In addition to the bottles and beakers unveiled at BrickFair, BrickForge has just announced “Shock Trooper” helmets and armor that fit right in with their existing “Space Marine” armor.
Tag Archives: Custom
Brickforge uncorks some new items [News]
I haven’t gotten my hands on any of these yet, but the new jars, bottles and test tubes look pretty nifty. They borrow from the esthetic of the new LEGO bottles and flasks yet add their take on shapes and colors. I think I’m going to have to pick up some of these.
The bottles currently only come in trans-brown and clear, although I think those trans-blue bottles in the picture look cool.
Lego Indy 500 cars
Elementary.
I love well-crafted interior and I have been a Sherlockian since I first read the stories as a kid So this scene by Peter Reid grabbed me in a big way. The use of sand-red for the walls was an excellent choice and the room simply oozes Victorian charm. I haven’t gotten one of the Sherlock collectible figs yet but I can’t wait.
Battle of Grunwald
I am a big fan of minifig combat but it is seldom done correctly. So few people know how to properly pose a minifig. However, this scene, by Jamerco, is just about perfect. I love the chaotic feel of the battle and the sense that this is a moment frozen in time.
Lego minifigure customization and decal application video
Jared Burks shows us in video how to do the basics of customizing a minifigure including using Brasso to remove print and applying waterslide decals. He showed this video at Brick Fiesta along with hundreds of custom minifigs. To learn more, check out Jared’s Minifigure Customization book.
Custom commando minifig by The-Bricker
Minifig customizer The-Bricker combines chopped-up bits of BrickArms, judicious use of paint, and a lot of glue for a really great commando fig.
Custom minifigs frequently don’t stand up to closer examination (and often look best in person), but don’t miss the photo’s large size for all the details.
New BrickArms minigun is six barrels of awesome [Review]
It’s been almost exactly two years since I last did an in-depth review of any custom accessories, for a number of different reasons. I’ve been crazy busy with work (yes, TBB contributors all have “real” jobs), but more importantly none of the stuff from the accessory vendors has really excited me enough to highlight here myself.
But I think the new Minigun from BrickArms is different enough and awesome enough for me to share my enthusiasm with all of you out there.
Will Chapman sent The Brothers Brick a batch of the new items, and I’ve been enjoying them ever since.
I’m not currently set up for photography, so Catsy has kindly agreed to let me use his pictures for this review. Thanks! For all of Catsy’s review photos, see Flickr, and for his own review, see the BrickArms Forums.
First, the Minigun is the most complex single item BrickArms has produced to date. The weapon itself consists of three separate parts, with a body, barrel, and handle. Each kit comes with both exposed barrels and shrouded barrels for the end of the gun, plus a “buildable ammo chain” — 14 different parts in total. For buyers used to BrickArms’ usual $1 for most items, this complexity should explain the $8 price tag.
Second, the various holes, attach points, and modularity of the Minigun translate to a wide variety of ways to put it into action, including for vehicles and fixed defenses.
Third, the Minigun’s modularity also translates to some interesting color combinations. It’s currently only available in black, but Will sent us about ten different colors to play with, as he did for Catsy, whose “overheated Minigun” below combines gunmetal, trans-red, and trans-orange.
My own version hands the overheated brass Minigun to a Victorian gentleman in an oversized stovepipe hat, for an excellent steampunk effect. (Pics to follow at some point…) I’m looking forward to these other colors becoming available to everyone.
Finally, BrickArms has released production versions of the Raygun and Tactical Sword, which have been in circulation as prototypes for quite a while.
I highlighted the Raygun prototype a couple years ago, and the production version doesn’t disappoint — though minus the lovely swirl effect in the early prototypes you see in the photo (right). The Raygun and Tactical Sword are $1 each and are available in all 10 current colors.
An important change to the way BrickArms is selling their products as of this month is that all sales go through resellers. Prices appear to be comparable to buying directly in the past, and products are now available in more countries.
Officially due out June 1st, the Minigun, Raygun, and Tactical Sword are already available from most resellers now.
Tunable, playable LEGO ukulele
On the whole I’m used to seeing one thing pop up in Ross Crawford’s (RoscoHead) photostream: cranes. So spotting a LEGO ukulele there this morning was somewhat of a surprise. Discovering it worked was less of a surprise after the initial shock.
Realising I’ve never owned a uke, I decided I’d try to make one. But instead of using wood, like any normal person, I decided to use LEGO bricks. Of course, there were some challenges: 1) Shape, 2) Strength, 3) Tuning, 4) Intonation
So, after all that, I ended up with what I like to call an alto ukulele – it is tuned to C-F-A-D (normal ukes are generally tuned to G-C-E-A). I also thought it needed a stand so I can display it on the mantle piece, you can see it poking out the bottom. And I think it really sounds OK, but you can judge for yourself: Puff the Magic Dragon
And for those who missed the link in the quote, here is Ross playing a well known song on his LEGO ukulele.
Incidentally, this is how you make a tuning peg out of LEGO. Clever, no?
Finally, a nemesis worthy of my vast intellect
Following his amazing GLaDOS from Portal 2, Brandon Bannerman (Catsy) miniaturizes a turret to minifig-scale (or near enough), alongside an adorable custom Chell fig, complete with ASHPD.
For all of you out there who’d like your own turret to keep you company during the long twilight of civilization, Brandon has kindly posted instructions.
Another interesting thing about Brandon’s design has been watching it evolve based on feedback from fellow builders. See the earlier iterations here and here, together with the comments that inspired the final version.
BrickArms gets shiny!
I have a soft spot for shiny things, and I can’t take my eyes off these 24K gold-plated BrickArms weapons. The good news is that you have a chance to get one in their newly released mystery packs. There’s a 5% chance you’ll strike gold when you spend $12 on a mystery pack, so happy hunting to all the BrickArms fans out there!
Bricks Helping Japan – Charity LEGO Auctions Update 3
Our custom LEGO creation auctions to benefit the victims of the recent earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, via the Red Cross, are continuing. I’ve just listed some more items, and we also have several due to end in the next 24 hours! Please take a look and see if there’s anything you’d like to buy, with all proceeds going to charity. Also, once again, I’d like to thank the people who have donated creations for their generosity, as well as the bidders for being so eager to buy!
Once again, here’s the link to all of the 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.