My wife and I played and replayed Final Fantasy VII on the original PlayStation, grinding character levels and farming materia so we could survive the insane boss battles like the Ruby Weapon. It’s incredibly disappointing that Square isn’t releasing Final Fantasy VII Remake on any platform but the PS4 any time soon. Nostalgia and minor rant aside, I love this chocobo and carriage by Kevin Waner (Brick Ninja), depicting the scene in which Cloud rescues Tifa Lockhart from Don Corneo, the mafioso of Wall Market. The detailed chocobo and colorful carriage take center stage in the scene, with Cloud and Aeris simply providing a bit of narrative context on the side — Cloud is of course instantly recognizable from his enormous Buster Sword. What’s great about Kevin’s scene above is that it’s just one in a series of LEGO scenes inspired by Final Fantasy VII, so there’s more to enjoy. Those...

Where most minifigure-scale LEGO builds lack the space to have functionality, many larger-scale LEGO Technic models emphasize visible functionality over aesthetics. It’s a rare LEGO creation that combines a high degree of functionality with a visually stunning look. With his Kobelco SK210HLC excavator, Polish builder Maciej Szymański manages to achieve this feat, in gorgeous dark turquoise, no less! Maciej says that he spent more than a year and a half building this model, which integrates ten motors, eight pumps, LED lights, and pneumatic cylinders that he custom-built himself. The resulting excavator is fully operational, remote controlled with pneumatic actuators. The video shows the Kobelco SK210HLC excavator in action, rolling along the ground, raising and lowering the arm, turning the cab, and more. Overall photos don’t necessarily do the huge scale justice. This photo shows what the 1:13 scale actually translates to — essentially the right scale for LEGO Scala dolls from...

LEGO has revealed the successor to the Mindstorms EV3 as 51515 Robot Inventor, a 5-in-1 robotics and coding kit. The set is the first addition to the Mindstorms theme in seven years since 31313 EV3 launched in 2013 which was recently labeled as “Retiring Soon” on the LEGO Store online. The new Robot Inventor includes 949 pieces which can be built and rebuilt into five models each with different capabilities and personalities. The set will be available later this year (LEGO has stated early Q4) and will retail for US $359.99 | UK £329.99 | EU €359.99. Robot Inventor includes a rechargeable Intelligent Hub first seen in SPIKE Prime (enabling Bluetooth connections, gyroscope, accelerometer, and a light matrix) as well as four medium-angular motors, an ultrasonic distance sensor, and a color sensor. LEGO is also launching a Robot Inventor app with visual and text-based coding, the ability to make customized digital...

Owls are fascinating creatures. You may be disappointed to find that they are not the wisest of all animals, as suggested in much of western pop-culture. (Or even birds for that matter.) But they have several extraordinary traits. For one, they have a special row of comb-like feathers on the edge of their wings that help provide silent flight. They also have superb binocular and night vision, with a neck that can turn 270 degrees, giving a much wider field. They also have “facial discs” like this LEGO model built by Eero Okkonen. The rounded collection of feathers on their faces aren’t for show. They, combined with asymmetric ears (a pair of off-set and different-sized holes on either side of their head), allow owls to determine exact positioning of their prey. Although this build is, of course, for show, I admire the effort Eero puts into giving his creations realism. Using...

LEGO has officially revealed the brand new theme, Monkie Kid, based on the Monkey King legend from the Chinese novel Journey to the West. The new theme includes eight sets that are now available for purchase from LEGO. The sets range in price from US $34.99 to $169.99 and include a ship-based team headquarters, two large Monkey King and Demon Bull mechs, and a variety of vehicles. 80013 Monkie Kid’s Team Secret HQ | 1,959 piecesUS $169.99 | CAN $249.99 | UK £159.99 80012 Monkey King Warrior Mech | 1,629 piecesUS $149.99 | CAN $189.99 | UK £129.99 80011 Red Son’s Inferno Truck | 1,111 piecesUS $119.99 | CAN $149.99 | UK £89.99 80010 Demon Bull King | 1,051 piecesUS $89.99 | CAN $119.99 | UK £74.99 80009 Pigsy’s Food Truck | 832 piecesUS $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £54.99 80008 Monkie Kid’s Cloud Jet | 529 piecesUS $59.99 |...