Akira 2019

My old buddy Thorsten Bonsch, in honor of the story of Akira, set in the year 2019, has come up with this stunning scene: Off to the Containment Unit. A real pioneer of the genre, Akira was the first widely distributed serious Japanese Anime in Europe and North America, unlike the usual Saturday morning cartoons for kiddies (still love Tranzor Z, though). Click on the images to see all those tasty greebles up close. Awesome!

Queen Of Hearts

Any time I hear "Queen of hearts" two things happen: I think of the character from Disney's animated classic Alice in Wonderland (not the Burton film, she was just weird) and that terrible song (which will now be stuck in my head the rest of the damn day). I would really like to shift those things to this imposing but beautiful lady by builder LegoWyrm, I'd much rather think of her. Of course we'll have to wait and see (fingers crossed). But for now, the terrible song continues in my skull...

Mary And The Witch's Flower

Legendary animation company Studio Ghibli is no more, but from the ashes arose Studio Ponoc, and their first feature is Mary and the Witch's Flower, based on the book The Little Broomstick. Builder Ochre Jelly was so enamored he built this tribute, and if the movie is half as charming as this MOC, I must seek it out.

Tiny Yamato

I'm totally loving this micro chibi Yamato by builder delayice. I'm sure the first instinct you'd have with this thing approaching in space is "awww", but as soon as it unleashed it's arsenal on you you'd quickly change your tune. But even in the panic you'd still be stifling a smile, it's just too darned cute.

Saber~Alter

According to builder LegoWyrm Saber~Alter is the evil persona of Artoria Pendragon (a.k.a. Saber), who is the most popular character (and a 1st class cash cow) from the Fate series by Type-Moon. I'm sure that means something to some of you, but I'm just looking at this stunning figure and going "wow".

Iain Heath Has Been Spirited Away

There can be no other explanation for it. Look at all these pictures, a Friends figure appears in each one, that's evidence enough. Of course, you have to admire the quality of the builds, they're all phenomenal, but that's besides the point. Clearly something has happened to my friend, I fear he may have wandered into an apparently abandoned amusement park and is being forced to build these MOCs in order to free himself. I hope he's done before BrickCon.

Space Battleship Yamato

We've seen a number of this iconic manga classic in bricks of the years. The complex curves and sculpted form of the Yamamoto make it a challenge, but builder marchetti36 nails it in one of my favorite versions ever. The level of sculpting and details at this scale is really impressive, click through for more pics.

Tetsuo City

I've never seen this haunting image of Neo-Tokyo's dystopian harbor with Tetsuo's face, I'm not sure of it's origins. But the awesome LEGO depiction of it is by builder gan.marco, and it's excellent. It's also enough to make me think to myself that it's been too long since I've watched Katsuhiro Otomo's animated classic and masterpiece Akira. Time to break out the DVD.

Yuyuko's Spell

This is one of those MOCs that makes you go "Oooooooh" while scrolling through Flickr. MikeVD is back with another anime game inspired girl, this time it's Yuyugo Saigyouji from the game Touhou Project (I think that's right, I've never heard of it or played it of course). She's a beauty of a figure, with a clever use of watch band for detail. And the mosaic fan in the background makes this a stunning visual, very nice indeed.

Your Name

While I haven't seen the movie yet, or had even heard of it until this morning, the animated feature Your Name just might be on my watch list. Before posting I thought I'd do a little research on it, and it sounds fascinating. This MOC by MikeVd recreates the movie poster to great effect, right down to the poses and tone, and the ominous comet in the background.

Blue Gale Xabungle

Builder Moko has gone a bit retro with this latest mech. This is Blue Gale Xabungle from Combat Mecha Xabungle, an animated series from way back in 1982. I say way back because this is also the year I started high school (jeez I'm old). I like the bright colors and clean lines on this one. From the thumbnail you'd swear it's just a high quality toy. But no, it's a high quality toy built from another high quality toy.

Yamato

SHIPtember continues and now that we're almost three weeks in we're starting to see a few completed SHIPs, like this magnificent rendition of the Space Battleship Yamato by builder Eínon. This would normally be the part where I confess I haven't seen the movie or series, but not this time! I've actually seen quite a bit, but it's been so long I can't remember much. I guess it's about time to revisit it.

Valkyrie VF-1

I've always sorta preferred the mentality of Macross (or Robotech as it was better known in the US) over Transformers. Rather than disguising themselves it was simply a matter of practicality. It's easier to get where you're going if you can fly fast, and easier to fight if you're a robot, so why not combine them? This version by nobu_tary nails the look perfectly, and transforms as well, awesome.

Metabee

Of course when I first spotted this awesome MOC by nobu_tary my first reaction was "oooh, cool" then it was "wonder who it is?". A quick google search reveals it to be from the Medabots series, which I've never heard of, so I dig deeper. Upon further research I learn he's loosely based on a rhino beetle, and his catch phrase is "Dude, I rock". At which point I decided he's alright with me.

Tsukiko

Confession time: I never watch any anime, ever. Not saying that I wouldn't like it, I just haven't watched any. So, I have absolutely no idea who or what this build by Djordje is. But I really dig it. This gal is a beautiful example of what can be accomplished by combining System and Bionicle pieces. Also, all the shaping is fantastic (especially on the skirt), and that purple hair is just awesome.

Kashima

Builder MikeVD is back with another whimsical character from the web game "Kantai Collection". This is Kashima, and like her battleship namesake, she's armed to the teeth. But that doesn't mean she's not cute. Just don't make her mad, because unlike most girls, she has depth charges.

Kongou

Builder Mike Dung is back with another Fleet Girl MOC from the Kantai Collection web game. This time it's Kongou, who possesses a battleship apparently. I'd like to say I understand any of it, but I don't. But I do know she's beautiful, expertly crafted and is packing some serious firepower.

So Much Shiny

I don't know if I'm part raccoon or what, but I'm sure a sucker for shiny things. As far as I know, the 1x2 tiles in this are aftermarket chromed gold, but I'm ok with that. Chrome parts from LEGO are getting more and more rare, and there are parts that have simply never been offered. But just look at the punch they give this spectacular MOC by Moko.

Panzerkampfwagen

I won't begin to pretend I know or understand anything about Girls & Panzer, but this MOC by Moko is stunning for both militaristic and squee factors. And as if it wasn't jaw-dropping enough, this thing is remote controlled! Check out the video to see it's power functions goodness.

Kaneda's Bike

Akira, the landmark animated feature that introduced so many to the wonderful world of anime. And Kaneda's bike, everyone's favorite thing in that movie. There have been many, many versions of this built in LEGO, but few very successfully at Minifig scale. This one by Tiler is perhaps the most successful ever constructed. And now you can build your own because he shared some instructions!