Check out the latest episode of LAML radio for an interview with Joe Meno, editor of the fabulous BrickJournal magazine. Learn about the past, present, and future of the largest unofficial LEGO magazine for fans, with the next issue coming out in print for the first time.
Meanwhile, take a look at an informal interview conducted by Joe with the CEO of LEGO, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp.
Trying to keep up on all the amazing creations LEGO builders post all over the Web is hard work. No, seriously! With our day-to-day focus on individual creations, it’s nice to take a step back and learn a little more about the people behind some of our favorite creations.
To that end, Gizmodo contributor Jesus Diaz interviews microscale builder Tim Goddard, who we all know as “RogueBantha.” It’s great to see something smaller than a six-foot spaceship get real respect outside the specialized world of the online LEGO fan community.
Check it out on Gizmodo.
The second part of my conversation with James Wadsworth is up on Radio.LAML.org.
In this episode, James and I chat about some of the current trends in the LEGO “blogosphere,” including the blogs I can’t live without (including VignetteBricks, MicroBricks, How Many Studs to LEGOLAND, Klocki Lego dla dorosłych, and Young Spacers Association Blog) and this past month’s seeming explosion of LEGO-related posts on non-LEGO blogs (including personal faves Boing Boing Gadgets, Gizmodo, and Neatorama).
Check it out on Radio.LAML.org, and be sure to subscribe via iTunes, Zune Marketplace, or whatever floats your boat. Brick on!
It’s always a pleasure when I encounter a connection between two of my great interests — LEGO and literature. Remember Norman Mailer and Douglas Coupland?
Writer Heidi W. Durrow contacted the blog this morning with a link to her beautiful, touching story Ethnic Lego Girls Carry Spears. Here’s an excerpt:
“You be Pocahantas,” Jimmy says. “I’ll be the cowboy on the horse.”
The horses come in shades of brown and black. Jimmy’s horse is black like me. His cowboy’s Lego yellow. He’s white like Jimmy is.
Read the rest of Heidi W. Durrow’s story online in SmokeLong Quarterly, along with an insightful interview about ethnicity and The Brick.
LAML Radio has produced several episodes recently. James has been such a prolific host that I’ve not managed to keep up with the headlines! Here is the latest episode, featuring Aaron (Darkspawn) and me for the first time. We had an interesting discussion about the latest LEGO news and our observations and opinions regarding sharing MOCs online. Click here for this episode of the podcast.
Don’t miss the other recent episodes in January, with content including YouBrick, Blockland, minifig customization, and the book The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide.
Dimitri Burakov is an incredibly talended LEGO renderer from Lithuania. He uses an array of programs to create anything from polished renders to professional instructions of LEGO models both official and fan-built.
I recently came across his works on Brickshelf and contacted him about cooperating on some projects. The results are amazing. Below is a beautiful rendering of my tripod mecha with sample instruction steps. In exchange, I shipped out a big package from S@H.
If you’re interested in having renderings and/or instructions done for your work by a professional, you can find Dimitri’s contact info at his Brickshelf gallery.
Lend your ears to two more recent podcasts from LAML radio, highlighting subjects including Bionicle and the BZP community, Perhaps Plastic Explosives– a community for the lego military theme, and a tip on how to stay on top of recent lego creations and news from the community via RSS feed.
My lovely wife apparently went out at the last minute and found both 7620 Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase and 7621 Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb.
Naturally, I spent Christmas morning savoring the build:
Oh, and I can’t wait to play LEGO Indiana Jones next summer on my new Wii:
I hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas — I sure did! :-D
Apparently, the late writer Norman Mailer was a LEGO fan of sorts. You can see him here in his New York apartment with his large LEGO sculpture in the background:
Apparently, Mailer built “a vast Lego city, incorporating some 15,000 pieces, known as the city of the future, seeming to take as much pride in it as in any of his other creations.”
According to architecture writer Lynn Becker, Mailer’s LEGO creation appears as the frontispiece in his 1966 book Cannibals and Christians:
So not only is this LEGO creation by one of the leading writers of the past 50 years, it’s built from vintage LEGO! Just the thing to expand my selection of basic bricks. I bet they’d need a good dusting, though…
Check out our previous post about writer Douglas Coupland’s LEGO obsession.
(Via KyleSmithOnline.com, with a tip from reader James Lucas Jones.)
LAML Radio‘s latest podcast is all about the castle builder Rock, who in recent months turned out some outstanding castle-themed dioramas and buildings, including his most recent Chateau Satan. Click on the image below to listen to the podcast.
Since this is an unedited interview there’s bound to be some memorable quotes:
“Well, uh, let’s see… who am I, um, I’m just a guy”
“I like The Brother’s Brick”
“There are some good things popping up on the internet like Nannan’s stuff, you know, his little demented, demented creations and all that. I’m a really big fan of that.” (Sorry, shameless self-promotion :) )
“..wholesome and lovely little pink cuddly, uh, uh [chuckles], lovable little fluffy creations that are just all cute and whatever…”
I know my brother’s going to resent me for saying this, but first-born children tend to get all the photographic attention — at least until the second kid comes along. The first five years of my life were meticulously photographed by my mom and dad, including a handful of photos documenting my early love of LEGO. Here I am showing off some unrecognizable creation, circa 1978:
I think this one’s a bit earlier, from about 1977:
From 1977 to 2007 and from Basic bricks to Cafe Corner, this post brings my LEGO hobby full circle. I wonder what the next 30 years will bring!
So, do you have any old photos of yourself playing with LEGO as a kid?