August brought a multitude of interesting articles, fascinating features, insightful deep dives, and eye-catching videos from all across the LEGO community. These are the best LEGO features of the month from around the fan community.
Read MoreWe chat with LEGO builder Eli Willsea and learn about his incredible 2020—a year chock full of amazing builds, hilarious hijinks, awards and more.
Read MoreEach of these MOCs is built with 101 bricks or less for the RogueOlympics contest, showing that you don’t need a huge LEGO collection to build amazing custom creations.
Read MoreThere’s an art to picking the perfect LEGO element for a model, and builder Dan Ko does it masterfully. The parts he chooses to build with transcend from their original purpose to become something entirely different and more beautiful, yet minimal and elegant.
Read MoreWhen thinking of dynamite, cooling rods are not the first thing that comes to mind. However, jtooker2 has created a very explosive build (pun intended) by incorporating the dynamite piece as cooling rods in this sci-fi energy plant, which was submitted to the LOLUG’s April Iron Builder Competition.
On the sunny central coast of California we enjoy a fairly bug-free life. Sure, there are trillions of them, but they really don't bother us, few bite or sting, and most are so small they go unnoticed. So, I think if I saw one of these in real life I might have a mini heart attack, even if they are completely harmless. A brilliant MOC by Grant Davis.
What a whimsical and wonderful image by builder Grant Davis. A fairytale classic, Jack ascending the beanstalk to find the giant's castle. If not for that familiar texture in the background you'd hardly know it was LEGO. I knew when the seed part of this round of Iron Builder was revealed we'd see some interesting stuff, but the creativity on this round has been off the scale.
This one fooled me, I mean really fooled me. I looked at this thumbnail and thought "well, that's an unusual color for a door handle". Then stared at it for a second more and thought "I guess that's why they took a picture of it". Yes, I was so confused by the nature of the picture of a door handle that I failed to notice it was brick-built. Well played Grant, well played.
Quite literally. Builder Grant Davis continues to churn out models for Iron Builder (nothing from KOS yet, where are you KOS?) and this latest one can actually be used to cool him off while he builds more. Check out the video to see this 100% purist MOC in action.
For s generation, this was the screen of total frustration. With the original Nintendo Entertainment System there was an accessory called the Light Gun, and while there were a few games that took advantage of it, this game ruled supreme. Duck Hunt was simple enough, shoot the ducks, but it could be difficult. And as if it's wasn't frustrating enough, this dog would taunt you after every round. This MOC by Pate-keetongu captures that moment perfectly, when you pointlessly aim your pistol at that dog and unleash.
Yet another incredibly creative build from this month's Iron Builder competition. Legopard, one of two competitors, has brought your childhood monster-under-your-bed concept to life. To me, though, I see a green version of Cookie Monster (not exactly sure why, I think it's the eyebrows and eyes). I guess you could say he was looking for cookie crumbs underneath this child's bed. Instead, it appears he found LEGO bricks and a top. A wonderful concept that was arranged perfectly! I'd love to hear how exactly the builder came up with this idea. . .
This round of Iron Builder rages on, and as predicted it's pretty amazing. This is Leopard's seventh build using the Duplo grass pieces so cleverly integrated into the curtains in this room. There's tons of other wonderful details in this interior, like the chess set and that nifty chair (is that from IKEA?). Everywhere you look in this room there's something to love, but can I recommend taking a closer look at that painting? Brilliant!
This is one of my favorite scenes in Lord of the Rings. During the calm before the storm, just after Gandalf arrives in the Shire, he and Bilbo enjoy some quality time with their pipes. Just two old friends enjoying each other's company. Pate-keetongu not only recreates the mood and sentiment of the scene, but he also managed to use no less than eight of the "impossible" seed part from the current round of Iron Builder, impressive.
One of the things I enjoy most about Iron Builder is the continual surprises and mind blowing ways the builders find uses for the seed part. I must admit, when I sized up that Duple grass piece the notion of using it for a face was the furthest away from my feeble imagination. But builder Legopard has done exactly that, not only super effectively, but with some exceedingly clever techniques.
As things heat up in this round of Iron Builder the two competitors are stepping it up. I love cheeseburgers, they're one of my favorite foods. I also have a family history with them, since my dad started a very successful burger joint that continues to thrive to this day. So I find this latest build by Leopard irresistible (and now I'm craving a cheeseburger).
Dateline Venice California: For Immediate release.
Local youth enters institution.
On Tuesday this week a local youth known only as "Mike" was institutionalized by his parents. According to his father "we feared he might hurt someone, that he might hurt himself" so the decision was made to get him somewhere "safe". His mother was certain he was on drugs, despite claims by the youth to the contrary. When interviewed the youth was despondent, uncertain of his future and the motivations of his parents, particularly his mother "All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me." Representatives of the institution declined to comment.
It's another Iron Builder, and it's going to be an interesting one. This battle is between Pate-keetongu and Leopard, two seasoned builders and creative powerhouses. But the gauntlet has been laid, for this challenge has an especially vexing part, a Duplo grass piece. Both builders are off to a strong start, but how many MOCs can that part really be used for? Stand by to find out!
This Iron Builder competition build by Chris Maddison is certainly not teeth grinding. While people are going out on their Valentine's Day dates, some are leaving their teeth behind. That's slightly embarrassing. Chris used those new shield-shaped tiles in white in order to create a very chatty group of teeth. This holiday, don't leave your dentures behind - use these instead!
I remember the first time I saw The Matrix. It was during the original theatrical release, and I went in cold. I don't even recall seeing a commercial for it. I went with a group from work, we had been crunching on a project and needed a little recreation, we got it. We all left the theater charged up for stylized storytelling, cutting edge effects and *gasp* an original idea. I don't care much for the sequels, but the original still holds up, it's an amazing little bit of filmmaking. This likeness of the hero by cmaddison just makes me want to watch it again.
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!
What makes your eye land on one part of a LEGO build before another? In this month’s Conversation Piece, we explore focal points, visual weight, and how builders can guide a viewer through a composition.
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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.