This article is Part 2 of an ongoing series. Read about the LEGO Grumman E-1 Tracer Part 1 here. About two weeks ago, I started building a new aircraft model: a Grumman E-1 Tracer. Because some of you might like to know how one might build such a LEGO scale model, I am documenting my process in a short series. In the first part I described why I decided to build such an oddball aircraft in the first place and how I plan a build like this. I also explained that I usually start by building the difficult bits. A few of those are the subject of this article. The Tracer’s wings are not quite perpendicular to the fuselage. This wouldn’t be much of an issue if the engine pods and the main undercarriage weren’t attached to them. I have built angled wings before, including some rather large ones. In practice,...

When Final Fantasy 7 came out for the PlayStation console in 1997, I spent many, many hours playing it, and one of the most pleasurable aspects, aside from kicking the pixels out of a multi-stage boss in epic 45-minute battles, was riding all over the world on my trusty Chocobo, searching for the elusive Giant Cactuar. This creation by Vincent Kiew captures the game’s protagonist, Cloud Strife, astride his Chocobo in large scale. Vincent managed to make the Chocobo look very light on his feet, which is exactly how they looked and felt in the game. Also, Cloud is very accurate to his on-screen inspiration, down to the large clunky hands, his giant sword slung across his back, and that signature spiky anime hair. The post LEGO Cloud Strife and his Chocobo ride into the sunset. appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Daniel

LEGO building is cool. Smoking is not. Everyone clear on that? Excellent. Having got that public service announcement out of the way, we can get on with featuring Andreas Lenander‘s excellent LEGO ashtray. This is a brilliant bit of work — a nicely-executed cigarette and cigar, a snake for a twist of smoke, a pile of grey bricks for ash, and a little trans-orange lurking within as an ember’s glow. Add in a brick-built tablecloth with a retro 70s feel and some appropriately gloomy photography and you’ve got a cracking little creation. The post Building a filthy habit appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

One of the most gorgeous airships to grace the skies has finally emerged from the distant clouds. This is the long-awaited Skytanic, built by Markus Ronge and alluded to in his equally epic-looking Maersk Pier, featured on The Brothers Brick last week. In Markus’ steampunk universe, the airship’s massive size was made possible thanks in part to the ultra-light steel used in its construction. When it comes to the characters involved in the ship’s construction, Markus once again gives them clever names. Hiram Lever is the designer behind Skytanic, which is in turn piloted by Captain Ulysses Wheeler. From bow to stern, Skytantic looks phenomenal. The red, black and white hull is reminiscent of the ill-fated Titanic, while the gold trim helps give the finished model that steampunk vibe. According to Markus, the ship stands a whopping five stories tall, and each level looks distinct. The top level features a lively...

When it’s time to blog something you need to crank up the creative juices, you know? It’s not enough to put a pretty picture up, you have to have some at least marginally interesting words to go with it. Occasionally they come easy, sometimes they don’t. And sometimes they seem so diametrically opposed to the true creative energy that went not only into the build that’s featured, but the description and back story of that build. This stunning floating city by Brother Steven is a good example of this. Click through a read the description of this amazing creation (and see a bunch more pictures!), and then you’ll understand what I mean, and why these words are so mundane, I never stood a chance. Original linkOriginal author: Tommy