Monthly Archives: May 2011

1913 Cadillac revisited

The 390 1913 Cadillac set was released in 1975, and may have been one of the sets my dad bought himself that got me into LEGO a couple of years later (I’ve always had several of those big red wheels in my collection of unknown provenance).

Luka (kost u grlu) puts a modern, minifig-scale spin on this old classic.

1913 Cadillac

What I like most about this model is that Luka incorporated smaller versions of the old-style red wheels into his remake. The three-wide cab is quite cool, too.

Open/shut/open/shut

Not only does Ralph Savelsberg (Mad physicist) make nice looking LEGO models (in this case a tiller truck) he likes to go that extra km and add features. In this case a bunch of opening doors and working ladder. For the big kid in every AFOL.

Tiller truck (3)

Space repair part II

Combat Repair Ship - 'Mad Hatter'

Recently Soren Roberts ([Soren]) made a comment on the Goliath alluding to having something similar in the works. Well it’s not quite a docking cradle but it is a combat repair ship so serves a similar role. I’m a sucker for arms on ships but I’ll quote Kyle Vrieze to describe what I really like: ‘You somehow space the components and segments by precisely the right gap to make best use of the negative space’. Indeed.

Edulyoung’s Pegasus automaton soars on alabaster wings

This pegasus sculpture by Edulyoung is beautiful enough to highlight here, but the Technic pedestal reveals there’s more to this flying LEGO horse than pretty white bricks.

LEGO pegasus automaton

This video of the pegasus in motion quite literally took my breath away.

Via Legobloggen.

Free shipping, HP Hogwarts pre-order, Cars 2, Alien Conquest, and more [News]

The last few days have brought enough LEGO Shop news that I’m having a hard time keeping up, starting with 10218 Pet Shop last week and free shipping on orders of $75 or more from today through the end of May.

The new, smaller 4867 Hogwartsicon is now available for pre-order (out on June 1), with seven minifigs.

iconicon

Continuing with licensed themes, the SYSTEM-scale Cars 2icon sets are out, and apparently include a fair number of interesting parts and colors.

iconicon

Finally, the full complement of non-licensed summer sets are also out, including the new Alien Conquesticon space theme, which has a wonderful Vic Viper tribute to nnenn.

iconicon

LEGO Castle fans are rejoicing (myself included) over the release of the latest Kingdomsicon sets, which have new goats and chickens alongside printed pigs and horses.

iconicon

Four fair lasses on a pirate’s bed, but yo-ho-ho it’s The Brothers Brick for me!

Capt. Thomas Foolery lives up to his name with this amusing scene, in which several ladies of questionable character try to lure a pirate away from his online pursuits.

"Come back to bed, Cap'n!"

Ladies: “Come back to bed, Cap’n!”
Pirate: “As soon as I finish reading the Brothers Brick and posting to Eurobricks.”

Yarrr! A wise choice indeed, matey!

Alien Conquest 7066 Earth Defense HQ includes Vic Viper tribute to nnenn

It was just brought to my attention that 7066 Earth Defense HQicon contains a tribute to nnenn. The decal on the Vic Viper ship is the brilliant idea of Mark Stafford who designed the set. This by itself is enough cause for me to own a copy of the set.

Photo by polywen

Goliath docking cradle

If anyone can make red and yellow look so good in a space MOC, then that builder is probably Mike Yoder. Mike’s latest addition to his North Central Positronics theme is a microscale docking station. The fact that it was completed in less than a week is as impressive as the build itself.

1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen by vmln8r

Continuing our theme of German automobiles, Vimal Patel (vmln8r) takes us back to the 19th century with his Benz Patent-Motorwagen from 1886 — an entry for both the April LEGO Technic Challenge and the LUGNuts Autos aus Deutschland challenge.

1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen

Vimal’s car is remote-controlled, with working gears, chains, pistons, flywheels and differentials.

Pillaging the mind of a builder: Gerard Joosten

Gerard Joosten (aka Elephant Knight) just posted his latest in a line of large, detailed sailing ships. Christened The Lynx, it is a beautiful example of a minifig scale Clipper Schooner.

Gerard agreed to sit down with me and answer some questions about the ship and how he builds.

TBB: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, Gerard. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself. How long have you been into Lego and what themes do you build in?

GJ: I have been into Lego since just before my fourth birthday, when I got 1464 Pirate Lookout. I have never been into a dark age, and my older brother said I’m the biggest AFOL in my family of 7 kids. I mostly build in Pirates and Space, with Castle a bit behind those. Though I dabble in almost anything, except for Steampunk.

TBB: You have two older brothers who are adult Lego fans. Do you feel that their influence and your early exposure to the online Lego fan community has had an impact on your builds?

GJ: They certainly had an influence. Dan built a ship in 2008, a bit before the pirates line came out, that really opened up my love for Pirates. Dan has also pushed me into doing more realistic stuff.

TBB: So why no Steampunk?

GJ: I am just not a fan of steampunk. I think the idea of spaceships and mechs powered by steam to be silly.

TBB: Fair enough. You said you’ve been into Lego since you were four. So how many years have you been into Lego now?

GJ: 15 years and it doesn’t look like I am going to slow down at all.

TBB: So is Pirate your favourite theme?

GJ: Pirates and Space are always competing for first, but I think Pirates has a bit of an edge, simply because I build better sailing ships then spaceships.

TBB: You are becoming well-known for your large, detailed ships. How is this one different from your previous builds?

GJ: Well, this is my second time using reference material, and my first time basing it on a real ship. Also, this is the first time I have built a ship in minifig scale, and used proper cloth (As opposed to paper) for the sails.

TBB: Did using reference material make this build more difficult?

GJ: Somewhat. Using reference material meant I couldn’t be as loose as I normally would be. The hull especially took a lot longer since I had to match it up with something.

TBB: Is this your biggest ship so far?

GJ: It isn’t my longest, but I think it might be the tallest. The HMS Brunswick was 124 studs long, but a bit heftier. But the Lynx is wider and that has to count for something. I would have to say this isn’t quite my biggest, but it is close.

TBB: What was the most difficult part of this build?

GJ: I dunno. I think making the sails, since my scissors sucked. Can’t really say if any part of the actual build was harder then the rest.

TBB: What part of this ship turned out exactly how you envisioned it?

GJ: The angle of the masts. I got the idea how to do it, and it worked perfectly.

TBB: They do look really good. One thing that stands out on your ships is the custom sails and rigging. What do you use to make them? How much string went into the rigging on the Lynx?

GJ: In this case, I used cloth that I bought at Walmart. I usually use paper, but since the sails on this were larger then your regular sheet of paper, and since I wanted to raise the bar for myself a bit higher, I went with cloth. As for how much string, I don’t know at this point. By the time I dismantle this, I’ll know.

TBB: Are you going to start using cloth on all of your future ships?

GJ: I already converted one of my old ships to cloth sails, so I think it looks like it could happen, though paper is cheaper, and I am a bit of a mizer.

TBB: Where do you get inspiration for your ships?

GJ: Generally I just feel like building a ship, and I build one. In the Lynx’s case, Caylin challenged me to build a minifig scale tall ship, so that’s what I did.

TBB: As far as I can tell, your rigging is very accurate. How important is historical accuracy to you?

GJ: It is important whenever I feel like being historically accurate, which is happening more and more often these days. And since this ship was based on an actual ship, it was pretty obvious that I would have to make the rigging accurate.

TBB: Is there anything you want to mention that I haven’t asked about?

GJ: Whenever I build a sailing ship, I like to compare it to my first sailing ship I got, 6250 Cross Bone Clipper. In this case, there isn’t even a comparison.

TBB: I have to agree! Thanks for taking the time with us.

GJ: No problem!

Porsche 935/78 “Moby Dick” by Malte Dorowski

This Porsche 935 by Malte Dorowski has great curved striping I haven’t seen attempted before with such precision.

LEGO Porsche 935/78 Moby Dick

The Porsche 935/78 had a long tail to reduce drag, and was painted white, earning it the nickname “Moby Dick.” Malte’s version includes a detailed interior and looks great alongside his 911:

LEGO Porsche 911 and 935

Thanks to Henrik Hoexbroe for the tip!

Tranquility Base biodome + Stay Puft Marshmallow Man rampage

Rod Gillies (2 Much Caffeine) is on a microscale roll, with his lovely Neverland a couple weeks ago, and continuing with this amazing geodesic dome:

Tranquility Biodome

Taking his microscale building in a completely different direction, Rod has also posted the iconic climax of Ghostbusters using parts from a Series 4 Collectible Minifig sailor:

55 Central Park West