Monthly Archives: February 2013

LEGOLAND Harlem Shake

Harlem Shake. Apparently, it’s a thing. I suspect this will amuse many of you.

LEGO Glamdring, the Foe-Hammer!

Cole Edmonson has rocked my world again. He has recently posted pictures of his full-scale Glamdring, the sword carried by Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. It is a beautiful sword and Cole has out-done himself. I hope he continues recreating LOTR weapons in LEGO form. I’m loving it.

LEGO Glamdring (1:1) & Scabbard

An Unexpected Art Show

As part of OSCAR weekend, TheOneRing.net and Premiere Events presents An Unexpected Art Show to be held in Los Angeles, California on Friday, February 22, from 7 PM to 1 AM. Celebrating The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, An Unexpected Art Show will feature inspired and influenced art pieces from paintings, drawings, and illustrations to prints from a variety of artists including LEGO brick built creations from OneLUG, Tommy Williamson, and Norbert Labuguen. The OneLUG will be displaying The Last March of the Ents and also unveiling their newest LOTR creation!!! If you live near Los Angeles, come and enjoy An Unexpected Art Show!!!

You Don’t Have to Build Big

You don’t have to build big to build awesome. This sweet ride by Brian Kescenovitz is a marvel of cool techniques used at an incredibly small scale.

Zoom!!!

Destroyers in Space

Who says all big spaceships need to be covered with greebles to look great? This gorgeous space Destroyer by Dutch builder Red Spacecat employs clean lines and smooth surfaces, and it looks fantastic. Don’t let that fool you, though; it’s still packed with plenty of details, like the hidden torpedo ports.

USS Saratoga

Sentimental Brick

Us AFOLs sure like to build wicked awesome LEGO models…it is the main draw to the hobby, or is it? Chris Maddison, reminds me/us that it is just as much about the relationships formed (whether they be in person, or over the interwebs), than it is about the builds. And sometimes it is simply a beat-up 2×4 that can create a smile.

The Life of a Keychain

The Life of a Keychain
Brickfest 2001 in Washington, DC was my first Lego Convention. I had a blast sharing it with my then-AFOL then-girlfriend, putting faces to the names I knew so well on Lugnet, and getting to know people and build friendships beyond just sharing a common interest. For a whole weekend I was free to talk about my passion with, well, basically everyone around me, and have that same passion reciprocated. It was a lifechanging event, for sure, and I’m forever grateful to Christina Hitchcock, her entire team of organizers and volunteers, and every AFOL that attended for showing me the true community of this hobby.

One of the items in the goodie bag was a red 2×4 brick keychain with the Lego logo on the side. It was my favorite item that I brought home from the ‘fest, and it immediately became something that was with me every day. Through a lot of change, both good and bad, it was always in my pocket, jingling against my almost-janitor-myriad of keys. During my 9 year long dark ages, my collection was packed away in storage, but that keychain went with me everywhere. Every single day.

As you can see, that once proud 2×4 brick is now beat and battered, worn down and filthy. It’s got 12 years of travel and grit on it and in it, 12 years of beating against keys and pocketknives and change and whatever else happened to be in my pocket. The logo’s long faded, the studs are wearing through, the chain is tarnished, but the memories and the hobby it represents are cherished forever.

Thank you little red brick, for all that you mean to me. And thank you new little red brick, for being shiny and ready when your predecessor finally succumbs to time. And thank you, reader, for taking the time to share this with me.

Train Wednesday part 2

Although not quite so obvious as the IC125, the GG1 was also a sleek beast back in its day. It’s also a notorious challenge for LEGO train builders. Nathaniel Brill (Shuppiluliumas) rises to the challenge with two versions of the mythical beast. Note especially the skates on the pantograph (the shiny bit up top), a very nice part use that’s been doing the train rounds for a bit*.

40 Years Apart

* As I recall we have Dave Stannard to thank for it.

Train Wednesday part 1

The InterCity 125 High Speed Train was never that fast by today’s standards, but it did have some sleek 70s styling and could reach speeds of over 200kph. In his fabulous LEGO version, Michael Gale puts it firmly in context with some lovely postcard presentation. But it’s not just the presentation that is great, the build techniques are pretty sleek too.

Lego HST Postcard from 1976

Wonderful Decay

Evan B. (Lego Junkie) has built a scene from Call of Duty Black Ops II, I know nothing of the game, and Evan admits to not playing it himself. However, what I do know is that this is one rockin’ example of how to build decay. That diner sign is an absolute thing of beauty!

TranZit: Call Of Duty Black Ops II

Full Photset

Oh Deer!

I couldn’t resist the latest by Bartosz Kacprzyk. I can’t wait to show this to my son, who’s a Rudolph super-fan. Make sure to check out some of the other recent creations on his page, too, there’s some great stuff!

MECHANICAL DEER  A

Such Dainty Legs

This morning, I came across two mecha models, from two different builders, that share a common attribute. Their legs are all quite thin, one might even say elegant (or flimsy). Personally, I have trouble keeping mecha with thick legs and joints standing, so I really appreciate the effort that went into these.

First, there’s the Zip Kit by Dave Steeves. It had an old-school mechwarrior vibe that I dig, and while the construction of the base is simple, I quite like it.

Zip Kit 2

Next, is the VT-318 Kelly, by Rod Gillies. He could just as well have called it the black swan, as it stands balanced en pointe. It’s also a cool looking mecha, once you get over the shock that it’s actually standing.

VT-318 Kelly

The Red Baron rides again

This shiny new monster by Bricksonwheels is a thing of beauty.

Harley Davidson FLH 'Red Baron'

Based on the color scheme and insignia of the iconic plane belonging the orginal Red Baron, Manfred Von Richthofen, this bike really pops. The level of detail and the scale make this one of those models that doesn’t look like LEGO until you look closer. We expect beautiful models from this builder but this particular build is something special.