Black Onyx

Just last weekend my wife and I went to breakfast with some friends. As we pulled up to the corner to turn to park we discovered we couldn’t because there were dozens of show cars in the street. Unbeknownst to us there was a car show, so after we had a nice breakfast we walked through it. While I would never drive anything like this hot rod from ianying616, I certainly appreciate looking at them. There wasn’t anything quite as radical as this thing at the show, but a couple were close. If this thing has been there, it would have stolen the show.

Flight Of The Luck Dragon

As if the modification builder JK Brickworks made to LEGO 80102 Dragon Dance for smoother motion wasn’t cool enough, now he’s gone and added some 80’s nostalgia to it. Yes, it’s Falcor from The NeverEnding Story, flying smooth as silk thanks to some further modifications to the mechanism for even smoother sine wave motion. Check out the video to really appreciate the hard work and ingenuity that went into this.

How To Not Get Lost On The Way To The Moon

One of my earliest childhood memories is sitting on my dad’s lap watching news coverage of an Apollo mission. It may very well have been Apollo 11, but I just remember excitement and grainy black and white video of astronauts. While we celebrate the 50th anniversary of landing on the moon, a lot of artists are expressing their appreciation for the event in awesome ways. Builder Akula Bricks has recreated the Apollo Guidance Computer and the DSKY, a display and keyboard interface. I recognized this incredible feat of 1960’s engineering immediately, with it’s large keys and iconic multi segmented display. This version, with custom printed inserts, could be mistaken for the real thing it’s so accurate.

Welcome To The Circus

I recall going to circus when I was young. I also recall it being rather unnerving and I’ve never been back. I really got the impression those animals wanted nothing to do with what was going on, and the trapeze artists had a seriously undeveloped sense of self preservation. But I’m totally digging this circus by builder DOGOD Brick Design, from it’s pop up backdrop to the meticulously crafted and bursting with character animals, it’s all delightful.

MF-10 Diamond Empress

I’ll be the first to admit that there isn’t much LEGO mech coverage on this blog. This isn’t because I have anything against them, it’s simply because I’ve run out of words for them. I see them all the time and think “hey, that’s pretty awesome” but beyond saying “hey, this is pretty awesome” I have no idea what to write. So when I scrolled past this mostly transparent mech by builder Moko that was the usual response, but it’s just so unusual and nifty I had to share. By the way, if you’re a LEGO mech fan with more to say and would like to blog about it, come join the Nerd Herd.

Y-Wing

Check out this lovely beast by builder Jarac. The Y-Wing has always been a favorite of mine, just because it’s so “scrappy”. It was designed to look like a ship that had seen some action. It's outside cladding had been removed so many times that it was eventually decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. It also looked like it could take some punishment, and had dished out a fair amount too.

Caretaker

According to the description by builder dviddy, the Caretaker here is “waiting for those who are lost, alone, and broken, this Old Spirit cares for their souls, heals their wounds, and then shows them the way Home”. Which I’m totally all for, but if was me alone in the woods he’d be doing that for me with some seriously soiled shorts.

Mimic

“You enter a dark, dank room. Lining the walls are shelves that once contained a myriad of potions and elixirs, now it’s just broken, dusty vials and strange stains. The floor is a mess of old parchment, broken glass and debris, clearly the room has been sacked or a great struggle took place many years ago. against the far wall is an undisturbed chest, dusty but intact. Above is a candle chandelier that has not been lit in ages, wax stalactites hang from it. You can smell a mix of sulfur and lavender, it’s pleasing and unpleasant at the same time”

“I open the chest”

“Roll for initiative”

Just a reminder that every room must be treated like a place a dungeon master has concocted to murder you, because it likely has been. A wonderful D&D creation by Corvus Auriac MOCs.

Titoy's Magical Chair

I had never heard of Titoy’s Magical Chair before I saw this MOC by builder Messymaru, but I love it. It’s about a boy with no legs who’s not going to let such a silly thing, or the confinement to a wheelchair, dampen his spirits or limit his sense of adventure. I think we can all find a little inspiration in this.

Yabba Dabba Doo!

It’s been well established just how old I am, so it should come as no surprise that we watched The Flintstones as kids. Not that it’s that big of a deal, but I mean we managed to watch it back in the days when there was no home video, no internet and only three friggin’ channels. With that kind of narrow distribution it’s amazing any cartoons were available at all, and that’s what made Saturday morning so great, it was ALL about cartoons and kids programming. And The Flintstones was great because it was written for an adult audience, modeled after The Honeymooners, and kids aren’t dumb, so we ate it up. So it’s with great fondness I present to you builder SuckMyBrick’s latest creation, the star of the Flintstones, Fred.

Who Are You Calling Chicken?

The AT-ST (All Terrain Scout Transport) or “chicken walker” started it’s life in the Star Wars universe as a thing of legend. It was in a single shot in The Empire Strikes Back, blink and you missed it, and in the days before home video there were plenty of people who did. I remember heated debates of its existence among my nerdy friends shortly after the movie came out. Of course not long after it became a fan favorite, and when Jedi came out it featured prominently. This is version three by builder GolPlaysWithLego, and it gets better with each iteration.

USS Jefferies

“To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before!” (Except nebulae, because they really mess with the equipment). With four, yes, four, warp nacelles, Ben Smith’s USS Jefferies can navigate the nastiest nebula. Since transporters can be a bit dicey in there, too, he’s got the Mary-Ann landing ship which slips snugly onto the dorsal hull just above the shuttle bay. Well, Ben, that’s some serious three-dimensional thinking!

School Sucks The World Over

Builder nobu_tary named this creation “Japanese elementary school student”, but I can tell you from personal experience as both a student (a long, long time ago) and a father that this face is universal. I saw it on fellow students’ faces, I saw it on kids in London, I saw it on my own boys’ faces here in California. It is a worldwide constant, school sucks (at least sometimes).

The Neighborhood Of Make-Believe

For as much as I watched Mr. Rogers Neighborhood as a child I’m surprised how much I’ve forgotten about it. I mean we watched it and Sesame Street all the time, but compared to that show the Land of Make-believe is largely forgotten. I remember Trolly, and vaguely remember the somewhat disturbing puppets, but most of my memories of Mr. Rogers are of him in his pretty normal house, weird huh? Thankfully I have this wonderful MOC by Pepa Quin to jog my memory, and I have a strange compulsion to go watch some classic episodes.

Wandering Temple Of The Last Flame

Now this is the kind of transportation I need these days. It’s got high seating, for a good vantage point, and it runs on carrots, which I can afford. Sure it’s a bit lumbering and slow, but my commute is only one mile, and half of it is in the opposite direction. If I could teach this guy to step over the wall I could cut my commute in half! I will probably get some grief from the HOA about keeping it in my back yard, but I think I can handle them. Nice MOC lummerlander.

For Those About To Rock

As a child I remember having a cute music box with an angel that would come out and dance to a soothing melody. It was a charming item, but I’m sure my childhood self wouldn’t have minded to also have this sick music box by LEGO 7. The animals are just having a blast and there’s soo much energy that I can’t help but rock my head back and forth to the sweet tunes of ACDC. Rock on my little dudes. Rock on.

Rain Dancer

I love the fun loving attitude and irreverence of this MOC by builder ted @ndes. This rail thin robot doesn’t have a care in the world as the rain comes down. I have to assume that’s because she’s made out of aluminum and stainless steel, metals that don’t rust.

6985 As You've Never Seen It

Builder MikeVd is back with a reimagining of classic space set 6985. And what better way to celebrate this iconic set, and contribute to a “box” themed event, than to actually construct the box it came in. All the scenes depicted on the box are little vignettes inside the box, making it a wonderful and whimsical creation.

Aithaz Hold

I will admit a slight tinge of jealousy to those that got to attend Brickworld Chicago. But don’t cry for me, I was on the Disney Wonder cruising through Alaska while it was going (yeah, boo hoo). Part of that jealousy is because those who attended got to see things like this spectacular creation by builder ‘Ecclesiastes in person, the best way to see LEGO builds in my opinion.

Baby's First Bulldozer

Sometimes it’s the tiniest of builds that make me smile. I don’t know what it is about this dinky little bulldozer by builder ted @ndes, but I’m instantly drawn to it. I like to imagine this is a functioning Power Wheels vehicle, you know, those little Fisher Price 12 volt cars that take up way too much space in the garage. I also like to imagine the instant regret these parents have (or more likely the instant rage against a favorite aunt or uncle).