Monthly Archives: August 2008

Dealing with your crap, one wagonload at a time

Goopy the Troll may not be smart, but he gets the job done and in a hurry. He and his team of down-on-their-luck horses are the fastest in the business. Hence his title of “King of the Gong Farmers“! Next time your castle’s cesspit needs cleaning, call Goopy. He would appreciate the business.

Signs of the coming Invasion!

I’ve jumped on the bandwagon, as we prepare for the Zombie ApocaFest at BrickCon in October. While a sniper and his spotter look for more “targets”, Ricky and Leslie make a break for the safety of the second floor! Will they make it or will the undead feast? You decide!

*smooch*

Click through for the punch line to this great little vignette by Moritz N. (nolnet on Flickr), featuring a little gray frog on a table and a rather unhappy princess.

Via VignetteBricks.

EDIT: And, it would seem, via The Brothers Brick. :oops: This is what I get for blogging while jetlagged… Thanks Tyler!

Del Boy and Rodney ride in style. Well, sort of.

Speaking of references to British popular culture that I’m not familiar with, Ronald Vallenduuk (Duq) has posted a great entry for the LUGNuts Sympathy for the underdog challenge inspired by the BBC comedy Only Fools and Horses.

Here’s Del Boy and Rodney of Trotters Independent Traders (in their “Heroes and Villains” Christmas special outfits):

The source of inspiration may not be a particularly stylish vehicle, but Rondald’s LEGO rendition of the three-wheeled Reliant Regal Supervan is very cool indeed.

Wearable Boba Fett costume built from LEGO

I’ve been keeping an eye on Simon‘s LEGO Boba Fett costume project for a while (and yet somehow missed his great LEGO Star Wars minifigs along the way), so I was very pleased to see the completed armor.

This may be the coolest homage ever to the beloved bounty hunter with only two four lines in Empire Strikes Back:

That’s right, Simon has built a complete Boba Fett costume entirely from LEGO (except the jump suit and cape, of course). The outfit includes a helmet, jet pack, chest plate, and blaster. Amazing stuff!

DARKspawn sets sail aboard The Black Meg

Most builders use the pre-molded ship pieces when building their galleons, schooners, and clippers.

Never one to take the easy way out, Aaron Andrews has used bricks and tiles to build the hull of his pirate ship, The Black Meg:

See more piratey goodness in Aaron’s Brickshelf gallery.

Interior decorating by minifig

I had the pleasure of hanging out with Thom (aka minifig) on my recent trip to London. Over non-alcoholic drinks at a lovely neighborhood pub far from the tourist crowds, the conversation inevitably turned to LEGO.

Thom apparently decorates his home with great little LEGO scenes. On arrival back in the States, I was pleased to see that he’d uploaded several of the scenes we talked about, including this intrepid streaker:

And these Technic figures with their AT-AT pet:

I was going to close with a sarcastic comment about the obscurity of the British people that Thom’s been honoring in ABS lately, but it turns out that Townes Van Zandt was an American, and I’m just ignorant. :-P

LAML Radio August interviews (Part 3)

If you’ve been keeping up with LAML Radio, you know that James the host is presenting a podcast interview with a talented builder each day in August. Here’s yet another update of the featured builders in the past few days.

Lee Magpili
Matt Hamann
Eric Harshbarger
Lukas Winklerprins
Mike Psiaki
Chris Doyle
Ralph Savelsberg
Chris Giddens

Happy 30th birthday to the LEGO minifig!

Stop in the name of the law!The LEGO minifigure turns 30 today. The very first minifig I got was in 1978, when I was 3 years old. Mr. Policeman had a stickered torso (right).

Today, minifigs are of course my favorite aspect of playing with LEGO, mainly because minifigs represent infinite possibilities.

Former LEGOLAND Master Model Designer Mariann Asanuma puts it best: “Minifigs, in all their countless varieties, are one of the best things that LEGO ever invented.” Indeed.

Naturally, the Internet is abuzz with congratulatory messages for our little plastic friends.

Here at The Brothers Brick, we’re hosting the GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest, and Gizmodo is hosting a GO MINIMAN GO Video Competition.

If you’re interested in reading all about how the minifig was invented, you can read Minifig History on Minifig.co.uk.

It may just be another day at the office for Justin Vaughn:

But Michael Jasper, the Leonardo da Vinci of minifig builders, conveniently updates his “Things” folder with a pair of tricycles:

There’s a surprising turn of events in this birthday scene by J.R. Schwartz:

So, a very happy birthday to the LEGO minifig! I hope I’m still playing with minifigs when I’m 63, and then again when I’m 93.

Announcing the GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest [w00t!]

GO MINIMAN GO LogoAugust 25th is the 30th birthday of the LEGO minifigure. Here at The Brothers Brick, the minifig holds a very special place in our hearts — after all, we started out as a tiny little blog highlighting our favorite minifig finds.

To wish the minifig a happy 30th birthday, I’m pleased to announce that The Brothers Brick is hosting the GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest. With awesome prizes like 10185 Green Grocer and four copies of 10190 Market Street, there’s some serious brick to be won. You can build a vignette or diorama and submit it in one of four categories that represent the decades in which minifigs have graced LEGO sets — from the 1970s through today.

The contest is open to everyone in the world who’s 18 years old as of August 1, 2008. You have until October 31, 2008 to submit your entries using our Contact Us page and the GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest group pool on Flickr.

Here’s an example of the sort of scene you could build:

Entries will be judged by a Master Model Builder and Creative Director from LEGO, along with the Editor-in-Chief of The Brothers Brick (that would be me).

There are important rules for where and how to enter your LEGO creations in this contest, so please read the GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest Rules carefully.

To see what else is going on to celebrate the 30th birthday of the LEGO minifig, check out GOMINIMANGO.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is this only open to people over the age of 18?

A: Although we welcome and encourage online participation on The Brothers Brick by anybody over the age of 13, we can’t ask for real names and addresses from people who are not yet adults. This is a legal requirement, and is not intended to discriminate against the talented teenage builders we frequently feature on the blog.

Q: What kind of creations are acceptable in each category?

A: How you interpret the four categories is entirely up to you. Let your imagination run wild! The only requirements are that your entry is a vignette or diorama and that it features a LEGO minifig.

Flying to Ganymede with Florian

Josh featured LEGO creations by Florian (demdike) twice while I was away, and I’m so glad to learn of this builder who I hadn’t encountered before!

Florian’s latest creation is a “picture from the Ganymede mission in 2026”:

More pics on Brickshelf.

Via Yonder Splendid Assuagement of Bloviation. (Phew!)

Zombie trouble at the city morgue

Look away if disturbing LEGO images aren’t your thing.

Still here? Well, there’s a lot to take in in Battledog‘s zombie outbreak diorama.

Observe the spilled water, dripping blood, and brave janitor holding off the horde.