DOOM with MOOD

Accomplished builder Anthony Wilson (The Secret Walrus) brings us a magnificent micro inspired by the video game DOOM. Whether you've played or not, I think you'll be able to appreciate Anthony's handiwork:

 

This build has a healthy balance of quality detailing and effective techniques. The pentagram and demonic skull are cleverly designed, but the majority of the build features simpler architecture that gives it hearty substance without overwhelming the viewer. 

What struck me most immediately about this build is the excellent presentation! Real lighting effects and the inclusion of smoke (perhaps real, perhaps added in post-production) energize the build, giving it a mysterious and malevolent atmosphere. A single nanofig stands at the threshold of unknowable evil, illustrating the feeling of enthrallment this build creates. In the foreground, tangled brambles add visual variety and another color to the build without forsaking the pervasive feeling of DOOM. 

Anthony has suggested a fitting soundtrack to accompany this masterpiece. Click on the image above to visit the original photo and find out what it is!

Spaceship Inspirations

In the ever-growing genre of spaceships, there are many different avenues that one can take.  Lego builder Random Vector from Flickr has some excellent examples of such a theme, invoking an unorthodox use of parts and unique construction.  Just take a look at some of these amazing MOCs!

The Kel Corona space station is a brilliant example of taking an avenue not often chosen.  From the shaping of the bricks to the superb photography, this build sure is an eye-catcher.  The cockpit on the front of the ship also is a separate module that is a self-sufficient vehicle.  Amazing craftsmanship can be further seen in the way that the circular rocket assembly is not only built, but also lit.

The Void Raven is another model that demonstrates a memorable form for a ship.  Its wide array of weaponry and stealth-looking angles make it an aggressive ship that would definitely be a force to be reckoned with.  Having gotten to see this particular model at BrickFair Virginia, I have a profound appreciation for all the engineering and parts usage that went into this model.

Jungle Jamboree

Simon NH of Flickr has again stunned the community with another great build.  And I'm not "lion," this is a fantastic MOC, indeed.  Using everything from rock pieces for the hips to roller skates as part of the tale assembly, there are continually more and more fascinating parts of this build to notice every time it is viewed.  It's one thing to expertly build an animal, but to also include a landscape that includes an equal amount of detailing is truly next-level.

I spy a spider

Beast or bot? Flesh and blood or metal and bolts? These are the questions that come to mind just before Mitsuro Nikaido's arachnophobia-inducing concoction leaps toward you from the darkness...

Mitsuro, who goes by ToyForce120 on Flickr, has been working on a whole gallery of mech-animals, including a whale, a crocodile, a rabbit, and even a horseshoe crab - so I suggest you go check out his photostream for more robotic goodness!

Classy automobile

It's not often that the LEGO building community sees a larger scale highly detailed car, but when one "rolls" around, people definitely take notice.  LEGO artist Bricksonwheels' beautiful rendition of this 1935 Duesenberg SJ Dual Cowl Phaeton certainly begs a double take, not only for the supreme detailing throughout, but also of the flashy chrome decorations.  I really applaud the work here; the scaling is just perfect.

Area 51 (and 500th post by the Brick Bucket!)

It has been a while since I have posted here...  First off, big congratulations to the Brick Bucket team and especially to Tate for his constancy here on this wonderful blog.  This marks 500 posts of high-quality MOCs delivered by the Brick Bucket to you, in hopes of inspiring creativity and a love for LEGO.  Now, onto the featured build!

One of the things I admire most about LEGO is when a builder is able to exceed the sometimes seemingly impossible limitations of the LEGO building system and construct a simply magnificent model.  Such is the case with detail-oriented builder Brian Williams.  Posted several years ago, his rendition of the first scene from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is indeed mind-blowing.  Aside from the usual characteristics of his MOCs: good photography, excellent building, accurate minfigures, etc., Williams has included a mirror so as to create the illusion of a warehouse.  Ingeniously named crates can be seen throughout the diorama, in addition to some brilliantly lit ceiling assemblies.

"There were a lot of explosions for two people blending in"

Rogue One is the best Star Wars movie of all time,* and one of the best scenes in the film is the battle on the planet Jedha. A mythical city home to ancient secrets of the Jedi and the Force comes under assault from Imperials and rebel insurgents alike, and amidst all the new characters and vehicles, the tried-and-true AT-ST still finds a place in the fight. I'm a fan of the official Jedha AT-ST set, but this midi-scale version by the Rogue Bantha himself, Tim Goddard, is equally fantastic. The use of myriad small elements that comprise the guns, joints, and armor show Tim's renowned skill for sci-fi building. 

*You heard what I said.

“The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact.”

Check out this microscale model of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an ancient Greek theater in Athens, built by George Panteleon (ZetoVince). I think Greek architecture is absolutely beautiful, and seeing a classic drama performed in this ancient theater (which has been renovated and is still used today) is something I'd like to experience. Despite its repetition and bland color scheme, this model pops because of the contrast of textures: the smooth SNOTed sections reflect the chiseled rows of seats in the amphitheater, opposing the rough rocks and crumbling ruins on the edges of the build. You can check out this construction shot to see how it's built (although I must confess I'm still not entirely sure!). 

Pink poison

The Brick Bucket's fearless reporting takes us once again into the Iron Builder arena, home now to a peculiarly pink battle between Grant Davis and Kosmas Santosa (kosbrick). The seed part at stake is the 4x4x13 curved panel, more commonly known as the "hot air balloon segment," in any and all of its three existing colors. 

The Brick Bucket's intrepid journalism has now discovered the source of the pink variety of these pieces: they must be harvested from the abdomens of a very rare and beautiful spider deep within the jungles of Iron Builder Land. But there's a risk to be taken for beauty, as this spider is not just pink; it's deadly poisonous. Watch your step...

Follow the Iron Builder action at this link!

The history of the world is at stake!

In 480 BC, King Xerxes of Persia sent a massive army to invade the Greek city-states. A tiny force of Greeks (the subject of the movie 300) stalled the Persian advance at the pass of Thermopylae, giving the Greek general Themistocles just enough time to launch a naval defeat of the Persians in the straits near the island of Salamis. This deterred the Persian invasion, led to the proliferation of ancient Greece, and ultimately shaped the history of the world. 

That's not what's going on in this scene by Micah Beideman (Hacim Bricks), but it could very well be something just as important. Maybe that trade ship is holding the future king of a country? In any event, there's a Greek trireme involved; that was enough to kickstart me into history mode. 

Note the nicely constructed mountainous background, and a pretty cool part use on the trireme: a flaming sticker from a Racers set holds a cheese slope on the front of the ship!