Brickmania Flak 36 8.8 CM Anti-Aircraft Gun - REVIEW!

The Flak 36 8.8 CM Anti-Aircraft Gun is a custom LEGO WW2 Brickmania set. As most of Brickmania builds, the gun is designed by Daniel Siskind, owner and main designer.

This set is about $50/£34.29 for a 137 LEGO pieces, is good value for a Brickmania set. With this set you don't get any minifigs. However, if you purchase the Flakkorps upgrade you get three custom German Soldier minifigs, five BrickArms artillery shells and two LEGO shovels. However, this is $45 on-top of the original price, making it $95/£65.15. Buying the items separately wouldn't make much difference to the price. 

Building this set is a bit fiddly at times but it is moderately easy to put together. The instruction manual is made up of high quality paper and ink. The instructions themselves are simple to follow stages of the build.

The gun itself is full with great little details. The gun is able yo be adjusted up, down and side to side just like the real thing, allowing you to shoot down enemy planes. The only problem I have with this set is it is very fragile and parts down fall off regularly when used. Also the light blue axis for the seat of the gun. 

Great Lego Sets - A Visual History book REVIEW!

Great LEGO Sets by DK

With this large book, the Great Lego Sets by DK, you receive a exclusive micro-scale space cruiser. This small spaceship is inspired by the 1979 LEGOLAND Space Cruiser and Moonbase set, #928. Which you can find documented within, and displayed on the cover the book.

Like most of the Lego history books by DK, they take you through year by year. Far as I know this book doesn't look at all of the Lego sets which have been produced but a selection of over 300 of the best sets.

For each set you get a detailed 'Guided Tour' which takes you through the sets and the 'Brick By Brick' that takes a look in more detail on the elements which are used in the sets.

Exclusive Micro-Scale
Space Cruiser

However, what makes this book so different from the Lego books produced in the past is you learn about some of the designers themselves. These small profiles on the designers are only depicted with ground breaking sets, such as one of the largest Lego set, the Taj Mahal #10189, 2008.  

Brickmania U.S. WWII Jeep REVIEW

The WWII General Purpose Utility Car (or Jeep) is a great little set by Brickmania. Designed by Daniel Siskind, owner and main designer at Brickmania. The jeep is 1:35 minifig scale, like most of Brickmania's set. However, there are no minifigs included in this set.  

This set cost $50/£34.71, this might be a lot for 124 bricks but as this isn't a Lego set and can't be found anywhere else. Also what you get out of this kit is historic accuracy, great play-ability and custom printed parts. 

The instructions are high quality paper and ink. The instructions themselves are very easy to follow. 

What I think is very cleaver about this build is they used two minifigure hands to make the window wipers of the windscreen of the jeep. A interesting use of unusual Lego part.

The windscreen is adjustable to move up and down. Just like the real thing. 

You have some custom parts which connect the windscreen to the rest of the jeep.  

Also you have this custom printed US army star tile on the bonnet of the jeep.

This is a great set. So I'm giving it 9 out of 10. 

My Build: Evolution of Man

My Lego build:
Evolution of Man

Okay a lot of you are probably going to say this is the most simplest build ever to be made ever and I should have made something with a bit more of a challenge. I totally agree with you. However, I was looking around and there hasn't been a proper build in Lego for the iconic picture 'Evolution of Man' and I thought there should be one.

There have been many which are similar like xstc's 'Lego Evolution', which is very similar to the common prints that you can find on t-shirts and other products. Now there is one by a unknown artist, which depicts the very comical version of the 'Evolution of Man'. However I wanted mine to be serious and as accurate as possible.

The Lego and BrickForge parts.

There was one which was very similar to the original image. This is was by Stephen O' Mahony on one of his blog post called 'Time'. This had to be the best one I found so far but it could be more accurate. 

So I made my own with a black 4x10 plate, three 4x3 minifig base plate, one 1x2 handle plate, three minifigs and one monkey. The minifigs were from the Lego's minifig series; the Gorilla is from series 3, the Caveman from series 1 and the Computer Programmer from series 7. However, the spear of the Caveman is not Lego but BrickForge's flint tribal spear.

Little Big Art - Andy Morris

Little Big Art

Andy Morris takes his inspiration from previous art pieces and makes it his own by adding a LEGO twist to them. Using LEGO and Pop Art as his medium, he creates a unique way of seeing modern art. 

You might be thinking that all his work is going to be typically similar to other LEGO artists who create large sculptures using bricks, like Nathan Sawaya. You might be disappointed to learn that's not what he does, but you won't be disappointed for long. Using photography, sculpturing and LEGO models, Morris beautifully recreates famous works of are using the simple brick.

Andy Warhol
1928-1987

Morris' first ever project was the Artist Series. This is a collection of images that depicts famous artist and their work represented in LEGO recreating them as real and true as possible. Staying on the same idea of recreating artist in LEGO, Morris constructed the infamous party animal Pop Artist, Andy Warhol, and even though the minifig is simple it is a good and effective representation of the artist. Accompanying the minifig is a exclusively printed Marilyn Monroe tile that which represents one of Warhol's most famous pieces.  

Branching from this range, Morris has created three LEGO models, which are to represent modern art exhibits such as, The Tank - Damien Hirst's Shark in Formaldehyde; or The Gallery in which you can choose the art pieces that go on display. These include Damien Hirst's spots, Piet Mondrian's composition No.III with red, yellow and blue and Andy Warhol's Money. With each model you know you are going to get a lot of fun from building and displaying your own art, showing it to your friends and family.

Human-Size Marilyn tile.

Morris has also probably made every child (or adult's) dream of being a minifig a reality with his Human-Size LEGO range. You can hold life-size LEGO tiles with his Marilyn & Money tiles that are again inspired by the work of Warhol. He then goes a step further with his largest artwork with Spots and Money Wall pieces. The Spots being based spots on Damien Hirst infamous work, and the Money by Andy Warhol. 

Not all of Morris' work is inspired by previous artworks, with his newest work, for example, Human-Size LEGO Ice Creams, he takes the artificial plastic toy ice cream and makes it seem real by representing it as melting in the hot sun. In my opinion they almost bring a new meaning to realism.

Roo

If that's not enough for you? Morris has immortalized himself in The Travels of Roo. Roo is a Lego minifig based on a self portrait of himself. Taking Roo on his travels across the globe, taking photos of him in-front of many different iconic locations in many countries, from New York in the US to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. #thetravelsofroo 

Andy Morris is a unique and brilliant artist. He takes inspiration from the greats and in the process makes him one one of them. 

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