Archive for January, 2008

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Google goes LEGO

The search engine Google joins the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the LEGO brick:

Special thanks to Jail for grabbing a screenshot.

If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s vampires in space

Thankfully, Jerac has a fleet of very tiny ships, led by the cruiser Van Helsing, to hunt them down and stake their ice-cold hearts.
(Via Brick Blogue.)

All-Terrain Steam Transport by Kaitimar

Gorazd Vahen (aka Kaitimar) enters the Steam-Wars fray with a huffing, puffing AT-ST.

Exciting new podcasts from LAML Radio

LAML Radio has produced several episodes recently. James has been such a prolific host that I’ve not managed to keep up with the headlines! Here is the latest episode, featuring Aaron (Darkspawn) and me for the first time. We had an interesting discussion about the latest LEGO news and our observations and opinions regarding sharing [...]

Horrifically black fantasy

Justin Vaughn (aka Mainman), answered the call of my Black Fantasy contest and created a most horrific biomechanical creature, called the Wail of Echoes Eternal. Way to set the bar high Justin; this is top quality work. Meanwhile I’ll be eagerly looking forward to what other players will step up with.

All your brick

are belong to us.

How to make a Buckminsterfullerene (and other fun shapes) from LEGO

It all started with a man named Bucky. Well, maybe Bram. Okay, possibly Jon. Whatever. The latest building trend seems to be buckyballs, icosahedrons, dodecahedrons, rhombicosidodecahedrons, and ‘hedrons of all sorts. I’m going to call the trend Hedronism.
Here’s Bram Lambrecht’s original (virtual) design, alongside the first one built from “real” LEGO, by Kevin Heckel:

Adrian [...]

LEGO open-sources Power Functions RC system protocol [News]

LEGO has released various components as open source software in the past, including MINDSTORMS firmware back in 2006. The latest to receive the open source treatment is the protocol for the Power Functions RC (remote control) system:

Here’s the word from Billund:
Last year we introduced a range of products using our new electric building system: LEGO [...]

The amazing digital wizard

Dimitri Burakov is an incredibly talended LEGO renderer from Lithuania. He uses an array of programs to create anything from polished renders to professional instructions of LEGO models both official and fan-built.

I recently came across his works on Brickshelf and contacted him about cooperating on some projects. The results are amazing. Below is a beautiful [...]

10185 Green Grocer, new addition to modular street [News]

It’s only a thumbnail, but it sure is pretty…
UPDATE: Green Grocer is now available from the LEGO Shop.

Kudos to Anthony Sava.

I can see your humerus

Brickshelfer crises sends a minifig to the doctor in this rather ingenious vignette.
(Via Klocki.)

Resource highlight: Jain’s Intelligence Daily and the LEGO community history project

Jason Whittenburg is a clever, clever man. He’s been running Jain’s Intelligence Daily for some time now - a collection of very useful resources. My favourite one is the brilliant Classic-Space custom model report, which essentially aggregates pictures from Classic-Space into an easily viewable package. Very neat, and it saves a lot of time. Another useful [...]

Brent’s black machine

Brent Wolke built a very fearsome machine creature for my black fantasy contest. I love the sharp appendages on this thing, it’s what give the creature its aura of horror. It’s still very early in the contest, and Brent has already satisfied my expectations.

Patrick Swayze chaser

Too much steampunk lately? Here’s something completely different, from Rocko:

Oh wait! Is that too steamy after all? Dang.

The lightest speeder in the outer rim!

A while ago I mentioned the speeder Matt Forcum has been working on, and I’m pleased to report that he’s finished it:

The speeder is instantly recognizable, and yet the balloon gives it a unique steampunk twist. What strikes me most, though, is the way the driver is dressed. This thing can’t possibly go much faster [...]

Something steamy from Don Solo

Don Solo (Flickr) just calls his latest creation “thing,” but I call it cool. Reminiscent of a speeder bike or swoop, my favorite detail in this creation is Don’s use of two shovels on the front.

What set would you want for the 10th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars?

EDIT (2/4/08): Thanks for all your input, everyone! I’m compiling the list of your ideas and will be passing them along to LEGO shortly.
UPDATE (1/24/08): One quick point of clarification. As some of you may have already seen in posts from other Ambassadors elsewhere, the price range for this set will be 150 USD/euros.
————
2009 will [...]

Nelson Mandela

Name: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Dates: Born in 1918.
Biography:
Nelson Mandela is a South African statesman, former political prisoner, and leader of the African National Congress (ANC).
In the late 1940s through the 1950s, Mandela worked through non-violent means for an end to the South African government’s policy of apartheid. Mandela and more than 150 others were arrested in [...]