The Brothers Brick

I’ve recently spent some time thinking about and subsequently altering some of the groups I’ve created on Flickr. In part this has come from me adapting to a new ‘user generated content’ internet but also in response to difficulties I’ve been having with new members in some of my groups. While I can deal with the former by wielding my administrator powers the latter is a bit more difficult.

As such I present the following loose guidelines to getting along in a Flickr group. These aren’t rules and they’re heavily biased to what I like to see but perhaps they’ll provide some food for thought. I welcome commentary on them as I’m keen to learn more about how to approach all this.

1. Always read the guidelines of the group before joining. Some groups are free-for-alls and might not have guidelines but other’s are quite strict about what should be posted or added.
2. Lurk for a bit. There’s no easier way to get a feel for a place than to see what the existing members do.
3. Don’t get upset. Maybe your offering to a group isn’t what it’s interested in but that’s not a personal attack.
4. Look for another group. If you don’t like how one group is run there might be a similar one with an atmosphere you prefer.
5. Make your own group. If there is nothing that suits your tastes go make your own. It’s easier than whingeing about something someone else has made.

Anyway, that’s my five step program to getting along in flickr groups. I await the comments.

Warning! This model is 100% LEGO.

Dmac has combined practicality and raw beauty into his DT-75 tractor making a truly impressive beast. That plush seat looks so comfy I’d like to shrink myself to scale and relax.

If ever there was an incentive to go to Brickcon this would be it. NB. There are plenty of other reasons to go, but winning this would be the icing on anyone’s cake.

Nick Dean has drawn inspiration from the game Bioshock moved art deco under the sea to create this excellent Art Deco inspired undersea hotel with full interior. There’s too many good details to describe so I’ll leave it to you to scour each picture for the things you like.

McBricker takes us on a journey into the hills of Crete, where this lovely little chapel nestles against the side of a cliff.

The tree, the goats, the sky, and the old nun walking with a cane all add depth to this scene.

Arthur Gugick recently reposted some of his pics onto Flickr and I was reminded of this rendition of one the most famous cathedrals in the world. It is simply glorious. The texturing of the walls, by turning the bottoms of the plates outward, is inspired. Words fail me. This was incredible when it was first built and it still is. We never blogged it then, we are now.

You can see the original gallery here.

L. G. Orlando has built a rather ornate little Victorian house. I’m loving the details on this.

Hippotam takes on the evil amphibian menace with his forest wizard and out-of-control, whirly flames!

Juho William serves up this surreal creation. Everything seems to come together perfectly to create a creepy sense of wonder. I’m fascinated and can’t stop looking at it.

This little craft, by Fredoichi, caught me off guard. I didn’t realize it was microscale until I’d clicked on it. Nice job, very nice job.

We’ve gotten enough suggestions for things we’ve already blogged (check out Page 2, people!) that I thought we should do a quick roundup of this week’s news items.

• 10197 out. 10197 Fire Brigade is now available and has been inspiring LEGO creations throughout the week. Andrey Kudinov built a 1930s-era Gaz-AA fire truck and Alex Eylar recreated 10197 in microscale.
• TBB in NYT. The New York Times mentioned The Brothers Brick in an article about how LEGO has recovered from its own financial crisis in the midst of a global recession.
• BrickCon 2009. Only a few days left to pre-register for BrickCon and guarantee all your goodies. We’re organizing Zombie Apocafest 2009, with other collaborative displays like Operation Bricklord and Battle Bugs.
• 6299 in NA. A petition is underway to get 6299 Pirates Advent Calendar in the US and Canada. No guarantee of success, but we can try.
• Blogged! Inspired by The Living Brick, we’ve started a Blogged by The Brothers Brick group on Flickr, where you can add your photo if it’s been blogged and peruse lots of the great LEGO creations we’ve highlighted.

Thanks to mumu over at かわいいレゴずき for the idea! Let us know if this is a good idea for us to do as well, and we can make it a weekly feature.

Ley Ward leaps in the Mundane challenge with both feet. All it takes is some paper and pencil.

It’s been only less than two weeks since the release of 10197 Fire Brigade, but Alex Eylar (Profound Whatever) has already microscaled it. I won’t ask how many of his Flickr contacts thought it was the actual set from the thumbnail pictures.

LEGO seems a perfect medium to build scenes from the 1982 movie Tron. These light cycles by Stefan (2×4) look like they’re going a million miles an hour.

If you’d like to build your own LEGO light cycle, Stefan has also posted instructions.

Legoadam has made great use of dish and arch pieces to construct this simple but delightful microscale mosque. I’m sure the sharif would like it.