These new items from Alan M. are all that and they appear to know it. The amount of “posability” achieved by this builder is nothing short of incredible.
Via The Living Brick
Category Archives: Building Techniques
Katsumoto
This samurai is astounding. The plethora of unusual pieces meshes perfectly together. Genius, I say. Pure Genius. You can color me a fan of the builder. His name is Cameron, by the way.
And, yes, this is the type of thing we would love to see in the Big In Japan layout at BrickCon this year.
Thanks to Bruce for pointing this out to me.
Until We Ride the Cosmic Spiral
What you see here started as a tablescrap of a spiral featuring a technique I learned from The Rack by Bryce McGlone. I wanted to incorporate it in a sci-fi scene based off the concept of the cosmic spiral from my previous creations. Having built the rectangular light gray generator of the spiral, I had to set it diagonally on a rectangular base for more visual interest, complemented by the parallel direction of the dark blue tiles. I could’ve made a non-rectangular base, but that would’ve distracted from the sterile lab atmosphere.
Lurker in the darkness
Apparently I was by far from being the only fan of Mike Foy‘s monster called The Void. The simple use of the new claws are are extremely effective along with the arms made out of lever bases and the string wrapped around the torso.
No it is not *your* technique – credit is currency and should be paid [Editorial]
In what I believe is a first (apologies if I’m neglecting credit) for The Brothers Brick I’ve decided to write a somewhat counterpoint editorial to Andrew’s latest editorial.
Andrew argues, with merit, that demands for credit are excessive and potentially “stifling (of) others’ creativity”. While I don’t disagree with his major points I do feel that his post has risky consequences which I do disagree with: discouraging credit when it can and should be given.
As a medium with a finite parts pallette, building technique is not just a means of aiding the design process but an integral part of the design process. Technique is not just a tool but can be an inseparable part of a creation. This is, for me at least, one the most interesting aspects of building with LEGO (and/or other construction toys).
The LEGO fan community has developed in an environment of sharing, cooperation and mingling of ideas. From the earliest days of rec.toys.lego through to the diaspora of today one of the key elements of the online community has been the active sharing of the techniques that go into a model in addition to the sharing of the model itself.
However, this sharing is encouraged, at least in part, by the giving of credit where credit is due. If someone knows that a clever trick they’ve spent hours developing will be used by others without so much as a thank you they may not feel so compelled to spend the time to show a cutaway version.
Likewise if someone sees a neat idea they’d agonised over being used and lauded without acknowledgement a week later by a more experienced builder they may feel justifiably aggrieved. Credit isn’t just polite, it is a driver of the shared creativity that drives the hobby.
So no, it is not your technique. If you got it from someone else then give them the credit they deserve for their creativity so that they’ll feel happy sharing other techniques. Credit is a currency and if you don’t pay for the service you may find it goes away.
No, it is *not* your technique – it’s time for “open source” LEGO design [Editorial]
Merriam-Webster defines the act of plagiarism as:
to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own : [to] use (another’s production) without crediting the source.
Unfortunately, plagiarism is something we LEGO fans witness all too often online. “Hey, some kid on LEGO.com stole my photo and entered it in a contest. And he won!” or “There’s this scumbag on eBay selling copies of a MOC that I designed!”
I think we can all agree that stealing photos or selling someone else’s design for profit are both damaging to the legitimacy of LEGO as an artform and to LEGO builders as a community.
(Some good news is that the Brick-Busters are doing a good job of dealing with the kids on LEGO.com, though the problem is much broader than their scope.)
However, accusations of plagiarism seem just as common between LEGO builders. “Dude, aren’t you going to credit me for combining these three pieces in this particular way?” or “Here’s a photo of an awesome technique I just thought up. I call it SNOT. Please credit me if you use it.”
I believe that claiming ownership or requesting credit for building techniques can have a stifling effect on the creativity we all value so much, and therefore doing so can be just as damaging — in different ways — as real plagiarism. I’m proposing that we embrace a more open approach to building techniques by abandoning the possessive attitude too many of us have about the way we’ve put a few LEGO bricks together.
Of course, what I’m suggesting as it applies to LEGO isn’t unique either. Open source software has proved competitive with traditional boxed products. An increasing number of writers are embracing “copyleft” and open content philosophies as alternatives to traditional copyright.
Boing Boing contributor and science fiction author Cory Doctorow releases his work under a Creative Commons license — specifically, the same license under which The Brothers Brick releases our original content. (All of my own LEGO photos on Flickr are also posted with the same CC license.)
What I love about LEGO builders as a community is how collaborative we are. In most cases, someone who finds what they consider a new type of connection or an innovative use for a part shares it with their LEGO friends expecting nothing in return. It might be easy to dismiss my earlier examples as coming only from the sticky typing fingers of the pre-teens and early teens crawling all over Flickr these days, but I read those kinds of comments from adults all too frequently too.
This attitude is self-congratulatory at best, and has the danger of stifling others’ creativity. Before I had my “open LEGO” epiphany, there was more than one occasion when I paused while building to think whether I wanted to bother listing in my photo description later all the potential places where I might have first seen the technique I was using.
In a creative medium that values collaboration and innovation, I don’t believe claims of ownership for building techniques have any place.
What do you think? Are these claims just annoying, or worse? Sound off in the comments.
Mark Kelso is kung fu fighting
And his kicks will split you in half. Mark Kelso (Amhakia) made this vignette using lots of brilliant techniques and 100% unmodified Lego parts. Did you know that stickers can be used to connect pieces? Find out how he used them and more in the descriptions!
A castle in the modern day
Most major Lego castles, with the exception of Hrothingas, haven’t been open to tourism. Now, Castle Terezcak by legacek is open to visitors. But please, no graffiti on the walls.
I love the train tunnel cutting through the rocky mountain on which the castle is firmly planted. The use of bley and old gray on the castle walls is a classic technique to add texture.
Conquering Atlantis
In this two-for-one post (and an excuse to blog my own creation), I highlight two new ways of having your way in the underwater world of LEGO Atlantis. First, my Harpoon Hunter is a combat mecha to fend off the guardians of Atlantis. The model was a result of my desire to test an incredibly useful joint technique I recently learned.
Next, Moritz Nolting (nolnet) depicts a vicious hunting vessel chasing a mersquid (the fusion of a mermaid and a squidman). I’m happy to see that we both agree on the use of certain plant life for the seabed, but Moritz’s view of the flora and fauna is obvious more fertile than mine.
Sometimes simplest is best...
This simple design for a cell is flirting with perfect. I wouldn’t have thought to use the garage door pieces for a jail, but then I didn’t have to….Andrew Colunga did.
Amazing A380
(link goes to creator’s Eurobricks post)
It’s taken me a while but I’ve finally managed to get the review up for Ryan McNaught’s excellent A380 model as debuted at Brickvention last weekend. While the sculpting and other building techniques are highly impressive they are only the wrapping on this excellent model.
Firstly it also includes a fully detailed interior featuring scenes from five different movies. It also had some other features that may be visible in closeups. Try to spot them all.
Secondly it includes a large a large range of powered features including retractable landing gear and working engines which are all controlled by an A380 control panel on a touchscreen computer. Great mindstorms fun even on a regular model but on the A380 truly spectacular.
And finally Ryan is also selling a mini version of the A380. A got my girlfriend to build the kit to provide a ‘lay’ perspective. She said it was easy enough to build from the included instructions although she found some aspects of them strange and a little confusing. I can’t find the pictures and details right now but rather than make you wait for the main meal I’ll edit some in tomorrow.
Overall it was a very deserving best-of-show at the convention and sets the bar high for future minifig-scale plane building efforts. Truly an impressive model.
And for our American readers Ryan will be taking it to Brickworld in Chicago in June. If you’re in the neighbourhood I highly recommend checking it out in real life. Pictures honestly cannot do it justice.
Window to the soul
In his Urtiva Yacht nnenn shows off a highly-effective yet ever-so-simple technique for microspace windows using nothing more than white and black plates. It really demonstrates scale in this space yacht. Hopefully we’ll see more of it.