The
STAR WARS ISSUE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
5. Letter from the Editor 8. Mechs 9. Builder Spotlight 11. Technic Builds 13. Record Breaking X-Wing Model 18. The Jawa Sand Crawler 23. Set Review 27. Landscape of the Month
Image and build by: Mark of Falworth and Brother Steven
From the Editor MASTHEAD
Contributors:
Brian Culmo The Brothers Brick LEGO Gizmodo Marsahal Banana LEGO CUUSOO Tatiana Danger Jesus Diaz
Builders:
Cam L. Carter Pate-Keetongu The Flame in Us All _Tiler Akiyuky Marshal Banana LEGO Mark of Falworth Brother Steven Vol. 1 Issue 1 September 2013
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Legos are a universal joy. In my work involving LEGOs, I have seen kids and adults build things that they never would have thought possible. Seeing that moment where a project comes to life for the first time is what is all about. All it takes is realizing how to make that one movement work, or how to connect those two tricky bricks; solving a problem never felt so good. The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction is like nothing else. It’s what keeps us all building time and time again. Trying to recreate that feeling of “I made This.” As builders and experimenters we strive to create something new, to give ourselves that special feeling of accomplishment. A child or an adult can gain those simple joys in conquering a LEGO problem. The joy of LEGO is not limited by age. Creativity and problem solving flourish in incredible bounds though LEGO building. Everyone equally enjoys that simple moment of success. We can all build something we are proud of. A LEGO model is perfect proof of creative and technical effort. We can hold them in our hands, or take a picture to share. The medium of LEGO is truly special in its appeal and potential for creativity. We can all gain something by building on our own. What we can build often surprises us. Seeing what others build surprises even more. This magazine is for the builders. Its shows what others are doing, the outstanding efforts of builders just like you. Inspiration is a great thing. All it takes is that one small spark to ignite a passionate idea or project. I hope that the images and stories will inspire us all to go and build our own projects, big or small; so we can all feel that special moment of creating something that is just too cool.
-Brian Culmo From the Editor 5
Mechs
MECHS ARE AWESOME.
They are that sub-genre of Sci-Fi that features giant robots and the people that tame them. So sit back, relax and let your inner thirteen year old enjoy this collection of rock-em sock-em war machines from builders both malevolent and benign. -TBB Mech Builders: Top Row L-R: Cam L.; Carter; Pate-Keetongu. Bottom: The Flame in Us All
8 Mechs
Builder Spotlight
CARS BY _TILER
_Tiler is doing some amzing work, without the need to build it bigger. He is proving that size doesn’t have to be a restriction. the small scale of his vehicles while maintaining detail and form is remarkable. He is even able to incorporate stylings of trademark brands like BMW or Ford. _Tiler is proving bigger is not always better.
Builder Spotlight 9
Come hear author David C. Robertson at BrickCon 2013 in Seattle!
Technic Builds
GREAT BALL CONTRAPTIONS MESMERIZE ALL Great ball contraptions or GBCs have been a huge part of the AFOL community since a group of devoted attendees at Brickfest 2005 originally came up with the idea. GBCs have 1 simple goal: to move balls around. Some are simple others can be mind-blowingly complex. These Rube Goldberg esque machines are very impressive to watch in action as they methodically and automatically move balls through different modules. Technical mastery of mechanical elements and technic components are common in most GBCs. Different modules with independent mechanisms and methods to moving balls around are attached in ever increasing quantity to unite astounding feats in LEGO building.
to LEGO conventions, many of the best GBCs can be found online on youtube. Some of these videos have gone completely viral. The above image is a still from lego mastermind Akiyuky. To date his 7 minute video showing the complete cycle of his 17 module GBC has over 9 million views.
The best way to view and fully appreciate the building is to see one of these contraptions in person. Because of their extreme complexity and scale, it is rare to see one in action, but conventions and other events often have a dedicated group working on a GBC. For those who can’t make it out
To see some great GBCs in action, check out these Youtube Videos: http://tinyurl.com/974bzkx http://tinyurl.com/nmeb675
Lately it has been a challenge for many builders to out-do each other’s GBCs. Complexity, technical mastery and amazement are all on display as builders connect upwards of 50 modules together to run their machine. Check out some of the links below to see these insane machines for yourself. Image by Akiyuky
Technic Builds 11
X wing
THIS INCREDIBLE FULL SCALE LEGO X-WING IS THE LARGEST MODEL IN HISTORY This is truly unbelievable: Lego has built a 1:1 scale model of the X-Wing fighter using an astounding 5,335,200 bricks! It’s as big as the real thing, capable of fitting the real Luke Skywalker—and Porkins.
X-Wing 13
X
wing
HUGE
This thing is
As you can see in these exclusive Gizmodo images, it reproduces the official $60 Lego 9493 X-Wing Fighter. But instead of being 560-pieces and a few inches long, this model uses more than five million pieces and it’s 11-feet tall and 43 feet long, with a 44-foot wingspan. Just like the real X-Wing—and 42 times the size of the commercial Lego set.
unbelievable
FACTS
Here are all details about the model:
• Contains 5,335,200 LEGO bricks • Weighs 45,979.61 pounds (including bricks and steel infrastructure) • Height: 11 feet / 3.35 meters • Length: 43 feet / 13.1 meters • Wingspan: 44 feet / 13.44 meters • 32 builders spent 17,336 hours (about 4 months) to construct • Engines that light up and roar • There’s only one thing different from the original model: the engines glow and roar like the X-Wing in the movies. -Jesus Diaz LEGO Gizmodo
16 X-Wing
18 Jawa Sand Crawler
A STAR WARS CLASSIC GETS THE PROPER LEGO TREATMENT. Complete with RC drive and steering, internal LED lights and a working conveyor belt and door, this model has it all. Builder Marshal Banana explains his affinity towards the Sandcrawler as a model and how he went about constructing the behemoth.
THE CONCEPT Somehow I always liked this slow moving bulky vessel as I saw it the first time in “A new hope”. Its clear lines and its massive size stands again the force of the sand and winds even in the harshest of desert conditions of Tatooine and keeps his small habitants safe. It’s actual more than just a vehicle it’s a moving town. The Sandcrawler was originally used in his earlier days for mining purpose and was long time abandoned before the Jawas rediscovered it as their new mobile headquarters, shops and homes. More than its adventurous background I love the proper
20 Jawa Sand Crawler
design, the sharp edges and the proportions of the model a lot and I have always thought that the Sandcrawler never got as much love from the community as it deserves.
“IT MIGHT SOUND RIDICULOUS, BUT ACHIEVING THE PROPER ANGLES TOOK ME WEEKS OF DEVELOPING AND TRIAL AND ERROR”
THE BUILD The model itself is not that complex designed – it is just a big brown box! That was also my first thought, but there are
more unusual angles as you are thinking at the first sight. Untill I was finally satisfied with the result, I ended up rebuilding the whole model three and the most difficult bits uncountable times during the process. THE BACK: one of the flashiest details are the two large cylinders actual the power generators of the vehicle. I had found a solution with curved slopes connected with snot adaptors on the greebly base plate. The cylinders are sticking through the roof and ending in different designed fans. THE FRONT: The forward sweep of the crawler’s body is probably one of the most complex parts of the build.
It’s consisting of irregular angles. I had decided to build all panels brick building wise instead of using plates – this decision didn’t make the whole intend easier, not at all! It might sound ridiculous, but achieving the proper angles took me weeks of developing and trial and error.
so the model was reviewed. Despite amazing build quality and its impressive scale, the folks at lego unfortunately had to pass on making this awesome model into an official set.
WALL PATTERN: I achieved the rusty and weathered appearance of the walls with different brown shades and the use of dark orange and bluish grey splashes as seen on the original model.
The news from LEGO is sad news for a truly spectacular project. The CUUSOO review result does not take away from the epic nature of the model, or the feat it took to build. Congrats Marshal Banana for building the AFOL Magazine model of the month for September 2013.
The model did achieve 10,000 supporters on Lego CUUSOO,
Marshal Banana -Lego CUUSOO
22 Jawa Sand Crawler
OFFICIAL LEGO COMMENTS This is a project of epic proportions; a Sandcrawler that could potentially dwarf even the Taj Mahal, currently the largest LEGO set ever produced. Unfortunately we can’t approve this project in the LEGO Review based on our ongoing relationship and collaboration with Lucasfilm on LEGO Star Wars.
Set Review
FINALLY! A BREAKING BAD LEGO SET THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY BUY! They said it couldn’t be done. Well, it happened. Sorta. For the rock bottom price of $250 this custom-made Breaking Bad Lego set could be yours! The set comes with over 500 bricks and three minifigs! It doesn’t get much better than this super-cute Lego meth lab.
It’s a shame that Lego frowns upon drugs, sex, violence, and middle-aged men running around trailers in their tighty-whities, cause this is pretty badass. Thinking about buying one for that special someone in your life? “Due to [its] sheer awesomeness” it takes about 2-3 weeks to ship.
Though it’s not an official Lego set (cause that would never happen), it’s still a pretty sweet piece of kit. Although the price tag is quite expensive: $250! Even with the custom decorated pieces, that’s a lot of dough.
-Tatiana Danger Images by LEGO Gizmodo (detail on the next page)
Set Review 23
Although, not official, this BREAKING BAD LEGO set has to get some fans excited. Buy!
Set Review 25
Landscape of the Month
ORDLOKARR CASTLE by Mark of Falworth and Brother Steven