Joe A. (Dablackcat) combines Bionicle and System parts in his Shamgar mecha that he brought to BrickFair. Inspired by the AMP suit from Avatar, it certainly has that rugged clunky feel. I love the presentation and the option for different weapon attachments.
When Lego released 7595 Army Men on Patrol, Alex Schranz (Orion Pax) saw it as his calling to build something with them. And built he did. This diorama features several cool green vehicles contrasted nicely with the dark tan base.
There’s no better builder than Brian Williams (BMW_Indy) when it comes to recreating scenes from Indiana Jones with Lego. This vignette depicts the failed British assault on Gaza in 1917 from The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones. The smoke effect is the best I’ve seen at this scale.
Brian, AKA Hound Knight, takes over no man’s land in this little vintage scene. I love the use of ice cream in this. Great Scene, Hound!
I don’t pretend to be able to read or pronounce the name of this new mecha by Dane Erland (Lord Dane). That doesn’t stop me from knowing that I like the CEC Podróżujący – czworonóg, though.
There are a lot of excellent details on this creation, starting with the well sculpted small turret on top. I also think that the gears and other bits at the joints of the legs really help give them a functional look. The use of minifig vests to vary the thickness of the legs is also a nice touch, especially using an old castle logo to add insignia to the creation.
After I built my US Army Dodge WC54 ambulance, it deserved a proper historical context — a Battalion Aid Station in a ruined farmhouse courtyard.
In the US Army, Battalion Aid Stations are the first line of medical treatment after battlefield first aid by medics or fellow soldiers. Wars of the 20th-century saw many conscientious objectors serving as non-combatants in the American armed forces, often as medics. Army medics served heroically, charging into battle alongside their armed comrades. Eleven received the Congressional Medal of Honor as a result of their actions in World War II.
My Battalion Aid Station is based on historical photographs from the Western Front in 1944 and 1945, after the Normandy Invasion on D-Day. Naturally, I had to convert a couple of the more immersive shots into black and white:
Though the muddy lane with the M3 half-track and hedgerow was an afterthought — one that nearly emptied my bin of plant pieces — I’m quite pleased with the result:
Because the subject matter fascinates me so much, I built a great deal of detail into this that you can’t see in a single photo. Check out the photoset on Flickr for more.
(I’ll be discussing some of the build process for my improved ambulance separately, because I think the role of constructive criticism in improving one’s models is something that deserves its own post.)
I’ve shared in the past my ambivalence toward violent LEGO, but there’s something unique about World War II that has fascinated me ever since I was little. My grandfather and great uncle served in the US Army during the war, and I grew up in one of the countries that both inflicted a great deal of suffering and suffered deeply themselves before losing the war to the Allies.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve really started enjoying the unique challenges presented by building a LEGO model based on something “real.” LEGO has interesting scale challenges, and I think too many LEGO vehicles are too tall or too wide.
My M3A2 Half-track has a three/five/seven-wide hood, with an eight-wide cab and crew compartment. It’s my favorite so far (even though the tracks should have four road wheels, not three).
I’m less happy with my M4A3 (76)W Sherman tank, which has to be far too tall to capture the right details in the suspension, and I missed the shape of the rear section behind the turret. Because it was my first tank, I spent a lot of time looking at tanks built by other builders — especially BrickMania’s M4A2, Phima’s M4A3E8, and Milan CMadge’s M4A3E8.
Because I come from a family of pacifist non-combatants and conscientious objectors, my convoy of military hardware wouldn’t be complete without a US Army Medical Corps Dodge WC54 ambulance. Like the half-track, the ambulance’s hood is three/five/seven-wide, with a six-wide cab. The recessed spare tire seems impossible at this scale, unfortunately, and getting the shape right means it does not fit a fig.
Now to build some sort of massive World War II diorama to put these in…
The M6D Pistol is a favorite weapon of many Halo players back in the days of Halo: Combat Evolved. This life-sized rendition by Robo-Man is best I’ve seen. I particularly like the SNOT details and the utilization of studs on the grip.
We never blogged the first version of Zackhariah Macasaet’s motorized M1A2 Abrams Tank, so it’s a good thing he posted a better version. This is one sturdy war machine that can handle a variety of obstacles including crossing large gaps, climbing a mound of nails, and even stand from being dropped! Watch the video and see it in action.
Théo’s (Titolian) Blood Skull V6 Battle-Tank is a bundle of firepower presented all in one small package. Despite the scattered dark red patterns on the tank, the details stand out much more as the highlight of this creation. It even seats a minifig comfortably.
