Makers

The passing of a Lego legend

The passing of a Lego legend

My favorite Lego blog, The Brothers Brick, is running an extended series of posts eulogizing nnenn, and this line jumped out at me: “You know a builder is big-time when he not only gets an entire scale named after him, but an element as well.” Nnenn also pioneered the iconic Vic Viper design (based on the video game Gradius), a classic example of which is shown above. Entire contests have been dedicated to Vic Vipers, and hundreds, probably thousands, of variants on the theme exist. Plans are in place for a “missing man formation” of Vic Vipers to be arranged in memory of nnenn at the Brickworld 2010 fan convention in Chicago. I’ve included just a couple more of my favorite nnenn creations below.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan
Featured Maker: Shannon Conrad

Featured Maker: Shannon Conrad

If you follow CRAFT, as well, you may have seen Rachel’s post back in January about Oregon jeweler Shannon Conrad’s interlocking Lego rings. Shown above is the result of Shannon’s very first experiment with casting from Lego elements, a one-off solid silver Imperial Stormtrooper minifig she made for her 11-year-old son. It weighs 1.5 oz (44g). I know Lego fanboys who happily would trade their own teeth for one of those.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan
Maker Birthdays: Leonardo da Vinci

Maker Birthdays: Leonardo da Vinci

Born on this date in 1452 in Tuscany, Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (Wikipedia) is the original “Renaissance Man,” and thus near and dear to all our hearts here at MAKE. By the time he died in 1512, aged 67 years, his achievements had established him, arguably, as the most diversely talented human being who ever lived: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer. Oh, and namesake of a very famous turtle.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan18
New works from Jud Turner include avenging anglerfish

New works from Jud Turner include avenging anglerfish

I’ve written before about how much I wish all the junk-art I see was as awesome as Jud Turner’s. You may recall the stunning mecha-trilobite he made from cast aluminum bones and various scrap metal findings and/or the skeletal Bio-Cycle we posted about last year. Shown here are two new works: Uppermost, Hallucination Engine, and Greedeater, the latter of which I know will find a place in Becky’s heart, at least, because it incorporates her spirit animal. Hi Becky! BTW, did you get that e-mail I sent about how much I love your new haircut?

What? Oh, sorry folks. Anyway, Jud Turner is awesome. Check out his online gallery.

Continue Reading Sean Michael Ragan4

Another Tiny Yellow House

Derek “Deek” Diedricksen (Stoughton, MA) is back, with another episode of his Tiny Yellow House. This guy is such a natural, “endlessly entertaining,” as Letterman likes to say. In this episode, Deek gives us a tour of his mini-cabin/house built out of recycled junk (from dumpster diving/repurposing), and curbside materials. With a guitar tease/ guest […]

Continue Reading Gareth Branwyn8