Sandvik TH550 underground truck

Marek Markiewicz (M_longer) heads deep under the surface of the Earth with his LEGO version of the 50-ton articulated mining truck.

Sandvik TH550

I’m always a sucker for schematic-like compilation shots, and I’m not disappointed by all the angles in this one:

Sandvik TH550

Everybody’s surfin’ now

This simple composition featuring some not-so-simple creations by Jack Marquez (Ewok in Disguise) captures the feel of a Beach Boys song: Corvette convertible, custom Harley-Davidson and a surfboard.

LEGO Jack Marquez Ewok in Disguise Beach Bombs

Check out all the pedals and valves on that Harley and the red rubber bands for racing stripes.

M3 Grant Medium Tank by PhiMa

LEGO M4 Sherman tanks are the single most popular tank to build, so it’s nice to see a builder break out of that mold and reproduce in LEGO a less popular but more interesting tank design. PhiMa does this with the tank that preceded the Sherman, the M3 Grant.

M3 Grant Medium Tank - "Jack The Ripper"

Three reasons I think the Sherman is so popular are because 1) They were the most common tanks by the end of World War II, 2) The convention is to build them in gray (standing in for olive drab) and gray is a fairly common color in LEGO, and 3) The structure above the chassis is fairly straightforward (though the curves are hard to get right in LEGO). In contrast, M3 Grants were used widely by British forces in North Africa, requiring tan instead of gray/olive, and they’re a lot more complex — especially with those two turrets — above the treads.

But PhiMa’s version isn’t just about the pretty exterior; he’s built significant playability features into the model, including a full interior and detailed engine.

M3 Grant Medium Tank - "Jack The Ripper"

Iron Mountain Legion Prowler APC

I’m sure it’s a surprise to see me blog about anything other than our charity auctions right now, but I’m giving it a shot. Here’s an APC for my Iron Mountain Legion military theme. I built and photographed this creation before my son was born in January, and I’m finally managing to get it uploaded.

Prowler APC 08

I built this to compliment the other creations that I’d already built for the theme. I’ve uploaded my initial sketch of the design, and hopefully, you can see a bit of my creative process. I tried to incorporate some of the details I used in the wheeled tank I built for this theme, including a similar front and headlight configuration, and beveled top. I also tried to add some APC functionality, like hatches, and a removable top (which I failed to photograph).

Psycho Clickipiller

This psychedelic Clickipiller train by Megan Rothrock (megzter1) is both a cute creative concept, and a bit disturbing. I especially like the googly eyes and odd angle of the mouth.

LEGO Clickipiller Train Megan Rothrock

I think I would generally be more into trains if they were covered in Clikits.