Vintage Boombox

Ok, I know old radios weren’t called boomboxes, but hear me out. It’s a box, and it plays music, is there any real difference? At what point does a radio become a boombox? When you add a tape deck? Now granted I don’t really see one of these on the street next to some cardboard blasting RUN DMC, it’s more likely to in a sitting room with some Glen Miller streaming out. But that doesn’t mean grandma isn’t wearing parachute pants and a Kango though. Builder adde51.

I Brought The Mix Tape, You Bring The Cardboard?

I’ve written about this before, but I have no shame, I used to break dance. When hiphop hit the scene in my youth my mind was blown, and I was a fan. I had a pile of tapes, from Run DMC to Twilight 22 and everything in between. And I loved to pop and lock with one of these babies blasting the beat. The boombox, like this one from Cha Mi, was as a part of the culture as parachute pants and fingerless gloves. It was all silly as anything but we ate it up.

Old School

We’ve discussed my exceeding oldnessness on this blog a few times. For instance, I remember when there there as only three channels, and the remote control looked a lot like me, because it was me. I remember lawn darts, pong and Star Wars action figures being “new”. And I remember a time before all these magnetic mediums by builder Cha Mi, and their inevitable demise.

This MOC Measures Up (See What I Did There?)

This was another one of those “almost scrolled right past it because of the thumbnail” moments. Builder Attacki Works crafted this incremented wonder to exact specs, making it so realistic I barely gave it a glance. Then I thought “why would anyone take a picture of a ruler?” Unfortunately it’s not much good for measuring small stuff, because it’s over six feet long!

Metronome

I’m no musician, but I’ve made music, and while I’ve never used a classic metronome, I’ve always been fascinated by them. How the simple change of distance of a weight on a swinging arm could change the tempo, it’s marvelously mechanical. This version by builder moctown not only looks legit, it makes very clever use of the 1x1 white tile with black square.

The Most Important Meal Of The Day

You shouldn’t skip breakfast. Your body needs fuel to run, and if you’re going to be productive at work or school, you need energy. It’s also delicious, or at least is when it’s not brick-built like this stunning stack of yummy blueberry pancakes by builder LittleJohn. While they may not hold any nutritional value, they’re a feast for the eyes.

I've Got The Jam Box, You Got The Cardboard?

As I’ve confessed before on this blog, I used to breakdance, and not to brag but I was pretty good. So clearly I was a kid of the 80’s, when the portable stereo, boom box, jam box or whatever you called it was king. And I have to admit I have a soft spot for these little icons, like this one from builder Cha Mi. So let’s crank up the Twilight 22, I’ve got some poppin’ and lockin’ to do.

Hugin & Munin

I love it when a MOC teaches me something. I’m not super knowledgeable about Norse mythology, but admiring these wonderful ravens by builder birgburg lead me to read the caption on the photo. According to it “In Norse mythology Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory) are Odin's two ravens. At day they fly over Åsgard and Midgard. At night they sit on Odin's shoulder and whisper in his ear what they have seen.” I was never aware of this and I love it. And to think I was just going to make a stupid “attempted murder” joke, shame on me.

Noteworthy Creation

I’m a sucker for a real-world creation, especially one as well executed as this one from builder legoloverman. The thin lines were achieved through the clever use of hinges, and the spiral binding with hoop blades. My favorite detail is more subtle though, and perfectly appropriate, that’s Eraser’s head on the end of the pencil there.

"Paper" Cut Chicken

This is one of those MOCs you might just scroll past if you weren't paying very close attention. what really sells it is the "scraps" and the scissors (which are also brick built). A very clever intersection of crafts and poultry from builder EugeneTTs.

Pre-Wine

I almost scrolled right past this awesome little MOC by builder jigsawjo. Yes, it's a LEGO creation, look closer. Those are technic ball joints for the grapes, attached to plant leaves. And the leaf is a cleverly employed green cape. I love creations like this, even if they do make me do a comic double take and almost spill my tea.

Space Carrot

When I learned that LEGO was going to be made of plants, I didn't realize that a full carrot was on the menu! Zed_43 has created a very organic spaceship (hehe, get it?) and a cute little scene that can make everyone smile (except all the LEGO purist out there who don't want us to play with our food). But the icing on top is the impressive use of a real carrot as the core of the spaceship! All this talking of carrots and icing is really making me hungry, I think I'm going to have a piece of carrot cake. 

Mmmm, Burger

I love cheeseburgers, it's one of my favorite foods. I could be within walking distance of a multitude of restaurants, perhaps even Michelin star rated ones, but I'd be just as happy at In-N-Out. And now of course I'm going to have to have a burger for lunch because of this awesome MOC by nobu_tary. It's also the first use of the new Unikitty base I've seen and it's brilliant.

Flying Camera

What costs a lot of money, sounds like a swarm of angry hornets and really shouldn't be used near airports? Drones, or more accurately quad copters (drones implies autonomous, they aren't). I have one of these things languishing in my garage (there's only so many aerial views of my culdesac I need) but it required a lot less skill to put together than this offering by vitreolum, and it makes a lot more noise.

C-47

You might think this is just a lowly, humble clothespin. But I'm here to tell you this is the unsung hero of the film set, the venerable C-47. Yes, that's actually what this is called on a film set, the story is that's what it's catalog name was way back when, and for some reason the name stuck. All I know is I have a load of them in my studio, and they're darned handy to have around. A nifty little build by gan.marco.

Audiophile

Builder helensham shows us the intersection of audiophile and LEGO with this brilliant reproduction of the legendary McIntosh 275 tube amplifier, the MAC7200 and what appears to be a turntable/CD hybrid that actually plays! The build and illumination are fantastic, but to see it spin and actually play (I'm assuming, watch the video) is pretty mind-blowing.

Violin

I don't think many would dispute that the violin is one of the most beautiful instruments on earth. It's feminine, flowing lines and graceful, delicate appearance is the result of hundreds of years of refinement. And properly built in bricks, like this gorgeous MOC by Yo-Sub Joo, it's still absolutely breathtaking.

Moog Sub Phatty

I really dig me some good old fashioned analog synth. Sure sampling has it's place in electronic music, but give me a gritty square wave any day and I'm a happy camper. It's been a year since we've heard from builder Quy Chau, but it's been worth the wait, just look at this baby!

Typewriter

Builder Petersbror is "happy with the results" of this old typewriter, I share that sentiment. Yes, way back in ancient times (when I was a kid) this was how we searched google. I actually learned to type on a machine not too much older than the one that inspired this MOC, spent hours typing FFF, JJJ, GGG, HHH. Fun fact: the QWERTY layout of keys is the direct result of machines just like this, with temperamental mechanical workings. It was invented to make typing more difficult, to separate commonly paired letters and therefore slow the typist down so the machine didn't get all bunched up. Yes, we're all typing with a handicap.

Soapy

If you weren't actively looking for cool LEGO creations you might not even give this picture by Anthony SÉJOURNÉ a second look. From the thumbnail it just looks like a well photographed bar of soap. But look closer and you see it's a very clever build. While it's not going to get your hands any cleaner, it's certainly a clean build.