You are currently browsing the The Brothers Brick weblog archives for August, 2009.
After more than a year since the first chapter, Mark Kelso has completed the second installment in his “Apocalypsis” series.
As before, Mark’s diorama includes some of the most complex landscaping and amazing photo editing being presented by LEGO fans today. Click the picture to read the story (with music) on MOCpages.
And to continue with some trains this one from Peter Normal (swoofty) has a fabulous brick-built eagle logo for the US bicentennial.
Brickshelf user Bambi not only makes some of the nicest steam and old-fashioned town models around, he (I assume) also takes excellent photographs. What’s more for this BR01-10 he has included photos and renders of the crucial bits to allow us to see how it all works. It works brilliantly in my opinion.
Of special note is the novel approach to the drivers and use of PFS lights.
The first screenshots of LEGO Universe have just been released and Jim Foulds has asked us to share them with the world. In his words
The first screenshots for LEGO Universe make their world premiere this week. These images show off the diversity the players will encounter in the game. It’s scheduled to launch in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK, and North America in 2010.
Safety is a huge priority for LEGO Universe. Many solutions are being explored through technology, processes, and people to provide the most creative and safe environment possible.
Of course since it is a LEGO product, one can expect a creative and building focus to give players the opportunity to do a variety of activities that allow for them to interact with the LEGO elements in a virtual reality. Building with LEGO elements in LEGO Universe will take many forms, ultimately allowing players to bring their real-life creations to life inside the game.
LEGO Universe will feature a subscription model. Lot’s of research and evaluation of various models went into this decision and we feel it provides the best method to provide a trusted online experience for the player.
We’re sure you wondering about beta and the “VIP launch”. We still plan on doing both, but we are not ready to announce dates or how to sign-up just yet.
Please keep an eye out on future updates and if you absolutely have to have the latest information make sure to visit www.legouniverse.com.
I returned home from BrickFair last night at about midnight. It was a crazy fun blast. Photos from the event are starting to pop up on BrickShelf and Flickr.
As you can see above, there was a pretty huge turnout from the public as well. I gather that the total number between the two days was between eight and nine thousand people. That’s a lot to be crammed into a hotel ballroom. Fortunately, next year, BrickFair is moving to a real expo center. I’m psyched about all of the space (Space!).
I tried to take photos of the “impaired” speed build competition, but the lights were turned down in order to make things more difficult. If you ever have the opportunity to watch a bunch of drunk LEGO fans (all of legal drinking age, of course) trying to assemble a gear train in the dark, on a multi-colored tablecloth, I highly recommend it.
There were also some pretty epic creations on display at the show. I’m pretty sure that some may have even debuted there. There were definitely a few that I hadn’t seen on the internet. I enjoyed Chris Edward’s “ArchipeLEGO“, which he has posted as separate islands here. Another highlight was Brickistan, a middle-eastern castle diorama that was chock full of detail, and hard to find photos of. A friend and I also had a pretty big creation up our sleeves for the convention, but we haven’t gotten the photos ready to post yet.
Tim Goddard (roguebantha_1138) has put his new microfigures to work in his adorable Neon Classic Space project (geddit!). I just wish I could purchase these sets so I could have a play myself.
Janey “Red Brick” Gunning posted this magnificent micro-scale rendition of 10184 Town Plan.
Each building is completely recognizable as being the mini-version of it’s minifig-scale counterpart. For close-up shots, check out the theater, the gas station, and the courthouse!
I’m not entirely sure why there’s so much advanced technology in evidence throughout ApocaLEGO creations. After all, haven’t we learned that even apostrophes are susceptible to nuclear attack? Maybe it’s because advanced technology places the apocalypse somewhere in the distant future, safely beyond our lifetimes.
Or it could be that it’s just cool, like this neat little dio by Martin Latta.
The scene includes a heavily armed VTOL scout fighter, gun emplacement, cyborg, door to an underground bunker, and what appears to be a warning siren — a logical addition to any such scene, though the first I’ve noticed.
Via the ever-vigilant Young Spacers.
Tim Zarki (Spook) gets things going with our mini-roundup today. His most recent pair of hardsuits are certainly excellent, but I particularly love the presentation on the “GOLEM Strikesuit” on the right.
Kevin Blocksidge (Kevoh) suspects that the shine may be wearing off District 9, but nevertheless built an accurate minifig-scale Praun biosuit, with Wikus Van De Merwe for scale.
Finally, Monkfish44 created “a spindly tin-can that swims.”
BrickArms, makers of custom minifigure accessories, announced several new products at BrickFair today. Check out our exclusive pictures and give your feedback in the comments!
Just a note, these are pre-production prototypes and are not available at this time. They will change slightly and there is no guarantee that each of these items will make the cut. Also, some of these have been announced before, so fans of BrickArms will recognize a few of the items in these pictures.
Craig Lyons (legolyons) has added a new addition to his Wonka Universe:
The whole thing just works for me: the fantastic purple forklift, the head-sized jawbreakers, and the Oompa Loompas. You can get a better view of the Oompa Loompas here, as well as his Willy Wonka and Mr. Slugworth mini-figures.
Ben Ellermann has recently announced the launch of his new blog, Ask a LEGO Fan. His purpose behind this new site is to field questions from adult fans, young fans, parents of fans, and anyone interested in anything to do with Lego. Ben is one of the most knowledgable fans I’ve had the privilege of knowing. He has also been selected as a Lego Ambassador in the current cycle. This puts him in a unique position to get answers to your questions. Check it out and drop him a line with any questions you might have. I think his site will be an asset to the community and to all of those connected to it.
