Tag Archives: BrickFair

BrickFair 2010 Debrief

BrickFair 2010 took place last weekend, and I’ve now finally had a little bit of time to recover. Like any LEGO convention, it was a blast! There were a lot of fun times to be had hanging out with other LEGO builders. There were also some great sessions, including a presentation by LEGO designer Jamie Berard (which culminated with the unveiling of the Tower Bridge set).

People have also had some time to put their photos online. This works out well, as my wife had both of our cameras in the Galapagos, while I was at BrickFair. You’ll all have to wait for more photos of the latest award-winning display from my compatriot Nick and I of 3LUG. In the meantime, I’d like to highlight some of my favorites from the con.

Jordon's Gladiatorial Diorama

The above is part of a diorama depicting the battle of Fort McHenry, the inspiration for the Star Spangled Banner. This diorama incorporated some great detail techniques, including smoke from the cannons, and wall-shrapnel. The builder chose to depict the ship in cross-section, which was a fascinating bit of extra detail. The most amazing thing about this creation, though, was that, according to the MOC card, it was built by a thirteen year old!

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I also quite enjoyed the display above, by Jordan Schwartz. There’s some lovely detail work in the railing, and the columns are nice as well.

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10214 Tower Bridge unveiled at Brickfair – London Bridge with 500 tan cheese slopes! [News]

We just got permission from LEGO to publish this a little early. Tonight, at BrickFair, LEGO will officially unveil their latest exclusive set, 10214 Tower Bridge!icon

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The official press release:

10214 – Tower Bridge

Ages 16+. 4,287 pieces.
Price: US=239.99, UK=204.99, DE=219.99, CA=314.99

Build London’s famous Tower Bridge!
Stretching over the River Thames since 1894, the famous Tower Bridge of London, England is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. Now you can add this timeless classic to your LEGO world buildings collection! Designed with advanced building techniques and rare colors and elements, the Tower Bridge is complete with its iconic paired towers and a drawbridge that really opens. Fun to build and display, it locks together solidly but can be taken apart in sections for easy transport. Includes 4 miniature vehicles; a black London taxi, a traditional red double-decker bus, a yellow truck and a green automobile. Completed model measures 40″ (102 cm) long, 17″ (45 cm) high and 10″ (26 cm) wide.

  • Includes 4 miniature vehicles: a black London taxi, a yellow truck, green automobile and even a traditional red double-decker bus!
  • Features the iconic paired towers and a drawbridge that really opens and closes!
  • Includes unique printed shield!
  • Features hundreds of 1×1 slopes in tan!
  • Many useful arches, angular bricks in tan!
  • Includes 4 blue base plates and over 80 windows!
  • Tower Bridge is ideal for building and display – it can be taken apart in sections for easy transport!
  • Add this amazing landmark to your LEGO world buildings collection!
  • Completed model measures an impressive 40″ (102 cm) long, 17″ (45 cm) high and 10″ (26 cm) wide.

Also check out this video for behind-the-scenes goodies:

Lego Tower Bridge Exclusive

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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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3LUG Presents: Faded Giant in the Shadow of the Torii Gate, a MOC Harvest

A big creation deserves a big name – that’s how 3LUG rolls. Of course, when I say 3LUG, I mean Nick Kappatos and myself. Nick and I started discussing a joint display at the end of BrickFair 2008. We spent most of the last year nailing down our layout and avoiding each other, then began construction in July. We started BrickFair 2009 sleep-deprived, nearly resulting in a fight club, but everybody kept their shirts on (for the most part) and ‘The Faded Giant’ was ready for action.

3LUG Presents: Faded Giant in the Shadow of the Torii Gate

We were lucky enough to get help from our families while building this behemoth; our wives laid down copious amounts of brick. We also got lots of help from friends during setup – thanks to Adrian Drake, Carter Baldwin, Nick’s brother, Stunt Drivin’ Steve Witt, and others.

Arial view of Faded Giant in the Shadow of the Torii Gate

If the questions we were asked at BrickFair are any indication, you readers are no doubt wondering what the story is behind this dio. While we have a basic story in mind, 3LUG policy is to leave much of the story up to the imagination of the viewer. An alien ship has crash-landed in a park in Neo-Tokyo. Military and Police units are starting to respond, as members of the public react in various ways. Is the military more interested in the craft, or in the civilians who saw it? Why did the alien ship crash? Was it a pilot error? Shot down? No wings or landing gear? You decide.

Check out both my photos and Nick’s photos. I have more overall shots, and Nick has some nice angles and details.

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BrickFair 2009 Wrapped Up [News]

I returned home from BrickFair last night at about midnight. It was a crazy fun blast. Photos from the event are starting to pop up on BrickShelf and Flickr.

BrickFair 2009 Public Day Crowd

As you can see above, there was a pretty huge turnout from the public as well. I gather that the total number between the two days was between eight and nine thousand people. That’s a lot to be crammed into a hotel ballroom. Fortunately, next year, BrickFair is moving to a real expo center. I’m psyched about all of the space (Space!).

I tried to take photos of the “impaired” speed build competition, but the lights were turned down in order to make things more difficult. If you ever have the opportunity to watch a bunch of drunk LEGO fans (all of legal drinking age, of course) trying to assemble a gear train in the dark, on a multi-colored tablecloth, I highly recommend it.

There were also some pretty epic creations on display at the show. I’m pretty sure that some may have even debuted there. There were definitely a few that I hadn’t seen on the internet. I enjoyed Chris Edward’s “ArchipeLEGO“, which he has posted as separate islands here. Another highlight was Brickistan, a middle-eastern castle diorama that was chock full of detail, and hard to find photos of. A friend and I also had a pretty big creation up our sleeves for the convention, but we haven’t gotten the photos ready to post yet.

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Pictures are finally leaking out of BrickFair!

If you’ve been wondering where all the Lego fans have gone, they’re at Brickfair! Here are a few galleries of pics, to satisfy your Lego craving. If, like me, you didn’t get to go….

There is also a Flickr Brickfair pool, if you need more…

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BrickFair pictures

The BrickFair convention is happening in D.C. this weekend, and so far there has been a few picture galleries on Flickr. Check out the ones from punkwalrus, Bosta, and william.ward. Meanwhile, if any attendees would like to fill us in on news, please get in contact with me or the blog and I’ll put up the good stuff for all to read.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.