Imperial dam

Those of us who don't usually build microscale often find ourselves staring in mind-boggled awe at the work of those who do. Microscale builders find ways to use the most obscure parts in the most unexpected ways, for MOCs that are often just as impressive as those six-foot star destroyers on the opposite end of the spectrum. Case in point: this microscale "imperial mill" by Dubbadgrim. 

As I pointed out on Flickr, my favorite details have to be the treasure-chest roof and that tiny little water wheel.

An invaluable helper for the military: the X63 Mech

Looking like something out of a video game (Titanfall, anyone?), this mecha by frequent bloggee Devid VII was a MOC I placed in the "blog first, ask questions later" category. Not only is this one of the best small-scale mecha I've seen, but the presentation of the scene makes it look like the main model is bursting into the foreground. The civilian setting helps add to the sci-fi realism. All in all a very well done build. 

Octan Spider Tanker

It's always funny to see the new ways in which builders can use LEGO's imaginary "Octan" brand. With its white, red, and green color scheme, Octan benevolently delivered services to all the citizens of LEGO City... at least until The LEGO Movie revealed it as a corporation set on controlling the world. This Octan Spider Tanker built by BobDeQuatre seems more consistent with the latter, and it's a very creative design as well: 

I like the use of the big Friends hot-air balloon segment on the back of the vehicle. 

Oh, sweet nostalgia

As a little kid I always liked the Adventurers series. Now Joeri Ridder brings us this sweet revamp of the 5918 Scorpion Tracker. He replaced all of the old big pieces with brick-built pieces ad adds more functionality and detail that way. All in all a total success in revamping the old set.

Bad things come in threes

Three legs, two guns, one eye.

Pretty poetic for something that's going to stalk you down relentlessly and trample/bullet-riddle/dismember you.

It's been quite some time since I've seen any Black Fantasy MOCs, let alone one done as well as this tripod strider by ...The Chosen One.... Integrated tubing and carefully sculpted shapes give it a thoroughly organic look while the imposing guns and solitary eye introduce a mechanical aspect. All in all a build truly possessing all the unsettling hallmarks of Black Fantasy.
However, my favorite part is the landscape, which is composed mostly of Bionicle elements. Comparing it to the more System-heavy strider creates an effective contrast, as does the innovative and cute flora (made with Clikits!) that it tramples through.

Vipers

It's November and you know what that means... it's time to go for a month without shaving build Vic Vipers! If you don't know about the Vic Viper trend you can check out the Flickr pool here. In the meantime I thought I'd share my four favorites so far from this month (in no particular order).

"LinNes Viper" by Devid VII:

"Oldie's Viper" by piratecox:

"Phase Shifter" by Uspez:

"Saturn Patrol" by pasakaru76:

Back to the galaxy far, far away

The Brothers Brick is running a "Pimp Rey's Speeder" contest and some of the entries so far have been awesome. My favorite is probably this Back to the Future-ized version by David Hensel (Legonardo Davidy):

"It's a known fact that speeders go faster when you can time travel!"

Not your average fairy tale

vitroleum recently put the final touches on an interesting series of MOCs. He's built three famous fairy tale girls in a decidedly... sexy (?) style, which must have been difficult to accomplish given the geometry of the typical LEGO brick. 

The Protectors' Ancestors

As you should know I am a huge fan of BIONICLE MOCs. Now, after the 2015 reboot of BIONICLE there have been dozens of G2 revamps.

Now Tymbal brings us revamps, or, as he calls them, ancestors of the six protectors. He managed to add a lot of character and even a backstory of each and every one of the Protectors, which makes them seem very fitting into the official Lore.

Beige 'bot

Mecha are having a moment here on The Brick Bucket: this is our third consecutive post to feature a mecha MOC. This one's by nobu_tary, who upholds his title as this year's Brick Bucket Most Blogged Builder (So Far). 

There's a lot to look at on this chunky little 'bot. The beige-and-gray color scheme is accented by small highlights of lime, and several printed and stickered parts have been used to further enhance the character of the MOC (a printed "gorilla face" boat plate from Chima, an old Power Miners sticker, and a gray panel that I think might be from Star Wars). All these graphical and color choices aren't to say there aren't nice building techniques as well - take a look at the surprisingly complex SNOT and greebling on top. A tiny detail I  like a lot is the two dark-gray minifig hands positioned in that bar element - it's a really simple yet really cool greebly effect. 

Klunk

So, usually I try to think of a good headline for my posts, but I found the name of this robot build by M_O_N_K_E_Y is just way too fitting. The robot just looks like it would Klunk along some corridors, klonk though some hangars and klank over some planet.

Besides the perfect name, this robot has just the right amount of greebles and color, and uses some pieces in interesting ways, for example the shoulder pads.

Maintenance pod

Some LEGO builders are really good at making mecha and other small robotic creations by combining a ton of small pieces in ways that can only be described as "amazing." In fact, the first Flickr comment on this Lightweight Maintenance Pod by Grantmasters is from my co-blogger Aaron, and it just says "You genius." I have not yet mastered this building style, but the tubes, clips, and other greebly parts' effect on the aesthetic of this model means it's a must-blog.