Mike Szita (OrangeKnight Studios) has been building a series of microscale mecha from the Gundam universe over the last while, and he’s just posted a group shot of the squadron that shows off their variety.
Category Archives: lego
Alien accents
Many companies in the US have call centers located in other countries. For Théolego, he imagines them being on other planets.
Crimson and sapphire
I never imagined dark red and transparent dark blue in a MOC, but apparently it’s a good-looking combo of colors as Manuel K shows in the Vulture.
Echinoidea lacuna
Classification: Bio-mechanical space probe
Purpose: Exploration
Armament: Light
Designer/engineer: Kahan Dare
This little “space urchin” by tadashistate incorporates two missile launchers under its gorgeous green skin. The minifig hands form two rows of formidable spines.
LEGO drops paper from Indonesian rainforests, reduces box sizes [News]
As LEGO spreads various parts of its supply chain and manufacturing process beyond Billund, Denmark and Enfield, Connecticut, the number of countries listed on the box after “Components made in…” has increased dramatically, making it unclear exactly where specific LEGO elements and aspects of the product packaging come from. Some LEGO fans have been concerned about the fact that the country list now includes China. After all, the PRC is not particularly well known for its positive environmental record, nor for hitting the high quality bar set traditionally by LEGO.
Although LEGO has not yet confirmed — despite general consensus among fans — that products like the Collectible Minifigures and magnet sets are manufactured in China, LEGO has recently come clean about its packaging.
Environmental advocacy group Greenpeace reports that LEGO has agreed to stop sourcing paper and pulp products from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), a company based in Singapore notorious for harvesting Indonesian rainforests in an unsustainable manner. LEGO packaging I’ve reviewed does not list either Singapore or Indonesia — though APP does operate plants in China. LEGO’s original response to Greenpeace identifies the offending item as a licensed product actually manufactured by Dorling Kindersley (most likely a book) and therefore not part of LEGO’s core product lines. Nevertheless, Greenpeace has complimented LEGO on its responsiveness to the issue and leadership among toy companies. (Packaging news via Environmental Leader.)
Meanwhile, LEGO is further improving its environmental record by making its boxes smaller. Astute readers will already have noticed that the latest line of LEGO Star Wars battle packs are in smaller boxes, reducing the amount of paper needed to produce the packaging. This is apparently a general trend across all product lines.
Our sources tell us that the move toward smaller packaging was entirely business-driven — that the smaller boxes allow more product to be placed on shelves, while simultaneously giving consumers the impression that they’re getting more LEGO by increasing the “perceived density” of the product (a counter-intuitive result from consumer research). Whatever the reasons, LEGO will be using less paper in its packaging going forward, and that’s a good thing.
Next time you call LEGO, let them know that you’re thankful that they’ve taken these steps to improve sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Armoured ECM vehicle
Karf Oohlu just rolled out this bad boy and it is covered in greebly goodness. While I really like the use of the dump truck bed as the armored shell, it is all the bits on the top that make this something special.
LEGO CT-37 from Disney’s TaleSpin
Curtydc has built a nifty version of Don Karnage’s TriWing Terror from TaleSpin. It is fun-looking plane and has a rather SkyFi feel to it. I also hear that it is quite swooshable.
The Carnival is in town!
Matija Grguric takes us back to the Wild West with this fun carnival scene. But the crown jewel of this diorama isn’t the crowded carnival atmosphere, the bank robbers or the western buildings, though all of those are very nice. What really makes it stand out is the fact that it is powered. Who doesn’t like motorized dancing girls?
Akai Shiro
AC Pin has developed quite the reputation over the years. Mostly known for highly detailed Star Wars dioramas, he takes a step on the wild side this time around. This particular scene depicts a gorgeous red Japanese castle and the surrounding grounds. It is built with exceptional attention to detail. But I was very impressed with how the infamous raised baseplates were melded into the landscape in such a way that they almost go unnoticed. That is a hard thing to do.
Light Steam Landship Mk. LXIII
We haven’t had many Steampunk builds on here lately. It about time for one. This Landship is a sort of cross-country locomotive and looks like it packs quite the punch. I especially like the side-mounted turrets. I’m sure Beau Donnan intended it, but they remind me of the guns on the British “Mark” series of World War I tanks.
