Jordan Schwartz (Sir Nadroj) is back to his usual capers of Disney-themed models with this Disneyland Omnibus. I particularly like the incorporation of the large curved staircase at the rear, which is a notoriously annoying piece to incorporate well into a complex model, but looks great here.
A year ago Nick V. (Brickthing) posted an interesting tribal shaman figure. Now he’s done it again using some new parts that were released recently. The color selection and parts use are things I can’t take my eyes off of.
Contributor Iain Heath was able to sit down with President Barack Obama during TBB’s monthly junket to Washington DC. The President himself requested the interview citing a desire to “come out of the sorting bin” in regards to his Adult Fan of LEGO status. He also wanted to make it clear that the First Lady, Michelle Obama, supported him in this decision. We look forward to covering the Commander-in-Chief’s involvement in the LEGO fan community and hope to highlight some of his creations here in the near future.
UPDATE: The original video has been partially censored to comply with some half-baked legal threats made by the organizers of an event that had been mentioned in it. Some people apparently have no sense of humor, and dealing with such people is too boring and tedious to be worth the trouble, so the video was edited to shut them up. As the old saying goes… THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE OIL.
Luke Hutchinson is one of the current top medieval builders and this creation shows why. This is a build that he built nearly a year ago and never posted because he didn’t feel it was quite right. The majority of builders just post whatever they make as soon as it is done. Letting a build sit for a time and then coming back to it later can give you a much better perspective. I call it letting a build ‘age’. Another sign of Luke’s build skill is the standard to which he holds himself. This build wasn’t posted originally because there were a number of aspects with which he wasn’t happy. A good builder doesn’t build to get the “Wow, awesome build!” comments but should be pushing themselves to ever greater things. Do I think this build is striking? Yes, I do. The unique colors, mixed with Luke’s trademark roof profiles and textured walls really make this pop for me. But I’m also very happy to see that Luke is willing and able to self-critique and push himself to a higher level. Well done, sir!
Can an explosion be beautiful? My inner pyro thinks so. Mike Doyle has built this incredibly life-like build, which depicts his opinion of the state of American Journalism. Whether or not you agree with him, this creation is something to behold!
Michał Kaźmierczak has built several large dioramas, and they all keep getting bigger and better. His epic rendition of the volcanic world of Mustafar from Star Wars captures the fiery landscape and the realistic texture of the lava. The diorama rests on a footprint of 35 large gray baseplates. Here is a photo with the builder for perspective.
The microscale imperial shuttle in this photo really shows off the scale of this massive display.
Transdimensional engineering allows the TARDIS to have a deceptively large inside. Letranger Absurde (vitreolum) has cleverly used forced perspective to build what appears to be an impossibly big TARDIS interior:
Though the rest of the build is equally clever as the camera angle, including the great Doctor Who figure, the TARDIS itself, the doors and I really like the simple but effective sewer gate.
BrickCon took place last weekend in Seattle and attracted a healthy crowd of over 400 attendees and over 13,000 public audiences. While it has been 4 years since my last BrickCon, I was happy to reconnect with a lot of people and meet new ones, however briefly, during those 4 days. Below is a summary of my experiences and my favorite displays. Our other contributors will cover some of the collaborations in more detail.
During the set-up days of Thursday and Friday I saw a constant array of new MOCs cropping up on tables as well as bumping into familiar faces. Some of my personal favorites include Breann Sledge‘s Dino Rider featuring an elaborate Rulon’s head that uses gears for teeth. Brian Cooper‘s Teknomecha v.2.0 shows modern changes over the decade-old v.1.0. Some small models also caught my attention including Brandon Walker’s sleek and sturdy space transports or the hilariously mechanized slaughterhouse by Brendan Mauro as part of the Space Vikings display.
I was impressed by the setting of the ceremonies inside a theater. The set that was unveiled at the opening ceremony was 75060 UCS Slave I. Here is my on-site video review of the set.
The public attendance at BrickCon is extremely high. Outsiders had to squeeze through shoulders to get a peek at the displays. Fortunately the balconies served as nice observation points. Not all the builders are able to stay near their display and tolerate the din from the crowd, but that’s what competitions and presentations were for. A life-sized RC R2-D2 and mouse droid by Shawn and Lara Steele entertained the crowd.
My favorite creation was Paul Hetherington‘s townhouse, which features an immaculate modern design and a fully decorated lit-up interior. Paul also won Best in Show (for the 4th time) with his Mouse Guard display.
Some other things to take a gander:
Of course, there are many creations worthy of your attention that simply won’t fit in a wrap up post. You can discover them in the photos from the BrickCon group on Flickr.
If there are two things we *love* at The Brothers Brick, it’s spaceships and nostalgia. And pugs (ok, three things). So unless you were watching TV in the mid-seventies, the pictures below will probably leave you scratching your head!
Last year saw the release of the book Build Your Own Galaxy by builders Joe Klang, Oliver Albrecht, and Lutz Uhlmann. And now Joe has posted images of their Space 1999 scenes from the book. And this minifig scale Eagle One is to die for! There’s even a matching moon buggy complete with astronaut occupants. Oh, and the entire command center and crew too…
I will admit that Space 1999 was one of my favorite Sci-Fi shows growing up. From the mind of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, it was like a more dramatic, more stylish, and more British version of Star Trek. With an actual special FX budget.
Earlier this evening here in Seattle at BrickCon, LEGO officially unveiled the new 75060 Slave I. Unlike every other incarnation of this set, the UCS version is truly minifig-scale, and includes Boba Fett, Han Solo (with carbonite), a Bespin guard, and Stormtooper. With nearly 2,000 pieces, the set will be released in January 2015 for $200 in the US (full pricing details in the press release later in the post).
We had a chance to take a close look at the new set at BrickCon. Play features include everything you’d expect — pop-out blasters, revolving cannon, rotating wings, etc. See nearly 20 official photos in the photoset on Flickr.
Slave I is quite swooshable, as I demonstrate with my Hadouken! pose.
Here’s the full press release from LEGO.
75060 Slave I™
Ages 14+. 1,996 pieces.
US $199.99 – CA $229.99 – DE 199.99€ – UK £169.99 – DK 1699.00 DKK
*Euro pricing varies by country. Please visit shop.LEGO.com for regional pricing.Lift off for bounty-hunting adventures in the Slave I!
Search the galaxy for fugitives with Boba Fett and his Slave I with rotating cockpit and wings, dual shooters and a display stand.
Track down fugitives with legendary bounty hunter, Boba Fett aboard the powerful Slave I! This exclusive LEGO® Star Wars model features a rotating cockpit and wings for flight and landing mode, plus dual shooters and hidden blasters to repel attackers. Reenact the capture of Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and take off from Bespin with the carbonite-imprisoned Rebel hero in the cargo hold. Attach the stand to display this iconic ship in characteristic upright flight. Includes 4 minifigures with weapons: Boba Fett, Bespin Guard, Stormtrooper and Han Solo.
- Includes 4 minifigures with weapons: Boba Fett, Bespin Guard, Stormtrooper and Han Solo
- Also includes Han Solo in carbonite!
- Features a rotating cockpit and wings, opening side hatches with hidden guns and missiles, 2 rotating dual shooters, cargo hold and a display stand with data sheet
- Weapons include special blaster pistol for Boba Fett, blaster pistol for Bespin Guard and a blaster rifle for the Stormtrooper
- Boba Fett and Bespin Guard minifigures are unique to this set
- Rotate the cockpit and wings for flight and landing mode
- Place carbonite-imprisoned Han Solo in the cargo hold
- Open the side hatches to unleash missiles from the hidden guns
- Showcase the huge Slave I in upright flight on the display stand
- Recreate classic scenes from Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- Measures over 7” (20cm) high, 17” (45cm) long and 14” (37cm) wide in landing mode
Available for sale directly through LEGO® beginning January 2015
Finally, here’s the designer video. Be sure to watch it to catch a pretty hilarious play feature.
Nannan will also have a walk-around video, unless I was talking too much in the background…
For a Star Wars themed building contest over at Imperium Der Steine, German builder Disco86 had to come up with a creation who’s footprint was only 4×4 bricks. Not only did he manage to stay within the letter of the law, but he also managed to recreate one of the most iconic scenes of the entire franchise. Way to think outside the box!
Those crazy Swedes are at it again! Rickard & Helen from SuckMyBrick have followed up their excellent movie character quiz with another one, this time featuring past and present icons of the music industry. See if you can identify them all…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukJhm_6_Y7s
You can also check out photos of all 16 characters on their Flickr stream. Below are some of my favorites. But… No ABBA!? O_o
