When Tommy asked me to provide a set review, I initially met it with trepidation. Outside of the occasional Star Wars UCS or Ideas set, I don't purchase sets to build the model within. I much prefer to salvage them for the delicious parts within. However, upon completing 21027 I was quite pleased with the experience. (Side Note: Receiving a package direct from Billund was a hell of a treat.)
Read MoreThe amount of texture on this amazing MOC by Luis Baixinho is staggering! Described as Byblios, the house of knowledge at the centre of the Ahridus Desert in Elgarvel, it really oozes mysticism. I can imagine weary pilgrims traveling miles through sandstorms to reach this place. I hope it has a decent cafe inside!
Looking like a cross between Marvin The Martian and The Terminator, this Tin Soilder by Karf Oohlu is both charming and menacing at the same time. from his radar dish to his oversized ray gun (which is excellent in its own right) he looks like something from a 1950's B Movie.
To me, some modern buildings look like they were designed on a Friday afternoon, in the dark, just before the rush out the door and down the road to the pub! Some, on the other hand have style, grace and presence. This Modern Apartment block by Lisqr has a lot of style indeed. lots of shiny blue walls and neat details such as the railings, but realistic and simple too. This wouldn't look out of place in an Architects studio
As a predominantly microscale builder, I love the challenge of making something instantly recognizable with as few pieces as possible. Builder Kosmas Santosa will tell you himself that he doesn't build much in this scale - but after seeing this Gondola I'm certain he should continue to try his hand at it. I see a total of 11 pieces here, not counting the string and background. Masterful work.
I'll admit that LEGO cars aren't exactly my area of interest -- I'm more of a spaceship, spaceship, spaceship! kinda AFOL. But builders like Andrea Lattanzio, a.k.a. Norton74 on Flickr, make me embarrassed to completely overlook this theme. I mean, look at this scene, titled "'32 Ford 'Tow Rod' at the Garage" from the propped-up roadster to the superb mechanic's tool chest to the checkered tile wall pattern to the boombox on the shelf to the drill press to the "wood" pallet, the attention to detail and the craftsmanship here is simply exquisite. The only thing missing is grease stains on that lovely, 6x6 light gray tiled floor. And I'd bet Andrea will find a way to make those, too! Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines...
Space Truckers is one of my favourite films (bear with me). Its cheap and cheerful, but still manages to be a whole lot of fun (square pigs!) This MOC by Luigi Priori captures the look and feel of Intergalactic Space Truckin! He admits he was influenced by the (easily forgotten) Container Heist set from the Space Police 3 theme, but this has so much "In your face, Trucker Mother" badassness (is that a word?) I will allow it! This post was sponsored by the North Atlantic Bracket Users (East and West) Association (NABU(E&W)A)
Seeing this wonderful creation from Rod Gilles somehow brought back memories of Dire Straits. Whilst not the coolest band in the World, they could play the guitar on telly whilst getting small chickens for nothing, or something?. Loving the simple but effective lines of the axe and its amp. Its just like the artist is just offstage, waiting for the call to play. As part of an Iron Builder round, the seed part is the paint roller, this just rocks! Oh and Rod is a fellow blogger, over at The Brothers Brick. See what I did there!
I'm a sucker for a good workshop scene - and builder Ted Andes has knocked this one out of the park. The robot in and of itself deserves attention, but be on the look out for some really great parts use, including tank treads for the workshop floor, and a bionicle minifigure leg as shop table equipment. Bravo!
A new month within the AFOL community usually brings new challenges and contests, and I am personally rather excited for this new offering sponsored by SLUG from Saskatchewan! Marchitecture challenges us to build a microscale version of a real world building, in the style of the official TLG Architecture sets. Full contest rules can be found in the Flickr group.
First prize is a copy of 20128-1 New York City, so get building!
Sometimes, a good backstory along with a quality MOC from an established builder is just too hard to pass up. Stephen Pakbaz -- who previously designed NASA's Curiosity rover for the LEGO Ideas line -- has come up with a great one here in Pieceout, "a civilian scientist researching alternative energy on the planet Cybertron."
Hippie Transformers out to make the world a better place? Love it! Transformer MOCs that actually transform? Excellent! Clever moniker playing on the themes of that era while simultaneously paying tribute to the very hobby we all love? Just plain awesome.
Honestly, I've never heard of Discworld, the late Terry Pratchett's imaginary world, set on a platter-shaped land set atop four elephants which, in turn, are riding the back of what must be a massive, massive turtle. (Tortoise?) Just as much as I know about Star Wars and Star Trek and even Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, it's exactly the opposite for Discworld.
So please don't ask me about the backstory of this group of fellows, termed "The Ones Who Meddle With the Fabric of Reality," by Finnish AFOL Eero Okkonen. There's something magical about this bunch, and not just because they're wizards (I think).
It takes a particular skill to make MOCs look both stone-faced and alive at the same time, which Eero achieves by simultaneously using the traditional 1x1 headlight bricks for eyes and then other wildly disparate elements, such as Chima wings , to fluff out those lovingly-crafted beards. The magicians' accoutrements are also perfectly color-coordinated, with their dark red / brown / red fabrics, Friends stars, X-Pod dishes, and, hey, does that gorilla have a banana that incorporates... bananas?
Discworld should really be called Discoworld.
The latest Iron Builder rages on, and if history is any indication, both builders should be equipped with one of these little babies by cmaddison, because the pressure is 'building' (see what I did there?) I've personally never competed, and I don't think I ever will. Because I'd be redlining from the start and probably blow a gasket by week two .
Fellow denizens of space, SHIPtember is finally upon us! Test your resolve and mettle in a 30 day, no-holds barred battle of the builders! Boys will become men! Men will become champions! Champions will rise! The chaff will be unceremoniously culled from the wheat! Feast your eyes upon this year's trophy!
For the uninitiated - SHIPtember is a yearly challenge for any builder to try his hand at a SHIP within 30 days. A rather daunting task, as SHIP building is fraught with peril, frustration, and crumbling battlecruisers. Visit The Shipyard for official rules. Go ahead. Try it. You know you want to.
Vitreolum is on an absolute roll - he's been blogged twice by BrickNerd in the past week, but that's not going to stop me from highlighting this amazing micro Grayskull. This combines my already overwhelming microscale obsession with a heart-string tugging blast from my childhood. Now to go find the correct parts so I can have my own!
LAST year, a little film about plastic toy bricks hit theaters and immediately became a worldwide phenomenon. Starring the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks and Will Ferrell, The LEGO Movie followed the adventures of minifigs Emmett and Wildstyle as they battled the big, bad Lord Business. After pulling in more than $250 million at the box office, TLM was a bonafide pop culture hit.
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Full disclosure: builder John Stephens is a contributor to this group blog of ours, but that alone doesn't disqualify him from having his always quality MOCs written up on this site. Using those 4x4 round plates as bases for his "Pocket Heroes" collection, John's latest creations are somewhat reminiscent of the forthcoming LEGO Dimensions series. And with creative use of smaller elements like t-nozzles, battle droid torsos, cheese slopes and round 1x1 tiles, these little bots prove that Yoda's old adage is true!
Why let the lack of rails stop your needs for hunting and forward progress? Climb about this steam powered wonder of the age and set out for adventure and big game. All of the modern comforts abound including padded seating, gas lamp lighting and spring suspension. Wonderful steampunky goodness from builder redfern1950s.
Great rent, but the rooms are a little small.
A while back -- ten years ago to be precise -- the short-lived Factory theme made its debut in the LEGO universe. And while it didn't last long, the mini-scale sets from that theme (three sets in all) seemingly continue to inspire AFOLs today, whether in the form of the successful Architecture line, or, as seen above, in the creations of brick artists like John Stephens, who takes this theme to new heights in his continuing Micropolis series. My favorite feature of the Riverstone Apartments is the clever and old-school use of the 1x1 headlight brick as windows, and the great design on the trees. The simplicity of it all, from the cheese slopes as awnings to the cars made of 1x2 "jumper" plates and 1x1 tiles, make John's set something special. And the best part is, there's plenty more where this came from. The takeaway message? In a time of big $200 and $350 LEGO sets, sometimes smaller is better.
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