With the blazing heat of summer here to accompany us every step we make, it becomes hard to remember a time without sunburns and a constant desire for air conditioning. Luckily for us, roΙΙi is here to remind us of all the other wonderful seasons of the year in this fantastic series of micro builds. And let me tell you, the summer micro build really floats my boat if you know what I’m saying.
I’ve only seen a few episodes of Father Brown, but enough that I instantly recognized this excellent brick version of the catholic crime solver by builder Eero Okkonen. The face is especially good, the use of the Technic part for the mouth is especially inspired, gives him his trademark scrutinizing stare.
Builder Melan-E is back with another classic bicycle, this time it’s a Schwinn Stingray. Sadly, I’m old enough to remember these from my early childhood. While the real bike from my youth was the Scrambler, there were plenty of these still around when I was younger. In fact the first time (yeah it happened more than once) my brother got his foot caught in some spokes was on the back of one of these. Ah, memories.
Character builder extraordinaire Eero Okkonen is back with a rare diorama. This time it’s a tranquil scene in feudal Japan, a tea ceremony. I could go into some details about this, but they would pale in comparison with the extensive blog post Eero has done, head over there and read up on and see more pictures of this wondrous and beautiful build.
My old buddy Thorsten Bonsch, in honor of the story of Akira, set in the year 2019, has come up with this stunning scene: Off to the Containment Unit. A real pioneer of the genre, Akira was the first widely distributed serious Japanese Anime in Europe and North America, unlike the usual Saturday morning cartoons for kiddies (still love Tranzor Z, though). Click on the images to see all those tasty greebles up close. Awesome!
I don’t know much about this creation. It’s from builder Smoker, has no description and the image names are just alphanumeric strings. The only reason I know the name is because there’s an album name and I’m familiar with the tower that inspired this build. What I do know is this is an absolute masterpiece, an incredibly intricate example of classic Chinese architecture and as beautiful as the tower that inspired it.
This is so clever I can’t stand it. This transforming space base by builder chris office reminds me of the old Mattel and Micro Machines play sets. It starts as a pretty cool looking suit case, which is pretty ship-like already, with a classic space logo and plenty of greebs. But then you open it up and unveil a whole little space station world, complete with ships and vehicles, a landing pad, what looks like soil processing and even a bar! I could see a whole line based on this concept, with a different case for each theme, like a treasure chest for pirates, a trunk for adventurers and a crate for city.
As I’ve stated more than once on this blog I don’t know diddly about trains, so I’ll let builder technoandrew’s description do all the talking… The Merchant Navy class was designed by Oliver Bulleid for the Southern Railway, and introduced many novel features to a British locomotive. However, many of these innovations proved troublesome, so the class were subsequently rebuilt by British Railways to a more conventional design. My model represents the rebuilt version.
You don’t see many lavender MOCs. I’m assuming because it’s a fringe color and has a limited number of elements. But that didn’t stop builder retinence from tackling little Espeon here, and the results are pretty stunning. A lack of elements didn’t seem to be a problem here, because the contours turned out perfect.
“I wanna introduce you to a personal friend of mine. This is an M41A Pulse Rifle. Ten millimeter, with over-and-under thirty millimeter pump action grenade launcher.”
Builder Nick Brick is back with one of my all time favorite sci-fi weapons, the M41A Pulse Rifle from Aliens. I still recall sitting in the theater during the pulse pounding 2 hour 34 minute adrenaline rush that is Aliens and going “oooohhh” when Hicks was showing this to Ripley.
I don’t know what a plague mech is, and I hope I never find out because this thing is a bit terrifying. Builder Anthony (The Secret Walrus) Wilson has brought together seemingly benign Technic and System pieces into a thing of nightmares. Part centipede, part alien, part machine, all horrifying.
Not only is this sculpture by builder jarekwally eye catching and whimsical, it’s also a reminder that LEGO is moving away from petroleum based plastic to plant-based. This is part of their commitment to being sustainable by the year 2030, and they’re well on their way. I’d personally like a couple bouquets like this around the house, fun to look at and pretty difficult to kill (bringing a live plant into this house is pretty much a death sentence).
I was stunned to learn that builder Eero Okkonen constructed this gorgeous behemoth in two days, TWO DAYS! I know I’m a slow builder, glacially slow any more (seriously, my current MOC has been on the table in the studio for well over a year) but this just blows my mind. Sometimes it’s the pressure of a contest deadline that can kick a build into overdrive, in this case the Eurobricks Ninjago Contest. But to beat the deadline with such an awesome figure, color me impressed.
The Road Runner and Coyote, two of the classic cartoon foils. Chris Goddard has succeeded where Wile E. never did, by capturing the Road Runner in brick form. Also Wile E Coyote, and a back drop straight out of a classic Merry Melodies short. The classic elements are there: the Road Runner about to set off something the Coyote attempted earlier and failed, the Coyote’s later over complicated attempted to snag the Road Runner, a fantastic American Southwest backdrop, and the Road Runner’s knowing look to the audience just before the Coyote, with his bulging eyes gets his comeuppance. The only thing missing is the painted tunnel that turns into a real tunnel later, but that would likely crowd the scene.
Fans of Game of Thrones should recognize these iconic castles from the opening titles of the series. Builder Legopard spent three months recreating six of the locations of Westeros and Essos, not only capturing the look and feel of them, but also adding brilliant mechanical action to all. Check out the video to see them all in motion, and try to keep your jaw from hitting the table.
Yesterday while we were celebrating my wife’s birthday there was another birthday getting some recognition, the movie Alien. On May 25th 1979 Ridley Scott changed everything about science fiction and horror, and this was one of the pivotal moments in the film, brilliantly recreated by Ochre Jelly on it’s 40th anniversary. Let this be a lesson to you kids, don’t go poking your head into strange eggs on a distant world, no matter how cool your costume is.
The world watched in collective horror as fire raged through Notre Dame last month. We all reacted in our own way, some prayed, some cried, some vowed to rebuild and some were just frozen in disbelief. But builder Rocco Buttliere committed to building this, a spectacular recreation of the beloved architectural masterpiece. It is intentionally set in springtime to represent rebirth, a notion I find irresistibly uplifting. Click through for more pictures and some fascinating history.
I really dig the mini modular scale. The original set is one of my favorite sets of all time, and I still have it together. In fact, you’ll find it in the background of a great many of the animations at BrickNerd Studios, it’s perfect for forced perspective. This mini version of the diner by Swan Dutchman would make a perfect addition to the set too. It’s amazingly accurate to the proportions and colors of the original, including the signage on the front, isn’t that spiffy?
Mickey Mouse is a pretty popular subject for LEGO artists, I myself took a crack at him almost 10 years ago. And I can tell you from first hand experience he’s not easy, especially at small scale. But thanks to some much needed parts, namely the 1x1 round black tile and 1x1 half round white tile, everyone’s favorite mouse has never looked better than this rendition by the great Bruce Lowell.
A word of advice, don’t mess with this man’s dog. Sure he may seem like a bit of a burnout, a loner, but he’s got some skills. And while you may have your particular beef with him, if you try to settle a score you should be prepared for some…push back. But, whatever you do, do not mess with his dog, you have been warned.
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.
The Spindlejack messengers have a new predator on their tail! Dan Ko shares his T-R3X Speeder Bike, a dinosaur-inspired ride for the light-fingered Swindlejerks, with free instructions to build your own bike and display stand.
Creating LEGO cityscapes is an AFOL passion, but how do you build sidewalks and curbs that curve like in real life? We share some step-by-step instructions using some helpful new elements to make sure your city has curb appeal.
Monet painted his garden many times, exploring changes in color and time of day. Meredith Najewicz follows his lead, rebuilding the LEGO Art Water Lilies set with a darker palette and some creative part substitutions to cast the lilies in a different light.
It is time to take to the skies to see all the LEGO floating islands that populate our imaginations. Check out these gravity-defying rocks and learn why they might be one of the best ever collab ideas.
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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.