Jas Nagra has celebrated the best safety video ever with this series of scenes involving Klaus, co-workers and a forklift. Remember, kids, safety is paramount.
Monthly Archives: March 2008
Mighty tank of the Swiss
Jarek‘s Swiss forces now has a powerful ground vehicle in its military dispersal called the Jormangund battle tank. The construction of this model is so articulate, as is Jarek’s style in general. The tank accomodates two minifig operators.
Minifig heroes
I’m sorry to say that my series of minifig heroes ran out of steam a couple months ago, mainly because writing up all those mini-bios was surprisingly time-consuming. Lame excuse, I know.
Well, I had all of the minifigs built and photographed, so I thought I’d go ahead and share them here.
Dorothy Day and the Dalai Lama:
Chief Seattle and Chief Joseph:
César Chávez and Barney Frank:
From Gandhi to Rosa Parks, see all the previous entries in this series on Flickr.
LA Links
Contrary to popular (or at least my) belief it would appear that greater LA does have a public transport system. Peter Norman (Swoofty) has recreated a Metrolink locomotive in his usual highly detailed style. The old-school ‘pony ear’ technique of tiles between studs makes for a really effective window and the snazzy use of textures on the door is just delightful.
Skellies+Dyna-Gloves=Humans Lose
Dave Lartigue (Flickr) puts some experimental weapons in the hands of the Undead, with devastating consequences for the Crown Knights.
Now witness the firepower of these fully operational Dyna-Gloves!
See more great action shots on Flickr.
Final word from LEGO about 9-volt and RC trains [News]
Here’s the latest (and final) communication from LEGO about 9-volt trains, RC trains, and the future Power Functions trains:
Dear all,
As promised in the second communication from the 6th of December last year, we will give you the latest information and decisions regarding the development of the new train system based on LEGO Power Functions.
We are still working on the final details and doing a lot of testing of the new Power Functions elements; however, we are again able to give you some more details.
First – we will not change the gauge of the rails so there is no need to be afraid that the L gauge will disappear.
On the rechargeable battery box we have been working to get the best compromise between size and power. It has been decided that we will use a powerful Lithium Polymer battery and the size of the box will be 4 studs wide, 8 studs long and 4 studs high – this should fit in most of the trains.
The already existing standard LEGO transformer will be used to recharge and as the power supply.The existing Power Functions RC Receiver already has integrated speed control. To enable the use of this we will make a newly designed RC handset with speed control capability.
All the above new Train related Power Functions items as well as the current battery train motor (with cross axles and wheels) will be available separately through LEGO Shop@Home before the Summer of 2009.
As you know we arranged a train workshop in November 2007 where ten AFOLs from around the world: Denmark, USA, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and United Kingdom participated, built with the prototype elements and also looked into ideas and possibilities for new train designs using the Power Function elements. Based on the outcome of this workshop and all the other fantastic input we got from the AFOL community over the last 6 months, our designers worked on the first train set using the new Power Functions system. This set will be truly aimed at the AFOL community to acknowledge the importance of the adult LEGO hobbyists in the LEGO train world.
This communication will be the last one regarding the transition from the 9V train system into the new Power Functions train system. Due to all the very valuable AFOL feedback we are far down the road with the development of the new elements and also the new train set. We appreciate all your efforts through this transition which we expect to be fully executed in 2009.
Stay tuned for the new LEGO train system coming in 2009.
Tormod Askildsen, Head of LEGO Community Development
Dühnlist automaton by Jamie Spencer
Jamie “Morgan19” Spencer is on quite a roll with his custom steampunk creations. Sure, Jamie uses paint to achieve some of the gold coloring, but it’s so darn shiny and cool that even purists have got to give these beauties a closer look. :-D
His most recent creation is a firefighting robot titled “Dühnlist, Flameward of the Deutsches Reich”:
The requisite Morgan19 schematic:
Finally, BuySteampunk.com is holding a contest in which you can actually win a copy of Jamie’s Kriegerhund . The site also has a great interview with Jamie as well.
Not gollum, golem
Texture, action, creatures, thatch and falling minifigs. There’s really nothing to not like about Adrian Florea‘s (Olog) latest diorama. I think I’ll let it speak for itself.
Cafe De Kroon Restaurant
Patrick Bosman erects an impressive facade of the Cafe De Kroon Restaurant in Amsterdam. What’s most noticeable about this model is the diagonal construction of the structure, where the builder managed to seamlessly construct the building on a diagonal axis of the baseplate, a difficult feat when the LEGO studs run horizontally and vertically. Check out the gallery, featuring a detailed interior with a lively atmosphere.
Striking a pose
The rather large Bionicle community and creations are not so well represented here on our blog, but once in a while a Bionicle figure catches my eye. This one is called Shinonome, created by Brickshelf user “fuh-min“. What’s especially outstanding regarding this creation is the strikingly awesome posability of the figure, which includes this b-boy handstand. Check out the gallery for some more.
4837 Mini Trains Redux
Master pirate fan Richie Dulin has decided to take a break from building sailing vessels to remix set 4837 into a minifig sized narrow gauge locomotive: the Port Brique Historic Railway Loco No 4. The detail he’s crammed into such a tiny model is impressive.
Kcaster doesn’t like snipers
Nick Dean (aka Kcaster) shows in a vignette how to deal with snipers, by taking them out with a bang! Sorry Camping Carl, you’ve been found.
