Nuno C creates this classic amusement park attraction featuring bumper cars that actually move. The mechanism is described as a system of gears underneath the floor that moves magnets that pull the cars. This technique has been used in at least two instances but none as complex as this. See the video on Flickr.
Here’s the video:
Nick Jensen finished his most ambitious LEGO Halo project yet of building the Sniper Rifle System 99 Anti-Matériel (commonly known as the Halo sniper rifle) for his arsenal of brick-built Halo weapons. I asked the builder to share the process of making the SR99 from inspiration to the finished model. Here is his response.
How It Started
The graphics of Halo: Reach blew me away when I first played it. Textures, environments, and character designs all impressed me, but as a LEGO gun builder, I was most impressed with the detail of all the guns. Since then, I built the pistol and combat knife from Halo: Reach. I wanted to build more weapons from Halo: Reach and I was debating between the shotgun and the sniper rifle. I had the parts and money to make one of them. I went with the shotgun but got really frustrated when I couldn’t find a way to make the pump slide back and forth in the front. So I gave up and started the sniper rifle.
I captured many close-up screenshots of the sniper rifle in Halo: Reach’s theater mode, looked up information about the gun on halopedian.com, used the Halo: Reach action figures from McFarlane, and looked at Perry B.’s version as references. I wanted to include as many details as I possibly can squeeze in. I wanted the final MOC to be perfect.
The Build Process
One of the first things I worried about when I decided on building the sniper rifle was the length. It seemed that I would never build something that was going to be 5.5ft long. I thought about the project from another perspective: building the sniper rifle is like building the assault rifle but with a really long barrel. Breaking the project down into three simple parts (body, barrel, and scope) really eased some doubts I had. The sniper rifle in Halo: Reach is approximately 5.5ft long, so a tape measure locked at 5.5ft was always around for reference. I built the body of the sniper the same way I built the assault rifle, SMG, and pistol: Start from the front and build my way to the back. The barrel was easy and I had a plan in mind from the start. I would cover a supporting rod with 2×2 quarter cylinder bricks. So the only difficult tasks were the body and scope.
Problems
I did drop the gun once during the WIP stage. I got impatient and wanted to hold it as if it were finished, and it fell to the ground. There was another time later on where the front grip collapsed because of its weight.
Facts
Length: 63 inches (1.6 meters)
Weight: Approximately 10.5 pounds
Non-LEGO used: dowel rod, custom waterslide decals
Features: Removable magazine, sliding bolt, moving safety
Time spent building: about 4 months
Piece count: uhh…?
Oftentimes we see applications of a new building technique on a small experimental model, but rarely do we see them applied to a large creation. I am delighted to see tiberium_blue‘s T’Met Monastery, which not only uses Technic liftarms for its massive stone walls but also depicts a refreshing subject of a fictional sanctuary inspired by a Star Trek Vulcan monastery.
The Creations for Charity store is now open where you can buy a custom Lego creation to fund the donation of Lego sets to Toys for Tots during the holidays. There are an unprecedented 35 MOCs to kick off this year’s store opening, and just about all are one-of-a-kind works sold on a first come, first serve basis.
More MOCs will be added to the store as new donations come in, and you can donate a Lego creation by November 15. I recommend checking the Creations for Charity website for updates on the fundraising progress and previews of new MOCs for sale, and above all, I hope you’ll take part in this year’s effort to brighten the holidays of many children.
The official high-res image of 6860 The Batcave has been released. There are also additional pictures of 2012 sets from Star Wars, Cars, Spongebob, and Series 7 Minifigs posted on FBTB’s Flickr photostream.
Tyler (Legohaulic) recreates a game of cat and mouse in a circuitry world of machines. Everything in the picture is made out of Lego. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the setup.
Zane Houston designed a spy ship and outfitted it with guns to suit a bounty hunter. Not a bad combination of stealth and firepower.
Garry King likes building ships from the Battlestar Galactica universe, and he likes them big. His newest Battlestar Berzerk is so large that it requires internal supports for this 54-pound behemoth. More pictures and detailed descriptions are on MOCpages.
The third annual Creations for Charity fundraiser has just begun. This is an opportunity for builders to donate custom Lego creations and raise money to buy Lego for underprivileged children during the holidays. In addition, it’s a chance for buyers to own an original Lego creation. MOC donations are currently being accepted until November 15, and the store will open from October 15 to November 30.
You can visit Creation for Charity’s new website for details and other exciting changes this year. Once again, I look forward to the generosity and enthusiasm of the Lego community to share our hobby with many children this holiday season.
Here’s a look at last year’s results and the amount of Lego that was donated.
This life-sized LEGO Gears of War Lancer Assault Rifle by PLUM B already has the looks to fit a C.O.G. soldier, but it also features a clip-fed firing mechanism that shoots rubber bands — perfect for taking out the paper Locust horde. If that’s not enough, the saw blade on the front of the gun is motorized for slice-and-dice action. See it all in the video below:
Mike Doyle finished his third masterpiece titled Victorian on Mud Heap, depicting yet another decaying Victorian house in a gigantic 5.5′ x 6′ x 3′ creation made entirely out of Lego. There are several ways to enjoy this work such as viewing the detail pictures on MOCpages, reading the builder’s interpretation of his work on Flickr, or learning more about Mike through an earlier interview.
Carl Greatrix is a designer for the official Lego games, and his design of the Flying Dutchman for the Lego Pirates of the Caribbean video game shows why he’s the man for the job. Even though this is a render, just about all the parts used are official Lego elements.
