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!

Woo-hoo! Mario win!

I only recently got a Wii U and I've really been enjoying Mario Kart 8. This little model of one of the trademark karts, by Cecilie Fritzvold (cecilihf), is accurate to the game and reflects all its signature charm. The photo-editing is top notch as well, but I think my favorite little detail is the banana peel constructed from three whole banana pieces. Banana-ception?

UPDATE (4/23/16): Here's another Mario Kart MOC from the same builder, this time it's Yoshi on a bike!

The Yoshi design is very similar to cecilihf's green Yoshi that we blogged a few months ago. Oh and check out that green shell - good stuff!

Gotta catch 'em all

willgalb continues his long trend of pop-culture builds with this fantastic new idea: Pokemon cards, but made out of LEGO! Well, sort of. He constructed accurate models of the final evolutions of the three Generation 1 starters (Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise - but who doesn't know that?), and edited them into real-life cards. The result is a fantastic mashup of two well-known hobbies!

The famous (and no doubt expensive) originals of Charizard and Venusaur are represented, but I wonder why the builder used the HeartGold/SoulSilver card version of Blastoise? (See, I still know a bit about Pokemon!)

Collateral is my favorite kind of damage!

Legopard, the challenger in the current Iron Builder contest, has built this excellent siege tank from StarCraft 2. Not only does it look great, it also transforms! 

Knowing that this was built for Iron Builder tells me it couldn't have been built in more than a few days at most, probably even a single day - and that blows my mind. It's a rare builder who can create something this good in such a short timeframe. Nice one, Legopard, and best of luck in the arena. 

(The seed part is the silver Technic connector, used 18 times; Legopard's challenger is Tim Schwalfenberg (One More Brick). Keep up with the current IB round here.)

Stocking stuffers

I've been saving some smaller MOCs in my "stuff to blog" folder for a while, looking for a good opportunity to make a compilation post. Since it's Christmas Eve, the concept of stocking stuffers - small but enjoyable gifts - popped into my head. So Happy Holidays from the Brick Bucket, and enjoy this grab bag of builds that prove size doesn't matter. 

"Yoshi" by Cecilie Fritzvold (cecilihf):

"Viro-blaster" by Karf Oohlu:

"Aang" and "Zuko" by John Moffatt:

"Prototype" by (my fellow blogger) Dead Frog Inc.:

And finally, "Run crab, run!" by Devid VII:

New vehicle unlocked!

We featured the V-Galactic Racing "video game" imagined by Markus Rollbuhler ('rolli) a few months ago, but now the builder has another space-racer available to be unlocked: the Midnight Bolt X. 

This one's got a really nice color scheme - gotta love those azure pieces - and the overall presentation is absolutely amazing. I hope this series continues!

Select your racer

V-Galactic Racing is the most advanced and awesome racing game to day. Jump in your ship and race on tracks all around the galaxy and become the No. 1!

You start out with the Crimson Hornet 3000 but there's so much more waiting for you - just unlock the rides and tracks!*

I love this concept from Markus Rollbuhler ('rolli) - not only the builds, but the presentation as well. These two expertly constructed spacecraft are presented as racers in a made-up video game! That is one nice-looking select menu. The Photoshop wizardry is strong with this one... 

(via BrickNerd)

Half-Life

Building duo vir-a-cocha brings us a MOC straight out of possibly the greatest first-person shooter of all time: Half-Life. Some very creative part uses were implemented to capture all the little details in microscale - most incredible are the Chima mammoth heads used to create those aliens, although I also like way the turret is constructed. Everything is well-constructed and it makes for a nice tribute to a classic game. 

"May need time for a cup of coffee"

Video games are always a great source of inspiration for LEGO builds. Now Sparks brings us this sweet recreation of SiMo from the sci-fi shooter Sanctum 2. The MOC is perfect all around, from the windscreen pieces used to make a holographic screen to the wings as lower legs, every piece seems to fit perfectly.

Screwing around

Let's be honest here: there are way too few Pokémon MOCs around. But now Baron Julius von Brunk brings us this amazing recreation of Magnemite. I love the round shaping used to make the build seem really true to the character!

Metroid Prime boss battle

While scrolling through my Flickr feed today, pondering the many fine MOCs I saw, my ties to this blog posed a new question besides the usual ones ("Wow, I wonder how many bricks that took?" "Now how did they accomplish that angle?" "Where on earth does anyone get that many T-pieces?!").

I was faced with the difficult decision of what to blog. 

Well, difficult until I saw Canadian builder Jared Rosenblitt's mindblowing Artifact Temple Showdown from Metroid Prime.

Clicking the above photo leads to a photo album that includes detail shots of the impressively SNOTed teal highlights and views of both Samus Aran and the build's centerpiece, Meta-Ridley. Using a delicious assortment of purple parts, this terrifying villain is a masterpiece in its own right.

An ambiguously named "Part 2" will be unveiled next year, which will "complete" the build according to Jared. I highly look forward to seeing the final product.

Civilian Warthog

I don't play Halo but I like many of the game's vehicle designs, and I certainly recognize the M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, aka the Warthog, when I see it. This one by Nick Brick is different from the other LEGO versions I've seen with its flashy yellow color scheme. (Apparently this is the civilian model, not the military one.) 

The Technic work in the underbelly looks really nice, and those sides and central bar? One can only imagine how those are attached... oh wait, Nick also posted this breakdown image so we can have a closer look at his genius design: 

Isn't that cheating?

I don't know much about Call of Duty, but I'm assuming a gun that prints its own ammunition on the battlefield might be a little unfair. Just sayin'. 

Regardless, this is another fantastic build by Nick Jensen (Nick Brick). You can see more photos on Flickr here. 

Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse is designed and built completely with factory Lego parts. The model stands 20cm tall and contains 33 points of articulation, including ball jointed ears and individually moveable fingers. Also included are the "Kingdom Key" Keyblade from Kingdom Hearts and the paintbrush from Epic Mickey.

Whoa. This MOC by Alex Kelley is ridiculously good. 

More images

Don't pick Rainbow Road...

Mario Kart would make a great official LEGO theme. The crazy characters, vehicles, and courses would all translate well into official sets. But MOCs are the next best thing, and these ones by 6kyubi6 admittedly are way cooler than any set LEGO could reasonably make:

I really like the shaping on Luigi's kart and Yoshi's bike. 

UPDATE (11/21/14): Here's the full collaboration with 74louloute and fujiia (thanks to The Brothers Brick for leading me to this):

Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!

If you're wondering why I haven't posted anything here on Brickology recently, I can give you two reasons... schoolwork and marching band. I've been pretty busy recently, but one of these days when I have a lot of time I'm going to scroll through Flickr, find a ton of MOCs to blog, and queue up a bunch of posts. Today I only have time for one post, so I'm making it a good one. 

Here's a great Pokemon figure built by Siercon and Coral: a mini Blastoise! The use of a rubber band and the blue Power Miner helmets are inspired and the character is instantly recognizable, at least if you haven't been living in a cave for the last 20 years. Nice work. 

I will be posting regularly again soon... (I hope!)

Get ready to rumble

The recently blogged Tim Schwalf (One More Brick) returns to Brickology with a MOC of an entirely different type than last time. This is Rumble from League of Legends, built for Tim's brother's birthday: 

I love the shape of this mech. The skinny legs and big fat torso contrast wonderfully, and the greebles and weapons add to the character. Very well done! 

Titanfall Hemlok BF-R

Remember a few days ago when I said Titanfall has inspired a lot of LEGO creations? Here's another one. 

It's the Hemlok BF-R gun from the game, beautifully and accurately replicated in brick form by Nick Brick, who is no stranger to building video game weapons out of LEGO. 

More photos of the Hemlok BF-R can be found here. 

Life's better with a Titan

The game Titanfall has inspired a fair few MOCs (like this one) with its futuristic mechs and weapons. This amazing model of an Atlas Titan from the game is by -infomaniac-. 

Custom stickers on the mech are from The Cooper Works. 

Titanfall and WWII mashup

This amazing MOC by Kosmas Santosa combines a Titanfall mech with a WWII-themed background...and the result is amazing.