In preparation of go all out for the six categories of the CCCV contest on Classic Castle, Aaron (Darkspawn) reveals his fourth entry, Festus Fatuorum. According to the builder, “Festus Fatuorum (Feast of Fools) was a pre-runner to April Fool’s Day, celebrated during the Vernal Equinox it was mostly celebrated in France & the festival was supressed by the end of the 16th Century.”
So this is where the satanists, demons, and cultists hang out… Chateau Satan! Once again, Rock (aka Rocko) amazes us with a masterfully crafted castle diorama, and how could I deny the added awesomeness of the demonic theme! Take a close look at all the details, gory or just plain funny, and perhaps even naughty. Can you find the bathing babe?
Marcin (aka Hippotam) portrays the Last Journey of a doomed voyage.
There’s tons of details to examine in this action-packed scene. Above all, there’s tentacles from the depths! I could write a whole poem about it, but until later…
The recent announcement from LEGO about the future of both RC trains and 9-volt trains has rupi approaching the issue from a historical perspective:
This actually brings up a good point, so I apologize in advance for using rupi’s vignette as an excuse to spout my own opinions. ;-)
Long before 9-volt Trains (in the 1960s through part of the 1980s), LEGO produced train sets that ran on 4.5-volt power. In other words, the transition from 9-volt trains to RC trains was not the first, nor do I suspect that the transition from 9-volt and RC to the new system will be the last. Who knows what kind of technology will be available to power LEGO trains 30 years from now?
Don’t get me wrong; I do understand the frustration of LEGO fans who’ve invested thousands of dollars in the current 9-volt system (and in my role as an Ambassador, I’ve passed along all the feedback of LEGO Train fans to LEGO). Still, I can’t help but feel that LEGO deservers some measure of understanding for the decisions that they’re making, that LEGO isn’t a non-profit organization whose sole mission is to provide parts and accessories for our hobby regardless of profitability for them.
But I digress. Let’s end this post on a lighter note, with rupi’s ultimate punch line to his little joke:
(Rupi’s vig via Biczzz. The opinion is all my own. ;-) )
Peter Reid may be best known for his bots, but his most recent creations have included several modernized versions of Space sets from the “Classic” era of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Here’s his latest, a Rover:
And here’s a lineup of Peter’s Classic Space fleet:
Don’t miss the full photoset on Flickr.
Tanks seem to be popular these days, thanks I’m sure due to the plentiful supply of treads in 7787 The Bat-Tank. Here’s Mike Yoder’s TII Raptor:
Love the Exo-Force stickers on the tank’s skirt. Don’t miss how Mike built the wheels.
I recognized the figure from the thumbnail, but passed it off as a shot of an action figure, but then realizing that it belongs to the Arvo bros‘ gallery, I had to check to make sure. Yup, I was wrong.
There currently aren’t any more pics available, as they tend to slowly update the gallery for some kind of suspenseful effect.
Here’s another LAML podcast with Aaron (Darkspawn) and John Langrish on the subject of keeping your LEGO bricks and MOCs all shiny and dustless. Check it out.
Following up on their announcement a couple months ago, the LEGO Group has asked Ambassadors to pass this message along to all you LEGO Train fans out there:
Dear all,
As promised in the first communication from the 1st of October we, are informing you of decisions regarding the development of the new LEGO Power Functions train system. Using all the valuable feedback we received from the AFOL community, we have now reached some basic decisions about the scope of the future train system.
We are still working on the details of the new Power Functions train system; however, there are certain features that have been decided. Some of these features are a new designed remote control with speed regulator, a new size rechargeable battery box with a built in speed regulator and finally we are exploring and seriously considering new track geometries thanks to the use of plastic rails. As you know, this has been one of the most requested features from the AFOL community over the years.
In late April 2007 we arranged a workshop for a group of 5 AFOLs involved in the LEGO train community, and they worked on some of the possible solutions and defined the basic needs for a new LEGO Power Functions train system along with the LEGO design and engineering team. In this workshop it became clear what sort of elements and features to include in the new train system. The result of this workshop was the design of prototype elements. Detailed decisions about the specifications of the elements are still in discussion and will be for the next couple of months.
We wish to continue the cooperation with the AFOL community in the development of the Power Functions train system and in late November we had another workshop where we built on the experiences from the first workshop. In the November workshop there were ten fans from around the world: Denmark, USA, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and United Kingdom. The idea was that the AFOLs and the LEGO team would build with the prototypes in order to determine what additional features to include, what to add to the concept and, finally refining it. This ensures that the new Power Functions train system gets input from the AFOL community and also ensures the features are as close as possible to what is requested by the AFOL community.
However, please keep in mind that the new train system first and foremost should be suitable for the use of children, and therefore it is consequently being tested by children as well as AFOLs. There is an established budget for the initial development so while we would like to address all needs that are expressed; there is a high likelihood that we will be unable to address all needs.
You will be updated on the results of the workshop and the continued development of the train system early in 2008. We continue to value and appreciate your feedback and suggestions with regards to this project.
Richard Stollery,
Head of LEGO Community Development
Feel free to comment here and I’ll pass along your thoughts to LEGO.
Head on over to LEGO TV and check out some video coverage of NWBC 07 and Brickfest PDX.
Via news from LUGNET.
Sure, it’s just another picture of 10182 Café Corner (by Dandily), but it makes me happy.
(Via Brick Town Talk.)
Aaron Andrews‘ depiction of Beowulf’s fateful final battle is chock full cool details, like snow on the mountaintop, a treasure chamber, and lovely mushrooms. Be sure to check out the full gallery on Brickshelf.
(Yes, that’s right, the post title is indeed in Old English. :-D It’s a quote from lines 2890-2891 that says “A warrior will sooner die than live a life of shame.”)