The movie didn't do well at the box office, but Oblivion is worth a watch in my opinion. If for no other reason than some pretty spectacular visuals. Yeah, the plot's a bit thin and the pace is a bit plodding, but overall I enjoyed it. It would seem builder Grantmasters was OK with it too, so much so he recreated one of the posters from the film in excellent microscale.
Tonight we have a lovely Cranberry Black Forest Cake, baked just for you by chef Sad Brick. Made from the finest organic and gluten-free ingredients imported directly from Billund, Denmark. This cake was expertly crafted with great attention to detail, from the moist center, to the delicious garnish on top. And no need to feel any guilt, it's completely calorie free!
This build by Simon Schweyer is inspired by Into the Wild, a film I have never seen and a book I have never read. Maybe I don't need to have seen/read the source material to appreciate the craftsmanship in this diorama. The emotion translates very well in the lady's pose, her bare feet on soft grass, the apparent height of the cliff, and the coloring of the sky and water. Coloring a sunset with LEGO bricks is tricky business, especially for someone as severely colorblind as I am, but not as tricky as pulling off such a moody scene and making it look so effortless.
I want one of these in my backyard. My 10-year-old self could have happily spent dozens of summer afternoons playing in this thing. Built by Sergeant Chipmunk, this awesome forest ranger watchtower reminds me quite a lot of Lothlorien. And that's definitely a good thing. The landscaping and rocks are extremely well done, and I like how the structure is built right over a stream. That's a cool detail which really adds a lot of visual interest to the scene.
Just kidding. You're not bugging me at all!
From what I can tell from being an English teacher for nine years, Japanese boys and girls have a unique fascination with insects and even have a knack for collecting them. They're not all just creepy crawly critters! This makes me wonder if Takamichi Irie collected insects as a child. He recently spent a year studying abroad and time to time expressed his feelings of being homesick, which might explain where his LEGO insect series came from. It's amazing what you can do with just a few tiny parts (and especially with those that seem to have only a single use). NPU, dude! You can see the rest of the his "Small Animals" series on his Flickr.
Every few years The LEGO Group produces a set that is universally applauded and I think this year we have a winner. Whether you're into Technic or cars or not, you have to appreciate the skill, care, engineering and love that went into this set. It's truly a work of art and a premium building experience. The attention to detail in every aspect, starting with the box it comes in, is superb. I can't wait to share the finished model with you, but for now, an unboxing will have to suffice.
And there aren't any pop-up ads, either. This massive build by Praetorian- is a minifig-scale recreation of the ancient Roman Forum of Nerva, one of the four Imperial fora, or public squares, in Rome. The architectural details in this are just fantastic, from the columns and wall patterning to the magnificent arch. I really like how clean this build is: all the spotless white makes it look like new, instead of ruined like the Roman buildings we're used to seeing. I highly recommend viewing more pictures in the Flickr album.
Every country likes to rattle it's saber, and humans have been squabbling over resources and wealth since we figured out how to walk upright. The governments declare the wars, and their men and women pay the price. This stirring MOC by vir-a-cocha illustrates this all too well, but also has a second more important message, about finding beauty and overcoming circumstances. I can't be easy to carry an accordion with crutches, but this scrappy vet was up to the challenge, and now he can play a little music, for everyone's enjoyment.
Look out Mechy Mouse, there's some stompy competition in town courtesy of Moko. I'm going to be vacationing at the Disneyland resort in July, so I think there's enough time for the Imagineers to get going on some of these. I mean floats are nice, and I do watch a parade from time to time, but if these were clomping down Main Street, I would so be there.
The Atkins fad diet had positively no traction at my house. Eliminate bread? Good luck with that, I love bread. But I think I'd love it even more if it was delivered by this absolutely slammed International Harvester Metro van by Lino M. Although it might have some trouble getting up the street with the speed bumps we have in my neighborhood.
How does your scalp feel, Itchy? Good, because builder jtheels has the prescription for that because you'll be scratching your head trying to figure this out. You may have seen his brilliantly simple series of MOCs called Brick Buddies, absolutely basic characters from pop culture, but with the logo or catch phrase from the show or movie they're from it's obvious. Well now he's collected 89 of these blocky little wonders into one place, with no added graphics. How many can you name? Some will be easy, some will be hard, and I'm guessing some will be impossible. Are you up to the challenge?
2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the rare movies that I actually enjoyed more than its over-explanatory book. Every visual is burned into my memory. Every sound. Every bit of dialogue. Every beat. I even put that creepy Monolith/Star Gate music on in the summer just to give myself some much-needed chills. The Excavation Site built by James May (AKA poshhammer) is craftily recreated in minor to major decorative features from the wall textures to the overall symmetrical proportions. I can almost hear the high pitch screeching.
Is that quote too cliche to use? Nah, I'll go with it. This sweet UN chopper by Guy Smiley is definitely the Arnold Schwarzenegger of helicopters. It's big, beefy, and could probably pulverize anything smaller than an elephant. The shaping of the fuselage is very nicely done, and the custom stickers really make it feel authentic. This beast also has some great realistic details, like the winch and the dual engines above the cockpit.
As a child I often browsed through the sci-fi section at used book stores just to see the amazing cover art. There's just something about seeing a bit of sci-fi art completely out of context that stimulates my imagination. Sometimes I could come up with a story or a single scene to accompany the picture and other times I was just left thinking about what was actually going on in the story. "The Journey" by SweStar looks like something straight from an obscure sci-fi novella and does not offer a description for why the traveller is approaching a metal-and-icicle tree, and perhaps that is for the best.
There's a lot of inspired building in this version of Wonder Woman by ToaLeewan. It seems super simple at first, but that's only because it's so clean. I'm sure we're going to be seeing a lot more of this lovely lady now that she's got her own movie in the works. And if we can just keep Zack Snyder from sinking his mediocre claws into it, it might be good.
If there's one thing I get a kick out of seeing every time, it's gotta be 1:1 scale movie props recreated in LEGO bricks. This skin-tight Iron Man gauntlet by Milan Sekiz features plenty of detail crammed in a very limited space that also accommodates flexibility. Having said that, I now have two serious questions: May I please wear it for Halloween and does it run on a miniature arc reactor or simple CR1025 batteries?
Uh oh! Wyldstyle seems to have taken a wrong turn in her quest to find the 'special one'! In this LEGO MoC habitat Vicky Brata has captured Wyldstyle in one of Jigsaw's deadly games. Handcuffed and chained with a key just out of reach, will she make it or will it be Game Over?!
TheRoyalBrick has pulled together some pretty cool themes as a basis for this unique piece. The build incorporates a Pharoah from Ancient Egypt, a futuristic hoverboard and a Warg from Norse mythology. The hoverboard is dual powered - sourcing its energy from the neon pink crystals as well as the Warg's beastly strength. This is a really fun LEGO MoC and I reckon Doc and Marty could use something like this in their time travels!
Pacific Rim was full of giant monsters, giant robots, and giant sharp things to poke your eye out with. Sounds awesome, right? Well you know what's even more awesome? Super giant things in micro LEGO scale! Grantmasters shrunk everything down to perfect proportions and managed to include an amazing amount of detail in the motion, texture, and coloring in this MOC. I mean, come on! Just look those yellow stripes on Knifehead!
I know we had at least one of these at our house when I was a kid, but being that I get barfy just glancing at my phone in a moving car I never cared for it much. It's Sit 'n Spin from jtheels, and it's a blast form the centrifugal past! Yeah, some of the toys from my youth were kinda dumb, but then again so were we (lawn darts anyone?).
Welcome back to some spooky BrickNerd Quick Builds! We have two treats for you today. The theme for our LEGO instructions is Halloween with witches, spiders, crows and a grave!
Did you know there is a LEGO convention held inside a world-renowned glass museum? Let’s step through the looking-glass together and learn what BrickNerd contributors Ted Andes and Daniel Zimmerman found at Empire Brick Con.
Galidor. A retired theme with a cult following, nearly universally hated by all. Just look at it. What part of this makes you think “LEGO?” Today we’ll take a look at the horrors of Galidor.
Shrek’s fairy-tale cast has arrived in LEGO minifigure form, but does everyone get a happily ever after? We take a close look at the movie references, a few puzzling design choices, and some useful parts for Castle builders.
What are the best ways to score cheap LEGO? If you’re willing to go to some effort, hidden LEGO pops up all over the place. In today’s guest article, Molly Patton shares her stories and tips at finding low-priced LEGO.
Are you one of those people that has a perpetually messy building table? If so, you are not alone. Ted Andes comes out in defense of creative clutter and pleads the case for there being a method-to-the-madness of a messy building table. Read on to find out why a little bit of disorganization can be a good thing.
What happens when you turn a LEGO pirate ship into a Great Ball Contraption? Brian Hickey and his family find out, building a working module and learning a few hard lessons when it joins the GBC loop at BrickCon.
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No bones about it, BrickNerd fans, we’ve got some interesting connections for you today. Will explores the old LEGO skeleton, digs up several curiosities, and resurrects Belville to tickle your funny bone!