I got back into Lego after a 20-year hiatus. The new pieces are really quite fascinating and open up a lot of new built options, particularly the SNOT (Studs Not On Top) brackets.
These are the result of a few months' of casual building. Lego isn't as affordable as I wish it could be, but there are KO brands available, and the Lego company actually makes it quite easy to order specific pieces.
I haven't named these models yet. I'm hoping to eventually have a series of multi-coloured mecha which resemble industrial, exploratory, or scientific models, retro-fitted for combat (The People's Revolutionary Mecha Force). They'll face off against another series of B/W/greyscale combat models (The Corporate Fascist Oligarchy). (Names pending).
- Mining mech with inspiration from Ripley's loader. The backpack is removable.
- Combat/law enforcement model. Heavy inspiration from Patlabor.
- I didn't develop the frame for this one (instructions located here), but I did the plating myself.
- This model was my first mecha attempt, and has now been dismantled since I've learned some new building techniques and acquired a much larger parts budget.
- Another early attempt with a more Mechwarrior feel.
Someone already took the initiative on the latter. Look up the Mobile Frame Zero project.
For the former, I would also refer to existing creators/tutorials. But in brief, the process involves first building a "frame", which takes care of the general structure and articulation. Then cover the frame with "armour" pieces to establish colour and add cosmetic details.
If you have specific questions, please ask and I'll share whatever I've figured out thus far