L.01 NAVY STAR

Mechs are so prevalent in the AFOL community that it's hard to stand out. I see them literally every day, and it really takes something special to get my attention, something like this MOC from Moko. There's not one particular feature of this Gundam that stands out necessarily, but the whole package. It has excellent construction, cool color choices, nice poses (click through for more pics) and excellent photography. It's the whole enchilada, and pretty badass.

Tony Stark's Lab

Iron Man fans should recognize this instantly, it's Tony Stark's lab in his Malibu mansion. This large interior MOC from kissyfur_ok is totally packed with detail everywhere you look. Going through the pictures will remind you of several scenes from the movies and you'll find excellent little easter eggs, just like a Marvel movie. Click through for more pics, it's worth it.

Did You Get That Memo?

This is sort of my personal hell. I always swore I would never work at a place like this and I'm happy to report I never have. Of course, the mainframe/terminal computer system was gone by the time I entered the workforce so there was little chance of that. That being said, this MOC by LegoJalex perfectly recreates what used to be cutting edge business technology in splendid black & white. Now, do you have that TPS report?

Childhood In The Basement

I can remember vividly when the first Atari 2600 came to my house. We played Tank and Space Invaders until we saw them in our sleep. And we pondered endlessly why PacMan looked so terrible and went "bonk bonk". This MOC by Chris McVeigh is not only a marvel of clever building, it's a bona fide time machine, capable of serious doses of nostalgia. And the best news is you can have one for yourself on March 9th from his website!

Music Shop

It's been a long time since I've had a local music store. I've never had a lick of musical talent, but I've always loved to dabble with it, and occasionally I make something almost "musical". I imagine if this shop by builder Jme Wheeler had been in my home town I would have been there all the time. I really dig the two story design, with the classic showroom on the bottom floor and a fantastic recording studio above. This makes me want to break out my drum set and make some noise.

Ultron

The second Avengers movie will be out soon, and Ultron will be unleashed on the world. And it won't be long until we see action figures, t-shirts and PEZ dispensers. But we didn't have to wait for the movie to come out before we got this stunning bust by builder Rancorbait. What I'm really looking forward to however is opening my door this halloween to be greeted by a 2'3" Ultron with a bag. But I'll be ready for him with a bowl of Jawbreakers, the perfect weapon against adamantium.

Deadpool

While everyone knows I'm not much into comics, it doesn't take a genius to know the popularity of this character. One walk around the floor at San Diego Comic Con and you'll spot many, of varying sizes and weights. Very few of them are as badass as this MOC from nobu_tary though. And while the Nixel face belt buckle isn't totally accurate to the illustrations, it's totally in line with his character.

Burger Mascot

Can there be any finer mascot than a burger (I mean, besides a nerdy, bespectacled brick of course)? My dad had one for Tom's Burgers in Lompoc, McD's has Mayor McCheese and Krystal has one too. So this mascot for vitreolum's Mocathalon team joins a proud heritage, and looks awesome.

The Only Oscar I Ever Cared About

Not to take anything away from my friends that were nominated (no really, congrats!) but I've never really cared about the Oscars. That is of course unless we're talking about everyone's favorite can-dwelling grouch. I grew up watching PBS and Sesame Street, and Oscar was always a favorite. This version by Legohaulic does him justice, in all his grumpiness.

Land Beast

I never really got into D&D as a teen, we played Aftermath, a post apocalyptic role playing game. I remember one particular campaign I ran that had our heroes in one of these (then a brand new vehicle) a Suzuki Samurai. Ours was heavily modified to survive the harshness of a Road Warrior type life. This one, skillfully recreated by builder Lino M was built for climbing, serious climbing, like the highest climbing ever done. Can you believe a Suzuki Samurai climbed the highest peak ever conquered by a four wheeled vehicle? This one did.

It's Bigger On The Inside

Despite several attempts by friends I still haven't really delved into the world of Dr. Who, but I can truly appreciate the world's affection for the good doctor. And I can appreciate outstanding building skills as demonstrated on this excellent recreation of the TARDIS interior by Xenomurphy. The attention to detail not only from a show standpoint but also from a production design and set construction point of view just makes me happy.

Hey! Listen!

My love for the Zelda franchise is well known, I'm also pretty fond of builder powerpig. So to have this pop up in my Flickr feed was a total squee moment for these very weary eyes. When Link was "cartooned" for the Windwaker title it was controversial to say the least, but I can honestly say I never really cared much. It took a short while to get used to, but the game was phenomenal. This Brick Sketch of our favorite quiet hero is perfect.

A Study In 1701

Over 40 years passed between designs for the original USS Enterprise for the classic Star Trek series and JJ Abrams movies, but the basic design stayed the same. Builder Riskjockey gives us a side by side comparison of old and new. And while the original was very simplistic by today's standards, it was cutting edge for the time. Yes, the sets were low budget and boxy way back then, but the new one has an engineering section the looks an awful lot like a brewery.

Where Everyone Knows Your Name

The first thing I thought of when I saw this wonderful "vintage photo" by MiniFigNick was the old Adventurer's Club at Disney's Pleasure Island (what a fantastic place that was). Of course this image is just a small section of the larger interior of the Gentleman's Club. Which incidentally looks like an awesome place to hang out, where do I sign up?

New Year Yummies

I won't pretend to know much about Chinese New Year, but I do know candy! This lovely MOC by builder Andybear was one of those "skip over at first since the thumbnail fooled you" moments for me. I mean really, look at the detail and care that went into this. While the treats inside look marvelous, my favorite detail has got to be the lid of the box, that's stellar work.

Autobots...Roll Out

While I'm not the biggest Transformers fan, and certainly not a Michael Bay fan, this MOC really caught my eye. It takes some serious building chops to get this much form and detail into such a small package. I never thought I'd see a MOC of the movie Optimus Prime at this scale, but here he is, and he's pretty awesome.

Snow Miku

I know it's winter. I know this because Santa visited recently and shorts are hard to find in the stores. Yes, it's snowing and cold in a great many places in the northern hemisphere, but California isn't one of those places (as in not cold, we're still in the northern hemisphere, most of the time). I also know it's winter because of awesome MOCs like this one from MikeVD. Yes, Miku looks quite cozy in her winter coat with her furry little friend.

You Scream, I Scream

We all scream for this wonderful ice cream MOC by shfio. The studs out SNOT construction of this delicately swirled ABS treat are a wonder to behold. We've all seen builds of this type before, but the fact that it not only swirls upward but also diminishes as it goes up sort of blows my mind. It's like a brain freeze, without all the calories.

White Tiger

I've seen white tigers in person, they are majestic big cats with an almost regal air to them. You feel like you should bowing and swearing allegiance in their presence. Builder dennis qiu has crafted a ferocious yet stunningly beautiful and surprisingly pose-able MOC worthy of this fantastic creature. Click through for more pics.

Thanks for the head's up jaderosenblitt!

Harley Davidson Cali Style Lowrider

When I saw the work in progress shot of this beast I knew we were all in for something special, and I was right. This is one of the best motorcycle MOCs I've ever seen. I've always had an admiration for custom Harleys, they have a style which makes them instantly recognizable yet totally unique, and builder bricksonwheels has captured that. The color selections here, from the contrasting greens to the custom chromed and gold plated elements make this one spectacular piece of art.