Bricks issue 1 sampler by mark guest

TH E E S SENTIAL GUIDE TO BUILDING , BUYING AND C OLLECTING LEGO® PROD U CTS

Speed Champions cars go head-to-head | Exclusive: lost Jetbike instructions | Behind the scenes at Bricks in Motion | The influence of Friends | Avengers helicarrier | The creative genius of Carl Greatrix | Masterclass builds | The ten-minute LEGO egg LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group © 2015 The LEGO Group/ All Rights Reserved. Bricks magazine is not an official LEGO product or affiliated in any way

CONTENTS

6 BRICKS SOLUTIONS

Solving the tricky conundrum of the shrinking LEGO street

8 BEYOND THE BRICK T-shirts, stamps, mugs – all the accessories for your LEGO lifestyle

10 BIG IDEAS A look at some of the cool inventions currently sitting on LEGO Ideas

12 TECHNIC LE MANS RACE CAR LEGO’s new motorsport offering reviewed by professional racing driver Oliver Webb

20 SPEED CHAMPIONS

72 BRICKS MASTERCLASS: GARY DAVIS

Mr Brickish gives us a tour round his incredible Space: 1999 launchpad

78 GETTING TECHNICAL Some of the frankly unbelievable builds that have been done in Technic

82 THE LEGO TOP TEN Ferries, trains… wind turbines? Our favourite ever LEGO company tie-ins

88 FRIENDS UNITED Despite minidoll reservations, Lucy Boughton is a big fan of LEGO Friends…

Seven stunning new supercars that you don’t need millions to own…

94 BRICKS MASTERCLASS: IAIN SCOTT

30 BRICKS IN MOTION

The fantastically imaginative world of the Maersk Space Trucker

Behind the scenes at the coolest, brickladen transport show around

40 LEGO RACERS A nostalgic look back at the iconic LEGO racing game from yesteryear

42 CARL GREATRIX LEGO genius, TT Games builder and serious perfectionist

50 REVIEW: SHIELD HELICARRIER An in-depth look at the sizeable, 2,996piece Avengers-themed set

62 REVIEW: TECHNIC DRAGSTER It has a nice pull-back motor, but is it worthy of your collection?

100 EXCLUSIVE: THE MISSING JETBIKE Thought the instructions for Series 15 Jetbike had disappeared? Wrong…

104 LEGO STAR WARS IN 100 SCENES Fancy a retelling of the Star Wars story so far? You’ve come to the right place

108 CUSTOM COLLECTOR A look at the latest custom prints available to buy

112 THE TEN-MINUTE BUILD The first of our easter themed instructions

114 SHIPWRECK SETS

64 REVIEW: WOOKIEE GUNSHIP

What single LEGO set would you save? LEGO’s Kim Ellekjær Thomsen reveals all

An inspection of one of the new LEGO machines from Star Wars Rebels

116 MINIFIGURE POLL

68 OUT OF THE BOX

Pick your favourite mini politician from the five rogues on offer here…

LEGO unleashed and played with. This month: the Hulk Buster Smash

118 THE TEN-MINUTE BUILD

70 THE SET MATRIX Your indispensible guide to price and piece counts from 2015’s LEGO sets

ISSUE 1

Anyone up for building an egg

120 MINIFIGURE COLLECTOR Huw Millington casts his expert eye over the minifigs from Speed Racers

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BEYOND THE BRICK LEGO UPSCALED MUG The humble LEGO mug element has appeared in a fair few sets over the years, and it’s become one of those iconic LEGO pieces. But that minifigscale mug isn’t exactly built to have your morning cup of orange juice in. Thankfully you can now enjoy a tasty beverage of your choice in the LEGO Upscaled Mug, which is ten times the size of the LEGO element it’s modelled on. Available in blue and trans-purple, it’s the perfect full-sized recreation of the standard LEGO one, great for when you need a little break between building. The LEGO Upscaled Mug is available directly from LEGO and its brand stores, priced at a very reasonable £8.49. http://shop.lego.com/ en-GB/Upscaled-Mug-Blue853465?fromListing=listing

THE LEGO MOVIE SOUNDTRACK VINYL Before you could stream or download music, it came on CD. Before that, it was on cassette. And before that, around about the time that dinosaurs roamed the earth, music came on vinyl. For those not old enough to remember vinyl, it’s basically a giant CD played on a turntable. Just recently vinyl has been making a bit of a comeback and earlier this year The LEGO Movie soundtrack was released on it. Along with the standard black record, there was a limited 1,000-run of coloured discs, 500 red and 500 yellow. Later this year a number of character-coloured versions are due to be released, including a clear vinyl with black, blue and purple streaks inspired by Wyldstyle and a half-blue, half-orange variant for Emmet. The doublesided vinyl features 28 tracks, including Everything is Awesome. The LEGO Movie 180gm Black Vinyl OST is available available from Amazon UK and independent record stores. Prices may vary a little bit but expect to pay around £25-£30. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QSUYC50 8 BRICKS

POST DENMARK LEGO POSTAL STAMPS On 2nd January 2015, Post Danmark issued two LEGO-themed stamps as part of the 2015 Europa series. This special series of stamps features various toys, and it’s only fitting that LEGO, one of Denmark’s biggest exports, should be included. There are two designs in the collection: a 10 Krone stamp which features a little boy minifigure and a 14.5 krone version featuring a little girl minifigure. Both are surrounded by a colourful array of floating LEGO bricks along with various tiles bearing the country name, denomination, the Europa logo, the year and the word legetøj, which is Danish for ‘toys’. Post Danmark Minifigure Stamps are available from the Post Danmark website (www.postdanmark.dk), either individually or in packs of ten.

A collection of our favourite LEGO-themed accessories and merchandise that will help enhance your brick-loving lifestyle

SPACESHIP, SPACESHIP, SPACESHIP LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRT Nothing says ‘I’m a fan of something’ more than the medium of the t-shirt, so what better way of expressing your love for LEGO than with this limited edition, LEGO Movie-inspired -inspired shirt from Dark Bunny Tees? The handscreenprinted design features the iconic LEGO Classic Space logo, made even more famous by spaceship loving masterbuilder Benny the Spaceman. LEGO fans will instantly recognised the design, while others will just think it’s a cool looking t-shirt. The main design is available on a royal blue tee, with a green or blue kids versions recently being added to the range. The Limited Edition Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP tee is available from www. darkbunnytees.com. Adult £18.00, kids £12.00. http://darkbunnytees.com/product/legomovie/

LEGO SALT AND PEPPER SHAKER SET Bring your love of LEGO to mealtimes with the LEGO Salt and Pepper Shakers. The set includes two 600-times upscaled versions of the 1x1 LEGO brick in black and white, and they even feature the classic LEGO brick branding on the top of the stud. Refilling them with salt and pepper is easy thanks to the rubber stopper on the base; better still is that although they aren’t actual LEGO bricks, they can be stacked on top of each other. The LEGO Salt and Pepper Set is available directly from LEGO and its brand stores, priced at £4.99. http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/ Salt-and-Pepper-Set850705?fromListing=listing

LEGO PATENT ART PRINTS Bring a bit of class to your wall with these lovely retro-styled, LEGO-themed art prints. There are a number of different LEGO designs which feature the original patent submission imagery, including the minifigure and the 2x4 LEGO brick. All designs are printed on heavyweight white archival paper, with a smooth matte finish using high quality inks. Add them to a frame of your choice and instantly bring your love of LEGO into any room or office. They are handmade by the RusticArtPrints store on Esty. Each print is available via Esty Store RusticArtPrints and is available in various sizes, starting from £7.00. https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ RusticArtPrints/search?search_ query=lego&order=date_ desc&view_ type=gallery&ref=shop_search

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LEGO IN THE FAST LANE

Le Mans race series driver Oliver Webb takes time out from his daily high-speed shenanigans to sit down with the Technic 24 Hour Race Car, and answer the vital question: would he own it? Words: Mark Guest Photography: Andrew Tipping

rom the moment Oliver Webb won his first ever club kart race at the age of 11, it was obvious that he wasn’t going to become a plumber or a builder. Five years after that maiden victory he’d won a scholarship from BMW, and he has since raced in a variety of championships like Formula Renault, Formula 3 and Indy Lights in America. He’s now moved from single-seaters to the sort of endurance racing done at Le Mans – meaning long driving stints in incredibly noisy and insanely powerful cars. So when the LEGO Technic 24-Hour Race Car landed in the Bricks office, there was only one man whose verdict we wanted on it… Hi Oliver. Firstly, tell us a little about yourself, how it all started and what you’re up to now? Well, I’m a professional racing driver. I started karting locally in Manchester when I was about eight or nine years old, and

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decided I was quite good; we kind of took it from there and as a driver I did quite well. Back then karting wasn’t as expensive as it is now, but it has changed quite a lot. I soon won my first karting championship and then got signed up by BMW. It kind of got quite big when I was about 14. Do teams and managers tend to hang around karting tracks looking for the driving stars of tomorrow? Yeah, I guess it’s similar to football in that sense as there’s quite a bit of scouting going on. In terms of the North West there weren’t that many super-hot talents out there – a lot of the big karting championships happened in Europe, so for me up in the north it was great to win that title. I then progressed into Formula BMW as a scholarship driver with their backing, and from there went into Formula 3 as a Mercedes driver – just as the likes of Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton did. I battled for

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START YOUR ENGINES!

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R Speed Champions, the latest racing range from LEGO, gets a close inspection from Bricks expert Chris Pearce, while Huw Millington organises the headto-head that Top Gear couldn’t…

Words: Chris Pearce & Huw Millington Photography: Andrew Tipping

he Speed Champions sets have been hotly anticipated since they were revealed towards the end of 2014, with plenty of artwork appearing online in the run-up to their release and even a cameo appearance in the trailer for Series 22 of Top Gear. Seven sets have been released so far, based on vehicles from Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche. The four smallest of those sets are priced at £12.99, or $14.99. They each include a single supercar along with a driver and, in most cases, some trackside equipment. The larger sets include more racing accessories and four more superb cars, which vary sufficiently to maintain appeal across the board. We’re taking you through each set in the range, and also bringing you the head-to-head between the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari that the manufacturers wouldn’t let Top Gear film. OK, it’s not quite what Top Gear had in mind but it’s still a head-to-head… BRICKS 21

TOP TEN LEGO TIE-IN 10

4999 VESTAS WIND TURBINE

Year of release: 2008 Number of pieces: 815 Number of minifigures: 3 OK, so this one is stretching the ‘motion’ theme to breaking point, but thanks to the inclusion of LEGO Power Functions the vanes turn under their own steam, so it does fit the brief, kind of… This great-looking model was never available at retail, unfortunately. Instead it was produced back in 2008 for Vestas, a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer and

1955 COLOR LINE FERRY

Year of release: 1993 Number of pieces: 241 Number of minifigures: n/a As it has for airlines, LEGO has also produced sets for (mostly Scandinavian) ferry companies since the 1970s. Being even more difficult to get hold of than airline specials they now command a ridiculously high price on the secondary 82 BRICKS

servicer of wind turbines, who gave it to their employees as a gift. As is so often the case with such items, many copies subsequently made it into the hands of eager collectors via the likes of eBay and Bricklink.com, and the set continues to be much sought after to this day – as you’ll realise if you try to buy one…. The tower and huge, motorised vanes are obviously the most eye-catching features, but the model is nicely rounded off by a small hut and some landscaping and vegetation at the base of the tower, not to mention a van and three minifigures. In addition YOU MIGHT to the inclusion of a motor to ALSO LIKE drive the vanes, the set also 7747 Wind includes lighting for the hut. Turbine Transport

market – up to £500 in some cases. This set was produced in 1993 for Color Line ferries, which operates routes between Denmark, Norway and Germany. Like all ferry sets, most of the windows are printed onto bricks and slopes which makes replicating them from other parts problematic. At 241 pieces, this is one of the larger ferries to be YOU MIGHT produced in the 1990s. ALSO LIKE It came with two tiny 1054 Stena Line Ferry, vehicles, which could be which was available on Stena’s driven into the back of the cross Channel route to France and was the last set to be ship (which is hinged). produced specifically for a ferry company, in 1999

Several decades of multi-company collaborations have produced some highly sough-after sets, like these…

Words: Dr Dave Watford and Huw Millington

-INS 8

hile some bemoan what they see as LEGO’s increasing reliance on licensed tieins, these sets are nothing new, having been a part of LEGO’s product portfolio since the 1960s. According to a recent interview with LEGO CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, licensed products make up about a third of LEGO’s business and it’s an important driver of company growth. When the subject of licensed sets comes up it’s often the big themes such as Star Wars, DC, Marvel Super Heroes and the like which come to mind. Yet LEGO also has a rich history

of generally smaller-scale tie-ins with other companies, and it’s these which are the subject of this article. Some collaborations, such as those with brands like Ferrari, Shell and Maersk, have been enduring and fruitful, resulting in numerous sets over the course of many years. Others have yielded just a single set in some cases. In the spirit of this motion-themed first issue of Bricks, we set out to celebrate the cream of these crosscompany collaborations by showcasing ten of the best motion-related LEGO tie-ins. Here, in reverse chronological order, are the picks we’ve come up with – is your favourite on the list?

10020 SANTA FE SUPER CHIEF

Year of release: 2002 Number of pieces: 435 Number of minifigures: 2 Although LEGO has has been producing trains since the 1960s, 2002’s 10020 Santa Fe Super Chief was perhaps LEGO’s first properly realistic-looking train, and has now become a cult classic (with prices to match, unfortunately). The overall design and vibrant colour scheme do a great job of recreating the appearance of the real train and look fantastic. LEGO’s version of the Santa Fe Super Chief isn’t just YOU MIGHT a pretty face either – it was ALSO LIKE a couple of minifigures. To designed to accommodate 10133 Burlington complement the set, LEGO a 9v motor, enabling it to run Northern Santa Fe released two further ones on 9v rail tracks. Collectability (BNSF) Locomotive containing Santa Fe rolling is enhanced by the fact that stock – 10025 Santa Fe Cars the first 10,000 sets were Set I (which contained parts to build released as limited editions, coming either a mail car or a baggage car) and complete with a certificate of authenticity Set 10022 Santa Fe Cars Set II (which and an individually-numbered tile. contained parts to build a sleeping car, Unlike most of LEGO’s more recently an observation car or a dining car). This released sets containing trains (which meant that you could purchase as many or are effectively a complete train set in as few cars as needed to configure your a box), the Santa Fe Super Chief set train exactly as you wanted it, which is a consisted of just a single locomotive and

far cry from the frustrating situation you have today, where if you want additional cars you have to source the individual parts yourself or buy one or more whole train sets to get them.

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CARL GREATRIX

THE PERFECTIONIST Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planes, trains or automobiles, Carl Greatrix and his unbelievably high standards are responsible for some of the best LEGO models around Words: Hans Seeberg Photography: Andrew Tipping

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Inside the CEE | LEGO art with Andy Morris | The science of building | Steam Punk and Iron building with Guy Himber | Custom Storage

Bricks Culture is a lavish new brand examining and celebrating the rich and complex ways that people now build LEGO into their art, their businesses and their lifestyles. Bricksculture invites you to reappraise LEGO from a new perspective

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Despite abandoning minifigures for a rather controversial â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;minidollâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, LEGO Friends has opened up the possibilities of what can be created with the humble brick even further

Words: Lucy Boughton Photography: Various

A Friendly INTRODUCTION

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MASTERCLASS

SPACE TRUCKER! Loading up for its next long-haul flight, the Maersk space trucker sits patiently while Bricks catches up with its creator Iain Scott Words: Adam White Photography: Dave Kirkham

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pace – the final frontier, the last known expanse left for mankind to fully discover. Although we may be many years off from popping into space to pick up a pint of milk or stopping for a bite to eat in a fly-through space McDonald’s on our way to visit Auntie June on Mars, when the time comes it’s safe to assume that there will be plenty of huge space haulers cruising the galaxy. One such ship could look an awful lot like this rather

awesome beast of a LEGO MOC from building wizard Iain Scott. His Maersk Explorer blends two of Denmark’s biggest companies and gives them a bit of a spacey twist. We caught up with Iain to chat about his wonderful build… What was the inspiration behind this incredible creation? I really love building futuristic service vehicles, which tend to be a bit forgotten in space circles. Recently I watched a film called Space Truckers and I felt influenced to build a space container ship. I am influenced a lot by the artwork on old science fiction novels, like images of BRICKS 95

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Discover proposals for new LEGO® sets created by fans just like you! Upload your own idea, or support your favorites. Give feedback and share ideas with your friends so

they get noticed. The more active you are the more chance you have of seeing great ideas become awesome LEGO products.

We’re looking for the next bright LEGO® idea…

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20/03/15 12.45