The Prince of Persia movie promises to have just about as much cheese as sand. For a certain segment of our readership, it also promises a shirtless Jake Gyllenhaal saying his lines with a British accent. In the meantime, LEGO gives us this version of the trailer using only the new sets — and some sand.
The LEGO trailer does give us a glimpse of a shirtless Jake Gyllenhaal minifig, so that’s something…
Wojciech Scrat demonstrates that LEGO sharks seem to be evolving in size — starting with the old-style sharks, continuing with the more recent LEGO Pirates shark, culminating in the LEGO DUPLO shark that rivals megalodon in scale.
The compatibility between DUPLO and SYSTEM is a bit of a moot point here, given the dynamic way that Wojciech has arranged the shark, but two 2×4 SYSTEM bricks would fit on the four DUPLO studs on the shark’s back. Why has nobody built the largest LEGO shark with a frikkin’ laser beam attached to its back? Or an Atlantean king on a howdah aboard his favorite war shark?
(Okay, so my timeline of LEGO sharks is off: The DUPLO shark should be in the middle. LEGO evolution is still an emerging science…)
For the Battle Bugs Jungle Fever Challenge, Lino Martins (Lino M.) built a coconut crab, Birgus latro.
Though technically not a bug, this largest of the land-based arthropods sports rear-facing swivel cannons, a phalanx gun, and long-range rockets. I can’t wait to see this in person at the next SEALUG meeting.
Toys R Us is having a buy-one-get-one 50% off sale on all Star Wars items, including LEGO Star Wars sets. Shipping is also free on all orders over $100.
Given that Star Wars sets are often excluded from these types of sales (and are arguably on the pricier side to begin with), this is actually a pretty good deal. The sale ends May 1st and likely applies only to US and/or North American stores.
Of course, we don’t have to wait for his Intrepid to be completed to see a lovely new LEGO creation by Ed Diment (Lego Monster).
Ed’s 1935 Duesenberg Phaeton sports the classic lines of this early luxury automobile from a bygone era.
As Ed Diment works on his minifig-scale USS Intrepid aircraft carrier, Ralph Savelsberg (Mad Physicist) has been contributing World War II era fighter aircraft.
Ralph’s latest plane is the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service’s Mitsubishi A6M3 “Zero” carrier-based fighter, or 零式艦上戦闘機 as I grew up knowing it. Long before I fell in love with the Corsair, the Zero captured my imagination, and Ralph’s LEGO version captures it accurately in brick.
A couple weeks ago, Ralph also posted a new pair of US Navy fighters, the F4U Corsair and TBF Avenger:
I’ll let one of our other contributors do a more formal book review, but Jonathan’s book is that rare story about a hobby that’s actually about a whole lot more. It’s about how a deceptively simple children’s toy brings people together, as has become painfully self-evident over this past week, but it’s also as much about growing up yourself.
The Brothers Brick is pleased to bring our readers an excerpt from this new book.
I never expected to come face-to-face with my worst nightmare at LEGO headquarters, but there it is: a snarling red dragon — the namesake of the roller coaster at LEGOLAND. A 3-D model of the LEGO dragon is dissected into parts on the designer Jette Skovgaard Jensen’s computer monitor.
“That’s only the second roller coaster I’ve been on in my life. I’m a chicken,” I tell Jette as she walks me through how the model was built.
“I’m chicken too. I can’t look. But the challenge of something when it’s for LEGOLAND — we have to think about the whole family, like how to make it cool for a twelve – year-old and not too scary for a three-year-old,” says Jette. I ignore that I’m more than ten times the age she is trying not to scare.
She has the trendy glasses and spiky red hair of a designer in the 3-D Model Center. We’re at her desk inside Havremarken, the LEGO offices adjacent to the manufacturing plant. The building immediately makes me think of a Google campus, with employees on scooters whizzing by basketball hoops and table tennis tables in the hallways. The environment is certainly creative. A massively over-scaled red LEGO fire truck sits between cubicles, and nearly every employee’s workspace is decorated with a LEGO set or minifig.
I’m trying to get a sense of who the people are behind the brick creations I’ve been surrounded with for the past several days. Jette is a second-generation LEGO employee. She grew up in Billund, while her dad worked as a technician on the electronics and structural supports for the models that her mom glued.
“When I was a kid, I remember coming in the doors, it was very open. I thought I might leave Billund, but I was afraid. And here it was also easy to get a job once you are inside the company,” says Jette.
Download Chapter 16, “A Guest in LEGO’s House” right here to read the rest. For even more, LEGO: A Love Story
And yes, Nathan Sawaya built the book cover.
Though nearly all of us knew him only as nnenn, Nate Nielson was so much more to those with whom he lived his life.
We received the following message from Nate’s family today and — with their kind permission — we’re privileged to share it with our fellow LEGO fans.
My sister Elizabeth and I want to express our appreciation and thankfulness to you and your site for the amazing tribute to our brother. All of the comments have been a comfort to us. They are difficult to read at times, because we miss him so much, but to know how loved he was, well, there are no words. What a neat community you have. I hope his legacy will live on here for as long as legos are around. Thank you for this. His personality was the same as his persona on here. He was a true artist.
Our mom and dad would also like to express their appreciation to you. All the kind words have been a help in such a difficult time. What a wonderful father, husband, brother, son and man. Your site has brought as many tears as smiles to us. This has been the most difficult time in our lives, but you have given us a little peace in the outpouring of love.
Liz and I would like to come to the Lego convention you have in Seattle this year if you think there will be a tribute to him. You were a huge part of his life and he loved all of it. Nate made lego spaceships and castles for us since we were very young. He even would, very reluctantly, build us a house once in a while. He was just a grown up kid.
We miss and love him so much. Thank you.
Emily and Elizabeth
Though the sadness is not diminished, it is perhaps some consolation to know that our voices have been heard by those to whom Nate mattered most.
If you haven’t already, please join us in adding your own thoughts and feelings to the growing tribute to Nate “nnenn” Nielson.
Understanding that nnenn built as much for his sons as for himself puts lovely microscale creations like this dropship in perspective.
It’s the perfect size for a child’s hands, with incredible play value packed into a tiny model. When I blogged this back in 2007, I remember thinking back to some of my favorite non-LEGO childhood toys that this evoked. Two itty-bitty vehicles that emerge from an adorable micro space ship? There’s not much more playable — or awesome — than that.
Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.
I’m ashamed to admit that I sometimes dismissed Nate “nnenn” Nielson as a one-note builder, but in looking through his photostream again, I realize I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s clear his LEGO talents went far beyond mere mastery of the small starfighter.
The Wayfinder’s shape is utilitarian, but the splashes of color lend it a cheery air that might make a trip across the barren lunar landscape more bearable.
Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.
Nate Nielson brought his unique design aesthetic to the 30th anniversary of LEGO Space last March, contributing model after model over the month. My favorite was this large craft from the humans.
Nate even introduced a completely new faction — the Ugokin — with their own color scheme and style.
Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.
With the recent passing of legendary builder Nate Nielson, better known to all of us as “nnenn”, we’re going to spend the next week commemorating him with a retrospective of his best builds.
One of my all-time favorites is this microscale carrier:
Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.