About Thanel

The actual biological brother of Andrew Becraft. Recently emerging from dim ages and participating more actively in the LEGO community. Moving beyond just squealing in delight under the Christmas tree every year and on birthdays. Actively involved in SandLUG and newly posting on Flickr under the name Yupa-sama. Main interests are in historical vignettes, architecture, Star Wars, the seedy underbelly of anything, Japan, nature, Terry Pratchett's Discworld and clever things that tickles his fancy. Generally just fascinated by culture, subculture, counterculture and multiculture. Married, two and half cats, securely employed (thank god), vegetarian teetotaler and news junkie. Apologies for the slight anonymity, but unlike most people, in Thanel's line of work--alas, not secret agency--online networking is as likely to be detrimental as constructive. Connecting with clients personally and repeat business are distinctly bad ideas, so he'd rather keep his real name on the DL as much as possible. He's happy to reveal his secret identity in-person (or online as Andrew's brother). He just wants to keep the explicit electronic signature of his real name and undisclosed underground bunker location to a minimum.

Posts by Thanel

Comic-Con for the LEGO nerd (2010 edition)

Since there’s a lot of crossover between LEGO fans and general geekiness, it seemed like a good idea to mention a few of the LEGO-related attractions at that the Xanadu of Nerddom: Comic-Con International. It’s tonight through Sunday at the San Diego Convention Center.

If you’ve got tickets, I’ll assume you already know most of the where and when, this is just a quick & dirty guide for all things LEGO.

LEGO: booth #2829. Smack-dab in the middle of the convention floor. On Wednesday evening, the upcoming Obi-Wan Jedi Starfighter set will premiere and be on display for the duration of the convention. Licensed theme sets for sale, LEGO electronic games, play tables, and the line for a chance to win the exclusive set (CubeDudes by Angus MacLane). Angus will be available for signings on Fri. from 2-3pm and Sat. from 12-1pm. The new Hero Factory buildable costume characters will premiere on Sunday.

BrickJournal: TwoMorrows Publishing booth #1301. Magazines and compendia for sale, hassle the ever-popular Joe Meno, and see if he’s arranged for another batch of fans to display their creations.

There are also more LEGO oriented panels this year and they’ll be going on every day except Saturday:

  • BrickJournal, Thur. 2:30-3:30pm, room 7AB. A discussion for and about the LEGO fan community moderated by BrickJournal editor Joe Meno, featuring awesome builder Brandon Griffith, LEGO: A Love Story author Jonathan Bender, LEGO certified professional Nathan Sawaya, and LEGO community operations boss-man Jim Foulds.
  • DK LEGO Star Wars, Fri. 10-11am, room 7AB. DK is releasing a new series of LEGO Star Wars books, and this panel will feature authors Ryder Windham, Daniel Wallace, Gus Lopez and Pablo Hidalgo as well as illustrators Chris Reiff and Chris Trevas. They’ll discuss the making of the books and provide some some sneak peaks. Panel attendees will be entered to win some of the featured books.
  • LEGO Universe, Sun. 11:30am-12:30pm, room 5AB. An official LEGO panel to promote LEGO Universe, the new massive multiplayer online game. The panel will include members of the development team including creative director Ryan Seabury, senior director Mark Hansen, media coordinator Chris Brubaker and videographer Ryan Baier in a addition to a few others who haven’t been revealed yet.
  • LEGO Hero Factory, Sun. 1:45-2:45pm, room 6DE. Sneak peak of the new Hero Factory line of constructible costumed heroes from LEGO. Designers of the line will be on hand to provide some back story and a preview of the accompanying TV series. I don’t usually check this sort product promo panel out, but I figure because of the controversy surrounding the discontinuation of Bionicle and its replacement by this theme, I should find out what the fuss is about. I’ll be there.

If any surprises turn up while I’m at the convention I’ll do my best to keep you posted.

Green Dragon Tavern by Matthew Hurt

I love LEGO’s new Kingdoms line, especially the Green Dragon faction, so I’m happy to start seeing some things inspired by it, especially beautiful castle town creations like this tavern by Matthew Hurt.

LEGO Green Dragon Tavern by Matthew Hurt

Photos of the interior details in the Green Dragon Tavern photoset are well worth checking out and are what really make this worth it for me.

Please protect me

The construction and presentation of this hornet battle bug arrangement by Lino Martins called Protector of the Great Queen is pretty fearsome. Lino keeps rewarding the viewer with fun techniques hidden in the foliage like Jar Jar heads as the base of a plant.

LEGO Lino M Protector of the Great Queen

US Navy Whalers by Lego Monster

I love the sloped hulls on these WW2 era US Navy 26ft whaler boats by Ed Diment (Lego Monster). Great curves without clunky interior support structure. Very nice.

Lego Monster US Navy whalers

Bubbly clouds of goodness

I like the fun little details in this diorama of a hike in Switzerland by Erik Smit (.eti), but by far my favorite thing is the cartoony clouds in the sky. The use of microfigs to portray distant hikers is also fun.

LEGO .eti swiss hiking diorama

Some may object to the busyness of the diorama and use of big ugly rock pieces, but the charms far outweigh those concerns for me.

Slow and steady wins in the end

I don’t completely know what to make of this Tortoise class racing speeder by Jason Corlett, but I do know that I like the unconventionality, construction of the engine, and the attachment of the cockpit seemingly as an afterthought.

LEGO tortoise speeder jason corlett

General Store by Profound Whatever

I just can’t get enough of the details and dusty lighting in this old fashioned general store by Alex Eylar (Profound Whatever).

LEGO profound whatever general store

I particularly love the little price signs stuck into and on top of the merchandise. That really makes it.

What? You got something to say?

This mecha by Fradel Gonzales (Slice151) is fun and great by any standard. I particularly like the construction of the weapon on its left shoulder, and the way he posed it in a simultaneously brooding and challenging way. And the tan. I like the tan. It looks like it’s ready to take on the world.

LEGO slice151 bronte mecha

It’s named after his childhood dog, Bronte, that he pines for and still loves. That also is a great contrast.

Real life, including spending time with my real life LEGO friends, have been part of why I haven’t been blogging, so I figured I’d transition back into it by blogging a couple locals.

Mythical monsters galore

Partially inspired by the LEGO Minotaurus game, Matt Armstrong (monsterbrick) started building micro mythical monsters almost two months ago and just hasn’t stopped. Each incorporates good micro work and angles, but my favorite monsters have at least one fantastically creative use of elements.

The first is Matt’s personal favorite, a Harpy.

LEGO monsterbrick harpy

His second is a Chinese dragon that has an impressive head and lower jaw.

LEGO monsterbrick chinese dragon

French Navy Xebec by Bonaparte

I like the elegant lines, upper hull design and rigging on this Mediterranean Xebec by Tom Jacobs (Bonaparte). It doesn’t hurt that his picture title reminded me of a Camera Obscura song I get stuck in my head.

LEGO Bonaparte Xebec

The best of nnenn: Nglotki

In so many ways nnenn‘s love of the Vic Viper epitomized what building with LEGO is: finding and creating ways to make a vast array of beautiful and varied things, limited only by imagination, skill, and budget. He was a craftsman and an artist pushing the boundaries of a seemingly limited form. There’s a certain beauty in that. His ability to combine sharp and organic forms was phenomenal.

LEGO nnenn Nglotki

Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.

Farm machinery by Mdrn~Mrvls

I like the seemingly simple utility of these pieces of farm equipment built by Chris Blessing (Mdrn~Mrvls).

LEGO Mdrn~Mrvls farm machinery