The Blue Shield Inn

I imagine that if I was a traveler in medieval times, an inn like this one from builder Halhi14 would be such a welcome sight. I can easily imagine this because even if I was traveling today I think I would be irresistibly drawn to this place. How could you resist such rich detail rustic charm? 

Farewell, Colbert Report

As most of you know, Stephen Colbert and Comedy Central aired the last episode of The Colbert Report last night. I'm sad to see it go, but happy for Stephen and I'll be tuning in to The Late Show when he takes over next year. This was my first real MOC when I joined the ranks of the AFOL community. It was warmly received and has a special place in my heart, as does Stephen. 

Etheldreed Windmill

This windmill MOC by César Soares is an absolute feast for the eyes. There is so much detail crammed into every square inch of this diorama that you can peruse for ages and keep finding wonderful little treats. I would point out my favorite details, but I simply can't decide. Don't take my word for it, click through and check out the high resolution pictures, it's worth it.

It's Black Friday

When I first saw this picture by KOS Bricks I thought it was a bit late for Halloween. Then I thought is there really any time of year that we don't like a good zombie reference? Then I thought of all the poor retail workers out there on this black friday. I'm sure a great many of them will feel like this tonight.

Pirate 100

Let's face it, City displays can get a little monotonous. Not to take anything away from the dedicated builders out there, but just like in real life, it tends to be box after box after box. But mix something like this graciously curved structure from lisqr among the buildings and wow! According to the minimal description this is called Pirate 100, but the interesting thing is that it's build on curving train track as it's base, that's some seriously out of the box (see what I did there?) thinking. I love the Seqway tour too.

Thanks for the head's up Vince.

Bad Day

What's that, Starbucks got your coffee wrong this morning? Loads of traffic on your commute? Well, as bad as that might be consider this Necromancer MOC by Dubbadgrim. Yeah it might have taken a little longer for you to get to work today, but at least you didn't release some sort of inter-dimensional being into this world.

80's Movies Were Rad

This MOC by Grantmasters gives me a happy. It depicts the visual effects crew of Aliens doing a motion control shot of the Sulaco. So it's pretty much my one of my favorite movies, one of my favorite ships and one of my favorite aspects of visual effects built out of my favorite toy. So much WIN!

What The What?

Builder Legonardo Davidy is back (already?) with another spectacular build. It's got all the trademarks of one of his builds, marvelous curved structures, detailed and textured walls, whimsical touches and....what the heck? Is that thing standing on chicken legs? 

Nobleman's Manor

If you're a castle fan, this is pretty much the best time of year. When CCC hits suddenly the floodgates open on castle MOCs of shapes and sizes. I for one get a kick out of the medium sized castles like this one from Dubbadgrim. Large enough to have impressive scale and diversity, small enough that you can see all the details. I especially like the different styles of the various sections of this luxurious manor.

The Eagle

When I was a kid my neighbor had the coolest Eagle toy, the cockpit and engine pod could be removed and connected to make a cool "mini Eagle" we called it. We also took great delight in attaching a parachute to the back and hurling it off the cliff in my back yard. Despite this wanton vandalism, we were fans of the craft and the show, so it gives me warm fuzzes to see it still. This version by V00D00M is fuzzyriffic.

I Got A Rock

This is a genuine slice of my childhood. It just wasn't Halloween until we watched It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and now this blog feels like Halloween too. You don't get much simpler in design than this little scene by cmaddison, but it's positively perfect.

A Suit Piloting A Suit

In a distant, bleak future, hard suits and mechs will do battle on war torn urban battlefields. But the guy that wears a suit and then wears another suit will pretty much own the place. I like to imagine the pilot dressed in a smart three piece by Armani. You know, a suit within a suit within a suit.

Gaming In The Basement

How much detail can one cram into a 16x16 footprint? You'd be hard pressed to get more in than builder LEGOMINDED did in this excellent little diorama. It appears to depict the product of a lonely mad scientist type, who just wanted someone to play games with. But look at all that detail! 

Welcome To Aurora

I've been watching the Flickr feeds of Legohaulic and NannanZ for a while with fascination, if not confusion. The lovely but mysterious little floating island MOCs were showing up regularly, but no real description was given. Well the mystery is over and the results of their combined efforts are nothing less than jaw dropping, Aurora.

The collaborative build is comprised of several large and many small floating islands positively bustling with foliage and whimsical structures. The color pallet, building style and overall design is just stunning. There are a great many more pictures to enjoy on both of their photo streams, I invite you to click through and relish.

Hexvale Cottage

Builder Derfel Cadarn is back (already?) with another amazing MOC. I suppose someday I will give this build style a try, but until then it will continue to baffle and delight me. How these wonderfully curvy and caddywhompus structures are built is still a mystery to me, and I kind of like it that way. I love the details of this diorama too, and it's packed with them. This looks like an illustration from a fairytale, and it's marvelous.

Batcave

Scale lighting is a crucial component for a properly displayed and lit large model. Especially an interior and even more so when it's cinematically inspired. This Batcave by Brent Waller is a fantastic example of scale lighting, with super dramatic results. Notice how a sense of depth and scale is accomplished by using numerous small sources of light and how there's a good balance of darkness in the image ( Batman would approve). Sometime what you don't light is just as important as what you do.

Caer Caradoc

This one might ruffle a few feathers of the purists out there. No, there's no Kreo or Mega infiltrating this amazing MOC by Derfel Cadarn, but there is a little non-LEGO present. Some of the vines and creepers you see are actually fishing tackle. But it's used to such great effect and only as a subtle decoration, I'll implore the more emphatic out there to grant him a pass, this thing is gorgeous.

Mustafar

Just last night some colleagues of mine were discussing the shared disappointment in the Star Wars prequels. Then I see this absolutely phenomenal MOC by migalart this morning and I have to question my loathing for them. I have to admit do like some of the vehicles, locations and characters from episodes 1-3, but I probably wouldn't have counted Mustafar among them. But I find myself wanting to watch Obi-Wan and Anakin's epic duel once more. The lava work on this is hands down the best I've ever seen, and the whole thing is on a scale that's hard to believe. Click through for more pics including one for scale.

Slums Of London

Intrepid builder and history buff Peggyjdb is back with another glimpse into London's past. This time it's the living conditions of the unskilled laborers in some of the poorest areas of London, and the efforts of Octavia Hill to elevate those conditions. This and many more outstanding, historical builds will be on display in Swindon at the Great Western Brick Show on October 4th-5th as part of the "London 1875 - Capital of an Empire" collaborative build. 

Dino Riding And Battle Ready

So you say you've got some swords? Oh, and those are some nice sturdy shields. You've even got some smaller weapons for close quarters and some ranged weapons, very diverse. Yes, you seem fairly ready for battle. Why you've even got some banners and colorful uniforms, quite spiffy. Well...is your army riding FRIGGIN DINOSAURS? Yeah, I didn't think so.