Magma Guy has posted a really lovely chess set in honor of our 9th birthday! Built in Brothers Brick colors, the set really pops. I am a big fan of brick-built chess sets and the quality of this one is top-shelf. I especially like how the designs of the two sides are quite different but maintain a similar style. The board itself is simple yet elegant. The use of brown as a highlight really ties the green and white together as well. I would love to play a game or two, Magma Guy!
Last night I was able to attend a screening of Beyond the Brick at the Seattle International Film Festival. I have to say that I did not have high hopes or expectations. I have found that, at the best of times, they tend to have a skewed view of the fan community, so I wasn’t really looking forward to seeing how a documentary with LEGO’s official stamp of approval would deal with us adult fans. I am glad to say that my misgivings were unjustified. It was good, even (dare I say it?) better than The LEGO Movie itself. Go ahead, stone me in the comments, but everything WAS awesome.
So what exactly is Beyond the Brick?
In a Q&A session after the screening, one of the directors said that their goal was to create a film that not only told the story of LEGO but showed the vast community that has grown up around it. The idea was to delve into what it is about the LEGO brick that touches us and inspires us, how the system of play drives creativity and who are the people who have been changed and/or affected by LEGO. Did they succeed? I think think they did. I have been a fan of LEGO’s products for 35 years and I learned quite a few things about the global LEGO community that I never knew and was reminded of things that I had forgotten. The filmmakers were able to touch on many different aspects of LEGO and the effects it has had over the years and around the globe. Some of these included changes in the art world, new therapies with special needs children, the adult fan phenomenon, crowd-sourcing before it was a buzzword and sending minifigs into Space.
Was everything really awesome about the film?
No film is ever perfect. I felt there were some key members of the fan community who were overlooked and who could have offered insight into the concepts that the filmmakers were wanting to explore. But, in their defense, they couldn’t talk to everyone and they definitely couldn’t fit every detail into 90 minutes. There were only a few omissions that really bothered me, such as leaving out the collaborators of several projects and making it appear that the projects were built by a single person. One example of those was a minor collaboration I took part in at BrickCon. I was in the film, talking about the build but there were actually two of us there. My partner-in-crime was cut out. There were other, more important examples, involving large convention collaborations, that didn’t give full credit to those involved. But really that is my only serious critique of the film. Overall, it is a very well-crafted film that does an excellent job of showing off the LEGO community to the world. You should go see it or get a hold of the DVD when it comes out.
Check out this clip from the film, via The Wall Street Journal (Many thanks to my coworker, Brett, for sending me the link):
BrickCon recently announced their theme for the 2014 convention and it is “Invasion!”. What exactly does that mean? Apparently a little background is required. Over the years it has become tradition for the various themed sections (Castle, Space, Town, etc) to invade the other layouts throughout the convention. This usually entails space marines invading the castle, dragons attacking the moonbase, pink space fungus infecting all the other layouts, Breann’s bionicles eating stuff, various renditions of the Tardis appearing out of nowhere or Space Odyssey monoliths sprouting up like mushrooms after a bad rain.
This year BrickCon is embracing that concept and taking it to a new level. The coordinators of BrickCon are encouraging you to Invade and the more the merrier! Do you have a squad of World War II marines who want to travel back in time? A cadre of Yeti who are anxious to wreak havoc on a modern city? What about a gaggle of Friends ready to rubble with some bug-eyed aliens in the Space layout? Anything goes and the funnier the better. Personally, I’m training up a squad of strawberry bears to conquer BrickCon. What are you going to bring?
Please let the following pictures, courtesy of Sean Edmison, inspire you to new heights! Mash-ups and smack-downs highly encouraged. Batteries not included.
Jerac hit a home run with this one. This ninjago-inspired snake mecha is rock-solid. I know this because the young Ninjago fans in my house freaked out when they walked by and saw me blogging this.
Mihai Marius Mihu has rapidly become one of my favorite builders. When I saw the ‘work-in-progress’ pics, I was immediately looking forward to the finished build. Even then I was unprepared for how stylish the final creation turned out to be. I’ll avoid the obvious pun and just say that this is one beautiful build.
Welcome, die-hard fans, to the weekly Battle of the Ages here in the gore-soaked venue known as The Brothers Brick Arena! Tonight’s battle-royale features two builders known far and wide for their incredible skills and unique styles. Let’s go to the tale of the tape:
Levitating in the Red Corner, running high on testoterone and energy drinks, we have Mihai Marius Mihu and his Demonic Amulet:
Dancing in the Blue Corner, with a swagger in his step and a chip on his shoulder, Moko brings the chibi with his Knight Gundam:
As always you make the call, in the comments, as to who will be wined and dined, and who will go home to a cup-of-noodles. The winner of last week’s shindig was Mike Dung’s Kagamine Rin with a score of 8-6. Enjoy and remember: you paid for the whole seat but you will only need the edge!
Mark Erickson (AKA Mark of Falworth) has updated an old creation and the result is something rather special. I really dig the posability of this dragon and the seamless use of system and Bionicle/Hero Factory pieces. The old “inverted tire” technique also fits in quite well here!
After a brief hiatus, the Fights return in The Brothers Brick Arena. Join us for another fine night of fancy footwork and flying fisticuffs! Tonight’s matchup is a head-to-head battle of character as Mike Dung takes on Pascal.
In the Red Corner, Mike Dung’s “Kagamine Rin”:
In the Blue Corner, Pascal’s “Claymore”:
The winner of Round 28 was the Airwolf with a score of 11-8. Help decide the winner of this week’s challenge by voting in the comments below. Who will take home the trophy and who one will spend the night crying in their beer?
Steven Erickson (Brother Steven) built this fun medieval scene and I love how the jesters are all “balanced” on top of one another. The expressions and posing of the minifigs in this scene is spot-on. The look of anticipation on the bottom-most jester, as he prepares to step up onto the ball is hysterical!
Víctor Martínez Nouvilas (MolochBaal) has created a beautiful copy of the copy of Dippy, a diplodocus skeleton found in Wyoming in 1899. Plaster copies were donated to a number of Natural History Museums all over the world. Víctor built this to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Museum of Natural Science in Madrid’s copy of Dippy, which was finished on December 1st, 1913.
My photostream is currently flooded with Vic Vipers so I felt impelled to post two that really jumped out at me.
Christoph Monnaie’s (stenrtje) is loaded up with all sorts of awesome detail and greebly goodness.
Rodney Bistline’s (Buster®) contribution literally leaps out of the screen in this lovely homage to vintage space box art.
Dead Frog inc. has rolled out the cutest little tank ever. Dubbed “T3f”, it incorporates are the all the essential features of a battlefield death-dealer with the drop-dead cuteness of a kitten.
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