Pixar movies seem to be a serious favorite here, and for me, UP is no exception. Peter Aoun’s latest little vignette brings the same sense of wonder, of far off places, of strange birds…and Doug.
Monthly Archives: March 2010
Adrian Drake: Am I doing it for ego? Probably. – Boilerplate & Beyond Vol. 2 [Interview]
For our second installment of interviews by Keith Goldman, we explore the possibility of an AFOL pedophile, prize-sniping, the future of collaborative displays, and more. Take it away, Keith!
If you’ve been to a convention or paid any attention to the hobby in the last decade, you’re probably familiar with Adrian Drake. Whether you call him The Drake, The Prize Sniper or Johnny Old-Guard, just don’t call him late to the building party. The Drake’s website BrickFrenzy was one of the first LEGO sites I encountered in the year 2000 when I began searching the internet for LEGO.
Although his high water mark was undeniably “Badger Badger Badger Badger”, The Drake has put his stamp on just about every theme in the book and inspired a generation of builders.
I sat down with The Drake in the Louisiana Superdome, the largest dome stadium in North America and the only domed structure large enough to contain our collective MOCs, fans, and egos. We talked about who’s was bigger, old Trek vs. new Trek, and LEGO.
The Build
Keith Goldman: You are the creator of the Tribunal, the largest science fiction SHIP on record. What are its official measurements and how do you react to the persistent charges that it closely resembled a giant tampon?
Adrian Drake: The Tribunal is 487 studs long, which is 12 feet, 8 inches, and roughly 20 inches in diameter. All told it weighs around 118 pounds. I’ve estimated it to be about 40,000 pieces. As for its tampon-ness, I just have to accept it and laugh it off. It’s not like I can say that it doesn’t! But that’s how the source material was, so that’s how it is.
You might wonder why I didn’t make it a bit longer and break the 500 stud barrier. To be honest I had no idea how long it was going to be until it was done. I based the entire scale of the model off the size of the 4×4 quarter domes that make up the fuel tanks, to scale to the source artwork I used. By the time I knew the length it was too late to rebuild something to add even 13 studs without it looking tacked on.
More of Keith’s interview with Adrian after the jump: Continue reading
Neo Futuron?
Yes please. I really like the shape of this new ship by Ed Diment (Lego Monster). I’m often a fan of forward swept wings, so that’s a plus there. The chunkiness of the nose is also pleasing, and seems to be in keeping with the general aesthetic of the old Futuron sets. The addition of a ground crew shows an extra dedication to the build that’s nice to see.
Will this be the first in a long string of creations? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Get to the Chopper!
T.Oechsner still has the Neo Classic Space bug, and now he’s spread the theme to a motorcycle. He’s captured the look perfectly. He’s used old school bubble shaped tires, managed to create a frame over fender look. He’s also managed to get the right chunky and functional look common to that theme. Also, the red just looks sharp.
In the meantime, I built a far less impressive rocketbike. I guess bike fever has different effects on different people.
Cobra!
Ok, so maybe this creation has nothing to do with the villains from GI Joe, but I still want to shout “Cobra!” when I see it.
This fantastic rendition of an automotive classic was posted on Flickr by _lichtblau_. He’s really captured the look of the racing icon. In fact, when I saw the thumbnail image on Flickr, I thought this was a die cast model. I never build copies of other people’s models, but I’m seriously tempted to do so with this.
Prohibition makes a comeback
There’s just so much to love in this prohibition era building by Kris Kelvin. I especially like the bars over the ground floor windows, the garage doors, the design of that sedan and the brickwork. So yeah, pretty much everything about it.
The garage even flips open to reveal interior details.
My massive man-crush on Polish builders continues.
Fort Royal by PigletCiamek
Another great large creation by PigletCiamek. I especially love the way he complemented the printed wall pieces by brick building other variations on peeling plaster, creating a more natural decay look throughout the fort. Beyond that, there’s all kinds of great architectural and playable features.
See more pictures of Fort Royal on Piglet’s Brickshelf.
Miniland Alice in Wonderland characters by Tommy Williamson
One of the cool things about the LEGO hobby is that it brings together people from various backgrounds and professions.
Tommy Williamson (GeekyTom) works for CafeFX as an effects artist, and supervised the 3D-ification of Alice in Wonderland. Naturally, Tommy built some of the characters from the movie to commemorate its release:
Johnny Depp makes a perfect Mad Hatter, and Tommy’s miniland version is perfect as well.
25% off 8086 Droid Tri-Fighter on Amazon
One of the best Star Wars sets to hit shelves in 2010 is the
8086 Droid Tri-Fighter
I don’t know how long the sale will last; it could end any moment as with sales from Amazon. It is unlikely that you’ll be able to find this set at 25% off or more in the future. LEGO Star Wars sets rarely make it to clearance before they’re sold out or out of production.
Good doggy
Arkov continues his series of Orange Box
Why yes, it is Miniland scale.
LEGO Fad Masher generates mashup inspiration
The Brothers Brick Contributor Emeritus Linus Bohman has launched Swooshable, a “breeding ground for quirky, fun and usable LEGO apps and projects.”
The first app, Fad Masher, juxtaposes two LEGO fads and asks you what the result might look like.
Create your own LEGO mashups with the Fad Masher.
TT Games extends LEGO video games deal through 2016 [News]
Warner Brothers has announced that LEGO video game developer TT Games (whose website seems to be down at the moment) will continue creating brick-based games through 2016.
Here’s the full press release:
BURBANK, Calif.–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–LEGO Systems and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (WBHEG) announced today a worldwide license agreement for TT Games Publishing to continue developing the highly successful LEGO videogames across multiple platforms.
Operating as part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of WBHEG, TT Games is the publisher and developer behind the award winning hit LEGO videogame franchises including, LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Batman: The Videogame and LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, which have sold close to 50 million units worldwide.
“The LEGO Group is a brilliant and trusted organization with an extremely loyal fan base,” said Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. “We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to continue the successful partnership between this legendary company and the talented TT Games, which will enable us to further expand our slate of widely recognized, family-friendly games.”
“One of the things that sets the LEGO brand apart is that it allows kids to express their creativity, and the games we develop with TT Games are not just great fun but also inspire kids to play with their LEGO bricks, exploring our different play themes more deeply,” said Henrik Taudorf Lorensen, vice president of LEGO Digital. “We are very excited to continue to work with TT Games because they take a distinctive approach to making games creative, social and non-violent, which makes them a valuable part of the broader LEGO experience.”
“We look forward to carrying on our excellent collaboration with the LEGO Group in building extraordinary LEGO videogame franchises, with both Warner Bros. and third party IP, that continue to resonate with consumers,” said Tom Stone, managing director of TT Games Publishing. “There is a tremendous future for LEGO games, and we are looking forward to working with all of our partners over the coming years.”
TT Games, which was formed in 2005 with the merger of the developer Traveller’s Tales and publisher Giant Interactive Entertainment, continues to manage their existing relationships with other publishers. The next title from TT Games and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will be LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 in 2010.