Remember the Brickmania track links kickstarter project? It reached its funding goal and the first models that use these tracks are now appearing online.
These fine examples, an M4 Sherman and two different versions of the Stuart light tank, were built by LegoUli. These already were some of the best examples of minifig-scale US WW2 tanks out there and built in old dark grey to boot. This is a difficult colour to use, because all kinds of handy parts builders have become used to, such as cheese slopes, were never made in this particular shade. It is probably the closest match to the colour of the real vehicles, though. The old track shoes were a bit narrow, but thanks to the new track links, this has now been rectified.
I was going to rant here, but I’ll be nicer and keep it short.
1, I hope lego sues Brickmania for copyright infringement or what ever so people flooding the community with knockoff crap go away.
2, MOCing is about working within the confines of lego to get as best or close as possible. If someone wants historical/aesthetic accuracy…go build a G******ed model kit and paint it.
3, these are really nice MOCs despite the lack of purism.
These models look great with the tracklinks!
I don’t understand why you seem so angry Dave, I respect that you’re a purist, but there’s nothing wrong with 3rd party accessories. They help enhance and fill a niche that lego will never address. Also it allows more depth to what can be created in a lego medium.
I’m quite certain that LEGO has known about my projects for quite some time. If they are so unhappy with people like me “flooding the community with knockoff crap” they wouldn’t have licensed one of my kits for official production. And I’m not just a fan of Brickmania’s products, I’m the owner of the company and a 39-year veteran FOL.
Dave: Take your religious fundamentalism elsewhere.
All: I’ll have a full review of the Tracklinks up here on TBB shortly.
In my personal models I’m about as purist as they come. But no one is out there handing down rules for the hobby, aside from those each of us make for ourselves. If someone else uses a technique you wouldn’t use, get over it and enjoy the next model.
I understand Dave’s concern for purity, but what one builds with is one’s own choice, after all. Brickmania, and others, are clearly meeting a market demand that (for whatever reason), LEGO is not fulfilling itself, and their contributions to the development of the broad hobby should be acknowledged, even if not all FOLs choose to use them.
It may be, of course, that the presence of these track elements prompts LEGO to produce some of their own. After all, it seems that official LEGO products sometimes follow widely accepted parts from other people (train locomotive wheels, Star Wars guns and pigs for example).
Dave – Why would you let a corporation tell you how to play?
I’ve been offline ever since I wrote this post, but see it has stirred up some some controversy. I very much agree that what each of us does with our LEGO elements and whether or not we use third-party accessories is our own choice. I tend to not use 3rd party elements myself, but I’m not going to berate anybody for using them or Dan for making them. I think the models are great and the tracks suit them.
But doesn’t the Brick Bible say that yea who use non-LEGO crap be destined to burn in the melting pots of ABS hell? ;) Seriously cool builds, and the tracks are actually quite nice. Kudos on getting them into production.
I’m not going to silence or change my opinion just cause someone likes it, that’s all it is, an opinion. I went to Bricks By The Bay last year for the first time, and I was pretty miffed at how alot of the vendors, almost all the big main ones were selling custom knock off crap. “OH heck yeah a store that sells just capes I need capes! Oh, these are all custom made capes, well do you have any actual minifig capes from real sets? No, okay thanks” *walks off” Then I think one of these “OMG We gotta have military realism for our minifigs or we will surely die” was suckin up a huge amount of floor space, meaning there wasn’t as much space for vendors selling, you actual lego, the reason we go to those kinds of things. The vendors actually selling lego were all shoved into the corners of the main floor or weren’t even there. There was a dude selling bulk lego out in the lobby and that’s where I ended up spening most of my time.
Then there’s the fact that MOCs with all this junk flood the “airwaves” so to speak. Its filler, 70% lean beef instead of 100&, the cheap 89 cent mystery meat hotdogs instead of the all beef ones. It just really lessens the meaning of it all because the spirit of good MOCing is to find ingenious designs within the parts we’ve got. MOCing is this beautiful synergy of Sculpture and poetry, we’ve got this vocabulary in a way and yet we’re creating 3 dimensional sculptures, dioramas, all sorts of things and when we can do these things within the confines of the system it makes them 100 times more meaningful than when you’ve got to go outside of that. That’s the beauty of purism Its solving a puzzle in a way, its just a puzzle you happen to create. “There’s nothing wrong with 3rd party accessories?” I disagree, I think it completely negates the beauty of what we do.
You guys keep flooding the market and the community with your third party crap, I’m going to keep building things like http://flic.kr/p/fABa51 and it will always mean more than anything you do because I didn’t have to invent my own solution, I was resourceful and creative enough to not have to. I guess some people aren’t as creative as others. *shrugs*
Sorry, I don’t consider Bionicle “real LEGO.” ;)
Oh one last thing. Did anyone ever stop and think that maybe there’s a good reason lego doesn’t make these kinds of things? They don’t want to promote real world war. When its iron man, or DC or Marvel or what ever, that’s fine, that’s fictional. But they’re not gonna just up and say “hey kids, you know there was this cooky German fellow by the name of Adolf Hitler, who came to power legitimately, but then decided to take over the country, and started invading other countries, which was very mean of him. He was so mean he just started killing people just because of their nationality, sexuality or race. There was a great war and about 60 million people died because of it, but we hope that doesn’t bum you out or stifle your creativity, have fun reenacting battle scenes.” I wonder which of you sick fucks would line up to be the first to get the Gas chamber set. It’ll even come with a few emaciated jew minifigs which will be a whole new mold. Don’t talk to me about the needs lego for some strange and peculiar reason isn’t meeting. Gee I wonder why lego hasn’t bothered making real world war II era Minifig compatible guns or better tank tracks so that kids can accurately recreate that panzer tank they’ve been yerning for. You people are disgusting and FUCKING ignorant.
I don’t care if this comment gets me kicked off, this needed to be said.
Which one here is pathologically obsessed with purity again? Keep it up, Dave — you’re a shining testament to Bionicle builders and purists everywhere. Why would we ban you when you’re doing such a stellar job showing just how unbalanced your viewpoint is all by yourself?
Oh, one last thing. Yes, Dave has broken the Terms of Service all over the place with his foul, abusive rant. But before we do ban him, a bit of public ridicule is probably more effective.
I know the language I used was out of line. If you want to ban me I accept that. I understand it would be the consequences of my choice to speak my mind on this matter. I hold no ill will if that’s what you as a moderator have to do. That being said I know I crossed the line it won’t happen again. For what it’s worth, I sat here thinking real long and hard about whether I should have hit send before I did.
Dave, I don’t think anybody particularly minds that you don’t like 3rd party accessories and none of us expect you to change your opinion, but who are you to tell other people what to build and how to build their models? I know about Godwin’s law, but getting from 3rd party track links for a Lego tank to Hitler in one or two posts has got to be some sort of record. Equating people who build military models with fans of Adolf Hitler? Seriously?! Go crawl back under the rock you came from.
But Dave, the tanks in the picture were used to DEFEAT fascism. Maybe it’s YOU that needs a history lesson?
I know what Happened Dan, WWII was probably my best area in history back in school. I’ve seen plenty of documentaries. I know what happened. But is that what you want to bring into lego and depict with Minifigs, death, suffering, fascism, and real war? If so then you’re a sick ignorant human being. If you had ANY idea what actually happened to those people you wouldn’t be celebrating it with little guns for minifigs. So when are you going to depict the other side of the coin? When you gonna make the Panzer tank, where’s the swastika sticker packs and the sad little jew and angry little German Minifigs? Where can I get my Focke wulf 190 or a Messerschmit so that we can pretend to bomb the crap out of London? I know nothings going to stop, so you all just keep glorifying real war like its no big deal. Like I said, you people disgust me.
Dan, great builds as always. Keep doing what your doing… Who knows, maybe Lego will catch up someday. Ralph. I just followed your link to Godwins law. Wow, that law is a reality that I encounter constantly in my job. Now I know the name for it. Thanks! Dave.. Your hair is on fire! Quick, go soak your head!
Michael, those builds are Uli’s, not mine. But yes they are pretty cool!
I think the sad irony here is that Dave and I share a perspective on the appropriateness of realistic warfare in official LEGO sets. But I don’t go around calling my LEGO building compatriots “sick,” and I honor the memory of those who fought to defend their countries from fascism with my own LEGO models (as my most recent post and many previous builds prove).
All previous kidding aside, I think we’re done with your abusive rants, Dave. One more like it and I’m getting out the Banhammer.
Dave, your comments about fascism and war are just typical internet trolling, so I’m not going to waste my time responding to your willful ignorance.
Your comments about the nature of the hobby and LEGO as an art medium are a bit more interesting. You’re a good builder, and I’ve even blogged some of your work. I hope I run into you a convention sometime, because you seem like an interesting person. As a purist myself, I’m curious where you draw your line of purism. Standard LEGO is obviously ok, and judging by your MOCs, so too are Bionicle. What about official stickered parts? Only stickers that go on the piece shown in the instructions? What about stickers that run across multiple pieces per the instructions? What about applying official stickers on other parts? What about LEGO set packaging (the boxes, polybags, etc)? What about Modulex? What about LEGO licensed products, like minifig cases, clocks, watches, clothing, office supplies? Those all bear the LEGO brand name, but they are made by other companies. What about Bayer bricks? They were made for LEGO as test molds by Bayer, and bear the Bayer name, not the LEGO name. What about Minitalia bricks? What about Fujisho Co. bricks? Those were both licensees of the LEGO company that produced bricks under their own names.
You seem very adamant about your position, but reality isn’t quite so clearly defined. Don’t ever get into traditional art, buddy, or you’ll have some real troubles. They even have a thing called “mixed media” where artists intentionally use different sorts of materials. :O
^mixed media huh? Do they cut flex tube? ;-)
Dan, thanks for the correction. Details matter! Uli… high five. Your stuff is great!