The A-Z Of LEGO Minifigures

This is a clever and educational MOC. Builder Laurene J. has created an entire alphabet with letters built out of LEGO Minifigures. Not just that, but every letter is represented by Minifigures representing a subject based on that letter (read it again, it makes sense). For instance, A is built with astronauts, get it? Now the challenge, can you guess every letter? You will probably have to click through and view the large version of this photo to see them clearly. And don't worry, there's individual pics of every letter just in case you get stuck.

BB-8

Everyone loves BB-8. Ever since The Force Awakens released it's first teaser trailer the world has been captivated by this little rolling wonder. There's been many LEGO renditions of this little dude, and now famed brick artist Powerpig has added him to his line of Brick Sketches. You can practically hear his charming little voice can't you?

Yamato

SHIPtember continues and now that we're almost three weeks in we're starting to see a few completed SHIPs, like this magnificent rendition of the Space Battleship Yamato by builder Eínon. This would normally be the part where I confess I haven't seen the movie or series, but not this time! I've actually seen quite a bit, but it's been so long I can't remember much. I guess it's about time to revisit it.

Jungle Jam

Brothers Isaac and John Snyder are working on another project focused on the old Adventurers LEGO theme.  "John and I decided to do a collab series based around re-imagining old set themes. Adventurers is a theme we’ve liked for years, though we never had any of the sets."  This particular module by Isaac S. is a wonderful representation of ancient ruins that have been swallowed by the ever-growing wilderness.  LEGO jungle creations have always intrigued me.  Perhaps it's because it allows for the builder to dump as much forestry as they want onto the terrain.  The more overgrown, the better!  As Isaac demonstrates here, you also can mix different colors together for the growth which can add more depth.  The beauty of this creation speaks for itself, but something else I admire is that it's just as heavily detailed on every side.  Check out the build, but don't get lost out there!  Bring a machete with you.

Eat Your Carrots!

Ever hear the myth that eating lots of carrots will improve your eyesight?  Or maybe your parents told you this in order to make sure you ate your vegetables?  Well, builder Milan Sekiz has heard the myth before, and he has put a unique twist on the concept!  Milan has this to say about his newest creation: "On a planet similar to ours, these guys worship carrots for obvious reasons. They use strange mechas to harvest carrots from obelisks after worship ritual."  I find this build very creative and amusing.  I love the little alien creatures, but my favorite part (and probably the main focus of the build) is that gorgeous mech.  The colors are perfect, and it's a very slick design.  Wonderful work!  Now go eat your vegetables, kids.

Avalonian Countryside

There's a lot to appreciate in this micro landscape by Full Plate.  It's pretty much a reference photo for the genre, covering just about every type of temperate-zone environment.   You've got your cattail marshland, complete with dock and rowboat, rich fall foliage, pine forest, and an open meadow.  I particularly like the rock wall detail and gate along the path to the houses.  It all blends together nicely for a serene backdrop to a story you can read here.

Throw Me The Idol!

Forgotten Days has put the classic LEGO set to shame with a great MOC rendition of the temple from the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. It includes an awesome amount of detail on each of the several famous traps.

Eat Right

When I was a kid we had the four food groups, and while we knew what quadrant of a circle to put a Twinkie in, easting just as many as those as fruits and veggies probably wasn't too smart. The food pyramid, as illustrated in this brilliant MOC by builder Angela's brick, is a much better way to illustrate the amounts of certain foods you should eat. So, a Twinkie goes on the bottom right? It's sorta bread-like isn't it?

Leopard 2SG

I have to admit to being fooled by the thumbnail for this. Having grown up building plastic models, I was instantly duped into believing this was a classic Tamiya model kit. But this is Eric Ong's excellent presentation of his Leopard 2SG tank MOC. This is first class presentation, a great deal of care went into this and the results are stunning.

Samus

It was a while before I bought and played Metroid Prime for Gamecube, and it was my first Metroid game (OK, I bought it for my son, but then played it myself). At first I was put off by the premise of morphing into a ball to roll around, seemed like a silly concept, but I warmed up to it quick enough. But what I remember the most is being floored that Samus was a girl, I'd seen the character for years, and had never known. This version by Pate-keetongu hits all the right marks. She looks ready for action.

Kylo

I wasn't too sure about Kylo Ren, even after my first viewing of The Force Awakens. But I have warmed up to him since (well, as much as you warm up to a murdering, foul tempered wannabe sith). But how can you resist him as a Brick Sketch by Powerpig? I wouldn't say I'm ready to declare my allegiance, but I have to admit I'm thinking of putting on TFA while I work.

Groucho

Yeah, this is gonna be another "back in my day" post. When I was a kid we only had four channels, and on Saturday morning it was our time. We watched classic WB cartoons, Tom & Jerry, Land of the Lost and the usual stuff. But in the afternoon things shifted to film festival time. And while the movie was hit and miss, you could always depend on some Three Stooges or Marx Brothers to be mixed in (as well as Popeye, ugh). So I grew up watching this man and his brothers, maybe not getting the humor as much as a good whack to the head with a hammer, but still enjoying it more than Popeye. This portrait in the style of Powerpig's Brick Sketches is by builder Paddy Bricksplitter, and he totally nailed it.

The MOC Is Bursting With Awesomeness

The Arvo Brothers are back, with another jaw dropping, chest bursting, awe inspiring MOC. Everyone remembers the first time they saw Alien, hopefully before someone spoiled it for them (and with that being said, SPOILERS AHEAD) and when this adorable little dude bursted out of Kane's chest after everything seemed back to normal. This is the second version of this iconic creature from the Arvo Brothers, the last one being from 2007. Building instructions are available by contacting them at arvo@arvobrothers.com and soon on their website.

La Saignante

This post is one week early for international talk like a pirate day (no really, look it up, it's a thing), so I'll avoid any cheesy "arrggs" and "avasts" and just present this absolutely wonderful pirate ship by builder Kloou. This lovely craft has three masts, a functional crane, fully decked out interior and fourteen guns. She's a formidable vessel you don't want to see approaching on the high sea.

Give Me A Hand

I really dig this mechanical hand MOC by builder ToyForce 120. It reminds me of my time as a mechanical designer, as well as the Terminator (plus robot hands are pretty much always cool). The pose-ability of this hand is absolutely fantastic, if you click through there's tons more pictures with all kids of poses. As for the title of this post, it's totally selfish, I want this hand.

151 PokéMOCs

In light of the immense resurgence of Pokémon this past summer, Carson Hart set himself a goal to build all 151 of the original Pokémon, and he's done quite a good job of it. You might have to squint on some of the smaller models, but a lot of them came out looking really spot-on, like his great Charizard, Lapras, and so on.

Bugging Out

There are few more scary things than Giant Space Bugs. Starship Troopers is one of my favourite Sci-Fi action films. And its the Bugs that make it the more terrifying! This superb MOC by Sanellukovic shows two large bugs stomping around the ruins of some civilisation. It seems to have been built for a competition on a German LUG but I would love to see it expanded into a full Post Apocalyptic landscape crawling with Giant Space Bugs. A shiver actually went down my spine!

Quad Jumper Picnic

Here is something a little different that I missed back in July (does this count as MOCstalgia?) I am not and never will be a fan of the Friends Mini Dolls. They just doing sit well with me. However in this MOC from Tyler Sky they seem perfectly at home. I love bold colours on space ships and cool design features. And just look at the backdrop. I wish I could hop into that Jumper and blast off somewhere for food on a blanket!

Ana's Biotic Rifle

Overwatch has spawned a great many MOCs, and they continue to impress and amaze me. This latest full size prop "weapon" (can you call it a weapon when it's designed to heal?) from Nick Brick is beyond awesome. The build quality and style alone is impressive enough, but this also has custom printed elements, realistic bolt action, lighting effects and folding stock. Check out the video to see this baby in action.

Laboratory

A great MOC doesn't need to be huge, or elaborate. It doesn't need to be an epic battle, or a nod to pop culture, or the latest fad, or any pre-conceived notion. Sometimes a great MOC is just a very clean and simple interior. No flash, no gimmicks, just clever construction, attention to detail and fantastic building skill. This laboratory by builder Heksu is just such a MOC. There are other shots of it with a character in the scene, but I like this one, simple and elegant.