About Josh

Josh is 30+ years old and has more Lego than he has hair. Which really isn't saying much. He builds mostly medieval creations, but dabbles in other genres. He is also a father and uses his kids as an excuse to buy Lego. That justification isn't working as well as it used to, so if you can think of a better justification, feel free to contact him. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Josh's Brickshelf gallery gets messier and messier. Josh also has a Flickr gallery, if you care about such things. He goes by the name "floodllama" there. If you wonder why he goes by "floodllama", you've obviously never owned a llama in flood. Josh feels sorry for you.

Posts by Josh

Team SCA’s yacht recreated for the Volvo Ocean Race using over 100,000 LEGO pieces and 1200 man-hours

The Volvo Ocean Race is a yacht race around the entire world. It is held every three years and generally takes approximately 9 months to complete. Each boat has a crew of 9, who race 24 hours a day for up to 20 days at a time, living off of freeze-dried food and raw courage. It isn’t a race for the weak or faint of heart.

This incredible LEGO model was built by Johan Sahlstrom, who works for Volvo, and Anders Christensen, who works for LEGO. After deciding to build a model of the Volvo Ocean Race boats, they chose Team SCA, the first all-female crew in over 10 years, because “Team SCA is definitely the coolest looking”, according to Sahlstrom.

The SCA boat is 2 1/2 meters long and 3 1/2 meters tall, using over 100,000 pieces. It includes fully functional halyards, winches, grinding pedestals and a canting keel. It is completely to scale, took over 1200 man-hours to build and uses no glue. Creating it was a quite the feat in and of itself!

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To the Stars, Classic-Style

Jon & Catherine Stead have created this lovely Neo-Classic Space “Rocket Launch and Recovery Vehicle”. It really reminds of an updated Mobile Rocket Transport, which was one of my favorite sets from my childhood.

The mix of new and vintage parts really bring this concept home but I think it is the use of all the transparent bits that makes this standout. It’s a rather full of “bling” and I’m liking it.

House of Healing...and Leaning

This crazy house is the fault of César Soares and it’s an eye-catcher. It really has some unusual angles going on, both on the roof and the walls. I also like the patches and repairs. It gives the house a sense of character and helps create a story in your mind.

No Loyal Friend

This symbolic scene depicts the moment in The Lord of the Rings when Smeagol (soon to become Gollum) steals the ring from his cousin, Deagol, and evil takes hold of him. Tim Lydy has done an exceptional job with this scene. Everything fits together so well. The scene is almost idyllic, with the water, grass, fishing boat, tree (made from a dragon tail!) and the look of happiness on Smeagol’s face. It is almost easy to overlook the dead body of Deagol and the looming shadow about to possess him forever.

Lucifer’s Advocate – A Hot Rod to Hell

According to Lino Martins, he combined hot rod and steam engine in equal parts and sprinkled in a dash of black magic. When the thunder and lightning stopped and the earth ceased to shake, this wicked beast rolled out of the smoke and up to the curb.

I really dig this one. The locomotive motif, the color scheme and the steam-punk detailing all combine in a most excellent and cohesive way. One of my favorite touches is the open rib-work on the hood, showing off the spinning turbine. This is definitely another masterpiece from the Master.

The top of the coach also opens to display the crushed red velvet interior.

Fjollum Great Hall – Inside and Out

This medieval pile has rather unique walls. This technique is most often used for floors but Isaac S. has done a great job of incorporating it into the exterior walls of this hall. But the features of this model do not stop there. Isaac has built a very believable interior into it as well. I really like the cheese-slope mosaic, featuring the coat-of-arms, on the lower floor.

Minifig Customization – The Purist Way

Pete Reid has decided to show us the actual process behind the creation of the green classic spacepeople! Okay, not really. When I realized that he had recreated the most common tools and supplies for minifig customization all out of LEGO, I had to laugh. It is really well constructed and very realistic looking. I’m super impressed with the cutting mat and the handles on the knife and paintbrushes.

Aerial Arena – The more you look, the more you are drawn in

You have to check out the domed roof on this lovely building by Pete Strege. The curve of the roof is so perfectly smooth, I can’t believe it. So very, very nice. But I also really like the colors of the building and the overall architectural style. It reminds me a lot of Vista House, an observatory that my wife and I used to visit in the Columbia Gorge.

Medieval Mountain Bobsledding

This winter scene, by mrcp6d is a ton of fun. To begin with, the landscaping and snowbanks are perfect. That isn’t easy to do and it gives this model a great foundation. But it is the posing of the minifigs that really sells this build. The grim vikings as they lose, the celebrating of the winners and their fans and the total dejection of the bare-armed woman (isn’t she cold?) as she watches her team come in last really make this scene come alive. It’s too bad bobsledding wasn’t invented until the 1870s because it would have been a great medieval sport!

A Chunky Hunk of Mechanical Destruction

Devid VII is responsible for this hard-hitting, death-dealing exo-suit. I really like the chunkiness of the suit and the color scheme makes it stand out. In the current pose, it looks like one of those rockets might blow off his own arm, but that’s the chance you take, right? Overall, I think it is an outstanding build. Very nicely done.

Weekly Amazon LEGO Deals – Hobbit, Ninjago, Architecture & More

This week’s Amazon LEGO sales feature some really decent sets and remember, you can still get these in time for Christmas! It’s getting close so finish up your shopping while you can. Here is are couple of sets that I thought were interesting.

LEGO The Hobbit Dol Guldur Ambush 79011

This set is currently available for $15.99, down from $19.99. That seems like a good deal. This is the only set that has Beorn, plus you get two Orcs. Could be good for building up your Orc army and all that dark grey is great for building cliffs or other landscaping.

LEGO Ninjago 9450 Epic Dragon Battle

This one is an expensive set but is marked off quite a bit. It’s currently available for $87.87, down from $119.99. It comes with some good figures and over 900 pieces that are good for creature building among other things. I’m rather tempted by this one.

LEGO City Police High Speed Chase 60007

This is a fun, little set. Currently available for $22.39, down from $29.99, it has lots of vehicle parts, of course. It also has decent figures and a length of light grey track.

LEGO® Architecture Brandenburg Gate 21011

This one is on sale for $26.40, down from $34.99. These Architecture sets are over-priced, in my opinion, but if you are looking for this set or just want it for all the tan and sand-green, this price is much more reasonable.

LEGO Chima Target Practice 70101

This small set is rather fun and would make a good stocking stuffer-type of gift. It’s heavily discounted at $6.38, down from $14.99. It’s not worth the original price but is great at the discounted price. It includes a Chima figure, some weapons, a spring-loaded dart gun, a Speedor and a variety of parts. The Speedorz are actually rather fun and are made up of some interesting and useful parts. Definitely worth it if you can get them on sale.

’32 Deuce Coupe from American Graffiti

Calin just rolled out this awesome little yellow hot rod, as a a tribute to John Milner’s ’32 Deuce Coupe from the iconic film American Graffiti. The lines and styling are incredible. It’s an amazing that the builder was able to achieve this shape in such a small footprint. You have to admit that the the use of bananas for fenders is a great touch too!