Yearly Archives: 2014

Set Pictures for LEGO Ideas 21110 Research Institute [NEWS]

With the announcement of 10242 Mini Cooper, we missed covering LEGO Idea’s announcement of their next set: 21110 Research Institute, based off of Ellen Kooijman’s Female Minifigure set.

LEGO sent Ellen an advance copy of the set, which she has revealed on her blog. She takes us step by step through the box art, the construction, and includes observations about her profession and the stories the vignettes tell.

I wanted to highlight, too, this fantastic telescope design for the astronomer. I am so excited for this set to come out!

There doesn’t seem to be word yet on pricing or when it will be available, though it appears to be on target for an August release.

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The Art of Architecture

As we’ve ruminated here before, microscale design is no mean feat. Capturing the essential details while keeping the scale compact takes a great deal of talent, and some of the most difficult features to achieve at any scale are brick-built domes. Rolli (Moriartus on flickr) has excelled at this with his miniature replica of the great Baroque sandstone edifice Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany. The real church finished reconstruction in 2005 after being destroyed by bombing during WWII.

Flashlight, flashlight, FLASHLIGHT!

(…ok, ok, that’s the last time I’ll use that joke in my post titles, I promise!)

So at first glance this may just look like a couple of 70’s era space figs in a particularly greebly version of the classic LL928 Galaxy Explorer set. But take a closer look…

That’s right, those are GIANT mini-figs and one HUGE spaceship! Well actually they are LEGO spaceman LED flashlights and this crazy scene is brought to you by our very own Simon Liu, who was given the flashlights as gifts and figured this was the most logical thing to do with them.

Of course, the blue spaceman has been magically transformed into Benny from The LEGO Movie. And with the addition of Simon’s giant Unikitty, the scene now makes total sense… It’s obviously from the sequel, and this is our hero’s plan to deal with the giant monsters from Planet Duplo!

I was fortunate enough to drool all over marvel this at Brickworld Chicago a few weeks back, where Simon’s creation won the award for BEST SPACESHIP. Congratulations, Brother Si-MOCs! All that bribery and blackmail clearly paid off.

There’ll be no living with him now… :-)

I don’t get it

Whether it’s the demise of small nursery rhyme characters or even the occasional case of poultricide, British builder Barney Main has always had a flair for creating darkly humorous LEGO scenes that read like cartoon panels (often with fully brick-built backgrounds). So who better to interpret that classic animal-centric cartoon series The Far Side in LEGO than Barney?

Watch out, this Scorpion can fly

Sci-Fi fighter planes are a common Lego creation, and it’s always nice to find one that’s a little different than the norm. That’s why this creation by Alexander (Malydilnar) caught my eye. Alexander has shirked flat, featureless sleekness of so many aircraft for an awesomely utilitarian look. This plane is packed with functional looking details and surface texture, while the various compound angles draw the eye around the MOC.

Lego Ideas Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Review

Generally, I am not particularly interested in sets and LEGO CUUSOO/ LEGO Ideas does not do much for me personally, but I have to admit that I was stoked when I found out that the Ghostbusters Ecto-1 by Brent Waller passed the design review and that LEGO were going to turn it into a set. I’ve been a big fan of the movie ever since I first saw it as a child. It is imminently quotable and still funny, thirty years after it was released and the car is a moviestar in its own right.

I think that the earlier Cuusoo Back to the Future DeLorean looked a bit disappointing compared to the design originally submitted to CUUSOO. Pictures of the Ecto-1 set looked pretty good, however, and I was eager to have a look at the model in real life. Last week, while on a trip, I came across the set in a toy store in Germany (for €49.90 ) and decided to buy it.

The Vehicle
The real car used for the movie was a customised 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance conversion. The 59 Cadillac is an icon of excess, known for its enormous aircraft-inspired tailfins and its ornate front, with a lot of chrome and double headlights.

Brent’s original represented this look quite well and, as his own comparison picture shows, not much was lost when his design (on the left) was turned into the set (on the right). The car in the set is a bit less smooth, but it is also a bit smaller. This is a good thing in my book, but more about that later. Ecto-1 is a popular subject and a lot of builders have built their own examples. On most, including Brent’s original, the windscreen is too steep. On the set, however, the angle is just about spot on, but it does look a bit too tall. I built my own larger scale version last year and spent a lot of time poring over photographs of details of all the equipment and lights mounted on the roof. The set’s version is impressively faithful to the original.

The roof of the model can be easily removed, revealing an interior large enough to seat three of the figures (in tandem) and one or two proton packs in the back. The sides of the body are mostly built using SNOT techniques, which keeps the tailfins nicely thin. The side windows are angled slightly, using a clever technique involving clips and bars. The set designers have done an excellent job.

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Xiphos – a sword in space

Better known for his mechs, Kyle (BermudaFreze) showed up to BrickWorld this this impressive SHIP. Though it’s not the first time Kyle has built a SHIP, his previous one took home best Space Ship at BW2010, and had possibly one of the best Swoosh/PEW PEW PEW pictures taken.

While some may argue that the forward guns are a bit of a cheat to hit the arbitrary 100 stud threshold for a SHIP (Seriously Huge Investment in Parts), I don’t think anyone can argue how great this build is. From the nicely placed cheese wedge built caution stripes, to the fantastic forward slopped angles, to the colour stripes this thing is gorgeous. And don’t forget the light up engines:

This was definitely one of my favorite space builds from BrickWorld, and was one that I constantly told people to go see … unfortunately it was set up beside among Kurt Vinnedge‘s builds, and I mistakenly attributed the SHIP to him … sorry! This is a good reminder to fill out your MOC cards! So people will know who built what (and be eligible for awards).

SPACESHIP!

Friday Night Fights – Micro Castles

Welcome back fight fans, to Sin City Nevada, USA for another round of Friday Night Fights! After a two week Brickworld hiatus, we’re back in a tiny way! After seeing all the great mega builds, we’re going micro … Let’s go to the tale of the tape.

In the green corner we have Kristi (customBRICKS) with the very classic 4 tower castle:

In the white corner we have Barton Thinks with Helms Deep:

As usual, constant reader, you are tasked with deciding who’s the cheesier builder by way of comment. On the last edition of Friday Night Fights, Say Cheese, It’s a 3-3 tie – which is appropriate as there was some mischief posting and both builds were actually Grant’s – opps! Tune in next week for another action packed edition of Friday Night Fights!

Couch Potatoes: Saving the world, one snack at a time!

Here’s a fiendishly clever little concept from Angus MacLane, the guy that made character building more accessible by dreaming up CubeDudes. And like CubeDudes, I suspect this pattern is destined to be widely imitated – with or without the couches. Each vignette features a brick-built superhero or screen character kicking back after a long day’s superheroing (…or in some cases, chestbursting).

Angus hopes to continue the series over the coming months, with even more examples of superhuman relaxation. And if Destro’s demeanor is any indication, I suspect the villains will turn out to be having a worse day than the heroes!

Racecar, racecar, RACECAR!

Some say that he’s terrified of ducks. And that he cannot understand the concept of Tuesday. All that members of the Brickish Association know is he’s called Carl Greatrix, avid locomotive builder and model designer for official LEGO videogames. And apparently a massive petrolhead judging by his rendition of the Caterham Super 7:

Carl’s choice of vehicle seems somehow fitting, given that Caterhams are kit cars. Yes, in Britain there are maniacs who like to order their cars in bits and build them at home! In fact, those cheeky chappies over at Top Gear even built one as a speed challenge.

All the exterior details and styling are perfectly captured here, as you might expect if you’ve seen any of Carl’s trains:

But the real treat (for me at least) is the inclusion of interior details such as the dashboard and engine:

Probably one of the most accurate car builds I’ve ever seen. Kinda makes you wish the LEGO Creator car sets looked like this, doesn’t it? Maybe Carl needs to show this off to some of his counterparts over the water!

Bender: Bite my shiny LEGO ass.

Good news everyone!
Adrian Drake (BrickFrenzy) is back with another MEGA awesome build for Brickworld this year. This time, it’s a life-sized Bender from Futurama:

At 6 feet tall (including antenna) and built with approximately 20,000 pieces – it may surprise you that this build only took about Adrian a month to build. I think this was the single most photographed build at Brickworld, and earned Adrian the Judge’s Choice Award and nomination for Best Mega Creation.

Of course no life sized bender would be complete without a functional chest cavity (featuring one of Brickworld’s finest traditional drinks).

As a huge Futurama fan, I couldn’t help but get caught up in life-sized-Bender Fever, and decided to build Nixon’s head (minus jar) to put on Bender’s body (ARROOOOO!).

Oh and Adrian totally trusted me enough to let me put on Bender’s Head.

A special thanks to Adam Myers for letting me build Nixon from his collection in Chicago, and for loaning out Nixon head to Adrian to display at BrickFair VA.

LEGO Fusion lets you transform physical models into virtual creations

LEGO has announced the release of a new product line called LEGO Fusion, which is a series of sets containing Lego pieces and a special Fusion brick that works with the camera on a mobile device to capture the creation and import it as a virtual model that one can play games and interact with. Each set retails for $34.99 and will be released in August 2014. Learn more fro the press release:

NEW YORK (June 19, 2014) – LEGO Systems, Inc., makers of the world’s leading construction toys, today introduced LEGO® FUSION, a play experience that combines traditional LEGO brick play with familiar app-based game themes. LEGO FUSION leverages new technologies—and children’s fascination with them—to create an entirely new way to engage in LEGO brick building and app game play for children ages 7 and up. Available later this summer, the LEGO FUSION collection will include four distinct titles: LEGO FUSION Town Master, LEGO FUSION Battle Towers, LEGO FUSION Create & Race and LEGO FUSION Resort Designer.

Each LEGO FUSION experience consists of a distinct set of LEGO bricks, a corresponding free downloadable app and the new FUSION capture plate, a small brick building plate with a printed design that enables a smart phone or tablet’s camera to identify the size and colors of the LEGO bricks built onto it. In response to game prompts, children build vertically in 2-D on the FUSION capture plate, enabling the app to ‘see,’ import and transform the creation into 3-D in the digital world.

“Children have always imagined their LEGO creations as immersive worlds which come to life for hours of role-play and adventure,” said Ditte Bruun Pedersen, senior design manager, LEGO Future Lab. “Recently, smart phones and tablets have become a popular platform for empowering game mechanisms that kids love. LEGO FUSION brings these two favorite play patterns together in an experience where real-life LEGO builds come to life in a virtual game, inspiring creativity, strategy, and the pride of creation.”

To Win, Step Away from the Screen
Once a child’s creation has been imported into the game, a series of challenges and interactions requires that players turn away from the device and return to the real world to use their LEGO bricks to build new solutions in order to move game play forward. Each game encourages this back-and-forth between physical and virtual, keeping children engaged in both worlds.
“In our research, we heard repeatedly from parents that they are constantly battling ‘zombie gaze,’ the experience when their children are immersed in their device screens for large blocks of time,” said Pedersen. “We developed LEGO FUSION with this challenge in mind, creating a play experience that keeps children entertained with the kind of app gameplay they love while giving real reasons to return to the brick pile to creatively build.”

Each LEGO FUSION product offers a distinct play experience. The four products launching this year are:

LEGO FUSION Town Master
In this simulation game, players create and rule their own LEGO town, first by building it with LEGO bricks, then by capturing it and importing it to the game. Children build everything from houses to a pizzeria, fire station and bike shop while completing errands and missions like catching robbers, fighting fires and skateboarding. To keep the minifigure citizens happy, players solve problems through physical building and earn points to gain access to more structures, and even run additional towns.

LEGO FUSION Battle Towers
Players build a tower and defend it against attack so they can rule the kingdom. First, players design the Battle Towers with real LEGO pieces, then capture them and import them to the game. Next, players choose tower defenders like wizards and archers and battle against evil warriors, skeleton armies, and more. If a tower is damaged in battle, players can repair the damage with a timed build with the game’s real LEGO bricks.

LEGO FUSION Create & Race
In this racing game, players get behind the wheel and virtually drive the cars that they create with real LEGO bricks. Once a custom vehicle is digitally designed, physically built, and imported to the game, it can be optimized for success in racing, demolition or stunts. Players learn that every brick shape and color on the vehicle matters for performance. Three themed courses offer endless challenges unlocked by physical LEGO builds, and children can even ghost race against friends to top the leaderboard.

LEGO FUSION Resort Designer
Players help the LEGO Friends design new vacation houses, shops and activities for Ambersands Beach. After building 2-D facades, capturing them and importing them to the game, players can design the interiors of 3-D digital structures, such as an aquarium, surf shop and beach houses. Children can unlock new levels and build more resorts by completing missions like rescuing dolphins, riding horses, surfing and other resort activities.

Beginning in September, LEGO FUSION will incorporate the ability for players to access their digital LEGO creations and game play anywhere. Using their LEGO ID, players can sign in on any compatible device and access their gallery and game play from within the LEGO FUSION app.

Developed by TT Games, makers of the best-selling LEGO video game franchise, the LEGO FUSION Town Master, Battle Towers, Create & Race, and Resort Designer app games are free for download from the Apple, Google or Samsung App Store for Apple iOS and Android.

LEGO FUSION Town Master, LEGO FUSION Battle Towers, and LEGO FUSION Create & Race will launch in August 2014; LEGO FUSION Resort Designer will launch in September 2014. Each will be available for $34.99 in LEGO Stores and Toys”R”Us stores in the U.S., as well as online at shop.LEGO.com and at toysrus.com.