Nerdy About The Bricks
SHIPtember may be over, but the memories live on, and with a few late arrivals we can keep celebrating. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Tim Schwalfenberg at BrickCon this year, he's a fascinating guy with mad building skills. For instance, he constructed this beast while actually away from home and his LEGO collection. The lineage to the Saturn V is obvious, but what a beautiful craft.
I probably got that name wrong, but according to the IKEA Dictionary that's a Finnish word for ship. And just like pretty much every IKEA I've ever been too, this SHIP by builder LEGOLIZE IT MAN is massive. This intergalactic forklift is a wonder to behold, it's a cargo pusher, and from the size of those engine, I'm guessing this thing could push a boatload of semi-disposable Swedish furniture. (fun fact: BrickNerd Studios is 95% furnished with IKEA stuff, we love it)
SHIPtember is about half way over, and my Flickr feed is chock-full-o-SHIPs. This one by SHIPtember evangelist and consummate spacer Si-Mocs caught my eye. It's like a giant dagger in space, with a touch of color for contrast and interest. But my favorite feature has to be those engine pods, this baby looks fast and powerful.
When you hear the word "locust" what do you think of? A mostly harmless grasshopper-like small insect? A plague of mostly harmless grasshopper-like small insects capable of destroying entire crops and devastating everything in their path? How about a neo classic space twin engine gunship? Yeah, that's what I was thinking too, thanks to builder ZCerberus.
The most efficient form of planetary vehicle is by far a wheeled transport...it's also the most boring. And let's face it, Unikitty is anything but boring, so of course she has opted for a four legged, saber toothed walking mech. Obviously it's equipped with state of the art communications and weapons, but if I know Unikitty, it's also got a pretty slammin' sound system too. Nice build thenewpoon.
Thrill to the exciting cast and exotic locations!
Gasp at the stunning visuals and special effects!
Scream at the shocking horror and uncanny aliens!
Can your heart stand the intense experience that is SAUCER MAN FROM PLANET X?!?
Coming soon to a theater near you (courtesy of builder Paddy Bricksplitter)!
Introducing the Zycon VI, engineered to thrill.
The long-hull proportions express the purity of a cruiser with a clarity of purpose. From the Thermatalonin induction port to active thrust vectoring, airflow under, over and into the body is managed with strategic brilliance. Every element contributes to performance, and conspires to seduce.
The lightspeed, multimode DCT transducer is rear-mounted, to help create the Zycon's ideal 47:53 front/rear balance. A carbon-fiber driveshaft links it to the front-mid-mounted quantum drive. Lightning-quick shifts, a limited-slip differential and torque vectoring precisely deliver power to space.
Radar-based COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS can help you avoid frontal collisions, and can even initiate braking. ATTENTION ASSIST® can help sense a drowsy pilot. A rearview camera, NAVTRONIC, and available Blind Spot and Space Lane Keeping Assists help smooth your moves from the launch port to the galaxy.
I stole all that from the Mercedes website and swapped a few words, I crack myself up. Nice build Rogue Bantha.
The future of space travel could someday be like this, where huge craft in space actually open up worm holes to fold space and allow travel vast, unimaginable distances. It's likely the ships of the future will look like this gorgeous vessel by Sheo, somewhat unconventional to classic NASA and even sci-fi designs, but beautiful and wonderful in their own right.
This is a wonder to behold. This is what happens when seven of the best space builders on the planet pool their resources and build together. This space base is the collective work of Jason Briscoe (Brizzasbricks), Gary Davis (Bricks for Brains), Tim Goddard (Rogue Bantha), Andrew Hamilton (Wami Delthorn), Alec Hole (hhcBrick), Rhys Knight (Mister Bricks) and Peter Reid (Legoloverman). It's a true dream team of builders, and the results are jaw-dropping, I strongly encourage you to click here to see many more pics.
Hey kids! You want to start your day off right, right? You can't just run off to the factory or place of labor without getting properly fueled up. Those jobs are important, and too difficult or dangerous for humans so they're relying on YOU! Start your day with a balanced breakfast of Keko Pops! All the energy you need to be productive and dependable, and a free torque wrench in every box!
I've seen a lot of Minifigure costumes through the years. While they all make me happy, most of the time the proportions or construction is just not quite right. Not the case with this latest cosplay from Henrik Pilerud. It's clear from the beginning of the project that Henrik was determined to get it right, and with outstanding skill and talent, he did.
I'm guessing if you saw any of these images as thumbnails, you'd never suspect there's actually someone inside it. The proportions, attention to detail and material selection is perfect, making this absolutely one of the best Minifigure costumes ever constructed. The construction is primarily high density foam, with a fabric cover. But it's exceedingly clever, even incorporating venting through the top of the head and out of the face, which is mesh.
I had the opportunity to chat with Henrick about this amazing costume.
BN: How long did it take to make this?
HP: 200 hours from research, some 3D modelling, pattern making, cutting, gluing, sewing to finished.
BN: What's been the reaction?
HP:Lots, and lots of smiles! I have only had it at one event so far, but winning the cosplay contest and qualifying for both the Swedish Cosplay Championships and the European contest EuroCosplay Championships together with all the joy the costume spread among the convention goers, I would say was a great success.
BN: What lessons did you learn?
HP: I used a lot of lessons I've learned from previous costumes, both in choices of raw materials, mainly foam, and making it comfortable (as much as possible) to wear the costume. I also learned that I can walk (but not very fast or easily) with short legs with no knees or feet joints.
BN: Do you have any plans for other figures?
HP: Probably no more figures any time soon, but perhaps some more LEGO props and stage dressing for my performances in the coming contests. Having a space ship to scale, would be awesome, but not very realistic. The scale is 46:1 compared to an actual minifig. However, me sharing my work, might inspire others so make costumes of the same, or even higher, quality around the world.
You can learn more about Henrik and how he created this and many more stunning costumes at his Facebook page Pilerud's Cosplay.
Sometimes when we build a MOC we're not quite satisfied, and that's natural. As an artist I'm never quite satisfied with my work, always thinking it could be better, but you just run out of time, run out of money or run out of steam, happens every time. Occasionally we get the chance to revisit something, we take the time and update it, and that's what this fantastic space dragon is, an update. The original was splendid, but there were certain aspects that always bothered builder BobDeQuatre. Now he's taken some time to correct those, and the results are spectacular. If I had to guess there's still one or two things he'd like to perfect, but that's an artist, never satisfied.
Who says you need monorail to be futuristic? That being said, bring back the monorail LEGO, if for no other reason to not have to hear about it from the space guys at EVERY CONVENTION, but I digress. Check out this transportation of the future from builder TFDesigns. This baby runs on power functions and sports loads of LED lighting. I also want to point out with a little imagination, even regular train track can take on an excellent appearance.
We all know Benny's affection for spaceships, but have you ever wondered where he lives? Builder Casey M has and crafted this sweet little micro build. It's from a series of MOCs exploring alternate uses or modification of Lowell spheres. The bottom half of this is one section of a sphere, giving the impression the dwelling was built on a partially destroyed (or seriously excavated) moon.
The Galaxy Explorer (and the original space theme for that matter) is a classic. The only evidence you need to see the absolute affection the community has for this craft is the continual homages paid to it. I myself have created one, and I was given one as a gift. And builder ZCerberus has crafted this gorgeous tribute to the venerable ship, carrying on the tradition.
Every once in a while a MOC comes along that is so colossal, so epic, that it's hard to wrap your head around. The Queen Aurora by builder messerneogeo is just such a MOC. When pictures of this started popping up on Flickr I found myself saying "what is this? Is it really that big?" Well, it it might be digital, but that doesn't diminish the truly staggering scale of this and the amount of work that has gone into no only the build, but the presentation. Click through for many more pics, and be prepared to be astonished.
Sorry, couldn't help the Total Recall reference. It's just hard for me to not think of that when the subject of mars comes up (you should see my Arnold decompression impersonation). Builder eldeeem shows us the not to distant future with this brilliant (and huge) mars colony diorama. There's lots to love here, but my favorite details are the solar panels (I'm a sucker for the perfect part choice) and that rover looks ready to explore the red planet.
Builder dvdliu proposes an interesting scenario. What if two lunar explorers were to meet up for a friendly vehicle exchange? We have a classic Apollo type lunar rover, and a very retro spaceship, personally speaking I think the ship is probably more fun, but I'd have a blast taking either for a spin.
It's always fun when a builder steps out of their comfort zone and takes on a new theme. It's especially fun when they bring in a little of another genre, or go full on mashup. Builder Dwalin Forkbeard dealves into space with a steampunky rocket ship in which victorians would have been proud to break the atmosphere.
If you're a fan of Gerry Anderson's UFO (and even if you're not) you have to appreciate the love and care that went into this awesome S.H.A.D.O. maintenance bay by builder Norton74. To further enhance the viewing experience I highly recommend visiting this link and listening to what is my opinion one of the greatest TV themes of all time.
BrickNerd is your source for all things LEGO and the LEGO fan community
Like what we're doing? Become a patron to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more. Or leave a one-time donation by hitting the yellow button. Everything is appreciated!
BrickNerd is not associated with The LEGO Group.
Opinions shared on this site are our own and not the opinions of LEGO or The LEGO Group.
LEGO® is a trademark of The LEGO Group which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.
Copyright © 2013 - 2025 BrickNerd. All Rights Reserved.
Contact Us
