructed.

Younger readers may not remember IG-88 from the movies as he only has a very brief cameo in the Empire Strikes Back. He does also appear in an episode of the Disney Forces of Destiny episode "Bounty of Trouble".

I wonder if Holowan Laboratories are hiring if so Eric is a shoe in for their next vacancy!

Brick Bank Is On The Money!

As a huge fan of the wild west as a setting and LEGO theme I was delighted to find the "Brick Bank" by builder Paul Trach. It looks as though Paul has decided to upgrade the Creator set 10251 and repurpose it for the Wild West Theme. Paul explains he has built this for a competition over at his LUG Rogue Bricks. I've seen some other really strong entries already and the Lug seems full of great builders, but this is so far the standout for me!

The builder has gone to great lengths to ensure a level of quality that runs all the way through the MOC from top to bottom. The roof has a super water barrel and that funky little winch (was it used to install a small safe in the managers office upstairs?) and the brick built signs show a dedication to doing things right - no easy way out with a sticker here! Did I mention the use of the flat silver ice cream tops for the railings -  tekkers!

Let's also take a moment to admire the 45 degree angle of the build itself. There is some serious SNOT work going on here and I love it. The façade of the building has some fine decorative adornments and a delicate clock (don't be late to deposit your money).

Possibly my favourite detail on the build is the way in which the lattice work on the windows has been crafted using whips, these are highlighted by contrast to the trans green stained glass window panes constructed behind it.

As if those details aren't enough Paul has thrown in some authentic looking swing doors,  a beautiful pair of flowering cacti, fantastic use of the light grey ingots on the snot work base of the building and a delightful selection of dapper looking minifigs.

Paul's stream is full of great builds in a variety of themes - head over and take a look!

BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!

Builder Alex Jones aka Orion Pax is back and seemingly on a one man crusade to recreate the toys of my (and many other fella's of a certain age) childhood in LEGO form. His latest build is what looks like an almost 1:1 scale recreation of HE-MAN and his best pal and trusty steed BATTLE-CAT stars of the "HE-MAN and the Masters of the Universe" cartoon.  Alex has faithfully recreated the furry pant wearing hero of the 80's - The recent release of the Batman - Clayface playset making the tanned complexion of HE-MAN possible. The detail on Battle Cats armoured mask in particular makes it almost indistinguishable from the rigid plastic version many of us owned way back then. Although I'm personally not a fan of sculpting, he's done a fantastic job of recreating HE-MAN's face using a Buzz Lightyear head as a base.

As a kid I loved Tuesday afternoons at 4 o'clock for my taste of Eternian action with a dose of morality at the end for good measure. I hope Alex gets round to giving Skeletor and Panthor the same treatment soon!