Deborah Higdon is back with another lovely Christmas bookend collection. You may recall last year's Twelve Days of Christmas build. She's crafted all sorts of clever details throughout, and a special surprise within the books. Although, personally, I might have gone with a Hoth scene instead... Nicely done Deborah!
The Classic Castle Contest is currently under way, and I'm loving it. Every couple days, there are several absolute gems that pop up in my feed. This peaceful Oriental bridge scene by 'LL' is one of my favorites so far. The bridge perfectly evokes classic Eastern architecture, and very cleverly uses the old rope bridge pieces for the arch. But what I like best about this build are those trees. The grey trunks compliment the fall leaves very nicely, and the addition of some roots really makes them look accurate.
Though the actual season may be winter, that doesn't change the fact that this is a beautiful autumn tree. The trunk is my favorite part, which has been created very well using some new common elements. I find that LEGO string really adds a nice bark texture to tree trunks (assuming it's the same color as the "wood.") It's rare for such a small landscape scene to be this detailed, but Legopard has done just that with this little creation.
This is Mettaton by Alexander Blais, he's a robot with a soul from the game Undertale. I've never heard of him, or the game of course (nerd cred -6) but I found him instantly engaging. From the little research I did I found the game pretty awesomely retro as well, right down to the sound design. This guy seems to be the real stand out character, and with his appealing design and quirky ways, I understand why.
Santa! It's Christmas everywhere you look these days, and I love it. This cheerful little scene by builder HCK_1974 has it all, a stunning tree adorned with festive decorations, a snowy lot where all the action is taking place, children and elves having a good time and a couple of adorable oversized reindeer. And of course santa flying by, spreading holiday cheer.
Builder redfern1950s continues his quest to build all the vehicles from Wacky Races. This one is another childhood favorite of mine, the Bullet-Proof Bomb, AKA The Roaring Plenty. It was driven by the Ant Hill Mob, seven inept but strangely lovable mobsters. One of their secret tactics was the ability to lift the car and simply run across the finish line (I'm pretty sure they stole that trick from Fred Flintstone).
This new character from builder nobu_tary looks right off the post apocalyptic battlefield. Or possibly right off the pages of some dystopian graphic novel. Or maybe just ready to clean the cat box in my house (dumb, stinky cats). This is a seriously cool combination of parts all coming together to great effect.
I've never been good at sports, in fact I consider myself athletically retarded. In my youth I once played baseball for a single season, I was left field (left out) and I was the worse player on the team. We came in last place that year, so for one shining season I was the single worse baseball player here in Lompoc, CA. So the concept Mech racing has a natural appeal to me. First, it's pretty nerdy, and second, with a properly calibrated mech I might actually be kinda good. OK, I wouldn't, but if my mech looked half as cool as this one from Lu Sim, at least I'd look pretty spiffy doing it.
BrickNerd's own Mel Finelli has taken on the admirable (if not slightly bonkers) task of building a MOC a day for this entire month inspired by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. So far she's right on point, and the wonderful little vignettes are a daily delight. Here's just a few of those done so far, and we have plenty more to look forward to.
Welcome to Königsfeld Manor, in lovely Avalonia, Historica. Sometimes a parts shortage is all the inspiration you need for a brilliant solution, and sometimes that solution is better than the original plan. This lovely castle scene by builder MassEditor was originally going to have a pretty standard irregular border, but short of parts he came up with this very interesting "spilling over" border, which is the touch that makes this diorama really stand out.
Builder redfern1950s continues his race to win the internet with his Wacky Races MOCs. This time it's The Convert-A-Car, by far the "wackiest" of the bunch. It's a truly insane contraption that is part boat, plane and car. And while this is personally my least favorite of the vehicles, that judgement is at odds with the fact he has by far the best name, Professor Pat Pending.
A wonderful new contest is being held this December, the Create-A-Calendar Contest, hosted by fellow LEGO blog the Brothers Brick. The contest began on December 1st and will last until the 17th. One of the first few entries is this magical Harry Potter calendar created by Koen. It seems that even Voldemort, when he's not too busy attacking Muggles, can even get in the holiday spirit! Each of these small builds are well done and recognizable (it should be pointed out that each individual build can be no more than 20 pieces) to any Harry Potter fan! If you like any of the official LEGO advent calendars, maybe it's time for you to create your own!
This new character from builder Mana Ramp Matron is one of those MOCs that makes you stop and go "wait, what?" From the thumbnail you'd hardly expect it's LEGO, and even when you're looking at full res it defies logic. The unusual color scheme combined with the part use and construction is as confusing to the eye as it is delightful. It almost looks like it's lit with UV it's so unusual. Thankfully we don't have blizzards here on the central coast of California, I don't want to run into this guy.
This unconventional ship is notorious bounty hunter Bossk's pride and joy, the Hound's Tooth. It's certainly one of the more obscure ships in the Star Wars universe, having only appeared in the Clone Wars animated series, but it has a loyal fan following. Builder armoredgear7 nailed the aesthetic of this intimidating and deadly vessel.
Never know what to do when you have a WIP (Work In Progress)? Why not be creative and display it somehow? That's what Inthert did with his latest project. He felt it was "a perfect opportunity to reveal the progress I've made on my TIE fighter." The use of the LEGO rubber bands to act as wires is always a great technique to see. I also really like all the ladders and platforms he has created for the hard-working Imperial forces. Looking forward to seeing this model zipping across the sky!
Here's a mashup that both ghosts and giant doomsday weapons would fear. Builder Brent Waller has taken two iconic vehicles, an X-Wing and the Ecto-1 and smooshed them together into something to take on both Zuel and Palpatine. Now report in, heat 'em up, open s-foils and don't cross the streams!
It's finally winter time, which means holiday joy and fun! For castle builders, it also means it's time for the Colossal Castle Contest! Jen Spencer has brought these two exciting events together in a joyful castle creation! In this winter wonderland (Christmas pun intended), a medieval archery tournament is gearing up for a cold, but fun day in the snow. I do hope that no one is using ice or white arrows, because if they miss their target they might never find them again! Happy holidays, everyone!
Builder and mechanical wiz JK Brickworks is back with a little kinetic holiday cheer. You may recognize the big guy and his team from set 10245 Santa's Workshop, but you've never seen them move like this. Jason has designed a remarkably low profile mechanical linkage that simulates the flying motion of the real Santa, amazing.
I do love a richly detailed interior, especially one that tells a story and has a built in history. This lovely little workshop by legoalbert is loaded with detail and clever part use. Everywhere you look is something interesting, but my favorite detail has to be the inverted torso as part of some mysterious device.
Modern first person shooters certainly do offer a never ending supply of inspiration for weapon builder Nick Brick. His latest full sized pistol, the Alternator, is from Titanfall 2. It's a sub machine gun with a novel side by side barrel arrangement. Nick also paired it with a time travel device cleverly called the Time Device, which is actually pretty cool in game play. For once I might actually get to see these devices in action, since this game is on my son's Christmas list.
What happens when a LEGO builder who knows almost nothing about Pokémon takes on the entire Smart Play wave? We explore the colorful and curvy sets and then remix them into crazy creations far beyond the Pokédex.
Who was Susan Williams and why was her impact on people’s perception of LEGO so significant? Join BrickNerd as we piece together the illustrious career of this mysterious LEGO employee.
Have you ever wondered what the LEGO community was like in the 2000s? Today's guest writer and veteran builder, Nannan Zhang, shares his thoughts on building and sharing MOCs online for the past 20 years.
The blue Classic Space astronaut has come a long way from the 1980s. Richard Dryden explores LEGO’s new upscaled version and reflects on the Classic Space sets and memories that started his LEGO journey.
Build smarter, sturdier LEGO spaceships this SHIPtember with engineering tips for strong frames and precise polygons. This guide explores the geometry and design principles behind rigid, swooshable SHIP frames that won't sag.
Do Classic Space minifigures have roles assigned by color, like in Star Trek or the U.S. Navy’s flight deck crews? We grab our metal detectors and dig into LEGO history (and the data) to find out!
Space MOCs usually have a very defined look and feel, but what can you do if you image LEGO space as a near-future colony on a colorful alien planet instead? Kimberly Giffen takes us on a tour of her take on LEGO Space.
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What do you do when a LEGO Pokémon set doesn’t quite hit the mark? Take it apart and create an alternate build using only the pieces from the original set! But how do you level up a character as recognizable as Pikachu?