It’s not unusual to see a Bram sphere atop a steampunk hot air balloon, but I love the stripes on this one by Thomas Oechsner. The boiler is also lovely, with a photo backdrop that adds a great deal to the presentation.
Monthly Archives: July 2010
Despicable Me minion by Alex Eylar
Alex Eylar (Profound Whatever) has been on a building tear lately, posting more LEGO creations than we can keep up with. One of my favorites so far is also one of the simplest — a minion from the upcoming movie Despicable Me.
As much as I love the minions — and Alex’s LEGO rendition of one — I’m less interested in seeing the movie, especially after seeing the full trailer before Toy Story 3. Bungling supervillains fighting each other? Yes. Three adorable girls who bring the goodness out in a supervillain, who actually has a heart of gold? No.
Obscure but beloved Futurama quote to establish blogger’s geek cred
Like NBC executives, Fox executives are morons. Everyone knows that. Thankfully, Comedy Central knows what it’s doing, which means we all get to enjoy Futurama again.
Everyone also knows that no pop culture phenomenon would be complete without CubeDudes. Thankfully, Andrew Lee is there to fill the gap.
Sweet zombie Jesus indeed, The Living Brick.
The Anglo-Saxon pit-house was a big step backward from the Roman villa
I just finished reading Peter Heather’s excellent The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians.
So, does this diorama by Harry Russell (Karrde) featuring an Anglo-Saxon pit-house fall under ApocaLEGO?
Nah. But I’ll use any excuse to blog an archaeologically inclined LEGO model.
(Hat-tip to Legobloggen for helping me to catch up after a busy, busy month.)
Micro Timesaver train switching puzzle
Please protect me
The construction and presentation of this hornet battle bug arrangement by Lino Martins called Protector of the Great Queen is pretty fearsome. Lino keeps rewarding the viewer with fun techniques hidden in the foliage like Jar Jar heads as the base of a plant.
Neuschwanstein by Bob Carney
As shown at this year’s Brickworld, Bob Carney‘s Neuschwanstein does not disappoint. This castle is massive and simply gorgeous. It really captures the grandeur that King Ludwig was going for, though I’m certain without the whole “bankrupt my country” thing. Bad idea, that.
Anyway, fantastic castle. Mr. Carney has plenty of work-in-progress pictures on his site, as well as some photos of the real castle and a bit of history. Check it out!
Chicago Vic Viper fly-in remembers nnenn – fly-ins coming to DC and Seattle [News]
To commemorate the passing in April of Nate “nnenn” Nielson, each of the three LEGO conventions over the summer and fall are hosting Vic Viper fly-ins. Keith Goldman gives us a glimpse into the Chicago fly-in earlier this month.
Two weeks ago in Chicago, I had the pleasure of organizing the first Vic Viper fly-in, in honor of our departed friend and fellow builder Nate “nnenn” Nielson.
72 Vipers from 66 builders joined the missing-man formation from a total of 7 countries: Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, U.K. and the USA. We kept the center of the layout open in the tradition of missing man formations, with nnenn’s rubber-band holder avatar as a placeholder. The public was drawn in by the amazing Vipers, and more often than not stayed for the story behind it.
Thanks again to all the participants that made the formation an outstanding tribute to Nate. Special thanks to Ley Ward for his time and patience, and skill with the dozen or so Vipers that arrived with “some assembly required”. For a detailed list of participants, please follow the link to my Flickr-posting and check the notes.
The formation was a moving experience for many of the builders involved, and we’d all like to express our condolences again to the Nielson family. Nnenn was missed in Chicago and will clearly be missed around the planet.
Both of the upcoming LEGO conventions, BrickFair in August and BrickCon in October, will also be hosting missing man formations to honor Nate. If you would like to participate in either of these formations, you can contact Dan Rubin (for BrickFair) and Andrew Becraft (for BrickCon).
Hail to the chief! LEGO Architecture White House now available [News]
Just in time for Independence Day here in the United States, 21006 White House has been added to the LEGO Shop’s Architecture line.
Designer Adam Reed Tucker also has an exhibition at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC from July 3, 2010 through September 5, 2011.
God save the Queen.
Last month‘s challenge over at Lugnuts has, as always, yielded some amazing builds. Peter Blackert‘s Austin FX4 London Black Cab caught my eye in particular. I’ll be right honest — I thought it was a hearse. Seeing it’s something different doesn’t phase me in the least, though. I won’t deny the sleek styling and fantastic lines!
A new and improved motorized tank
We never blogged the first version of Zackhariah Macasaet‘s motorized M1A2 Abrams Tank, so it’s a good thing he posted a better version. This is one sturdy war machine that can handle a variety of obstacles including crossing large gaps, climbing a mound of nails, and even stand from being dropped! Watch the video and see it in action.
Welcome to old town
Karwik (Noddy) made a nice setup of an old and run-down part of some city. Using the basic studs-up technique with varied colored plates and 1X1 rounds, he is able to achieve a believable texture on the walls. The dark blue also works surprisingly well.
