Burlogh’s rendition of Goldberry’s Spring from The Lord of the Rings is top-notch. I love the effect of foliage-piled-on-foliage that virtually hides the brick-built base. It really conveys the lush feeling of Goldberry and Tom Bombadil’s home. The tree has the appropriate feeling of age and Goldberry is holding the white water lilies that Tom brings her everyday. This is decidedly a nice piece!
This is my envisioning of the arena for Iron Builder, a series of competitions that pit the most skilled and competitive builders against each other in a month-long face-off to build with a mystery piece. I was inspired to make this arena after witnessing a spectacular show by the Mayos vs Ericksons round. This creation will be for sale in this year’s Creations for Charity for someone who wants to own a creation that tells the legendary battles of some of the greatest Lego builders.
Well, I’ve had the place to myself this weekend and it’s been fun spinning the tunes for your weekend pleasure. Diamond Dave Shaddix is late to the party but he’s arrived just in time with a case of beer, a bag of barbeque potato chips and this colorful mosaic of Boba Fett. I can think of no better way to end my shift. I recall getting into fisticuffs with a fellow 6th grader over a Boba Fett doll back in the day…some things are worth fighting for. Have a great week.
It was my distinct pleasure to attend the 12th annual BrickCon in Seattle last weekend along with about half of TBB’s contributors, hundreds of talented builders and thousands of slack-jawed public hours gawkers. While I’m sure you’ll be seeing and reading more about the convention from my Brothers, I’ll be focusing this post on a collaborative sci-fi project I took part in called Hub 14 that featured 23 builders from Brazil, Canada, Germany and a U.S. contingent that included both Alaska and Hawaii.
Hub 14 was a sprawling 4ft by 12ft slice of alien landscape that included an air-traffic control hub, landing pads and swampy terrain that provided a stage for dozens of VTOL spaceships, mecha, minifigs, monsters, hard-suits and personal conveyances of every variety. Although it apparently won a category award of some kind (I didn’t actually see it happen) Hub creator Michael Rutherford claims that no trophy was actually distributed and if there was he had no specific knowledge of such an artifact. The real value of the Hub was the camaraderie enjoyed by its participants and the shared effort to bring the diorama to life. Clear evidence of the spirit of the Hub was the exchange of VTOL’s by many of the builders at the end of the convention, with nobody being more generous than Simon Liu, who basically gave everything away. Everyone pitched in from set-up to tear-down and I think I can safely say that a good time was had along the way. My favorite aspect of the project was meeting and working with some of my favorite builders that I’ve somehow missed in my convention travels, people like Pascal, Gilcelio, Nick, Sam, Chris, Aaron, Adam, Evan, Ryan, Simon and Will. While it’s great to work with beloved cronies like Mark, Breanne, Bram, Josh, Ian and Ley (to name a few) there is a special thrill adding new blood to the mix. I learned a great deal about collaboration along the way and I feel like I’m a better builder as a result.
But there was also a dark side to the shenanigans occurring at Hub 14, most notably this truly disturbing and deadly embrace shared by Michael Rutherford and Ryan Wilhelm. While this borderline cosplay only lasted a brief 3 and a half minutes to get as fellow Hubbite Simon Liu put it “Just the right shot“, it seemed to most observers that time was slowed like Neo stopping incoming bullets in The Matrix. I like to think I’ve been to my share of conventions and seen some odd behavior out of my fellow Lego nerds, but this was a whole new level of strangeness….at least in the on-site venue. I still wake up screaming, thinking about this terrible soul-kiss…and yes constant reader…there was tongue.
Although my final anecdote is only superficially related to Hub 14, it is without qualification, the best. No doubt as a result of his association with the Hub, the eternally effervescent Nick Trotta was approached by Lego’s own Keith Severson (Sr. Manager of Community Support) about taking Nick’s “Solar Sweeper” starfighter back to Billund to be displayed within their innovation studio. Apparently it will be set up in an area for LEGO designers to regularly see and take some inspiration from what our awesome building community is up to. In Nick’s own understated words “Wow!“. After meeting Nick and his long suffering (and much funnier) wife Adelle, I can safely say it couldn’t have happened to a nicer, more humble dude. So keep hope alive constant reader, if you have the requisite skills you might just get “discovered” at a convention.
So many thanks to the hard working and hard partying international crew of builders that was Hub 14, you guys (and gal) are the best. The project would not have been possible without the generosity and logistical assistance from TBB’s elder statesman Andrew Becraft who not only allowed me to ship 10 boxes to his domicile but also moved them to the venue and shipped them back without so much as a complaint. Thanks also to Wayne Hussey and team for another fabulous BrickCon! If you are interested in the specific contributions of each member you can follow the links throughout the article or head on over to Ryan Rubino’s photostream for additional action. Due to post-convention hangover disorder (PCHD), some of the contributors have not yet officially posted their models to Flickr, so stay tuned to your stream for more details. There is a public Group Pool for the Hub, but again, because of PCHD it is still in its infancy.
I’ve been told by experts in the know that this sort of coverage isn’t well loved by our audience and usually results in a downward spike in statistical interest, so thank you for your indulgence. If you have a thought you’d like to share on the topic of convention coverage I’d love to read about it in the comments.
French builder 6kyubi6 a.k.a. Jimmy makes his fourth appearance of 2013 with “Thug Bunny“, a vision of leporine horror that is sure to get you ready for Samhain. Some models don’t need explanation or description so I’ll leave you two alone. I can’t stare into those eyes any longer…look for more entries in the Badnimals series as the month progresses.
I’m starting to think that LUGPol either doesn’t have any sub-standard builders within its ranks, or they kill them off before they can embarrass the group publicly. Either way I’m delighted to present Polish Air Marshall mrutek’s latest effort, a fabulous single-engine biplane called the Antonov An-2. The An-2 was a large, slow flying utility transport used as both a crop-duster and for the deployment of paratroopers. The Guinness Book of World Records states that the 45-year production run for the An-2 was for a time the longest ever, for any aircraft, but it was recently exceeded by the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
We’ve been known to feature a life-sized camera or two on the Brothership over the years, which seems only natural when you consider how much our hobby depends on them for sharing our creations. The latest outstanding entry into the category comes to us from Alex Jones (Orion Pax) who takes on 1983’s NIKON FE 2. The model has everything you’ve come to expect from the always reliable Mr. Jones; accuracy, inventive use of parts and glorious chrome. I think my favorite detail is the printed Jedi Starfighter canopy dish used as the lens, but your results may vary. For a complete selection of photos and information on this model, be sure and check out Orion Pax Designs
One of our resident masters of Mecha Izzo Legostyle returns to give you the uncut fix you so desperately need. The model is based on Japanese Manga also known as “Linebarrels of Iron” that tells a boilerplate story of a bullied junior high school student who acquires super powers and a giant robot to dispense justice and one-liners while causing a great deal of mayhem. I’m not sure why, but my eye is drawn to those beefy yet precarious looking legs.
Time to go digital with a mind-blowing tank called the “Ûbârrek-Âssoi Remîv ÛâR – 57/6” by Edmonton’s own Ian MacDonald (ABS doohickies). This brutal looking war machine was inspired by the Valdor Tank Hunter from the Warhammer 40k franchise and I have little doubt that Heinz Guderian would approve of its style and features. While the vocal tribe of purists might complain that most of the parts used are not actually available in dark-tan, we try to have a wider view of things here at the big blog. I included a photo of the back-side because the level of detail and clever parts usage is simply too stunning to miss. BOOM SHAKA-LAKA!
Kristi McWii (customBRICKS) returns to the Brothership with a study in minimalism featuring everyone’s favorite cyborg law enforcer from the 1987 film RoboCop. I know some of you don’t like free-floating parts in your models but I’m confident you can look past it and appreciate this immediately recognizable silhouette. Thank you for your cooperation.
Try to avoid any unnecessary blow-back, constant reader, as you feast your bleary eyes on this 1:10 scale Street-Glide Special as featured on the biker-gang T.V. series Sons of Anarchy. The builder is one-percenter bricksonwheels who brings his signature style and skill to one of the bikes favored by protagonist Jax Teller. Now grab your ape-hangars and hit the road, we’ve got trouble with the Mayans.
Welcome back fight fans, to Sin City Nevada for another bare-knuckle edition of Friday Night Fights! Tonight’s bout seeks to settle the timeless score between fish and amphibian. Let’s go to the tale of the tape:
Fighting out of the red corner, from the rocky cliffs of flavor country…Kyoungbae Amida Na and his “Clown Anemone“.
And fighting out of the blue corner, from the Land of the Rising Sun…LEGO DOU Moko and his “Frog“.
As usual, constant reader, you are tasked with deciding the outcome of this pugilistic endeavor by way of comment. On the last edition of Friday Night Fights, the battle of the maritime maestros ended in an unprecedented draw scored 3-3 by the ringside judges. Tune in next week for another action packed edition of Friday Night Fights!