mobile connection

Noah made an iPhone 4 out of LEGO! The resemblance is uncanny! With a power button, a camera, an Apple logo...

... and even volume controls!

But what is most awesome about this creation is the engineering of it! The pieces don't simply go in one direction. 

As you can see here when I take apart the basic structure into quarters, the middle parts that will meet up are all bottom parts (no studs). 

How do they connect? First, because of these 2 1x1 bricks. 

This is how that 1x1 brick looks.

When I flip the pieces over, you will see the other way the quarter parts will connect. See those 1x4 bricks with side studs?

Here's a close-up...

And here's how the quarters come together...

Those 1x4 bricks will connect to each other with the help of these white plates.

The white plates form the back of Noah's iPhone. 

He just adds the part for the camera, draws an Apple logo and voila! He can now take my photo...

... and take a call! ;p

He later upgraded the home button to this round tile.

Nowadays, mobile phone models get old so fast, but this LEGO iPhone 4 of Noah will never get old in my book.

Noah's age when he created this: 10 years, 6 months

his way or the highway

Noah built a Porsche from his imagination. But the fact that he built it without any instructions wasn't the most top-gear about this creation. I thought the ingenuity of using those hand-like parts to connect the trunk to the roof kicks this creation into higher gear.

I love that he didn't use a regular LEGO windshield. But that still wasn't the most top-gear thing about this creation. Noah prepared different LEGO stud pieces for when the headlights are on. 

Of course, he had to edit the photo of the one with headlights so there are light beams. Hehe. And yet, this still wasn't the most top-gear thing about this creation. If you look under the hood, you'll see he installed NOS (nitrous oxide systems) from Fast and the Furious. 

But even though these customized parts were so tiny that they obviously required such remarkable precision, these still weren't the most top-gear thing about this creation.  What won the race for me was how he built the car. He could have used the usual LEGO "car floor" - the flat piece with a ready provision for the tire pieces. 

But he didn't. Instead of building his Porsche from bottom up, he seemingly built the bottom of the Porsche from side to side.

This genius construction was what drove me to an unprecedented level of awe. Seriously, I am amazed at how the wheels in his head are turning.

So in the choice between his way or the highway, I definitely choose his way! 

Noah's age when he created this: 10 years, 5 months

"minifigure" redefined!

Noah is such a stickler when it comes to proportions. Remember how he used Toy Story Woody's long legs for Ultron here since he's supposed to be 8-feet-tall vs the regular-sized Ironman & Captain America minifigs who are 6-feet-tall?

So when he told me he wanted to make Ant-Man, I tried to manage his expectations and said it might not be possible to make a really tiny minifig. After all, they're called minifigs because they're already "mini"! But he said he could with this trophy of this sumo wrestler minifig. 

After we purchased that tiny trophy, I was worried he'd end up frustrated if he couldn't draw Ant-Man's details to fit that tiny minifig. But he proved me wrong. He started with tiny details on the chest. 

Then drew even tiner details on the face. 

Then he put silver paint on the pedestal. 

He even put these tiny details at the back of Ant-Man's tiny head. 

And it really was tiny. 

Unbelievably tiny. 

I am so amazed he was able to draw such fine details on this minier-than-mini minifig! Now this, this is the real "minifigure"!

Noah's age when he created this: 10 years, 5 months

torn between two lightsabers

So Noah saw the awesome Star Wars trailer. Of course, Han Solo caught my attention. Meanwhile, what Noah noticed was the new lightsaber! Here's a screenshot of the trailer from YouTube...

And this is his first homemade attempt at it...

It's so adorable that he used minifig hands!

I already thought this was awesome. But he made another one. This time, he cut the top and bottom pieces with a nail cutter to make the middle piece.

He colored the gray piece with a silver Sharpie and the gold piece with gray & black Sharpies. Then he glued the tiny pieces together. 

That middle piece, he combined with these red staffs. The two small red rods were again cut from another long red staff.

And after all that meticulous cutting and coloring, this was his second light saber attempt. It's still lacking a black handle that he also plans to Mighty Bond to the lightsaber. 

He says he made two options of the lightsaber for me to choose from. But I'm torn! I love the adorable ingenuity of the minifig hands of the first one. But I also love the realistic look of the second. And the masterful craftsmanship that went into it. 

How in the world do I choose between the two? I'm so torn between these two lightsabers!

Noah's age when he created this: 10 years, 4 months

FlashBRICK Friday

I complained to Noah that all the LEGO creations he builds are for boys. So he sang, "Do you wanna build a snowman?" while building me some Frozen minifigs. Kidding!!!

He did make me girly Frozen minifigs!

Though I had to help with Elsa's hair. She was bald for a while and it drove me nuts. 

So I twisted a white rubberband and latched it onto her hand to make Elsa's hair. 

I really appreciated that Noah made minifigs just for me. For The First Time In Forever, I had my own minifigs. Love truly Is An Open Door. 

Okay, okay! I'll quit with the Frozen songs. I will now Let It Go. ;p

Noah's age when he created these: 9 years and 1 month

ThrowBRICK Thursday

This is one of my favorite homemade minifigs of Noah: Mr. Fantastic!

I love that he has stretched and unstretched leg options! And that he can bend!

I also find it adorable that Noah painted Sinestro's hair with liquid paper to make Reed's hair. 

Noah saw me writing this post and asked why I like this creation of his so much. The LONG and SHORT of it: This LONG minifig is nothing SHORT of amazing! 

Noah's age when he created this: 9 years old

FlashBRICK Friday

mu•tant

/'myōōtnt/

noun

1. a mutant form

    synonyms: freak (of nature), deviant, monstrosity, monster, mutation

Noah thought his first attempt at a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle was a mutant. So he paper-mache'd the head to make it less (or is it more?) of a mutant. Sadly, he thought the upgraded Ninja Turtle was still a monstrosity so he didn't make the other 3 turtles anymore. 

So while I think Noah's LEGO Customization talent is a freak of nature (in a good way), his ultra-high standards makes him kind of a freak too. I so wish he'd realize that he's got a monster of a talent. 

Noah's age when he created these: 9 years old