“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.
The M41A Pulse Rifle from Aliens is one of my favorite sci-fi weapons. Jim Cameron's design paired with Simon Atherton's prop making skills made for a perfect combination of futuristic and plausibility, you just buy it. Builder Missing Brick has assembled one of the smallest, cutest (if a badass military weapon can be cute) versions I've ever seen, with startling accuracy for it's scale. I just wanna pick it up and go "pew pew".
It seems like the AFOL world has gone Brickheadz crazy, but I'm sort of ok with it as long as cool stuff like this keeps cropping up. Ripley herself would be proud of these adorable Queen Alien and Powerloader from builder GolPlaysWithLego. But that doesn't mean the drama isn't there, any second now Ripley's gonna cry out "get away from her you brickhead" and toss her in the airlock.
I've always been a fan of the tech of Aliens. James Cameron is a legitimate creative genius and some of my favorite all time movie gadgets are in that film. This is one of them, the motion tracker. It's humble real-life story is as fascinating as it's time on screen, being the product of the 80's scrappy and get-it-done prop builders. This version by W. Navarre does it justice...game over man, game over.
Can something be cute and horrifying at the same time? I'd argue it can, just check out this adorable, I mean horrible chest burster from Paddy Bricksplitter. Sure it will kill you, but I think in those few seconds before you died you might experience just a fleeting moment of appreciate for how cute this guy is. Sort of a" squee to scream" moment.
Who can ever forget that first time you saw Aliens and the queen showed up at the end (spoilers?) After the first 90% of the movie that was already like riding a rollercoaster with your hair on fire holding a rabid cat this baby pops out of the drop ship and you soil your seat. Well now Sir Nadroj has build a brick version of her and she's a beauty. May I suggest a power suit and Ripley next? Has to be done Jordan, get to work.
Nothing like surviving a traumatic deep space event involving a murderous xenomorph then hypersleep for 57 years to mess up your sleep cycles huh? When Ripley finally made her way back to earth, she had a few issues to work through, not the least of which was the nightmares. This one in particular, expertly recreated by Grantmasters, would be enough to rattle anyone.
I was fresh out of high school and jonzin' to start a career in movies when Aliens premiered back in 1986. I can remember going to see it with a buddy and being totally blown away by it. This morning I'm blown away by this spectacular MOC by Missing Brick. The MOC itself is really impressive, but the presentation is what really caught my attention. Using a combination of LED scale lighting, under lighting, an iPad for a splash of color and an atomizer for atmosphere, this iconic scene from the movie is recreated with brilliant results.
Let's face it, face huggers are scary. In the original Alien it was disturbing and horrific, but in Aliens when they got upwardly mobile it was downright terrifying. But I have to say, this hugger by Grantmasters is almost cute, almost. It's very clever that's for sure, and the Gigeresque alien hand for the stand is brilliant.
This MOC by Grantmasters gives me a happy. It depicts the visual effects crew of Aliens doing a motion control shot of the Sulaco. So it's pretty much my one of my favorite movies, one of my favorite ships and one of my favorite aspects of visual effects built out of my favorite toy. So much WIN!
The eighties were a great time for visual effects. Computer generated imagery was in it's infancy and unproven so filmmakers relied on clever tricks and careful planning to make unique visuals. Unlike today, where it's just an onslaught of 50 foot robots beating the hell out of each other in polygonal pixel porn. The movie Aliens was a great example of the former, and this MOC by Missing Brick not only pays tribute to the scene and set of the cryotubes, but also the brilliant way it was accomplished, with mirrors.
This is total geek porn here. One of the greatest sic-fi weapons from one of the greatest sic-fi movies, the M41A pulse rifle from Aliens. This version by Legohaulic is brilliant, with amazing accuracy and building. The ammo counter even lights up when the trigger is pulled. I WANT THIS.
The USS Sulaco from the 1986 classic Aliens is one of my favorite all-time ships. Syd Mead's original design for the ship, while still cool, was a little bulbous and not very fitting for the Colonial Marines' bad ass persona. Then director James Cameron did a rough sketch of what's been called a "gun in space" and the rest is history. This MOC by Si-MOCs captures it's iconic shape perfectly in small form.
I just watched this movie the other night. Still holds up beautifully 27 years later. This MOC depicts the scene where they discover the location of the colonists. This brilliantly detailed and lit interior comes from Missing Brick, who has a whole series excellent scenes from Aliens. Custom minifigs by Matthias.
Thanks for the head's up Pete
One of James Cameron's true gifts is introducing technology that not only looks cool, but is plausible. You can really believe in the Power Loader. I can still remember watching this thing in Aliens so many years ago and just going "awesome" (with that sort of giddy little nerd dance you do in your seat). I really want to walk around in one of these some day.
There are few epic climax struggles more memorable that Ripley vs the queen alien in Aliens. And now we can admire it in CubeDude form thanks to Lego-Man-at-arms. The super deformed power loader cracks me up.
Old LEGO magic still has its charms. We revisit Borgin and Burkes and Dumbledore’s office to compare how their buildings, curious objects, and magical creatures have changed across generations of Harry Potter sets.
Want to customize a minifig without fancy printers or toxic fumes? Learn how to use the dark art of reductive design to literally erase the line between official and custom LEGO parts.
LEGO meets tabletop combat in the Brassbound universe. We talk with creator Paul Antoine about designing microscale armies, turning builds into game pieces, and developing games with a growing community.
When a legendary archaeologist minifigure meets the spin cycle, adventure calls! Follow along as we reclaim the lost fedora of Indiana Jones and uncover how to repair a LEGO keychain.
LEGO adventurers need somewhere to unwind between quests. We talk with Sleepy Dragon Inn designer Marin Graux about classic Castle, medieval hospitality, and how his design evolved for the BrickLink Designer Program.
From sketches to superglue, see how this custom LEGO motorcycle earned its street cred. We chat with Jean-Yves about the design, prototyping, and even heat resistance of his LEGO customizations, taking them from prototype to the pavement.
October has arrived with a fresh selection of LEGO contests and challenges. Don’t miss your chance to build a MOC and maybe even win some awesome LEGO prizes. With a new LEGO Speederbike Challenge, and a Halloween contest or two, there’s plenty of inspiration to be found!
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