After three years of delays, the LEGO Halo video game finally has a confirmed release date of September 14, 2011. The release of this title may promise a launch of LEGO Halo sets in 2012, so get in your warthog Master Chief, it’s time to finish the fight.
Nannan Zhang’s recent media exposure had the unfortunate side-effects of attracting local police attention on the possibility of ABS abuse. An investigation revealed over 500 MISB Lego sets stashed in Zhang’s house, which far exceeded the maximum allowance of household ABS per person. According to Officer McBloks, hoarding and distributing an addictive substance is an illegal activity. He further states that “too much ABS can’t be good for you.”
It’s a shame that we have not blogged many people’s best MOCs due to poor photography. We’re talking about babies. Word of advice: when posting pictures of your best MOCs, please exercise proper photography techniques such as using a light box, plain background, and careful photoediting.
We speak, you listen.
If you’re still upset about LEGO’s removal of bar codes from the collectible minifigs, rest assured that you’re not the only one.
Several of our auctions of donated LEGO creations are ending in less than a day! Remember, all proceeds go to the Red Cross, so please bid liberally, and feel free to spread the word! As a reminder, here’s the full explanation of this charity LEGO auction effort. Here are the creations that are ending in less than a day:
Also, don’t forget to check out all the other on-going auctions to help the Red Cross in their efforts to help the victims of the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan and the Pacific Rim.
Joe of CitizenBrick.com recently sent me some custom printed LEGO elements to take a gander. A quick glance at his store revealed some interesting and potentially useful parts such as cobblestone tiles and a tattooed minifig. As far as I know, Citizen Brick is one of the few vendors who offer a variety of custom printed parts (the others being BrickArms who focuses on military minifigs and Tommy Armstrong who only takes commissions). Here are my impressions of their products:
Quality: The text from the store claims that their products are impeccable and of the finest quality. Truth be told, they are 100% correct in saying so. The printing is no less than what you would expect from the LEGO company itself. They are centered with precision and resist rubbing and scratching by other bricks. The printed bricks themselves are new and clean, and the minifigs have stiff joints.
Compatibility: It’s important that the ink matches the palette of LEGO colors. You can judge this by looking at the picture on the right that compares the printed tiles with bley and silver LEGO parts. Both light and dark bley matches perfectly and so does the metallic silver. The patterns on the “wooden” tiles and bricks are a close but not exact match to dark tan (not shown). The patterns can be tessellated.
Price: If I had to find something not to like about these parts, it would be their prices. At roughly $1 per tile or brick, it would cost a fortune to pave a wall or road. The $20 minifigs are nothing to scoff at either. However, given the fine quality of these bricks, I don’t find their prices to be unjustified. Comparably, BrickArms, who operates at a much larger scale, charges similar prices for their printed minifigs.
Bottom Line: Citizen Brick offers a unique and quality-oriented line of custom printed parts and minifigs to enhance your creations. While you might put a dent in your wallet buying their products, you’ll be happy once you see their quality firsthand. If you’re looking for something to spice up a vignette or small creation, you should visit Citizen Brick before you get to building.
Donations from our readers toward the Bricks Helping Japan charity auction have been pouring in all weekend. I’ve been busy posting new auctions, and the great LEGO models up for auction just keep coming. I want to highlight some of the newest stuff here, including a few awesome creations that you’ve seen here in the past.
First off, the Phenix. Christophe Corthay has been generous enough to donate this creation that’s over 3 meters long! He says that it incorporates over 30,000 LEGO elements, and cost him over 3000 Euro in Bricklink orders. I certainly hope that our readers will make his donation worth as much to the earthquake and tsunami victims as possible!
While the Phenix is certainly the biggest creation donated so far, there are certainly many others to chose from. Here’s a sampling!
Keep your eyes peeled, as there are still more donations to be added!
I think I vaguely remember the TV show M.A.S.K. but you don’t really need to know what Boulder Hill is to know you like the LEGO model. The service station mode is cool enough but Alex Schranz (“Orion Pax”) lets it transform just like the toy.
This is not a lineup of LEGO’s Cafe Corner buildings but rather a downsized one. Matthew Raehl (Puddleglum-) has recently finished miniature versions of these popular LEGO sets. Here are more picture of mini Grand Emporium, Green Grocer, and Fire Brigade.
This mecha by Brickshelf user icetea not only looks like a total boss but also transforms into an all-terrain assault vehicle. See the gallery for numerous pictures showing different poses and weapon assortments.
I’ve never seen a fully articulated Lego skeleton sculpture until now. This model by Clay Morrow was real enough to fool me from the thumbnail. The rib cage is especially well-done.
