"The Redstone Farm"
As part of monthly attendance to the Austin LEGO Users Group, or TexLUG Austin for short, builders create a model according to specific parameters or a theme.
In January of 2020, the parameters were to use dozens of transparent red 1x1 plates, which I thought looked perfect for Minecraft's iconic redstone.
Unfortunately, the LEGO Minecraft sets have never followed a proper scale, so I tried to do a roughly 3x3 stud size for the blocks in my build.
The Redstone Farm features a breakable block of redstone, which spills redstone dust down the waterway, into the path of a functional piston which pushes it into a collection area.
Photographed 1/10/20, Age 15
"Jurassic World Zoom Background"
In the height of quarantine, TexLUG meetings became virtual, and of course, the idea to have builders create their own Zoom backgrounds was proposed.
I decided to make mine Jurassic World themed, with the main gate, an apatosaurus grazing in the trees, and a monstrous claw reaching through the fence!
Photographed 6/23/20, Age 16
"LEGO Texas"
Here's another model constructed for TexLUG. As part of our annual presence at the Brick Rodeo LEGO convention, members of TexLUG Austin build their own Texas on a white backdrop. At the convention, the Texases are combined into a massive wall of individual expression within the shape of our state.
I decided to portray Texas landmarks in my model, starting with a twister tearing through the "Tornado Alley" region of the state. To the east, I built Dallas with its iconic Reunion Tower, and the metropolis of Austin.
Near the coast, I have a rocket launching from the Johnson Space Center in Houston and just south are the Moody Gardens pyramids along the coast, a memory from my younger days.
Lastly, San Antonio is shown with blue in the middle, representing the gorgeous riverwalk, and farthest south is a longhorn, representing King Ranch and its famous cattle.
Photographed 6/26/20, Age 16
"Standard Kart M and Master Cycle Zero"
Many have grown up with Mariokart, and I'm no different. Mariokart Wii was the go-to game for myself and my little brother for the first several years of our lives, and the models shown here are only the beginning of my Mariokart builds.
On the left is Mario, driving the Standard Kart M from Mariokart Wii. It was important to me to include the checkered design on the sides of the kart, as well as the four distinctive exhausts which visually tie the whole thing together.
On the right, Link rides the Master Cycle Zero, the fifth divine beast and a feat of Sheikah engineering. I used a mix of black and dark tan for the strange stone and metal making up Sheikah tech, and transparent orange and blue pieces worked wonderfully for the glowing lights.
Now I'm just wondering which one's faster!
Photographed 6/26/20, Age 16
LEGO Mario behind the wheel
Anti-Gravity Mode
Open to scan interactive tiles
Underwater Mode
Gliding Mode
"Standard Kart 8"
After the LEGO Super Mario sets were released, I couldn't wait to see what other builds I could come up with for the interactive LEGO Mario figure to use.
Of course, my immediate idea was to create a compatible kart with which LEGO Mario could drive around, while still retaining the ability to scan the special interactive tiles included in the sets.
Through a lot of experimentation, I eventually settled on the design shown here. This is the Standard Kart as seen in Mariokart 8 Deluxe, not only integrating scanning compatibility with the LEGO Mario figure, but also capable of using a propellor or glider for underwater or aerial racing.
My favorite feature, though, is definitely the ability to rotate the wheels into anti-gravity mode for vertical and inverted racing!
Photographed 8/9/20, Age 16
"The Santa-Cycle"
Yet another TexLUG Austin build, this time for the Christmas season!
I wanted to try a new take on Santa's sleigh, imagining some kind of combination motorcycle and snowmobile. The huge rear wheel powers the Santa-Cycle through the snow, and the gold runners up front allow it to easily glide across a wintry environment.
Rudolph sits in his own little cockpit at the front of the machine, so that his nose can light the way, and wears a protective visor.
The main body of the vehicle itself has various levers, buttons, and handlebars by which Santa can drive, and there's even a little door on the underside allowing access to Santa's bag of gifts.
Photographed 9/27/20, Age 16
"Jurassic Park Jeep Wrangler"
Jurassic Park has been my favorite movie of all time ever since I first saw it at age 11. I've always enjoyed the humorously dark turn of events leading to Dennis Nedry's demise in his own Jeep, and I've recreated it with LEGO.
Using the Nedry figure from the T. Rex Rampage set, I included the dropped embryo canister and Nedry's lost glasses, just out of reach as he scrambles around blindly.
With a hungry dilophosaurus closing in, hopefully Dennis can climb back inside his Jeep, where he'll be safe... right?
Photographed 9/27/20, Built at age 14
"Stranger Things: The Hawkins Tunnels"
Here's yet another build created for TexLUG Austin's monthly meetings. Since it was for the October meeting, I decided to do a Halloween themed build, settling on Stranger Things.
The pumpkin patch above the spooky Mind Flayer tunnels was a great setting, which I tried to capture in a layered model showcasing both the pumpkins above, and the Upside Down-y tunnels filled with bones below.
Steve sure doesn't look too happy about being down there!
Photographed 10/18/20, Age 16
"Fortnite Bear Pickup Truck"
Being stuck indoors not only saw me spending a lot of time building, but also playing videogames! Myself, my little brother, and our friends would join up in a squad and play Fortnite together in order to hang out virtually.
Ever the fan of things with wheels, I absolutely loved the cars update, and immediately got to work on my new favorite weapon. These pictures showcase screenshots (I literally took a picture of my computer screen) as I worked on the model in the LEGO Digital Designer software alongside my in-game reference.
Photographed 12/15/20, Age 16
