5x5 fest: Caz Mockett's MOCs

Caz Mockett (@cazmockett) is the first of the 5 contributors in our 5x5 fest! We sent her 5 LEGO® sets and asked her to use the new and interesting parts to create MOCs. Every Friday is 5x5 fest day for the next 5 weeks, so come back to see what our next AFOL built.

As a relative newbie to the New Elementary team, I have not been involved in a Parts Festival before, so I was eager to have a go this time. We each received a copy of LEGO® set 71746 Jungle Dragon from the Ninjago theme, 43184 Raya And Sisu Dragon from the Disney lineup, one of the eight VIDIYO™ BeatBoxes and up to two extra small sets of our choice, to use for our MOC festival. To save repetition, we covered the interesting new elements in the two largest sets in our 5x5 fest introductory article, and I took a comprehensive look at the new parts in all of the Beat Boxes previously. We were encouraged to look at the pieces in our sets as seed parts or to give inspiration, but we were quite at liberty to add additional pieces from our own collections to complete our builds.

For my specific choices, I went with 43106 Unicorn DJ BeatBox, 41692 Vet Clinic Rescue Helicopter and a packet of DOTS 41931 Collectible Tiles Series 4. There’s not much to say about the tiles, except that I used a handful of them for decorations. But I will introduce the Rescue Helicopter before moving on to what I was able to make from the components of all the sets. 

The finished Rescue Helicopter model is fairly straightforward fare for the Friends theme, with some distinctive colours, and a couple of small side builds to accompany the helicopter itself.

Recoloured & Rare Parts in 41692 Vet Clinic Rescue Helicopter

The set only contains 249 pieces but we see a few interesting elements included. New recolours are:

• 2x Dish 4 x 4 with 4 Studs in Coral (6317512 | 65138) - also in the Unicorn DJ Beatbox, and one of the reasons I chose this set along with the Unicorn was to then potentially have 4 of these dishes available to use for MOCs.
• 1x Wedge Plate 4 x 4 with 2 x 2 Cutout in Medium Azure (6345627 | 43719) - unique to this set so far

The rare parts shown are:

• 2x Brick Curved 10 x 1 [Symmetric Inside Ridges] in Coral (6259776 | 13731) - additionally seen in 41381 Rescue Mission Boat
• 2x Technic Rotor Blade Small with Axle and Pin Connector End in White (6312736 | 99012) - also found in 41432 Alpaca Rescue in the Jungle
• 2x Plate Special 1 x 2 with Pin Hole in Coral (6258092 | 18677) - included in 10267 Gingerbread House

Caz Mockett’s original MOCs

Pedro Pug, Intrepid Space Dog

One of the first things which sprang immediately to mind when I saw the white VIDIYO BeatBox was an astronaut’s helmet. I struggled for a while to think what sort of face I should build, but then I remembered that I still had the creatures from DOTS 4190 Animal Picture Holders - and all of a sudden, the idea transformed into a spacesuit for a dog!

The 4x4x4 cube making up the dog’s head is the perfect size to fit inside the helmet with a bit of wriggle room at the sides. I rearranged the internals a little bit and replaced the picture holder element with a 4x4 plate which pushes directly into the antistuds in the pod base.

Our Good Boy has articulated hip joints so that he can walk along or sit down. I had already built some Martian terrain for another MOC so it was perfect for him to go for an explore around.

His oxygen tanks sit on his back, along with a small patch of solar cells which will help power his suit. Various control panels are mounted to the rear of his helmet, presumably so his canine crew mates can check out if all is well before he heads out of the airlock. I found a couple of round tiles with bone prints in my collection (from DOTS 41908 Extra Series 1) which cap off the end valves of the tanks perfectly.

It appears that when a dog’s gotta go, a dog’s gotta go, but I’m not sure our space-faring pooch has fully thought through the consequences while wearing a spacesuit! Oh dear.

A Habitat for A Unicorn

Readers may be familiar with the Minifigure Habitat format, which I enjoy building for my favourite figures. So it was natural for me to want to build one for the funky Unicorn to show off their flowing mane, shiny horn and a selection of BeatBits from the set. The images show a few close ups of how the habitat was constructed. I would normally build the sides from solid brick, but I wanted to mount the winged stage onto the baseplate at a 45-degree angle, which meant some of the sharper edges on the rear of the L-shaped bracket would be protruding into the walls slightly. In the lower section, I got around this problem by using some window panel pieces to give more clearance, while the use of some 1x1 round plates did the job where the bracket overhangs at the top, giving just enough clearance for the sharp corners. I could have used a 1x1 round brick here, but I didn’t have any to hand in dark purple.

The finished model allows the 8x8 rounded corner plate and the 4x6 hinge plates from the BeatBox to protrude slightly over the edges of the Habitat, but they will not be in the way of others I might want to stack with it, and it meant I could maximize the amount of space I had to show off those crazy BeatBits. The Unicorn will definitely sit proudly among the other Minifigure Habitats I have built for display in my LEGO room.

Wearable Jewellery

The Unicorn DJ BeatBox comes with a black rubber strap, which I wasn’t very keen on using for my next idea, some wearable jewellery. However, I had others from the rest of the BeatBoxes which I had already reviewed, so I chose one in Yellowish Green to pair with a couple of the Dish 4 x 4 with 4 Studs in Coral, to fashion this bracelet. The step by step view should show you what is needed - just use Plate, Modified 1 x 2 with Bar Handle on Side with Closed Ends (48336) at the other end to fasten the two ends together.

I made a second one with a Medium Lavender strap and Dark Turquoise dish pieces, decorated with a selection of 1x1 “Stadium” tiles - the Bright Pink and Bright Light Orange were from the DOTS extra pack, the Dark Pink and Bright Light Yellow were from my own collection.

Pieces from the Jungle Dragon also inspired some jewellery, this time with a much more menacing overtone! The Dragon Head & Claw Necklace has a core formed from the four Plate Special 4 Stud 45° Angle Plates (15706 | 6133811) in Dark Bluish Gray, which normally form part of the sides of the dragon’s body where it bends upwards in the middle. The head and claws are a direct lift from the set, while the structure is held together with plenty of the stickered 2x2 curved slope pieces. The necklace is completed by some 5-link Chains (92338 | 6323689) in Flat Silver.

The chunky bracelet is made from sections of Dark Bluish Grey Technic Tread (88323 | 6366190) with elements from the dragon’s tail mounted on top: Tile Special 2 x 3 Pentagonal (22385 | 6328050) in Dark Turquoise, Plate Special 2 x 2 with Groove and Center Stud (Jumper) (87580 | 6186383) in Pearl Gold and Tile Round 1 x 1 Quarter (25269 | 6240467) in Dark Turquoise. I threw in some 1x1 Pearl Gold round studs from my collection to cover the Technic pin holes in the alternate tread links.

It is mighty difficult trying to photograph yourself wearing the bling, so I apologise for the dodgy selfie from my phone! I’m not sure that this jewellery is ultimately my style, so I may not be wearing it for every day adornment - but I might put it on for a LEGO Show sometime, just for a laugh.

Furniture For Miniland Caz

Another of my initial ideas when I first saw the BeatBoxes was a face inside a TV. As a trained Broadcast Engineer, I’m extremely familiar with the Colour Bars test signal, which is used to check the quality of a broadcast video circuit. My first iteration was this cheerful chap with a big smile, but I wasn’t happy with the fact that it missed out the black and white bars which should appear at either end. If I was using the plates this way around, there just wasn’t enough room to fit any more in.

My second iteration was much better, employing some SNOT techniques to mount the plates with their edges facing outwards. I could just cram eight 2-plate-thick stripes into the BeatBox enclosure, including the all important black and white ones. It lacks the smiley face, but never mind.

Having reviewed all of the BeatBoxes recently, I had plenty of others to experiment with. So my next idea was a fish tank to house the smallest of the two BrickHeadz Pets from set 40442 Goldfish and Fry. His bigger sibling stood no chance in this tank, as the lid would not fit. But the Fry manages to sit among some aquatic weeds in the middle of an upturned 6x6 plate, which is attached to the BeatBox base. There’s not much room for the little critter to swim though! The two sloped silver grille pieces on the water filter come from the Rescue Helicopter’s greebling, just below the rotors. 

This is also a perfect example of one of my bugbears from the BeatBox canopies - they are only properly transparent at the top. In this orientation that means that the tank’s sides only show the more opaque texture, which is rather a pity.

Having built a TV and a fish tank, my thoughts turned to what other furniture could be fashioned to accompany them. The curvy, organic lamp uses the large “maxaroni” pieces from the Sisu Dragon’s tail (65473 | 6322807), along with the actual end (67361 | 6324389) to which the lamp is mounted. A couple of the Plate Round 2 x 2 x 2/3 with + Axle Hole and 4 Leaf Extensions (15469 | 6058746) came from the minarets surrounding the waterfall in the Sisu Dragon set, but I also had a few more from a Pick-A-Brick wall excursion some time ago - you will see them in the next MOC too. 

The reclining chair is sitting on the feet made from four of the Brick Curved 3 x 1 with 2/3 Inverted Cutout in Medium Azure (6320292 | 70681) and two Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Axle Hole Type 1 [+ Opening] and Bottom Pin in Medium Azure (6322830 | 32064), both from the Sisu Dragon. The Medium Azure 1x4 double slopes for the padding came from my own collection, while two spare Hinge Plate 4 x 6 with Two 1 x 4 Studs and Recessed 2 x 4 Middle (65133 | 6317534) in Light Aqua came from the Candy Mermaid BeatBox I had recently reviewed. 

The addition of a rounded-end rug, based on a Plate 8 x 8 with Half Circle (41948 | 6304883) in Dark Azure from each of the Susu and Helicopter sets, plus a pot plant on a low black table completes the living room scene nicely. My brick built alter ego has been in existence for some time, but now Miniland Caz has somewhere nice to hang out and relax. There’s nothing on the telly, but at least she can sit and stare at the fish! 

El Palacio del Agua

Microscale is my first love when it comes to making MOCs, so it was inevitable that I would fashion something tiny with some of the pieces from these sets. El Palacio del Agua is heavily influenced by the Moorish architecture of Southern Spain and North Africa. It is a palace of shining white marble, sitting on a rocky outcrop containing a spring, in the middle of parched surroundings. 

I wanted to use the gorgeous Panel 3 x 4 x 6 Curved Top (2571 | 6299884) in Trans Blue Opal to represent water flowing over the edge of an infinity pool. I have seen it used vertically quite a few times, but decided to turn it onto its back here which provided a much smaller waterfall. It lands in the pond below and bubbles away, sparkling in the sun.

As well as carefully-clipped bushes surrounding the spring, four ornamental fountains play inside white Minifig Crown / Egg Shell Half (39262 | 6259700) - two each from the Sisu Dragon and Rescue Helicopter sets.

Behind the palace, a flame-coloured desert bush springs from the parched earth, thanks to the foliage in the Sisu Dragon set.

Sharkey’s Reef Scorcher

I still had plenty of parts left over from the Jungle Dragon and Rescue Helicopter, plus a few structural pieces from Sisu Dragon, so I decided to challenge myself to build some sort of speeder vehicle. I don’t generally build many vehicles as MOCs, so it was a great learning opportunity. I realised that the Dark Turquoise and Coral colour scheme would be perfect for the punky looking Shark from the Series 1 VIDIYO Bandmates, who would make a good pilot.

At rest, the speeder has an imposing footprint, making good use of the Rescue Helicopter’s long tail pieces as prongs at the front. Other Coral elements give it some wonderful Go-Faster stripes. The archway from Sisu Dragon provides an interesting shape for the main cockpit/fuselage. Pearl Gold accents give the craft a bit of a Steampunk vibe.

In Flight Mode, the ball joints from the Jungle Dragon’s legs help to give the vehicle a more aerodynamic shape (according to Mr Sharky here). It certainly looks a bit more menacing in this configuration - or perhaps it’s just his determined grimace.

Because of his VIDIYO heritage, Sharkey also insisted on having an absolutely massive surround sound system fitted to his speeder, so that he can listen to his favourite tunes while screeching around in his gas-guzzling craft.

And finally, this is the view which Sharkey hopes most of you will see - gouts of flame curling from his twin exhausts as he leaves you in the dust!

I enjoyed building this speeder so much that I have started making a whole series of them for some of my more whacky Minifigure characters. They will be competing in a Speeder League all of their own, in several different classes. Sharkey is Champion of the Heavyweight Class, naturally.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing what I was able to make from these five sets, and that it may have inspired you to build some MOCs of your own with some of the more tricky elements.

READ MORE: See what Kev Levell came up with for our 5x5 fest

Help New Elementary keep publishing articles like this. Become a Patron!

Massive thanks go to our 'Vibrant Coral' patrons: Chuck Hagenbuch, Joe Fontana, Elspeth De Montes, Megan Lum, Markus Rollbühler, Mevits Bricks, Font Review Journal, Baixo LMmodels, Andy Price, Anthony Wright, Chris Cook, London AFOLs, Gerald Lasser, Big B Bricks, Dave Schefcik, David and Breda Fennell, Huw Millington, Neil Crosby, Antonio Serra, Beyond the Brick, Sue Ann Barber & Trevor Clark, and Kevin Gascoigne. Vale Iain Adams, a great supporter of New Elementary.

LEGO® Shop at Home
USA: Save up to 30%. See what's on sale!
UK: Free delivery when you spend £50 or more at LEGO!
Australia: Discover the latest promotions and offers on LEGO.com

All text and images are © New Elementary unless otherwise attributed.