Monthly Archives: August 2013

“All too easy...”

I like to think of MOCpages as a sort of condemned public housing block, cut off from the rest of the world and occupied by squatters. Indeed, all that seems to remain are roaming packs of feral youths and an intrepid band of hold-outs who have barricaded themselves in the basement with a stockpile of food and ammunition. I’m not talking about the builders who retain a sort of dual-citizenship on both MOCpages and Flickr; I’m talking about the hardcore…the loyalists. The MOCpage building still has power, mind you, but there are frequent blackouts and a general breakdown of services and over-watch. While such an environment is far from ideal, there is action to be found there and nowhere else. Case in point is this gem of a diorama depicting a famous scene from the last great Star Wars movie, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back. I’m not typically one to prattle on about the details, I figure you can make them out without my help, but the technique Markus 1984 uses for the center of the floor is brilliant.

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Helicarriers Assemble!

Let’s climb in the way-back machine, constant reader and check out this microscale Avengers Helicarrier from June of last year. The builder is TBB regular Jack Marquez Ewok in Disguise, who brings his typical style and skill to the rather unlikely vehicle.

Helicarrier_left

A more recent take on the Helicarrier come from MOCpages resident Sariel, who adds light, motion and out of scale minifigs to the creative mix. Nick Fury would no doubt be pleased…if he is ever pleased.

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Bandits at 8 o’clock!

Air Marshal Jon Hall (Jon Hall18) remains ever vigilant to keep the skies of your home prefecture clear of enemy warbirds. The A-37B Marauder is the latest weapon in the never ending war against Eurasia or is it East Asia?…I always forget. For you purists in the audience giving that camouflage the disapproving skunk-eye, you can rest easy, the builder claims the effect was achieved by cutting up only the most official decals available from our Danish overlords.

A-37B Marauder

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Talking Heads

I laughed until my prodigious gut hurt when I laid eyes on the latest model by TBB fixture Iain Heath (Ochre Jelly). I didn’t need to read the text to immediately recognize everyone’s favorite cherubic interviewers Joshua and Matthew from Beyond the Brick TV; the likeness is uncanny and even more proof of Iain’s genius. Iain is the subject of Episode 78 of the long running series and as usual, the interview does not disappoint. Look at those faces!…I can almost hear the uncomfortable pauses and softly murmured “yeah…cool…” at the end of segments.

Beyond The Brick

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Hughes Little Bird

In keeping with the military theme of Keith’s FNF I’d be remiss not to pass along Piotr Ślęzak’s (pitrek02) Hughes MH-6 Little Bird. A very nice rendition of a very difficult ‘bird’ to render in LEGO.

Hughes MH-6 Little Bird

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Do you speak Klingon?

TBB rookies Jon and Catherine Stead (The Steads) have de-cloaked from some far flung corner of the galaxy with a trio of UCS-style models from the Star Trek franchise. My favorite of the group is this delightful Vor’Char Class Klingon Bird of Prey, the lines are perfect and so is the choice of scale. I hope the couple expands their project to other ships from the various series; they clearly have an eye for it.

Vor'Char Class Klingon Bird of Prey - 3

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Friday Night Fights (Round 15)

Welcome back fight fans, to Sin City Nevada for another no holds barred edition of Friday Night Fights! Tonight’s bout is a struggle of military logistics featuring two young-guns of the hobby. Let’s go to the tale of the tape:

Fighting out of the red corner, from the great State of New York…Nathan (Ɲ.) and his Cowboy Beboats.

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And fighting out of the blue corner, from Knuckleville Tennessee…Chris the Ironsniper and his Military Transport Unimog.

Military Transport Unimog

As usual, constant reader, you are tasked with deciding the outcome of this pugilistic endeavor by way of comment. On the last edition of Friday Night Fights, the so-called Mosaic Massacre, Tommy Williamson a.k.a. The Lompoc Lightning-bolt knocked out his opponent 5-1. Tune in next week for more action!

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“Just got paid, Friday night.”

If you’re not gone already, make your escape from the salt-mine and blow off some steam tonight. If you can’t afford to live the high-life, then your friends on the other side of the tracks are always ready to set things off. If you are headed in that direction, why not stop at Filip Gabryel’s Gabry$ billiard hall for an adult beverage and a rack or two. As the builder says “Focus man, focus on the spheres“…

Billard

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HispaBrick Magazine 017 out now [News]

The 17th issue of HispaBrick Magazine is out. As always, there’s lots of great content that covers both the thematic and international diversity of the Lego fan community, and download is free. Here’s a glimpse of what’s in the latest issue:

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LEGO 21103 BttF DeLorean now shipping

The LEGO and Back to the Future DeLorean set (21103) (reviewed here) is now shipping (at least in the US). So if you’re keen on this set and haven’t already noticed you can help us help you and buy it.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Antares orbital patrol ship by Simone

I love believable sci-fi spaceships. With its comm arrays and seemingly modular sections connected by an open framework, this small ship by Simone (Wiseman_Lego) has all the hallmarks of something that could be patrolling the Oort Cloud perimeter in 2153.

Antares Orbital Patrol Ship

Also note the classic “greeble sandwich” approach that balances smooth hull shapes with technical details poking out from in between.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

BrickFair Virginia 2013 this coming weekend

BrickCon may be the US convention that TBB is most closely affiliated with, but another big one is about to take place the coming weekend: BrickFair Virginia.

Brickfair logo

There are about a thousand builders registered, including a fair few people whose models you’ll have seen featured on this blog. Nannan had a great time there back in 2011 and BrickFair Va 2011 was the first US LEGO convention I attended. I had a blast. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it last year (or to any of the other US LEGO conventions so far), but I am back in Virginia for this year’s event. Dan will also be there. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing the models and to meeting their builders.

The convention takes place at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly Va (near Washington DC) and is open to the public on Saturday the 3rd and Sunday the 4th of August from 11am to 4pm. Online ticket sales end today. You can buy tickets at the venue, however, for the same price, but will probably have to wait in line for a while. If you are in the area, it will be a fantastic day out.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.