53rd & Broadway...And Step On It

I’ve only spent time in Manhattan once, for a working gig so I didn’t get to see as much as I would have liked. Surprisingly enough, I only took a single cab ride the entire time (the subway is pretty much the way to go there) but I can assure you, it wasn’t nearly as nice as this wonderful vehicle by redfern1950s2. And the driver was an anonymous silhouette, not dapper and ready to please like this gentleman.

Press Any Key To Continue...

…Which one is the Any key? The first computer I used on a regular basis, maintained and even upgraded, was an Hewlett Packard 386 (yup, ancient history). This latest from Powerpig gave me the instant retro feels for that old heap. You can even open the side to take a peek inside, and maybe upgrade the RAM to a whole MEGABYTE! It’s pretty much what all the computers looked like back then, large, beige and bulky, but gorgeous in their own way. And you can build your own soon because Chris is going to release a building guide.

#12 Grimold Place

I’m going to stop you right here, and tell you to watch the video below before continuing to read, I’ll wait…

I spend pretty much every morning, 365 days a year give or take, blogging LEGO creations. I can tell you that an audible reaction from me is pretty rare, but this brilliant little MOC by builder Inthert made me exclaim out loud “holy sh*t!” I’m a Harry Potter fan, and a LEGO fan of course, and I have a soft spot for micro builds and mechanical ingenuity. This sorta ticks all the boxes for me.

Thunderbolt

Behold your doom, Thunderbolt! This latest by Moko pretty much blows my mind. He’s calling it a Bionicle MOC, but this transcends that class as far as I’m concerned. It’s got the prefect mix of System and Technic blended in, as well as some Power Functions for lighting (and exposed wiring that just adds to the aesthetic). It looks like something from a movie, a movie I want to watch.

NASA's Evil Twin

I’ve got to admit, I’m a sucker for NASA’s rockets and I can spend hour gawking at the marvels of human engineering. But NASA ain’t got nothin’ on this ship by halfbeak! With a ton of black, a handful of green, a dash of realism and a pinch of antimatter, what’s not to like? Not to mention a hint of nefarious criminal activity by NASA’s evil twin, NAST (pronounced nasty). Put simply, if NASA were Futuron, NAST would be the Blacktron of space exploration.

Dumbledore's Office

Thinking back to all the schools I attended (we moved around a bit, I went to many) absolutely none of them were anywhere even remotely as cool as Hogwarts. I mean not by a long shot. And while is only though the words of JK Rowling and the production design of the films that we get to imagine what it would have been like, they have been so well done that they feel distant but real. So this recreation by builder Legopard is a historical reproduction in my imagination, and it’s perfect.

Whistle Of Wind, Wisps Of Cloud

I know I was on vacation last week (Disney cruise, it was awesome) but I came back to a delivery push on a film gig and have worked crazy hours this week, so I find myself in need of another vacation. This place looks so tranquil and inviting, I think I’d like to go there. Just imagine it, arriving by air boat to dwell among the clouds, sounds like a dream. How about it qi_tah, can I visit? I’ll bring my own pillow.

BR 80 Steam Engine

Just last Sunday I spent most of the day aboard a train. Of course it was a modern Amtrak train, but I did spend a moment thinking about the heyday of locomotive transportation, imagining myself crossing the country in the 1800’s. While I can’t speak with much authority on trains (what can I say, I just don’t know much about them), I can say I like the looks of this one by builder holgermatthes. And if you do too there’s great news, Holger has shared the instructions so you can build your own!

By the way, if you’re into trains, and you want to be a blogger, clearly we have need for an expert in the ranks.

Full Steam

This is presentation taken to the next level. Builder Markus "madstopper78" Ronge has not only crafted some amazing builds, he’s imagined an entire mini universe, Full Steam. It’s like LEGO plus fan fiction, but not just a backstory, a whole…thing! Tune into an imaginary network to watch an imaginary series featuring amazing builds, it’s brilliant. And this ship plus the display around it are just stunning. I’m not a huge Ninjago fan, but I think I’d watch this.

Torpedo Bombers at 5 O'clock High

I love a good airplane model, especially biplanes. In freshman engineering I built a biplane for a project that I was told no one had built a biplane for, and the professor wasn’t sure it would work. It flew wonderfully. Prolific LEGO aircraft builder John Lamarck has posted a beautiful Blackburn B-6 Shark. Like many aircraft developed in the interwar years it did not have a long service life as developments happened rapidly in aviation in that time period. My only quibble is the inter-wing struts should be on an angle in the front view and not vertical, but that is likely driven more by the scale and medium.

Nyarlethotep

As Halloween approaches I expect more and more spooky MOCs to appear in my Flickr feed, happens every year. Well, more and more that are supposed to be spooky, but this is genuine nightmare fuel by builder Karf Oohlu. Meet Nyarlethotep, the messenger to the outer gods, and say goodby to any chance of a good night’s sleep for a while.

Three Tiny Brothers

One of the most jaw-dropping works of animation I’ve ever seen is the tale of Three Brothers from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it’s a masterpiece of production design, lighting and animation. Builder Nuju Metro stunned us all earlier this year with his Three Brothers build, inspired by that animation, and now he’s back with a micro scale version of that MOC. Even small enough to fit in your hand it’s absolutely amazing.

Draw!

Howdy partner. You look pretty fast on the draw, are you? You fast enough to beat tkel86’s Western Shootout? Using LEGO Mindstorms EV3 and a big imagination, Alexis built an arcade style shooting game, and it’s awesome. So put on your chaps and hat and check out the video to see it in action!

That Others May Live

Fun fact, I once nearly died in a Black Hawk. True story. Good times. Equally fun fact, I do volunteer search and rescue (SAR) work. So when I came upon Robsom M's beautiful build of a USCG MH-60T Jayhawk, well, all my boxes were checked.

A variant of the Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk, the MH-60T is the venerable workhorse of USCG SAR. Many people owe their lives to the brave men and women of USCG aviation that put it all on the line to save others and this MOC is a perfect tribute to all those Coasties.

Horror At Mangrove Swamp

I love how crazy talented some of my friends are. I don’t know what inspired what, and which came first, but builder Lino M not only built this exceptional diorama with a dark back story, he also painted the cover of a pulp novel of that very story. It seems that the folks of this swamp have been keeping the rest of us safe, but at a terrible price.

The Giap Towers

Welcome to the Giap Towers, watch that first step. Builder MarcelV was inspired by the whimsical and exceptional art of Chong Fei Giap, for which this wonderful MOC takes it’s name. According to the builder this is the culmination of 10 months of planning, building, rebuilding and photography, and it shows. You can’t rush art, it always dictates it’s own speed, and it’s always worth the wait.

Open the Podbay Doors

This planetary lander by Neomar Dethron is a great little slice of retro Sci-Fi. It reminds me of some of the personal space craft in art from the early space age, before the EVA suits that we now know were developed. The color blocking makes the Hyperflare Lander look well used, I’m also fond of the overall vertical orientation of the vehicle as well.

NALSAR

There are very few things that are more American than NASCAR races. Hopping on the couch with a soda in one hand and the remote in the other, watching grown men drive cars in loops, one left turn after another, and secretly hoping to see a highly entertaining car wreck. But replace those cars with speeders and now you’re onto something! PigletCiamek has created NALSAR which is sure to satisfy your desire for speed and danger. Now THIS is podracing!

Skytanic

These folks are traveling in ultra style aboard the Royal Yacht Skytanic thanks to builder Markus "madstopper78" Ronge. Luckily for them there’s no such thing as a sky iceberg, so things should go pretty well. Click through for many more pictures of this supremely detailed ship, it’s gorgeous.

Talk Like A Pirate Day

Ahoy mateys! Today be a very special day. ‘tis of course talk like a pirate day n’ the ole salt Alex THELEGOFAN be here t’ remind us of it. His pirate booty be mighty fine 'n be making me wants t' search the seven seas t' find some more great builds. Arrrg!