Bartosz Kacprzyk (the oneman) creates his version of the fire truck from Fahrenheit 451. I love the fitting retro-futuristic style of this vehicle and the plow, which I think makes the creation stand out. The warm lighting also adds to the presentation; we don’t need to see a pile of burning books to know that things are about to heat up.
Immediately after the start of the Normandy invasion on D-Day, Allied forces began a battle for the strategic port city of Cherbourg that lasted more than three weeks. My diorama highlights the aftermath of the battle, when townspeople begin emerging from the rubble, while Free French partisans hoist the Tricolour above their safe house.
The diorama features an updated version of my M4 Sherman tank:
For more photos, check out the photoset on Flickr, and you’ll be able to see this in person in just over a month as part of the Operation Bricklord collaborative display at BrickCon 2010.
Better late than never. Nate Brill (Shuppiluliumas) and PennLUG debuted this wonderful container ship and port at BrickFair2010. RAILBRICKS have already written at great length about it so I’ll spare the details here but I will add that I’m a huge fan of the old rundown port next to the much more modern one. Lovely!
Phil Memmer built an UCS-style model of the probe droid, making good use of the quarter saucer pieces. The detailed mechanical arms are simply fascinating to look at.
I don’t pretend to be able to read or pronounce the name of this new mecha by Dane Erland (Lord Dane). That doesn’t stop me from knowing that I like the CEC Podróżujący – czworonóg, though.
There are a lot of excellent details on this creation, starting with the well sculpted small turret on top. I also think that the gears and other bits at the joints of the legs really help give them a functional look. The use of minifig vests to vary the thickness of the legs is also a nice touch, especially using an old castle logo to add insignia to the creation.
Flickr user Fat Tony 1138 enlightens us.
In case you’re wondering, the stubby alien in the last frame is not a Lego minifig.
It’s always a treat see a new creation by the Arvo brothers. They’re known to build great cars, and this one is no different. The slanted hood and roof give the model its realistic shape. Check out the gallery on Brickshelf for pictures of the chassis that features working suspension.
Peter Blackert (lego911) builds fantastic vehicles out of brick. This is simply a fact. His latest creation brings us back to the Roarin’ 20s with a brilliantly executed Ford Model A (1927) Deluxe Coupe ‘Grandfather’ design. More photos, including his mini-land scale Grandma and Grandpa, are found in his USA Holiday 2010 set.
While we wait patiently for How to Train your Dragon to come out on DVD/Blu Ray, Taylor Baggs (Unitronus) helps us out by teaching us to identify the various species of dragons in and around.
The Gronckle, seen below, is a fairly small, portly dragon that prefers masticated rocks as projectiles.
Photograph by Adam Hally
We are getting excited about BrickCon 2010 here and, while we were busy getting our bricks in a row, we received the following press release from the BrickCon staff.
Now is the time to register for BrickCon 2010, September 30th through October 3rd. This year’s Theme is “Tales of the Brick!” Build your Tale and tell (and show) it to the world!
We return to the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall and have added the Rainier Room (Northwest Rooms) to our venue space. We’ll be using the Rainier Room (6,000 sq ft) for all of our Convention Activities including the Thursday Meet and Greet and our General Assemblies, seminars and contests.
Registering now will guarantee you’ll receive a customized engraved name badge you can wear proudly to the entire three day (four if you count Thursday – and we do!) event. Included with your registration will be a great Goody Bag, a Free Luncheon on Friday. And, if you’re old enough, you can attend our Thursday Meet and Greet get together where mixed drinks, beer and wine will be available ($4 per drink – cash only) along with free Mexican fare (snacks).
If you procrastinate too long, September 15th is the “deadline”, we cannot guarantee the terrific Goody Bag and custom badge. Registration will close September 28th. Then registration will only be at the door at the Exhibition Hall.
Visit www.brickcon.org now for details and Register Now!
Prices:
Adult Registration (21+) $65
Young Adult Registration (18-21) $60
Under 18 (Teen) Registration (must include an Adult (21+) as a package) $60
T-Shirts $15 – $17.50
Convention Model $20Wayne Hussey
BrickCon
So get your rear in gear and be there! By the way, if you are attending, and you see some of us, make sure you say ‘hi’. See you there!
When it comes to Lego and photo lighting, no one has a better reputation than Alex Eylar. Having emerged from his Dark Ages in 2007, Alex has made an impression on the community through his diverse and often pop culture-referencing creations that are photographed with realistic and atmospheric lighting. It is my pleasure to interview the man behind the camera about his take on our favorite hobby.
Nannan Zhang: Talk about what you like to build.
Alex Eylar: I tend to just build whatever I feel like, whatever inspiration hits, without really sticking to one theme or another. I admire the people who can stay in one theme and just put out hit after hit, but I’ve got a total LEGO-ADD that keeps me bouncing from theme to theme. I even had to title that one folder “The Unclassifiable” because the things just didn’t fit into one theme or another.
NZ: So it’s really just the spur of the moment?
AE: Oh, absolutely. I keep a Word Document on my desktop that has all sorts of random ideas in the shortest of shorthand. I get an idea, I jot it down, I build it or try to build it and fail miserably.
NZ: It’s interesting that you keep an actual list of ideas, how long is it?
AE: Generally about four or five projects long, but that includes things I’ve been thinking about for years and will probably never get to finish. Purgatory from Dante’s Inferno is a great example.
NZ: That list is actually much shorter than I expected, I know someone who has over 120 ideas on his list.
AE: Mind if I ask who?
NZ: I heard this from “Big Daddy” Nelson a few years ago. You’re on a building streak lately and cranking out some great models, what’s the occasion or inspiration?
AE: The occasion is free time thanks to summer and zero social life, and the inspirations are movies and internet. Big movie geek, so I’m always seeing things I want to build, and spend as much time online as I do and you’re bound to see things that pique your interest.
NZ: I’m guessing you liked Inception?
AE: Oh my yes. Best movie of the year so far, in my opinion.
NZ: And you built some MOCs based on that?
AE: I had to. Any movie with visuals as good as that has to be built. A tilted, spinning hallway; come on.
NZ: How long did it take you?
AE: Maybe three hours from start of the build to the last shot taken.
NZ: What about photography, was that a huge process?
AE: It can be; it depends on the project. If it’s something small like that, and only requires one shot, it won’t take that long, but if it’s enormous – “Containment” enormous – it’ll take its sweet time.
More of our interview with Alex after the jump: Continue reading
The Hog’s Head is a cute tudor house from Harry Potter but one that would look equally excellent on a castle layout. _Matn has many other lovely Harry Potter creations with inspiration for town and castle fans alike.