Nothing, it’s lovely, as is this Shaun the Sheep from “Wallace & Gromit” by Piotr (Pepik), via the Living Brick — welcome back, OJ.
Nearly as cute is Pepik’s Polish “tankette”.
Posts by Andrew Becraft (TBB Editor-in-Chief)
Obscurance’s M808B Grizzly tank
I finally bought an Xbox 360, and not having an original Xbox either, I’m catching up on about eight years of games. And you know what? Halo doesn’t suck (though I could do without the chorus of 11-year-old fanboys).
Stephen Chao (obscurance) demonstrates that LEGO Halo creations can be pretty cool too, with this great M808B “Grizzly” Main Battle Tank Advanced.
Dr. Flotsam’s Phosphate Stand
The LEGO steampunk 100-Piece Challenge just ended, and Drew (dover) came in right under the wire with this colorful contraption.
I’m not entirely certain what that dark blue piece is, but knowing Drew, it could be anything from Duplo to Galidor.
This mecha has two speeds: Walk and Kill
Announcing the 23rd LUGNuts challenge: Zombie Apocalypse Killfest ’09 [News]
With exactly one month until BrickCon, we’re teaming up with LUGNuts for their 23rd build challenge, Zombie Apocalypse Killfest ’09.
Naturally, we’re hoping that those of you who build something for this challenge will also bring it for the Zombie Apocafest 2009 collaborative display at BrickCon.
As with other LUGNuts challenges, this is sure to generate some truly creative builds. And creativity is key! We won’t be awarding prizes at BrickCon for Biggest Guns, Most Chains, or Best Use of Brown and Gray.
This challenge is about apocafied civilian vehicles, like my S&S Wildland Ultra XT brushfire engine. Note the bright red color and complete lack of chains, though I must admit that the crazy Bionicle spike strip proved irresistible…
So, head on over to the Zombie Apocalypse Killfest ’09 thread on Flickr, read Lino‘s hilarious challenge, and build something awesome!
How to clean yellowed LEGO bricks to make Classic Space sets look new [News]
This is very old news for some of you, but I just realized that we never blogged the breakthrough discovery of a way to restore the original color of yellowed LEGO bricks.
LEGO fans have discussed this problem for years, even concluding (correctly) that ultraviolet light can contribute to faster yellowing of colors like white, blue, and old light gray (some of the key colors of Classic Space sets). Fans like sugegasa have experimented with the effects of sunlight on the new grays, but nobody could quite figure out how to reverse the effect on older, yellowed bricks.
That is, until now. The same problem apparently happens with other ABS products, such as the casing on older computers and video game consoles. A group of gamers over at Retr0Bright have proved conclusively that the original color of yellowed ABS can be restored by using hydrogen peroxide.
Tim Goddard gave it a try on his yellowed LEGO bricks.
Success! In brief, the problem isn’t dirt so much as a chemical reaction in the visible surface layer of the ABS plastic itself, caused by UV rays in sunlight. Immersing the LEGO bricks in a hydrogen peroxide solution permeates the surface and reverses that chemical change.
Learn how to get those Classic Space sets looking like new again at Retr0Bright.
Important: Standard disclaimers apply. Your mileage may vary.
VO-Eighty reconnaissance fighter by Dasnewten
The latest odd and awesome spaceship from Rob (dasnewten) is this unconventional “light fighter/reconnaissance type” vehicle.
As different and equally cool as they both are, this could almost be from the same space force as Joel Larsson’s Sleipnir.
LEGO E-One Tower Ladder & Pierce Pumper by Steven Asbury
Having built just about every fire apparatus in existence already, Steven Asbury is returning to some of his older designs and incorporating new parts and techniques. This gives us a great excuse to blog fire engines and ladder trucks that we didn’t way back when he first posted them to his Brickshelf gallery.
Steven’s latest includes an E-One tower ladder modeled after the vehicles used by the Boston Fire Department (below) and a Pierce pumper (above).
LEGO Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2
Though it does at times feel a bit like an extended ad for the current LEGO Star Wars sets, “The Quest for R2-D2” is a fun 5-minute video featuring some slick animation and funny moments reminiscent of the LEGO Star Wars video games.
Via Bricks3D.com.
The Astounding Pizza-Man cures modern children of boredom
The Astounding Pizza Man is coming to print! Learn more at TabletownOnline.com.
Mark Kelso’s Apocalypsis II: The Conflict Within
After more than a year since the first chapter, Mark Kelso has completed the second installment in his “Apocalypsis” series.
As before, Mark’s diorama includes some of the most complex landscaping and amazing photo editing being presented by LEGO fans today. Click the picture to read the story (with music) on MOCpages.
Martin Latta builds a bunker to survive our bleak future
I’m not entirely sure why there’s so much advanced technology in evidence throughout ApocaLEGO creations. After all, haven’t we learned that even apostrophes are susceptible to nuclear attack? Maybe it’s because advanced technology places the apocalypse somewhere in the distant future, safely beyond our lifetimes.
Or it could be that it’s just cool, like this neat little dio by Martin Latta.
The scene includes a heavily armed VTOL scout fighter, gun emplacement, cyborg, door to an underground bunker, and what appears to be a warning siren — a logical addition to any such scene, though the first I’ve noticed.
Via the ever-vigilant Young Spacers.