About Dan

Dan Rubin has been an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) since he became an adult. He joined the larger AFOL community on LUGNET in 2003, and that was also the year in which he attended his first BrickFest. Dan largely builds space MOCs, so it should come as no surprise that he is also the Main Admin of the forums at Classic-Space.com. He is also the creator of the Galactic Inquisition space theme. Dan has been a member of the LEGO Ambassador program since the third cycle of the program. Read more about the program here. You can check out Dan's LEGO creations on Flickr.

Posts by Dan

With A Little Help From My Friends...

This creation would never have come together this way, were it not for the advice of several friends. This ship came about from the idea I had for the engine shape using arches, and the angled configuration. My first attempt at a fuselage (inset) was rather thrown together, and didn’t quite work.

A few friends suggested playing up the bee-like qualities of the original, which I attempted to do. The fact that there was an official LEGO sticker available with a hornet on it made this idea all the better. A few people suggested changing the canopy, and one suggested the style of a glass-domed WW2 era bomber. That idea worked itself into a full spherical canopy, and the addition of the large guns, to become the Hornet Bomber.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Armed Courier

Soren Roberts has built a new micro-scale ship. It merges curved and angled elements into an interesting and cohesive shape. I’ve never liked building space craft in red, personally, but this one works, with just enough of other colors to impart a sense of reality.

This photo is of the underside of the ship, which is also my favorite side.

Onyasis Landing Platform

Sometimes I wonder if I blog Pete Reid‘s creations too often. The problem is, he just posts such fantastic builds.

This landing “platform” is really several platforms and a tower, and they’re all just packed with detail. The texture really adds a lot to the impact of the model, as there’s seemingly always something else to look at. I think my favorite detail is the little door leading out to each platform.

Purple is the New Black

I love hover bikes, and Cole Blaq has done a great job with his latest build in that genre. At the core of this thing is the cowl from Catwoman’s motorcycle, a largely useless part.

Dual Rotors Are Music To My Ears

I’ve been away from the blog for too long, and it’s time to jump back on the wagon. Fradel Gonzales has given me a nice opportunity with this micro chopper. It’s also a trophy for a contest, so you can win it as your very own!

GrayMud Security E.M.U. Mecha

Builder Tsan-Nien added me as a contact yesterday, and I couldn’t get over his latest creation. This is a great mecha, I really enjoy the mechanical exo-skeleton feel.

It has some style similarities to to a Matrix APU, or some smaller exo-suits we’ve seen before, but it also has a lot of cool, unique features. I especially like the fan/vent/cylinder things on the sides, and the gorilla-like proportions.

Blacktron X4(E) ‘Erinys’

This new ship by Stuart (OptimalControl) brings Neo Blacktron to a cool new level. The unconventional shape really makes an impact.

I also like that there is so much black against black surface detail, it really makes the few spots of color pop out, especially the cockpit. Speaking of the cockpit, it’s fantastic, it’s set at an angle we don’t see often, one that I’m sure took a lot of effort to achieve.

Manchester Master Builder Auditions Report [Interview]

James Shields traveled all the way from Ireland to Manchester in order to audition for a master builder spot at the new LEGOLAND Discovery Center there. We announced the auditions last week, and James went to check it out. He’s posted photos for everyone, and graciously agreed to this interview about the process.

TBB: Thanks for telling us about your experiences in Manchester, James. Let’s get started: Was this an all-day affair?

JS: Yes, it ran from about 10am until nearly 5pm.

TBB: Did they give you a building challenge? If so, what was it?

JS: There were two building challenges. For the first round we had 15 minutes to build an animal of our choice. This sounds easy,. but 15 minutes disappears incredibly quickly. I built a polar bear (though it started out intending to be a gorilla). About half of the candidates got through to the second challenge, which was to build a face. Again, it was up to us what face we wanted to build, and what techniques we wanted to use. I went for the fantasy author Terry Pratchett because I’m a fan of his work, and I thought he looked distinctive. Again an hour is very tight for this, so I concentrated on the centre of the face, with a view to expanding it if there was time left over. I built upwards, using sculpting techniques, and was quite pleased with the result, although I only got from the lips to the forehead (it would have been nice to include the beard and Terry’s distinctive hat). There were some excellent builds, and I wouldn’t have liked to be judging, but I was very pleased to get through to the final four and the interview stage.

TBB: Were there a lot of other AFOLs there trying for the job? What about non-AFOLs?

JS: Most of the participants were AFOLs to some degree, and there were clearly some very talented builders. However, one of the finalists hadn’t touched a brick in ten years – he said that Lego had inspired him to become a professional modelmaker using other materials.

TBB: What did the non-AFOLs think of the hobby, assuming they were aware of it?

JS: The one I spoke to said he was seriously thinking of unpacking his old Lego collection.

TBB: Do you think that being an active LEGO hobbiest helped you out in this process, or was that not a factor in what they were looking for?

JS: Definitely. I think the biggest factor was the skills I’ve developed over the last few years. In the interview stage I also stressed AFOL activities I’ve been involved in and how they are (hopefully) relevant to the position.

TBB: The big question for me, was it fun?

JS: Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day, especially the building challenges.

TBB: Is there anything else you’d like to add about the process?

JS: A major part of the event was to win publicity for the LDC, so everything was under the scrutiny of cameras, and we were all interviewed to camera several times during the day. It was made clear that PR was part of the modelmaker’s role, and as a result they wanted someone who can handle it.

Dragon Unit Zero One [Updated]

I believe that the best builders are always trying out new techniques and new styles. For my latest creation, I tried to really push myself to do something new, and ended up well outside of my comfort zone.

I’ve never really worked with orange before building this mecha. I’d also never used multiple ball joints to create a spine in a mecha before this attempt. In addition, this was an attempt at a style of mecha, based on existing art, that I’d never attempted before.

I haven’t made up my mind yet as to whether this was really a successful build, but I do know that it’s done. I’m really curious as to what people will think of it.

[Edit] I got some great suggestions to improve the Dragon Unit from a variety of sources. Thanks to an ample dosage of peer pressure from Andrew Lee, here’s the MK II version.

A Beautiful Harpy

Rob (dasnewten) is at it again, building a great looking star fighter. It has a style reminiscent of classic Star Wars ships, a mix of angular and textured. The shape is also quite similar to his much-lauded Naganata, I guess we’ll call them variations on a theme.

VHE-665 Halog

Martin is giving us a nice taste of micro scale space. His new Halog frigate has some cool features. I especially like the use of hinge bricks to create a surface texture, a technique I hadn’t seen before. I’m also keen on the launch bay (or whatever it is) on the front of the ship. The photos are are on Flickr, but there’s more description here.

LEGO auditions for model builder in Manchester, UK [News]

I just heard that they’re recruiting for a model builder for the new LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Manchester, UK. It could be a pretty cool opportunity for someone among our UK readership.

Here’s the word:

DO YOU HAVE THE BRICK FACTOR?

SEE YOUR MODELS IMMORTALISED FOREVER IN LEGO

OPEN auditions are being held at The Lowry Hotel on 27 November 2009 for a position as model builder at the new LEGOLAND Discovery Centre.

Faced with millions of LEGO bricks when they arrive, auditionees will need to show how skilled they are at building LEGO models by creating an animal model in just fifteen minutes. The successful builders will then pass to the second stage of the auditions when they will need to create a famous face out of LEGO.

The audition aims to find a potential model builder who is skilled enough to be responsible for developing new features, exhibitions and building new models as well as working with the thousands of children expected to visit the attraction.

Neil Crittenden, general manager of LEGOLAND Discovery Centre said: “We are holding open auditions to find the most talented and enthusiastic model builders. It is an unusual job available and we hope to meet some LEGO fanatics from the North West. We are looking for someone with a great sense of fun and though that holding an open audition would be the ideal way to find the perfect candidate.”

The exciting new role will be based at the unique indoor attraction opening in March 2010.

Described as stepping into the biggest box of LEGO in the world, the attraction will host a unique MINILAND, which the successful model builder will need to create and maintain, as well as a number of other features including offer an exciting themed ride, a tour of a LEGO factory where children can help make their own LEGO brick. Plus there will be lots of opportunities to create their own models, race LEGO cars and areas for birthday parties.

The auditions will be held in meeting room seven and eight from 10am – 5pm at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester.

Auditionees need to register in advance by emailing register@legolanddiscoverycentre.com

For more information please contact the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre contact me, Nikki, at: ldc@brazenpr.com

If a reader ends up trying for this job, please get in touch. It could make for a pretty interesting story.