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LEGO MASTERS THE INSIDE STORY & SEASON 2 PREVIEW

LOONEY TUNES DELVING INTO ANIMATION HISTORY CLASSIC OCTAN MODELS REVISITED

BUILDING, COLLECTING & CUSTOMISING YOUR LEGO

INTERVIEW

MOD SQUAD

MONKEY MOD

EVERYONE IS AWESOME Matthew Ashton talks designing a set that celebrates diversity

Reimagining the new Monkie Kid mountain

WIN LEGO PRIZES Five Batman Cowls up for grabs

LEGO BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT’S LATEST SET REVIEWED

ISSUE 80 // £5.49

BRICK TRAIN AWARDS CELEBRATING FAN CREATIVITY

15

C L BRATING

Y A R

ISSUE 80 // 2021

MEET THE TEAM EDITOR // GRAHAM HANCOCK A LEGO expert who can’t remember life without the brick, Graham loves using that knowledge to bring Blocks to the shelf every single month.

BUILD SPECIALIST // SIMON PICKARD Our experienced MOC expert who is a regular on the show circuit. If there’s a way to build it, then he can show you how.

USA EDITOR // DANIEL KONSTANSKI Lifelong LEGO obsessive passionate about collecting. With a thorough knowledge of LEGO over the years, he is Blocks' historian.

WELCOME LEGO MASTERS THE INSIDE STORY & SEASON 2 PREVIEW

LOONEY TUNES DELVING INTO ANIMATION HISTORY CLASSIC OCTAN MODELS REVISITED

BUILDING, COLLECTING & CUSTOMISING YOUR LEGO

INTERVIEW

MOD SQUAD

MONKEY MOD

EVERYONE IS AWESOME Matthew Ashton talks designing a set that celebrates diversity

Reimagining the new Monkie Kid mountain

WIN LEGO PRIZES Five Batman Cowls up for grabs

LEGO BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT’S LATEST SET REVIEWED

ISSUE 80 // £5.49

BRICK TRAIN AWARDS CELEBRATING FAN CREATIVITY

Cover Pic: Phil Wrighton PHOTOGRAPHER // PHIL WRIGHTON LEGO sets never look better than when Phil has worked his magic to produce beautiful Blocks covers.

CONTRIBUTORS David Cartlidge, Rob Damiano, Will Freeman, Kat Rees-Jauke, Chris Wharfe ART EDITOR Keith Wood, Hype Creative PHOTOGRAPHY Phil Wrighton PUBLISHER Tom Saunders tom@silverbackpublishing.rocks +447841 412199

THE DIVERSITY OF FANS GOES BEYOND THE DIFFERENT THINGS THEY BUILD

Graham Hancock Editor // graham@blocksmag.com

ADVERTISING Simon Nott simonnott@yahoo.co.uk +447825 618557 THANKS TO AFOLET, Matthew Ashton, Jerry Beck, Oliver Brindle, Ross Brown, Richard Carter, Chung-Heng Cheng, Greg Dale, William Elliott, Janni Laumann Follesen, Ryan Harris, Steph Harris, Gábor Horváth, Maciej Kocot, Andrea Lattanzio, Denise Lauritsen, Holger Matthes, Tobias Munzert, André Pinto, Pieter Post, Mischief PR, Sara Skahill, Niek van Slagmaat, Annabelle Trottier, Moritz Ziegler

L

EGO is an incredible hobby, not least due its diversity and inclusivity. Diverse, because people are inspired by so many different topics. Inclusive because the medium requires no training, just patience and a willingness to learn.

The diversity of fans of course goes beyond the different things they build and it’s very fitting that in Pride month the LEGO Group is acknowledging that with a beautiful and symbolic new set. We get the inside scoop from Matthew Ashton, as he discusses the first build he has designed himself for a few years.

Many of you will remember Matthew’s stint on LEGO Masters, which is continuing its global success with a second US season. We find out how the UK format has been exported around the world.

Elsewhere in this month’s issue, Phil Wrighton has been inspired by the Looney Tunes minifigures, with his fantastic images illustrating our interview with animation expert Jerry Beck. Daniel Konstanski provides a guide to reimagining Flower Fruit Mountain and Simon Pickard demonstrates how to bring a green thumb to a LEGO build.

There’s no better way to sign off the introduction to this edition of Blocks than by saying 'everyone is awesome'.

48

INDEPENDENCE Blocks is published by Silverback Publishing Ltd for fans and enthusiasts of LEGO. LEGO, the LEGO logo, the brick and knob configurations, and the minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorise or endorse Blocks magazine.

DISTRIBUTION If you have trouble finding Blocks please call +447841 412199 or email subs@silverbackpublishing.rocks.

While every effort is made in compiling Blocks, the publishers cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any storage or retrieval system, without the consent of the publisher.

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BUILDING, COLL ECTING & CUST OMISING YOUR LEGO BUILDING, COLLECTING & CUSTOMISING YOUR LEGO BUILDING, COLLECTING & CUSTOMISING BUILDING, YOUR LEGO COLLECTING & CUSTOMISING YOUR LEGO

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WITH THE MOVIE MAKERS BEHIND THE STAR WARS HERO

Set review, build project and prize draw

STAR WARS PRIZES

TOP TEN DROIDS MOD SQUAD

Harry Potter, Marvel & Technic reviews

STAR WARS Original sets revisited

SUPER MARIO

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Taking on level two

SPACE U.F.O.

WIN LEGO CARS

Back to a 1990s classic

Porsche, Jeep and Off-Road Buggy

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THE INSIDE STORY HOW LEGO AND UNIVERSAL CREATED A MUSIC VIDEO MAKER

ISSUE 77 // £5.49

ISSUE 78 // £5.49

BUILD A VIDEO GAME CELEBRATING THE WOMEN OF LEGO: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

EXPLORING UNITY'S NEW DIGITAL TOOL

JULIA GOLDIN - TARA WIKE - SIGNE LØNHOLDT - LAURA PERRON - SIGNE WIESE

Build a computer for

your minifigures MONK EY MOD

ISSUE 79 // £5.49

INTERVIEW

EVERYONE IS AWESOME

Reimagining the new Monkie Kid mountain

Five Batman Cowls up for grabs

LEGO BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT’S

Matthew Ashton talks designing a set that celebrates diversity

LATEST SET REVIEWE

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CHECKING OUT THE LATEST COLLECTIBLE MINIFIGURES

ISSUE 80 // £5.49

BRICK TRAIN 001_Cover_V1_GH.

indd 1

AWARDS CELEBR ATING

FAN CREATIVITY 14/05/2021 16:30

© 2021 Silverback Publishing www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 3

CONTENTS

ISSUE 80 // 2021

LEGO MASTERS THE INSIDE STORY & SEASON 2 PREVIEW

LOONEY TUNES DELVING INTO ANIMATION HISTORY CLASSIC OCTAN MODELS REVISITED

BUILDING, COLLECTING & CUSTOMISING YOUR LEGO

INTERVIEW

MOD SQUAD

MONKEY MOD

EVERYONE IS AWESOME Matthew Ashton talks designing a set that celebrates diversity

Reimagining the new Monkie Kid mountain

WIN LEGO PRIZES Five Batman Cowls up for grabs

LEGO BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT’S LATEST SET REVIEWED

ISSUE 80 // £5.49

BRICK TRAIN AWARDS CELEBRATING FAN CREATIVITY

REGULARS 6 LEGOTALK Building with LEGO bricks can be a great way to bond as a family.

8 FRIENDS What's bigger news than the Friends cast reuniting? The gang getting a new LEGO set.

10 SEVEN THINGS ABOUT...

The key things you need to know about the new summer sets.

12 HOW WE MADE...

Take the journey from sketch to finished set with a new LEGO NINJAGO model.

14 HOT TOPIC The recent Ulysses Space Probe VIP promo has the Blocks team debating these giveaways.

16 LUG SPOTLIGHT Get to know Zbudujmy To, a LUG from Poland with members across the country.

18 THIS LEGO LIFE Daniel's wife isn't just his life partner, but his partner in LEGO building too.

96 IDEAS SHOWCASE Jim Henson's Labyrinth is the subject of a seriously impressive build.

98 MONTH IN MOCS The classic Eldorado Fortress set is reimagined and the Mystery Machine gets an upgrade.

114 FROM THE VAULT Where did the all important ball joint connection first appear?

4 Blocks Issue 80

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WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN! Subscribe to Blocks magazine today to be in with a chance of winning 76182 Batman Cowl! You’ll also be automatically entered into our bi-monthly prize draws to win the latest and greatest LEGO sets. See page 67 now!

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f: facebook.com/blocksmag t: @blocksmagazine w: www.blocksmag.com

FEATURES

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24 COVER EVERYONE IS AWESOME Design VP Matthew Ashton introduces the new set that celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community.

30 COVER LEGO MASTERS GOES GLOBAL Find out how LEGO Masters grew to be an international hit with 11 different versions.

60

38 COVER LOONEY TUNES HISTORY Jerry Beck takes us through the history of Bugs Bunny and his eclectic group of friends.

104 BLOCKSTALGIA There's only one fuel that will get you where you need to go in the LEGO world, and that's Octan.

REVIEWS

48

48 FLOWER FRUIT MOUNTAIN Does this epic Monkie Kid set live up to its legendary billing?

52 COVER BATMAN COWL The iconic mask of DC's most famous son is released as a display model.

54 HARRY POTTER BRICKHEADZ There are heroes and villains in this new wave – will Harry and friends defeat Voldemort's crew?

56

56 BOTANICAL COLLECTION The Flower Bouquet and Bonsai Tree offer a different type of building experience.

38

60 FRIENDS CINEMA AND HOUSE It's time for the LEGO Friends to have a night at the movies followed by a jam session.

BUILD 68

68 COVER BRICK TRAIN AWARDS Hear from some of the winners of the train community awards and see their MOCs. 76 COVER MONKEY MOD Turn the Legendary Flower Fruit Mountain into a modern Indigo Islanders paradise.

TECHNIQUE 86 VEGETABLE PATCH Build authentic looking vegetables and gardens with this month's handy tips and tricks.

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 5

LEGO TALK

LEGOtalk f: facebook.com/blocksmag t: @blocksmagazine w: www.blocksmag.com

Rounding up the brick conversation each month.

E-mail graham@blocksmag.com to share your views @JNJ_BRICKS

STAR LET TER

HI BLOCKS, I've only relatively recently discovered the magazine and having read a few issues took out a subscription. I've particularly enjoyed the sections on building techniques as I find myself needing to update my skillset.

As a child of the late 1970s/early 1980s I loved LEGO. I vividly recall the thrill of getting a train for my fifth birthday, the classic castle for Christmas one year and some of the fantastic Classic Space sets. As it does for many I suppose, LEGO got put aside as a teenager, though I do recall needing to revisit the Technic Beach Buggy to work out how to execute three-point turns for my driving test.

Then my son came along; he has never lived with me and when he was a small child I found having something to bond over (our metaphorical kragle, if you will) a challenge.

In this respect LEGO saved the day and provided us with something to do together and gave me a chance to shine in my son's eyes. From a pile of bricks I was able to conjure up spaceships or approximations of NINJAGO sets. Childhood memories were reawakened and the discovery of brick selling websites opened up endless possibilities to build things I had wanted to as a child. More recently we've made stop motion animated films. No doubt the lure of other pursuits, peer pressure and demands of schoolwork will mean he too will put LEGO aside one day, probably sooner than I'd like, but I'm really not sure what we'd have done without it.

Meanwhile, my wife and I have been building modulars. We've tracked several of them down and it's proved relaxing, something I've heard from a number of other people too – it Dan’s LEGO passion has been seems like lot rekindled and of people enjoy now he’s building building LEGO sets. modulars.

At my workplace I suspect we could form a decent-sized LUG!

INSTAGRAM SPOTLIGHT @J4J.FILMS

Dan Suri Thanks for sharing your experience Dan, it’s so great to hear that LEGO building helped you and your son to bond – Graham

6 Blocks Issue 80

@WINTERTWINED

www.blocksmag.com

LEGO TALK

BUILD SPOTLIGHT Bradley Potter was feeling patriotic and built this Union Jack.

YOUTUBE SPOTLIGHT

FIVE YEARS AGO THIS MONTH…

You can relive Bricks at Home and see some amazing LEGO fan creations at Brick Alley LUG’s YouTube channel. Brick Alley and London AFOLs organised the virtual event, with Blocks’s own Graham Hancock on hosting duties.

@STARWARSPHOTOSHOP

Simon debuted his ingenious curved road technique on the cover of Blocks Issue 20.

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 7

MONTH IN LEGO

THE ONE WITH ALL THE LEGO BRICKS If the LEGO Friends have finished drinking coffee, they can get up to apartment based antics in the latest sitcom set

8 Blocks Issue 80

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MONTH IN LEGO

SO NO-ONE TOLD you life was gonna be this way – you never thought you’d get one model based on the enduringly popular 1990s show Friends, let alone two. Yet here we are, with 10292 Friends Apartments delivering another sitcom set as a LEGO set.

This time around, the scene has moved from the gang’s Central Perk hangout to the two apartments where most of them live. Monica and Rachel’s apartment and Chandler and Joey’s apartment are both included, along with the connecting hallway where the characters are last seen in the final moment of the series.

Once again the core characters are included – Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe. Each one has different deco from their previous minifigure representations, with some neat references to specific episodes of the long-running show. Ross is wearing his too tight leather trousers and Joey is wearing all of Chandler’s clothes. In this box, the gang is joined

by Chandler’s shy and softly spoken on-and-offagain girlfriend Janice.

‘Following the success of the LEGO Ideas Central Perk set, we wanted to develop another tribute to this iconic TV show with a focus on the famous apartments,’ said LEGO Designer Anderson Ward Grubb. ‘We worked directly from production photos of the set as well as watching and re-watching a lot of episodes so we could

WE WANTED TO DEVELOP ANOTHER TRIBUTE TO THIS ICONIC TV SHOW WITH A FOCUS ON THE FAMOUS APARTMENTS capture as many iconic moments as possible.

One fun challenge was figuring out how to represent some aspects that change over the course of the show that appear in some episodes and not in others. I am looking forward to seeing if the eagle-eyed fans will spot them.’

10292 Friends Apartments is a much larger set than 21319 Central Perk, with 2,048 pieces and a retail price of £134.99 / $149.99. That has allowed Anderson to pack in references and details from the show, including the La-Z-Boys, the poking device, the floor cheesecake and the canoe. Fans will be able to recreate episodes like The One With All The Thanksgivings, The One With The Giant Poking Device and The One With The Dollhouse.

While it isn’t common for LEGO Ideas sets to get follow-ups, 21319 was exceptionally popular and spent most of 2019 out of stock. There’s another New York sitcom on the way later this year, with Seinfeld scheduled for release as part of the LEGO Ideas theme.

10292 FRIENDS APARTMENTS IS AVAILABLE NOW.

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 9

MONTH IN LEGO

SEVEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT…

THE SUMMER SETS New sets are launching now across a variety of themes 'member Castle?

DEPENDING WHERE YOU are in the world, you’re currently either bankrupting yourself as a result of buying the many new summer sets that tickle your fancy or grumbling about staggered roll-outs while enviously looking at pictures on social media. Most of the new LEGO summer sets launched on June 1 in the UK but won’t arrive in the USA and certain other places until later this year. Whichever situation you’re in, here are a few things that might help you to prioritise those all-important wish lists.

1. IT’S ANIMAL TIME. For years, fans have grumbled that the LEGO Group needs to release a zoo. The company has given us various animals over the years, but in a piecemeal fashion and they tend to get retired in short order. In this new batch of sets though, LEGO City is going on safari and there are elephants, new monkeys, a male lion, a new snake and a hatching egg. Over in Mickey & Friends, there’s a new sheep. It’s time to really expand the menagerie – get ready to start parting out some LEGO sets this summer.

2. CASTLE’S BACK – SORT OF. Last year the Creator theme delivered a pirate ship. It wasn’t exactly like the Pirates

10 Blocks Issue 80

IT’S TIME TO REALLY EXPAND THE MENAGERIE

theme from back in the day, but it was clearly influenced by it. The same can be said of 31120 Medieval Castle, which offers a nice castle façade. Buying a few copies of the set will make building a full castle no trouble at all, although it may be more cost effective just to buy plenty of extra grey bricks. Using the torsos from 21325 Medieval Blacksmith, the Black Falcon knights make a nostalgia friendly appearance.

3. THE MOUSE IS IN THE HOUSE. The Disney theme has been very much focused on the princesses and female heroes from the animation studio’s films since it launched in 2014. Now Disney’s most famous character – and his gang – are getting their own 4+ theme.

While that age marking might tempt you to skip these sets, look again – Pluto is making his first appearance at minifigure scale, Goofy is arriving at an affordable price point and there’s a new piece shaped like the iconic Mickey Mouse silhouette.

4. IT’S TIME TO CHECK IN WITH DOTS. DOTS had appeal when it launched thanks to some of the interesting colours and decorations the 1x1 tiles offered. Since then the sets haven’t been particularly interesting to the jaded longterm LEGO fan with a short attention span, but these latest boxes are worth a look. 71935 Lots of DOTS, as well as having an excellent set name, is literally a box of 1x1 tiles, while 41938 Creative Designer Box includes 1x1 tiles featuring letters – so purists have a new option for precise lettering.

5. KAI’S GETTING WET. They’ve gone skyward, into the digital realm, to a lost island and now the NINJAGO heroes are heading into the ocean depths. The epic new 71755 Temple of the Endless Sea hints at the kind of adventure the ninja will be going on, with several sets seeing them face off against underwater enemies. A really striking colour scheme has been selected for this world hidden in the ocean depths. There are also more Legacy sets that focus on previous NINJAGO stories.

6. IT'S TIME TO EXPAND THE GARAGE. Petrolheads will be delighted to see Speed Champions continue, with the latest wave

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MONTH IN LEGO n SET OF THE MONTH // 40516 EVERYONE IS AWESOME

n QUICK QUOTE // ANDY KIM, US CONGRESSMAN

This LEGO set is loudly and proudly telling everyone just how inclusive the brand is.

The simple, elegant design will have fans eager to put it on display to show off their support for LGBTQIA+ people around the world. We also have a feeling that builders will be snapping up extra copies for those appealing monochrome minifigures and fantastic new hair colours. Find out more from the set's designer on page 24.

‘My wife wasn’t thrilled when I put the LEGO Millennium Falcon on our wedding registry. To not seem completely self-indulgent, I told her I’d wait until we had kids to build it. Today, after 10 patient years, the adventure begins.’ Andy Kim celebrates May the Fourth with a family build.

The Botanical Collection continues.

BLOCKS BOOKS

LEGO SPACE PROJECTS New lettering tiles turn up in DOTS.

featuring some really unique cars that will stand out in the collection. 76904 Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster and 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A (yes, that’s genuinely the official set name) is a great example, as the two pack builds a dragster and a muscle car, bringing some real freshness to this long-running theme.

7. YOU’LL NEVER NEED REAL PLANTS AGAIN. It seems that Bonsai Tree and Flower Bouquet were the beginning of something new, as 10289 Bird of Paradise continues the adult-orientated Botanical Collection. This elegant model is using a mix of Technic and traditional elements to capture the shape of the South African plant.

With 1,173 pieces, it’s the largest set so far in this new series. If more of these sets are on the way, then you’ll be able to have LEGO plants on every spare surface in the house.

So many new animals.

www.blocksmag.com

JEFF FRIESEN’S BOOK promises an incredible 52 different space themed builds of varying sizes within its 224 pages. The full book was not provided for review, but a number of chapters were – enough to demonstrate the variety of models presented. From the classic flying saucer to the impressive Greeble Guru, Jeff has clearly been inspired by a lot of different sci-fi imagery.

As ever with books from No Starch Press, the instructions are extremely clear. It’s highly unlikely that you’ll end up missing a brick thanks to the clarity in the step-by-step build guides. Going beyond the instructions, the book includes tips on useful bricks to use for spaceships, advice on types of spacecraft design and ideas for display stands – these are all things it’s useful to get some pointers on, especially if this volume inspires you to dream up your own space themed creations.

No Starch Press, available August, £20.99 / $19.99

Coming this August.

NEWS IN BRIEF n BOTS FOR BEES LEGO House has refreshed the Robo Lab attraction, so rather than rescuing woolly mammoths from the ice, the refreshed robot challenge will be themed around helping the LEGO bee population. We’re not sure how the massive drills fit in with beehive maintenance, but we’re keen to find out. n GUNSHIP UPDATE The LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Republic Gunship is on the way later this year and it’s going to be a big set. ‘I recommend buying a coffee table along with it for display,’ said Model Designer said Hans Schlömer. It will use a decorated version of the cockpit piece last seen in 10215 Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter. n INFLUENTIAL ACCOLADE Time magazine named the LEGO Group one of the world’s most 100 influential companies, highlighting the balance the brand achieves between delivering the classic brick and innovating with new concepts. n LEGO LEARNS LEGO Ventures, the part of the company that invests in promising start-ups and small businesses, has taken a stake in Area9 Lyceum. The developer of adaptive learning platforms has a stated desire to engage learners and develop their curiosity, fitting in with the LEGO Group’s values.

Issue 80 Blocks 11

MONTH IN LEGO

HOW WE MADE…

71756 HYDRO BOUNTY LEGO Model Designer Niek van Slagmaat presents concept models and sketches to show how he designed the new NINJAGO 71756 Hydro Bounty set ‘This is the first model I developed mostly from home during the pandemic. I have fewer fully built pictures as I was mostly tinkering with the model instead of building new versions from the ground up.’

‘There was an older sketch model by Theo Bonner that explored the aesthetic and concept. I was tasked to make it into a submarine version of the Bounty. I did some sketches to start off.’

‘A lot of development time was spent figuring out the structure and how to build something that was elegant but could also house two of the smaller submarines.’

‘I really liked the idea of a mech being the figurehead of the ship and explored a lot of different transformations to make it integrate well with the bigger submarine.’

‘I explored several accent colours but ended up going for the simple but elegant black and white. I really wanted to include the dark tan shields unprinted and found a cool turbine build that I liked.’

‘I came up with a neat mechanism to fold out the fins on the turbines. The final model includes a string mechanism that allows you to unfold both sides by pulling the rear facing cannons on the Bounty.’

12 Blocks Issue 80

‘Because we knew Wu would be left on the surface, I really liked the idea of him calling in remotely on a television with legs. That idea turned into the Wu Bots.’

www.blocksmag.com

MONTH IN LEGO n MINIFIGURE OF THE MONTH // GOLDEMORT

n POLY-AMOROUS // 30570 WILDLIFE RESCUE HOVERCRAFT

He Who Must Not Be Renamed gets a golden edition in the minifigure packed 76389 Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets. There’s a whole bunch of these gold coloured characters to collect to mark 20 years since the launch of the Harry Potter theme, but Lord Voldemort stands out as his name lends itself so well to this redecoration.

The new monkey’s in a polybag! Sure, a hovercraft is fun and an outdoorsy minifigure with plenty of pockets is neat, but the new moulded monkey is an absolute must-have. Why haven’t this year’s Monkie Kid sets used the new animal at all? Anyway, this polybag makes you long for the days when the little sets came free with a newspaper, as a whole tribe of these primates is in order.

THE DIFFICULT SECOND ALBUM LEGO VIDIYO expands the scope and scale of the theme with new stage sets WHEN LEGO VIDIYO launched, the theme was entirely focused on the premium minifigures that come to life when scanned into the associated app. Using augmented reality, they can perform in music videos with all sorts of wacky effects.

At the time, the LEGO Group was keen to focus on children who hadn’t yet discovered the joy of building – but as teased in Blocks Issue 78’s feature, there’s plenty of traditional building to be done in this second wave of products. Now, the imaginative musical minifigures are taking their spot on epic, personalised stages to deliver concerts to their adoring fans.

43111 Candy Castle Stage, 43112 Robo HipHop Car, 43113 K-Pawp Concert and 43114 Punk Pirate Ship are all specific to genres introduced as part of VIDIYO, building bespoke models and including relevant characters. 43115 The Boombox builds the classic icon of the 1980s that unfolds for a stage that can suit any genre – and appropriately includes a mix of artists – Alien Singer, Leopard Guitarist, Fairy Singer and Vampire Guitarist.

Of course each of these sets unlocks special functionality within the app, continuing the music video creativity that was introduced with the original selection of sets.

‘We’re thrilled to be unveiling these fantastic stage

models as part of the LEGO VIDIYO line-up because they demonstrate the harmony between physical LEGO building and digital play,’ said LEGO Design Manager Ross Christopher Haynes. ‘Not only are they fun to build and play with, with the minifigure band members, but they also serve as ideal backgrounds to add extra flair to kids’ videos!”

New LEGO VIDIYO sets are available now.

Adidas continues LEGO branded trainer releases with six new options

www.blocksmag.com

n PROTOTYPING HYBRIDS Renault has been integrating hybrid technology into their cars – and it turns out that LEGO Technic has been helping with the process.

Hybrid expert Nicolas Fremau used Technic elements to try out his ideas and then showed his team the potential solutions. n ANIMAL ART LEGO Certified Professional Nathan Sawaya has updated his The Art of the Brick exhibition, adding 13 new animal builds as the show arrived at The California Science Center. A gorilla, a whale and a cheetah are just a few of the new sculptures.

COLOURFUL FOOTWEAR THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN the LEGO Group and Adidas isn’t over yet, with the new ZX 8000 ‘Bricks’ collection offering a range of coloured trainers. There are six different options to choose from: Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Black, and Grey. It’s a change from the original pair, that included almost all of those colours on one pair of sneakers.

NEWS IN BRIEF

According to the press release, features include ‘a mesh upper matched with synthetic suede overlays, a ghillie lacing system, and a TPU heel counter’ – and who would buy trainers that didn’t incorporate such things? It seems that these are not as limited as the previous releases, allowing more fans to actually own the products that this collaboration is turning out.

n TATA TO TT Arthur Parsons has left his position as Head of Design at TT Games, the studio behind the LEGO video games. He has been at the company for 22 years, with his work spanning dozens of the titles that redefined what a LEGO game experience could be. n HOLIDAY KEEPSAKES The 2021 Hallmark LEGO decorations have been announced, with four new ornaments for the Christmas tree.

Each one is an oversized minifigure – there’s Elf and Teddy, Wonder Woman as well as Darth Vader and Stormtrooper in ugly Christmas jumpers.

They’ll be on sale in North America later this year, closer to when you’ll actually be ready to think about the holidays.

Issue 80 Blocks 13

MONTH IN LEGO

HOT TOPIC Blocks staffers debate the big bulletins THIS MONTH: Are limited edition VIP reward sets like Ulysses Space Probe a great idea or are they destined to disappoint?

Graham Hancock

Kat Rees-Jauke

Daniel Konstanski

WHY DEVELOP PRODUCTS THAT MOST FANS CAN’T GET?

GWPS GIVE FANS A FREEBIE WITH A SET THEY WANT

IT CREATES SALES THAT WOULD NOT OTHERWISE HAPPEN

I am totally aware that releasing limited edition, exclusive and competition prize sets creates buzz. These sets lead to people talking about LEGO on social media, they lead to people rushing to a website, they lead to huge queues at conventions. But the vast majority of people can’t get them, by virtue of how limited they are or how many barriers to entry there are. So most people are disappointed and a few people are happy. Why does the LEGO Group want to develop products that most fans can’t get? It didn’t used to be the sort of company that did much of this type of thing, but recently there have been more and more annoyingly limited sets. A couple of years ago it was decided that no sets would be exclusive to one territory in the world, because it meant a bunch of consumers elsewhere missed out. Why should VIP reward, gift with purchase or convention exclusive sets be any different? Just release them at retail or don’t release them at all. Let’s have the hobby be fun and not a headache.

Back in April there were a lot of frustrated collectors when the LEGO NASA Ulysses Space Probe suddenly launched as a VIP reward – and rightly so. It was so popular that the VIP Rewards Centre website crashed and the set sold out in a flash, leaving plenty of fans unsatisfied. This is the perfect example of why this type of set should be a gift with purchase (GWP) promotion and not released through VIP rewards. Who is to say that the people with points stashed actually wanted the set because they were space fans? Plenty went straight onto the secondary market for high price tags. What about those who couldn’t make the release time due to work or study? Or those fans who would love one to go with their Discovery set, but didn’t have had enough VIP points? Gift with purchases give fans a freebie with a set they want to purchase. There might be a timeframe but it’s usually a few days, giving fans a much better chance and much better way of getting a specially themed bonus item.

Let me be blunt – the Ulysses Probe VIP event did exactly what companies like the LEGO Group want in these situations. The goal of giveaways like this one is not to produce and sell a bunch of something everyone wants. Products like a Ulysses Probe have very limited appeal and makes no sense to waste valuable production time on, when that effort could be put towards something like a NINJAGO dragon. The only way doing so makes sense is if it creates sales that would not otherwise happen. I had no intention of buying a LEGO set the day the Ulysses came out, but enamoured with the idea of snagging something rare and exclusive I dutifully went to the website, experienced the crash, and was lucky enough to get in and snag one.

After securing my code I made an unplanned purchase – a modular building no less. I would be willing to bet over 95% of the people who bought something to secure a Ulysses also had no prior plans to buy a set. But we all did anyway, which for the LEGO Group means ‘mission accomplished’.

The Ulysses Space Probe didn't last long.

14 Blocks Issue 80

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MONTH IN LEGO n SET OF THE MONTH // 71387 ADVENTURES WITH LUIGI

n BOOK OF THE MONTH // LEGO TECHNIC: NON-ELECTRIC MODELS

Coming in August, the LEGO Group has unveiled the next interactive character for the Super Mario theme. Like the original starter pack, 71387 Adventures with Luigi includes the special figure – who is a little taller than Mario – along with start and finish points, plus additional bricks and villains. That's-a pretty good!

No Starch Press is taking some of the complexity out of Technic building, with two volumes focused on building interesting models that don’t use motors. Simple Machines and Clever Contraptions will show how to put builds together that have non-motorised motion, with Yoshihito Isogawa communicating functions through the medium of Technic.

TECHNIC LEGENDS RETIRE

Two LEGO Technic veterans are retiring with 90 years of experience between them DESIGN MASTER JAN Ryaa and Senior Element Coach Sten Schmidt recently left the LEGO Group’s headquarters for the last time. The long-serving Technic experts are retiring at the end of impressive careers, with Jan having spent 48 years and Sten having spent 42 years at the company.

‘I was obsessed with getting more movement into the models and I started drilling holes in classic elements to insert axle rods,’ Jan said of his work developing Technic. ‘This is basically how the classic LEGO Technic bricks with holes came about.’

After working at the secret development

I WAS OBSESSED WITH GETTING MORE MOVEMENT INTO THE MODELS department known as XYZ, Sten moved over to Technic. He is responsible for the classic 8865 Test Car and perhaps more importantly, the beams that have changed the way LEGO models are built.

‘One of the elements I’m most proud to have helped develop is the Technic beam without

knobs. That gives a more stable model and that is still one of the most used Technic elements today. The beam builds on the system that Jan helped invent by drilling holes in bricks, but I filed the knobs off to get them right.’

The duo have worked on more than the beloved Technic theme, having also been involved in Belville, Jack Stone and trains. In recent years they have been sharing their expertise in the Design Lab. ‘It’s fantastic to see that some of the things we have been working on are still used by our designers today. My only regret is that Sten ruined that great Technic element,’ Jan laughed.

AN EYE-POPPING 57 LEGO IDEAS QUALIFY FOR REVIEW More product ideas than ever before have reached 10,000 votes in the first 2021 LEGO Ideas review A MASSIVE 57 BUILDS MADE IT TO 10,000 VOTES

IF ONE OF your favourite LEGO product ideas has qualified for the first 2021 review, it might be time to temper your expectations. A massive 57 builds made it to 10,000 votes and are now under consideration by the LEGO Ideas review panel. As ever, there are original creations like the www.blocksmag.com

Retro Arcade and Tutankhamun alongside IP (intellectual property) inspired models like The X-Files and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The huge number of Ideas projects hitting the 10,000 vote threshold is in large part down to increased internet traffic since lockdowns started to be implemented in response to the pandemic. Whether fewer votes will be cast as restrictions ease, or if this is the new normal, will

Brent Waller believed in his project.

become apparent over the next few months.

One model reached the requisite number of votes but was disqualified – Aurelien Franssens apparently didn’t declare that his Stadium Tour MOC was inspired the band Rammstein.

Issue 80 Blocks 15

MONTH IN LEGO Zbudujmy To together at an event.

Zbudujmy To ambassador Maciej Kocot reveals what the Polish LUG gets up to

ZBUDUJMY TO Words: Graham Hancock Pics: Zbudujmy To

A LUG IS A GREAT SPACE FOR SHARING ONE’S WORK AND IDEAS Blocks: What is the name of your LUG? Maciej: The name of our LUG is Zbudujmy To. It means ‘let’s build it’ in Polish, so it reflects what we do pretty well. An extra advantage is the address of our website in the Tonga domain – zbudujmy.to. Once we considered buying the Italian domain –letsbuild.it – but in the end decided to stick to one.

Where is it based?

We don’t have any one base location as such.

The members of our community are scattered all around the country. The group is officially registered in a town in the middle of the country, where none of us actually live. Some of the biggest clusters of AFOLs in Poland are Warsaw, Krakow, Silesia, Poznan and Gdansk.

How many members are in your LUG? We currently have 56 members. Aside from formal members, we run an online forum open to all and that has over 1,500 registered users.

How and when was your LUG formed?

Zbudujmy To was founded in 2013 by a group of AFOLs from the only – at the time – informal AFOL community in Poland. The idea was to register the new group as an official association, recognised by authorities. Thanks to this, Zbudujmy To can have its own bank account, sign agreements etcetera. This in turn makes it a lot easier to organise exhibitions and events or purchase bricks together. Being a court registered legal entity helped us multiple times when we negotiated with local authorities or protected the intellectual or financial interests of AFOLs against shady wannabe business partners.

16 Blocks Issue 80

W H AT I S A L E G O U S E R GROUP (LUG)?

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

A group of AFOLs, recognised by the LEGO Group Non-profit, driven by volunteers A supportive environment of likeminded individuals Welcomes all ability levels Hosts regular meetings to discuss ideas, news and builds Organises and participates in public events and conventions Works with the LEGO Group through their appointed Ambassador

How often do you meet?

Our meetings are mostly related to events that we organise. We try to have at least one big exhibition every year, as well as several local events. As a formal association, we are also required by law to hold a meeting every two years. Then we elect the board and discuss various matters. It’s the rare occasion when you see us in a more formal setting, though we don’t always manage to stay serious. These periodic meetings are also a good motivation to organise an extra event and socialise.

What do your meetings involve?

Every time we meet to organise an event, there is a lot to do. We need to set up the models, assemble group layouts from individual sections and apply some final touches to our exhibition.

When our fingers are busy attaching a thousand plants to a huge layout, we entertain ourselves with random discussions. And when the work

is finally finished, we grab a well-deserved beverage. Another great aspect of exhibitions is the opportunity to interact with visitors.

Are you involved with any local shows?

We have attended multiple conventions covering various themes. Examples include Pyrkon (fantasy, sci-fi), Hobby Fair (various interests), Krakow Comic Festival (comics), Pixel Heaven (video games) and Miniature Poland (rail layouts). We use these opportunities to show the great potential of bricks in creating anything that one could possibly imagine.

What's your favourite thing about being part of your LUG? I enjoy being among people with similar interests. It’s good to know that I’m not the only freak who still plays with bricks. A LUG is a great space for sharing one’s work and ideas.

Having this opportunity makes our hobby even more enjoyable. It also enables us to display our creativity to non-AFOLs through collaborative projects, events and exhibitions.

Has your LUG reached any milestones or done anything you're particularly proud of?

One thing that comes to my mind is the project we completed together with LEGO Poland. We built a series of models depicting our country’s famous landmarks. The effect was astonishing.

The models visited a couple of our exhibitions and were greatly enjoyed by the public.

We are also very proud of our town layout. It’s one of our group projects that has been with us on multiple exhibitions and keeps evolving all the time. It started with a number of stylish buildings surrounded by a long railroad. Then

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MONTH IN LEGO

LUG Showcasing creativity.

SPOT

LIGHT

MOCs on show.

00000144

Displaying builds at Hobby 2020.

Sharing MOCs with the public.

we added a hill with a tunnel and a piece of lovely countryside. At its best time, the layout had a surface of 25 square meters. We are now renewing the layout once more, getting ready for another exhibition.

Some of our members exhibited their models in LEGO House (Jerac, Jetboy, Crises and Wallyjarek). We also like taking part in various competitions. One example is the Colossal Castle Contest, where our strong team of Castle builders show their skills year after year.

How has COVID-19 affected your LUG's regular operations?

The everyday life of our LUG has not changed much. Since we live far away from each other anyway, everything happens online.

In terms of events, it definitely made our lives harder. We had planned some events and exhibitions in Poland but had to cancel or postpone them. On the other hand, spending

Getting it all ready.

A LEGO display.

more time at home gave some of us a solid creativity boost. Fortunately, everyone in our crew has stayed healthy so far.

We have managed to organise a couple of events against all odds. A small representation of Zbudujmy To was present at the Summer Picnic in MTP Poznan, as well as at a rail layout exhibition. We were also present at the Hobby Fair in Poznan in September 2020.

What plans do you have for future events?

We’ve managed to organise a couple of events during the pandemic, though they were not the same as in normal times. Our hunger for an in-person event has been growing for months and we’re looking forward to meeting at the next opportunity. We are currently planning to visit Hobby Fair in Poznan with our models, as we did in previous years. Two collaborative projects are already in progress and we hope to display them there.

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The LUG presents a train layout.

Find out more at zbudujmy.to

Issue 80 Blocks 17

THIS LEGO LIFE

DANIEL KONSTANSKI

BUILDING TOGETHER Lydia didn’t know what she was getting into, but Daniel’s wife soon found herself embracing the brick

I

met my wife in Yellowstone National Park. It was the summer of 2006 between my Sophomore and Junior year of college and I decided to spend those three months off in a wild and beautiful place. In order to fund my adventure, I signed up to work as a room attendant (also known as the person who does the cleaning) at one of the park’s many hotels.

Fortunately for me, a lovely lady named Lydia had a similar idea and got assigned to work in the same building. Proving I could efficiently clean bathrooms, dispose of vomit and make a killer hospital corner helped boost my prospects considerably. For the next two years we dated long distance while completing our respective degree programs and married a week after graduation. While she had seen the Black Seas Barracuda that graced my desk in the home I lived in during college, the only warning she had going into our marriage was some passing comments about how I had been ‘really into LEGO as a kid’.

For the record, this wasn’t a deception. I had no disposable income during my college years to buy LEGO sets and wasn’t even aware that AFOLs were a thing because, at that time, they really weren’t. The community was just starting to come together online and I wouldn’t become aware of it for another three years or so. Despite all that, it was still a bit of a shock after we got married and settled down, when my parents dropped off everything of mine. They graciously made the long trek from Indiana to Texas carting with them my bike, some clothes, a few other items and my childhood LEGO collection. By far that last one was the most voluminous. ‘Wow,’ Lydia said.

‘You weren’t kidding when you said you were into LEGO as a kid, where are we going to put all this stuff?’ It was a fair question considering how small our rental was, but we had a spare bedroom – so into the closet it went.

Buried in school debt and on our own in a new rural town where I had managed to land my first engineering job, there wasn’t a lot going on. Streaming was still several years off and we couldn’t even afford a television anyway. One evening my wife commented over dinner that she had always been curious about LEGO toys as a kid but her family couldn’t afford them. Would I be interested in building 18 Blocks Issue 80

DANIEL KONSTANSKI Lifelong LEGO obsessive passionate about collecting. With a thorough knowledge of LEGO over the years, he is Blocks' historian.

some of my sets together? That was an easy yes. Over the next couple months, all of my childhood favorites emerged from their boxes – The Temple of Anubis, Fort Legoredo, Neptune Discovery Lab, and more. We built them side by side chatting away. It was her first building experience and she loved it.

WOULD I BE INTERESTED IN BUILDING SOME OF MY SETS TOGETHER? AN EASY YES A couple of years later we were a bit more on our feet and on a trip to the local store we swung through the LEGO aisle, as was my custom. Fantasy Castle had just dropped and for the first time my wife was enamoured with a new set, 7092 Skeletons' Prison Carriage.

For whatever reason the aesthetic and details of it completely captured her imagination.

That set became her birthday present a few months later and was the first time we built something together that was hers. She had been disappointed when we first started that I didn’t have more Castle stuff and that carriage soon changed that, sparking a trend that has lasted many years since.

It was in no small part thanks to these sessions building together that I became an AFOL. Having not only my lovely bride’s permission but enthusiastic participation helped me overcome some initial hesitancies from thinking I had to leave this ‘child’s toy’ in my past. Over the next several years as kids began entering the picture, our chances to build together became less and less frequent, even as my LEGO collecting and participation in the community took off. Blocks was a big part of that as speed became paramount for meeting deadlines.

Recently though, I ended up doing something which doesn’t happen all that often – I picked up a set just for me. Somehow, I had missed buying the modular Bookstore and ended up snagging it with some VIP points. Lydia has always loved modulars and asked if we could build it together. We are a little older and a little greyer, but that evening of snapping bricks together felt a lot like those evenings in Texas almost two decades ago when we first fell in love with building together. n 7092 Skeleton's Prison Carriage – Lydia's first set.

One of many trips to the LEGO Store.

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THIS LEGO LIFE

10270 Bookshop was a recent joint build.

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Issue 80 Blocks 19

THIS LEGO LIFE

KAT REES-JAUKE

MORE AND MORE LEGO OPTIONS Kat bemoans the lack of LEGO options when she was young, but wonders whether today’s seemingly endless LEGO choices are actually a good thing

W

HEN I WAS six years old, all I wanted was a Care Bear. It sounds like a simple request. It’s just a stuffed animal after all. So, why couldn’t I get one? This wasn’t down to me being a terrible child. Rather, it was all to do with the time in which I was born. Back when I was six it was near miraculous that I was even able to watch Care Bears on the television (for a hefty subscription fee), let alone find the accompanying merchandise. At that time not as many American products were available in the UK as there are now. So, alas, no Care Bear for little me. When I see toddlers hugging them these days, I do feel a teensy pang of envy.

And the same goes for LEGO. As part of reviewing for Blocks, I often get Friends sets, Disney, and a whole range of others that are primarily meant for kids to play with. How they make me wish I was young again. I think a lot of people can relate to that, yet I can’t help feeling that way because during my childhood LEGO phase I had access to City, more City, and the odd Creator model. That was it. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved these sets and spent hours building and role-playing with them, but it has left me imagining how much fun I would have had with Friends, Elves, Disney and so much more. I’ve always been a tomboy, so cars and aeroplanes were plenty cool, but little me would have loved playing with a mini-doll Merida, or animal rescue with Mia and Olivia. Not to mention the Elves dragons would have been soaring around my garden on a summer day.

You might be wondering, why don’t I just play with these themes now? You’re never too old, right? Yes, I am not too old to technically play with my LEGO, but with adulthood comes working, chores and general life getting in the way of anything fun. It’s sapped something out of me, probably the carefree-ness that my younger self possessed, and I neither have the time or the desire to exist in my own LEGO worlds. Playing with LEGO while a stack of ironing is glaring at you isn’t exactly ideal. So, these Friends sets and others get passed on to children who will play with them, whilst I look on longingly.

This is sounding an awful lot like a lament of growing older (and yes, it is a bit of that), but I’m not actually complaining. What I’m trying to 20 Blocks Issue 80

KAT REES-JAUKE Part of the Blocks review team, Kat uses her LEGO knowledge to cast a discerning eye over the latest sets.

point out is that there’s so much more choice available now and today’s kids should count themselves lucky. In the past 15 years the LEGO portfolio of themes has expanded significantly and it continues to do so.

With so many LEGO themes to now pick between, it’s possible for kids to role-play almost anything in bricks. As a child I was usually restricted to quiet real-life stories within

budgeting. It was a problem I never faced as a youngster because there weren’t so many themes to choose from.

But what happens when a child likes several different themes? The cost quickly mounts up, especially if they’re licensed ones. With some themes having a short shelf-life, children might find a favourite only for it to be discontinued quickly. Something that can’t be said for a mainstay theme like City. Plentiful choice is a double-edged sword, it has disadvantages as well as benefits.

So, while I might bemoan my lack of LEGO choices as a child, I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to spend ages deliberating about sets. I’ve always been a quick decision maker, even more so since the advent of contactless payment. Choosing LEGO shouldn’t be a difficult process and while I may have missed out on some things, I’m also happy that I managed to avoid these other complications. n Mickey & Friends is a new theme.

IN THE PAST 15 YEARS THE LEGO PORTFOLIO OF THEMES HAS EXPANDED SIGNIFICANTLY the streets of City, yet now there are ninjas and wand-waving wizards. The old saying goes ‘you can never have too much of a good thing’. Or can you? Is there too much choice today?

When I was last in the LEGO Store, which feels like eons ago, it was clear that people, especially children, were spending quite a lot of time deliberating over sets. Piles of boxes were being whittled down to one or two, because let’s face it, LEGO isn’t the cheapest toy on earth.

Naturally, sometimes having to make a choice between one or the other would upset a young child who didn’t yet understand the concept of

So many LEGO themes.

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THIS LEGO LIFE

City was Kat's childhood theme.

Themes like Elves give more options.

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Issue 80 Blocks 21

THIS LEGO LIFE

GRAHAM HANCOCK

SO MANY SETS Graham tries to wrap his head around the huge batch of new summer releases

O

NCE UPON A time, the LEGO release calendar was very, very predictable. New sets in January, new sets in June. Over a number of years though, those dates have become much more flexible.

It started with movie release dates meaning that the LEGO Group needed to launch waves of tie-in sets on agreed dates with the studios.

If a new Star Wars or Harry Potter movie was coming out in May, the IP owners behind those films would not want sets coming out five months early, after all.

As this year has illustrated though, the LEGO Group has taken this further and opted to spread the release of all different sets across the year.

New Friends sets launched in March and new Batman sets arrived in April. D2C (direct to consumer) sets, better known as LEGO Store exclusives, are released throughout the year.

I felt that this year was the year when the old January-June release pattern was officially dead, that there’d be no need to start putting money aside or applying for credit cards ready for a big batch of sets. After all, with sets arriving throughout the year, clearly it wouldn’t be possible for the LEGO Group to do a massive June launch.

How naïve I was! In addition to the more spread-out waves of sets and many, many D2C releases, the big June launch has still happened.

There’s new sets across lots of themes, forcing us fans to make tough choices between the many appealing sets that are now available.

Like many, I’m still trying to keep track of the January sets I like the look of.

It’s not really a problem of course – after all, plenty of sets to choose from forces us to really identify the models that we like the most and focus on those. That does not mean it’s an easy decision by any stretch though, especially when the line-up is as appealing as it is.

Anyone with a desire for more LEGO animals is sure to be salivating at how many new beasts City is offering in one fell swoop. Some have been complaining that the new monkey doesn’t live up the original 1989 primate – but let’s face it, no monkey ever will and this new one is pretty

22 Blocks Issue 80

GRAHAM HANCOCK A LEGO expert who can’t remember life without the brick, Graham loves using that knowledge to bring Blocks to the shelf every single month.

neat. More importantly, the elephant fits better with the modern LEGO aesthetic than the last version and a baby version coming alongside it makes it all the sweeter. The male lion and lion cub are also great looking LEGO animals that will surely prove popular.

THERE’S NEW SETS ACROSS LOTS OF THEMES, FORCING US FANS TO MAKE TOUGH CHOICES The only tricky thing is that many fans will want the animals rather than the sets, which is the same issue in the Mickey & Friends theme.

As a 4+ Disney offering, the builds themselves really aren’t on the strong side, but they have Mickey Mouse and his pals. At the moment, the only products that include them are the pricey Disney theme park D2C sets. These new boxes contain the characters at much lower price points, with Pluto finally included in 10776.

Friends is offering an interesting take on a fairground this summer, with the new attraction based sets all including a touch of magic. Some are stronger than others, but even with the black and white motif they’ll fit in nicely with fairground layouts that fans already have on the go. Hopefully the inclusion of coaster track in 41685 Magical Funfair Rollercoaster means that reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated.

While 31120 Medieval Castle rightly pulls a lot of attention in the Creator theme’s new offerings, 31119 Ferris Wheel ties in with the Friends fairground sets and offers a nice, modest sized wheel for those who don’t have space for the full Creator Expert version. Both 31121 Crocodile and 31122 Fish Bowl are neat too, although they tend to be the sets that are admired and then slip down the ‘to-buy’ list.

It’s easy to skip Minecraft unless you’re a devoted fan of the video game, but NINJAGO is always trickier to overlook. 71755 Temple of the Endless Sea feels like its straight from an epic fantasy film, while 71754 Water Dragon shows that the design team has no plans to run out of excellent concepts to turn into beautiful dragon models.

So the point I’m making is that all of those sets are swirling around in my mind and sitting there on shelves, tempting me. It’s time like this that I’m actually grateful that there’s no new epic action-adventure theme launching this year (that we know of…) as I’m already struggling to get my head around this massive batch of new sets. And that’s without even taking the new Marvel, Friends and Art D2C sets into account… n NINJAGO dragons always look great.

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THIS LEGO LIFE

Who can resist upscaled minifigs?

Goofy's finally in a low priced set.

So many new animals.

Friends conjures up a travelling fair.

Creator has a nice new ferris wheel set.

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Issue 80 Blocks 23

EVERYONE IS AWESOME

Words: Graham Hancock Pics: The LEGO Group

EVERYONE IS Vice President of Design Matthew Ashton reveals how he devised and designed the new LEGO set that’s making a powerful statement

24 Blocks Issue 80

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EVERYONE IS AWESOME

E

VERYONE IS AWESOME; three words that manage to say an awful lot. Paraphrasing the memorable statement ‘Everything is Awesome’ from The LEGO Movie, it’s the name that has been given to a set that sends a powerful message to LGBTQIA+ fans of the brick all around the world. It won’t have escaped the attention of fans that the LEGO Group has been more vocal about the company’s values over the last few years, and now 40516 Everything is Awesome is making the boldest statement yet.

With June marking Pride month, there could not have been a better time for the LEGO Group to launch the set, which is available to buy exclusively at LEGO brand locations. Vice President of Design Matthew Ashton took time out of his busy schedule to explain how this very special model came about and why it was important to design it himself.

Blocks: How did the idea of an LGBTQIA+ inspired set come about and what made now the right moment for this set?

Matthew: Things have been pretty tough in the world over the last few years, and while we have each had our own struggles to deal with, I feel as a society we’ve also had a bit of a wake-up call and that we need to recognise and empathise with the struggles of others better. We have all been forced into living and working in new ways, and that has given us time to reflect on what is really going on in the world around us.

I believe, for many of us, it has allowed us to realise that we could all be doing a little more as individuals to make the world more understanding, tolerant and accepting. For the LEGO brand too, we can also do better and be more vocal about our support and appreciation for others. So now felt like the right time to take action and spread some LEGO love and a little

Each minifigure is presented in a different colour.

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Issue 80 Blocks 25

EVERYONE IS AWESOME

Matthew Ashton with his latest LEGO set.

26 Blocks Issue 80

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EVERYONE IS AWESOME

positivity along with it. This set is just one expression of that, and a real celebration of inclusivity. We know we have an incredibly loyal LGBTQIA+ and GAYFOL community, so this is a set to say a huge thank you to them – but also to say we see you, and we are here for you, to the broader LGBTQIA+ community too.

‘Everyone is Awesome’ is a powerful statement. What message do you hope the set offers?

It is, and that is truly what we believe as a brand. Our brand values of ‘Creativity, Fun, Quality, Imagination, Learning and Caring’ apply to everyone we reach, no matter where they come from, how they identify, or who they love. We believe everyone should be able to express themselves, and we want to celebrate the diversity of the world we live in.

Building with LEGO bricks is one of many forms of creative expression, and making a set like this allows us, as a brand, to creatively express what we stand for, not only for our consumers, but also for our employees and future employees. Fostering inclusivity enriches each and every one of us, and with a little more love and understanding in the world, we can all feel free to be our truly authentic ‘awesome’ selves. By encouraging creativity in everyone we can inspire the creators and problem solvers of tomorrow.

How did you select the colours to include in the model?

The colours of the stripes have been chosen to reflect the original colours associated with the rainbow flag. The black and brown acknowledge the diversity of skin tones and backgrounds within the LGBTQIA+ community, and the pale blue, white and pink colours embrace and represent the trans community. Collectively, the colours are intended to represent everyone and celebrate how awesome they all are!

Single colour minifigures are pretty unusual – was there any discussion around whether to include those?

We felt using non-printed, monochromatic minifigures was the most respectful way to represent the entire community. Each character can then be interpreted in any way the builder wants, so there is no specific gender assigned to any of the figures. It was also really important to me to include a wide variety of hair pieces in the model – to express individuality, but to also keep some of the figures a little ambiguous. The purple minifigure with the highly stylised beehive wig is, however, a clear nod and show of love to all the fabulous drag queens out there.

WE BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES, AND WE WANT TO CELEBRATE THE DIVERSITY OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

Where did the visual concept come from?

The set is, of course, inspired by the rainbow flag, which is used as a symbol of love and acceptance by the LGBTQIA+ community. We wanted to create a simple but powerful statement piece, so the eye-catching, bold, striped colours were perfect for that! The build itself is purposefully designed to have a stylish, minimalistic look to allow the colours and figures to shine. We hope people will see this as a little piece of art – something they would be proud to display in their homes that also holds special meaning for them.

As the creator of this set and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, this set must feel pretty special to you. How does seeing it released make you feel?

Honestly, I am incredibly proud of this set. It may not be the most elaborate set of all time, but I love its simplicity, combined with the powerful message I hope it sends.

Growing up as an LGBTQIA+ kid, I of course experienced my own struggles – being teased by some other kids, adults telling me what I should and shouldn’t play with, how I should walk, how I should talk, what I should wear and that I should ‘man up’ and ‘toughen up’. I know now that many of these adults were probably saying these things in an attempt to protect me from being bullied by other kids, but I could cope with those kids to a certain extent as their teasing was fairly minimal. Hearing this The set's simple design says a lot.

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EVERYONE IS AWESOME

kind of stuff from adults cut deep and made me really believe that there was something wrong with me. As a kid you look up to the adults around you and think they know what’s best, so of course I listened and tried to please them but this was all really affecting me, I felt like I was an embarrassment.

Being told I should be and do everything apart from what came naturally to me was exhausting. It kicked my confidence, made me struggle with my gender identity, and still affects me in some ways today. In comparison to a huge number of people, though, I know I am one of the lucky ones.

I had caring parents, I always had a roof over my head, and I have been able get past most of the challenges thanks to the love and support of several people in my life. I can’t even begin to imagine the discrimination, the hardships and hate that some other people still face in less supportive circumstances.

I wish, as a kid, I had looked at the world and thought ‘this is all going to be okay, there is a place for me and I’m going to be okay’, but back then there was still so much of a stigma around being gay. Obviously decades later many things have improved, but there are still sentiments of discrimination and homophobia, transphobia and more that so many have to struggle with every day.

That’s why representation is so still so important. People need to see that there is a future out there where things can be better for everyone, including them. I want everyone to have the best chance in life, and although this may only seem like a small step, every step counts. The more we collectively show our love and support for people who may be different to ourselves, the easier things will get for everyone.

Having experienced what I have growing up, I wanted to play my part in pushing the needle a bit further, and I feel so proud to be working for a company that wants to support initiatives like this and make such a positive statement.

So, who is this model for and how would you like to see it being used?

As I said earlier, it’s a big thank you to our LGBTQIA+ AFOL – GAYFOL – community, so I am really hoping they will embrace this set and display it with pride. It will be incredible to see what other creations this set inspires.

I’m sure once our fans get their hands on all these lovely rainbow-coloured parts, there is going to be a whole spectrum of beautiful builds out there.

This set is also a nod of gratitude to the LGBTQIA+ community here at the LEGO Group that I am so proud to be a part of. We want the world to know that there is a lot of pride and passion behind projects like these, and that we continue to strive to bring more and more inclusivity to all of our products and experiences.

I would also love it if this set became a special gift for LGBTQIA+ people to give to their partners on special occasions as a symbol of love. But maybe most importantly, I would love for this set to be used as a symbol of friendship too – for anyone who has a friend that is LGBTQIA+ who’s maybe struggling with personal issues, I’d love for them to hand this over as a gift, to let that person know they are awesome, and that you are there for them.

‘Coming out’ can still be a huge step for many LGBTQIA+ people; fearing they may upset or disappoint family members and friends, or worse, can be incredibly daunting, and not knowing what the consequences might be, can be really frightening. Knowing that you have someone there who cares and will support you as an ally can be so important, so having a model like this one on your shelf can serve as a little reminder that you have a friend out there who has your back.

All in all, I just want this model to be a token of love in LEGO form, and to spread a little joy and positivity to those who need it.

MAKING A SET LIKE THIS ALLOWS US, AS A BRAND, TO CREATIVELY EXPRESS WHAT WE STAND FOR

Is there anything else you’d like to share about this set?

Just a very simple ‘LEGO love’ to you all – happy building, hope you enjoy this set, it’s a celebration of love… it’s a celebration of everyone! n

The set includes 11 minifigures.

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EVERYONE IS AWESOME

The set is celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community.

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LEGO MASTERS

Words: Graham Hancock Pics: Channel 4, FOX, Nine

HOW LEGO MASTERS WENT GLOBAL Executive Producer Steph Harris reveals how LEGO Masters went from a quaint British show to an international juggernaut

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LEGO MASTERS

Contestants are deep in the build zone.

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LEGO MASTERS

L

EGO MASTERS IS back on FOX in the USA for a second season of competitive brick building. Over in Australia, Season 3 is wrapping up. The series has recently debuted in Denmark.

In the UK, last year’s US season has been airing on E4. Suffice to say, LEGO Masters is quite the global success story.

Tuesday’s Child was responsible for developing and creating the show for broadcaster Channel 4, with Steph Harris showrunning the original UK series. Now the company is co-producing the second season of the US edition with Endemol Shine North America and Plan B Entertainment – something that proved unexpectedly difficult.

‘Production in the US and particularly LA just completely shut down,’ she explains. ‘We were looking at how to make it safely and where we could make it, so production moved to Atlanta. Neither Karen Smith, who's a co-executive producer from Tuesday's Child, nor I were able to go over. They did set up an incredible viewing service where we were able to almost plug ourselves into the control room of the gallery and view from there.

The team is doing an amazing job and it's really exciting to wake up every day to see what the contestants have built.’

Will Arnett is returning as host, with LEGO design professionals Jamie Berard and Amy Corbett once again serving as the Brickmasters. A new group of enthusiasts will have to show off their building skills and create really impressive models to have a chancing of winning the $100,000 prize. ‘Episode one starts with a classic American street parade,’ says Steph. ‘The teams were challenged to create a big float that would weave its way around the city. The judges were looking for movement and for these floats to reflect something about the team’s personality. It's a great opening challenge because it really quickly establishes who the teams

are.’ Steph remains tight lipped about the other challenges in the 12 part run, but teases some surprising twists and a new spin on one of the original UK challenges.

The LEGO Masters story began back in 2016. ‘With all new ideas, it's a team sitting around thinking, what's the next big competition? We knew that Channel 4 was looking for a new competition format, and one of the team brought in some pictures of incredible LEGO sculptures that fans had built. I think at every company I've worked at a LEGO competition was discussed. I was working with the team who’d just made the Inside LEGO documentary, we thought that we might be able to get an introduction.’

Before getting that introduction though, Steph and her team needed a pitch for Channel 4. They had to figure out what would make this show different to other competitions. ‘We realised this is the first competition where you could have people of all ages competing on a level playing field – all you need is bricks and imagination. I think that's what excited Channel 4, that it’s not in any way ageist. You can have an eight-year-old and an eighty-year-old competing against each other.’

Channel 4 had Steph and her team develop the show, which meant they had to flesh out the format and what the challenges might be. ‘We wanted it to be really well thought out before we went to LEGO. We were talking to people who worked with LEGO bricks, we talked to people who'd written books and model builders and so on.

We created this treatment and tried to really embody some of the ethos of LEGO, its sense of mischief, its playfulness. We wanted to celebrate creativity, imagination and inclusivity while having a few twists and turns.

‘What was important to Channel 4 was that we could get those incredible reveals – I always compare that to Bake Off. That show has extraordinary showstopping cakes that are created in a couple of hours,

THIS IS THE FIRST COMPETITION WHERE YOU COULD HAVE PEOPLE OF ALL AGES COMPETING

LEGO fan Terry Crews visits the set.

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LEGO MASTERS

Amy Corbett and Jamie Berard judge the US show.

Checking in to see how the build is progressing.

Will Arnett is back for Season 2.

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LEGO MASTERS

Presenting creations to the judges.

Steve Guinness and Nate Dias won the first series.

UK judges Matthew Ashton and Fran Scott.

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LEGO MASTERS

whereas to build a world or a structure takes a long time. That informed the decision to have pairs because two people gives you four hands so you could hopefully build something double the size.’

While on one level it was a practical consideration, having pairs rather than individual builders also helped settle the contestants into the show and provided storytelling opportunities. ‘In those teams sometimes both are absolutely phenomenal builders, but sometimes one is a much more creative or a technical thinker while the other is ready to take instruction.

That can be quite explosive in terms of differences of opinion, how they're approaching something or how quickly they're doing something.

‘Ultimately what you want in any competition is to see a journey. Seeing the contestants progress is one of the most joyful things about the series.

That was really true with Paul and Lewis, the champions from Series 2. Seeing them really take on board feedback and step up their game to be wholly deserving winners was really great.’

During that phase of development, the team visited different LEGO events and marvelled at the huge models on display. After asking the exhibitors how long it had taken to create some of the layouts, it became apparent that it was going to be a challenge to get the sense of scale on a tight schedule. ‘That's when we realised if everyone is doing a fairground and then you put them all together, suddenly you've got the scale,’ Steph explains. ‘We've all been to LEGOLAND or to Hamleys and you needed to deliver something that still gives you that “wow”.’

Getting to speak to the community also helped the production crew to spot an opportunity. ‘We heard that builders really like to plan, so to take people out of their comfort zone we should have a surprise build. As the show has evolved in Australia and the US, they're all unplanned builds now. In the UK we were mindful that we were working with young people – it’s all about building confidence and not about destroying it.’

Once the concept was solid, the team took it to the LEGO Group. ‘They are just inundated by every production company across the globe pitching

ideas for a competition, but I think what absolutely appealed to them about this one was the fact that it wasn't a kids’ show, it was a family show.’

By the end of 2016, the LEGO Group was on board – so there was an opportunity to bring in expertise from Billund’s design department. ‘In that first series it was critical that we came up with the challenges, because in the UK this wasn't a LEGO funded competition. We're the programme makers and it was important that it could sit comfortably with Ofcom and Channel 4 – that this was an authentic origination of a competition.

‘LEGO is a wholesome brand and it's the biggest brand in the world so they're obviously very protective of it. We wanted to be aligned with their ethos, but the show wasn't made to be an advert or a promotional tool for LEGO. It's key with every TV show that editorial control stays with the production and with the broadcaster. We would utilise LEGO's expertise, but ultimately we know what makes great television.’

That expertise came in the form of designers like Jamie Berard and Justin Ramsden, who tested out the challenges. Justin was also involved with casting, ensuring that the builders had the right skills to be part of the series. ‘Then we would obviously look at the personalities, what story they would bring and how they would be with the other teams,’ says Steph. ‘We've been confident that we've got the best equipped and most highly skilled builders who also have the personalities that are going to draw in viewers who are not LEGO fans.’

During that audition process, Steph got an even better understanding of the show’s potential. ‘What was brilliant is that when you give the same brief to 30 teams you’ll get 30 completely different builds. We gave them a challenge to incorporate a sphere into their builds to be sure they had the technical ability. That sphere became a bowling ball, it became a planet, it became an ice cream, it became a diver’s helmet under the sea.’

The British edition of LEGO Masters ran for two series and a Christmas special. It was hosted by Melvin Odoom, with LEGO Vice President of Design Matthew Ashton judging the creations, joined by Fran Scott in the

SEEING THE CONTESTANTS PROGRESS IS ONE OF THE MOST JOYFUL THINGS ABOUT THE SERIES

The UK's second group of builders.

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LEGO MASTERS

second series. Celebrity guests popped in to share their love of the brick and marvel at the creations.

With a successful format proven, there was an opportunity to export it.

Australia was the next place to produce a LEGO Masters series, fronted

by Hamish Blake and Ryan ‘Brickman’ McNaught. ‘They started taking an interest when we were making Series 2. I met with the producers who were thinking about making it, the people behind Master Chef. Master Chef in Australia is very different to the UK version. They know how to take an idea and make it much bigger in every way. I consulted with them in the early days. When you have made a series, you create a bible, which details every aspect of the format from how we run the audition process and how we cast to how we design the builds and what bricks you need.’

One thing that changed when LEGO Masters went to Australia was that children were no longer competing. ‘When filming with children there's obviously guidelines to protect them. In the UK you can only shoot with children over nine years old for five hours a day, which makes it quite restrictive,’ Steph says. ‘Each country has very different rules around that and in Australia I think they are even more restrictive, so that was a key factor in their decision to go with adults.’

With adults only, filming can take place over an intensive block rather than having to work around school schedules. ‘Adult builders are more physically robust and able to live with very demanding schedules. They have to build almost every day for six to eight weeks.’

From a deck of challenges that had been drawn up in the early days of the UK show, the Australian team picked out some different and tricky tasks, including ‘one hanging brick’. Exactly as it sounds, contestants must build a model based on a single brick hanging from the ceiling.

One challenge when taking the show around the world is making it under different regulations. Some countries allow sponsorship and promotion, others do not permit products to be spotlighted in a television show. ‘Australia doesn't have the same restrictions as the UK so contestants are able to just come out and say, “I absolutely love

LEGO.” Nobody would have been able to say that in the UK show. Even the younger contestants – Harry and Ollie, Guy and Abraham – would soon get the vocabulary to referring to them as bricks and not referring to them as LEGO. We were celebrating technical ability, engineering, there's a big educational STEM value there, it’s inspiring and it’s creative – so we were able to call it LEGO Masters, but there was some discussion about whether we'd even be able to use LEGO in the title.’

Since that first British series aired in 2017, LEGO Masters has made it to a dozen countries around the world – France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and Norway all have their own local versions.

While the Tuesday’s Child team consults on the Australian edition of the show, they are co-producers of the US version, creatively engaged in the process. ‘We are bringing our expertise, staying very involved, but the team there do a fantastic job. They have grown in confidence, we're not as involved as we were in Season 1.’ Its first year was a huge success, ranking as the most watched new entertainment program by adults in 2020.

‘In November 2019, I first stepped onto that mind blowing US set and was standing there with Jamie, saying, “can you believe we're here?”. Literally two years before, we'd been standing on the UK set when we’d just put all the fairgrounds next to each other. Jamie was there testing all the motors to make sure that we could get all of them running. Now he's there in a sharp suit, standing next to Will Arnett, LEGO Batman. It was such a sense of achievement, it's brilliant that our so-called child in the UK became a teenager in Australia and then a grown up in America.’

While global success is gratifying, Steph clearly has a lot of fondness for how it all started. ‘The UK version is something very close to our hearts, although I do look back and think it looks a bit like Blue Peter compared to the Hollywood style US show,’ she laughs. ‘I've always been a massive LEGO fan, and it was just so exciting to do, I would love to see it back in the UK.’ n

WHEN YOU GIVE THE SAME BRIEF TO 30 TEAMS YOU’LL GET 30 COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BUILDS

Hamish Blake holds the power of creativity.

Building at super speed.

Hamish Blake and Ryan McNaught on set.

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LEGO MASTERS

MEET THE CONTESTANTS Here are the builders who are competing in LEGO Masters USA Season 2

Dave | Richard Age: 43 I 39 City: Chicago, IL | Brooklyn, NY Relationship: Friends

Caleb | Jacob Age: 22 I 22 City: La Crosse, WI Relationship: Brothers

Bryan | Lauren Age: 25 I 22 City: Laguna Beach, CA Relationship: Siblings

Jack | Dawn Age: 67 I 59 City: Milton, OH | Coopersville, MI Relationship: Siblings

Natalie | Michelle Age: 32 | 42 City: Tulsa, OK | Mesa, AZ Relationship: Friends

Syreeta | Randall Age: 33 I 34 City: Queens, NY | Chicago, IL Relationship: Friends

Susan | Jen Age: 44 I 48 City: American Fork, UT Relationship: Friends

Zach | Tim Age: 18 I 47 City: Gaylord, MI Relationship: Father and son

Paras | Moto Age: 48 I 48 City: Boston, MA | Denver, CO Relationship: Friends

Mark| Steven Age: 27 I 25 City: Atlanta, GA Relationship: Brothers

Maria | Philip Age: 38 I 38 City: Grand Rapids, MI Relationship: Married Couple

Zak | Wayne Age: 26 I 28 City: Stockton, CA Relationship: Brothers

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LOONEY TUNES

Words: Graham Hancock Pics: Phil Wrighton

Animation expert Jerry Beck explains why the Looney Tunes became such beloved characters

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LOONEY TUNES

'What's up, doc?'

‘You're dethpicable.’

‘Don’t ever call me doll.'

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LOONEY TUNES ‘Isn’t that lovely?’

W

ITH THE LEGO Group having launched 12 Looney Tunes characters as minifigures for the first time ever, there is only one person to speak to. Jerry Beck is an animation expert who teaches classes about the history of the form to university students, while also finding time to curate classic animation for home entertainment release and maintain the website Cartoon Research. He’s literally written the book on the history of animation.

‘When sound movies started in 1927, 1928, Walt Disney did a cartoon with what they called synchronised sound – music and sound effects that played to the cartoon,’ he says, going right back to the beginning. ‘Audiences were used to silent movies and vaudeville theatres, so when the first synchronised sound Mickey Mouse cartoon was shown it was magical, people couldn't believe it. It was not only the beginning of talkies, it was the beginning of a golden age of animation.’

Audiences were so delighted by the experience that they wanted more. ‘You couldn't go to a movie theatre without seeing a cartoon. The audiences demanded it of the theatre managers who demanded it of the movie makers. Every Hollywood studio, whether they ever had anything to do with cartoons or not, immediately had an affiliation with or created an affiliation with animators. Theatres wanted Disney but Disney couldn't fulfil enough cartoons for the demand at that time. Paramount, MGM and Universal all started releasing cartoons and of course so did Warner Brothers.

‘They were lucky enough to get some of the people who used to work

with Walt Disney. They ended up setting up a studio, and they created Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes in the 1930s. In the first half of the 1930s the Warner Brothers cartoons were black and white. They were very similar to what Walt Disney was doing with Mickey Mouse like characters and big pie cut eyes with characters that are completely forgotten today.

The terms Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were parodies of Disney's Silly Symphonies cartoons, they sort of made fun of it right away.

‘In the mid-1930s they had to continually release cartoons every week or every other week. Different animators came and went, they never came up with a popular character. At that time some of the other studios had these star characters like Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop or Popeye – Warner Bros. never really had one.’

Warner Bros. needed to discover its own identity rather than looking to what other studios were doing. ‘By the mid-1930s, when Disney is suddenly making Snow White, studios like Warner Bros. couldn't keep up. Disney was going so far in the lofty direction of things like Fantasia and Pinocchio, a new kind of thinking cropped up amongst the people who made shorts for Hollywood.

Particularly at Warner Bros., they brought in some new animators who were completely unknown. Certain people showed up like Tex Avery, Frank Tashlin, Friz Feeling was there, and animators like Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett – and others. They created what I call the Warner Bros. attitude, which was that the cartoons aren't being made for beauty and polish and fairy tales. They're going for jokes, gags, what they would want to see if they went to the movies.’

WE HAVE A RESPECT FOR BUGS BUNNY – HE'S UNFLAPPABLE

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LOONEY TUNES ‘Where's the kaboom?’

In the subsequent years, the beloved Looney Tunes characters that endure today started to emerge. ‘They were futzing around with Porky Pig. They came up with Daffy Duck – a crazy, off the wall character. Those were somewhat popular, with Porky Pig they could do some merchandising here and there, but then Bugs Bunny emerges. Bugs Bunny literally becomes a superstar within a year or so. He represents the post-depression attitude of the 1940s. They hit on a character that people could identify with – or if they couldn't be like Bugs Bunny, they wanted to be like Bugs Bunny. He was a character who is minding his own business, but if somebody puts a gun in his rabbit hole he's going to fight back with all kinds of wacky, crazy stuff. He's got this New York City, Brooklyn Bronx attitude, which was already popularised by the Dead End Kids.

In the late 1930s that was very popular, kids from the slums who fight back. And Bugs Bunny embodied that attitude.

‘There's just something about the construction of the character, his look, his appeal. When you look at the other characters that aren't quite Bugs Bunny, like Daffy Duck – he is popular, but why isn't he as popular? He's zany and crazy, jumps all around and does crazy gags in the same Warner Bros. style. But we don’t think we’re him, we know someone who is like him, whereas we have a respect for Bugs Bunny – he's unflappable as they say. It's a character that you admire, that you will put on a pedestal and all the characters around him are other aspects of the id or some other aspect of our mind.

‘Bugs wasn't created by any one person. Tex Avery did the cartoon that everybody considers the first Bugs Bunny, which is A Wild Hare, where he says “what's up doc?” and has the exact voice. It's also the first one where he's teamed up with Elmer Fudd. Because of that, Tex Avery gets the lion's share of credit, but Bugs was really developed over a series of six or seven cartoons prior to that.’

Classic characters who we still love today were not intentionally created to be recurring. ‘All the Warner Bros. cartoon characters came about through what I call one-shot cartoons. Back in 1939, when they only had Porky Pig and a little bit of Daffy Duck, they were mainly miscellaneous cartoons that were just making fun of stuff. But they'd come up with funny ideas and sometimes the character would be one audiences liked so they’d bring them back again and eventually it would become a series.

‘An example of that would be Tweety, he was never meant to be more than a one off in one cartoon. Sylvester came about separately, then they when they put them together, it was perfection and it became a series. All of these were one off cartoons to begin with; Road Runner, Pepe Le Pew, Speedy Gonzalez and Foghorn Leghorn. Even characters that we think of as very, very famous didn't really appear that much – the Tasmanian Devil is only in about five of the classics. Marvin Martian was that way as well, but they've become more famous as the decades have gone on. By the mid-1950s they'd built up this incredibly crazy menagerie. In a year they knew they had to do a Tweety, they had to do several Bugs Bunny shorts, a Daffy Duck, a Foghorn Leghorn and so on.

‘These characters are all abstractions or exaggerated versions of what that animal is supposed to be. Friz Freleng said Tweety is a canary. But he doesn't look like any canary that you've ever seen, he's really shaped like a baby, he's trying to look like a little baby bird. Friz said, “he's only a canary because we tell you he's a canary.”

‘The characters are relatable no matter who you are because they go through what we go through in life. Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam and the Tasmanian Devil and any other of Bugs’s adversaries are the equivalent of all of the adversaries that we have in our lives, whether it's the boss, the landlord, the bully. Personally, I couldn't have gotten through high school

BY THE MID-1950S THEY'D BUILT UP THIS INCREDIBLY CRAZY MENAGERIE

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LOONEY TUNES ‘Beep beep.’

‘Help!’

Petunia Pig's a more obscure character.

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LOONEY TUNES

without watching Bugs Bunny, every day, they were on where I lived at 3.30 in the afternoon when I got home from school. I think everybody seems to have the same story but I was a nerd, I read comics, I wasn't the guy who played sports, I had a broken family. And Bugs Bunny wins, no matter who the gang of bullies are. I feel like I learned how to live through Bugs Bunny.’

The characters were not restrained to their animated world, often engaging in meta antics. ‘The Warner cartoons at that point – a lot of this is Avery's doing and Tashlan is also another suspect in it – would have the characters talking to the audience, breaking the fourth wall,’ Jerry explains. ‘They were aware they were in a cartoon – they were The LEGO Movie of 1940.’

One of the reasons that the classic Looney Tunes shorts proved so popular on the big screen was that they catered for everyone.

‘Up until about the mid-1950s cartoons were aimed at the whole movie going audience.

Everybody knew that cartoons were a thing for kids because of Disney's fairy tale cartoons, but the cartoons themselves were never aimed down. Remember the comic strips from the physical newspaper? They were aimed at grown-ups. I’d scrunch them up and throw them away when I was done reading them and getting a few laughs.

That's the way cartoons were perceived, as ephemeral. That's why a lot of them feature topical humour, especially Warner Bros. cartoons. They made fun of the movie stars that were famous, the music that was popular at that time. They’d parody travelogues, the newsreels, Disney cartoons, other movies… everything. There's a Goofy Gophers cartoon that's all Shakespeare related gags. As a kid I didn't understand it and now as a grown-up I can't believe they did that.

‘The most famous thing that we adults recognise is the music, especially in shorts like What's Opera Doc and Rabbit of Seville. When they saw these cartoons back in the 1940s and 1950s, audiences got jokes that we don't get today, because there's a lot of not only pop culture references, but even the music is related to what's going on in the scene.

The famous one that people point out is whenever you see bubbles in a

cartoon, Carl Stalling is playing I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, he did it all the time.

‘The original studio closed in 1962 because it was too expensive to keep doing this. There was a perception that cartoons in movie theatres were losing their appeal.’ They may not be distributed in movie theatres, but HBO Max has commissioned new Looney Tunes shorts, animated in a similar way to the classics. The characters will also be back on the big screen later this year in Space Jam: A New Legacy.

In contrast to the television animation that was emerging in the 1950s, those theatrically released animated shorts were made with a great deal of craft, which is undoubtedly part of the reason that they — and the characters they introduced – have endured.

‘The Warner cartoons had relatively high budgets, beautiful orchestral scores for each short, they were produced at a very high quality level. I could say the same about Tom and Jerry and, of course, Disney cartoons. It was just an amazing, wonderful era.

‘They're not just old kids’ fodder, which is the way Warner had been treating them for years. These shorts are the equivalent of the Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, your classic major motion pictures. Everybody realises when you see them how good they are… they really are classic gems, they're loaded with art. You can look at them over and over again and see or appreciate different things every time.’

Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-that’s all, folks. n

CARTOONS WERE AIMED AT THE WHOLE MOVIE GOING AUDIENCE

He's in a spin.

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LOONEY TUNES ‘Sufferin' succotash.’

'I tawt I taw a puddy tat.'

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LOONEY TUNES

XX X X X X X XXX XX X X XX XXXX X XX XXX XXX XXX XX X X XXXXXX

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LOONEY TUNES ‘Th- th-th-th-th-that’s all, folks.’

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REVIEWS

i

Price: £159.99 / $169.99 / €169.99 / Minifigures: 8 / Pieces: 1,949

80024 THE LEGENDARY FLOWER FRUIT MOUNTAIN Words & Pics:: Daniel Konstanski

The first natural environment set in years offers the chance for some monkeying around

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REVIEWS

LARGE LOCATION-BASED SETS have been staples of the LEGO Group’s product portfolio since minifigures were invented. Space, Aquazone, and more recently NEXO KNIGHTS, NINJAGO and Chima have all included base of operation style sets. Now in its second year, Monkie Kid is getting a definitive location set, although last year’s 80013 was almost as much location as it was vehicle.

Flower Fruit Mountain is a surprisingly large set that is constructed as three, large, separate sections that connect by a simple clip and bar mechanic. While effective, 80024 is definitely only meant for keeping together on a flat table. Since each section only joins at the base it quickly pulls apart when lifted, so be sure to separate the three areas before moving them model.

A fun line-up of monkey minifigures.

It's packed with vibrant colours.

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REVIEWS

The waterfall that graces this model’s centre is the tallest included in any official set, ever. It is quite beautiful thanks to some dazzling new cloudy blue transparent elements, with stickers adding a sense of movement. The waterfall’s lowest tier can be opened via a simple splitting mechanism that looks like something out of a movie and doing so reveals a secret hideout, behind which the monkeys presumably live. It has been a while since something akin to the Islander stone heads moving to reveal caves has been done. The mountains around the waterfall are tall, detailed and solid thanks to SNOT construction techniques.

When it comes to the model’s smallest section, it contains a rock pod into which minifigures can be placed for slumber, as evidenced by its main occupant – one of the seven included monkeys, who has a sleeping face. A clever gravity powered mechanism opens the pod when a pin is pulled back. Two steep paths provide a way to climb up the namesake mountain and partake in the fruit from its tree. Foliage is a highlight throughout the set with a bounty of fruit, leaves and trees included.

The left-hand section is strangely shaped and a little less solid than would be ideal.

Monkey King’s throne sits across a rope bridge that is affixed to the bricks beneath it, which undermines its hanging quality. The throne looks like something more appropriate for a tiger than a monkey with its stripes and orange coloring.

Tucked in the back are a pair of turntables for Monkie Kid and Evil Macaque to battle, making use of colourful gear elements introduced in The LEGO Movie 2 sets. A strange wood chopping machine rounds out the section.

I particularly enjoy base type LEGO sets and Islanders was one of my favourite themes as a child, so was keen to get to grips with this set.

It is very attractive, has an sky-high piece count and a generous selection of excellent figures.

Unfortunately it also has a few shortcomings.

One of those is that it lacks play features.

Aside from the splitting waterfall, rotating fighting perches and opening rest pod, Flower Fruit Mountain has no traps, defensive measures or other staples normally included in playsets of this size. Even something as simple as a jail to keep prisoners in or a few objects in the secret space behind the waterfall would have been a welcome addition.

Another way that this set could have been improved is by making a couple of the sections just a bit more solid. The area around Monkie King’s throne particularly feels like it suffered from designers running out of their element allotment. While it is part of the shape they were going for, a few more parts would have helped.

If you initially like the look of this set, you won’t be disappointed. The model is gorgeous and the piece selection is one of the best there has been in years. Parts to price, this offers incredible value. This type of set is rare and the LEGO Group likely won’t do it again for years. However, if you look at this and are not immediately sold it is unlikely that anything discovered during the build will change that opinion. While there are a few less obvious features, what you see is pretty much what you get. n

A hidden entrance.

VERDICT This sizable playset is an enjoyable but imperfect addition to LEGO Monkie Kid.

79/100

The secret stairway.

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Rotating pedestals for sparring.

Steps help the primates get about.

A really massive waterfall.

A rock sleeping pod...

...and its occupant.

IT IS VERY ATTRACTIVE, HAS AN SKY-HIGH PIECE COUNT AND A GENEROUS SELECTION OF EXCELLENT FIGURES

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Price: £54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 / Minifigures: 0 / Pieces: 410

VERDICT

76182 BATMAN COWL The Dark Knight is presented in a new LEGO style for the first time Words: Graham Hancock Pics: Phil Wrighton

THE LEGO GROUP has released hundreds of Batman sets since the Dark Knight joined the portfolio in 2006. Almost all of them have been minifigure scale models, and time and time again the design team has proven that they can release excellent, detailed sets in that style.

When it comes to capturing Batman’s cowl though there is some way to go to reach the standard of the best LEGO Batman sets.

In the opening of the instruction book, the model designer confirms that this cowl is not based on any one version from a comic book, film or video game. Rather it’s intended to offer a depiction of Batman’s hood that incorporates the key iconic elements so that the builder can project their own version of the caped crusader onto it. It’s reminiscent of the direction the LEGO Batman team went with 2006’s 7784 The Batmobile: Ultimate Collectors' Edition.

Unfortunately this feels like a missed opportunity. Had a familiar depiction from Year One, Batman (1989), The Dark Knight or Arkham Asylum been selected, the designers would have had a determined look to follow. Even if it hadn’t been successful, it would have been easier to assess how close it had come to the source material – as it stands, it’s hard to tell why some of the strange design choices have been made here.

As anyone can tell by glancing at the model, there are some harsh and bizarre angles going on. Rather than capture the shape of the cowl’s eyes in a way that looks suitably organic, harsh sloped elements make the world’s greatest detective look really angry. From a side angle they look worse than from the front, pushed way too far forward on the head.

That protrusion on the front of the cowl is altogether too much, with the nose pointing further forward than feels right and looking plain odd as a result. Part of the issue seems to be that the proportions at the side of the head don’t line up with the front, if the head was slightly larger at the sides and back that might have helped with the front not seeming to protrude so excessively.

Another design choice that doesn’t sit right is the use of the large trans windshield part where the character’s mouth would sit. This would probably look better removed entirely, as it only sort of flows with the shape of the model and adds nothing aesthetically. Its inclusion is quite confusing.

Switching between studs and tiles as often as this set does is not helpful either, as the sides of 52 Blocks Issue 80

Other themes are offering much better sets in this format. This one's only for bat-addicts.

37/100 'I'm Batman.'

the cowl change textures in a very jarring way. It would have been preferable to push the design harder in one direction or the other.

Finding something more positive to discuss, the ears look good and are well proportioned – throughout Batman’s legacy, he has had very short ears, very long ears and everything in between. They are tall enough here to give the set a nice silhouette and at a distance the model looks good, with no chance of mistaking who it represents.

Another aspect that works well is the chin strap. Given that the build represents only the mask and not the head that would go inside it, it gives a nice sense of where the bottom is. The technique used for it is clever and looks the part,

IT’S HARD TO TELL WHY SOME OF THE STRANGE DESIGN CHOICES HAVE BEEN MADE HERE wide enough to be convincing without being too much.

The set is enjoyable to build, with the interior yellow, red and grey SNOT frame proving a bit more involved than some similar sets, but not as complex as others. It makes for a pacey build that doesn’t do anything too fiddly. The outer sections that attach to the central structure are all built separately, with little done to disguise the joins between them.

When looking at the Star Wars helmet sets, very fine angles are created by using lots of mini constructions that allow for half-stud offsets.

It’s those sophisticated techniques that allow the models to replicate the screen props very accurately. Employing more of those tricks here, and perhaps building the cowl at a slightly larger scale, would have helped the shape fit more with what fans see in their mind’s eye when they picture Batman.

It’s a shame that such an icon of comic book lore has fallen short in this set, as even just incorporating the shape of the eyes into the build better would have drastically improved this model. This does look like Batman, but it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. It’s really only a set for Batman completists or anyone who is ready to dismantle much of the set to do some significant rebuilding. n

There's always somewhere for a NEXO shield.

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The display stand features a printed tile.

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40496 VOLDEMORT, NAGINI & BELLATRIX A villainous bunch get together in this Harry Potter themed set Words & Pics: Kat Rees-Jauke

is a good choice for his robes, hinting at his connection to Nagini. Some SNOT techniques help to make the robes smooth and flowing, whilst the rest is just a quick process of stacking bricks. The slit-nosed printing for Voldemort’s

AS SHE’S A SNAKE, NAGINI IS A TOTALLY UNIQUE BRICKHEADZ FIGURE TO BUILD CHEATING DEATH VIA the Dark Arts and seven Horcruxes, Lord Voldemort was as cunning and snake-like as his slithery companion Nagini. Throw Bellatrix LeStrange into the mix and 40496 is evil with a dash of madness, with the trio possibly even inspired by a plot point from The Cursed Child (if you know, you know).

There’s a savage simplicity to Voldemort that works really well for his character. Dark green

face, combined with the use of deathly white tiles, certainly makes for a creepy effect that’s totally in line with the films.

As she’s a snake, Nagini is a totally unique BrickHeadz figure to build and it will be interesting to see whether the animal might follow up this debut with an appearance in the Pets range. Bricks point in all directions at once to achieve her curled up shape and a plethora of unusual sand-green parts are used, even if they don’t really match her on-screen colour. It’s just

VERDICT A well-executed terrible trio, although a bit more detailing on Nagini would have been welcome.

69/100

a shame that there wasn’t more printing used for scales, as Nagini looks a bit plain.

Plain is not a word to associate with this Bellatrix figure though. If there were awards for BrickHeadz hairdos, she would surely win. Her hair uses an incredible 47 dark brown 2x2 round plates to recreate her frizzy up-do, scattered over a 2x6 base for the strands curling around Bellatrix’s face. It is a bit of a nightmare to build as it’s all one colour and is very dark in the instructions, so figuring out which piece goes on top of another takes concentration. Some sandyellow is also weaved through for Bellatrix’s blonde streak, a trait she shares with her sister Narcissa Malfoy, demonstrating the design team’s attention to detail.

40496 Voldemort, Nagini & Bellatrix is only the second time Potter villains have appeared as BrickHeadz (Grindelwald was the first). By offering three completely different characters, the set is a very engaging build, if fiddly at times.

If fans want bad guys for their BrickHeadz version of Harry Potter to battle with, then 40496 is a great choice.

He Who Shall Not Be Named and two who can.

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40495 HARRY, HERMIONE, RON & HAGRID For the first time, four characters are packed into one LEGO BrickHeadz box

VERDICT 40495 is the best Harry Potter BrickHeadz set yet, offering engaging builds that create four beloved characters.

72/100

Words & Pics: Kat Rees-Jauke

WHETHER THEY WANTED to know about dragons or how to calm a three-headed dog, Harry, Ron and Hermione were always sneaking out to enlist the aid of Hagrid. He helped guide the young wizards on many occasions throughout the series and as Harry once said, ‘there’s no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid.’ The characters are therefore a great fit for the first ever LEGO BrickHeadz four pack.

Things start off with Hagrid, and he uses a lot more 1x2x1 bricks with exposed studs than the typical BrickHeadz figure in order to portray his towering height. Although he’s quite plain, without much printing, the techniques used to recreate his wild mane of hair are fascinating, with jumper tiles and corner plates layered to get the correct shape. Hagrid’s face is also built using a different method, with a detailed framework of studs allowing his beard and facial features to be attached separately. The inclusion of his pink umbrella is a nice touch and it’s actually a better scale here than it is with the minifigure version of the friendly half-giant.

All three young wizards are built at a smaller

scale than usual, presenting them as children.

It’s practically the same method as the elves from 40353 Reindeer, Elf & Elfie. Each one has a Gryffindor printed torso built up using mainly 1x3 bricks and then covered in various black curved tiles to give the effect of robes. However, each figure uses different elements for the face, so the builds never gets repetitive.

ALL THREE YOUNG WIZARDS ARE BUILT AT A SMALLER SCALE THAN USUAL, PRESENTING THEM AS CHILDREN Harry has a newly printed 1x3 tile depicting his iconic lightning bolt scar, whilst his glasses use the new-for-2021 eye tiles introduced in 40420 Gru, Stuart & Otto. They give him an adorable youthful, wide-eyed expression.

Meanwhile Hermione uses a whopping 25 cheese slopes for her curly hair, accented

with quarter-circle tiles for her fringe. It looks fantastic, capturing the way Hermione looked in The Philosopher’s Stone. Ron is definitely the easiest to build and the choice of dark orange for his bright red hair is perfect.

40495 Harry, Hermione, Ron & Hagrid packs a selection of Wizarding World icons into one box. Each has been designed accurately to the films, and they look wonderful individually, but the real magic happens when they are displayed together. Use an Accio spell to summon this set straight into your shopping basket.

Hagrid advises the young students.

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Price: £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 / Minifigures: 0 / Pieces: 756

10280 FLOWER BOUQUET Will you ever need to buy fresh flowers again if you have this LEGO set?

VERDICT They look so life like you can almost smell them.

86/100

Words & Pics: Graham Hancock THE BOTANICAL COLLECTION is taking something that has been common in fan builds for years but has barely been dabbled in by the LEGO design team – taking real life items and building them at 1:1 scale. For those who aren’t creatively capable of building their own full-scale items, these sets are a great option for decorating in a LEGO way.

Across the room, it’s easy to mistake these for real flowers. Close up, they are still visually striking enough to offer a decoration that looks sophisticated beyond being built from LEGO pieces. Your housemate/significant other/ beloved pet is unlikely to grumble at this being on display in the way they might about some wacky Batman vehicle.

The build is split up among the various individual flowers, which use a huge range of techniques and elements to capture their shapes. The rose uses car bonnet pieces in light nougat attached to the parabolic ring piece, while the lavender uses stalk pieces with golden leaves and lavender flower elements. The aster uses dozens of a common plant piece, whereas the daisies use 1x2 rounded plates for a simple yet effective look. There has of course been compromise, but the techniques are almost entirely successful in conveying the real flowers they are based on.

It’s these lessons in parts usage that makes the set so engaging. Using organic elements for flowers makes immediate sense, car bonnets and dinosaur wings less so. These fun combinations of elements and the fact that each flower is constructed differently makes for a delightful build experience.

That it manages to result in such a thoroughly attractive display model makes this a set well worth consideration. Anyone who struggles to keep real flowers looking fresh should skip the consideration part and just buy these, as they offer that splash of colour without any need to change the water. Hopefully this won’t be the last flower bouquet set, allowing for more flower arrangements in the future.

You’ll need a vase for the bouqet.

THEY ARE STILL VISUALLY STRIKING ENOUGH TO OFFER A DECORATION THAT LOOKS SOPHISTICATED BEYOND BEING BUILT FROM LEGO 56 Blocks Issue 80

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Price: £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 / Minifigures: 0 / Pieces: 878

VERDICT

10281 BONSAI TREE

This set offers a perfect LEGO rendition of a bonsai tree.

i

Is building a miniaturised tree a rewarding and peaceful experience?

Words & Pics: Graham Hancock

THE 18+ BRANDED collection is not necessarily as noteworthy to fans as it is to the LEGO marketing department when it comes to sets that would have once fallen under the Creator Expert label. In the case of 10281 Bonsai Tree and the other Botanical Collection sets though, they specifically came about because the design team was encouraged to try new product types that would appeal to adults who weren’t already engaged in minifigure models or scaled down cars.

What is really surprising about 10281 Bonsai Tree is just how quickly the set comes together.

It really isn’t a time-consuming build and is perfect for when you want a model that will be complete in an hour or two. This is an even bigger plus for the new-to-LEGO consumer who perhaps feels intimidated by something that will take over the coffee table for a week.

Part of the reason that the build doesn’t take

long is because the stand and pot are simple structures, and while the tree has a little more complexity, it’s on the small side (that is the point of a bonsai after all). Tipping 1x1 circular tiles into the pot isn’t exactly a time-consuming job either. Another aspect that helps this work as an introductory model is that it demonstrates a mix of building techniques – each section offers something a little different.

Of everything in the set, the trunk best shows off the versatility of the LEGO system, using a few different methods to get a natural shape. There’s a great reuse of the Mickey and Minnie Mouse arms in a new colour to give the branches a natural curve.

The one part that’s a bit fiddly is constructing the leaves. It’s hard to see where to place the small leaf elements on the larger ones in the instructions, although perhaps that’s for the best as the less uniform it is, the more natural the

77/100

finished plant looks.

Switching between the green and pink branches is nice and simple. The frog elements as blossoms work better from a distance but look a little off when close up. Perhaps those less accustomed with the LEGO element portfolio won’t recognise them as quickly, so won’t find them at all distracting.

10281 Bonsai Tree makes for an extremely attractive finished model, something very elegant to have on display. Given that cultivating real bonsai trees requires a great deal of care and patience, this is an appealing alternative.

THE TRUNK BEST SHOWS OFF THE VERSATILITY OF THE LEGO SYSTEM, USING A FEW DIFFERENT METHODS TO GET A NATURAL SHAPE

There are four distinct parts to the model.

The leaves can be swapped out for blossoms.

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Price: 599 DKK / Minifigures: 0 / Pieces: 1,205

40502 THE BRICK MOULDING MACHINE It’s time to build the machine that makes LEGO bricks… using LEGO bricks

VERDICT This set is the perfect subject matter for a LEGO House exclusive.

78/100

Words & Pics: Graham Hancock HOW HAS IT taken this long for a set to be launched based on how LEGO bricks are manufactured? This is the first time an official model has been based on the machines that crank out LEGO bricks, aside from 2011’s extremely limited exclusive Inside Tour set.

These moulding machines are found in LEGO factories around the world, churning out the elements that will be packaged up as LEGO boxes.

40502 The Brick Moulding Machine is based on the lime green ENGEL moulding machine that’s located in LEGO House, Billund’s attraction that celebrates everything about the

brick – hence it being exclusively available in the gift shop. As you ascend the staircase when entering the venue, you can look down on the moulding machine automatically making 2x4 bricks, with a packing machine then sealing them up in little bags for visitors to take as they exit. While usually the packing is done separately, the machine itself is the same type that’s used in LEGO factories.

This model doesn’t include the packing side of things, but in a nod to the venue does include three 2x2 tiles printed with LEGO House bags of bricks. Guests exiting the ticketed section take one bag of six bricks with them as they leave,

so it’s a fun inclusion that enhances the meta nature of this model.

In terms of replicating an actual moulding machine, the set does a great job of capturing the shape and including many of the key details.

It seems slightly elongated compared to the real life machines, but it seems that making sure the interior could include key features meant fudging things a fraction. This isn’t like a Star Wars X-wing though – if you don’t operate these machines every day, then you’ll never notice that this is anything other than an accurate minaturised recreation.

Building this is a very enjoyable experience,

These machines churn out bricks.

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with plenty of traditional brick building to be done. There’s surprisingly little Technic, which modern models often utilise on the interior.

That doesn’t mean this isn’t engaging though, as the types of bricks used and position of them constantly shifts to ensure that there is a lot going on, inside and out. It is finished off with tiled bricks, giving it a very sleek look.

Key aspects of the moulding machines are incorporated in the model, including little red bricks peeking out of the mechanism that can be turned back and forth. There’s the conveyor belt along which the finished pieces travel, the

Sliding doors allow access to the inside.

chute they drop to it from, sliding doors that allow technicians access to the interior and regular doors providing access to the controls.

In addition to those very specific aspects, there are also plenty of buttons, lights and bits of greebling that feel like they belong on a piece of equipment like this.

The finished set is slightly larger than Miniland scale and feels very good value indeed at 599 DKK. Even paying a little above the odds on a third-party selling website wouldn’t be a disaster, especially given that’s likely to work out cheaper than paying for flights, accommodation

THERE IS A LOT GOING ON, INSIDE AND OUT

The machine at LEGO House.

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and LEGO House tickets.

LEGO House is a place to celebrate everything you love about the brick, and this is the perfect souvenir from a visit to the Danish town where the company is based. It’s a fun model to build, it’s a decent display piece and it is the sort of set that wouldn’t be the same if it were a regular release. A special purchase from LEGO House shop shouldn’t be a regular set, it should be something unique. If you make a trip to the LEGO Group’s hometown, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

Three of this exclusive tile are included.

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Price: £44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 / Mini-dolls: 3 / Pieces: 451

41448 HEARTLAKE CITY MOVIE THEATER It’s time for a night at the movies with LEGO Friends Words & Pics: Graham Hancock

ONE OF THE frustrating things for adult fans when it comes to LEGO City is how frequently the theme focuses on emergency services and other dramatic pursuits. Everyday life sets don’t come along particularly often and those that have arrived this year have been significantly simplified.

Thankfully, LEGO Friends is here to pick up the slack. It’s been a while since there has been a cinema to add to the collection, making this set very welcome. Given that most of us have spent the last year with very few opportunities to enjoy the silver screen, there’s something particularly nice about the timing of this set.

Starting with the model’s exterior, it looks to have been influenced by traditional art deco cinemas. The lettering down the central column is a nice throwback, as is the ‘now showing’ space. The curves – achieved using heart shaped plates – look excellent and tie in with the red

60 Blocks Issue 80

floor pattern. It’s this kind of cohesion that elevates this set to something decidedly above average. Stars and trans-yellow tiles are used just the right amount to capture the feel of movie night.

Everything associated with a cinema experience, and more specifically this type of throwback one-screen cinema, is present.

There’s a ticket desk is on one side, so that the characters can choose their seat before heading inside past the movie posters through the double doors. While it isn’t relevant to a typical cinema, a spot for an actor to pose on their way into a premiere is a nice touch.

Many sets now just opt for building facades, with hinging buildings much less common than they were in the 1990s. In an ingenious feature though, the front of this set folds back to complete the interior. Once the set is reconfigured, the theatre is revealed. There

VERDICT This set deserves to be a crowd pleaser and critical darling.

76/100 are five comfortable looking seats, complete with drink holders. Perhaps in a nod to the cost cutting nature of modern cinemas, the ticket attendant is now also responsible for selling popcorn and slushies to the audience.

As it’s a Friends set, there’s also a lavatory, with the sticker on the door using gold for a bit of Hollywood pizazz.

The projector is included above the seating, with a simple function

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Give your mini-dolls a night out.

Enjoying the film.

allowing the film reels to spin when a dial is turned. It’s a nice bit of attention to detail. If this set were going to be bigger, it would have been fun to have a more fleshed out projection room up here.

The screen itself is fine, with a large black tile with studs sporting a sticker. On screen, two characters are driving a convertible and hopefully passing the Bechdel test. It

would perhaps have been better had there been a curtain-pulling function or something else, just to add a little more involvement to this vital part of the cinema. It may have been left intentionally limited though, as there is space for you to place a phone in front of the screen so the mini-dolls don’t have to watch a static image forever.

As is clear from the look of this model, it’s nothing too sophisticated – the traditional layering of LEGO bricks is how you’ll build most of it and that’s just fine. There are some SNOT aspects here and there, as with any modern set, but 41448 doesn’t lean heavily in that direction.

It’s a pacey and enjoyable build.

In terms of mini-dolls, there’s Andrea, who comes with a pen and white tile accessory so that she can get an autograph from Amelia, who is dressed to impress at a movie premiere.

Julian rounds out the trio, sharing his body and legs with the hotel attendant in 41684 Heartlake

City Grand Hotel.

10232 Palace Cinema is of course the definitive LEGO cinema, but this set is a great option for a layout that’s more scaled to City and Friends sets. There’s an attractive front to the model as well as plenty going on inside. It has a nice blue colour scheme so doesn’t suffer from the garish look of some Friends sets that struggle to fit in with a more traditional tabletop town.

In the first half of 2021 Friends has offered a strong selection of sets – and this is one of the best. It has an appealing colour scheme, it looks accurate for a retro cinema and cleverly offers an attractive exterior while also providing interior details. If you don’t yet own a LEGO movie theatre, this one won’t disappoint.

IN AN INGENIOUS FEATURE, THE FRONT OF THIS SET FOLDS BACK TO COMPLETE THE INTERIOR

There's nothing like the big screen experience.

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Price: £89.99, $99.99, €99.99 / Minifigures: 4 / Pieces: 1,265

VERDICT

41449 ANDREA’S FAMILY HOUSE Is this a home worthy for a budding pop star or should it be at the bottom of the charts?

With details galore, 41449 will entertain Friends fans for hours of role-play.

71/100

Words & Pics: Kat Rees-Jauke

IF THE FRIENDS crew went on television, they’d no doubt end up on some interior design or house hunting reality programme. Since its beginning, the Friends theme has loved real estate, with the girls getting houses of all different sizes over the years – everyone except for Andrea has had a house, until now. 41449 Andrea’s Family House is as star spangled as the pop star hopeful herself and an absolute standout from the January wave.

Even though this set is only just over 800 pieces, it is surprisingly large. It spans two floors made from 8x16 plates, with various others attached to make the front lawn and driveway.

With all this footprint to fill, 41449 packs in lots of detail.

There’s a real lived-in feel to the model that adds to the role play options for young fans. In the dining room there are baguettes, ingeniously made from light tan bowed tiles and filled with LEGO salad leaves. Mini brick-built appliances fill the kitchen that has tiled walls made from

alternating 1x1 bricks in different colours.

Outside there are plants aplenty, withe grape trellises on the veranda are made in the same way as in 41379 Heartlake City Restaurant. The garage doesn’t contain a car but is instead taken over with all of Andrea’s musical equipment,

THE GARAGE DOESN’T CONTAIN A CAR BUT IS INSTEAD TAKEN OVER WITH ALL OF ANDREA’S MUSICAL EQUIPMENT which is probably a situation a lot of parents can relate to.

Upstairs also includes plenty of interior furnishing builds, although there are over two dozen stickers that need placing. It sounds a lot, but 41449 manages to strike a balance and

the stickers don’t completely replace actual element detailing. As Andrea is so musically orientated there are records and musical motifs everywhere, with LEGO stars even acting as door handles. On the roof there are 1x3 tile solar panels because even budding rock stars need to be eco-friendly.

41449 Andrea’s Family House is also the debut of Andrea’s parents and her little sister Liz. The latter uses the new micro figure introduced in the Disney Storybooks – and she is super sweet. With four mini-dolls, a micro-doll and a detailed house all in the same box, the set offers very good value for money and makes for a decent addition to Heartlake City’s residential area.

Band practice.

Time for massive baguettes.

Hanging out.

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Price: £15.99 / $17.95 / Minifigures: 0 / Pieces: 1,000

VERDICT

RAINBOW BRICKS Those piece finding skills will come in handy with this official jigsaw

If you’re looking for a change from building, this is a good quality puzzle with an appealing design.

Words: Graham Hancock Pics: Chronicle

THIS OFFICIAL LEGO puzzle is 1,000 pieces – a nice, somewhat challenging number for those not accustomed to patiently putting jigsaw pieces together. For those who regularly sit with a jigsaw puzzle, it’s probably a breeze.

Using classic LEGO colours and some more subtle shades, the design makes for an attractive image but importantly also gives the jigsaw a degree of difficulty, as patterns are repeated. The puzzle pieces are of decent quality, with the correct pieces fitting together snugly.

When complete, the puzzle measures approximately 65cm wide and 50cm high. It looks really smart, with the image offering a subtle take on the LEGO brick. Other jigsaws in the range feature designs that showcase bricks or minifigures in different and creative ways.

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Price: £3.49 / $4.99 / €3.99 / Minifigures: 1 / Pieces: 9

WILE E. COYOTE

Jigsaw pieces rather than LEGO pieces.

VERDICT Wile E. Coyote could not have been better presented as a minifigure.

He’s finally ready with his latest scheme to outwit Road Runner Words & Pics: Graham Hancock

IN 1949, FAST and Furry-ous saw Wile E. Coyote pursue Road Runner for the first time.

Ever determined to use some elaborate and over the top trap to catch his prey, he is forever disappointed as Road Runner constantly outwits him.

This minifigure has great torso printing and uses a tail element, but best of all features a new moulded and printed head that feels like it has been pulled from the screen. It captures the character’s look perfectly and fits right in with the rest of the gang. The accessory anvil, which will no doubt fall on his head, is a nice touch.

85/100

A NEW HEAD FEELS LIKE IT HAS BEEN PULLED FROM THE SCREEN

The rest of this Collectible Minifigures series was reviewed in Blocks Issue 79.

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Issue 80 Blocks 63

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HALL OF FAME The sets you need in your collection, according to Blocks reviewers

1

3

5

7

2

21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay i

Theme: Ideas / Year: 2020 / Issue: 67

100/100

100/100

Theme: DC Super Heroes / Year: 2019 / Issue: 64

4

70620 NINJAGO City i

Theme: The LEGO NINJAGO Movie / Year: 2017 / Issue: 36

An incredible way to celebrate Batman’s twin anniversaries in 2019, this is the greatest LEGO Batmobile.

There are few sets that can compare to NINJAGO City’s size, scope and almost overwhelming level of detail and technique.

99/100

98/100

Theme: Creator Expert / Year: 2017 / Issue: 34

6

21317 Steamboat Willie i

Theme: Ideas / Year: 2019 / Issue: 56

This welcome addition to LEGO fairgrounds is a work of art, and far more detailed than its much-revered predecessor.

This monochromatic blast from Disney’s past doesn’t need any sprinkling of pixie dust, as it’s pure magic from start to finish.

98/100

98/100

70904 Clayface Splat Attack i

Theme: Creator Expert / Year: 2019 / Issue: 55 Easily the coolest car to come out of the Creator Expert theme, the Ford Mustang finetunes LEGO vehicle design to perfection.

10257 Carousel i

i

Combines the nostalgia of classic Pirates with a sophisticated building experience, for a true LEGO masterpiece.

76139 1989 Batmobile i

10265 Ford Mustang

Theme: The LEGO Batman Movie / Year: 2017 / Issue: 28

8

71741 NINJAGO City Gardens i

Theme: NINJAGO / Year: 2021 / Issue: 77

A creative and effective build that ensures a wide and valid appeal. Proof that great things come in small packages.

This beautiful and detailed model is a worthy follow-up to 70620 NINJAGO City, using its incredible piece count to excellent effect.

98/100

9

70618 Destiny’s Bounty i

Theme: The LEGO NINJAGO Movie / Year: 2017 / Issue: 36

64 Blocks Issue 80

97/100

10

75192 Millennium Falcon i

Theme: Star Wars / Year: 2017 / Issue: 40

A highly detailed and exquisitely-designed vessel (with not a moulded hull in sight) for the full roster of ninja to enjoy.

A nearly perfect immortalisation of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy – as long as you can stomach the size and price.

97/100

96/100 www.blocksmag.com

REVIEWS

11

13

15

17

10266 NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander i

Theme: Creator Expert / Year: 2019 / Issue: 58

Theme: Seasonal / Year: 2019 / Issue: 65

96/100

96/100

Theme: DC Super Heroes / Year: 2016 / Issue: 19

14

70841 Benny’s Space Squad i

Theme: The LEGO Movie 2 / Year: 2019 / Issue: 53

Offers an unrivalled Bat-experience, with plenty of Bat-love having gone into the Bat-design phase. Did we mention Bats?

The question isn’t whether you should buy this colourful celebration of Classic Space, but how many copies is enough.

96/100

96/100

Theme: Super Mario / Year: 2020 / Issue: 71

16

21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V i

Theme: Ideas / Year: 2017 / Issue: 35

A level up for the LEGO Group, combining an expert build experience with showstopping functionality.

With amazing detail and technique, the only limit is figuring out where on Earth – or the moon – you’ll display it.

95/100

95/100

76057 Spider-Man: Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Battle i

i

This is a beautifullypresented set with no cut corners, no lack of attention to detail, and absolutely no reason to not pick it up.

71374 Nintendo Entertainment System i

80105 Chinese New Year Temple Fair

A timely and worthy celebration of a historic event, the Lunar Lander is a stunning display piece and rewarding build.

76052 Batman Classic TV Series – Batcave i

12

Theme: Marvel Super Heroes / Year: 2016 / Issue: 23

18

75979 Hedwig i

Theme: Wizarding World / Year: 2020 / Issue: 73

The rare Super Heroes set that offers an amazing modular build, fantastic minifigures, and endless playability.

A stunning and costeffective build that effectively combines functionality and display.

95/100

95/100

19

70916 The Batwing i

Theme: The LEGO Batman Movie / Year: 2017 / Issue: 39

www.blocksmag.com

20

10274 Ghostbusters ECTO-1 i

Theme: Ghostbusters / Year: 2020 / Issue: 75

A solid and mechanically interesting build, with an awesome Harley Quinn minifigure to sweeten the deal.

A fantastic build experience that leads to a superb display set. I ain’t afraid of no complex techniques.

95/100

95/100 Issue 80 Blocks 65

O T E

B I R SC

B U S

NEW! BLOCKS POSTMAN Makes an ideal birthday present when combined with a Blocks subscription. £9.99 (plus P&P) or only £5.99 when combined with a subscription.

Head to www.blocksmag.com or turn to p58 for subscription offers.

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TO WIN ONE OF FIVE 76182 BATMAN COWL SETS

Subscribe to Blocks magazine today to be in with a chance of winning 76182 Batman Cowl Everyone who subscribes to Blocks by July 1, 2021 will gain entry into the next and all subsequent monthly draws. Existing subscribers will also be automatically entered into every draw. Good luck!

This competition is open to anyone who subscribes to a Blocks Magazine subscription, except employees of the Promoter, their families, agents or anyone professionally connected with the Promotion.

Each participant can only enter once during the Promotion Period. The competition will be open from 9.00am (BST) on June 3, 2021 to 5:00pm July 1, 2021 (the “Promotion Period”). Any entries outside of the Promotion Period will not be counted. One overall competition winner will be chosen by the Publisher of Blocks Magazine. The decision of the Promoter in relation to the Promotion is final. No correspondence will be entered into. No information regarding entries or judging will be disclosed to any third party not involved in the conduct of the Promotion. The prize is not transferable, re-saleable or exchangeable. There is no cash alternative. The promoter reserves the right to substitute any of the prize products subject to availability. Winners will be announced in Issue 79 or 80 of Blocks magazine and on our social media pages. Winners must respond to notification of their prize within 48 hours otherwise the right to claim the prize will be lost and the promoter reserves the right to re-award the prize(s). No entries from agents, third parties, organised groups or applications automatically generated by computers will be accepted. No incomplete or corrupted entries will be accepted. Any entries not in accordance with the entry instructions will be rejected. Any entries containing offensive or inappropriate content will be removed. By entering participants will be deemed to have accepted and be bound by the rules. All entry instructions form part of these Terms and Conditions. In the event of unforeseen circumstances the Promoters reserve the right to offer alternative prizes of equal or greater value.

The Promoter reserves the right to amend, alter or terminate this promotion at any time due to circumstances beyond its control. The Promoter’s decision is final and binding in all matters relating to the promotion. The Promoter can accept no responsibility for, and reserves the right to refuse, entries which are corrupt, incomplete or fail to arrive by the closing date. These rules are governed by English law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts. Promoter & Data Controller: Silverback Publishing Ltd

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Issue 80 Blocks 67

BRICK TRAIN AWARDS

Words: Graham Hancock Pics: The Brick Train Awards

THE BRICK TRAIN AWARDS 2021 LEGO train builders have been sharing their builds and celebrating creativity in these international awards

Best Electric Locomotive Acela Michael Ruzzi

THE AWARDS WERE AN ATTEMPT TO REPLACE SOME OF THE JOY OF SHOWS BY SEEING LEGO MODELS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Best Steam Loco (Europe) LNER Peppercorn Andrew Harvey

FIND A LEGO TRAIN CLUB: lnurailway.co.uk/lego-train-clubs-worldwide LEGO TRAIN PODCASTS: lnurailway.co.uk/podcast brickmodelrailroader.com BRICK TRAIN AWARDS: bricktrainawards.com

68 Blocks Issue 80

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BRICK TRAIN AWARDS

A

NYONE WHO HAS watched a LEGO train go around a layout at an event and found themselves still standing there, mesmerised for a good few minutes longer than planned, knows the power of these feats of brick engineering. For some though, it’s the part of the LEGO hobby that they are most immersed in – there are those with huge layouts, there are engine builders, there are fans recreating train stations… it’s a varied and vibrant part of the community.

To celebrate this area of the LEGO hobby, a group of train enthusiasts got together and organised the Brick Train Awards (BTA) …2021. This online event asked fans around the world to submit their MOCs, with a review panel then selecting winners in different categories for specific regions and also international winners. Richard Carter, of LEGO Northern UK Railway (LNUR), has collaborated with Brick Model Railroader to make it all happen.

Blocks: What's the state of the LEGO train hobby? To many it's a mysterious corner of the LEGO world, but based on the winners in the BTA, it looks like a very healthy corner.

Richard: The LEGO train hobby is a small niche in the scale of LEGO hobbyists, but does have a solid following – there are many LEGO train clubs around the world. The fact there are so many third-party suppliers for track, power systems, wheels and rods shows it's a maturing hobby, and is slowly being more accepted by traditional model railway builders – LNUR were invited to a model railway show in 2019 that was a great success and allowed us to show a different audience just what can be achieved with LEGO bricks.

What is the goal of the Brick Train Awards?

The aim of the awards was simple - I wanted to see some cool LEGO train models!

We started the Brick Train Awards in 2020 at the start of the Covid pandemic. LEGO trains take up a lot of space, and many of our members can only run their models on layouts at LEGO exhibitions and shows around the country, so the awards were an attempt to replace some of the joy of shows by seeing LEGO models from around the world. We certainly achieved that – we received 732 entries from builders around the world last year, and this year we received 774 entries. The support of sponsors – Trixbrix, BrickTracks, Trained Bricks and No Starch Press this year – really helps to add an extra layer of excitement to the event too.

Australasia and even Asia.

The awards gave us a chance to speak to many other LEGO train clubs too – including Togklodsen in Denmark, Low Lands Model Train Club (LLMTC) in the Netherlands and two Australian LEGO train clubs. We're looking at organising wagon swaps with these clubs and others over the next year or so. It would be great to meet some of these builders at the Fan Weekends in Portugal and Denmark too, once travel is permitted again.

How hard is it to select winners from the hundreds of entries?

Each region – Americas, Asia, Australasia and Europe – has its own judges, who look at each qualifying entry. It certainly takes a lot of time to review the entries – and it’s easy to get distracted researching some of the unusual prototypes entered.

Each category has a regional winner picked by the judges for that region; the global winners are then discussed between the judges and picked… that’s another lengthy discussion. We could judge the awards every day for a year and come up with different winners.

What would you recommend for someone who’s new to LEGO trains and wants start out in this part of the hobby?

A great place to start is with one of the LEGO City train sets – they are often discounted in large toy stores and provide a loop of track and all of the components you need to power and control a train. From there, you can start customising your models – there are quite a few places to buy custom LEGO locomotive and wagon designs from these days, which can be a good starting point for new builders to create their own models.

There are plenty of places to ask for help online, too. Many LNUR members hang around in the LEGO RAIL group on Facebook, so it's easy to ask for advice if you get stuck.

Best Passenger Wagon Overland Sleeper Mike Pianta

Have LEGO Northern UK Railway and Brick Model Railroader collaborated on anything else?

We've been involved in each other’s podcasts and members often share building techniques and ideas with LEGO train fans in America, Europe, Best TFOL Display Branchline Station Samuel LeCount

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 69

BRICK TRAIN AWARDS BUILDER: Pieter Post FLICKR: Pieter Post 2001

ROYAL PRUSSIAN RAILWAYS BAGGAGE CAR Pieter Post’s baggage car won the Best Special Wagon award Pieter won the Best Special Wagon award.

frame and the planks a little further back. The most important part was the dome with the round window for which I’ve used a plane window. The finishing touch was adding stickers. Due to the SNOT techniques the car has no interior.

What was the most challenging thing about building this model?

That must be the inward facing slope. The part with the doors was rather simple but the roof took a bit more trial and error. Most of the time I keep such a project on my office desk and by looking at it from the corner of my eye I get ideas and when time is available I rework or try something I just thought of. In this case I have to thank Erwin (Urban Ervvin on Flickr) for pushing me to keep improving the design. Every time I was happy with it he looked at the image and said, ‘looks cool, but you should try...’ That really makes a difference. With trains of just eight studs wide it’s always important to get the techniques compact enough.

SNOT and tiles give the car a wooden look.

Blocks: What is the full name of the carriage presented in your build?

Pieter: Gepäckwagen type Pg – in English that’s a baggage car or caboose – belonging to the Royal Prussian Railways or KPEV (Königlich Preußische Eisenbahn-Verwaltung). Built around 1913, more than 9,000 units were produced. Most freight trains were equipped with such wagons with a compartment for the train director that featured a raised look out roof and a small office. The baggage storage area included a wood stove, a toilet and seating area for the brakemen and luggage handlers. In this time period the car directly followed the steam engine. Personnel could hop off and manually work switches if needed. The Deutsche Reichsbahn renamed them to Pwg 14.

Why did you choose to build this? What is it that you like about this wagon?

My builds are Epoche I, meaning from the start of the railways in the 1800s through to about 1925. In this period of time track automatisation was low and manpower was cheap, so all freight and passenger trains were equipped with such cars for the train director and staff. I wanted to build a freight train with some boxcars, live stock cars and coal wagons, so a Gepäckwagen was essential. There were other types running too, but I loved this one due to the raised roof with the inward slope.

What details did you include to make sure it is authentic?

I built it in 1:45 scale with some small compromises due to it being LEGO of course. I’ve tried to give the sides a timber look with the outstanding

What are you planning to build next?

I’ve got some small projects, for instance converting all of my engines to custom 3D printed driving rods and I was recently introduced to the very small Circuit Cube engines with Bluetooth receivers and rechargeable battery boxes, which are perfect for small engines.

Upon finishing this I’ve started on a T2 Engine (Baureihe 98, Glaskasten), using one Circuit Cube engine for driving and the second for automatic decoupling. The biggest project I am working on is a station building with a yard that can be a part of a bigger display with my fellow LLMTC (Lowlands L-gauge Model Train Club) members.

The build is at 1:45 scale.

70 Blocks Issue 80

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BRICK TRAIN AWARDS BUILDER: Gábor Horváth FLICKR: Gábor_Horváth

STADLER KISS 2 EMU The award for Best LEGO Electric Locomotive went to Gábor Horváth Blocks: What is the full name of the train presented in your build?

Gábor: It´s a Stadler Kiss 2 EMU (electric multiple unit) in the colour scheme of the Austrian company Westbahn.

Why did you choose to build this? What is it that you like about this train?

In most cases I get inspiration from things I see during travelling or in everyday life. I got a new job in October 2019 in Austria, so I left Hungary.

One of the first things I noticed in the new environment was this train. I arrived by another train to the city, so I just saw it from the window.

The train is painted in a really cool way. Four colours, which go well together and are presented with a lot of diagonal lines. It's a rule for me not to use stickers and create everything possible with bricks. I always look for real challenges and to recreate these diagonal stripes, which are crossing windows, doors and each other, is exactly the sort of challenge I like. My brain always starts to think about the necessary combinations of bricks.

What details did you include to make sure it is authentic?

The colour scheme is the most important thing here, but there are of course a lot of other details that were necessary to have on the model.

I took pictures at the station of the sides and the top of the train – fortunately there is a bridge above the station in my city. I did a list in my mind about the important features of this train that are a little bit – or very – different from other trains. For example, bumpers, the type of doors, headlights, as well as the length and number of windows. In the end it will

always be a compromise between details, functionality and size, but my goal was to keep as many of those characteristics as I could.

After including the essentials that I mentioned, I worked on details that are not necessary but adding them to the model makes it more authentic.

My favourite in this category is the windscreen wiper. The vertical part is attached to the windscreen, the diagonal part is attached to the turning point, but they stay close to each other and they replicate the original form well.

What was the most challenging thing about building this model?

The creative building process was very comfortable this time in comparison with some of my older models. I always knew that the design would work. Maybe that´s why the most challenging part was not the actual building process but knowing when to duplicate the first half of the train to get a whole one. I could start to duplicate it only when I was satisfied, but it meant that I had to order more than 3,600 parts (some of them in rare colours) in a lot of different lots, without any creative brain work. It took a long time and was exhausting. I was really happy when the train was finally in one piece and it drove its first round.

What are you planning to build next?

I´m working on a minifigure scale model of a LIDL grocery store, with a brick-built logo, brick-built street signs and a detailed interior. That is one of the places I worked during my university years, so it will be very accurate.

Alongside the real thing.

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 71

BRICK TRAIN AWARDS BUILDER: Ryan Harris INSTAGRAM: lego_aviator

GUNDERSON 40' INTERMODAL WELL CARS Ryan Harris took the accolades when it came to the Best Freight Wagon It's a LEGO tradition to transport Maersk crates.

Blocks: What is the full name of the carriage presented in your build?

Ryan: My build is a model of a Gunderson 40' Maxi III intermodal well car.

I actually built a five pack of them but just one was featured in the Brick Train Awards.

Why did you choose to build this? What is it that you like about this wagon?

I chose to model these particular units because I see them all the time on my drive to work and they go well with my other contemporary railway builds.

What details did you include to make sure it is authentic?

I spent a lot of time focusing on the details of the walkways and railings found on the end of each car as well as trying to get the cars to run as low

to the track as possible. Another time consuming part was searching for reference photos and trying to capture every possible detail.

What was the most challenging thing about building this model?

The hardest thing to build was the bottom of the car, the part that is hidden by the containers. I had seen well cars built in LEGO before that looked quite good but I couldn't find any that had spent the time to get that girdered look under the containers so I set out to achieve it.

What are you planning to build next?

I'm currently working on a new locomotive. CN recently painted some new heritage units so I'm attempting to build CN3115 which is an ET44AC painted in BC Rail colours. Hopefully it'll have a good run at next year's Brick Train Awards.

Ryan built five well cars in total.

72 Blocks Issue 80

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BRICK TRAIN AWARDS BUILDER: William Elliott FLICKR: Redimus84

PULLMAN KITCHEN CAR Will Elliott and Matt Dawson’s joint effort saw them win the Best Passenger Wagon Europe award Blocks: What is the full name of the carriage presented in your build?

Will: It’s the Pullman Kitchen Car.

coach has several differences to the standard car such as some excellent new under the floor detail, a different window arrangement and internal layout. When this year's BTA came round, we entered it as a joint entry.

Why did you choose to build this?

My original Pullman design was inspired by a technique used by Andrew Harvey (this year's European Steam Winner) on his Pullmans – the use of two arches on the toilet window. I'm the kind of builder who needs a place to start my project, so I often start when I have a good idea – or have stolen a good idea – and work my way outwards.

I felt that Andrew had missed a trick in not using the same technique for the doors, so I built my first iteration as a large, but not super large, six wide build with only one toilet and five wide ends. I was very happy with it, but it coincided with my slow realisation that I was going to have to move to seven wide sooner or later. Back to LDD, I designed a second version that was seven wide with six wide ends, had the correct two toilets and a length that was nearly 50 studs.

Not long after that the original six wide coach was dismantled to provide parts for a brake coach. That's where the story would have ended, with them happily trundling around layouts at shows and being too old for the BTA awards, were it not for Matt Dawson.

Matt fancied building a couple more for our displays. I decided to do some extremely minor upgrades to the design and sent him the Studio files. He built one parlour car to the design provided, but decided it'd be boring to just build another one. He took it upon himself to build a kitchen car. The

What is it that you like about this wagon?

It was already one of my favourite designs, and one of my most popular among show goers, but Matt was still able to add to it in an interesting way that works well with the rest of our Pullmans.

What details did you include to make sure it is authentic?

The original priority was to capture three things – the round toilet windows with ornate supports for the panes of glass, the oval windowed doors and the tables with lamps that were so cool in the old Hornby models. I feel I captured those really well, plus managing to pull off the narrower ends, and brick-built main window detail.

What was the most challenging thing about building this model?

The six wide size and studs in every direction that needed to be firmly attached to the otherwise seven wide coach. It was a headache to design and build, but was totally worth it.

What are you planning to build next?

I have so much planned, I must have 10 or more designs that I need to turn into instructions for my website, BlockJunction.co.uk. I am aiming to build a couple of station buildings and a footbridge.

Two builders collaborated on the project.

Matt Dawson iterated on Will Elliott's build.

The Pullman Kitchen Car.

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 73

BRICK TRAIN AWARDS BUILDER: Holger Matthes WEBSITE: holgermatthes.de/bricks

12 VOLT ROUNDHOUSE BAMBERG Holger Matthes picked up the award for Best Structure in Europe Plenty of space for Holger's trains.

Blocks: What is the full name of the structure presented in your build?

Holger: It is called 12 Volt Roundhouse Bamberg. I've chosen the city name Bamberg because it’s where I live and there is an old ruin of a roundhouse near the main station. 12 Volt stands for the old LEGO train system from the 1980s.

Why did you choose to build this? What is it that you like about this wagon?

A roundhouse is an eye-catching structure on every train layout – not just LEGO layouts. While celebrating 40 years of the grey era, which launched in 1980, I started to build a few trains and wagon MOCs in the old style using just a few colours and elements that were not available back then. I was able to add some of the missing sets from that period to my personal collection.

Looking at all seven steam engines I realised that they need a home. A very long-term build idea came back to mind; a functional roundhouse for all seven official steam engines from the grey era.

What details did you include to make sure it is authentic?

The grey era is still very famous for its remote-control functions using large blocky keyboards next to the power transformer. Back then you were able to control not only switches and signals but also a level crossing and a decoupling unit, so it was obvious to include some remote control function in my structure. I dug out my old black 12 Volt Technic motor and managed to build a spinning turntable to connect the roundhouse track to the main track of my layout. I was lucky to get hold of LEGO Dacta 1039 as 74 Blocks Issue 80

that includes three ‘Light Gray Electric, Train 12V Remote Control 8 x 10 with 2 Circled Arrows Pattern’ pieces. This makes the perfect control unit for a turntable that can turn either clockwise or anti-clockwise.

What was the most challenging thing about building this model?

After solving the remote-control motor for the turntable I had to figure out a working solution to provide power to the middle rail on the turntable and into the roundhouse to allow one engine to get in or out. After solving the electronic issues, I had to deal with the size of the complete roundhouse.

The dimensions were planned to give shelter to even the biggest official LEGO steam engine, 7750, so it ended up being huge.

Huge means a lot of bricks – and if you build only with plates it means even more bricks. I tried to use elements from the 1980s while combining them in different ways. Using tons of 1x2 plates in red (and the newer dark red) captured brick walls just perfectly. ‘Used’ 1x2 plates in such a structure are really useful to avoid the typical shiny LEGO aesthetic.

The final challenge was the raised baseplates. The turntable has to be built below ground level, but I didn't want to cut a hole in my table so I had to raise everything else. Anyone who has built landscapes and raised ground levels knows how element consuming that can be.

What are you planning to build next?

I am still in my ‘vintage retro’ phase and I love the idea of creating my own models in the style of my childhood LEGO. Currently I am working on a six-wide Swiss Crocodile engine fitting into the grey era. This engine has to be much smaller than my Power Functions Crocodile MOC or the official LEGO set. www.blocksmag.com

BRICK TRAIN AWARDS

MORE WINNERS

Best Steam Locomotive (Americas) New York Central Mohawk Glenn Holland

The Brick Train Awards 2021 demonstrated the creativity of LEGO train fans from around the world

Best Diesel Locomotive Japan National Railway Class DD51 Katsuaki Matsubara

Best Special Wagon (Americas) Nickel Plate Road Bay Window Caboose Nick Dombi

Best Freight Wagon (Australasia) 7 Plank Coal Wagon Liam Biggs

Best TFOL Wagon NER/LNER 15-ton Brake Van Owen Meschter

Best TFOL Display English Branchline Station Samuel LeCount

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 75

MOD SQUAD

THE LEGENDARY FLOWER FRUIT MOUNTAIN Give your Islanders a modern paradise using the new Monkie Kid set, 80024 The Legendary Flower Fruit Mountain Words and Pics: Daniel Konstanski

ORIGINAL

THE MOMENT THAT the Blocks team saw 80024 The Legendary Flower Fruit Mountain, we spotted an opportunity. 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay gave the privateers a modern set, but it’s unlikely that the Islanders will get the same love anytime soon.

Thankfully, this new Monkie Kid set offers an opportunity to turn it into a modern home for the locals featured in 1990s LEGO Pirates sets. Infusing this model with what made 6278 Enchanted Island special turns it into something very different indeed.

76 Blocks Issue 80

www.blocksmag.com

MOD SQUAD

OVERVIEW There are three key aspects to taking 80024 and transforming it into something suited to the Islanders. Flower Fruit Mountain is designed to look like it’s a mountain top – the clue's in the name. This works well in context but needs some tweaks in order to make it feel more tropical. The conversion is primarily accomplished by including palm leaves. While it would have been fun to go with classic Islander flora elements, the LEGO Group no longer makes those palm tree leaves and trunks so this mod

instead uses modern methods.

It’s also vital to have some sort of structure. The Indigo Islanders live in huts and tree houses, so we included one of those here sporting an updated colour scheme. These images offer some ideas for the huts, but there are lots of different ways it could be done – so get creative and adapt this method – you could even add additional shacks in a similar style.

Stone statues were vital for those classic Islanders sets, so they need to be added to this model too. When it comes to minifigures, don’t panic if you don’t have classic Islanders – the Keepers from the latest wave of NINJAGO sets make a good alternative.

A good spot for a tree house on the side of the waterfall.

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 77

MOD SQUAD

HANGING VINE The LEGO Group’s modern palm leaves can be tricky to work with. They are a cumbersome thickness that often makes it hard to mimic actual trees. This can be mitigated by constructing branches that have some bend so that leaves can progressively slant down. Our hanging vines are one way to do this and can be draped off the corners of buildings or edges of mountains.

Bars and clips enable the unique shape.

Leaves layer so that they blend together.

78 Blocks Issue 80

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MOD SQUAD

STATUE Islander head statues were included throughout the original theme. This version is large enough to allow minifigures to walk through its mouth and depress its tongue. That action opens the secret waterfall passage, making use of the set’s feature. The statue can be built independently and then joined to Flower Fruit Mountain via a couple small changes and additions to the area just in front of the waterfall.

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 79

MOD SQUAD

80 Blocks Issue 80

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MOD SQUAD

This space is now ready for the head.

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 81

MOD SQUAD

PALM TREE Palm trees were dotted around nearly every Islanders set so it stands to reason that we would need some complete versions for our mod as well. These are constructed with a variation of the hanging vine build. The same bending technique is used but it is paired with some additional elements to give the tree a 360-degree shape.

Alternate the angles of the branches.

82 Blocks Issue 80

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MOD SQUAD

Modified plates allow for branches at eight angles.

INFUSING THIS WITH WHAT MADE ENCHANTED ISLAND SPECIAL TURNS IT INTO SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 83

BRING YOUR LEGO TO LIFE WITH LIGHTS

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LEGO MASTERS THE INSIDE STORY & SEA BEHIND THE SCENES NASA SHUTTLE LEGO MARVEL MECHS LEGO PORSCHE 911 OFF-ROADING MANDO MOD: BUILD AUDIO INSTRUCTIONS SONSPACE 2 PREVIE W SECRETS LEGO WINNIE THE POOH LEARN SET DESIGN DESIGN SECRETS REVEALED TATOOINE CANTINA SUPER HERO SET REVIEWS WITH A LEGO TECHNIC MAKING SETS ACCESSIBLE LEGO LUNAR NEW YEAR SETS SCORED

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Issue 80 Blocks 87

TECHNIQUE

KEY

1X1 ROUND BRICK

1X1 TILE WITH CLIP

GROWING VEGETABLES

Keep your minifigures in good health with these tips for growing LEGO vegetables

Words and Pics: Simon Pickard 1X1 TILE

1X6 BAR

2X2 BRICK

4 PETAL PLATE

5 PETAL PLATE

BAR HOLDER WITH CLIP

BIONICLE SPINE

CARROT TOP

CRATE

GRASS STEM

LIMB ELEMENT

MINIFIGURE HAIR

POLO

THREE LEAF STEM

88 Blocks Issue 80

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TECHNIQUE

NO MATTER WHAT setting your like to place your minifigures in, food is always part of society. Whether it’s for a modern life layout, a medieval scene or a futuristic sci-fi base, there’s always the opportunity to add a vegetable patch.

The LEGO Group has released a range of food and plant elements over the years, but a lot of them won’t be convincing as vegetables without some careful construction. Here are some of the variations and combinations you can make your

A simple carrot top.

THE BASICS The most common way to represent growth is using the three leaf stem, the four and five leaf plates and the carrot top element. These all come in a range of subtly different greens, so it can appear that different plants are growing.

Some of these require unusual connections.

The plates can connect directly onto studs,

Root vegetable alternative.

Vary the depth for different plants.

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LEGO allotments look great.

however leaf stems and carrot tops need stud holes to keep them in place. Thankfully the polo element comes in brown, allowing a quick and easy way for these to be placed in the garden.

TOP TIP: Inverted slopes have stud holes in them too.

You can build your ground level with these in rows to act as a holder for your plants instead of polos.

Grass stems are used for sprouting veg.

Fill in the gaps with tiles.

Issue 80 Blocks 89

TECHNIQUE

VARIATION A number of our fruits and vegetables actually grow underground.

There are several ways that leafy plant pieces can give the green top appearance associated with vegetable patches. By adding a small amount of colour to the base of the plants they can even better convey a vegetable patch.

In these examples, orange, red, purple, tan, pink and white varieties are shown. All off these are representative of real vegetable colours. This is

by no means an exhaustive list and it’s well worth researching vegetable plant varieties to come up with more options.

TOP TIP: Not all vegetables need to be planted at ground level. Many gardens use planters and raised beds that can be recreated using crate and barrel pieces or brick built solutions.

For different vegetables, vary the colours.

Carrots, turnips and parsnips.

There are many different colours to choose from.

Onions, beetroot and radishes are possible.

OFF SETTING Using round plates between the studs offers the opportunity to vary the height of the plants. The bar will fit nicely into the stud hole of the polo element, but it will come to a stop one it reaches the stud underneath.

By placing the polos between four studs there is now space underneath, allowing the plant stems to be pushed down further down. This creates variation, giving the impression some have grown more than others.

It's also possible to place leaf stems at angles in the planting boxes.

Use polo elements with stems.

90 Blocks Issue 80

These are not attached directly to the grid, they are usually held in place well by the friction of surrounding plants. These unconventional placements enhance the sense of natural growth.

TOP TIP: No two plants grow alike, but LEGO plants are identical. By twisting plates and stems in slightly different directions each time, it’s possible to show a sense of natural variation in the growth patterns.

Placing between studs allows the heights to vary.

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TECHNIQUE

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Issue 80 Blocks 91

TECHNIQUE

92 Blocks Issue 80

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TECHNIQUE

HAIRY

CLUSTERED

Minifigure parts once again demonstrate their versatility. Here they represent cabbages and lettuces. Thanks to some of the unusual themes and characters that the LEGO Group has made over the years, there is a variety of green coloured hair pieces available for this purpose.

It is surprising how often the process of simply stacking parts up can result in effective builds. Here the act of stacking petal plates on top of each other multiple times results in a nice option for vegetable plants like sprouts or broccoli. A flower stalk at the bottom can add texture.

Placing more than one of these into the crate as a planter crate makes them push against one another. This means that they twist and angle slightly on insertion, giving a greater sense of natural growth and variety.

Another way to show growth and make the scene feel full is to slip parts into gaps. This also helps to hide some of the gaps and flaws that arise from certain techniques. For example, the grass stems in the crate can be improved by slipping brown tiles down the sides. This can be given a whole new look by slipping the three leaf stem into the gaps, which bushes out the growth effect while helping to further hide the gaps of the planter technique.

Another way of clustering is accomplished by using flower stalks, with the four petal plates slipped onto the ends. Stacking another on top provides a very good, bushy appearance.

TOP TIP: Searching through your minifigure parts and accessories is a great way to find inspiration.

Different greens offer variety.

TOP TIP: Clustering plants together can hide flaws and gaps in a model.

Stacking up petal plates works well.

This method offers a different look.

Hair pieces are cabbages and lettuces.

Mixing it up makes it feel authentic.

Composition is important to hide gaps.

SUPPORTED There are also many plants that require supportive structures to grow like beans and peas.

One way of doing it uses the BIONICLE spine piece, which helpfully comes in three shades of green. This element’s curve helps to make it look like it is trying to wrap itself around the pole. This plant could also be displayed growing along the ground.

The rack with runner beans may at first appear complex but it is actually very simple. The bar holder with clip attaches a 1x6 bar to a piece of flexible tubing, which can be found in a range of lengths. The limb elements are only attached to this structure using the 1x1 tile with clips at the top, then the rest are attached to one another.

It’s possible to weave some of the limb elements together to help wrap the growth around the sides too. This structure works well for beans and peas, or could represent raspberries if red round plates were used.

Polos allow upright sticks.

This structure is simpler than it seems.

Carrot tops can be used here.

TOP TIP: A plant effect can be very different depending if it is in an upright or sideways position. For example, beans on the vertically placed limb element could be cucumbers if placed horizontally at ground level.

Changing the carrot top to flame yellow could create squash or marrow plants. n

www.blocksmag.com

Issue 80 Blocks 93

PIECE PERCEPTION

Name: Moritz Ziegler Flickr ID: mobricker

ROLLER SKATE The roller skate can be used for more than greebling, as this car shows Words: Simon Pickard Pics: Moritz Ziegler

INTERESTING PART USAGE is always appealing, however it can be even more fun when you don’t initially recognise the piece because it sits correctly and naturally in the final model. The door handles of this classic car are a great example. Handles are very difficult to build onto models as LEGO is a fairly tricky medium when it comes to more minute details.

Moritz managed to identify the subtle overlap of the roller skate as an ideal way to produce the handle effect. Not only does it work well in this shot, it will work on the inside too. Usually door handle tricks will only be effective from one angle.

Clever part usage is not always about placing pieces into an unusual setting. This car is

94 Blocks Issue 80

packed full of beautiful details that showcase an excellent eye for the functionality of elements

THIS CAR IS PACKED FULL OF BEAUTIFUL DETAILS THAT SHOWCASE AN EXCELLENT EYE FOR THE FUNCTIONALITY OF ELEMENTS too. The slightly angled windscreen and the thin line of grey through the car bodywork all use

normal pieces but it takes considerable skill for the execution to be this seamless.

There is also a wonderful use of texture in this model. The subtle use of studs in the roadway and the slightly broken fencing in the background all add a sense of character and interest. This all in turn helps to accentuate the pristine presentation of the car itself.

It’s also worth taking in the variety of weeds and plants growing in the background. There is a wonderful array of different ideas to enhance the run down look of the fencing and roadway. Great use is made of the dinosaur tails and elephant trunks to create the large shrub. The subtle nature of all of these background builds ensures that the car still remains the focal point.n

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IDEAS SHOWCASE

JIM HENSON’S LABYRINTH The memorable Escher Room from Labyrinth gets a gravity-defying LEGO build Words: Graham Hancock Pics: Annabelle Trottier

INFO IDEAS ID: ColonelAttentiveCandy PROJECT: bit.ly/3nLpr91

The book sits above the Escher Room.

'SO THE LABYRINTH'S a piece of cake, is it?

Well, let's see how you deal with this little slice.’

Annabelle Trottier’s LEGO design for the Escher Room, from Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, is no piece of cake. Stairs going in every direction along with carefully angled foliage and decoration make this a sophisticated model that captures the movie both literally and in spirit.

Blocks: What's your experience with Jim Henson and Labyrinth in particular?

Annabelle: My first step into the magical world 96 Blocks Issue 80

of Jim Henson was when I was very young, watching the Sesame Street television show. I absolutely loved all those joyful characters and will never forget them. Later on, I discovered Labyrinth, which became one of my favourite movies. The magic, the fun and detailed puppets, the mind-bending and extraordinary places… it’s an amazing adventure. Also, Sarah is like me – a real book worm, always distracted with her head in the clouds. I'm now a proud fan of Jim Henson's works, and especially Labyrinth.

What inspired you to build this?

The movie, for sure, and then the desire to challenge myself with a big and impressive project. I wanted to recreate the dazzling universe this movie offered me, bring it to our world and be able to play in it. I just had to do it.

The Escher Room in particular is one of my favourite scenes, it's so cool and there is so much magic in it. Do you remember that moment when the crystal ball goes up the stairs and makes a double jump on a step? I love it!

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IDEAS SHOWCASE

Is this the first version of the MOC? Yes, it is, although it took me a lot of trial and error to get to this result. I created at least 10 different versions of each element while building this set. One of the tricky parts was Jareth – his minifigure was hard to make while doing credit to the character. I've tried many hair pieces and colours before choosing the final ones. At the start Jareth's eyes were black like most other minifigures, but in the final version I gave them accurate colours – one blue, one orange.

Can you talk us through the design process?

I worked with the snowflake writing method, starting with the stairs then building gradually all around, always adding more and more.

Another of my hobbies is drawing and that has been especially useful for making lots of sketches to develop my ideas as well as for creating custom prints for the minifigures to give each of them the perfect traits, from the ‘that's not fair’ expression of Sarah to the detailed clothing. I have a big collection of LEGO from which I built parts of the set with real bricks before replicating them in Stud.io when I was happy with the structure. Digital building allowed me to have all the necessary parts in the desired colours.

While making this project I watched the movie many, many, many times. All of those fun hours of viewing still needed a little boost of quality to catch all the details and eventually, I bought the 4K remastered version — strictly for research purposes, of course. This movie is really full of intricate details from every angle; I had to do the same with my set. I did not forget to include the Labyrinth book and the little Lancelot plush.

They are essential relics and occupy a place of honour at the top.

The whole journey spanned about two months, including research, planning, construction and renders. The final result is both great to display and playable.

What was the most challenging thing about building it?

A very challenging part was the stairs. The goal was to do them accurately to re-create the scenes in which the characters are upside down, but that is moving away from what LEGO is known for – building with pieces on top of each other.

The biggest challenge of all was to respect the Labyrinth's style and colours, the LEGO style and my own style, all at once. It was hard to make the right choices with this in mind. For example, accurate minifigures were essential and expressing the characters' defining features with standard LEGO minifigure face proportions was harder than I expected.

Are there any techniques you're particularly pleased with?

Firstly, I'm very proud of the ‘illegal’ technique I used for the stairs. I've never seen it done anywhere else before. I took some half Technic www.blocksmag.com

pins, attached plates on top of their studs, then pushed the pins into the anti-studs of bricks.

With this, the stairs seem to come straight from the world of M.C. Escher. The back cover of the book is held the same way, showing that it’s quite a versatile technique.

Then there are the arched doorways on their side which are made with SNOTing. I'm very pleased with how they turned out. I also made some interesting piece choices, some of which I'm very proud of such as a croissant to make the body of the Worm, some microphones and maxifigure hands for the Eye Lichen, textured bricks to give the book pages a realistic effect and even some frogs – that look like leaves – for the hedges.

If the project is approved, are there any compromises or changes you think the LEGO designers might have to make?

Because this project has some illegal techniques, they might have to make some changes to the design, but the technique I used is not putting any stress on the bricks, so I think that the LEGO team would probably keep it.

Aside from that, I would be very happy to see a new hair piece for Jareth. A new head mould for a Hoggle minifigure would be awesome too – I did not make his minifigure because he is too important a character to use a normal head, it would not do him justice.

What channels have you used to promote the project so far? Which methods has been the most successful?

I used Flickr, Twitter, Facebook and Discord servers to share it with as many fans as possible. Posting on Flickr fan groups has been the best way so far, bringing big bunches of fans all at once. My family also help me to spread the word, they are a great help. I was surprised when I was invited to do a live interview on YouTube, that was a great experience! One thing I have learned for sure is that fans of Labyrinth are a wonderful and active community, even though it’s over 30 years since its release. n

Studs facing up and down.

ELSEWHERE ON LEGO IDEAS There are dozens of projects on LEGO Ideas – here are just a couple worth checking out

IDEAS ID: szabomate90 PROJECT: bit.ly/3eKU4XZ

n MASTER OF PUPPETS The classic Metallica cover, painted by Don Brautigam, is reimagined in three dimensions with LEGO bricks. It’s subject matter that hasn’t yet been covered, with movies, television shows, video games and pop art all having inspired sets – but as of yet, album cover art hasn’t. While the subject matter would have been a no-go for LEGO in the past, the 18+ label makes it entirely plausible now. The album even has a tenuous LEGO connection as Masters of Puppets was recorded in Denmark.

IDEAS ID: LEGOParadise PROJECT: bit.ly/3xEA3uO

n MINI GOLF COURSE The best LEGO Ideas sets do something that no other theme in the LEGO portfolio can do – and if this mini golf course makes the cut, it will definitely fit that bill. It features three mini golf holes that a minifigure can play. Using a discrete mechanism, players turn a cog and the minifigure swings at a 1x1 stud – and if they are mini golf experts, they manage a hole-in-one. It’s reminiscent of 21305 Maze, managing the tricky balance of incorporating a function while also being aesthetically appealing.

Fancy getting your LEGO Ideas project featured in Blocks? Send it to graham@blocksmag.com with the subject title ‘Blocks Ideas [your project name]’.

Issue 80 Blocks 97

MONTH IN MOCS

BLOCKS MOCS // The latest selection of MOCs that have caught the attention of the Blocks team FRANZ MARC DRAWINGS Builder: Tobias Munzert // Ideas: TMunz

THE BLUE 4WD VEHICLE Builder: Andrea Lattanzio // Flickr: Norton74

TOYOTA STACKER Builder: André Pinto // Ideas: vieirapinto

GALLOPERS Builder: Greg Dale // Flickr: Greg Dale

98 Blocks Issue 80

BUTTERFLYSAURUS Builder: Chung-Heng Cheng // Flickr: Joffre Bricks

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MONTH IN MOCS

MOC IN PICS // MYSTERY MACHINE Scooby-Doo’s ride gets a large scale LEGO model

Words & Pics: Martin Burton

THE IDEA TO create this Mystery Machine came as a result of the evolution of several other ideas. I often design things that I'd love to own in real life and I've always been a fan of movie merchandise and the cult vehicles that have appeared on screen. It was the licensed LEGO themes like Star Wars, Batman and Scooby Doo

The first job was to decide exactly which version I was going to base my design upon and then try and translate sketch lines into LEGO bricks.

that reignited my interest in LEGO after moving on from it as a child.

I had already collected the Batmobiles, the Back to the Future Delorean, the Mystery Machine and both the ECTO-1 cars at minifigure scale, but being an adult collector, I like to build and display rather than build and play. I wanted

The total piece count is 1969 parts to mark the year Scooby Doo first aired in America.

I created bench seating for four in the back, plus an open area at the end of the table for Scooby.

to pursue a vehicle that I'd not seen at a large scale before. I'd seen numerous MOC K.I.T.Ts, A Team Vans and DeLoreans, but one vehicle that I'd not seen at this scale was the Mystery Machine.

There is a question mark magnet on the fridge to indicate a mystery.

A small but essential addition in the back is a box of Scooby Snacks.

For a box van, the Mystery Machine is not at all square, so finding parts that could match the geometry in three dimensions was the first and probably most complex obstacle.

As a cartoon van, it was tricky to determine absolute dimensions, but I used the size of wheel and tyre to dictate the overall proportions. The large ECTO-1 had been released at roughly 1/14 scale, so I intended that this build could sit alongside it and not look out of place.

The plinth is designed in the style of the famous Mystery Machine flower.

MYSTERY MACHINE Builder: Martin Burton // Ideas: Let Them Fly

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Issue 80 Blocks 99

MONTH IN MOCS

MOC&A // ELDORADO FORTRESS

Adrian Sowiński reimagines the classic Bluecoats island from LEGO Pirates

Words: Graham Hancock Pics: Adrian Sowiński

6276 ELDORADO FORTRESS is a classic LEGO set, one that captured the imaginations of LEGO loving children and has continued to do so as those same fans reached adulthood.

In this modern reimagining by Adrian Sowiński, the whites and yellows of the original have been replaced by more subtle colours that really evoke the feel of a sun-battered fort.

Blocks: How long have you been a LEGO Pirates fan for?

Adrian: I got my first set from the Pirates theme in childhood. My mother bought me a 10th birthday present in a local bookstore – it was 6264 Forbidden Cove from the Islanders series. I love the colours, shapes, accessories and most importantly the face sculpture, minifigures and palm tree. The next set I received was 6265 Sabre Island with the fantastic print on the baseplate. In 2000, computer games became more attractive. I went back to collecting LEGO sets 10 years ago when I first earned my own money.

Do you own the original Eldorado Fortress?

What do you like about that set?

Yes, I have the original set from 1989. I like the raised baseplate with rock and water print,

The shape of Eldorado Fortress is captured.

THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS LOOK IS FORT CHAPUS, LOCATED IN FRANCE 100 Blocks Issue 80

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MONTH IN MOCS

the general shape of the build, the colours and the number of minifigures. I love the Governor with red feather in his hat and his opponent, Captain Redbeard. Printed panel walls, cannons and the big imperial flag are all great. The quantity of bricks in this set means it is a good one for being rebuilt. I have a big fondness for this set because it was one of the first in my collection.

What made you decide to recreate Eldorado Fortress?

Interestingly, at the beginning of this build project I didn't think about recreating Eldorado Fortress. The first MOC in my remake series was Sabre Island. I liked the end result so much that I decided to build Broadside's Brig, Lagoon Lock-Up and finally the largest in the collection – Eldorado Fortess. Honestly, I was afraid to build it because for Pirates fans it is probably the most important set. I didn't know if other people would like it.

How did you choose the colour scheme?

I analysed the colour

themes from similar old and new series, and a huge number of MOCs from others AFOLs. The inspiration for this look is Fort Chapus, located in France. I looked at a lot of photos of buildings from all over the world to feel the atmosphere. I have an important rule – I never mix old colours like brown or light gray with new colours such as reddish brown and light bluish gray. Only one or two other Pirates MOCs have been in tan color. Sand and dark tan colurs seemed like the best solution for giving the building a nice colour. Small slope brick in trans blue are good for giving the feel of deep waves.

What was the trick to keeping the original shape, but also updating the model?

At the beginning I thought it would not be that difficult. It quickly turned out to be the biggest challenge I had to face. I don't like creating models in a computer program.

It is easier for me to

judge the sizes, distances and proportions when building a MOC on a desk. I always think I don't have enough bricks and I didn't know what pieces I would need. I didn't want the model to be too big for a minifigure. I wanted to keep the scale and the look similar in form to the original but with more detail.

The first difficulty was that it’s a rocky island. In the original, the baseplate is raised. I used large panels for the rocks, masking them with smaller bricks. The path to the gate is on a hinged plate with round tiles. The next challenge was the gate. I couldn't use the same element as in the original construction as that door is only available in brown so I had to replace it – I used part no. 30223 in reddish brown. I designed stickers for an attractive look.

They are similar to the originals from other LEGO sets, but printed on a self-adhesive foil. The stickers decorate the large, empty panels.

Do you have any more builds planned at the moment?

I always have new LEGO MOCs planned. I would like to finish this series by rebuilding the last set – Caribbean Clipper.

I already have a few parts. I will design the sails and I think I'll start building it. Eventually I plan to combine all the sets into a large display.

The Governor looks over his domain.

The colour palette is different.

ELDORADO FORTRESS Builder: Adrian Sowiński // Instagram: Brick_Islander

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Issue 80 Blocks 101

BLOCKSTALGIA

OCTAN Octan’s journey to becoming the LEGO Group’s iconic in-house energy company started nearly three decades ago

The original Octan tanker...

Words: Chris Wharfe Pics: Daniel Konstanski, The LEGO Group THESE DAYS, OCTAN is a household name among LEGO fans, much in the way real-life energy companies like BP and Shell needlessly take up valuable space in our brains. But nearly 30 years ago, nobody had heard of the LEGO Group’s fictional gasoline brand. LEGO Town sets instead used Shell branding, in what’s surely one of the company’s more regrettable relationships – at least in hindsight.

Then 1992 rolled around, and the LEGO Group changed course entirely by bringing any tenuous association with fossil fuels – even in the early 1990s, not the best look – in-house. 6397 Gas N’ Wash Express and 6594 Gas Transit introduced the world to the now-familiar red, white and green hues emblematic of Octan, and in doing so laid the foundations of a brand that’s still going strong today.

Just like those real-life companies it apes, though, Octan has had to

move with the times. In 2009, 7747 Wind Turbine Transport offered an eco-friendly opportunity to rebrand as Octan Energy, before 60026 Tanker Truck doubled down on the fictional company’s new direction four years later. Any negative association with non-renewable energy was being cast aside – but a different kind of PR disaster awaited Octan in the early 2010s.

We’re obviously talking about The LEGO Movie, which ripped Octan’s reputation to shreds by casting it as the corporation behind the dastardly despot Lord Business (reflecting its pervasiveness in the LEGO Group’s own portfolio – meta). Thankfully, the animated movie’s redemption arc restored some of Octan’s good graces by the time the end credits rolled, paving the way for the brand to return as a real force of renewable energy in modern-day City sets. And to think it all started with a simple petrol station and tanker…

...and the energy rebranded version.

102 Blocks Issue 80

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BLOCKSTALGIA

BREAKING DOWN THE THEME

MEMORY LANE

‘YOU COULDN’T GROW UP WITH LEGO IN THE 1990S AND NOT KNOW OCTAN’ CHRIS WAS TOO YOUNG FOR EARLY OCTAN, BUT STILL COULDN’T AVOID THE UBIQUITOUS BRAND The original Octan sets arrived on shelves a year before I arrived out of the womb, so I can’t genuinely recall any real memories of those two earliest models that kick-started the whole thing. But you couldn’t grow up with LEGO in the 1990s and not know Octan, so ubiquitous was it among the LEGO Group’s wider portfolio.

Plus, thanks to the company’s early-2000s penchant for re-releasing classic sets, I do have one very vivid recollection of spotting 6472 Gas N’ Wash Express – a re-release of that very first Octan set – in a LEGO catalogue. Even by 2001 it felt dated though, so I never bothered to get my hands on it. By then I was already au fait with Octan – as was basically every kid in my generation.

n Octan spread to DUPLO and Technic in 1994, ‘sponsoring’ vehicles in both building systems. n The Octan logo appears on the uniforms of intergalactic criminals in 2009’s Space Police sets. n A recent VIP-exclusive collectible coin featuring the Octan logo sold out in less than 24 hours.

BY THE NUMBERS

YEARS ACTIVE:

1992-2o21 MEMORY LANE

‘MANY HAPPY HOURS WERE SPENT WITH 6397 GAS N’ WASH EXPRESS’ OCTAN WAS AT THE CENTRE OF DANIEL’S CHILDHOOD LEGO TABLE The LEGO Group’s switch from licensing real-world oil companies to its own fictional Octan Corporation hit during the height of my LEGO playing years in 1992, right as I turned eight. As far as I am concerned, 6397 Gas N’ Wash Express is the definitive rendition of the subject matter. The LEGO Group hit it out of the park on its first swing.

I was lucky enough to have a father who was somewhat handy and one Christmas he gifted me a homemade LEGO table. He had secretly measured all my Town sets and created places for them, connected by painted roads scaled to match. Despite being a gas station amongst space shuttle launch pads, towering police stations and a giant racetrack, my dad elected to give Gas N’ Wash Express pride of place in the centre for some reason. Perhaps practicality was on his mind – after all, one needs fuel far more often than a satellite launch. Many happy hours were spent enacting stories that involved bandits stealing cars from that gas station.

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6 SETS RELEASED IN 1992 THAT REFERENCED OCTAN

3 SETS RELEASED IN 2021 THAT STILL REFERENCE OCTAN

594 COMBINED NUMBER OF PIECES IN THE FIRST TWO OCTAN SETS

1 NUMBER OF TIMES THE ORIGINAL OCTAN 6397 GAS N’ WASH EXPRESS WAS RE-RELEASED

4 SETS THAT USE ‘OCTAN’ IN THEIR NAME

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Aftermarket price: £26 new, £4 used / Minifigures: 1 / Pieces: 35

The branding in on point.

6515 STUNT COPTER THE LEGO GROUP’S love affair with helicopters was already alive and well in 1994, so of course Octan had to get its own chopper.

The ‘stunt’ part of its name seems a bit at odds with the branding (is Octan sponsoring a stuntman?) but look past the muddled narrative and this is a classic pocket money-priced set. Octan’s strong colour scheme does a lot of the heavy lifting in the aesthetics department, but it boasts two rotors, seats a minifigure and still doesn’t cost the earth.

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Aftermarket price: £89 new, £15 used / Minifigures: 1 / Pieces: 124

6594 GAS TRANSIT ARGUABLY THE PUREST example of an Octan set the LEGO Group has ever released, 6594 Gas Transit – for as much as its name bizarrely dances around the fact – is, at its core, a very basic rendition of a fuel tanker. But even 1992’s limited part palette couldn’t hold it back, with the vehicle’s traditionally cylindrical trailer

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effectively captured using simple slopes.

Here again, though, it’s the clean lines offered by the stark red, white and green of Octan’s logo that elevates 6594 Gas Transit beyond what might have otherwise been a forgettable addition to the LEGO Town roster. Anchoring the set around that colour scheme has allowed it to

stand the test of time – not only because Octan itself has survived into the 2020s, but because it’s so instantly emblematic of a very particular point in time for many LEGO fans.

You only need to look at the incredibly inflated price for a new copy on the aftermarket for the proof of that. Best to dive in used on this one.

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Aftermarket price: £195 new, £86 used / Minifigures: 3 / Pieces: 470

6397 GAS N’ WASH EXPRESS Stop by for your fuel.

THE LEGO GROUP has struggled with petrol stations in recent years – last year’s 60257 Service Station (also branded Octan, naturally) was a disparate collection of builds that focused too heavily on its vehicles, while 2016’s 60132 Service Station (there’s Octan again) delivered a fuller structure, but at an absolutely blistering price tag.

If you’re looking for somewhere for your LEGO denizens to fill up on fuel in 2021 – after all, your LEGO city doesn’t need to be affected by climate change – you could still do much worse than 1992’s 6397 Gas N’ Wash Express. This is the original Octan-branded petrol station, and it arguably does a better job of capturing its

Classic brush elements.

real-life equivalent than anything released in the nearly 30 years since.

Much of the credit has to be given to the printed baseplate, a 20th-century staple that’s been gradually phased out of most sets over the past couple of decades. Few singular elements can neatly tie together a set while at the same time expanding its reach far beyond what the bulk of its individual pieces can manage, but that’s the magic of the baseplate.

That’s not to say the rest of the set’s 470 pieces are for nought – the car wash, overhanging roof and simple kiosk are still hallmarks of real-world petrol stations, as is the dual-lane forecourt. And the Octan branding

shines through everywhere you look, from the multiple logos (even emblazoned on the minifigures’ torsos) to the consistent colour scheme that bleeds into almost every corner of the set.

Best of all, the scope and ambition of 6397 Gas N’ Wash Express didn’t preclude it from also including a couple of vehicles, insofar as a civilian car and an Octan-themed tow truck. It might not be as detailed or complex as today’s builds, but it encapsulates Town in the same way today that it offered a centrepiece for any sprawling LEGO layout in the early ‘90s.

The definitive petrol station.

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Issue 80 Blocks 105

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OCTAN AIRPORT FUEL TRUCK Daniel resurrects a forgotten Octan vehicle using modern design sensibilities Words and Pics: Daniel Konstanski

WHEN OCTAN REPLACED Shell and Exxon as providers of gasoline in LEGOLAND, the brand spread to every corner of the product portfolio. Many of those applications have since been regularly revised every few years, with tankers, petrol stations, tow trucks and more executed to ever-higher levels of accuracy and realism. There are, however, exceptions.

One subject matter that had lots of entries early on and then petered out in later years was the airport fuel truck. Town featured multiple standalone aeroplane sets as well as massive airports and cargo centres. Most of these began to include small fuel trucks after Octan was introduced. This build imagines what one of those might look like in a full-scale City airport with modern parts and building techniques. n

Start with these plates.

Connect to the back then add the green plate.

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Tiles give a smooth, modern look.

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Glass sides to the cab can lift to provide minifigure access.

Combine the two.

The Octan colours are included several times.

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Just one more side to cover.

The build consists of the lorry and the trailer.

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Issue 80 Blocks 109

LEGO EVENTS

LEGO EVENTS Do you run a physical or virtual event that should be listed here? Get in touch with us via graham@blocksmag.com and we'll add it to the list EVENTS ARE LIKELY TO BE CANCELLED AT SHORT NOTICE DUE TO THE ONGOING PANDEMIC, EVEN IF NOT SPECIFIED BELOW. PLEASE CHECK WITH ORGANISERS BEFORE TRAVELLING.

JULY 2021 Brick Rodeo (USA) When: July 22 – 25 Where: Houston Marriott Sugar Land What’s on: Brick Rodeo will celebrate a decade of AFOL gatherings in Texas with a huge display of builds from across the state and live entertainment including a talk from Blocks magazine’s Daniel Konstanski.

Visit: brickrodeo.com Bressingham Bricks (UK) When: July 31 – August 1 Where: Bressingham Steam & Gardens What’s on: A return for this fundraising LEGO show in Norfolk. Includes large LEGO Flying Scotsman model.

Visit: bressingham.co.uk/events AUGUST 2021 Hull Brickfest (UK) When: August 7 – 8 Where: Guildhall, Hull What’s on: This LEGO show returns for another year in the centre of Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire.

Visit: facebook.com/events/the-guildhall-hull/ hull-brickfest-2021 BrickUniverse New Orleans (USA) When: August 14 – 15 Where: Pontchartrain Convention & Civic Center What’s on: Experience LEGO attractions and displays built to inspire, educate, and entertain. This fun, family-friendly event will have tons of amazing LEGO creations to gawk, vendors and more.

Visit: brickuniverse.com/neworleans The Galleries Brick Show (UK) When: August 21– 22 Where: The Galleries, Broadmead, Bristol What’s on: Displays by GertLUG at one of Bristol's biggest and best shopping centres.

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Visit: gertlug.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2021 BrickUniverse St. Louis (USA) When: September 11 – 12 Where: Kennedy Recreation Complex, 6050 Wells Rd, St. Louis, MO What’s on: Experience LEGO attractions and displays built to inspire, educate, and entertain. This fun, family-friendly event will have tons of amazing LEGO creations to gawk, vendors and more.

Visit: brickuniverse.com/stlouis

When: October 2 – 3 (TBC) Where: Steam Museum, Swindon What’s on: Two days of LEGO displays and activities.

Visit: greatwesternbrickshow.com Redhill Brick and Model Show (UK) When: October 23 Where: Redhill, Surrey What’s on: This LEGO show returns in the south of England.

Visit: facebook.com/redhillbrickandmodelshow

Caterham Model Show (UK) When: September 18 Where: Centenary Hall, Sacred Heart Church, Essendene Road, CR3 5PB What’s on: This established LEGO and model show is back again for 2021. LEGO displays, activities and traders, as well as non-LEGO displays.

Visit: facebook.com/caterhammodelshow/

Milton Keynes Brick Festival (UK) When: October 23 Where: Woughton Leisure Centre, Milton Keynes What’s on: This commercial LEGO event returns to Milton Keynes. LEGO displays, activities and traders.

Visit: miltonkeynesbrickfestival.com

BrickFair New Jersey (USA) When: September 25 – 26 Where: Meadowlands Exposition Center, 355 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, NJ What’s on: BrickFair is the ultimate experience for LEGO fans. A family friendly and fun event - at BrickFair you'll find hundreds of amazing custom creations made from millions of LEGO bricks, hands-on games and activities, plus vendors selling all sorts of unique LEGO related items.

Visit: brickfair.com/nj

NOVEMBER 2021

Halifax Brick Show (UK) When: September 26 Where: TBC What’s on: Back again, Halifax Brick Show brings a selection of LEGO models and a marketplace of traders to West Yorkshire.

Visit: facebook.com/halifaxbrickshow

Shildon Brick Show (UK) When: November 20 – 21 Where: Locomotion Museum, Shildon What’s on: The UK’s largest free LEGO show – two days of LEGO displays and activities.

Visit: brickalleylug.co.uk/shildon Sheffield Brick Fest (UK) When: November 27 – 28 Where: TBC What’s on: LEGO displays and traders organised

by Sheffield LUG. Visit: facebook.com/events/2811145095771517

OCTOBER 2021 Great Western Brick Show (UK)

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BRICTIONARY

BRICTIONARY

The language of LEGO has a wide, varied and ever-growing vocabulary. Blocks magazine helps you to decode it A ABS: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.

The plastic most LEGO parts are made from.

AFOL: Adult Fan of LEGO. B Billund: Town in Denmark where the the LEGO Group was founded and the headquarters is located.

Bley: Bluish grey. Refers to the current LEGO grey, compared to the old version (known as... old grey).

Brick-built: A build composed of basic LEGO elements rather than specialised elements, i.e. brick-built figures.

BrickLink: The online marketplace for buying and selling LEGO bricks, now owned by the LEGO Group.

Brickset: An online database of LEGO sets.

Brick Train Awards: Annual fan organised train building contest.

BURP: Big Ugly Rock Piece. Moulded piece five bricks high with jagged edges.

C Cheese Slope: A sloping LEGO part, named after the fact yellow pieces look like a wedge of cheese.

Clone Brands: Construction toys similar and often compatible with LEGO, but cheaper and lower quality. Usually despised by LEGO fans.

Custom: A LEGO creation or individual element that uses non-LEGO parts, modified parts or accessories from third party vendors like BrickArms or BrickForge.

Customiser: A LEGO fan who’s not afraid to modify LEGO parts. Customising may include painting, cutting, drilling, melting or adding non-LEGO parts to a creation. Considered heresy to the purist LEGO fan.

D D2C: Direct to Consumer sets. Generally exclusive to LEGO stores, with high piece counts.

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Dark Ages: The period in a LEGO fan’s life when they set aside LEGO in favour of other, non-LEGO pursuits.

Diorama: Usually a large build/scene with a base.

Draft: An activity common at LEGO club meetings in which fans each bring a LEGO set, sort out all the elements and then take turns in picking out the type of part they want. An easy way to obtain parts in large quantities without buying multiple parts of the set yourself.

E Erling: A 1x1 brick with one stud on its recessed side, named after its designer.

Evergreen: A theme that returns year after year, rather than only being available for one or two years.

G Greeble: Pseudo-technical detail added to a LEGO creation to enhance its appearance, often seen in LEGO Space and Mecha creations.

GWP: Gift with purchase. A promotional item or set obtained by spending a minimum amount at LEGO Stores or LEGO.com.

H Half-Stud Offset: A building technique that allows building without regards to standard alignment of studs on a plate, usually achieved with a jumper plate.

I Ideas: Platform for fans to upload set ideas with the potential for them to become official LEGO releases.

Illegal: LEGO building techniques that break the ‘rules’ for connections between LEGO elements used by official LEGO set designers, particulary connections that stress the LEGO elements.

Inventory: The list of LEGO elements included in an official LEGO set. Several LEGO fan sites host set inventories including Peeron, Brickset and BrickLink.

IP: Intellectual property. The LEGO

Group has many IP partners, such as Disney and Nintendo.

J Jumper Plate: A 1x2 or 2x2 LEGO plate with only one stud in the centre. Useful for half-stud offset building.

K KFOL: Kid Fan of LEGO. The LEGO Group’s primary target demographic of between 5-12 years.

L LCP: LEGO Certified Professional. A professional brick builder authorised by and affiliated with the LEGO Group.

LDD: LEGO Digital Designer. Free software for PC and Mac that lets you build LEGO models virtually.

Legal: LEGO building techniques that follow guidelines for official LEGO set designers.

LEGOLAND: Family theme parks inspired by the LEGO brand. The original location is in Billund, but now found all around the world.

LEGO Masters: The competitive televised building contest, with local versions in 11 countries.

LEGOs: Incorrect plural of LEGO. LLDC: LEGOLAND Discovery Centre. A mini, indoor versions of the theme parks aimed specifically at children.

LUG: LEGO User Group. Local or regional LEGO clubs that meet and interact primarily in an offline ‘realworld’ context. This is changing as the number of online LUGs grows.

M MF: Minifigure.

Microfig: Small figures, like those in the LEGO Games series.

Midi Scale: Refers to sets that are between minature and minifigure scale.

They do not include minifigures but are more detailed than mini sets. So far only Star Wars sets have midi versions.

Minifigure Scale: A LEGO creation built for the scale of standard LEGO

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BRICTIONARY

minifigures.

MOC: My Own Creation. A model designed and built by a LEGO fan without instructions. Often used as a verb, 'MOCing'.

Mod: A modification of an official LEGO set, usually changing part colours or adding to original designs.

P PAB: Pick-A-Brick. Buying individual bricks in the quantities needed from the LEGO Group’s online or physical stores.

PAB Wall: The Pick-A-Brick wall found at official LEGO stores.

Purist: A LEGO fan who only uses official LEGO elements. Can be applied to LEGO creations that only contain official LEGO elements with no modifications or custom parts.

S S@H or SAH: The official online store, LEGO.com. Used to be Shop at Home.

Sigfig: The minifigure version of a LEGO fan that is used in online communities as an avatar or 'signature minifigure'.

SNOT: Studs Not On Top. A building technique that places elements on their sides or even upside down to achieve a

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smooth surface.

T TFOL: Teen Fan of LEGO. TLG: The LEGO Group, the privately held parent company for all LEGO-related brands and companies worldwide.

TMA: Too many acronyms.

TRU: Toys R Us. U UCS: Ultimate Collector Series. A line of large LEGO Star Wars sets designed for older teens and adults.

V Vignette: A small scene recreated on a square plate, generally 8x8 studs.

W WIP: Work in progress, usually referring to a MOC. BASIC BRICKS Baseplates: The foundation for many projects, be it houses, space bases or castles. They’re normally thin plates with no connections underneath so you can only build on top. Some older sets included raised baseplates resembling

rocks, hills and other landscaping.

Bricks: At the core of LEGO is the basic brick. They come in a wide range of sizes, usually denoted by their stud pattern – i.e. 2x2, 2x6 – and in a huge colour palette.

Measurements: LEGO fans usually refer to parts by the number of studs they have. For example, a brick that has two studs on the short side and four studs on the longer side would be called a 2x4 brick.

Plates: Thinner than bricks but not as thin as baseplates. Three plates stacked together equals the height of one standard brick. Can be joined from above or below like standard bricks.

Printed Parts: Can be bricks, plates or tiles. They come with printed designs, often referred to as decorated parts.

Studs: The fundamental joining method of basic LEGO bricks.

Tiles: Thin, like plates but without any studs on top (see SNOT).

■ If you can think of a widely-used LEGO term that’s not in the Brictionary, drop us a line at graham@blocksmag.com to get it included.

Issue 80 Blocks 113

FROM THE VAULT

FROM THE VAULT A small product theme from 1999 introduced the all-important ball joint Words: Daniel Konstanski Pics: The LEGO Group, Daniel Konstanski

THE LATE 1990S were a period of experimentation for the LEGO Group, with many of the resulting products proving less than stellar. While a few of the big swings ended in middling product lines at best, most were outright failures. There was one though that had an outsized impact considering its size and low level of success. That theme was known by a different name depending which side of the Atlantic you purchased the sets – Slizer in Europe, Throwbots in the USA. What made this otherwise forgettable product line so significant was that it was a test case for a new type of element – the ball joint. Originally conceived several years earlier for a never launched theme known as Cybots, ball joints were non-existent in the LEGO Group’s pantheon of parts prior to Throwbots. This wacky theme debuted the buildable figure, constructed out of a limited number of ball and socket joints that were compatible with Technic connectors rather than system elements.

This was a complete departure from anything that had come before and the sets looked nothing like other Technic products. In fact, that led to an issue for the marketing department – how to brand this new theme.

Was it Throwbots, Technic Throwbots, Throwbots by Technic? Questions

like these are important, as how something is branded dictates where it will be placed in stores and therefore influences whether it succeeds or fails. Throwbots was given a bigger spot on the box, with the Technic logo relegated to smaller print in the bottom corner for its first year (much like the LEGO logo on VIDIYO boxes).

Ultimately, 12 sets were produced between 1999 and 2000. The gimmick was a flexible arm joined to a body via ball joints. A disc was inserted into the arm, which was flung when the arm was bent back then released. The mechanism worked well and the figures were more poseable than anything else ever produced by the LEGO Group. The first wave of Throwbots focused loosely on elemental powers for each of its figures and included a collectible aspect – each throwing disc had a different printed design.

The biggest innovation that stuck from Throwbots was of course the ball joint, but so many other aspects, including the collectability and elemental powers, were very influential on the success story that would be BIONICLE. n

A 1999 catalogue sheet introducing the theme.

A limited number of ball joints gave the figure posability.

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I N S H O P S J U LY 0 1

LEGOLAND AT 25 Are the new sets ic? imbued with mag

Model shop stories

YELLOWED BASEPLATES A Blocks experiment

CLASSIC CASTLE Back to Black Knights

GET YOURS EARLY BY SUBSCRIBING AT WWW.BLOCKSMAG.COM Issue 67 Blocks 115

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