LEGO seems a perfect medium to build scenes from the 1982 movie Tron. These light cycles by Stefan (2×4) look like they’re going a million miles an hour.
If you’d like to build your own LEGO light cycle, Stefan has also posted instructions.
Posts by Andrew Becraft (TBB Editor-in-Chief)
Ralph’s pumper roars to the rescue
Having just finished building 10197 Fire Brigade (awesome!), I’m tuned to see fire engines, ladder trucks, and other rescue apparatus everywhere. Ralph Savelsberg (Mad physicist) doesn’t disappoint with his American-style pumper truck.
Ralph’s pumper shares some key traits with the new set — interesting, complex techniques and great design. The way he continues the stripes from front to back, with that zig near the middle, is amazing, as are the wheel wells. The brick-built vertical doors on the back are the first I’ve seen.
May-Ling is ready to play fetch
Daiman Mardon has an adorable terrier named May-Ling. Well, we assume she’s adorable, given how cute her LEGO alter ego is.
Dear LEGO: We want 6299 LEGO Pirates Advent Calendar!
It’s that time of the year again, LEGO fans. In what I hope does not become an annual tradition, we’ve received confirmation from LEGO that this year’s non-City advent calendar, 6299 LEGO Pirates Advent Calendar, will not be made available in the United States.
The success of our campaign to get 7979 Castle Advent Calendar last year was the result of both luck (a pallet of sets that got shipped to the US distribution center accidentally) and persistent community activism (here on TBB and on sites like Classic Castle).
Though we can’t guarantee luck again, we can certainly do our part to see what effect LEGO fan community activism can have this time around. Leave a comment here on this post expressing your support and we’ll pass your sentiments along to LEGO through our resident LEGO Ambassador.
And last but not least: Yarrr!!!
BrickCon 2009 pre-registration ends in only one week [News]
If you’re still on the fence about attending BrickCon 2009, time is quickly running out. There’s just one week left to pre-register for the con, which will guarantee you your goody bag and engraved badge brick.
Although the public exhibition is great for showing off your LEGO creations (“Ooh! Is that a set?”), BrickCon for me has always been about the people. With over 200 LEGO fans registered so far, BrickCon 2009 is sure to bring together people you’d probably never get to meet otherwise.
Also, it’s a chance to buy LEGO sets at rock-bottom prices, as LEGO ships pallets of scratched-up sets from across the country to sell to fans at up to 50% off.
See you all in a few weeks!
In defense of Polish independence
Our Polish friends over at Klocki remind us that Poland is currently observing the 70th anniversary of the September Campaign, when Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union both invaded, divided, and annexed the country between them.
Ciamek (Piglet on MOCpages) recreates a German propaganda photo that implied how weak and ineffectual Polish resistance was, as a group of German soldiers easily swats aside the border barrier.
In truth, the entire scene was staged, taken two weeks after the invasion — an attempt to illustrate the Third Reich’s easy dominance over Poland.
Ciamek sets the record straight in his LEGO diorama. Fierce, valiant Polish resistance prevented any such easy scene until well after the beginning of hostilities.
See more photos on Ciamek’s website and on MOCpages, where he has several other LEGO creations related to World War II and the September Campaign.
Harrison’s LEGO Wall-E looks skyward
Harrison (corran101) says he’s had his Wall-E lying around for quite a while. This tiny diorama illustrates the continuing emotive power of Wall-E. The rundown robot in the background totally makes this, with a rusted patch and broken eye.
And don’t miss those tread marks behind Harrison’s LEGO Wall-E. Well worth the wait, I think.
I owe my success in life to the ability to swear in a Donald Duck voice
Okay, maybe not, but this is a lovely Donald Duck by Erik Smit (.eti).
Erik’s LEGO Donald Duck combines pieces that span at least 30 years of LEGO, from the “maxi-fig” hat and arms to the Clikits Belville piece as Donald’s mouth. Nice chiarascuro in the photo, too.
I have not come to shatter your perception of reality...
“…only to show you that it does not exist,” writes Ken Robichaud (buriedbybricks).
The simple construction of the black-and-white background contrasts wonderfully with the brightly colored, brick-built letters that spell out “SCHISM”.
New York Times covers LEGO’s financial recovery [News]
As much as some of us may have wished otherwise, The LEGO Group — and the toys it produces — needed to change if it was to survive the near-bankruptcy it experienced five years ago. Looking back today, from the throes of the most serious global economic crisis since the Great Depression, it’s hard to believe that LEGO is experiencing record profits. And yet it is.
Read Turning to Hollywood Tie-Ins, Lego Thinks Beyond the Brick in the New York Times to learn how the company charted a course to recovery. Oh, and look for the quote from me on page 4.
So, dear readers, how do you feel about the sacrifices that LEGO has made to survive in the modern world? Sound off in the comments.
10197 Fire Brigade & 10198 Tantive IV out now, Green Grocer on sale [News]
The much-anticipated 10197 Fire Brigade and 10198 Tantive IV
are now both available from the LEGO Store online, with free shipping through October 12, 2009 on orders over $75. 10185 Green Grocer
is also on sale for $120.
10197 Fire Brigade includes 4 minifigs and 2231 pieces, and costs $150.
10198 Tantive IV comes with 5 minifigs, 1408 pieces, and also costs $150.
Finally, LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary
I’m off to order the Fire Brigade, an absolute must-have for any LEGO modular street fan!
Vespas and Harleys of the future
The deadline for the LEGO Speeder Bikes contest just passed, and there are more than a hundred entries for the judges to peruse. A couple of my favorites from late in the contest are from mr. eugene. Eugene says that these are his first LEGO creations after emerging from a decade long LEGO hiatus. Welcome to the fold, Eugene!
Here’s his Vespa VRS 390:
Taking inspiration from the opposite end of the two-wheeled spectrum, here’s his Harley FXST-6000x Softail:
