A poster has recently been unveiled, and there are rumors of a new trailer coming out today, so the hype surrounding The Force Awakens is stronger than ever. What new things will we (well, regular people who – unlike me – watch the trailer, that is) see? Maybe we’ll see more of that droid everyone has already fallen in love with: BB-8. But why go through all the trouble when DanSto has the perfect LEGO version ready for you?

Continuing his series of incredible mid-sized robots, he made this great creation to scale with his C-3PO and R2-D2. I thought it would take a rather long time for someone to come up with a good solution for that tricky ball shape, but don’t underestimate the starved LEGO Star Wars fan! We’ve already seen a number of different solutions in different scales, and it looks like DanSto’s is the best in its scale. It’s ‘perfectly’ round but the numerous studs and edges give it the weathered look we all know and love from the original trilogy. The decorations fit right in as well to give a coherent and pleasing body. The head features quite a lot of SNOT work in a rather small volume, just to make sure everything’s there. Not a single angle or dash of color was glossed over, and DanSto reached deep into his bin of parts to get a part that appeared in a single set 20 years ago. It happens to be the definite part for BB-8’s single eye, and I doubt anyone else would have thought of it. So despite it being rather small, DanSto’s abilities made sure this BB-8 is right up there with his other, amazing droids. Yes, we do have the best family pictures ever available.

Having earned their trust, the Galactic Empire has found a new ally in the powerful Black Sun Crime syndicate. Together, emperor Palpatine and prince Xizor have come up with a plan to eradicate the Rebel Alliance once and for all. Via the Black Sun, the Rebels have found out about a freighter that carries a supercomputer with some very valuable plans on it. In order to make sure they take the bait, Imperial troops have been dispatched to put up a fight. And so begins a battle around and on board of the Suprosa freighter, a battle that will decide the fate of the galaxy…

In the Shadows of Nar Eurbrikka‘s tenth (!) episode, Rebels and Imperials will form squads that will have to penetrate into the freighter, under the command of a higher ranked player. It promises to become a very tactical episode with lots of clever tricks, amazing entries, and powerful teamwork. The episode has only just started and will run until November 30th, so there’s plenty of time to jump in, make some friends, and learn a lot. Every soldier will count. Find out more about the episode here, and if you haven’t already, read about and subscribe to our role playing and building game here. And did I mention RoyalBrickCustoms will make sure the winners will receive an awesome prize? So come on, cadet!

It’s not just the new trailer for episode VII that made sure Star Wars was all across the web last week. Did you hear about that statue of Vladimir Lenin in Odessa, Ukraine, that received a make-over? Well, one leader of a great empire makes way for another one, because now it’s Darth Vader who makes sure ships in the Black Sea make a detour. Don’t believe me? Find out more about it here, for example, and discover how this isn’t the first appearance our Sith Lord makes in the country…

John Ho built the creation depicted above weeks ago, long before the statue was news, yet it proves to be prophetic. It cleverly features one of the best sets from the buildable action figures line as a beautiful, imposing and threatening image of the most feared man in the galaxy. The posing by itself calls known propagandic imagery to mind, and takes it to a new level of unstoppableness. Then there’s a lot of plussing going on, with some extra statues flanking big brother, a massive pedestal and a solid yet beautiful platform that incorporates some nice angles, gaps and techniques. And those troopers adding some finishing touches to it gives the creation a unique identity and story, so you won’t forget it lightly. “Impressive for a set display”, I hear you say. Well, not really. Because technically, everything you see in the picture is a MOC. Yup, John Ho is one of the lucky few that made it to Billund and happens to be the designer who worked on the official 75111 Darth Vader buildable action figure! Plenty of reasons to adore this creation. So check out the pictures and kneel, kneel before the colossus that is this builder.

I’m sorry to disappoint if you were expecting a Doctor Who related post with that title. But if the mere thought of Weeping Angles gives you shivers all across your spine, that’s good, because it’s almost Halloween! That asks for the mandatory themed post. Sadly, Star Wars isn’t exactly the scariest of franchises. There are those moments, but I haven’t seen anyone tackle that Mynock that scares the Force out of everyone in that asteroid… brrr… But just when you’re starting to think you won’t be having any nightmares tonight, you stumble across Dodge’s adorable Blinky.

TIE’s have been nicknamed ‘eyeballs’, even in-universe, so replacing the cockpit by an actual eyeball isn’t that far fetched. Still, the result is far more unsettling then anyone could have imagined. The green goo and the deadly stare give it something otherworldly and utterly creepy. And then that gaping maw, rimmed with teeth, smiling because it is sure of another delicious victim. The thin wings and reaching claws give the impression this monster comes falling out of the sky, straight on target, in a horrifying flurry. What makes it all so scary is the lack of substance in the body: everything’s tied together by a bare skeleton. It is as if Blinky evolved to include only the parts he needs to catch, devour and creep out his prey. It’s the perfect blend of the organic, that gives it believability, and the not-quite-organic, that gives you the uncanny feeling this is something inescapable: the most effective recipe for something that will make you look up in the dark next time you hear what others think is a bird… I’m surprised Dodge didn’t run away from his MOCcing table, being so close to this thing. But I’m glad he didn’t, because he created the perfect Halloween creation that’s especially enjoyable for us Star Wars fans, because the resemblance to the TIE interceptor is so great that next time I watch the original trilogy, that Mynock won’t be the thing I’ll be fearing the most… It requires some serious insight, a real eye for the unusual, to make those connections that just work as a concept and make for an eye-catching creation with such skill. So if you care more about incredible MOCs than the content of your dreams, be sure to check out the horror in full size here. Sleep tight.

Some creations just look invincible. Take Anio’s UCS Venator for example: who would even have the courage to try to top that model, that definite version? Well, it turns out there’s always a bigger ship. Alec’s version surpasses the adjective “ultimate”, with it’s clean forms, smooth surface and ample detailing… it looks to be Jerac’s Star Destoryer’s close cousin. I could go on and on about every single clever detail, the ingenuity involved in getting the surface so smooth, the perfect proportions and angles used, the dedication to make every single area the prettiest, the crème de la crème of classic greebling, the casual beauty of the tiniest of subcomponents… but the mere thought is taking me too far already and it’s better to see all of those things with your own eyes anyway.

The wow-factor of this creation is overwhelming. But don’t be satisfied that quickly, because there are a lot more of really interesting things to discover about this model… Take a look at those stripes, for example. Don’t you just love how the decorations are really part of the ship, and don’t just lie on top of it, as in so many creations? It makes for a solid, unified and realistic ship. There’s also the notable absence of texturing on the main hull. Laziness? Nope. The smooth area is quite large, but elongated, so it doesn’t feel like a huge gap. At the same time, it provides a resting point for the viewer amidst all of the details competing for attention. It avoids cluttering, and there are plenty of gorgeous details along the border anyway to make it look great. Another thing that’s absent is the Republic logo, and this might actually be a great decision. In past creations, I’ve often noticed that you recognize the logo and see it makes sense, but the necessarily blocky nature of a brick-built emblem disrupts the flow of the ship. So it looks accurate, but not really great. I don’t miss the logo here, but love the way the ship looks. It shows how Alec had the courage to leave out seemingly important details for the sake of making this splendid illusion. That way nothing on this ship helps me to understand it’s made of ABS and not some kind of fancy space-steel – and I love it for that. Still not convinced it’s made of bricks? Then go here, look at the beautiful pictures, and behold this victory of MOCcing.

When you learn that LiLmeFromDaFuture’s definite snowspeeder was just a spin-off of a minifigure scale AT-AT project, your heart skips a beat. I wished for this when discussing the snowspeeder, and now we get to see just the head of the AT-AT, and it’s already looking like something that will set a completely new standard. It doesn’t just look incredible, it’s unbelievably accurate as well: I can’t discover a single feature on the studio model, from the tiniest of greebles to the subtlest of ridges, that hasn’t found a place. It’s remarkable how the builder used rather unusual parts and features you’d normally want to hide to achieve this, like the belly of the jumper plate, that tiny gap beneath the visor that’s the backside of an erling brick, the side of a grill brick or the triangular flags that never looked this good before. Even areas that seem to contain no details where handled expertly. You’ve probably noted the half plate offsets of the tiles on the roof, but what’s most subtle is the use of smaller and bigger pieces in the absolutely flat areas, of which the seams create a perfectly interesting pattern. Every brick contributes to the look and feel in several ways, which makes it really fun to pour over. And once the lack of gaps gets through to you, you realize there is some serious engineering wizardry going on just to fill those extra millimeters in. Yes, the inside does look rather complex according to the builder. So top, bottom (check it out!), outside and inside, no matter where you look, it’s clear this creation is in an entirely new category. It’s definitely worth it to look at all of the pictures and considerations in the topic, because there’s so much to discover about this piece. And that’s just the head.

Our colleagues at The Brothers Brick are organizing a contest. The objective is to take Rey’s speeder from the Force Awakens to the next level with paint, wings, cannons and – if possible – a nice place to store a shovel, a bucket and some sand molds for the kids. Every single entry is boggling my mind with its amashing creativity, but – I guess you expect I now say that Priovit70‘s creation above is among the best entries. Well, I won’t, because the lovely creation above isn’t an entry for the contest, it’s the inspiration for it.

So Priovit70 was the first to look at Rey’s ride and see the enormous potential for adding all kinds of bells and whistles to it. He immediately picked the details that make us all giddy. A blue base, greebly grey areas, extra fins, yellow lights, bumblebee stripes and that logo, and you know that classic space has entered the monitor. I love how the builder managed to couple the classic space aesthetic with the round shapes of the speeder by making sure there are some harder edges and slopes present. And that look of the back throws you back to the old days when Star Wars ships weren’t that polished and had exposed tubes all over the place. Creating something new but having it evoke the pleasures of the past, that really get’s me excited to see what the future brings, especially if it brings more of Priovit70’s wonderful creations!

It seems such a random thing to do, to slap thick black nerdy glasses onto anything remotely Star Wars. And you might have noticed that the last couple of days, this myopic infestation has been spreading quickly. The reason is that we’re really in the season of contests, and fellow blog Bricknerd is leaving its mark. Bricknerd’s mascot is the adorable 2×2 red brick with signature glasses, Nerdly. Over the years, more and more people have fallen prey to its adorableness, and to satisfy its hunger for power, an annual contest is held to put those glasses onto every character, beast and vehicle imaginable. Not only is it incredibly lucrative with some sweet prizes, but it seems to be a great deal of fun too, judging by the sheer amount and quality of the entries. This year, the main focus is Star Wars, making the results even nerdier than usual. We’ve got anything from the hilarious to the genius to the downright artistic, all of the highest quality, making it incredibly hard for me to focus on just a few. So I won’t. You might think that’s just lazy of me, but wait until you get knocked over by this parade of awesomeness. Moreover, Nerdly will approve of the propaganda.

Every builder succeeds in making the material his in a very special way. With Nerdly in Carbonite, for example, KOS brick combines his signature clean and moody style with the fun source material to create a tragic build with added drama. And Palixa And The Bricks‘ R2-D2 succeeds like no other creation in getting Nerdly round and Artoo square, right in the Goldilocks zone. And didn’t captainsmog pull off the perfect joke with his It’s a NERD!, with the glasses that only worsen the Admiral’s ability to sense a ruse? Finally, nobu_tary‘s Darth Maul is a stand-out creation with its artistic quality (I almost see him wielding double red paintbrushes!), and a leading candidate in the list of best Darth Maul creations ever. So are your nerdichlorians already tingling? Well, then use the next week to put on those glasses, feel smart, and build brilliantly. If you want even more goodness, you can see all entries here. And if you’re really in the mood, you can always try slapping a Rebel logo on any character, beast and vehicle possible…

Man, we really should rethink our logo on MOCappeal…

The new Star Wars is not any longer years or even months away, but just a couple of weeks! The slew of trailers succeeded in strengthening the hype even further, and we’re starting to see that reflected with loads of quality builds depicting each and every vehicle spotted in the previews. It already looks like the new X-wing, particularly in its striking color scheme, will be a MOC favorite, with builders tackling it in a variety of ways and scales.

Some modifications turning the 10240 UCS Red Five X-wing into Poe’s Orange Five X-wing have been proposed already, but goatman461 is the first to truly convince me, as it seems he designed the entire model all by himself just to get everything right. And actually, that’s not too far from the truth, because you can see a lot of details that didn’t have to be changed to represent the new X-wing but were enhanced nonetheless. If it hadn’t been painted black, this would just as well be one of the best modifications of the original model, so this creation offers twice the fun! What stands out most are the wings, that interlock beautifully to look awesome both opened and closed. They sport some marvelous brick build patterns as well, giving that much more authenticity to this model. And if you’re not yet convinced, the occasional stud, seam between tiles, ridge and oddly unfamiliar and agreeable greeble will help to convince you of the power of the model and its atmosphere. Finally we have those gorgeous intakes that put the curved pieces to work and make good use of tiles to give it that fine seam it desperately needs. So there’s sleekness, detail, awesome vibes and delicious darkness all around… a must have – that’s even better because it does come in black! Gaze at goatman461’s glorious creation in the topic while you wait for it to hit the stores.

If you love the UCS beast above, but don’t have the financial punch to put it on your desk, ‘rolli has the answer for you. He built a completely different but equally impressive model with just a few parts. What’s more, he only had a very limited set of parts and the duration of a single meal to complete this as part of a table scrap challenge. There’s no need to say he won the best techniques category, with every piece being used in some innovative way. Who could have foreseen that those wrench parts would be so useful? Good thing I acquired a bunch of them in my last Pick a Brick cup, because with his incredibly clever model, ‘rolli certainly has my creative juices flowing. That’s not because of the use of obscure parts for details, but because of the unconventional way he uses those same parts as the very backbone of the model, to add shape and volume to it and not just some extra features. And the way all of it comes together… that’s just black magic, because even though it’s such a small creation, I have no idea how it comes together. I do now the result is amazing. So zoom in just a bit more on the pictures to appreciate how ‘rolli transformed a pile of random parts in a magnificent micro model, one that might very well fly its way to your desk. If you can figure out how the black and orange magic works, that is.

Whenever a Star Wars model is created as part of the Iron Builder challenge, I just have to highlight it. The fact that the participants manage to whip up an awesome creation with a given part in such a short span of time is a testimony to their brilliance. Usually, they use the seed part in some clever way as a nice extra detail. But I bet you can’t guess what the mystery part is just from pouring over this rendition of CMaddison’s Vader’s lightsaber. It mysteriously melts into the model that’s not just about sweet details, but features subtle shapes all around. The roundness of the hilt is approximated perfectly, with a smooth finish for the originally metal parts and a more textured hand grip to give it some variety that actually improves it over the original. CMaddison also recreated a shape I deemed impossible to replicate: the business end of the lightsaber with the right parts at the right angle. The real highlight is at the other side of the model however, with the use of complicated but invisible techniques to create an even smoother shaft, and some parts everybody forgot about to create those subtle ridges. I love it how he used relatively basic pieces to create a thing of beauty with such grace and subtlety. Most people (me included) would go for some crazy minifig accessory to add detail, but CMaddison uses some standard rounded and offset plates for a detail that beats every obscure part you can’t think of. I’m amazed by how well he understands the bricks we all think we understand and puts them together in truly new ways. That’s just the level of perfection the weapon of choice of the galaxy’s most feared Sith Lord requires. You can always try to put your hands on the screen to try and feel all of the shapes and how well it fits into your hand, but maybe it’s more practical to just admire it here.

A whole month probably wouldn’t be enough for me to create something of such quality. But CMaddison didn’t have that much time at all, since he produced one amazing build right after the other in his month of Iron Building. And every one of them is a gem (the creations of his opponent, Retinence, were gorgeous as well, but he didn’t venture into that galaxy far, far away), and this Nerdly mouse droid illustrates that again with subtle, super sleek slopes and again a brilliant use of the seed part. If you still can’t tell what that mysterious part is because it’s integrated so well, it’s the forklift fork. But don’t blame yourself for not seeing it. Blame CMaddison’s genius.

Wondering how zanna succeeded in taking those pictures? He’ll be happy to hear that, because it means his work paid of. You see, these beauties aren’t actual photographs, they’re renders, photo realistic pictures calculated from a digital 3D-model. In the past, it was hard to fully appreciate a digital creation because no matter how great the creation was, the image just didn’t look right. But in just a few year’s time, things have radically changed. You might have seen some POV-Ray renders here already, which look good but are still obviously computer generated. More recently, Bluerenderer appeared, which is easy to use and shows a lot of promise. But what’s really setting the bar, are renders created with the Cycles engine in the open source and free 3D-platform Blender. It’s a bit of a steep learning curve, but it allows you to go way further than just tricking people to think they’re watching a real photograph. Zanna is one of these people that show how the possibilities can truly enhance the model presented. His render of the UCS Super Star Destroyer above is absolute wallpaper gold! His enhancements don’t conceal the model, but lift it to the next level. The lighting of the model makes it stand out by ominously highlighting the edges of the ‘city’. And we experience the roaring power of the engines that give character to a model we’ve all seen already. His Imperial Shuttle comparison is both informative and beautiful, with the great atmospheric effects that lend it an eerie power. Zanna opens our eyes to how beautiful a LEGO model can look without overloading it. Just imagine how great a catalog with such pictures would look like, just like a high-end luxury car catalog. Got the picture in your head? Don’t worry if you don’t: you can go ahead an waste your time drooling over all of the amazing pictures in the Mecabricks rendering topic.

Let me get this straight: I’m not what you’d call a weapon’s enthusiast. But every now and then, a MOCcer succeeds in seducing me with a beautiful piece of equipment. And there is one MOCcer that succeeds in it with every single creation he shares. His name is Nick Brick, and his weapons are so realistic, I’m surprised Intelligence hasn’t arrested him yet. The latest fruit of his imagination is the E-11 Blaster Rifle, snatched right out of the hands of a Stromtrooper. It looks very functional and even features a working trigger and folding stock, but that’s just a bonus, because the real deal is the wicked amount of detail on the creation. For a nearly monochrome model, it has a lot of variation in it with the backs of bricks exposed, seams brilliantly put to use, nice angles just to get a couple of pieces right, and some novel techniques – I know I haven’t seen a tire within a tire before… So you might think: “That’s a remarkable amount of detail!”, but that’s before you’ve looked really close. Then you’ll realize there are subtle asymmetries in the model, extra functional holes and details only visible from certain angles, and some pieces that take you completely by surprise, lurking in some hidden corners. There’s detail on every level and in every way, yet it doesn’t feel superfluous because it all makes sense for those details to be there. It’s by discovering all of these tiny touches and the mystery of how they all fit into the model that makes clear that Nick Brick is really taking this subject matter to a new level. It’s definitely worth checking this model out from every angle and on every scale. And it finally solves a long standing issue: of course Stormtroopers had bad aim! Would you rather be looking at those dull Rebels or this beauty in your very own hands?

Lately, we’re getting more and more threads starting with “Yet another…”, and I must admit it reflects the feelings I sometimes have towards a new rendition of well known source material. “Should I click through? What new surprises could a model hold that I have seen built countless times?” We’re so spoiled with great models, that if I’m having a very bad day, I just leave it at that and scroll along. Luckily, the day I noticed dmaclego‘s thread wasn’t such a day. Because I would have missed the model of the decade! You see, his creation isn’t yet another UCS AT-AT, it’s awe, inspiration, intimidation and pure beauty come to life.

I pretend to see small possibilities for improvement in a lot of models, but dmaclego has me stumped. Everything’s there, not a part missing, not a part too much. When writing about a micro creation, you might catch me saying that every single piece used in the model was the perfect one. Today is the first time I can say such a thing about a creation containing not tens, but thousands of bricks. I think you can see why, because I’m pretty sure you had to look twice at that picture. That’s because both the shapes, the details, the details in the shapes and the shapes in the details are all awesome. The roundness of the feet and knees of the model are unprecedented. I’ve never seen a greater variety of greebles all over the model, from the most obvious to the most obscure places, that still doesn’t overload the model. The nearly hidden taper at the top of the leg and the angled dishes at the ankle are those near to invisible thoughts that have a huge impact on the credibility of the model. And touches like the half-plate insets for the greebles and panels gracefully embracing the ‘shoulders’ draw you ever closer in. That’s far from a complete appraisal of the static model – and I haven’t yet begun covering the impossible functions that found shelter between all of the perfect pieces! And even worse, this is only part of a bigger Endor diorama that will feature a cusom built UCS Imperial shuttle as well! So you’ll have to discover it for yourself. So leave a word of praise in the topic after you’ve lost a night’s sleep absorbing every detail from every picture. And lose another night’s sleep after watching the machine slowly powering up and turning its mighty cannons towards you… Maybe you should have scrolled along after all.

Everybody’s talking about how cute everyone’s new favorite astromech BB-8 is. Admittedly, he’s cuter than Artoo, but I’ve seen something that makes him look like an Ugnaught in comparison. It’s Unikitty, who used her magical powers of pure happiness to cross time and space and end up in the Star Wars universe. Either that or she got some help from MOCcer tanKM… He had the brilliant idea of crossing a universe full of darkness and repression with the happy nature of The Lego Movie. The result is spectacularly hilarious. I love how he didn’t go for the easy way of simply recoloring and adding a bit of detail. Instead, the builder used different methods for creating the eyes, for example. It works wonderfully to set the characters apart, giving each and every one of them a unique flavor. And it goes further. Notice how the main baddies have their ears sloped inwards to set their different nature apart even more, or look at the different nose designs. And isn’t the use of clips and clip lights for texture inspiring? It’s amazing how tanKM managed to get so much detail, character and astonishing simplicity in all of the builds. Give him a couple of pieces, and he builds everything from the alert Han and Chewie over the once again cute Artoo and fabulous Amidala to the greatest villains of the universe. I’m sure that in their new form, it won’t take them long to push down their dark side feelings deep inside, where they will never, ever, ever, EVER! find them… It’s great to be on the happy side. Join it by taking a closer look at all those happy faces on Flickr!

Kylo Ren is a pretty awesome villain if you ask me. Vader remains number one, but Kylo Ren almost makes us forget about General Grievous and the likes, who weren’t that great, right? Ahum. That’s before you’ve seen the picture above. If you haven’t clicked away in panic, you might recognize this awesome creation as one by umamen, who once again succeeds in reminding us why we have to respect a character.

Like no one else, he manages to fit his parts together in such a way that his characters aren’t just recognizable and realistic, but plain frightening. It doesn’t matter Grievous has bananas in his belly, you don’t want to come closer to inspect it. It’s the merciless look in his eyes, or the panting attitude of his mechanical body. I’m aghast at the way everything connects at the right angle, and how perfect everything keeps looking from another standpoint or in another pose, arms open or closed – it doesn’t matter. Just thinking about how everything in the rib cage is held together, how it can look so complicated yet robust, makes my head hurt. For umamen however, the challenge had to be harder, so he decided to put in extra details below the surface. It all must be magic. Or glue. Or maybe it’s because the connections are there in plain sight, but you don’t see them as such, you see them as a critical part of the detailing of this creation. To make General Grievous work, he had to be able to move because that’s how he is designed, and umamen knew that. His build looks like him, moves like him and feels like him, and that’s what makes it brilliant. So head over to the builder’s gallery, not to look at a model, but to look at the General himself. You might find he has some less known sides as well.

When you’re a kid and everyone knows you’re into LEGO, you always hope to get a nice set. But somehow, I always ended up getting some Bionicle figure. Cool for a few minutes, but what do you do with it? It’s not like you could build a spaceship out of it or something… Mine usually ended up in a box from which they slowly migrated to cousins and the like. I didn’t really miss them, but after all these years seeing Djordje‘s unprecedented Yoda sculpture makes me regret that.

I assume he has been exposed to gamma radiation to be able to make you ask why there is any distinction at all between system and constraction parts. They all come so mystically harmoniously together in his character builds, possibly because Djorde himself doesn’t make any distinction between the categories. Someone else might have thought of that flipper piece, but no one else could have portrayed Yoda’s ears or bumpy brow as real as he. Still, it takes more than just the right parts to create a figure as convincing as this one. There are subtle things, like the deep lying eyes, the bent neck and crouching position. The right parts make sure this character has the same features as Yoda, but it are those little things that make Yoda Yoda that make this creation really come to life. I bet you have a lot to ask the Jedi master, so waste no time and visit him on Flickr. I have no doubt he’ll talk about the Force that penetrates all bricks and binds all of them, system or constraction together…

You know that one guy in the upper right corner on all of the latest Star Wars sets? It turns out he’s the villain in the Force Awakens, and is quite good at being it. He’s an interesting character, has awesome abilities and looks iconic already with his bad ass helmet and monk-like robes. Builder M<O><O>DSWIM captured all of those items with his terrific build. The unique and intricate shape of the helmet is impossibly captured with the simplest of pieces. He also succeeded in putting motion in smooth, flat surfaces like the flowing robes, again connected with fairly simple pieces that add detail at the same time. Yes, the tension between the moving and the static is what sets this creation apart. You have the legs in the middle of their motion, with the robes lagging a bit behind. But on the other hand they are firmly on the ground, and the powerful fists clenched, the head slightly tilted and the arms charging up. There’s such a great sense of tension and anticipation in this build, Kylo Ren seems to be taking a final deep breath before leaping into a furious combat. One final breath, gathering all of his anger and force, focus. It’s a tension and contrast that perfectly matches the character. Remarkable given that this creation was put together prior to the movie’s release. It makes the creation even more jaw dropping, so definitely check out M<O><O>DSWIM’s Flickr!

Kylo Ren also has this unique lightsaber that makes him unforgettable. I was concerned first, but the design has grown on me. So perfect timing by Nick Brick to build us this wonderful rendition. The hilt is remarkably round with a sweet tapered end, and has the required steps in for detail. I love the exposed sub-surface detailing near the top. What really shines though, is the beam itself (well, duh, it’s light after all…). The brilliant idea originally came from Cole Edmonson, who realized how it really looks with the white core and a splash of color beyond, and integrated it all in a swooshable, duelable blade. Nick Brick expanded on it, making the colored layer a bit thicker, but especially excelled in using transparent pieces to have a smoother crossover. The grill tiles are just perfect for the sparking and bolting effect that’s so characteristic for this particular lightsaber. I absolutely love it when one builder inspires another, and in this case I have no doubt this will be the standard from now on, especially with such great creations showcasing the technique. So start your research and inspect the pictures more closely. And be sure to watch that video, because who hasn’t dreamed of violently locking his own LEGO blade with that of his foe in a snowy forest!

Already tired off all the talk about The Force Awakens? Well, here’s something fresh: a look-ahead at the second part of the second season of the Star Wars Rebels animated series. Just like in the first part, there are more than a few familiar faces to be spotted, but all of them in a very, very interesting context! It looks like the stories will evolve to a more dark and mature tone, maybe even with something that looks like the Mortis arc from The Clone Wars… Yes there’s plenty to think about and to be giddy about! So watch and rewatch the epic visuals until the next episode airs January 20th, and be sure to look out for our reviews!

Spoiler – there are no Y-wings in The Force Awakens. We have a renewed X-wing, a spiritual successor to the Imperial Shuttle, new walkers way off in the distance, and a transporter with a definite B-wing style though. The guys over at From Bricks to Bothans were inspired by those vehicles and launched a contest to update others as well. Not surprisingly, the Y-wing was the most popular vehicle to be aged, so it was hard to stand out. But not for space_e, whose stunning creation above effortlessly won the first prize. He succeeded in completely re imagining the fighter while keeping it familiar. He made everything more condensed and smooth – the kind of smooth that still suits the OT aesthetic – with some weird pieces at weird angles, up to using road signs right behind the cockpit to maintain the beautiful flow of the ship. Combine that with extra armor plating, the toughest looking greebles I’ve ever seen and engines that only need a hint to be impressive, and you have a bomber that looks like it can deal out and deal with damage equally, unlike it’s more fragile-looking predecessor. That functional improvement makes it very easy to accept this design in the universe. A model like this blows my mind, and that’s even before we’ve talked about the fact it transforms! That’s when your jaw drops to the floor. It even makes more sense on this fighter than on the Vulture droid, because its heavy firepower make it an excellent mobile ground turret. This model is the perfect blend of nostalgia, futurism, practicality, awesomeness and beauty – it’s almost as if every single brick makes me wow. So you have every reason to check out space_e’s photostream, to witness (or build, since he has been so kind to provide the LDD file!) what the Sequel Trilogy’s Y-wing should look like.

When I say space_e’s creation won FBTB’s contest effortlessly, I’m talking only about the number of votes, because there were some other models that valiantly fought to become your image of what future vehicles should look like. goatman461‘s own Y-wing was one of those models. On his model, he’s been more generous with the greebles, calling back more to the style of the original. It emphasizes that not much has to change during a couple of decades, apart from the favorite colors apparently. That way, the changes he makes to the design really pop and get more meaning, so you automatically focus on those ‘anomalies’, in this case first and foremost the single, enormous engine. The great thing is that these changes that your attention is drawn to, turn out to make a lot of sense, so it helps you understand the model. That single engine, for example, obviously packs a lot more punch than the previous one, so you know this fighter is all about speed. You want to attack quickly and you want to disappear quickly. Therefore it’s important to protect your engine at any cost, but you don’t want extra weight from cannons. And then you see why the engine is able to move around the model: in order to stay out of the direction where the shots are coming from. This design isn’t just exotic and familiar to Star Wars at the same time (already a marvelous feat), but it makes a lot of sense, and the model makes for a fun discovery trip in an extremely interesting concept. goatman461 succeeded in making one of the very first model that makes me look at the greebles not with the “I wonder what special parts he put in” view, but with a desire to understand what they are all for. That ingenuity prevents the model from looking like a Y-wing with a missing piece and more like something special that you keep thinking about. So time to put on your engineering hard hat and study the model up close in the topic.

I hope this has wet your appetite for more makeovers of familiar faces. Check out this gallery of all of the entries in the contest!

What did you think of the Plot?
Oky: This episode was off to a good start. The plot about the rebels looking for new hyperspace routes due to increased Imperial security made sense in the grand scheme of things and the way the first mission went south very fast, leaving one of the main characters severely injured, put a lot of weight on the episode. However, at that point it wasn’t so much about the hyperspace routes anymore and became more of a revenge story. This was clearly supposed to be a character-centric story, but this shift in focus just made the plot seem like an excuse to put these characters into this kind of a situation. One interesting thing to note is that the rebels pretended to take prisoners in the previous episode, to the Empire’s surprise, and now they’re actually doing it. I wonder if this will have any repercussions on them.
BEAVeR: No matter how small the references are, it’s always great to see the effect of an episode ripple into another, since it makes everything seem important in the scheme of things. In the start of this episode, we were treated by the appearance of the cruisers from the last episode and on the ever increasing need of finding new routes and places to hide, so good stuff. The emphasis on negotiating was refreshing, although it was evident things would end up badly eventually. However, the speed at which things went south and the severity of the consequences still succeeded in bringing us in a state of slight shock, something that hasn’t occurred a lot in previous episodes, and therefore made this episode feel important instantly. However, it turned out to be less so than I had anticipated, with the whole hyperspace thing becoming secondary to the plot, the danger rapidly decreasing (Sabine effortlessly besting Rau in that duel, for example) and a conclusion I still don’t know what to make off. All of that made the episode loose its credibility, undermining everything else that could be liked about this episode.

What are your thoughts on the Characters?
Oky: We learned a bit more about Sabine’s backstory in this episode. It was interesting to hear that her clan is allied with House Vizsla. It seems to brand her as a traitor which might partly explain her desire to be a rebel and do good. Fenn Rau was an interesting new character because despite working for the Empire, he didn’t seem like a bad guy. I liked his diplomatic meeting with Kanan, although I think that the way they staged that scene like a Western felt out of place with the tone of the rest of the episode. Kanan himself was fairly impressive in this episode, trying to stick to the Jedi code despite everything that was happening. The way that his pacifistic Jedi ways clashed with Sabine’s violent Mandalorian ways and ultimately rubbed off on her was interesting to see and made for a good moral at the end. Hera was great as always and I especially liked how she put herself in danger to allow her squadron to escape.
BEAVeR: Watching this episode, I thought it was nice to have some deeper character traits coming out. Sure, it sounds great on paper: we have a girl whose friends gets seriously injured and she wants revenge for it. And then we have this guy who is all for diplomacy. But they end up cooperating and both change their minds on something. Not too shabby, until you realize this episode isn’t about “a girl” and “this guy”, but Sabine and Kanan, characters we’ve come to know and that have our expectations to fulfill. It started off nicely with Sabine, going for action in the typical “Star Wars young hero style”, but listening to the opinion of the ones she respects and going practically mad when Hera gets injured so badly, and you know you’re in for a wild ride, except… you aren’t. She overcomes her rage and thirst for blood immediately without any kind of turning moment (the same problems as in Blood Sisters), and then no time is spent evaluating her state of mind. Kanan does worse though, seemingly completely unaffected by the near loss of Hera, to whom he is closer than Sabine is. He remains calm, like a Jedi should, but not like Kanan would. I love his moment with Rau though, so that redeems this weird change a bit. All in all I thought it was an interesting play of characters and differing views, but those characters just weren’t the characters we know…
Fenn Rau was pretty awesome though. He was a truly grey character, not just because the plot needed him to be, and wonderfully keeps the mystique around the Mandalorian ways. Still, a little more insight into his decisions might have learned us more.

What is your opinion of the vehicles and locations?
Oky: We didn’t get to see a whole lot of Concord Dawn outside of the Protectors Camp and most of the time we saw it at night, so there is not much to comment on, but from what we saw, it seemed like a pretty generic moon. However, we did get to see the Gauntlet fighters from The Clone Wars again, and much like anything from TCW, they looked much sleeker here.
BEAVeR: There were some truly beautiful shots in this episode, the sight of Concord Dawn for instance, or the battle in the upper atmosphere of one of its moons with some pretty colors. Another haunting image was Hera’s A-wing drifting from hyperspace, in smoke and flames: that mere image helped to sell the initial sense of importance of the episode. As for vehicles, I liked the look of the Gauntlet fighters, that had this “O, it’s supposed to look like that” look about them.

Oky’s Rating: 3.5/5 – This episode was not bad. The plot was decent, although it took a backseat to the character development, and the action was good, but nothing extraordinary. Considering that this was a character-centric episode, I wish we would have learned a bit more about Sabine or Kanan or Rau or even what happened to Mandalore after the events of The Clone Wars. I am glad that we did get some information, though, and hope that the next episode will have some more meat to it.
BEAVeR’s rating: 3/5 – Rebels is really good at coming up with interesting premises and good ideas for character development, but here we have one of those cases where it doesn’t really go anywhere. The plot pretty much gets abandoned and gets a rushed and confusing resolution, and the character development doesn’t really fit the characters. The continuity that has been built up with all of the little touches gets lost here, making this another episode that you probably won’t remember a lot about, sadly.