Tis The Season

I was really ready for the holiday season this year. I love listening to the music, spending time with my family, shopping for presents, drinking spiced cider, opening my letters from Cards Against Humanity and generally being jolly. I also truly enjoy all the holiday themed MOCs that pop up. This one from Legonardo Davidy not only spreads some Christmas cheer, but serves double duty as a LUG collaborative build and his latest entry in Iron Builder, pretty nifty.

Trick-Or-Treat!

Yes, Halloween is finally here. Time to decorate the house (if you haven't already), put on Monster Mash, put the heaps of candy in a bowl and wait for all the parents all over town to drop their kids in your neighborhood (at least that's what they do here). I can only hope I get some trick-or-treaters tonight that look as good as this lot by Takamichi Irie. I better go get more candy...

Oktoberfest

As I stated a couple posts back, October is here, and not only does that mean all those things I stated in that post, it also means beer and pretzels. Yes, it's Oktoberfest time, that hailing of the coming of fall and, way back when, the marriage of Crown Price Ludwig. This excellent little vignette by Miro78 captures everything that everyone loves about the event in one charming 10x10 vignette. I love the little details like the mounted deer hear and the cuckoo clock.

Time Machine

No, this one doesn't do 88 mph, nor is it disguised as a police call box. This is the 1960 George Pal and HG Wells classic time machine by BMW_Indy, and it's a beauty. The sled itself is meticulously recreated and is a wonder to behold, but the fun doesn't stop there, check out that perfectly detailed interior space. And if all that isn't enough to blow your mind, the whole vignette is lit with LEDs and the dish spins thanks to a 9-volt mini motor. This is small scale building taken to the max.

Robin Hood and Little John

One memory came rushing to the front of my mind when I first saw this build, so bear with me a second while I take a trip down memory lane. I can't help but envision the scene from Robin Hood: Men in Tights where Robin and Little John are fighting over the bridge. They keep breaking their staffs in half to the point where they are just tiny sticks which they then use to rap each other on the knuckles. Good times. Anyway, this vignette from Paul Vermeesch is a pretty sweet one right? The entire excellent "Brick Time Stories" collaboration series was featured at Brickworld this year and I will post them as I find them.

Houston, We Have A Problem...

I really dig this simple little vignette by paddybricksplitter. it's clean, funny and well photographed. It also tells a story, which I think is the real secret formula of small scale dioramas. It's not about how much detail you can pack in, it's how you can evoke emotion or suggest a narrative.

The 70's

Don't look for bell bottoms, the Gong Show or Star Wars, it's not that 70's. Builder gid617 has built a fascinating timeline of the 1870's, with a fantastic history lesson to boot. Various points along the decade are called out, and a lovely little vignette illustrates that event. Click through for a little historical knowledge and some excellent little MOCs.

Note: I took the liberty of color correcting this image, hope you don't mind gid617

Childhood In The Basement

I can remember vividly when the first Atari 2600 came to my house. We played Tank and Space Invaders until we saw them in our sleep. And we pondered endlessly why PacMan looked so terrible and went "bonk bonk". This MOC by Chris McVeigh is not only a marvel of clever building, it's a bona fide time machine, capable of serious doses of nostalgia. And the best news is you can have one for yourself on March 9th from his website!

The Blackwater Study

I love a small, ultra detailed vignette, and this is just that. You can't just look at this MOC by CrazyLlama2 and not be drawn in. Who is this? What does he do in this room? What kind of books are those? This is a story waiting to unfold, and that's a hallmark of a good vignette. That floor technique is also a stand out feature, well done. I do have to wonder what happened to the original CrazyLlama though, very suspicious...

The Adventures Of Nigel

Builder MinifigNick has recently been posting a series of charming little MOCs featuring Nigel, a slug-like monster on some adventures. I don't know the genesis of this character and I don't care, I just look forward to seeing what further antics he gets up to. He's already married (that was quick) so I guess it's on to domestic life (and of course, a minivan).

Under The Sea

Disney's The Little Mermaid is one of my wife's favorite movies, so I was instantly drawn to this MOC by Karf Oohlu. It's not terribly complex, mostly just a bunch of crabs stuck together. But the use of the flame pieces and striking colors against a nice blue background makes this a visually appealing piece. Simple, but very effective.

Taking A Second (Or Third) Look

At first glance this seems like a strait-forward, simple little vignette. But take a closer look, there is a lot of clever building going on here. This is just first class NPU (nice part use). I especially love the jukebox and the desk lamp.