After an eventful week at San Diego Comic Con, you'd think I'd be all "super hero'd out", but I don't think that could ever happen. And while I'm actually camping the next couple days I'll still be winding down from SDCC for at least a week. So thankfully nobu_tary is there to help me make the transition back to civilian life with just a little dose of Batman goodness.
I'm super excited for tonight. I'm on the second of my two panels at this year's San Diego Comic Con, Making The LEGO Fan Scene. Join me, Nathan Sawaya, Brandon Griffith, Joe Meno and Paul Lee as we talk about different aspects of the LEGO fan community and LEGO art.
I'm finally going to get to show my animated short Batman vs Superman to it's core audience!
Join us from 6-7 in room 23ABC, see you there!
So what do you do when your school is going to be shut down? Become School Idol's to save it! I suppose if I had actually watched the show instead of googling it that would make more sense to me, but I'm baffled by most anime. But awesome building doesn't baffle me at all, and this collection of adorable characters by Moko is just that, awesome.
You may remember, back in SHIPtember, Tim Schwalfenberg's award winning Hurricane Battlecruiser. Well, he's been a busy guy building an entire fleet to go with it. Scroll through the photostream to see the intricate details and recurring design cues that tie the whole fleet together. Although I'm more of a rag-tag fleet kinda guy, this is a pretty awesome collection!
Spotted this nifty rig, with a crafty mix of new and old elements. FLAVIO's been building a vast collection of these robots, but there's something about this little dude, with the telephones and baseball hats that really caught my eye. Plus the old-school bulldozer tread links for feet. Wicked!
I love a MOC that makes you look twice to determine it's scale. This medium assault cruiser by Rancorbait hits all the right proportions with larger bulky surfaces to smaller greebly bits. I think it's the careful use of a couple minifigure hands that gives it the right amount of small detail in it's silhouette, which is important for establishing scale. And the use of thinner parts like the flags for the front end and the panel creating the intake or docking bay on the side protrusions. Those help break up the chunky surfaces dictated by the thickness of standard bricks.
Great rent, but the rooms are a little small.
A while back -- ten years ago to be precise -- the short-lived Factory theme made its debut in the LEGO universe. And while it didn't last long, the mini-scale sets from that theme (three sets in all) seemingly continue to inspire AFOLs today, whether in the form of the successful Architecture line, or, as seen above, in the creations of brick artists like John Stephens, who takes this theme to new heights in his continuing Micropolis series. My favorite feature of the Riverstone Apartments is the clever and old-school use of the 1x1 headlight brick as windows, and the great design on the trees. The simplicity of it all, from the cheese slopes as awnings to the cars made of 1x2 "jumper" plates and 1x1 tiles, make John's set something special. And the best part is, there's plenty more where this came from. The takeaway message? In a time of big $200 and $350 LEGO sets, sometimes smaller is better.
You remember those little bits on Sesame Street where they sang "one of these things is not like the other", tonight at SDCC is sort of like that. I'm going to be on a panel with world renown brick artist Nathan Sawaya, DC comic legend Jim Lee and the great Brandon Griffith. And while I'm certainly the odd man out in this grouping, I can guarantee I'm going to be the only one with loads of BrickNerd nerd glasses and buttons in his bag.
The panel is DC Comics Meets LEGO Art, it's tonight from 6-7pm in room 25ABC. I'll see you there!
Legonardo Davidy is back in castle territory with this latest MOC, and it's a beauty. It's loaded with all the lovely features we've come to expect from a David Hansel creation, rich textures, complex curves and so much style it looks like it's been lifted from a storybook. All that and what looks to be somewhere in the region of a 24" scope. Should be able to spot individual moon rocks with that beast.
I feel for the guy on the left. Over the years I've found myself at a number of jobs that were the type that just sorta suck your will to live, like this one depicted by Gzu's Bricks. The funny thing is these days, the image is almost swapped for me. Not so much the glum side, but home is pretty normal when it comes to the color palette, and work is a vibrant, cheery LEGO spectrum of color. Oh, and that goofy, happy expression? That's me both places.
So, you've just scored two new droids, just in time for the moisture harvest! Give one an oil bath and take care of that carbon scoring on the other. Get them both cleaned up and what are you going to do next? That's right, transfer your application to the academy! Wait, who's the hologram babe? Hey, my uncle's a bit of a grouch. Darn, the little one took off. Today just kinda sucks doesn't it? (spoiler: it got worse)
Behold the spiky, rocky goodness of Emerald Tooth. He (I assume it's a he) springs from the imagination of Djokson and reminds me of a cross between the classic Power Miners Crystal King, Rock Biter from Neverending Story with a little bit of Nome King from Return to Oz thrown in for flavor.
Here's a fun fact, I have family roots in the midwest tied to moonshining. I don't know the specifics of it, I just know that back 2-3 generations on my mom's side there was some nefarious shenanigans. So this excellent shine runner by one of my favorite car builders tiler is not only very nicely built and photographed, but echoes a little bit of family history, excellent.
During last year's SHIPtember, Tim Schwalfenberg stepped forward with the quite excellent Hurricane Battlecruiser, which landed him a well deserved win for the contest. Since then, he's been hard at work on the rest of the fleet. Although much smaller, they are no less magnificent. I've highlighted my favorites below, but make sure to check out the entire fleet, as they are all spectacular builds which maintain a wonderful design and color cohesion throughout.
Hey fellow nerds and nerdettes, are you coming to San Diego Comic Con? Me too! In fact I'll be speaking on two different panels this year.
The first one is DC Comics Meets LEGO Art with world renown LEGO artist Nathan Sawaya, builder extraordinaire Brandon Griffith and comic legend Jim Lee. That will be on Thursday from 6-7 in room 25ABC
The second one is Making The LEGO Fan Scene with BrickJournal editor Joe Meno, premiere LEGO comic artist Paul Lee and Nathan and Brandon again. That will be on Saturday from 6-7 in room 23ABC
I'm super excited for both of these panels, and of course for SDCC. I've got a limited amount of swag I'll be toting around so if you spot me say hi and then mug me. See you later this week!
My issue of the new magazine Bricks Culture just arrived, all the way from the UK! In it, there's a great piece by David Alexander Smith about the connection between LEGO building and photography. Starting back in the 70s with the iconic box art, all the way to today's high resolution online digital images, the two art forms are inexorably linked. The selection process for Bricknerd and other blogs is clear proof of that. No matter how awesome the build, if it's just sitting on your coffee table, it doesn't make the cut. So when I saw this shot of Vesa Lehtimaki's Deep Sea Sub, I thought, "This is exactly what David was talking about!"
No, this one doesn't do 88 mph, nor is it disguised as a police call box. This is the 1960 George Pal and HG Wells classic time machine by BMW_Indy, and it's a beauty. The sled itself is meticulously recreated and is a wonder to behold, but the fun doesn't stop there, check out that perfectly detailed interior space. And if all that isn't enough to blow your mind, the whole vignette is lit with LEDs and the dish spins thanks to a 9-volt mini motor. This is small scale building taken to the max.
Mad genius and friend of the blog Guy Himber and Crazy bricks is back with another awesome Kickstarter. This time it's Crazy Arms. How many times have you just wanted your minifigure to reach straight out? How about hold something in front of them? Well now it's possible with these excellent little add-on parts. Check out the video, watch in amazement, then support!
I've lived in my fair share of apartments in my life. Thankfully I own a house now and don't have to deal with the downside of apartment living (but deal with a whole list of other headaches believe me). Cesbrick knows the struggle, and has crafted this excellent MOC representing the inevitable broad spectrum that stacking people leads to. Click through to see them all (totally worth it).
Fans of LEGO, dinosaurs or just far-fetched plot-lines will dig this new tee from RIPT. It's available today only so hear on over and nab one while you still can.
When a legendary archaeologist minifigure meets the spin cycle, adventure calls! Follow along as we reclaim the lost fedora of Indiana Jones and uncover how to repair a LEGO keychain.
LEGO adventurers need somewhere to unwind between quests. We talk with Sleepy Dragon Inn designer Marin Graux about classic Castle, medieval hospitality, and how his design evolved for the BrickLink Designer Program.
From sketches to superglue, see how this custom LEGO motorcycle earned its street cred. We chat with Jean-Yves about the design, prototyping, and even heat resistance of his LEGO customizations, taking them from prototype to the pavement.
October has arrived with a fresh selection of LEGO contests and challenges. Don’t miss your chance to build a MOC and maybe even win some awesome LEGO prizes. With a new LEGO Speederbike Challenge, and a Halloween contest or two, there’s plenty of inspiration to be found!
What makes your eye land on one part of a LEGO build before another? In this month’s Conversation Piece, we explore focal points, visual weight, and how builders can guide a viewer through a composition.
LEGO Speeder Bikes are back with a new community building challenge inspired by Citizen Sleeper. Build an airbike, create its messenger, and see what you can squeeze into just three studs wide.
Ahoy, me hearties! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day! Are you ready to set sail on an adventure through the history of classic LEGO Pirates? Where did it begin, what was it all about, and where has the theme showed up since? Join us on a treasure hunt through history!
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