Tag Archives: The Matrix

“Deploy the sentinels!” in this Matrix LEGO build

This Matrix-themed LEGO build from Claudio Tavella is a solid, energetic build. The sentinel (aka “Squiddy”) is feared in The Matrix, and it comes across here in the flexible tenticles and red eyes in the center of the body. With the way it’s built, you can pose the tenticles however you want.

“A Sentinel for every man, woman, and child in Zion. That sounds *exactly* like the thinking of a machine to me.” – Morpheus

Sentinella

I appreciate a good display stand, and Claudio knocks it out of the park. The black base is sleek, features a custom sticker, and has a transparent pillar to connect the model. The atypical top of the base is a nice touch, giving it some more visual interest without drawing too much attention.

Sentinella

Ce n’est pas un mème

René Magritte had something to say about the treachery of images. And the Matrix film series had a lot to say about the nature of reality. It looks like Timofey Tkachev has some thoughts on this matter, too. I mean, a picture of a LEGO sculpture of a scene from an imaginary world played by a real person? That’s some mind-bending stuff if you think about it enough. (Or maybe this self-isolation is just getting to me.) Regardless, this is one stunning bit of sculptural work. In The Choice, Timofey has once again built with an enviable level of photo-realism. I mean, just look at the shaping in those hands!

The Choice

My favorite detail is the choice to replace the traditional red and blue pills with appropriately colored 2×4 LEGO bricks. Part of me wishes that one of them was a knock-off brand, though. Just for that added bit of snark.

Come on, stop trying to hit me and hit me!

Do you ever get the feeling we are living in a simulation? One of the greatest cinema moments of the nineties has been brought to life in LEGO by Douglas Hughes in this scene from The Matrix where Neo asks, puzzled, “I know Kung Fu?” Morpheus looks at him quizzically and challenges, “Show me.” Douglas has captured the simple complexity of the dojo beautifully, adding special lighting for the sword racks. With its stark lines and contrasting colours, Neo deftly dodges one of Morpheus’s relentless attacks.

Hit me if you can

Nightmares of a fallen soldier

When I first laid eyes on this, I immediately felt the presence of the spine-chilling sentinels from the Matrix movies. Being organic and mechanical at the same time is twice the horror. The slime and ooze of the hungry sentinel give life to a sense of threat and danger. Builder Jayfa further evokes our heightened feelings with an attack on a fallen soldier.

The Virus

The dinosaur tail end sections really make great use of exoskeletons and things that make nightmares come alive. It also does seem like it would have taken Jayfa some time to balance the creature for the perfect shot.

The Virus

Microscale Sci-Fi (Mi-Fi) contest winners announced

I feel truly awful that I never got around to featuring more than a handful of the wonderful microscale models from the recent Mi-Fi contest run by The Living Brick. (Can you ever forgive me, Iain?) Anyway, Iain and Rod have announced the winners!

nolnet‘s “1.21 Gigawatts” and halfbeak‘s “Resistance is Futile” deservedly took the top spots.

1.21 Gigawatts Resistance Is Futile

SPARKART! submitted two great entries, inspired by The Matrix and Bladerunner.

Welcome...to the real world. Los Angeles November 2019

Carl Merriam also entered two great micro-models, from Spaceballs and “Futurama”.

"LUDICROUS SPEED, GO!" Futurama

Check out the group pool for a stellar lineup of entries, and read Iain’s writeup, highlighting even more of the great entries. Congratulations to the winners, and here’s hoping Iain runs this contest annually!

Neo vs. Smith from the Matrix

Lee Jones (Doc069) recreates this iconic scene from the Matrix of Neo’s final battle with Smith. The scene is complete with 100 copies of Smith looking on from the rain-soaked backdrop.

Meanwhile, check out Lee’s 300 spartans. You’ve always wondered what that would look like, right?

Trouble for Zion

Nathan Proudlove has given The Matrix some renewed attention with his new sentinel creation. He took pains to make it simple enough that it can be built by almost anyone and from parts that are in most collections. He even took extra time to post some instructions so that we could each build our own.

Nathan's Sentinel

Mosaics of unrivaled ingenuity

Brandon Griffith (icgetaway) displayed two knockout mosaics at BrickCon last October. In addition to their enormous proportions (scale picture 1 and 2), these mosaics are constructed from effective and unusual building techniques. The first, called See Your Enemy, depicts the scene from the Matrix when Neo sees the real representation of Agent Smith. The mosaic uses transparent elements placed on top of traditional colors for an added layer of texture.

The second is a representation of the artwork from the Criterion Edition of Akira Kurosawa’s “Throne of Blood,” it uses a combination of plates, tiles, and even slopes for a variety of textures. Click here for a high resolution of the mosaic to see the details.

Ganesha hovership rips through from the Matrix

Andrew Lee‘s astounding Ganesha hovership from the Matrix is an instant crowd-pleaser. Having improved much from the old version several years ago, the new hovership combines new parts and building techniques in the best Matrix creation I have seen.