Magnum Opus

When someone says "rat rod" you tend to think of some old beater, lovingly if not crudely brought back to life, rust and all. Well this month's LUGnuts Challenge is all about modern rat rods. These cars aren't old jalopies, they're cars you can get off the lot right now, like this Dodge Magnum by Lino M. This isn't some shiny, macho, gas guzzling muscle car. It's a wood planked, beach combing, gas guzzling muscle car. So, grab some bait, fuel up and hit the beach.

Dodge "Magnum Opus"
Dodge "Magnum Opus"

BB-8 Behind The Magic

Oh man, there's so much about this I love. It's Star Wars, so it's instantly got my attention, it's by Pete Reid, my best mate across the pond, and it's behind the scenes, where the real movie magic happens. Here we see one of the secrets of BB-8's endearing performance in The Force Awakens, his puppeteer. I assume it's Brian Herring, but it's hard to tell, he's wearing a mask.

BB-8 - Behind the magic

Phantom

I am as eternally mystified by Moko as I am impressed. Usually it's because I haven't heard of the character before so it requires a little research, and since his blog posts are in Japanese I have to depend on Chrome to translate so I can sort of guess what's going on. This usually results in some unintended humor as well, this is my favorite passage today...

"Since Bionicle greed was filled some time Do not (laughs) or I can not made ecause too much detour if not soon return to the Big O production."

...anyway, check out this absolutely badass and remarkably posable figure by one of my favorite builders.

 

Phantom
Phantom

The Night Is Dark, And Full Of MOCs

Rumored author of the year 2016 (really George, knock it off) and legendary book and HBO series Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin never looked better than in brick form on the Throne of Swords. I've been a fan since 2004 and can hardly wait for the series premiere tomorrow night, and this MOC just made it all that more exciting. Thanks for stoking that fire mandrakesarecool2.

LEGO George RR Martin

Dave Grohl: Fighter Of Foos

I wish I listened to more Foo Fighters, I could probably make some more witty references (or at least bad puns) about this stunning silhousaic by Grantmasters. It's not that I have anything against them, I'm sure there's some songs I know, I just couldn't name them off the top of my head. I invite you to look at this from a distance, and then get in close, it can be totally appreciated from either and I love that.

Modern Day Rock Legend

Peterbilt

When someone mentions "18 wheeler" you might immediately think Optimus Prime, but this is what I think of. Check out this huge, shiny and supremely detailed classic Peterbilt truck by builder jarekwally. This is classic trucking, the kind we were all fascinated with for some odd reason back in the days of disco. It must have been a combination of the movie Convoy and Smokey and the Bandit, but suddenly everyone had on a trucker hat and owned a CB, damn the 70's were weird. Check out the really nicely done video for more details.

PETERBILT TRUCK
PETERBILT TRUCK

In The Not Too Distant Future...

Next Sunday A.D. 
There was a guy named Joel,
Not too different from you or me.
He worked at Gizmonic Institute,
Just another face in a red jumpsuit.
He did a good job cleaning up the place,
But his bosses didn't like him
So they shot him into space.

We'll send him cheesy movies,
The worst we can find (la-la-la).
He'll have to sit and watch them all,
And we'll monitor his mind (la-la-la).
Now keep in mind Joel can't control
Where the movies begin or end (la-la-la)
Because he used those special parts
To make his robot friends.

Robot Roll Call: (All right, let's go!)
Cambot! (Pan left!)
Gypsy! (Hi, girl!)
Tom Servo! (What a cool guy!)
Croooow! (Wisecracker.)

If you're wondering how he eats and breathes
and other science facts (la la la),
Then repeat to yourself, "It's just a show,
I should really just relax
For Mystery Science Theater 3000!"

MST3K Robots

Awesome bots SPARKART!

Destination Wedding

Built for the Wedding Planning category in the MocAthalon on MocPages, W. Navarre has created this amazing cliff hangar train-going-off-a-bridge scene.  "Build your ideal wedding"  He's got bandits, a demolished bridge, and a rocky cliff.  The bride, the groom and the pastor are all at the front of the train as it hurtles towards the abyss.  Now that I think about it, that's pretty much how most people feel on their wedding day, at least a little bit.  Scroll through his post on MocPages to see it all up close, especially that rattly bridge.  Wonder where the lucky couple will go on their honeymoon?

X Marks The Spot

When I first saw this it reminded me of the cool map montage's from the Indiana Jones films. I love the way its been composed, lovely little details whilst still having a practical purpose. I have always had a passion for maps and who doesn't love Pirates?. A build by Kai NRG/Geneva for the Mapped Out category of the MOCathalon, Its gonna take some beating. 

ADDITIONAL. So there I was on the train, feeling good for blogging, when Tommy sent me a message saying that I hadn't mentioned that the MOC was an expanded version of the printed tile of the pirates map. Of course I had seen that (I had not seen that!) I just chosen not to mention it (again, I had not seen that!) So double wow! Its the Pirates printed map tile blown up. Sometimes the obvious escapes me!

Sailing through MapLand

Birds From Bricks

One of my friends is into birds, big time! His name is Thomas Poulsom. You might recognise the name from the Lego Ideas set 21301, Birds. Well he has written a book showing how you can build another 15 different birds from all around the world. And I have been lucky enough to have been sent a copy to review. 

Birds from Bricks by Thomas Poulsom

I was totally amazed by the original birds Thomas made and so when I heard that there was going to be a book full of bird instructions I was very excited. The book arrived recently and as soon as I opened it up I was blown away by how clear the instructions are laid out. Each bird has a parts list so its easy to get the bits together before you start. The steps are small and the sometimes complicated SNOT techniques are clearly explained. The book is in full colour and there is even a colour key for each bird. 

I thought I would build a bird and see how easy it is to follow the instructions in real life. I chose the Canary (Serinus Canaria), collected up all the parts and built it. It was easy to follow and didn't take too long to finish!. Here is where I found a couple of weak points in the construction. However by adding a couple of plates I was able to strengthen the bird considerably. More an oversight than a fault. Overall the bird looks stunning. The half a stud connections in the wings are delicate but as this is a display model, thats not too important.

Birds from Bricks photos

I can recommend this book not only if you are into birds but also if you like Creator style builds and are looking for more realism in the finished model. I plan to build a few more birds in the future.  The book is published by Quarry and has a retail price of $24.99/£15.99/$29.99 CAN. Its available at Amazon (use the link on this page!) and is even available as a Kindle download. Nice work Thomas, now where are the instructions to that Hedgehog?

Ella "Tall Tide" Kneebone

The life of a pirate isn't all clashing sword fights and plundering treasure. Sometimes you just need a break from all the piracy and adventure on the high seas and just have a sit down. Like Ella "Tall Tide" Kneebone here, I can't decide if she looks pensive, exhausted or just bored. But judging by that treasure, she's earned a little "down time".

Ella "Tall Tide" Kneebone's Cabin

Space Battle Ride

You'd think someone who's as into Disneyland and theme parks in general as I am would also be a huge ride buff, but the truth is I'm decidedly barfy, very prone to motion sickness. So while I totally dig this space battle ride by builder tkel86 I wouldn't go anywhere near it in real life. Check out the video to see this baby in action.

Space battle ride 1

Oops

The first reaction to seeing this fantastic MOC by monstrophonic is likely "whoa, there's a train hanging out of that building" followed shortly by some internal calculations of the plausibility of this scenario. The thing is, this really happened. On October 22, 1895, in an attempt to get back on schedule, the driver of the Granville–Paris Express entered the station too fast and when the brakes failed the train burst through the buffer stop and station wall, coming to rest on the street below.

Montparnasse 1895

A Master Class in Mecha

I've been laid up at home with an awful illness for the past week and a half, and to pass the time outside of LEGO I've been working on something I've wanted to try my hand at for a long time - a Mobile Suit Gundam master grade model kit. Thus, it seems serendipitous that Chris Darmawan finishes and posts this beauty during the height of my new obsession.

Cosmic Booster Type

Inspired by a Mobile Suit named "Tief Strumer," this beast looks positively wicked. There's so many cool details all over this thing, and the expertly sculpted head gives it a wonderfully sinister demeanor.

Cosmic Booster Type

Thank you, Mr. Darmawan, for adding yet another project to my never ending list of MOCs I want to try my hand at.

Stomping The Cuteness Out Of You

Something magical happens when you combine Fabuland with something slightly less adorable, like a bipedal walking mech! Check out this walking study of contrasts by nobu_tary, it's the perfect combination of "squeee" and "squish". I can just hear the battlefield comentary:

"Viper Den this is Fang Six, we have incoming hostiles...wait, maybe not...aww it's a cute bunny...AHHHHGGHHHH!"

Fabu Walker

DH-17 Blaster

One of the challenges of play in my youth was the lack of rebel weapons sold as toys. When I was a kid there were two blasters available, the Stormtrooper blaster and Han Solo's blaster (both back then were fairly accurate to the screen too, overlooking the big "Star Wars" sticker, those days are over) But when it was time to recreate the Tantive IV battle, there were no rebel blasters (but plenty of white plastic bowls for our heads). If only we had thought to build one from LEGO like Nick Brick. Of course, I don't think they would have been even remotely as cool as this (and would have fallen apart the moment we got shot and fell down). 

Star Wars DH-17 Blaster Pistol
Star Wars DH-17 Blaster Pistol
Star Wars DH-17 Blaster Pistol