Information Retrieval

Robots will eventually be a part of our everyday lives, in some way they are. But as we imbue them with more personality and human like characteristics will it become harder to think of them as hardware? Take this little guy from builder Legoloverman, it's really hard not to feel sorry for him. A robot is a bunch of metal, plastic and circuits, no more "alive" than a Roomba, but I doubt I'd feel anything if one was in this same position.

Coyote Mech

Here on the central coast of California we have fairly few predators. There's the occasional mountain lion, black bear or bobcat, but those are pretty rare. Far more often we see coyote, but they just look like wild dogs, not anything nearly as intimidating as this mech by builder ToyForce 120. I also assume the local mammals are glad this is just a figment of his imagination.

"Mel"

In mankind's never ending drive to recreate itself artificially, I suppose the inevitable outcome will be robots with less than desirable traits (hopefully murder will not be among them). Think about it, if we want our creations to have emotional characteristics like happiness, compassion and ambition, it stands to reason that they might also have depression, anxiety and anger. This robot by builder justin_m_winn has been nicknamed "Mel" because he tends to be melancholic. I don't know what his primary function is, but I hope it's useful enough to overlook his tendency to be down in the dumps.

T-Rex

I don't know what's more frightening, a distant past where tyrannosaurus rex roamed the world, or a distant future where robo-tyrannosaurus rex, like this totally sweet MOC from ToyForce 120, roam the world. At least in the future we can all looks on with sincere admiration and awe as this thing bears down on us. Truly impressed with it's stunning mechanical design and intimidating aesthetics, I mean before it chomps down on you of course. 

Type 75 LG Ryūun

I don't recognize this mech by legoricola, so if it's from something I don't know what, but I like it. It's got a familiarity to it, yet unique, like the lovechild of a Valkyrie and ED-209. And while it's clearly build for combat, with that huge cannon for aright arm, I think I'd just like to take it for a spin, just run around and frolic, and maybe gently crush a few cars and topple a water tower or two. Then sit back and wait for the lawsuits I guess (why can't I have any fun?)

Digital Ombudsman

I will admit to having never heard the term ombudsman before seeing this wonderful robot MOC by the venerable Pete Reid. And I can say after reading the description, I think the human version would be intimidating enough, but if this guy showed up to investigate some maladministration on my part, I'd be seeking another career. Read more about him and his clever use of "bar with towball" on The New Elementary.

Tri-pod Walker

What do behemoth monsters and strange invaders from other worlds have against Tokyo? Take this trip-pod walker from builder Tokyo Tag Team for instance, what the heck did that building do to deserve that? I visited Tokyo once, it's an amazing place filled with wonderful people and interesting sights everywhere. I can assure you the urge to destroy it didn't occur to me once the entire time I was there.

ARMT-M01A Aras

So what do you do when you need to approach an enemy swiftly, over uneven and obstructed terrain, maintain dexterity while delivering a punishing array of armament? Well you pilot a mech of course, not unlike this reFrame by builder Messymaru. Just look at the sleek lines, the elegant but deadly proportions and the pose-ability of this beauty.

Blue Gale Xabungle

Builder Moko has gone a bit retro with this latest mech. This is Blue Gale Xabungle from Combat Mecha Xabungle, an animated series from way back in 1982. I say way back because this is also the year I started high school (jeez I'm old). I like the bright colors and clean lines on this one. From the thumbnail you'd swear it's just a high quality toy. But no, it's a high quality toy built from another high quality toy.

Picking Mech Flowers

This is one of those builds that is as much abstract art as it is MOC. I still don't quite know what I'm looking at, even after digging through other pics in builder Johnnie Brick Xavier's photostream. But it's compelling, it's thought provoking (even if that thought is just "huh?") and it's cool, so I just had to share it. 

Give Me A Hand

I really dig this mechanical hand MOC by builder ToyForce 120. It reminds me of my time as a mechanical designer, as well as the Terminator (plus robot hands are pretty much always cool). The pose-ability of this hand is absolutely fantastic, if you click through there's tons more pictures with all kids of poses. As for the title of this post, it's totally selfish, I want this hand.

Macross Destroid Defender

Just this morning I blogged a Valkyrie, now this Defender MOC by builder prolost comes to my attention, it's Macrossriffic sorta day! I like the clean lines and design of this mech, like it's animated counterpart, it's no nonsense.

Thanks for the tip Angus!

Ronin Titan

I still haven't played Titanfall, nor am I likely too, unless it somehow ends up on Wii U (yeah, I finally got one of those), and even then, my gaming time is really limited. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate all the cool stuff from the game. Take this Ronin Titan mech by Nick Brick for instance, no idea what it does or who's side it's on, but I dig it.

Heavy Melee Armor

The full description of this marvelous mech by builder acgshow(G.S) is Heavy Melee Armor "cupping". I'm guessing there's something lost in translation here, because this guy doesn't look like he needs the Micheal Phelps treatment. He'd just take one step and be at the other side of the pool...then smash you.

Parts Is Parts

Keko is having an existential crisis, and you might be able to relate to it, for nothing is what it seems. At first glance this looks like a small plastic model contemplating the sum of his parts on the sprue. But take a closer look, that's all LEGO. Another mind-bending MOC from Legoloverman.

Oh, that 'cutting mat' he's standing on? That's LEGO too... *boom*

Blacktron Kong

There's no description on this MOC by builder David_Alexander_Smith, so it's up to my imagination to figure out how this fits in the Blacktron universe (like that's a problem). Meet Blacktron Kong, the bipedal mech invented by Thaddeus Shvenkle of the 76th Space Division- Oracle Base Unit. Kong was built for remote exploration on the uneven and diverse terrain of Novus 6. His ape-like structure allows for high mobility in the jungle regions as well as the rocky plains. Kong has a crew of up to 4 explorers, but is capable of being driven by a single pilot. His total mission time is 76 hours under normal use and his energy source is classified at this time.

Mechstick

Maybe it's the slight resemblance to IG-88, maybe it's the impossibly slender proportions, maybe is that innocent look countered with that big gun. I don't know what it is but I find this tall and skinny MOC by Karf Oohlu very compelling. I can imagine him (I assume it's a him) chasing down his enemies and finding cover behind ridiculously narrow objects.

Cailín

While the description of this whimsical and strange robot from builder Gamabomb describes it as  a friendly ai bot, I do find it's appearance slightly unsettling. It's wonderful but odd proportions and featureless face make it a little creepy and benevolent at the same time. But the overall effect is very compelling. If you're having trouble placing that face part, it's the top of a First Order Stormtrooper helmet, brilliant.

C.A.R.L. 800

This heavy melee mech by Gamabomb looks ready to pummel. The unconventional proportions, color combinations and distinctive features (like that blade-like head!) all add up to a very compelling, battle-ready robot. There's so many wonderful little details on this I don't know where to start, so I'll just invite you to gawk like I am.

Please Put Down Your Weapon, You Have Twenty Second To Comply...

A couple days ago builder Grantmasters posted his brilliant little minifig scale ED-209, the much revered (if ultimately flawed) enforcement droid from RoboCop, to the collective mindblow of the AFOL community. Now builder Sparkart has 'modernized' the design and shared the LDD model with everyone. We can all have an enforcement droid guarding our bricks!