The Brothers Brick

We all have those dreams — flying around in our sleep. The ironwork supporting Nathan Proudlove‘s Mistral II steampunk aircraft carrier is inspired by Gustave Eiffel’s architectural masterpiece, topped with a lovely pavilion reminiscent of the Palais d’Industrie from the 1855 Paris World’s Fair.

Naturally, the crow’s nest hangs down, and the flight deck is primed with five auto-gyro bombers. I’m not sure I’d want to be in a glass pavilion with gatling guns blazing away around me, but it sure is pretty…

See what we though of Nathan’s original Mistral way back in 2006.

Daniel Shehadeh (Sir Regonold) users overlapping, partially pressed-on tiles to create an excellent roof on this Spanish-style building:

The crane, little roof on the well, and beams sticking out of the stone walls all add believable detail.

In slightly belated news (but for the sake of completeness), LEGOLAND operators Merlin Entertainment last week announced LEGOLAND Florida, scheduled to open in 2011.

The new park is replacing the defunct Cypress Gardens, located in Winter Haven, about an hour south of Orlando.

Here’s the official word:

Merlin has purchased the historical Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven Florida from property investment company Land South Group and will open LEGOLAND Florida on the site at the end of 2011. The deal to buy the 145-acre site includes the freehold on the current theme park and waterpark as well as an operating lease in perpetuity on the historic botanical gardens. Merlin plans a significant multi-million dollar investment over a number of years, up to and beyond opening, in what will be the biggest LEGOLAND to date. In line with the group’s “resort” strategy for its theme parks this is likely to include both accommodation and the addition of further branded attractions from the Merlin portfolio. This will build on the $100m invested over the last few years in improved infrastructure on the site.

Read the full press release on the Merlin site.

And don’t miss Thanel’s review of LEGOLAND California for adult visitors.

2010 looks like it’s going to be a great year for LEGO literature, with at least two non-fiction books about the adult fan experience due to be published. I’ve had the pleasure of talking with both writers about our hobby and the “LEGO life,” so I was pleased to see one interviewing the other.

In journalist Jonathan Bender‘s interview with GeekDad John Baichtal, the two discuss writing about LEGO, being an AFOL parent, and more.

As a Geekdad, what’s it like to play with LEGO bricks with the next generation?

It was something of a reality check. I was expecting instant love, but there were stumbling blocks. First, the more complicated elements are hard for little kids to figure out…. Second, kids have so many toys and activities these days — interactive games like Wii or the Internet grab kids so much more readily than a bunch of bricks. Nevertheless, my son’s bedroom floor is covered in Lego bricks as I write this.

Read Jonathan’s full interview with John Baichtal on his blog, Brick Bender.

The San Francisco Bay area in California is hosting a new LEGO convention later this spring called Bricks by the Bay. The event will be held in Fremont on April 9-11, 2010.

You can now register for Bricks by the Bay on their website.

Forbidden Cove’s first major contest, the Jolly Roger, set sail on the 1st of the month and there are some very good pirate creations cruising in. Here is a few of my favorites so far.

Dutch Soldier Outpost by Nieks

Under the Waves by Elephant_Captain

Pirate’s Island by SlyOwl

Kei (8thnote) created a set of Lego instruments over the past years for the Clickbrick Original Model Contest (sponsored by Japanese LEGO specialty store clickbrick). You can see more pictures of the individual instruments on Kei’s Brickshelf.

Joseph Kazmo, whom you may remember from his Star Wars advanced alts from way back, is finally building again after a lengthy building hiatus. This biomechanical centipede is the appetizer for a “mechanical fantasy theme that combines Medieval times with technology and wizardry.” I look forward to this theme with eager anticipation.

A neat diorama by Niek Geurts (Nieks www.mrbrick.nl).

I don’t know why I get a sense of marshiness from this, but I like it.

He wears it for all kinds of reasons, but especially because he’s awesome. A mosaic of Johnny Cash by .cHris.tOpHeR..

I think my favorite things about this futuristic carrier by Mike (Chaffeem) are the retro biplanes and the smoothness of the micro modeling.

And yes, it is floating in water.

This western town by Kris Kelvin is loverly. It’s also a nice change of pace, since we don’t see that many Western creations.

Sean Kenney was recently featured in a 30 minute documentary aired on Japan’s national public broadcasting organization, NHK. Click on the image below for the link to the video, where you can see Sean’s LEGO studio, his Times Square model, and watch him build his largest creation: a life-sized polar bear!

It’s always nice to see a space creation that’s meant to be alien, like this one by Kyle Slushey (The Slushey One). I like all of the spines and angled.

Is it flower inspired? Bunny? I don’t know, and that helps sell it as extra-terrestrial.

It’s been awhile since I’ve covered any Neo Classic Space creations, but the theme still seems to be going strong. Take this new entry by Brian Harvey (fivebonez), it’s a great take on the theme.

Although the chunky style may not be entirely traditional for the theme, it works really well on this ship. I think that part of the appeal is that it’s not just chunky in spots, but there are chunks on top of chunks, in a pervasive style. It’s a big block of ugly, and I love it.