BrickCon 2008: Last-minute logistics (and more free stuff)
Apologies for boring 99% of our readers, but this is still the fastest way to communicate with the fairly large number of TBB readers who are attending BrickCon later this week.
Fill out your MOC cards now
MOC (My Own Creation) cards identify your LEGO creations for fellow attendees and the general public. They also help theme organizers like Josh and me plan for how much space is needed (more on how that relates to the zombie display later in this post).
Fill out your MOC cards on BrickCon.org. A couple quick points:
- Unless you want to spend the public hours explaining what “SNOT” and “MOC” are to kids and their parents, avoid “AFOL-speak” in your descriptions.
- Zombie creations go in “Other,” not “Train/Town” (whose organizers I suspect think they’re being invaded at this point; that doesn’t actually happen until Sunday).
Remember, only “registered” LEGO creations (ones with MOC cards) will be eligible for the various awards given out by BrickCon.
Pack your LEGO creations for travel or shipping
Before you stuff your LEGO into your carry-on luggage, consider reading the LUGNET post by Duane Hess and the Classic-Castle.com article by Lenny Hoffman about packing and shipping LEGO.
Wouldn’t you rather spend your time socializing and integrating your pristine creations into the display instead of rebuilding them?
Unload your LEGO at the venue
By now, you should’ve received a message from Daniel Brown with details on when, where, and how to unload your LEGO creations at Seattle Center. The loading dock is only available during the following times:
- Thursday 8am – noon
- Thursday 5pm – 9pm
- Friday 8am – noon
- Sunday 5pm – midnight
Please only use the loading dock if you have massive amounts to unload. For more details, please see Daniel’s e-mail. If you didn’t get that e-mail, let us know and we’ll post more information here.
(CC-licensed photo of the Space Needle by Chris Blakely.)
Get to and from the airport
I know several of you are looking to share rides between Sea-Tac Airport and the BrickCon venue at Seattle Center (301 Mercer St., Seattle, WA 98109). Transportation options include Shuttle Express, taxis, and rental cars — all available near baggage claim.
If you’d like to share a ride with someone to cut costs, post a comment here with your arrival time, and when two or more of you are interesting in connecting, I’ll put you in touch through e-mail.
Bringing stuff for the draft and Dirty Brickster
Drafting a LEGO set allows you to get parts in large quantities that you might otherwise have to buy individually (from, say, Bricklink). Read more about how the draft works on SEALUG.org. If you want to participate, the draft set for BrickCon 2008 is 7626 Jungle Cutter.
Dirty Brickster is a LEGO “white elephant” gift exchange. Bring something that would be worth $10-20 to the recipient, wrapped.
Help bring some order to the Great Chaos of the Zombie Apocafest
With so many last-minute, “Oh, I’m so there!” contributions (thanks in no small part to BrickArms’ generosity, I’m sure), we don’t have a very good sense of how many zombified LEGO creations to expect for the Zombie Apocafest.
Filling out a MOC card will help, but could we also get a quick roll-call from readers planning on bringing a building? (Vehicles will be easy enough to incorporate into the display.) I’ll be at the venue nearly all day Thursday to help with setup — Castle and the zombie display in particular.
Build your GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest entries
If you haven’t entered our GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest yet, you can do so right there at BrickCon.
Just swing by The LEGO Group’s table, dig through the bricks, build a vig or dio, have it photographed, and fill out the entry form. Oh, and you get to keep what you build.
Get your Brothers Brick LEGO brick
Last but not least, the first 100 people who come up to Josh, Nannan, or me and say “It’s a brick-built world out there” will get a custom-engraved brick — your choice of “The Brothers Brick” or “Brothers-Brick.com”.
Oh yes, this is gonna be the best BrickCon yet! See everybody in a couple of days!
September 30th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Do i have to do anything in advance if i am coming on saturday and want to bring a giant vehicle.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Hey Andrew/Josh! I’ve already let Josh know, and he said he was relaying the info but I’m bringing two 16-wide buildings, and Tom (Remyth) is also bringing a 16-wide. I’ll also have a few psuedo zombie-thwarting vehicles if need be! Oh, and get ready for some chainsaw action ;)
September 30th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
@Cartoondude: I’d forgotten to add the info about MOC cards. Check the top of the post for info on how to do that. Other than registering your giant vehicle, you’re all set.
@wunztwice: Thanks!
October 1st, 2008 at 12:06 am
Count me in for two 16-wide buildings and one vehicle — and now I guess I’m off to change their MOC card headings from “Town/Train” to “Other” so they’re all nice and legal.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:14 am
If my contribution gets finished, it’s downgraded back down to a 32×32.
If I finish it. Sigh.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:17 am
^ U cans do eeeet, Meester Chiefman!
October 1st, 2008 at 1:58 am
I think you need some sleep now :P
October 1st, 2008 at 2:10 am
So it would seem. How did we go from zombies to lolcat? Off to bed for me!
October 1st, 2008 at 2:23 am
Have fun you guys.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:44 am
isthis the one in swindon?
October 1st, 2008 at 5:47 am
Trade ya a custom-engraved “BZPower” brick for one of your BB bricks… :)
October 1st, 2008 at 5:54 am
Hey Andrew, will there be an appropriate spot for an open-back building? I have a 3-storey office building that would go great along a back wall. 16×32 studs.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:22 am
@Binkmeister – Come find me at the Con and I’ll hook you up.
@indyjones – Nope, BrickCon is in Seattle, WA, USA.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:34 am
I just have 2 small vehicles for the zombie display, but I’m getting to the Con on Friday around noon. I was wondering, can you still bring in a few small things even after the set-up is done?
October 1st, 2008 at 9:00 am
@Binkmeister: Are you flying in with your posse? If not, I can send one back to you with one of your colleagues.
@Nathan: Absolutely.
@Dr. X: Not a problem at all. :)
October 1st, 2008 at 9:30 am
I’m trying to do a vehicle, but it keeps being not cool. A streetsweeper for the Apocalypse.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:45 am
I’ve got a graveyard (it’s dimensions shamefully escape me while I’m here at work, but it sits on one of the green rectangular base plates) and there’s a possibility that I’ll be able to finish a similarly sized building tonight. I’m also bringing some police cars and various emergency vehicles.
I can also bring along some panicked town folks and a few zombies. How do we keep track of which figs belong to which person? I was going to either keep a list of what I brought, or mark mine with sharpies on the bottom, or both.
October 1st, 2008 at 10:55 am
^ I think we can handle the figs as we do battles in the Castle display. As long as you keep your figs relatively together (on your buildings/vehicles or on specific baseplates), there’s usually no issue with whose is whose.
I wouldn’t suggest marking your figs, since you may regret doing that later. A list wouldn’t be a bad idea. This will be my fourth LEGO convention, and I have yet to lose a minifig.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:36 pm
What I’ve done in the past is write my name or initials on a little slip of paper and put it inside the minifig’s torso cavity. It’s not the quickest way of checking whose it is, but it comforted me to know my name was somewhere.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I’ll be there when it is open to the public. I suppose it will be too late to get a special engraved brick by then. But how am I supposed to know which of the thousands of people there are Andrew, Josh, or Nannan? Or anybody else for that matter? There needs to be a directory of AFOLs so that we can properly stalk each other at facetime events.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Hence, name badges.
October 1st, 2008 at 6:04 pm
My flight comes in at 11:53, Alaska Airlines..
Will somebody please hook a brother up?
October 1st, 2008 at 6:13 pm
^ Which day — Thursday or Friday? :)
October 1st, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Friday..
October 1st, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Okay, excellent. I’m going to put you in touch with Bill Ward, who’s getting in half an hour before you.
October 1st, 2008 at 9:31 pm
there is a potential for a building. don;t count on it though.
October 1st, 2008 at 11:34 pm
@ Andrew – I’m getting on a plane in a couple of hours… Billund -> Amsterdam -> Seattle. The things I do for The Brick… ;) See you soon!
October 2nd, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Josh,
Does it count that I saw you there this morning and in my haste forgot to beat you up and steal my BB brick? You had better still have one for me when I see you or else you’ll be getting a big ole dollhouse over the head. moowahahaha. ;)
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
There are still plenty of TBB bricks, Heather — don’t worry. :-)
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Swooped in, reserved my brick. :]
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:47 am
I tried to get back last night for the meet and greet but my car died on me right after I got off the ferry. I spent the rest of my evening waiting for my ride home and wishing I were there. Waaa!
October 13th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Wish I’d read this post before the con… I missed out on the free stuff :)