Posted by
Dan
at
10:08 PM
 Name of Model: Exo Suit IP-09
Created by: Deus Otiosus
Found at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/deus-otiosus/14991388075/, https://www.flickr.com/photos/deus-otiosus/14804786388/, https://www.flickr.com/photos/deus-otiosus/14804699339/, https://www.flickr.com/photos/deus-otiosus/14968394536/, https://www.flickr.com/photos/deus-otiosus/14991019332/, and https://www.flickr.com/photos/deus-otiosus/14804687509/
Details:
Ice Planet 2002 is one of LEGO's greatest space themes. Kids these days call it "classic", although it isn't quite the same as the light grey/blue/trans-yellow classic space years. I've been saying for years (probably since 1993) that I'm going to build more in the blue/white/trans-neon-orange color scheme of the classic Ice Planet sets, but I've never gotten too far with it. Other popular space themes have had some level of revival at LEGO fan events in recent years, but it never seems to come together for Ice Planet fans. Fortunately, we seem to be at the beginning of an Ice Planet renaissance now, with several fantastic creations having been published online in just the past few months. There's even a Flickr group for Ice Planet models now. One of these days, we'll have enough of us building neo-Ice Planet models to actually do a collaborative layout.
First up, we have a fresh take on the Exo Suit concept that mixes the grey mechanical look with the Ice Planet color scheme. Although inspired by Peter Reid's LEGO Ideas set, this one actually is an entirely new build and not a modified version of the set. Perhaps my favorite bit (although not particularly visible in this photo) is the giant trans-neon-orange chainsaw. It's very difficult to build in trans-neon-orange because so few parts have been made in that color. This particular build relies on the headlight brick, which was only available in trans-neon-orange in 5 sets between 1995 and 2000. The non-functional use of pneumatic tubing is also very effective, and the inclusion of icebergs and a new "turtle" build is a nice touch. Even the printed pieces thrown in work - the "60" tile used as a house number in the 80's makes a neat "09" here.
 Name of Model: Ice planet apartment complex
Created by: Cecilie Fritzvold
Found at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cecilihf/sets/72157644454538754
Details:
Next up is the Ice Planet apartment complex by Cecilie Fritzvold. Built for the Eurobricks "Home Sweet Home" contest, this model is heavy on landscaping but captures the feel of the surrounding artwork from the Ice Planet theme in the brick. The tracks in the snow behind the vehicle really sell the model, and the placement of trans-neon-orange windows is perfect. Make sure you check out all the photos - you don't want to miss the interior.
 Name of Model: Ice Inspector
Created by: Chris Perron
Found at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/thebrickbin/sets/72157642419723285
Details:
Finally, the last model that is too good not to blog (even though you've likely seen it elsewhere - normally most of us LEGO bloggers try to avoid covering things everyone else has already covered, but some things are too good to skip): Chris Perron's Ice Inspector. Borrowing the shape of 6989 Mega Core Magnetizer, it's the giant Ice Planet vehicle we all wish we could have had the whole time. The main reason that few people try to build something like this is that LEGO didn't make that style of wheels in that many size/color combinations. Here, that problem is solved by simply building new wheels out of a massive quantity of wedge and slope pieces. The rest of the model actually keeps up that same level of brick-built detail. It's hard to grasp the sheer scale of this model - the trans-neon-orange cockpit uses the same panels as the large base in the series and the top of the apartment complex.
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Posted by
Dan
at
11:07 PM
| Name of Model: Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover |
| Created by: Apojove Stephen Pakbaz |
| Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65402716@N07/sets/72157627997956311/ (flickr) and http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/3431 (cuusoo) |
Details:  One of the biggest news events of the past few weeks was the successful landing of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover on Mars. Naturally, it was a matter of time before a decent LEGO version found its way into the world - fortunately, it was before the actual landing, with plenty of time to be displayed at BrickFair (a kit of this model was donated to the convention's charity auction). This model also features realistic working suspension.
Perhaps more noteworthy is the fact that this model has met the 10,000 vote threshold on LEGO Cuusoo. Cuusoo is a recent project by LEGO that allow anyone to send in a design for a future set. Designs that hit 10,000 votes get reviewed to become an official kit. Many of the popular projects have involved elusive movie licenses or unusually high price points, which have made it difficult for most of them to be made into kits. In this case, it's quite likely that this will actually be offered by LEGO in the future, since they've had success with similar NASA-licensed toys in the past.
The builder has a full write-up of this model on the Cuusoo site.
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Posted by
Dan
at
12:06 AM
| Name of Model: Ormurvík Space Superiority Racer |
| Created by: Patuara |
| Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=474910 |
Details:  This beautiful mix of Technic, Bionicle, and "System" elements makes a startlingly convincing vic viper. You can sort of tell where parts begin and end (with how much you can spot likely being a direct function of your level of Bionicle knowledge), but the parts gel together in a way we rarely see with elements that don't usually connect seamlessly. In those few places where a piece would normally create it's own gap, smaller pieces are used to fill those gaps. Don't miss the underside, which shows more traditional elements holding the craft together, providing greebling, and giving us sturdy landing gear. |
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Posted by
Dan
at
12:52 AM
| Name of Model: Garrison of Moriah |
| Created by: gerburrows (Gerry Burrows) |
| Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gerburrows/sets/72157626512173154/ |
Details:  We've seen other epic models before - but never anything quite this ambitious. This room-eating display was built in about 9 months by one person. In some of the photos, you can see a bit of a bridge and a couch. The LEGO bridge actually goes completely to the other end of the couch, where more is being added to this colossal model. One interesting technique used to quickly reach some of the heights seen here is using baseplates at various angles - in the image shown here, the large grey expanses are all 48x48 (15 inches square) baseplates. Don't miss the second centerpiece, which is a bit more Castle-y and features some great landscaping. The inside of the arena (behind the large statue) is surprisingly detailed considering how hard it must be to get in there and move the minifigs around.
I, for one, can't wait to see what's on the other side of that bridge. |
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Posted by
Dan
at
1:04 AM
| Name of Model: Mining Ship Class A |
| Created by: LUKY'S 1987 LEGO CREATIONS (Lukáš Šógor) |
| Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/57490753@N05/sets/72157625992002739/with/5470769844/ |
Details:  Another example of the mega-microscale genre, this spaceship would have been considered large even if it were at minifig scale. The color scheme is very well chosen. While many people have complained about the merits of the newer shade of grey versus the old one, surprisingly few have embraced the fact that the bluish grey colors actually look great next to blue and dark blue. Throw in a realistic amount of greebling and texture, and it's a plausible design for a real spaceship. | | This is Saturday's model of the day |
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Posted by
Dan
at
10:01 PM
| Name of Model: Stay in School |
| Created by: okayaraman (Okay Yaramanoglu) |
| Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23397895@N08/5037808677/ |
Details:  You may remember something similar to this scene from the movie Spaceballs . See, we need these troopers to comb the desert in of these droids...
A little texture goes a long way here. Grill tiles make the sand behind the troopers actually look combed, and the use of flag poles to make the tines of the comb itself is very realistic. Those are held in upside-down thanks to a row of Technic half-pins, which fit directly into the brick above. |
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Posted by
Dan
at
11:34 PM
| Name of Website: BRICKITGOOD |
| Created by: Mr. Corey Sanders |
| Found at: http://www.brickitgood.info/ |
Details:
Here's a new feature I'd like to get started on right away (mostly because I just found out about this great website): a spotlight on useful resources within the LEGO community. BRICKITGOOD is the work of Mr. Corey Sanders, a schoolteacher from Nevada who runs (and personally funds) an after-school LEGO program for elementary-school aged students. The site features a wide variety of models, with plenty of photos for each one. Most of the models also include instructions - some of which are in LEGO Digital Designer format so you can easily buy the parts needed to build them. An advantage (for teachers especially) of creating building instructions is that you can save designs while taking the models apart - which is particularly important when you need to make the parts available again for other students. In addition to creating instructions for his own designs, he has also created instructions for a number of popular models that haven't been available to the public (such as promotional items that were only given away as glued models). These models are a great starting place for your original creations - or you could try rebuilding some of the designs as shown. The events section covers student creations, regional events, and the 2004 Master Model Builder search (yes, when you build lifelike sculptures this well, LEGO takes notice).
The photos below show examples of the variety of material available on the BRICKITGOOD website, and each one is a link that takes you to the appropriate section of the site.
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Posted by
Dan
at
10:14 PM
| Name of Model: Dark Turquoise Space Truck |
| Created by: notenoughbricks |
| Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/notenoughbricks/tags/teal/ |
Details:  Dark turquoise is one of the more unappreciated rare colors. OK, sure, it's more widely used than Salmon, but not by much. It's used well here, although the custom stickers dampen the boldness of the color. I'll forgive the inaccurate use of fire in space (a crime against scientific accuracy that LEGO has committed as well) since this is otherwise such a well-assembled craft. |
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Posted by
Dan
at
4:00 AM
| Name of Model: Suncrest |
| Created by: Nathaniel Shields |
| Found at: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/225850 |
Details:  This one apparently slipped under our radar while we were LEGO'd out at BrickFair earlier this year. It caught some attention there, though, bringing home the Best Large Space Craft trophy. Most obviously, there's a great balancing act here - most of the weight is on the small part that is supported, and it stays up because the center of gravity is in the right spot. As if that were too simple, most of the visible rocky section is actually built upside down - those are BURPs (big ugly rock pieces) almost the whole way around! That's before we get into the vehicles, the landscaping, and the building itself - while we've seen all the techniques before, they're masterfully applied here. Make sure to check out all the close-up shots. |
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Posted by
Dan
at
1:10 AM
| Name of Model: Specimen 082 |
| Created by: -Disty- |
| Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46117735@N08/tags/space/ |
Details:  One thing that LEGO hobbyists have learned over the years is that any piece is more useful if you have a large amount of it. This model is a great example of that - small bits that don't seem terribly useful provide a surprising amount of texture when repeated the way they are here. The builder of this model doesn't seem to be completely happy with the seams - sometimes it's not possible to make a large clear section look perfect with LEGO parts - but I think that the overall effect comes across anyway, and is pretty striking from a distance. Technic brackets create the "round" shape, but once you get past the few Technic support elements, this is largely made of Bionicle goodness. With so many of them going around this chamber, "useless" parts like teeth, plates with Technic holes attached parallel to them, leg armor, sphere launchers, and hoses suddenly become something much more exciting. That's before we get into how great the trans-light-blue panels and 1x1 round bricks look here as the "glass" for this chamber, or how well the top was handled... |
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Posted by
Dan
at
12:08 AM
| Name of Model: Moontrike |
| Created by: Pat Bunn |
| Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30591566@N02/tags/moclegoscifimecha/ |
Details:  If there's such a thing as "LMOTD bait", this is it. Why yes, that is a variation on a Classic Space color scheme. Those really are X-Pod lids used as wheels in the front. That really IS a pair of Bionicle weapons on either side of a large wheel made out of DUPLO tubes. Did I mention the front wheels can be steered by an axle in the middle of the vehicle that is geared to a knob behind the antennae? Yes, it's a minifig-scale Classic space / DUPLO / Bionicle / Technic trike, with working steering, great greebling, and decent construction techniques. This is the good stuff.
That DUPLO tube wheel is mounted on a few tires (which can hold quite a bit with friction, surprisingly), which in turn are connected to the Technic bits and Bionicle weapon. Little more than an inch away from that, we see the Technic structure used as a double-sided element to flip the blue plates (well, this piece) over (yes, this technique's been available for years. You'd be surprised how many seasoned LEGO fans don't know this and continue to whine about how LEGO doesn't make double-sided parts). A few sideways-mounted sarcophagi give us the base of the greebling, and - yes, more places where the studs face a different direction. Many people would think to try something like mounting windshield elements sideways to create a cockpit, but few can build a craft this great all around.
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). The way the slopes for the nose are combined is already surprisingly sleek, but then you notice that 
