Those of us who’ve attended LEGO conventions like BrickCon and BrickFest over the last couple of years have probably come away with at least one of Bob Kojima’s LEGO-themed T-shirts. The only problem has been that they weren’t available outside these LEGO events.
Just in time for T-shirt weather, Bob has launched BrickShirts.com, where you can buy all of his designs.
Some of my favorites are the ones based on the original, hand-drawn images included with The LEGO Group’s patents, like the minifig (above) and “stud and tube” brick patent.
Jonathan (legomocs) finished his T-rex skeleton and it is beautiful. The challenge of tacking such a complex organic shape is formidable, but Jonathan pulled it off. This is a very respectable build.
Brian Kescenovitz built one of the best mechas I’ve seen in a while. Take a close look and you can see that he has spared no attention to details. The use of rubber bands to simulate wiring really adds a touch of realism. The presentation also plays a role in enhancing the build. Of course, Brian brings us the best of both.
This is what you get when the creative minds of Jordan Schwartz and Mark Stafford get together. Mark wanted Exo-Force and Jordan wanted Fabuland, so why not have both?
The Portuguese Lego fan community Comunidade 0937 is hosting their annual Lego event from June 7 -13 in Paredes de Coura. This year’s event is called Arte em Peças (Art in Parts) and will feature both private and public conventions. You can see pictures from the previous year’s event on Flickr.
In addition to displays, there will be activities including Mindstorms NXT demonstrations, contests, a free-build pool, opportunities to buy Lego, and surprise activities announced at the event. Check it out if you’re around the area!
This ship is something I whipped together by request in a couple of evenings. I wanted to use lime, as I’m growing fond of that color, and this seemed like a good opportunity. I expect that the insect influence is rather apparent. When my wife saw it, she remarked that it looked like a grasshopper, which is the origin of the ship’s name.
This creation uses under 200 pieces (about 180) and would be a suitable entry for the Put Your Brick Where Your Mouth Is Contest, were I not a judge. There’s still time left before the deadline for you to submit an entry!
Many people have posted Vic Viper models recently. Most are meant for the fly-ins scheduled in tribute to the fallen builder Nnenn. Here’s one of my favorites, along with a reminder to look for the fly-in at whatever Lego fan convention you may be attending this year.
It’s a build by “The One And Only Mr.R” using my old favorite color, tan. It includes some nice compound angles, as well as an uncommonly compact shape. It also incorporates Nnenn’s favorite piece.
I, like so many others, adore How to Train your Dragon. The characters are great, the story is engaging, and it’s an entertaining movie. And I LOVE Toothless. He cracks me up to no end.
So Taylor Baggs‘ diorama of Toothless and his budding trust for Hiccup caught my eye, for sure.
Patrick (Jason son) has given us an excellent rendition of Mad Max’s car. I’m not certain of how common this car ever was as a police interceptor in Australia, but I like to think that they’re running around all over the place. Remember, two men enter, one man leaves.
It’s quite hard to tell that this Hogwarts Express train (the “Olton Hall” to be precise) by Carl Greatrix (Bricktrix) is actually LEGO. But it is aside from some custom stickers and a very small number of altered parts. The backdrop and track, however, is not.
And yes it would have been lovely if TLG had made the new Hogwarts Express train similar to this.
I sat down with Joe in his BrickJournal offices above the Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern in beautiful Raleigh North Carolina. We talked about never forgiving Disneyland for removing the Adventure through Inner Space attraction, General Chow’s chicken vs. General Tso’s chicken, and why America is still not out of Iraq. We also talked about LEGO.
The Build
Keith Goldman: You are so busy hop-scotching around the globe, living the dream of mannkinder everywhere….do you still have time to build? What percentage of your LEGO life is devoted to actual building? What motivates you to make time to build?
Joe Meno: Do I still have time? Usually, I make time.
I live in a strange world where my job is showing what others build (among other things), which inspires me to explore more, but doesn’t allow me the time to focus on actual building. My building time has declined quite a bit (and because of that, I don’t buy many sets — I need to build them!!) in the past few years, so what I do now is devote time to one big project each year.
Last year was my Just Another Day at the Bay micro layout, and the year before was Wall-E. This year, I had two projects, but one was too small (my iPad) and the other failed miserably (the NXT shark — it sank upon it’s first test swim in the tub.)
I build when I can because it’s a way to keep in touch with my roots in the hobby. And it’s hard to take someone seriously about a subject when they have little or no experience in it…so I build to keep my credibility.
KG: As an international man of LEGO mystery, you are uniquely qualified to comment on building styles from around the world. Is there any difference between building styles here in the States and abroad? Is there any real difference between builders?
JM: Good question — it’s something I have to look at every so often. The building styles of a region are a reflection of their environment, for the most part.
The US style of building is simple with detail, which shows best in space building. The European style in train layouts is much more refined, but that’s because the architecture is much richer there, the train is much more common there, and the AFOL community there is about one generation beyond the US community. The Far East building that I have seen has been a completely different design direction driven by mecha design.
So the best train builders are in Europe, the best mecha is in Japan, and the best space stuff is in the US. Keep in mind this is a general observation — there are outstanding builders everywhere of every type.
And the real difference between builders? Europeans can hold their alcohol MUCH better! :-)
