Category Archives: People

LEGO fandom is a worldwide phenomenon, a vast community. Whether you consider yourself an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO), ALE (Adult LEGO Enthusiast), some other crazy acronym, a parent of a young builder, or even just a casual fan who appreciates all the amazing models LEGO builders create, there’s more to LEGO than just the models themselves. Here at The Brothers Brick, we bring you the stories behind the models, with interviews, builder profiles, and more.

Chicago Vic Viper fly-in remembers nnenn – fly-ins coming to DC and Seattle [News]

To commemorate the passing in April of Nate “nnenn” Nielson, each of the three LEGO conventions over the summer and fall are hosting Vic Viper fly-ins. Keith Goldman gives us a glimpse into the Chicago fly-in earlier this month.

Two weeks ago in Chicago, I had the pleasure of organizing the first Vic Viper fly-in, in honor of our departed friend and fellow builder Nate “nnenn” Nielson.

LEGO Vic Viper missing man formation

72 Vipers from 66 builders joined the missing-man formation from a total of 7 countries: Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, U.K. and the USA. We kept the center of the layout open in the tradition of missing man formations, with nnenn’s rubber-band holder avatar as a placeholder. The public was drawn in by the amazing Vipers, and more often than not stayed for the story behind it.

Thanks again to all the participants that made the formation an outstanding tribute to Nate. Special thanks to Ley Ward for his time and patience, and skill with the dozen or so Vipers that arrived with “some assembly required”. For a detailed list of participants, please follow the link to my Flickr-posting and check the notes.

The formation was a moving experience for many of the builders involved, and we’d all like to express our condolences again to the Nielson family. Nnenn was missed in Chicago and will clearly be missed around the planet.

Both of the upcoming LEGO conventions, BrickFair in August and BrickCon in October, will also be hosting missing man formations to honor Nate. If you would like to participate in either of these formations, you can contact Dan Rubin (for BrickFair) and Andrew Becraft (for BrickCon).

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Brickworld 2010 wrap-up, it was crazy awesome

Brickworld took place in Chicago last weekend with an unprecedented gathering of 800 attendees displaying Lego creations across 30,000 square feet in the Westin Hotel & Convention Center. It took me three days to get myself back together after the post-con crash and sorting out my haul, so without further ado, here’s my wrap-up of the event.

The above picture taken by Alex Eylar best describes my thoughts about this year’s Brickworld in two words: crazy awesome. (Alternatively it can also be described as epic by David Pagano‘s video)

First, there were the crazy awesome creations. In addition to the returning classics such as Arthur Gugick‘s microscale landmarks, NILTC‘s train/city display, and the Great Ball Contraption, there were plenty of new creations that each made quite an entrance. Among the many were Adam Reed Tucker‘s roller coaster, the Vic-Viper Memorial Fly-In, Matt De Lanoy‘s Futurama display, and the insane Monster Chess. With between 5,000 – 10,000 creations, you’ll need to browse the Brickworld Flickr group for a glimpse of all that was there.

The second half that made up the con was the crazy awesome people. I won’t make a list, because there’s bound to be those that I missed among such a large crowd. Some went to the LEGOLAND Discovery Center (and struck questionable poses), a few dined at the same restaurant for 4 straight meals, and others went head-to-head in the Esther Walner Memorial Charity Auction that raised an astounding $12,000. When it came to public hours, there was quite a line, and I’m guessing that we had upwards of 10,000 visitors. Speaking of crowd control, get a load of the action that went on during the special sales at the Lego store. There were plenty of 50% off sets to go around this time, making most people happy with their acquisitions.

Needless to say, Brickworld was nothing short of being crazy awesome as it has been and will continue to be. But before I finish my wrap-up, I leave you with the tentative themes for next year and 2012. The theme for 2011 will most likely be “Five,” celebrating the 5th year of Brickworld. For 2012, we have our eyes set on “The End of the World.”

Yes.

Deborah Higdon: Who’s Freddie Mercury? – Boilerplate & Beyond Vol. 14 [Interview]

At first glance, it appears that Keith Goldman has been joined by Edward Estlin Cummings for the 14th installment in our series of interviews. If all-caps is yelling, Deborah Higdon whispers her answers to Keith’s questions. Thankfully, Deborah’s answers are worth the extra effort to hear. Without further commentary on capitalization from me, take it away, Keith!

They say that our hobby is dominated by mannkinder, and the closest we come to the feminine touch are our beloved bevy of gay men and the unfortunate epidemic of man-boobs. Our community meetings and events are virtual sausage festivals, with only the occasional long-suffering wife or girlfriend to break up the monotony. Even my own beloved interview series has been as they say in the armed forces “a mile of %&#@”, and with that in mind I sought out not only a great builder…but a real live woman. Many of you are familiar with Deborah Higdon for her outstanding architectural models, minifig scale furniture, and hatred for capital letters.

I sat down with Deborah at the Palladium where the Ottowa Senators were tied going into overtime in round one of the NHL playoffs. We talked about how the O-Train got its name, high-sticking and how to assemble a Frojista from Ikea without an allen wrench.

The Build

Keith Goldman: In your Flickr profile you mention that you’re a frustrated architect at heart, a condition that is not unique in our hobby, how does that influence your subject matter or building in general?

Deborah Higdon: oooh, we’re starting off with a serious question. ;-) considering i mostly choose to moc buildings, i’d say the influence is pretty strong. strangely, i admire historic architecture most, probably equally for the craftsmanship that went into the details as well as the design of the building itself. i say strangely because i don’t tend to build historic styles. when admiring architecture, i prefer historic. when designing a complete house, i prefer modern, and not just because i find lego lends itself more “easily” to modern styles, it’s not about “easy”. modern building allows more leeway for an active imagination. on rare occasions, i think it’s fortunate i didn’t become an architect – i don’t think i could put up with the physical limitations of engineering (what do you mean i can’t have a waterfall flowing between the 2nd and 3rd floor, falling out of the wall to the sea below?) i’m not sure that i’d have been all that good at satisfying the client 100%. compromising something based on æsthetics would be very difficult for me. the influence also comes from the design blogs i’m addicted to. i’m trying to quit, looking for a blogs anonymous group, know any? the first step is admitting the problem.

KG: You’ve built extensively in both minifig and microscale. What do you like and dislike about each scale and would you ever consider mixing the two?

DH: i don’t think there’s anything i dislike about any scale. i might dislike the infamous proportions of the minifig, (i tell myself, it’s just a toy) but as all my afol friends know, i’m not fond of the minifig itself in my mocs, (blasphemous talk, i know. i know how tbb originated, sorry andrew!) so no problems for me. but all the houses and furnishings that i build are built with the minifig in mind. microscale building is my spouse’s favourite – it costs less, takes up less space to store and less time to build – he wins in all ways. as for what i do like about these scales, i like replicating. i think of the miniatures i used to collect. i looked for high quality representations of handicraft (shaker furniture, farm tools) but i never wanted a doll house for them, and certainly never the dolls to go with them. i see the houses that i build more as architectural models that happen to be in minifig scale. i’ve seen others mix the scales with great execution, but i’m not tempted yet.

KG: On both Flickr and Facebook you quote Einstein on curiosity:

The important thing is not to stop questioning. curiosity has its own reason for existing. one cannot help but be in awe when (one) contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. it is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. never lose a holy curiosity.

What role does curiosity play in your building and what do you think about most often when you build? World conquest? Work? Freddie Mercury? The mysteries of the universe?”

DH: curiosity is huge for me, bane of my mother and father’s existence i was. i’m always looking at buildings, doors, windows, stairs, furniture and design elements and asking how can i make that in lego, what pieces can i use? can i make it on a smaller scale? can i make it look realistic. how can i make it stronger, can i get it to a fest? can i think of a new use for this piece? needless to say, i talk to myself a lot. thinking you ask? i think about dessert, martinis, new shoes, what makes people tick, what makes people not tick, what makes clocks tick. oh, sorry, i digress. you mean when i’m building. hmm, i think about chocolate, dark chocolate, which leads to dark chocolate bricks, and then leads to me lamenting that lego doesn’t make cream bricks, then the lack of earth colours in the palette comes to mind then i forget what i was going to build.

i certainly don’t think of world conquest, i’m canadian, we don’t have that gene in our makeup. i never think about work, never, not while in the building zone. who’s freddy mercury? never mind, i can google him. sometimes the mysteries of the universe cross my mind.

More of Keith’s interview with Deborah after the jump: Continue reading →

Dave Shaddix: I say it’s time to gas the nest – Boilerplate & Beyond Vol. 13 [Interview]

For our 13th installment, we join Keith Goldman as he interviews Dave Shaddix, usually one of the first to comment on these very interviews. As with Soren, Dave uses a few words that our more sensitive readers may find offensive. Once again, you’ve been warned. Take it away, Keith!

Unlike previous entries, this week’s builder isn’t a crusty 10-year veteran of the hobby, media magnate, self-stylized reverend or even Australian.

Instead I bring you an everyman from Anytown, U.S.A, who might be known better for his quick wit and devil-may-care attitude than for his growing library of great models. Dave Shaddix isn’t exactly a noob, but he also hasn’t been around long enough to be as jaded and rigid in his way of thinking than many of us gray-beards.

I sat down with Dave 2 miles from the US/Mexico border in Dave’s home state of Arizona. We talked about the Gadsden Purchase, Sabbath with Ozzie vs. Sabbath with Dio and what really happens to all those tourists who go missing every year in the Grand Canyon. We also talked about LEGO.

The Build

Keith Goldman: Like many builders out there, you’ve got a long term project going on. How long has your Papa Roach stage been in production and what are the challenges of a long term build from a relative newcomer’s perspective? Is your cousin and Papa Roach front-man Jacoby Shaddix involved in the process?

Dave Shaddix: I’ll first define ‘relative newcomer’ so that we’re all on the same page as far as timelines are concerned. I started building again about nine years ago with my oldest son; yeah it’s the DUPLO brick that brought me out of my dark age. As he grew, I started buying and building more age appropriate sets with him which eventually led me to the internet where I quietly trolled sites like Brickshelf and MOCpages from around 2006 to 2008 when I started posting on MOCpages. Arizona’s first LEGO retail store opened in the summer of 2008 and our LUG formed up immediately after. In short, 2008 is the year I became an actively-engaged AFOL who was fully out of the closet. Now that we have my own private definition of ‘newcomer’ out of the way, let’s move onto the question.

I started planning the Papa Roach project in October of 2009. It was pretty vague at the time and I was heavily leaning towards minfigure scale. I realized that the project needed to be all about the motion and mood of a live concert early on and I decided on a scale that is about 2x miniland. I began putting bricks together around October when I started building the band members.

The more I worked on the project, the more I learned and the more I had to build. Project creep started taking its money-draining grip on me and before I knew it I was looking at a structure that is more than 150 studs in width and almost 70 bricks tall and making whirlwind trips to Los Angeles to talk to the band and get detailed photos of them, their equipment, and the crowd. Given the scale of this project, you can guess that money plays a huge role and has slowed me down considerably. I guess the biggest obstacle that I will need to overcome is how to decide when enough is enough.

As far as the guys being involved in the project, they’re busy men and I try to leave them alone to do their jobs. That being said, Jacoby, Jerry, Tobin and Tony are some of the coolest guys you’ll meet and have answered every call and question I have asked. Whether you like their music or not, they are a kick-ass band and incredibly down to earth. I am lucky to have what little of an inside track as I do. I was given full access to the stage during sound checks to photograph the equipment; I mean I actually got to sit at the drums. When they were touring with Motley Crue, I was actually given a ‘Crue Skag’ for my birthday. Skags aside they are pretty excited about the project and want to see it finished as much as I do.

KG: I think it is fair to say that everywhere except LEGOLand (who just refuses to get on board) the all powerful minifig, and minifig-scale rules both the product line and the hobby in general. As the outspoken leader of the anti-minifig movement, would you care to outline your patently ridiculous stance?

DS: Anti-minifig, Keith? How could you do this to me? Twist my words… I thought we were friends! Saying I am anti-minifig is like saying that someone who is pro-life is anti-choice. I love those little dudes as much as the next guy! And I really like seeing the new diversity LEGO seems to be finding with its torso types and new flesh colors. I’ve done more than my fair share of vignettes like my armed robbery and ‘LifePod 23” and minifig only posts, ‘Blackstronauts’, “Boy Band” and even a concept for your ‘Fear the Black Planet’ contest. There is really a lot more fun to be had with the minifigure, and I am not going to count myself out of that action.

My gripe with the community is how much they seem to embrace minifig scale and none other. And even then, I think they have the scale all wrong. LEGO is a great medium and it often seems a shame to me that the majority of builders out there limit themselves to the worship of a little plastic doll. I would love to see more miniland scale MOCs and more sculpture produced on a regular basis.

More of Keith’s interview with Dave after the jump: Continue reading →

Vic Vipers

Many people have posted Vic Viper models recently. Most are meant for the fly-ins scheduled in tribute to the fallen builder Nnenn. Here’s one of my favorites, along with a reminder to look for the fly-in at whatever Lego fan convention you may be attending this year.

It’s a build by “The One And Only Mr.R” using my old favorite color, tan. It includes some nice compound angles, as well as an uncommonly compact shape. It also incorporates Nnenn’s favorite piece.

Joe Meno: The real difference between European and American builders – Boilerplate & Beyond Vol. 12 [Interview]

For interview number 12, Keith Goldman turns to an Editor-in-Chief of a major LEGO media outlet not named Andrew. Take it away, Keith!

I sat down with Joe in his BrickJournal offices above the Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern in beautiful Raleigh North Carolina. We talked about never forgiving Disneyland for removing the Adventure through Inner Space attraction, General Chow’s chicken vs. General Tso’s chicken, and why America is still not out of Iraq. We also talked about LEGO.

The Build

Keith Goldman: You are so busy hop-scotching around the globe, living the dream of mannkinder everywhere….do you still have time to build? What percentage of your LEGO life is devoted to actual building? What motivates you to make time to build?

Joe Meno: Do I still have time? Usually, I make time.

I live in a strange world where my job is showing what others build (among other things), which inspires me to explore more, but doesn’t allow me the time to focus on actual building. My building time has declined quite a bit (and because of that, I don’t buy many sets — I need to build them!!) in the past few years, so what I do now is devote time to one big project each year.

Last year was my Just Another Day at the Bay micro layout, and the year before was Wall-E. This year, I had two projects, but one was too small (my iPad) and the other failed miserably (the NXT shark — it sank upon it’s first test swim in the tub.)

I build when I can because it’s a way to keep in touch with my roots in the hobby. And it’s hard to take someone seriously about a subject when they have little or no experience in it…so I build to keep my credibility.

KG: As an international man of LEGO mystery, you are uniquely qualified to comment on building styles from around the world. Is there any difference between building styles here in the States and abroad? Is there any real difference between builders?

JM: Good question — it’s something I have to look at every so often. The building styles of a region are a reflection of their environment, for the most part.

The US style of building is simple with detail, which shows best in space building. The European style in train layouts is much more refined, but that’s because the architecture is much richer there, the train is much more common there, and the AFOL community there is about one generation beyond the US community. The Far East building that I have seen has been a completely different design direction driven by mecha design.

So the best train builders are in Europe, the best mecha is in Japan, and the best space stuff is in the US. Keep in mind this is a general observation — there are outstanding builders everywhere of every type.

And the real difference between builders? Europeans can hold their alcohol MUCH better! :-)

More of Keith’s interview with Joe after the jump: Continue reading →

Shannon Sproule: LEGO bricks are a listless bunch – Boilerplate & Beyond Vol. 11 [Interview]

For interview number 11, Keith Goldman heads back to Australia for the second time. Take it away, Keith!

My next guest is an Australian builder who loves long walks on the beach, kittens, and seafood. Although he would never admit it, Shannon “Ocean” Sproule has quietly become a household name in the hobby through his ‘less is more’ style and often comedic models, and enjoys a big following on both MOCpages and Flickr. Shannon also created the ‘Cyborg Racers’ fad that swept MOCpages and abroad.

I sat down with Shannon Sproule in my hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, backstage at the Excalibur Hotel showcase where he was performing with a dozen of his countrymen in the Thunder from Down Under all-male revue. We talked about how Vegas consumes 60,000 pounds of shrimp a day, studded thongs, and the horrible truth of what really happened to Paul Hogan. We also talked about LEGO.

The Build

Keith Goldman: Describe your strengths and weaknesses as a builder. What have you gotten better at over the years, and what remains a challenge?

Shannon Sproule: It might sound funny but I don’t consider myself to be a very good builder; I think ideas are my strength and I force them into mocs through lazy building or sheer stubbornness! Patience, or lack thereof, is definitely a weakness of mine. I can rarely be bothered finishing a model properly; it’s enough that I achieve the essence of an idea in a build and the viewer can fill in the details themselves. I’m like a LEGO impressionist, or so I like to think! Random studs here and there, no-matter, it’s the spirit of the creation I focus on. Minute changes to details can alter the appearance of the whole model which can be a slippery slope.

KG: When is a creation ever really “finished”?

SS: I’ve gotten better at general building skills I think through experimenting and receiving great tips and advice from other builders. I’ve got more tricks up my sleeve these days as far as technique goes and although I rarely try anything too advanced, it’s nice to have them there when and if I need them. Large and highly detailed mocs are a challenge. My mind wanders a lot and it’s hard to stay committed to one project for a decent amount of time so most of my stuff ends up quite simple and uncluttered.

KG: It seems pretty clear that you were inspired by the completely awesome toys of the 1980’s: what are some of your favorites, and is it just nostalgia that drives your interest?

SS: Ahhh, toys of the 80’s…

As a loner through my school years imagination was a great comfort to me, so my toys and my drawings played a big part of my childhood; if I wasn’t playing with or building toys I was sketching designs for cooler ones. My uncle has been an avid toy collector most of his life and always had way more toys than me, the childless bastard!

I guess it’s nostalgia that drives me and there’s a cute and innocent feeling with LEGO that I like to tap into, that playful look I really enjoy.

KG: Do you find that building affects your mood or vice versa? Do you have to be in the right mood to build?

SS: I’m always in the mood for building but if I get stuck for a few hours (or days) on something it definitely gets me down. I feel like I have to achieve something every time I sit down to build or it’s wasted time (which it isn’t really because learning comes from mistakes. Or so I try to tell myself…) Music really helps me create, especially aggressive music like metal. LEGO bricks are a listless bunch, lying around all day, they need some discipline. One has to attack them if one is to achieve anything, you see?

More of Keith’s interview with Shannon after the jump: Continue reading →

Dan Rubin: The last thing you need is some clown trying to buck the system – Boilerplate & Beyond Vol. 10 [Interview]

For interview number 10, Keith Goldman chats with on one of our own. Take it away, Keith!

Although my next guest prefers to build in one genre, he is a bit of a Renaissance man in the hobby. Dan “Happy Weasel” Rubin has been an Ambassador, Administrator for CSF, convention coordinator, Brother Brick, active WamaLUG member, contest sponsor… And the list goes on. Dan and I have twice shared the low-budget convention experience, and the abject terror of a fellow AFOL emerging from the bathroom in a pair of too-tight red briefs… and nothing else. Dan is also a lawyer, but we won’t hold that against him for the purposes of this interview.

I sat down with Dan Rubin during my trial for manslaughter in the nation’s capital. During a recess for a witness to compose himself, we talked about art-school chicks, Gymkata vs Rexkwondo and the horrors of Kentucky. We also talked about LEGO.

The Build

KG: How early in your build process do you decide the color scheme in a build? You’ve publicly declared a foot fetish and admitted that this MOC was based in color scheme, off of this sneaker, is there any other garment, item, or device you have taken inspiration for your palette?

DR: The color scheme of a build is a very early choice for me. Usually, I’ll decide on a shape/style, and then the color scheme is the second choice, before I put two bricks together. That is, unless I want to try to create a shape that I’ve never attempted before, and I have to prototype it. Sometimes I’ll change the exact placement of stripes, and finer details of a color scheme as the build progresses, but the color combination, and general color blocking are early decisions.  

As far as inspiration is concerned, I suppose that it can come from just about anywhere. The shoe-inspired ship is definitely the most explicit example of an inspiration for a color scheme among my builds, though. I built a police ship once that drew its color scheme from the ubiquitous “black and whites” of the LAPD, but since that was intended to be a lineal descendant of the inspiration, I’m not sure it’s what you’re looking for.

Right now, I’m working on something in dark blue and lime, which is a color scheme I cooked up playing around with the colors while sorting. As you may have noticed, I like contrast between the colors of my models. I’ll usually use one neutral color for greebles, and then two more colors that will set each other off, or possibly just one color that contrasts with the greeble color (dark bley is a lot less neutral than old light gray, for instance).

KG: Can you think of any attitude towards building that you used to adhere to that you no longer do?

DR: This is a tough question, it’s going to take some thought. Generally speaking, I’ve had to make LEGO building a far smaller part of my life lately, as real life issues have taken hold, but that’s not really an attitude towards building as much as it’s a forced change in priorities. Lately, I have been trying to embrace colors that I once disliked. I’ve tried to take on orange and red in particular, as well as lime, to which I used to be ambivalent.

When I first joined the AFOL community, all the spacers were building in themes, and I jumped on that bandwagon. Lately, I’ve been trying to cast my net wider, and embrace any idea that I find, rather than trying to force another creation on a theme that’s likely already stretched thin. That’s not to say that I don’t build things into a theme on occasion, but I am trying for more variety. 

KG: Do you have a different approach for building models for a convention as opposed to a standard internet posting?

DR: Absolutely! There are a lot of considerations that arise when you’re building for a convention, rather than for posting on the internet. Stability is a pretty major difference, as you have to be prepared for tables to be jostled, or worse, your creation to be grabbed in a fragile spot. Viewing angles are also important. Building a diorama for internet posting, you can leave large spans of back-side completely un-treated. When you’re going to display a diorama at a convention, you have to consider where people will be able to view your creation from.

When Nick and I built the Faded Giant, we decided on a triangle shape, which would allow viewing from a much wider angle than a rectangle with three tall sides. It also allowed us to force our own background on more viewing angles, rather than leaving the chaos of the convention hall visible behind the display.

Transport is also a huge factor. When building something to post on the internet, it doesn’t have to be able to fit through the door of your legoratory, or into your car. I built the landscape and most of the vehicles for the Faded Giant display, and they all come apart to be transported. The entire landscape splits into a series of 48×48 baseplates, which all fit in a box about 16 inches tall. The details all got thrown on for the first time at the convention. Similarly, Nick built the building to split into more manageable sections for transportation. After all, nobody wants to carry something six or more feet long.

More of Keith’s interview with Dan after the jump: Continue reading →

AFOL parody, a comic about Mark Kelso

I occasionally love a good comic, especially if it involves someone I know. Do you think you know Mark Kelso beyond his brick monstrosities? Check out this comic by Jeff F. on MOCpages and you might learn more about the legend, more than you need to that is. If you care about the building techniques in the setup, visit Brickshelf for easy viewing of all the pictures.

Fedde: You got to love your monkey – Boilerplate & Beyond Vol. 8 [Interview]

For our 8th installment of interviews with LEGO fans from around the world, Keith Goldman journeys to the land Down Under. Take it away, Keith!

H.P. Lovecraft once wrote “Men of broader intellect know that there is no sharp distinction betwixt the real and the unreal…”

If that is true, then our man Fedde (Karf Oolhu) must be one broad-minded Aussie. Fedde has a wide open, often comedic style and a large following of fans who look forward to his almost daily offerings on Flickr.

I sat down with Fedde in the 2nd floor cafeteria at Miskatonic University where he is currently employed as an adjunct professor of Astronomy specializing in the search for the ancients. We drank absinthe and talked about X-ray art, Sir John Eccles, and whether or not a new horror can be more terrible than the daily torture of the commonplace.

The Build

Keith Goldman: Your builds are known for the wide variety of elements you employ. Have you ever met a part you didn’t like? Has there ever been an element you wanted to use, but just couldn’t find the right way to use it?

Fedde: No, never met a part I didn’t like, but then, I haven’t met them all yet… Oh, some of those large castle pieces (especially the printed ones) are a bit on the rude side, but I’m sure there’d be a good home for them, somewhere.

Pieces I want to, but can’t find a use for as yet? Hard to say.

I do have quite a few packets of pieces I’ve bought on Bricklink, usually as order fillers, things that look cool or different. Most are still in the original packets — I want to use them, but so much other stuff keeps overshadowing them. And quite a few part combos that aren’t able to finds homes yet either.

But to be honest, any part just needs time. An interesting use will appear.

KG: You crank out models at a clip few can match. Is there a reason you favor quick builds to longer, more involved projects? Have you ever hit a creative wall? Do you have a long list of models to call on, or are you more spontaneous?

F: Limited space is a big issue; my smallish bedroom holds basically everything. I do the bulk of my photo shoots on the bed. I’m surrounded by my LEGO, TV, computer, music, my photography equipment; it’s too easy to build, photo and upload within an hour without having to do or move much. I can only really have one decent MOC in progress. Most of my shelves are covered in tablescraps of various types — clear four away, and six try and crowd back in. And spontaneity is a big driver; I’m a very lateral thinking guy. Even when I’ve bought a set because of elements it has for a dio in progress, discovering a new piece will easily create a new build. I have at least a dozen projects all being worked on, in cycle — some will die, some get pushed back by newer growths, some even get photoed and posted. : )

KG: Your models are appreciated in part because they typically have a comedic element. Is there a specific comedian or style of comedy that influences your build?

F: I’ve always been able to see multiple meaning in things, seen the words that are open to misinterpretation, or contain words within words. I love deliberately misinterpreting a MOC’s name or comment; word mis-use is a fun tool.

But I must admit, I’m very fond of the crew of Monty Pythons Flying Circus… And now for something completely different…

More of Keith’s interview with Fedde after the jump: Continue reading →

LEGO: A Love Story by Jonathan Bender [Book Excerpt]

Back in October 2008, I had the pleasure of spending some time with writer Jonathan Bender during BrickCon, who at the time was working on a book about adult fans of LEGO. A year and a half later, LEGO: A Love Story is out from Wiley.

I’ll let one of our other contributors do a more formal book review, but Jonathan’s book is that rare story about a hobby that’s actually about a whole lot more. It’s about how a deceptively simple children’s toy brings people together, as has become painfully self-evident over this past week, but it’s also as much about growing up yourself.

The Brothers Brick is pleased to bring our readers an excerpt from this new book.

I never expected to come face-to-face with my worst nightmare at LEGO headquarters, but there it is: a snarling red dragon — the namesake of the roller coaster at LEGOLAND. A 3-D model of the LEGO dragon is dissected into parts on the designer Jette Skovgaard Jensen’s computer monitor.

“That’s only the second roller coaster I’ve been on in my life. I’m a chicken,” I tell Jette as she walks me through how the model was built.

“I’m chicken too. I can’t look. But the challenge of something when it’s for LEGOLAND — we have to think about the whole family, like how to make it cool for a twelve – year-old and not too scary for a three-year-old,” says Jette. I ignore that I’m more than ten times the age she is trying not to scare.

She has the trendy glasses and spiky red hair of a designer in the 3-D Model Center. We’re at her desk inside Havremarken, the LEGO offices adjacent to the manufacturing plant. The building immediately makes me think of a Google campus, with employees on scooters whizzing by basketball hoops and table tennis tables in the hallways. The environment is certainly creative. A massively over-scaled red LEGO fire truck sits between cubicles, and nearly every employee’s workspace is decorated with a LEGO set or miniﬁg.

I’m trying to get a sense of who the people are behind the brick creations I’ve been surrounded with for the past several days. Jette is a second-generation LEGO employee. She grew up in Billund, while her dad worked as a technician on the electronics and structural supports for the models that her mom glued.

“When I was a kid, I remember coming in the doors, it was very open. I thought I might leave Billund, but I was afraid. And here it was also easy to get a job once you are inside the company,” says Jette.

Download Chapter 16, “A Guest in LEGO’s House” right here to read the rest. For even more, LEGO: A Love Story is out now.

And yes, Nathan Sawaya built the book cover.

The best of nnenn: Verbotian Strider

It is one of my personal pet peeves when a builder becomes famous for one thing and never does anything different. Nnenn was very well-known for his starfighters and was often accused of never branching out. However, in his case, this accusation was unfair and untrue.

If you browse through his Flickr photostream or his Brickshelf gallery, it becomes very clear that he built many other things than his iconic starfighters. This particular one has always made me laugh. I love the whimsy.

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