It's Getting Scary Around Here

October is here. That means pumpkin spice everything, BrickCon (which I'm not at, boo) and heaps of fun halloween MOCs. This piece by vitreolum is as much art as it is seasonal, and who doesn't enjoy a sexy witch? This style of building, which I'm going to dub "silhousaic" (sill-o-say-ic) has become more and more popular with builders, but vitreolum is setting a new bar recently.

Vimes

I still know nearly nothing about Discworld, but as more and more of these fantastic MOCs from Pate-Keetongu get posted, I get more and more curious. There's lots of cool techniques and details on this guy, but that chainmail on the shoulders is the defining feature of this excellent figure.

Astra Luminaria

This is one of those MOCs that makes you go "whaaaaaaaa?" This gorgeous and unconventional space ship by d2hiriyuu is as much art as it is fantastical science fiction. The geodesic construction alone is enough to boggle the mind and delight the eyes. But add to that the surrounding structure and internal illumination and you have one absolutely jaw-dropping piece of art.

Thanks for the head's up Jader!

Ripley's Nightmare

Nothing like surviving a traumatic deep space event involving a murderous xenomorph then hypersleep for 57 years to mess up your sleep cycles huh? When Ripley finally made her way back to earth, she had a few issues to work through, not the least of which was the nightmares. This one in particular, expertly recreated by Grantmasters, would be enough to rattle anyone.

EVE Scorpion Battleship

And so the SHIPtember series of awesome builds continues... 

Pico van Grootveld has engineered this studio-quality model from the EVE online game.  Built on a double beam technic frame, Pico admits gravity was an issue for this 130X120X70, 22lb beast.  "Wouldn't want to be an ABS beam in there!"  No, I certainly would not...  Check out his photostream for close up shots and WIP pics. 

I asked him, as I often do,  if it's swooshable.   He says a swoosh video is in the works, so stay tuned!

Reactor

It's weird how a lifetime of filmmaking has altered the way I look at the world. When I see a scene like this I'm not thinking "wow, cool use of (insert part here)" or "cool, a space MOC". I'm hearing the thrum of the space station, slowly trucking in as the crew enters the scene, listening to the french horns as they play a subtle scene intro sting and watching the visual effects of the energy coursing through the reactor core. Thanks for the spacy, cinematic moment Bricking It.

The Device That Stole My Childhood

When I look back on 1977 it's with fondness and awe. In that one pivotal and influential year we got the Commodore PET, CHiPs, Jimmy Carter, Atari 2600, Three's Company, Saturday Night Fever and of course Star Wars. And then there's this device. Prior to Electronic Football we were quite content to just go outside and throw dirt clods at each other. But that all changed, our thumbs grew new and interesting calluses and we never saw the sun again. Hey Gameboy, 3DS, PSP and all other handheld gaming devices, meet your grandfather. Nice build jtheels.

And the SHIPs come rolling in...

With only two days left in SHIPtember, we're starting to see completed SHIPs pull in to dock. Some of them, especially this beauty by LEGOLIZE IT MAN, are making the rest of us look like amateurs. This gorgeous battlecruiser utilizes some wonderful oddball color combinations, and really looks like it could dish out some serious punishment. If you haven't finished your own SHIP yet - get to it! There's only a day and a half left...

Stewie

I don't watch much Family Guy, but when I do Stewie is my favorite character. I'm pretty sure however my son has watched every single episode. This figure by 6kyubi6 pretty much nailed him, and it's clear he's up to his typical mischief.

Gonk

One of the most endearing things about the original trilogy, and ANH in particular was the scrappy, get-it-done attitude of all stages of production. The prop guys were particularly resourceful, turning flash handles into lightsabers and airplane parts into droids. The Gonk, perfectly recreated by builder breaksbricks72 here, was pretty much two bins, discarded electronics and some ducting, brilliant.

Teenage Jesus/Baby Doll

This is one of those pieces that you can easily miss because it's so well done you might just skip over it confusing it's thumbnail for just a photo. According to builder vitreolum it's the single most difficult MOC he's ever built, and I can believe it. Just compare it to the actual album cover and you can see what a labor of love this was.

Knight

Humans sure are a quirky bunch aren't they? It's hard to believe at one point it was totally normal to clad yourself in a head-to-toe metal skin and go beat the crap out of someone else similarly encased. And for extra mobility, you could deck out your horse in similar alloy derma so you could both set out Spam-clad and ready for battle. As odd a concept as it it, you can't deny they looked badass, like this shiny Bionicle MOC by nobu_tary, huzzah! 

Lincoln Logs

I have mixed feelings for this toy from my youth. I remember having Lincoln Logs, and they were fun...to a point. There's only so many times you can built the same little cabin over and over before you start looking for other uses, like battlefield decorations for GiJoe. But Lincoln Logs built out of LEGO, like these from jtheels? Sign me up! 

Firepower

For the ultimate in large frame combat or urban pacification look no further than the XXXG-01H Gundam Heavyarms. The "Zero Three" combines everything you expect in mecha form factor plus enough armament to level a small city. All this with a cockpit that pampers the driver. With rich corinthian leather, burled walnut accents and a 14 speaker sound system that will liquify your colon. So be prepared warriors, it's time to suit up! 

(nice build Moko ;-)

Astérix & Obélix

Being an American growing up in the middle of nowhere, I had no exposure to Astérix & Obélix, and to be honest, I have no idea who these characters are. I mean, I saw this MOC by vitreolum I though "cool, Astérix & Obélix". Then I realized, I have no idea who is who. Then I realized I always assumed that was their names, but as far as I knew, it could be their favorite food, or anything else, I had no idea. What I do know is these are awesome character builds, the rest I'll have to spend some time researching.

Born To Rune

I must confess I know nothing about Discworld, and in my present state of frenzy I have no time to fake it with a quick google search. But this marvelous MOC by Pate-keetongu popped up on the screen saver of my AppleTV here in the studio and I was instantly captivated. I'll have to go back later and learn more about him, but in the mean time I'll just admire his eccentric outfit and outstanding details.

MIDA Multi-Tool Scout Rifle

This is awesome. How many times have you been playing a first-person-shooter and thought "man I wish I had a full scale model of this weapon to display". Well builder Simply Complex Simplicity did, and when ahead and built one from LEGO, and it turned out phenomenal. Not only that, he put together a fantastic video about it, check it out!

Tin Toy

Fans of early CGI character work should recognize this. Way back when Pixar was a new company and pushing hard to break new ground in computer generated imagery and legitimizing CGI as a story telling tool, they produced shorts. Early works like Andre and Wally B and Luxo Jr showed promise and hints of a world to come, but Tin Toy was really the watershed moment. Billy the baby still sort of creeps me out, but Tinny is as charming as ever, especially when built in bricks. Nice work Swan Dutchman!

"Who Is She? She's Beautiful..."

I'm not ashamed to admit a boyhood crush on a certain princess from a certain space opera. When Star Wars came out we all wanted to be Luke Skywalker, beat Darth Vader and kiss Princess Leia (back then we didn't know about the whole sister thing, cut me some slack). This figure from lucbyard captures something that most figures of Leia seem to miss, her confident swagger. You have to admit, Leia kicked some ass when she wasn't being totally adorable.

East Bound And Down

You know what's strange? I have almost no memory of Smokey and the Bandit (unlike my favorite guilty pleasure Hooper). I know the basic plot, I know I saw it as a kid, I can sing along with the theme when they play it aboard the Disney Wonder on deck 3 forward. But I don't remember it. I do recall vividly everybody wanted one of these Trans Am's after the movie came out (and a CB radio, man the 70's were weird), and now Mad Physicist has one of his own.