Oops

The first reaction to seeing this fantastic MOC by monstrophonic is likely "whoa, there's a train hanging out of that building" followed shortly by some internal calculations of the plausibility of this scenario. The thing is, this really happened. On October 22, 1895, in an attempt to get back on schedule, the driver of the Granville–Paris Express entered the station too fast and when the brakes failed the train burst through the buffer stop and station wall, coming to rest on the street below.

A Master Class in Mecha

I've been laid up at home with an awful illness for the past week and a half, and to pass the time outside of LEGO I've been working on something I've wanted to try my hand at for a long time - a Mobile Suit Gundam master grade model kit. Thus, it seems serendipitous that Chris Darmawan finishes and posts this beauty during the height of my new obsession.

Inspired by a Mobile Suit named "Tief Strumer," this beast looks positively wicked. There's so many cool details all over this thing, and the expertly sculpted head gives it a wonderfully sinister demeanor.

Thank you, Mr. Darmawan, for adding yet another project to my never ending list of MOCs I want to try my hand at.

Stomping The Cuteness Out Of You

Something magical happens when you combine Fabuland with something slightly less adorable, like a bipedal walking mech! Check out this walking study of contrasts by nobu_tary, it's the perfect combination of "squeee" and "squish". I can just hear the battlefield comentary:

"Viper Den this is Fang Six, we have incoming hostiles...wait, maybe not...aww it's a cute bunny...AHHHHGGHHHH!"

DH-17 Blaster

One of the challenges of play in my youth was the lack of rebel weapons sold as toys. When I was a kid there were two blasters available, the Stormtrooper blaster and Han Solo's blaster (both back then were fairly accurate to the screen too, overlooking the big "Star Wars" sticker, those days are over) But when it was time to recreate the Tantive IV battle, there were no rebel blasters (but plenty of white plastic bowls for our heads). If only we had thought to build one from LEGO like Nick Brick. Of course, I don't think they would have been even remotely as cool as this (and would have fallen apart the moment we got shot and fell down). 

"Bricks Away"

This formidable beast by Horcik Designs looks right out of a big summer sci-fi movie or high-end video game. While the extensive use of stickers might turn off some "purist" builders out there I don't mind it at all. In fact it's the meticulous attention to detail and stickers that make this dropship really pop. This thing needs to be in a brick film, now!

Residence Fit For A King

Baroque architecture is not easy to do. By definition it's bold, ornate and a bit over the top, and so many builders confuse complexity with detail, and end up with something that's just to busy. Not so with this lovely facade by builder Jonas Wide. The use of color, detailing, ornate decoration and architectural balance of this building is just perfect. I highly recommend clicking through and scrolling over the large image, it's whole minutes of eye candy waiting to be had.

Surfing Girls

Who doesn't love the Beach Boys?  I bet these three girls do!  There's nothing more artistic than capturing the female form in any medium, and Miro Dudas certainly has here in LEGO.  The sense of motion and balance created for all three young ladies, and the casual ukulele strumming in the middle I find to be quite mesmerizing... Beautiful! 

Cyclops

Poor cyclops, he gets such a bad rap. Centuries of stories and horrible accounts have left him on the outs with a reputation for aggression and violence. The truth of the matter is with no depth perception he has a bad tendency to bump his head on the ceiling of his cave, which would leave anyone in a continual bad mood. Combine that with the inability to see The Force Awakens in 3D and I just feel sorry for the guy. Another stellar build by LEGO 7.

Factory Frenzy

I knew we could expect some cool custom maze surfaces for the new LEGO Ideas Maze set, but the thought of making a timed game of skill, especially something as cool as this futuristic factory theme from BrickNerd's own Steebles never occurred to me. Watch the video, this thing is pretty awesome. Next step, lights, sounds and triggered actions, somebody get on that.

Steaming Gracefully Through The Clouds

Now this is how you make an entrance! Builder baz is a newcomer to the AFOL scene, and this is quite the way to jump in. This is his first built, and it's 3 feet long, 3 feet high, 2 feet wide, and weights 10 pounds. But size isn't everything (in fact, it's not much in my opinion), this is just some stellar building and lovely steampunkery. Welcome to the fold baz!

Beastly

It takes some out-of-the-box creative thinking to look at a dinghy and think "I'm gonna make that a alien dinosaur head", and thanks to builder Onosendai2600 we now know what that looks like. Combine that with a whole lot of olive green and some mad building chops and you've got this beast. Wouldn't want to run into this on expedition.

Steamy T

We've seen a number of T-bucket hotrods from builder Norton74 lately, but none with a steampunk vibe. Not so much from a boiler, gears and plumbing standpoint, it even has a classic oversized V8 engine, but the color scheme and deco says "put on your tails, grab your top hat and let's go motoring"

Space Monkey

I only discovered builder LEGO 7 last week when I blogged his marvelous Darth Vader sculpture and scene. I don't think this is old enough to qualify as MOCstalgia being as it's from last January, but I missed it then and it's time to correct that oversight. Meet Space Monkey, an awesome intergalactic chimp. I love the subtle pose-ability and expressive eyebrows of this character build. He seems to be part of a bigger story, a story that I want to know.

Soundwave

This is LEGO Transformers action taken to the next level. Meet Soundwave, by MortalSwordsman, based on the classic toy and character. Not only does this fully transform without removing pieces, but it's got three minions that transform from cassettes that fit in the chest, brilliant!

Falcon Coffee Table

Just last night I was having a snack while watching Star Wars The Force Awakens and lamenting the fact that I don't have a coffee table. That got me thinking about what kind of table I would want, and I really had no clue. But thanks to builder lysanderchau I have a better idea. Check out this UCS Millennium Falcon coffee table! When faced with the difficult challenge of available space in small Hong Kong apartments lysanderchau solved the problem by building this combination display/table. And sure, you could just put your Falcon in a glass box and have a place for your cheese and crackers, but he also decked it out to look like docking bay 327 on the Death Star! 

Unclean Rhythmic Gyrations

Would you believe I've never seen the movie Dirty Dancing? I don't really have anything against it, I'm just not interested in it. But I've seen enough of it in passing and out of context over the years that I knew who this pair by Vitreolum was instantly. And now I have Time Of My Life stuck in my head...so...thanks for that I guess.

Steampunk Gundam

Mashups are all the rage, you can't go anywhere without seeing a Star Wars this or a Doctor Who that. But just taking two or more beloved franchises or themes and mashing them together isn't enough, there's got to be a clever hook, some humor or in the case of this Steampunk Gundam by M<0><0>DSWIM, totally badassery. I want to see this thing storming the battlefield, I want to hear the chuff and joints squeal, I want to smell the coal burning. This thing is awesome.

Epic Struggle In The Desert

While playing Elder Scrolls Online The Thieves' Guild builder Xenomurphy stumbled upon this scene. He was so inspired he decided to recreate it in bricks. It shows the aftermath of a great struggle between men and beast, and in the end, nobody won. This is storytelling in a single image/MOC and it's really well done. Oh, and that curved sand dune is especially cool.

Pullman Dining Car

There was a time when people traveled in style, and eight course meals with white glove service was certainly an important part of that.  Imagine Rigney has built, for the Colorado Railroad Museum's Eating on the Rails exhibit, this luxurious Pullman dining car.  According to Imagine, this train car wasn't designed for any particular gauge track or scale, but is as accurate as possible for a mid nineteenth century dining car.  The interior is stately, with all the appointments one would expect during this era, including the fully stocked bar.  "I'll have a single malt, neat, my good man!"

Misty Night On The Bayou

Lighting and atmosphere add so much to a photo, and it doesn't have to be a complex setup to be very effective. This awesome diorama shot by MassEditor was accomplished with simple lighting and a liberal application of a fog machine, but the effect is stunning, and sets a perfect mood. Can't you just hear the frogs and insects? The faint, slow banjo playing in the distance? The MOC itself is very good, but combined with creative photography it's a home run.