About Keith Goldman

See Keith Goldman's LEGO models on Flickr.

Posts by Keith Goldman

Super Jerry

I told myself I wasn’t going to blog any Ma.Ktoberfest 2013 offerings this year because like some of you I find the whole end of the year sci-fi themed months to be a little overwhelming and Brother Tripod has that particular beat covered. However, my love of a great diorama overrides any such petty concerns and it is my pleasure to share with you “Super Jerry” by Logan (∞CaptainInfinity∞) that has just the right mix of detailed vehicles, understated landscaping and good photography from a builder who knows how to frame a shot. The tree isn’t too shabby either.

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“Out of my brain on the five fifteen”

At the sound of the whistle its Train Time again, constant reader and fortunately for all of us Sérgio Batista (SujiroLegoTrains) can feed our mutual craving for the rails. First up is the “CP1900” Portuguese Railways diesel locomotive all decked out in a Halloween color scheme.

CP1900

And since Saturday nights are made for double-shots, let’s also enjoy the charming “Sintra´s Tram” whose title I initially misread as “Sinatra’s Train“. I like to think the Chairman of the Board would have liked this tram, it has style.

Sintra´s Tram

Two from Yatkuu

When we last caught up with Belgian builder Gregory Coquelz (Yatkuu), Brother Chris was delivering the bad news that Gregory’s brilliant Shaun of the Dead Cuusoo project would not see production despite it’s overwhelming popularity. If you missed the posting the first time around it is definitely worth the read for a look at a the Cuusoo process. In the meantime, Mr. Coquelz has been busy building a great many things, including the “iPod Nano 3rd Gen.” you see here in a variety colors to suit your individual lifestyle.

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I have to admit that aside from the Winchester, I wasn’t all that familiar with Gregory’s work so I took a stroll through his back catalog and found this gem from 2011, based on the 2009 film The Road. The minifigs are spot-on and so is the grocery cart.

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Gregory also has a model of the giant mechanical lemon the band U2 used on it’s 1997 PopMart Tour, for those of you who are into that sort of thing.

Petraea University is now accepting applications for the spring semester.

The popular Guilds of Historica fan-theme features outstanding models from a variety of builders who participate in a connected world of five distinct Guilds, each with their own territory, history, and geography. The latest eye-catching build comes to us from Australian builder and TBB regular Gabriel Thomson who presents Petraea University – Grand lecture theatre and debating hall.

Petraea University - Grand lecture theatre and debating hall (interior)

As you can see, the structure uses a cutaway presentation, with equal attention to detail both inside and out. Although I love a little bit of the old ultra-violence as much as the next droog, it is refreshing to see a castle diorama that doesn’t involve some kind of boilerplate siege or marching troops. At the center of this brick-built story is the presentation of an honorary degree to some sort of political figure; a celebration of brains over brawn. If you follow the links to both the builder’s photostream or the GoH headquarters, you will encounter as much back-story as you can handle and an opportunity to get in on the action yourself.

Petraea University - Grand lecture theatre and debating hall (LHS 3/4)

Friday Night Fights (Round 24)

Welcome back fight fans, to Sin City Nevada for another glass-jawed edition of Friday Night Fights! Tonight’s bout features two builders putting it all on the line for glory and pink-slips… Let’s go to the tale of the tape:

Fighting out of the red corner, from the Paradise of the Pacific…Evan “The ExterminatorLego Junkie B. and his “’55 Ford Fairlane “Black Widow“.

'55 Ford Fairlane "Black Widow"

And fighting out of the blue corner, from a town with no name…”The Count of Monte FistoCalin and his “Roadkill“.

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As usual, constant reader, you are tasked with deciding the outcome of this pugilistic endeavor by way of comment. On the last edition of Friday Night Fights, the battle of Nemo vs. Kermit ended with the clownfish giving a savage beating to the frog, scored 8-2 by our esteemed panel of judges. Tune in next week for another action packed edition of Friday Night Fights!

“He’s no good to me dead”

Well, I’ve had the place to myself this weekend and it’s been fun spinning the tunes for your weekend pleasure. Diamond Dave Shaddix is late to the party but he’s arrived just in time with a case of beer, a bag of barbeque potato chips and this colorful mosaic of Boba Fett. I can think of no better way to end my shift. I recall getting into fisticuffs with a fellow 6th grader over a Boba Fett doll back in the day…some things are worth fighting for. Have a great week.

"He's no good to me dead"

Tales from Hub 14.

It was my distinct pleasure to attend the 12th annual BrickCon in Seattle last weekend along with about half of TBB’s contributors, hundreds of talented builders and thousands of slack-jawed public hours gawkers. While I’m sure you’ll be seeing and reading more about the convention from my Brothers, I’ll be focusing this post on a collaborative sci-fi project I took part in called Hub 14 that featured 23 builders from Brazil, Canada, Germany and a U.S. contingent that included both Alaska and Hawaii.

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Hub 14 was a sprawling 4ft by 12ft slice of alien landscape that included an air-traffic control hub, landing pads and swampy terrain that provided a stage for dozens of VTOL spaceships, mecha, minifigs, monsters, hard-suits and personal conveyances of every variety. Although it apparently won a category award of some kind (I didn’t actually see it happen) Hub creator Michael Rutherford claims that no trophy was actually distributed and if there was he had no specific knowledge of such an artifact. The real value of the Hub was the camaraderie enjoyed by its participants and the shared effort to bring the diorama to life. Clear evidence of the spirit of the Hub was the exchange of VTOL’s by many of the builders at the end of the convention, with nobody being more generous than Simon Liu, who basically gave everything away. Everyone pitched in from set-up to tear-down and I think I can safely say that a good time was had along the way. My favorite aspect of the project was meeting and working with some of my favorite builders that I’ve somehow missed in my convention travels, people like Pascal, Gilcelio, Nick, Sam, Chris, Aaron, Adam, Evan, Ryan, Simon and Will. While it’s great to work with beloved cronies like Mark, Breanne, Bram, Josh, Ian and Ley (to name a few) there is a special thrill adding new blood to the mix. I learned a great deal about collaboration along the way and I feel like I’m a better builder as a result.

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But there was also a dark side to the shenanigans occurring at Hub 14, most notably this truly disturbing and deadly embrace shared by Michael Rutherford and Ryan Wilhelm. While this borderline cosplay only lasted a brief 3 and a half minutes to get as fellow Hubbite Simon Liu put it “Just the right shot“, it seemed to most observers that time was slowed like Neo stopping incoming bullets in The Matrix. I like to think I’ve been to my share of conventions and seen some odd behavior out of my fellow Lego nerds, but this was a whole new level of strangeness….at least in the on-site venue. I still wake up screaming, thinking about this terrible soul-kiss…and yes constant reader…there was tongue.

<insert disturbing title here>

Although my final anecdote is only superficially related to Hub 14, it is without qualification, the best. No doubt as a result of his association with the Hub, the eternally effervescent Nick Trotta was approached by Lego’s own Keith Severson (Sr. Manager of Community Support) about taking Nick’s “Solar Sweeper” starfighter back to Billund to be displayed within their innovation studio. Apparently it will be set up in an area for LEGO designers to regularly see and take some inspiration from what our awesome building community is up to. In Nick’s own understated words “Wow!“. After meeting Nick and his long suffering (and much funnier) wife Adelle, I can safely say it couldn’t have happened to a nicer, more humble dude. So keep hope alive constant reader, if you have the requisite skills you might just get “discovered” at a convention.

LEGO Group is taking Solar Sweeper to Billund!

So many thanks to the hard working and hard partying international crew of builders that was Hub 14, you guys (and gal) are the best. The project would not have been possible without the generosity and logistical assistance from TBB’s elder statesman Andrew Becraft who not only allowed me to ship 10 boxes to his domicile but also moved them to the venue and shipped them back without so much as a complaint. Thanks also to Wayne Hussey and team for another fabulous BrickCon! If you are interested in the specific contributions of each member you can follow the links throughout the article or head on over to Ryan Rubino’s photostream for additional action. Due to post-convention hangover disorder (PCHD), some of the contributors have not yet officially posted their models to Flickr, so stay tuned to your stream for more details. There is a public Group Pool for the Hub, but again, because of PCHD it is still in its infancy.

Hubbites Assemble!

I’ve been told by experts in the know that this sort of coverage isn’t well loved by our audience and usually results in a downward spike in statistical interest, so thank you for your indulgence. If you have a thought you’d like to share on the topic of convention coverage I’d love to read about it in the comments.

Thug Bunny wants your candy and your soul.

French builder 6kyubi6 a.k.a. Jimmy makes his fourth appearance of 2013 with “Thug Bunny“, a vision of leporine horror that is sure to get you ready for Samhain. Some models don’t need explanation or description so I’ll leave you two alone. I can’t stare into those eyes any longer…look for more entries in the Badnimals series as the month progresses.

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Take to the skies with Annushka

I’m starting to think that LUGPol either doesn’t have any sub-standard builders within its ranks, or they kill them off before they can embarrass the group publicly. Either way I’m delighted to present Polish Air Marshall mrutek’s latest effort, a fabulous single-engine biplane called the Antonov An-2. The An-2 was a large, slow flying utility transport used as both a crop-duster and for the deployment of paratroopers. The Guinness Book of World Records states that the 45-year production run for the An-2 was for a time the longest ever, for any aircraft, but it was recently exceeded by the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

AN2 _3

“When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear.”

We’ve been known to feature a life-sized camera or two on the Brothership over the years, which seems only natural when you consider how much our hobby depends on them for sharing our creations. The latest outstanding entry into the category comes to us from Alex Jones (Orion Pax) who takes on 1983’s NIKON FE 2. The model has everything you’ve come to expect from the always reliable Mr. Jones; accuracy, inventive use of parts and glorious chrome. I think my favorite detail is the printed Jedi Starfighter canopy dish used as the lens, but your results may vary. For a complete selection of photos and information on this model, be sure and check out Orion Pax Designs

Nikon FE 2

“Kurogane no Linebarrel”

One of our resident masters of Mecha Izzo Legostyle returns to give you the uncut fix you so desperately need. The model is based on Japanese Manga also known as “Linebarrels of Iron” that tells a boilerplate story of a bullied junior high school student who acquires super powers and a giant robot to dispense justice and one-liners while causing a great deal of mayhem. I’m not sure why, but my eye is drawn to those beefy yet precarious looking legs.

LineBarrel01

“If the tanks succeed, then victory follows.”

Time to go digital with a mind-blowing tank called the “Ûbârrek-Âssoi Remîv ÛâR – 57/6” by Edmonton’s own Ian MacDonald (ABS doohickies). This brutal looking war machine was inspired by the Valdor Tank Hunter from the Warhammer 40k franchise and I have little doubt that Heinz Guderian would approve of its style and features. While the vocal tribe of purists might complain that most of the parts used are not actually available in dark-tan, we try to have a wider view of things here at the big blog. I included a photo of the back-side because the level of detail and clever parts usage is simply too stunning to miss. BOOM SHAKA-LAKA!

Ûbârrek-Âssoi Remîv  ÛâR - 57/6

ÛâR - 57/6 Back