The builder known as M_O_N_K_E_Y on flickr has been busy posting some fantastic creations. I was especially drawn to this orange mecha. I consider orange to be a bit of a difficult color to work with, in part because of a smaller part variety in the color, and it is well managed in this creation.
I like the look of the large, smooth cowlings accenting the spindly technical bits. It’s believable to me for a real world robot.
I’d apologize for the amount of pictures in this post, but I’m not going to. I’m afraid that Jamie might just create a figure to come after me in my sleep. I’m compelled to post all that are available.
And let’s face it: these are AWESOME.
Jamie has started his annual Halloween advent, and the results are frighteningly spectacular, as expected. I do hope you continue to watch for his daily installments. They’ll get you in the proper Halloween mood.
As announced at BrickCon this past weekend, registration is now open for next year’s Bricks by the Bay convention, March 16-18, 2012.
Here’s the full announcement:
For the serious LEGO® builder we again will offer a LEGO fan convention! The event will be held Friday-Sunday, March 16-18. Benefits of attending the convention include:
- Custom engraved name badge made out of LEGO bricks
- Access to speeches, presentations, and discussion sessions
- Show your models in the Grand Ballroom for convention attendees and the public
- Become a vendor (additional fee applies) to sell LEGO and related products at the convention and public show
- Exclusive discounts at the LEGO store (TBD)
- Chance to receive free LEGO sets in Prize drawings and contests
The event theme this year is “Green.” It is inspired by the fact that St. Patrick’s Day takes place that weekend, but we’re not limiting it to that: any creative use of the color green, subjects relating to the environment, and of course Ireland or St. Patrick’s Day themed models are suitable. In 2010 our theme was “The Brick Artistic” and in 2011 it was “Creative Combinations.”
If you’re interested in attending the whole convention, read all about the Convention, Hotel, Registration, and Schedule, along with more information about the weekend’s
events.Not sure if you want to come to the convention or just the public day? Read our FAQ to find out more.
Check out the Bricks by the Bay website for complete details on how to register. And don’t miss coverage of last year’s BBtB on The Living Brick.
A while back, we asked The Brothers Brick fans on Facebook whether they wanted to see links to TBB posts on their Facebook walls. The overwhelming majority said yes, so for all of you out there on Facebook, you’ll start getting TBB updates right from inside your second-favorite website! :-P
And for all of you out there who don’t want to filter past my own Tweets, which frequently contain hashtags like #poetry and #archeology, to get to the ones with #LEGO in them, TBB now has its own Twitter feed, @BrothersBrick.
LEGO Twitter bird by Fredoichi
(Everything seems to be working great with Twitter, but there appears to be a bit of a delay between here and Facebook. We’ll give it another try tomorrow…)
The LEGO Cuusoo website has been enabling Japanese LEGO fans to submit their ideas (cuusoo means “imagination” or “wish” in Japanese) and have them voted on and maybe turned into an official LEGO set. The site is now also open in English as a Beta.
For those who want to jump to the case, the link to register is here. You no longer need an invite, and are free to go and submit and vote for models. I’ve even submitted one myself. What will you make?
Here’s the press release:
Turn your model wishes into reality with LEGO® CUUSOO
LEGO consumers can now give their great ideas directly to the LEGO Group using the LEGO CUUSOO website. Ideas that collect 10,000 supporters could be selected to become part of the toy manufacturers’ product line
BILLUND, Denmark – The LEGO Group announced today that LEGO® CUUSOO, its new international web-based open innovation and crowd sourcing platform, is now available in open beta.LEGO CUUSOO is an idea collection system that asks the Danish toy manufacturers’ consumers to submit and vote for their favourite ideas for new LEGO products. It can be found at http://lego.cuusoo.com
Ideas that are supported by 10,000 votes have a chance of being selected to become part of the LEGO Group’s product portfolio and sold in LEGO Brand retail stores and the LEGO online shop. Consumers who have their ideas chosen will earn 1% of the total net sales of the product
CUUSOO, which means ‘imagination’ or sometimes ‘wish’ in Japanese, has been developed with CUUSOO SYSTEM, a subsidiary of Japan-based Elephant Design that has worked with open innovation and crowd sourcing for more than 10 years.
The LEGO Group has worked with CUUSOO since 2008 on a Japanese site that has attracted hundreds of ideas and seen thousands of votes cast by a 20,000-strong community. Now the time has come to test the concept internationally.
The first Japanese product, the Shinkai 6500 submersible, went on sale in Japan in February 2011. The next Japanese LEGO CUUSOO model will be the Hayabusa unmanned spacecraft launched in the first quarter of next year. “Our fans and consumers have proved time after time that they have great ideas that can lead to products,” said Paal Smith-Meyer, head of the LEGO New Business Group.
“We have worked with our consumers in the past and continue to do so, for example in the LEGO Architecture series, which we developed with an architect and LEGO fan. LEGO CUUSOO is an attempt to gather more great ideas while streamlining the way we innovate and become inspired.”
“We see this as an investment in the future rather than for immediate sales gain. We are moving from a local Japanese pilot to see if the model is sustainable. We were pleased with the initial results, but we need to see how it will perform on a global platform with global distribution,” he added.
The third annual Creations for Charity fundraiser has just begun. This is an opportunity for builders to donate custom Lego creations and raise money to buy Lego for underprivileged children during the holidays. In addition, it’s a chance for buyers to own an original Lego creation. MOC donations are currently being accepted until November 15, and the store will open from October 15 to November 30.
You can visit Creation for Charity’s new website for details and other exciting changes this year. Once again, I look forward to the generosity and enthusiasm of the Lego community to share our hobby with many children this holiday season.
Here’s a look at last year’s results and the amount of Lego that was donated.
It’s been way too long since Mladen Pejic posted a new mecha but he tells me he hopes it’ll be less time until his next one. In the meantime we have his latest Mobile Platform “Orca” to ogle, and, given many readers may not be aware of Mladen’s stuff his mecha back catalogue and all the rest.
