Science on the High Seas

Aaron Newman November 16, 2020

I designed this replica of a real-life research vessel on commission. While I’ve done a few seafaring builds before, I’d never built a full-size modern boat prior to this project. I love to tackle new subjects, since they throw all kinds of unexpected puzzles my way; as such, I relished this project as a great opportunity to grow as a builder. In the end, I finished with a larger, cooler, and more beautiful model than I ever expected to produce.

Clocking in at over 2,000 bricks, this minifigure-scale recreation measures over than 20" (50cm) long and weighs over 4 lbs (nearly 2 kg). The boat also features 3 levels of carefully crafted interior details that emulate those of the actual vessel, which are accessible in the LEGO modular building style, via removable roofs and sub-layers.

Read on to find out what’s inside this vessel, and to learn more about the choices I made and challenges I faced during its design process!

Behind-The-Build: Beneath the Surface

Aaron Newman February 21, 2020

In the winter of 2020, my friend Christian Cowgill and I appeared in the first American season of LEGO Masters, a reality-style building competition show. For Episode 3 of the series, “Cut in Half” (2/19/2020), Christian and I created “Beneath the Surface,” a epic underwater vignette built on the side of a halved antique diving helmet.

Read on for my special dissection of this 12-hour model’s process, design choices, and more!

Tickled Pink/Tickled Coral

Aaron Newman January 24, 2019

As soon as I got my hands on LEGO set 70828 Pop-Up Party Bus, and its huge supply of bricks in coral, I knew I wanted to jump on using this new-for-2019 hue. The question then became: what would be a fitting employment of this bright, idiosyncratic new color?

The first—somewhat absurd—idea that occurred to me, which I ended up running with, was building a pink salmon. After all, I’ve never built a fish before! Read on to learn more about this silly salmon.

Science on the High Seas

Behind-The-Build: Beneath the Surface

Tickled Pink/Tickled Coral

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