BrickJournal #40 by TwoMorrows Publishing

The Magazine for LEGO® Enthusiasts of All Ages! Issue 40 • July 2016

8.95

in the US

LEGO Mecha Returns! Robot Building with Benjamin Cheh Ming Hann Building Mech Frames with Kelvin Low & J Dennis Seth Higgins and his Transforming Robots!

Instructions AND MORE! ISBN-13: 978-1-60549-069-4 50895

9 781605 490694

We’re In Canada Too! St. John’s, NL

EVANSVILLE, IN Phoenix, AZ

Issue 40 • July 2016

Contents

From the Editor............................................................2

People A Transforming Brick?..............................................3 Building Transformers and Gundam................7 J Dennis: Mini Mecha Maker..............................12 Benjamin Cheh Ming Hann: Mecha Master..........................................................16

Building Kelvin Low, also known as: Chubbybots!.....24 You Can Build It: Gamera MINI.............................................................30 Duncan Lindbo’s Mecha MOCs........................40 The Mecha of Spencer Rollins...........................46 You Can Build It: Classic Space Mech...............................................48 BrickNerd’s DIY: MINI Gundam...........................................................56 Miniland Scale Chinese Figures.......................64 Minifigure Customization 101: Ultraman!....................................................................69

Community Community Ads.......................................................78 Last Word.....................................................................79 AFOLs............................................................................80

From the Editor: Hi! This issue revisits a theme that is popular for most people: mecha. We already did an issue on this a couple of years ago and it seemed like a good time to update.

July 2016 Issue 40

Of course, some articles got sidetracked— we have a Gamera build? That’s not mecha! Well, it’s sorta close, and it looks cool, so I made instructions. There’s also some other mecha instructs too.

Publisher John Morrow Editor in Chief Joe Meno Photography Editor Geoff Gray Proofreader John Morrow Japanese Bureau Editor Nathan Bryan West Coast Editors Todd Kubo Ashley Glennon LEGO Ideas Correspondent Glen Wadleigh Contributors: Jared Burks, J Dennis, Kevin Hall, Benjamin Cheh Ming Hann, Seth Higgins, Duncan Lindbo, Kelvin Low, Moko, Spencer Rollins, Tommy Williamson, and Greg Hyland. Many thanks to the websites who have served as mirrors for BrickJournal:

You’ll also find interviews, some short, some long, with some of the newer mecha builders out there. Since most mech builders are in Asia, there are challenges to getting articles from there, but this issue has a couple of builders from the Far East. There’s also some other builders from places a little closer, like the LUG I am a member of. It’s nice when there are LUG members who are that skilled in building. This almost makes articles easy to do. Almost. Have fun reading and building! Joe Meno, Editor P.S. Have ideas or comments? Drop me a line at admin@brickjournal.com. I’m open to suggestions and comments and will do my best to reply. P.P.S... Yes, BrickJournal has a website — www.brickjournal.com! Twitter? Yep, there too — http://twitter.com/brickjournal. Facebook? Yup — http://www.facebook. com/group.php?gid=58728699914&ref=mf. Or you can scan the bottom codes with a QR reader! P.P.P.S. If you want info on a subscription, you can go to: http://twomorrows.com/ index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78&products_id=616 or scan below! Website

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About the Cover: Benjamin Cheh Ming Hann’s mecha, the Imperator is readied for a mission. Photo provided by Benjamin Cheh Ming Hann. About the Contents Page: Benjamin Cheh Ming Hann’s mecha, the Balrog, takes up a defensive stance. Photo provided by Benjamin Cheh Ming Hann.

Glossary AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) NLSO (Non-LEGO Significant Other) MOC (My Own Creation) TLG (The LEGO Group) BURP (Big Ugly Rock Piece) LURP (Little Ugly Rock Piece) MECHA (a large armored robot on legs, typically controlled by a pilot seated inside) MECH (a large piloted combat robot)

GUNDAM (sci-fi media franchise featuring giant robots or “mecha”) SNOT (Studs Not on Top) POOP (Pieces—that can be or should be made—Of Other Pieces) LUG (LEGO Users Group) LTC (LEGO Train Club) DARK AGES (usually teen years, when you drift away from building) STUDS OUT (building where the studs on bricks face the viewer)

LEGO®, TECHNIC, MINDSTORMS, Belville, Scala, BIONICLE, ExoForce, Mars Mission, World City, and other LEGO theme lines are trademarks of the LEGO Group of companies. All articles, photos, and art are copyright BrickJournal Media, LLC 2011, TwoMorrows Publishing and the respective writers, photographers, and artists. All rights reserved. All trademarked items are the property of their respective owners and licensees. Subscriptions are $55 Economy US, $66 Expedited US, $87 International, or $23.70 Digital Only and can be purchased at www.twomorrows.com or payment sent to: TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614 USA. The editorial/advertising office address for BrickJournal is: BrickJournal Editor, 5610 Briar Oak Lane #510, Raleigh, NC 27612 USA or admin@brickjournal.com. First Printing. Printed in China. ISSN 1941-2347.

BrickJournal and its staff would like to thank the LDraw community for the software it makes available to the community, which we use for making all of the instructions and renderings in this magazine. We would especially like to thank Kevin Clague for his continued upgrades of the LPub tool that is a part of2the LDraw suite. For more information, please visit http://www.ldraw.org.

People

A Transforming Brick?

Photos by Moko Moko, a LEGO builder in Japan, is one of the best LEGO mecha builders in the world. One of his most recent builds is one his most clever builds—a transforming LEGO brick.

The brick is enlarged 3x from an original LEGO brick to allow for all of the hinges and other parts to fit. Completely folded, the brick hides its contents until the bottom is revealed.

From the form of the well-known 2 x 4 studded brick, Moko has created a robot that unfolds from the brick body.

This model is a great showcase of Moko’s ingenuity. The robot itself has a lot of poseability, thanks to multiple

rotating and click hinges. Features such as the feet are tucked in the body, while arms and legs extend out. The head uses the new 1 x 1 tile with rounded side to form the face, and a minifigure hand tucked in a red headlight brick to define the nose.

The robot’s hands are 1 x 1 tiles with clips so it can hold items if desired. Mixel ball joints are used for articulating the hips and enhancing poseability. For the shoulders, the clip with 2L bar is tucked in the shoulder to rotate the arm side-to-side and up and down.

More of Moko’s work can be found on his Flickr feed: https://www.flickr.com/people/legodoumoko/, and his older models can be found on his Brickshelf account: www. brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=Moko. You can also buy instructions to his creations through the PlusL app (available in the Apple App store and Google play store), which sells alternate model instructions for LEGO sets.

PlusL (Building instruction app. There is also a Kindle version.) Web site: http://plusl.jp.net Kindle version: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_seeall_1?r h=k%3APlusL%2Ci%3Astripbooks&keywords=PlusL&ie=UTF 8&qid=1460659149 PlusL Twitter (@pluslofficial): https://twitter.com/pluslofficial

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BRICKJOURNAL #39

DAVID SIEGEL talks to RICHARD ARNDT about how, from 1991-2005, he brought the greatest artists of the Golden Age to the San Diego Comic-Con! With art and artifacts by FRADON, GIELLA, MOLDOFF, LAMPERT, CUIDERA, FLESSEL, NORRIS, SULLIVAN, NOVICK, SCHAFFENBERGER, GROTHKOPF, and others! Plus how writer JOHN BROOME got to the Con, Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, FCA, and more!

DON GLUT discusses his early years as comic book writer for Marvel, Warren, and Gold Key, with art by SANTOS, MAROTO, CHAN, NEBRES, KUPPERBERG, TUSKA, TRIMPE, SAL BUSCEMA, and others! Also, SAL AMENDOLA and ROY THOMAS on the 1970s professional Academy of Comic Book Arts, founded by STAN LEE and CARMINE INFANTINO! Plus Mr. Monster, FCA, BILL SCHELLY, and more!

MARK CARLSON documents 1940s-50s ACE COMICS (with super-heroes Magno & Davey, Lash Lightning, The Raven, Unknown Soldier, Captain Courageous, Vulcan, and others)! Art by KURTZMAN, MOONEY, BERG, L.B. COLE, PALAIS, and more. Plus: RICHARD ARNDT’s interview with BILL HARRIS (1960s-70s editor of Gold Key and King Comics), FCA, Comic Crypt, and Comic Fandom Archive.

Super-star DC penciler HOWARD PORTER demos his creative process, and JAMAL IGLE discusses everything from storyboarding to penciling as he gives a breakdown of his working methods. Plus there’s Crusty Critic JAMAR NICHOLAS reviewing art supplies, JERRY ORDWAY showing the Ord-Way of doing comics, and Comic Art Bootcamp lessons with BRET BLEVINS and Draw! editor MIKE MANLEY! Mature readers only.

LEGO DINOSAURS! Builder WILLIAM PUGH discusses building prehistoric creatures, a LEGO Jurassic World by DIEGO MAXIMINO PRIETO ALVAREZ, and dino bones by MATT SAILORS! Plus: Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, DIY Fan Art by BrickNerd TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons, and more!

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“Eighties Ladies!” MILLER & SIENKIEWICZ’s Elektra: Assassin, Dazzler, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Lady Quark, DAN MISHKIN’s Wonder Woman, WILLIAM MESSNER-LOEBS and ADAM KUBERT’s Jezebel Jade, Somerset Holmes, and a look back at Marvel’s Dakota North! Featuring the work of BRUCE JONES, JOHN ROMITA JR., ROGER STERN, and many more, plus a previously unpublished cover by SIENKIEWICZ.

“All-Jerks Issue!” Guy Gardner, Namor in the Bronze Age, J. Jonah Jameson, Flash Thompson, DC’s Biggest Blowhards, the Heckler, Obnoxio the Clown, and Archie’s “pal” Reggie Mantle! Featuring the work of (non-jerks) RICH BUCKLER, KURT BUSIEK, JOHN BYRNE, STEVE ENGLEHART, KEITH GIFFEN, ALAN KUPPERBERG, and many more. Cover-featuring KEVIN MAGUIRE’s iconic Batman/Guy Gardner “One Punch”!

“Bronze Age Halloween!” The Swamp Thing revival of 1982, Swamp Thing in Hollywood, Phantom Stranger team-ups, KUPPERBERG & MIGNOLA’s Phantom Stranger miniseries, DC’s The Witching Hour, the Living Mummy, and an index of Marvel’s 1970s’ horror anthologies! Featuring the work of RICH BUCKLER, ANDY MANGELS, VAL MAYERIK, MARTIN PASKO, MICHAEL USLAN, THOMAS YEATES, and more. YEATES cover.

“All-Captains Issue!” Bronze Age histories of Shazam! (Captain Marvel) and Captain MarVell, Captain Carrot, Captain Storm and the Losers, Captain Universe, and Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers. Featuring C. C. BECK, PAT BRODERICK, JACK KIRBY, ELLIOT S. MAGGIN, BILL MANTLO, DON NEWTON, BOB OKSNER, SCOTT SHAW!, JIM STARLIN, ROY THOMAS, and more. Cover painting by DAVE COCKRUM!

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“Bronze Age Adaptations!” The Shadow, Korak: Son of Tarzan, Battlestar Galactica, The Black Hole, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Worlds Unknown, and Marvel’s 1980s movie adaptations. Plus: PAUL KUPPERBERG surveys prose adaptations of comics! With work by JACK KIRBY, DENNY O’NEIL, FRANK ROBBINS, MICHAEL W. KALUTA, FRANK THORNE, MICHAEL USLAN, and sporting an alternate Kaluta cover produced for DC’s Shadow series!

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COMIC BOOK CREATOR #13 COMIC BOOK CREATOR #14

KIRBY COLLECTOR #67

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MICHAEL W. KALUTA feature interview covering his early fans days THE SHADOW, STARSTRUCK, the STUDIO, and Vertigo cover work! Plus RAMONA FRADON talks about her 65+ years in the comic book business on AQUAMAN, METAMORPHO, SUPER-FRIENDS, and SPONGEBOB! Also JAY LYNCH reveals the WACKY PACK MEN who created the Topps trading cards that influenced an entire generation!

Comprehensive KELLEY JONES interview, from early years as Marvel inker to presentday greatness at DC depicting BATMAN, DEADMAN, and SWAMP THING (chockful of rarely-seen artwork)! Plus WILL MURRAY examines the nefarious legacy of Batman co-creator BOB KANE in an investigation into tragic ghosts and rapacious greed. We also look at RAINA TELGEMEIER and her magnificent army of devotees, and more!

UP-CLOSE & PERSONAL! Kirby interviews you weren’t aware of, photos and recollections from fans who saw him in person, personal anecdotes from Jack’s fellow pros, LEE and KIRBY cameos in comics, MARK EVANIER and other regular columnists, and more! Don’t let the photo cover fool you; this issue is chockfull of rare Kirby pencil art, from Roz Kirby’s private sketchbook, and Jack’s most personal comics stories!

KEY KIRBY CHARACTERS! We go decadeby-decade to examine pivotal characters Jack created throughout his career (including some that might surprise you)! Plus there’s a look at what would’ve happened if Kirby had never left Marvel Comics for DC, how Jack’s work has been repackaged over the decades, MARK EVANIER and other regular columnists, and galleries of unseen Kirby pencil art!

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People

Transformers and Gundam Article and Photography by Seth Higgins

Background

Seth Higgins Age 21 Graphic Designer

When I was about five years old I started playing with LEGO bricks and have been hooked on them ever since. There hasn’t been a year in my life since then that I haven’t played with or not gotten something LEGO. I hit a new jumpstart of building in about 2009 when I discovered the many communities of LEGO builders on the internet. This is when I started to really develop my skills as a builder. Seeing all the creations that others had made with the same bricks I had made me want to create LEGO versions of things I grew up with. I liked a lot of robot and mecha shows growing up and one of my favorites was Transformers. My mom found out that the NCLUG group had a LEGO display every year in Chapel Hill, NC and e-mailed the

group about me being able to display some of my transformers in the show. It was there I met Joe Meno and the rest of the NCLUG group and started displaying with them at shows with several different types of displays. I have built mecha probably more than any other type of building theme. My top two mecha building styles are Transformers and Gundam. I’ve been building Transformers for about seven years and Gundam for about three years. It is amazing how much improvement I have seen in my building skill and style. I keep working to improve my building style because you can never stop getting better at doing something. Work has cut my building time but I still find time to enjoy my addiction.

What Started It All

Transformers

Transformers were some of my first big mecha builds that helped kick off my love for building mecha. I loved the challenge of building something that is two-in-one, and that you have the additional play value of both a vehicle and a robot. Looking back, my first attempts at transformer builds were laughably bad, but I was young when I made them and I loved playing with them. In the end, just enjoying playing with LEGO is what should matter the most. I have made dozens of transformers over the years, but as time went on I started losing interest in building transformers and basically scrapped all but a few of my favorites. I later started building transformers again but this time I took more time on each build and paid close attention to the details that shaped and made the figure. I looked at the actual Transformers toys and started looking at how I could translate those into LEGO. Lots of trial and error goes into play when designing a transformer. Some of the smallest details or moving parts can really make or break the look and feel of the build. Scaling has become important to me so that all my figures look good next to each other. Optimus is the leader of the autobots, so he needs to stand taller and feel stronger when compared to ones like Sideswipe who is a smaller car robot. I also try to build the figures to look decently proportioned with minifigures. It has been fun to have the transformers placed in the middle of a city, rampaging or even walking in a parade.

Building Methods

My building method isn’t really something I have set in stone. When I start coming up with ideas for a build, I do some research by looking at multiple art renderings or even actual models of the figures. When I start the actual build I try to determine what is the size/ scale it needs to be to bring out the details I want to see in my build. My goal is to make it a playable size, because sometimes bigger isn’t always better. I don’t have a specific part that I start with, and most of my pieces are in random bins, with only a few sorted into trays or bags. I start by digging through my bins, picking out parts that I think I will use in the build. While I look though my bins, I am building the model in my head trying to think of ways to make the model I am wanting into LEGO. When I get done building it, I will play with it some, finding out the problems with the design, and then later go back and redesign the areas I am not satisfied with. Most of the time a MOC is never officially done for me. I will often go back and look at a build I have done in the past and think of a way to make it better.

AUTOBOT LEADER

OPTIMUS PRIME

DECEPTICON COMMUNICATOR

SOUNDWAVE

AND CASSETTE LASERBEAK

AUTOBOT WARRIOR

SIDESWIPE

9 9

Building The Gundam

Gundam/mecha building is one of my favorite build types, because I enjoy the challenge of building a fully poseable and detailed figure. My goals when building any type of mecha are: 1) Design it to have a wide variety of motion for good poseability.

One of my favorite things about building mecha is being able to display it in cool poses on my shelf.

2) To make sure that the joint areas are study enough for the build

to stand freely without it falling over. No one likes it when they build something they think looks really cool and then it just crashes down in front of them at the first bump of a table.

3) Make the build strong enough that I can actually play with it.

Because let’s face it, we are all still kids at heart and I want to be able to take my giant mech into battle. I want whatever I build to have some way I can interact with it, and not have it fall apart into a thousand pieces.

RX-93 Nu Gundam

The Nu Gundam is one of my favorite models to just pick up and play with by putting it into different poses. Most Gundams seem to have that powerful yet agile feel about them and I wanted my LEGO one to have that same feel. The armor on the Gundam is very poseable to allow the joints to move as freely as possible. It is also loaded with weaponry: a large rifle, shield, beam saber, and detachable funnels on its back that would fly around and shoot massive laser beams. The Nu Gundam is definitely one of my favorite builds to date and it just adds more fuel to my fire for LEGO building!

A little construction figure for comparison.

RX-93

Funnels fold for “flight mode”

Nu Gundam

Shoulder reaches nearly 90°

Hip joint is made of 3 rachet joints.

Leg has muiltiple moving panels.

People

J Dennis: Mini Mecha Maker Article by Joe Meno A new builder to hit the scene is J Dennis. While he may not have a large library of builds, his gallery is growing. It’s not the builds that caught BrickJournal’s attention, but the idea of a mini mecha frame (the Mobile Core System [MCS]) that could be easily modified by builders for different missions. BrickJournal chatted with Dennis about his building and mobile frames. MCS Unit X “NaniRyuuKi” and Dock Worker.

MCS Unit X “NaniRyuuKi.”

BrickJournal: What do you do outside of building? J Dennis: By day, I’m a mild-mannered husband/father, but in the evenings I work for the local water works as a Treatment Plant Operator. On the side, I like to study Buddhism, meditation, comparative religion, calisthenics, and the occasional Star Wars novel. How old are you? I just recently turned 35. How long have you been building? That’s a tricky one, actually... I don’t remember a time before

I had a pile of bricks to play with as a kid—back then I was obsessed with anything Space-themed (Space Police, M-Tron, and Ice Planet were personal favorites, if I remember correctly), but in my early teens I discovered these strange and exotic creatures called “girls” and adjusted my priorities. About 3 years ago, when my son was old enough (and I was convinced he wouldn’t try to eat them), I took my collection out of storage and started relearning how to build by teaching him. I had no idea how much things had changed in all those years! What got you into mecha building? I’ve been a mecha anime fan since watching Gundam Wing in the late ’90s, (well, earlier than that if you count G1 Transformers as “mecha”) but never quite had the guts for Gunpla (Gundam Plastic models kit) building, so it just felt natural to try making Gundams with LEGO instead. Most, if not all, of my models are built with the fan-made tabletop LEGO strategy game “Mobile Frame Zero” in mind. Mecha units for use in the game should fit within a 10 x 10 stud box, no taller than 12 bricks, so I use that as my scale reference. I’m kind of a poser, though, because I’ve never actually played the game; I just really love building mechs at that scale!

Above, below and bottom: Some views of MCS “Mideaval.”

Dragon mech!

What inspired you to build the mini mecha model? I kind of stumbled into it by accident, originally. I had just finished a particular model and realized if I stripped away all the details and greebly bits, I had a very versatile and wellarticulated skeleton that I could use to build all sorts of things on. I spent a few months playing with that, and eventually redesigned it into what I call the Mobile Core System—because it’s the “core” of a mobile suit. I have to credit the Legendary Lu Simm here as well, because I had drooled over his reFrame concept for some time before coming up with this design. He works in a large scale that just intimidates the heck out of me, so in a way this is my attempt at sizing down his concept into something that I can wrap my head around.

A look at the rear of MCS Unit X “NaniRyuuKi” and Dock Worker.

You can see more of J Dennis’ work at his Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ phayze81/ or at the QR code on the right.

A Mini Mecha Breakdown Arm Dennis’ mini mecha manages to compress a lot of articulation in a small package. In a previous frame design he does this by using the ball joints found in the Mixels sets and the pneumatic T-joint for the shoulder and leg joints. The T-joints allow for two axes of movement, while the ball joints have even more freedom. As a result, the arms can turn and rotate and the elbows can rotate. The legs can also turn and rotate and the shin can also rotate, while the foot can rotate to keep contact with the ground. His newer frames use a ball with bar element that is used in the Nexo Knights sets as projectiles for crossbows. Those parts allow even more mobility.

Chest

Brackets and jumper plates (the 1 x 2 with one center stud) provide attachment points for armor and weaponry. You can see other frame versions at Dennis’ Flickr gallery. So how would you suit it up?

Waist Leg

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People

Benjamin Cheh Ming Hann:

Mecha Master! Janus Ja IWM TypeB44 (User Experience Prototype)

For Benjamin Cheh Ming Han, a 33-year-old LEGO fan in Malaysia, it’s a childhood dream to be recognized for his building, but it was only a matter of time. As a kid, he always imagined that one day someone would want to look at his work, and his mech models have been getting the attention of LEGO builders worldwide by being featured on LEGO blogs such as the Brothers Brick, Bricknerd, Tilesorstuds, Hellobricks, and by many other bloggers all around the world. He has also built a presence on Facebook with many followers. However, with all the attention, he doesn’t want the spotlight for himself.

Article by Joe Meno Photography by Benjamin Cheh Ming Hann

Talking to him on a Skype call, Benjamin is a very casual and energetic speaker who is grateful for the attention, but wants to share his building to inspire young kids. He displays his MOCs in his hometown, Malacca, at a local department store (Parkson Mahkota Parade) “to show the kids and to others that LEGO is something you can build with. Go ahead and build anything—it doesn’t have to be exactly like my models, but they inspire more kids. They say, ‘Hey, that man built that, and I can try it out.’ “Some people thought I did the display to sell my work, but no, it’s not for sale. It’s to inspire kids and adults alike. It’s for show—some adults and kids don’t know about LEGO. It’s important that I get the message to the kids, the small kids , the next generation to encourage them to build something good, even something better than my MOCS.”

Hann’s first mecha.

Hann started building mecha when he was young. His first inspirations were Transformers and the Gundam series. He was very curious as to why these robots were so transformable and unique in the way they were constructed. He would think about where the guns were placed on a mech, and that curiosity drove him as a kid. From there, it wasn’t long before he began figuring out how to build them in LEGO. If he liked the robots so much, could he build it in LEGO? He answers, “I got a lot of LEGO parts, but not the special parts out now, just lots of basic parts from the sets in the ‘80s and ‘90s. I started building robots then and have been enjoying it since.”

Various views of KMS SV88 Seryye Volki Mark II mecha.

He tried to build all the good robots, but also went to building the bad robots and bad characters. He liked the bad characters more because they looked cooler with dark colors, such as dark and gray. This colors attracted him, and that’s why his mechs are generally dark bluish grey. As Batman would say in The LEGO Movie, “I only work in black and sometimes very, very dark gray!” Hann’s building started in 1994, but had a Dark Age. During this time, he kept in touch with the hobby by collecting LEGO catalogs. Hann eventually returned to the hobby in 2007 after college and starting a job in Singapore, when he began building mechs. Since then he has built (and rebuilt) about 50 mecha models. Building models is a tactile experience for Benjamin. He has tried building with LEGO Digital Designer, but as he says, “I gave up on LDD a long time ago because it’s too time-consuming for me. Just to turn the parts around—oh my gosh, really?” Instead, he has a different approach—hands-on. When asked about how he articulated joints in his mecha, Hann answers: “ I did some research on engineering parts in terms of the real mecha Gundam and how they operate their legs. I always get some reference from illustrations mostly, and how they draw outlines and how legs are drawn and how the legs turn this way and that way. I also get some reference from LEGO sites and LEGO builders to study the articulation design. From there I say, ‘Okay this part I’ll use and maybe I’ll improvise it from there.’ I try to make the model look better. I don’t mean to copy others to make the model look the same—the challenge isn’t there. It doesn’t work that way. I prefer to study from other models and try to improvise. There’s more fun to it. “

Hann’s KURA (IAM) TypeA83 120mm Cannon completed.

Hann’s Kura sketch.

Hann’s KURA mecha from the side.

“From there, I study the engineering and everything—in this case, the legs and how they function, like real human legs do. I study LEGO parts and try to figure out in my head, ‘Okay, this part maybe will work’… the parts show up in my head like in The LEGO Movie—if you’re a real LEGO Master Builder, you have everything in your head, so basically I am thinking about which part to use. I then draw a sketch on a piece of paper, and I draw where a part can go here, and another go there. “ Inspiration also comes from real-world events and objects. For his KURA mecha, Hann got inspired by two things: the word kura, which is the Malay word for “tortoise”; and wartime footage of a howitzer. This led to a series of ideas, including the Gundam series cartoon, Gundam 00, which had an episode with a gundam mecha that had a long cannon instead of a head. He thought, “Wow, that’s cool!” and took the idea and built a mecha from there. The next day he went to a cafe by the airport with all the parts in his mind, to help him out when he sketched.

Definitely not a mecha!

He explains: “I always think about the ouside first. The inside is secondary. I design the outside shell and then slowly take it inside. I think of the parts then — the connectors and plates, stuff like that. I also wanted to build a howitzer because I had not done one before. Why not build one? It was something new to try. I also wanted to build a mecha with four legs instead of two.” Hann’s also built six-legged models. His cockroach MOC made it to the pages of Mike Doyle’s Beautiful LEGO: WILD! book. For reference, Hann used photos and had a challenging time building a creature that is to many, repulsive. But it was another problem to solve: how to make a LEGO model as lifelike as possible.

AMS Hotten Imperator Mark II mecha.

The Hotten was a mecha that Hann built while thinking about his childhood mecha, during his school days. “I had to retrace my roots and my childhood memories. It was the first time I used Technic parts and you can tell on the legs by how they moved and how the pilot was inserted. It was challenging because this was the first time I had a chance to build a model in that scale. The result was pretty good.”

WZ-13 Wespee Zorn “Hornet.”

Black Boa “Blitz” BB3 Type mecha.

With the Black Boa, Hann planned to build a twin series. This was inspired by the Japanese Patlabor series—the black Griffon version. Hann explains, “The Black Griffon is a very cool design—very slick, clean and menacing. I wanted to build something like that. So I made my black robot and wanted to see if I could build it slick and clean like my childhood fantasy robots. I think I managed to get it in some ways.” He continues: “ I see so many mecha builders that don’t build small or clean. They build bulky, so I was thinking, why not try using curved shapes? By using just the curved shapes you could build the shape of the mecha to make it slick and clean, but menacing at the same time, because the Black Boas are based on the bad guy, you know what I mean? It’s not like Batman; just definitely make something that is cool and stands out.” Hann was very proud and honored that the Black Boa was spotlighted on the Brothers Brick webblog. For him, though, the model was an attempt at using curved slopes on a mecha. The slopes helped a lot and showed to Hann that he could do smaller mecha, even though he always seems to end up building big.

A really nice detail on the Black Boa is the missile launching. Hann used the ice cream cone part, but in thinking about it, he chose to use the ice cream first, then round plates to dramatize the launch. He states, “I thought it would be a bit different and more impactful.” Hann says this about detailing: “I always love the details a lot. I believe the details, colors, as well as the greebling and all those things help out to bring out the character of the builds. Building details to catch the eye always helps, big or small.”

AMS FS88 Fuhrungsmachine “Balrog” design sketch.

AMS FS88 Fuhrungsmachine “Balrog”

Hangar base and diorama with underlit grid panels.

Hangar base and diorama with FB12 Foxbat fighter craft.

Hann built a mech bay to display his models. “So many builders build big robots, big cars and so on, but only a few do mechas. A very few. So I thought, why not stop and explain to everyone else how to build mechas? Gradually, I started to see other builders making dioramas, and it was fine. To build a robot and a diorama for it is to put an actor on a stage for the audience to see. It tells a story.” He continues: “Where I came from, I always loved gundams, mecha and the cool backgrounds and dioramas. Building a diorama brings up the story for the builder to see and make their own story. I just want the viewer to imagine the story themselves, so the model and the diorama both need each other. I don’t have to tell the viewer, the viewer would just have to let their imagination run.” When asked for advice for future builders, Hann thinks for a moment, then says: “I’m glad you asked that. I just want to tell new builders to just not give up. If the first MOC you build doesn’t impress someone, it doesn’t mean it’s ugly or bad. The first-time builder always gets shot down badly.”

Hangar base and diorama with the Digueta IWM Type D68 Mark II mecha.

Hann tells a story: “I had a friend in Malaysia, he’s 40 years old and a journalist who started building. When he first started posting on

Hangar base revealing internal lighting.

Hann’s display case.

Hangar base modified for displaying mechas.

the LUG site, no one gave him constructive or positive comments. Everyone said it was ugly, it’s very small and the colors were ugly. I just commented, ‘Don’t give up, keep up the good work and keep on progressing.’ Gradually I saw in a few years time he built better. I am so proud of him. I inspired him and he became my friend and asked me for some ideas on how to build.”

have to be perfect, you just have to start building because you can always improve it.“

“Whenever I see a kid say ‘wow!’ to my MOCs display case in my hometown (Malacca) I love that kind of reaction because it’s priceless, like I am giving something back to the community, saying, ‘Hey I can build it, you can build it too!’ It doesn’t

As for the future, Hann has some projects being planned. His hangar will be expanded and have motorized bay doors and lighting. Besides that, his robots are in a constant state of updating. He concludes, “LEGO is all about processing. My robot designs

never stop. What you see now may change in a few years’ time, or the next few months, because everything is upgrading all the time. I am always getting ideas from various media like Facebook, Flickr, and I get a lot of ideas from improvising, so it’s all about progress. The fun never ends.”

You can see much more of Hann’s work at: https://www.flickr. com/photos/benjamin_cheh_ creations_bcc or you can scan the QR code to the right. Hann solo.

Building

Kelvin Low, also known as: Chubbybots!

Above and below: Kelvin’s mecha, named G-Core.

Article by Joe Meno Photography by Kelvin Low Kelvin Low is a 35-year-old builder in Singapore. In the daytime, he helps out in his family’s business stocking and supplying materials for the oil and gas industry as well as the construction industry. In his off-hours though, he is busy building his version of mecha models. Some of them are anime-based, but he also makes others of a more whimsical nature. He goes by the nickname Chubbybots, a name he went by during his Gundam-making days, and later named his Flickr page after. BrickJournal chatted with him online about his building and models. Kelvin started building ever since he could control his two hands. He also dabbled with model kits, K’Nex and many other construction toys along with LEGO when he was young. He also had a Dark Age where he stopped building at around the age of 10. He got back into building much later, and has been seriously building LEGO MOCs for the past two years. Kelvin mentions two factors in his return to LEGO building: “When my first son was born, I could no longer find time for my Gundam model kits. With LEGO, I can leave a model and continue when my son is asleep!

“The second reason was seeing fellow LEGO builder Kos Brick’s Titanfall model. His mind just went ‘wow...is that even LEGO?’ Then I told myself, ‘why not give it a go,’ and here I am now!”

Sunken, an underwater-based diorama set in the future, where iron relics are mined from the sea bottom.

When asked about his favorite themes, it’s pretty easy to see where his building style came from—his answer is quick: “Mecha and Mixels! Mixels are the best stuff LEGO has produced!”

Kelvin’s MOCs are the result of some planning, and some playing.

The Jabberwock, a creation based on Alice in Wonderland.

Yellow knight mech. A robot inspired by Zombies vs Robot Aventure, a comic by IDW Publishing.

Another one of Kelvin’s mecha.

A Dreadnaught from the Warhammer 40,000 gaming universe.

You can find more at his Flickr gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ chubbybots or you can scan the QR code at the right.

His MOCs are the result of some planning, and some playing. He’ll research online for a particular mech/theme that he likes, then look at what others have done in both LEGO and model form (he doesn’t limit his references). From there, he’ll gather potential parts and slowly build to the shape and form that he wants. After that, it’s just free play. For Kelvin, it’s always fun to discover a new way to build. Here are some of the results of his builds. See if you discover a new technique or two!

Iron Kon—a mecha made with only parts from the Mixels Weldos sets.

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You Can Build It MINI Model

Gamera MINI Design by Kelvin Low Instructions by Joe Meno

One of Kelvin Low’s many models is of Gamera, the giant turtle that has been seen in many Japanese monster movies. Kelvin talks about the model: “This build came about for the Alien Month on our Facebook Group Lego MOC Challenge. Each month, there is a specific theme where all the MOCers will come to build together around. I built Gamera as not many people have build Kaiju-related aliens. Gamera happen to be my second-favorite Kaiju after Godzilla!” The MOC has a lot of articulation for its size and uses the small ball joints that are available with the Mixels sets. This model will take a little patience in getting the assemblies built and added, but the result is a perfect monster to destroy a microscale city!

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Parts List

(Parts can be ordered from Bricklink.com by searching by part number and color) Qty Color Part Description 2 White 15070.dat Plate 1 x 1 with Tooth Perpendicular 2 White 15208.dat Plate 1 x 2 with 3 Teeth In-line 2 White 15209.dat Tile 1 x 2 with 2 Teeth Vertical 2 White 32474p01.dat Technic Ball Joint with Axlehole Blind with Eye Pattern 7 Dark Tan 3023.dat Plate 1 x 2 2 Lime 3003.dat Brick 2 x 2 1 Lime 3004.dat Brick 1 x 2 2 Lime 3005.dat Brick 1 x 1 7 Lime 3022.dat Plate 2 x 2 4 Lime 3023.dat Plate 1 x 2 4 Lime 3039.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 2 1 Lime 3049b.dat Slope Brick 45 1 x 2 Double / Inverted 2 Lime 6091.dat Brick 2 x 1 x 1 & 1/3 with Curved Top 3 Lime 6141.dat Plate 1 x 1 Round 4 Lime 11477.dat Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 2 Lime 15573.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Center Stud, without Understud 6 Lime 47457.dat Slope Brick Curved 2 x 2 x 2/3 Triple with Two Top Studs 4 Lime 50948.dat Slope Brick 3 x 4 x 0.667 Curved with 2 x 2 Cutout 2 Lime 50950.dat Slope Brick Curved 3 x 1 2 Lime 55236.dat Technic Bionicle Barraki Spines 1 Lime 61678.dat Slope Brick Curved 4 x 1 4 Lime 87087.dat Brick 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side 2 Lime 99207.dat Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Up 2 Dark Bluish Gray 2540.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Handle 1 Dark Bluish Gray 3002.dat Brick 2 x 3 2 Dark Bluish Gray 3004.dat Brick 1 x 2 2 Dark Bluish Gray 3005.dat Brick 1 x 1 1 Dark Bluish Gray 3020.dat Plate 2 x 4 1 Dark Bluish Gray 3022.dat Plate 2 x 2 2 Dark Bluish Gray 3023.dat Plate 1 x 2 2 Dark Bluish Gray 3039.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 2 6 Dark Bluish Gray 3040b.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 1 1 Dark Bluish Gray 3048b.dat Slope Brick 45 1 x 2 Triple 1 Dark Bluish Gray 3660.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 2 Inverted

Qty Color Part 2 Dark Bluish Gray 3665.dat 2 Dark Bluish Gray 3666.dat 2 Dark Bluish Gray 3710.dat 3 Dark Bluish Gray 4032b.dat 2 Dark Bluish Gray 4085c.dat 1 Dark Bluish Gray 4590.dat 10 Dark Bluish Gray 14417.dat 2 Dark Bluish Gray 14419.dat 1 Dark Bluish Gray 14704.dat 1 Dark Bluish Gray 47457.dat 1 Dark Bluish Gray 47759.dat 2 Dark Bluish Gray 50950.dat 1 Dark Bluish Gray 51739.dat 6 Dark Bluish Gray 54200.dat 4 Dark Bluish Gray 60478.dat 2 Dark Bluish Gray 61252.dat 1 Light Bluish Gray 64867.dat 1 Dark Bluish Gray 85984.dat 2 Dark Bluish Gray 92946.dat 4 Dark Bluish Gray 93273.dat 9 Dark Bluish Gray 99780.dat 1 Green 3023.dat 1 Black 60470b.dat 1 Light Bluish Gray 3023.dat 3 Light Bluish Gray 14418.dat 6 Light Bluish Gray 14704.dat 1 Light Bluish Gray 48336.dat 5 Light Bluish Gray 99781.dat

Description Slope Brick 45 2 x 1 Inverted Plate 1 x 6 Plate 1 x 4 Plate 2 x 2 Round with Axlehole Type 2 Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Vertical (Thick U-Clip) Plate 1 x 4 Offset Plate 1 x 2 with Ball Joint-8 Plate 1 x 2 with Socket Joint-8 with Friction and Ball Joint-8 Plate 1 x 2 with Socket Joint-8 with Friction Center Slope Brick Curved 2 x 2 x 2/3 Triple with Two Top Studs Wedge 2 x 4 Triple Slope Brick Curved 3 x 1 Wing 2 x 4 Slope Brick 31 1 x 1 x 0.667 Plate 1 x 2 with Handle on End Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Horizontal (Thick C-Clip) Wedge 4 x 4 Fractured Polygon Top Slope Brick 31 1 x 2 x 0.667 Slope Plate 45 2 x 1 Slope Brick Curved 4 x 1 Double Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Up Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2 with 2 Clips Horizontal (Thick C-Clips) Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2 with Socket Joint-8 with Friction Plate 1 x 2 with Socket Joint-8 with Friction Center Plate 1 x 2 with Handle Type 2 Bracket 1 x 2 1 x 2 Down

16 39

Building

Duncan Lindbo’s Mecha MOCs! Article and Photography by Duncan Lindbo

My name is Duncan Lindbo, and I dig giant robots! I’m a 25 year old software developer, currently living in North Carolina. I got into LEGO at a young age, and unlike many AFOLs, I never went through a “Dark Age”. I’ve always been a fan of sci-fi and fantasy, and I find mecha especially appealing because of the technical/ engineering challenges involved in building them—both real ones and LEGO ones! I strive to make my mecha as flexible as possible, while still being fairly sturdy. To that end, I rarely use “illegal” techniques in my MOCs, aside from a few small details here and there. I almost never build digitally: I’ve yet to come across a LEGO CAD program capable of simulating the weight of a MOC and its effect on its balance and joints. I’ve got a selection of some of my favorite MOCs here, and you can see additional pictures of them and many more on my Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124874271@N06/

Pink Nightmare The Pink Nightmare is based on the “Landmate” mecha design by manga artist Masamune Shirow. This design can be seen in many of Masamune’s works (and their anime adaptations), most notably Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell. Landmates are small mecha with a distinctive control scheme: The lower arms fit the pilot’s arms like a suit of armor. When the pilot moves their arms, the upper arms mimic their movements. Many Landmates are capable of flight thanks to wing-like anti-gravity generators on their backs. The Pink Nightmare was directly inspired by one Landmate in particular: At the end of Appleseed Ex Machina, the protagonist Deunan Knute flies a customized, bright pink Landmate. The Pink Nightmare isn’t an exact copy of this design; the anime version has a much more slender profile compared to the Nightmare’s stocky one, and the scale of the two is wildly different (regular Landmates are around 8-10 feet tall, the Nightmare would be more like 25). Notes: This build was tricky for a couple of reasons. First, it was important that not only was there room for a minifig to stand in the cockpit, but that the cockpit armor split open from multiple points. Second, despite it being more common now thanks to Friends and Disney Princesses sets, dark pink is a hard color to work in! There’s a lot of slopes, wedges, and curved pieces that aren’t produced in that color (at least, not yet). I spent around $70 to get a large amount of pink parts, around 10-12 of each part available in dark pink that I thought might be useful. In the end I probably only used about half of them, but since I don’t build my MOCs digitally first, I wouldn’t have been able to build this without having the extra parts to experiment with.

C-Space Lunar Explorer Frame The C-Space Lunar Explorer Frame is a mass-produced drone developed by the C-Space Corporation. Developed for low-gravity environments, they are capable of acting autonomously or being controlled remotely. They are a common sight on lunar mining outposts, where they perform a variety of tasks including loading and unloading cargo, construction, hazardous materials handling, and scouting. They come equipped with a thruster pack which allows for limited flight capabilities. The Lunar Explorer Frames’ versatility is further enhanced by the inclusion of mounting points on their hips, allowing them to safely handle much heavier equipment than they would be able to otherwise.

Although not marketed for combat purposes, the Lunar Explorer Frame’s size and maneuverability make it effective for anti-infantry purposes. They can be equipped with pulse rifles or railguns, and can re-purpose a variety of mining and construction equipment for makeshift weaponry. For remote lunar bases without dedicated defenses, Lunar Explorer Frames play an essential role in defense against space pirates and alien raiders.

Notes: The C-Space Lunar Explorer Frame is probably my favorite small mecha. It’s just about the only mecha of mine that I’ve built a second copy of, and I’ve built several other mecha based on this design (someday I’d like to have one built in every Space faction’s color scheme). The key piece of inspiration was the pneumatic power take-off connector (part 4648927), introduced in set 8110: Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 400. I realized that this piece combined with the small ball joint sockets introduced in the Mixels sets would allow me to make hip and shoulder joints that were sturdy while still offering a wide range of motion. At the time, I only had the PPTO connectors in blue, which was perfect for a mech in Classic Space colors!

SP-2 Enforcer The SP-2 Enforcer is a modified version of the C-Space Lunar Explorer Frame, designed for military police duties. It lacks the thruster pack of the Lunar Explorer Frame and instead features two heavy shoulder-mounted cannons, trading maneuverability for increased firepower. It also features forearmmounted energy blades and thicker armor compared to the Lunar Explorer Frame. The SP-2’s primary method for pursuing criminals is to cripple any getaway vehicles with its shoulder cannons, then arrest the crooks as they attempt to flee on foot. The SP-2 comes equipped with handcuffs clipped to its upper arms for easy access, allowing it to restrain captured criminals while waiting for them to be picked up. Notes: The Space Police 2 color scheme was my favorite out of all the Space Police waves, so when I got a copy of 9450: Epic Dragon Battle, which contained fan blades and 4x4 wedge plates in trans-green, I knew I had to use them in some kind of Space Police 2 MOC. I’d just recently finished the C-Space Lunar Explorer Frame, and it occurred to me that it’d be cool if I built a companion to it using Space Police 2 colors.

Metal Gear LUNA The C-Space Lunar Survey Mech was originally intended to be an advanced mining unit capable of surveying remote sites with little to no support. The Lunar Survey Mech was quickly give the nickname “Metal Gear LUNA”, due to its resemblance to late 20th/early 21st Century walking tanks known as “Metal Gears.” Such designs proved to be ineffective or downright unfeasible in full gravity terrestrial environments. In the low-gravity lunar environments that the C-Space Corporation specializes in, however, massive bipedal mecha are not only simpler to produce, but highly effective given the ruggedness of the terrain. Like most of the C-Space Corporation’s other mecha designs, Metal Gear LUNA was not intended for combat, with the missile pods on the hips being LUNA’s only dedicated weapons. Space pirates foolish enough to attack the behemoth mech quickly realized just how easily its other systems could be used as weapons.

Weaponry: • Missile pods x2: Located just below the hip on each leg. • Mining lasers x2: Mounted on the underside of the nose. Proves to be an effective anti-infantry weapon as well. • Manipulator arms x2: Located under the cockpit, and fold up when not in use. Titanium alloy tipped claws were designed for digging through rock, but can just as easily shred smaller craft that venture too close. • Cutting blades x2: Located on each forearm. Made of the same titanium alloy as the claws and similarly lethal. • Railgun x1: Mounted on the main right arm. Meant to launch probes and satellites without the need for bulky conventional launch systems. In addition to the built-in weaponry, LUNA can use its massive size to great effect, simply crushing smaller craft and unfortified prefab structures beneath its feet.

Other Equipment: • Radome x1: Since LUNA’s intended purpose was long range scouting and exploration, its main left arm is mounted with a large radome with a variety of scanning and sensor equipment, as well as three long range antennae. The

radome has a relatively narrow field of view, making it effective for detailed scans of distant areas of interest, but ineffective for close range scanning. • Short range scanners x2: Mounted on the top of LUNA’s body, these scanners handle the work of doing wide-area short range scans. • Spotlight x1: Located on the left side of the body. Dimensions: Height: 18” (21” with radome antennae) Body length: 15.5” Railgun length: 12” Width: 13” (16” with radome antennae) Metal Gear LUNA was the result of two things: wanting to build a big mech, and having a lot of blue pieces I wasn’t using. The blue pieces naturally lent themselves to a Classic Space color scheme, to which I added a few dark blue pieces to spice things up a bit. The design inspiration was largely Metal Gear REX, from the Metal Gear Solid videogame series. In addition to that, I also drew inspiration from Metal Gear Sahelanthropus from Metal Gear Solid V and the MOOSE from the movie Chappie for the arms. As with any large LEGO mecha, the chief challenge was making the legs and joints strong enough to support the model’s weight without sacrificing too much freedom of movement. I succeeded in that area, although balancing it remains tricky (largely due to how much heavier the railgun is), so for display purposes I usually leave it on a simple stand I’ve built.

Building

The Mecha of Spencer Rollins! Article by Joe Meno Photography by Spencer and Hadley Rollins Spencer Rollins, a high school student in Raleigh, North Carolina, started his building young. He joined the local LEGO Users Group (NCLUG) and started to build on his own. Originally interested in Bionicle, he often was the only person with models from that theme. As time went on, however, he began to build other models. He started building MOCs based on his interests in video games and TV shows, most notably Dr. Who. Other mechbased creations followed, which led him to build models based on the Japanese Evangelion and Gundam series. He currently builds mech-based models and has been displayed in local conventions and LEGO fan events. Here’s a small sampling of his work, including his mech and videogame models. You’ll also be able to build a creation of his in just a page or two! You can see more at his Flickr gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/therollins/ Evangelion Unit 00.

Proto Man from the Mega Man videogames.

Samus Aran from the Metroid videogame.

A Gundam model. Frame by Chris Roach.

Another view of Evangelion Unit 00.

You Can Build It MINI Model

Classic Space Mech Design by Spencer Rollins Instructions by Joe Meno

The Classic Space mech was built by Spencer Rollins (Commander Spencer online). His first experimentation with mixel joints, Spencer sought to build something which he felt would encapsulate the feel of the original Classic Space line. Based off of the Powerloader from the movie Aliens, this model boasts two large claws perfect for carrying cargo. With its relatively small size and personal features, this mech makes for a great addition to your Classic Space army.

Parts List

Qty Color Part Description 2 Dark Bluish Gray 3665.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 1 Inverted 2 Dark Bluish Gray 3666.dat Plate 1 x 6 2 Dark Bluish Gray 3710.dat Plate 1 x 4 3 Dark Bluish Gray 4032b.dat Plate 2 x 2 Round with Axlehole Type 2 2 Dark Bluish Gray 4085c.dat Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Vertical (Thick U-Clip) 1 Dark Bluish Gray 4590.dat Plate 1 x 4 Offset 10 Dark Bluish Gray 14417.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Ball Joint-8 2 Dark Bluish Gray 14419.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Socket Joint-8 with Friction and Ball Joint-8 1 Dark Bluish Gray 14704.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Socket Joint-8 with Friction Center 1 Dark Bluish Gray 47457.dat Slope Brick Curved 2 x 2 x 2/3 Triple with Two Top Studs 1 Dark Bluish Gray 47759.dat Wedge 2 x 4 Triple 2 Dark Bluish Gray 50950.dat Slope Brick Curved 3 x 1 1 Dark Bluish Gray 51739.dat Wing 2 x 4 6 Dark Bluish Gray 54200.dat Slope Brick 31 1 x 1 x 0.667 4 Dark Bluish Gray 60478.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Handle on End 2 Dark Bluish Gray 61252.dat Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Horizontal (Thick C-Clip) 1 Light Bluish Gray 64867.dat Wedge 4 x 4 Fractured Polygon Top 1 Dark Bluish Gray 85984.dat Slope Brick 31 1 x 2 x 0.667 2 Dark Bluish Gray 92946.dat Slope Plate 45 2 x 1 4 Dark Bluish Gray 93273.dat Slope Brick Curved 4 x 1 Double 9 Dark Bluish Gray 99780.dat Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Up 1 Green 3023.dat Plate 1 x 2 1 Black 60470b.dat Plate 1 x 2 with 2 Clips Horizontal (Thick C-Clips) 1 Light Bluish Gray 3023.dat Plate 1 x 2 3 Light Bluish Gray 14418.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Socket Joint-8 with Friction 6 Light Bluish Gray 14704.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Socket Joint-8 with Friction Center 1 Light Bluish Gray 48336.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Handle Type 2 5 Light Bluish Gray 99781.dat Bracket 1 x 2 1 x 2 Down

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LEGO fans: You Can Build It!

YOU CAN BUILD IT is a new ongoing series of instruction books on the art of LEGO® custom building, from the producers of BRICKJOURNAL magazine! Spinning off from BrickJournal’s popular “You Can Build It” column, these FULL-COLOR books are loaded with nothing but STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS by some of the top custom builders in the LEGO fan community. BOOK ONE is for beginning-to-intermediate builders, with instructions for custom creations including Miniland figures, a fire engine, a tulip, a spacefighter (below), a street vignette, plus miniscale models from “a galaxy far, far away,” and more! BOOK TWO has even more detailed projects to tackle, including advanced Miniland figures, a miniscale yellow castle, a deep sea scene, a mini USS Constitution, and more! So if you’re ready to go beyond the standard LEGO sets available in stores and move into custom building with the bricks you already own, this ongoing series will quickly take you from novice to expert builder, teaching you key building techniques along the way!

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Tommy Williamson is no stranger to BrickJournal, having been featured previously for his Jack Sparrow miniland scale figure. Since then, he has gone farther into building, making some remarkable Star Trek props and other models. He’s now doing a column for BrickJournal: DIY Fan Art. Here, Tommy takes a little time out from his busy schedule at BrickNerd.com to make a model of his choosing for the magazine.

MINI Gundam Design and Instructions by Tommy Williamson

About this issue’s model:

Parts List

(Parts can be ordered through Bricklink.com by searching by part number and color)

Qty Color

Part

1 White 18746.dat 2 White 99781.dat 2 White 3024.dat 1 White 33291.dat 2 White 4081b.dat 1 White 3023.dat 1 White 63868.dat 1 White 15573.dat 6 White 60478.dat 1 White 98138.dat 2 White 2555.dat 2 White 15712.dat 1 White 4073.dat 2 Red 3024.dat 1 Red 2431.dat 2 Yellow 2431p52.dat 4 Dk Bluish Gray 3005.dat 16 Dk Bluish Gray 87087.dat 2 Dk Bluish Gray 3633.dat 1 Dk Bluish Gray 4865a.dat 4 Dk Bluish Gray 2362b.dat

Description

Minifig Snowboard Small Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Down Plate 1 x 1 Plate 1 x 1 Round with Tabs Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Light Type 2 Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2 with Clip Horizontal on End (Thick C-Clip) Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Center Stud, without Understud Plate 1 x 2 with Handle on End Tile 1 x 1 Round with Groove Tile 1 x 1 with Clip Tile 1 x 1 with Clip (Thick C-Clip) 1 x 1 Round Plate Plate 1 x 1 Tile 1 x 4 with Groove Tile 1 x 4 with Danger Stripes Black Pattern Brick 1 x 1 Brick 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side Fence Lattice 1 x 4 x 1 Panel 1 x 2 x 1 with Square Corners Panel 1 x 2 x 3 with Hollow Studs

When someone says the word “mech,” several things come to mind, but first and foremost is the classic RX-782 Gundam. I’ve actually never built any mech in LEGO before. I built classic Tamiya model kits a few times way back when, but I’ve never broken out the bricks for some classic giant robot action, at least not until now. And what better way to build a giant robot than to do it at microscale? I hope you like him.

Qty Color

Part

2 Dk Bluish Gray 30413.dat 2 Dk Bluish Gray 4215b.dat 14 Dk Bluish Gray 3024.dat 1 Dk Bluish Gray 60479.dat 1 Dk Bluish Gray 2445.dat 1 Dk Bluish Gray 3028.dat 8 Dk Bluish Gray 61409.dat 5 Dk Bluish Gray 2412b.dat 2 Dk Bluish Gray 63864.dat 3 Dk Bluish Gray 87079.dat 1 Black 57899.dat 1 Lt Bluish Gray 4735.dat 4 Lt Bluish Gray 60849.dat 1 Lt Bluish Gray 15573.dat 1 Lt Bluish Gray 60479.dat 10 Lt Bluish Gray 2412b.dat 1 Blue 44567.dat 2 Blue 6019.dat 1 Dark Purple 3794a.dat

Description

Panel 1 x 4 x 1 with Rounded Corners Panel 1 x 4 x 3 with Hollow Studs Plate 1 x 1 Plate 1 x 12 Plate 2 x 12 Plate 6 x 12 Slope Brick 18 2 x 1 x 2/3 Grille Tile 1 x 2 Grille with Groove Tile 1 x 3 with Groove Tile 2 x 4 with Groove Minifig Gun Long Blaster Brick 1 x 1 x 2/3 Round with Bar and Clip Vertical Minifig Hose Nozzle with Side String Hole Simplified Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Center Stud, without Understud Plate 1 x 12 Tile 1 x 2 Grille with Groove Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with Single Finger On Side Vertical Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Horizontal (Open U-Clip) Plate 1 x 2 without Groove with 1 Center Stud

COMICS MAGAZINES FROM TWOMORROWS ™

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JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR celebrates the life and career of the “King” of comics through interviews with Kirby and his contemporaries, feature articles, and rare & unseen Kirby artwork. Now full-color, the magazine showcases Kirby’s art even more dynamically. Edited by JOHN MORROW.

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Building

Kevin’s creation.

Miniland Scale Chinese Figures Article by Kevin Hall Since I was young, I could remember seeing footage and photos of LEGOLand, which always inspired me as a young builder. One year when I visited the LEGO World Show in Sydney Australia, they had a display featuring a part of Miniland from LEGOLand. The intricate details of the buildings at that scale were phenomenal, but it was the Miniland scale figures that really impressed me. Around thirty years later I ended up working as a designer at LEGOLand in the UK and got to spend every day in the park, and of course, as much time in Miniland as possible. Even though I had been building Miniland scale figures and buildings for quite some time before arriving at LEGOLand, being at the park allowed me to study the different techniques and use of parts to create more realistic and detailed displays.

As an artist, I am inspired by the world around me—from places I have visited such as castles and

theatres, to various people in my life; from ballerinas and ice hockey players to DJs and breakdancers. One of my favorite Miniland models I have created would have to be the Chinese traditional wedding couple, which was inspired by my amazingly creative wife, Brenda, who is from Hong Kong.

Traditional Chinese Wedding Couple Wanting to create a model that was close to me, I didn’t have to look far. Spending time in Hong Kong visiting my wife’s family and friends, I immersed myself in their culture, experiencing their long-lasting traditions and, of course, their amazing food. After returning to the UK, I set myself the task of bringing the colorful traditions of the Chinese culture to life at Miniland scale. Luckily for me, having my wife looking over my shoulder while I was designing the figures was very helpful. Not only could she help with getting the details as accurate as possible, the fact that she is a toy designer really helped. I spent a few days researching photos of traditional Chinese dress and studied photos I had taken from museums while on my holiday in Hong Kong. After going through different themes of dress, I decided to create a traditional wedding couple, since we were recently planning a

wedding banquet for ourselves in Hong Kong.

The Design As I wanted to create the figures as accurately as possible, I did a lot of research and based the designs on a series of images and photos of traditional Chinese wedding costumes and styles. I usually break the figures up into three sections: the body, the limbs, and the head. The three main colors for both figures broke down into red, black and touches of yellow. I used tan for the faces and hands.

The Groom The basic dress of the groom was a long, flowing shirt that comes down to around the shins and has splits up each side to the hips. Then a sleeveless jacket or vest is placed overtop, usually with toggles instead of buttons. I used wing plates on each side of the legs to represent the slit up each side, and tiles placed vertically on the front and back which gave the impression of the long flowing shirt. These are all held on with 1x1 bricks with the studs on the side.

A closer look at the couple.

The main torso is just made up of plates, and again bricks with the studs on the side to add the black tiles to the sides, which bulked out the torso a bit on the sides. This then creates a divide that looks like the groom is wearing a separate top over the long shirt. Most Chinese traditional groom costumes also have a large silk ribbon that wraps around them, going over one shoulder and under the opposite arm. Attached to this is a bundle of silk ribbon that is made to look like a large flower on the wearer’s chest. Using a round 2x2 plate with a round 1x1 plate in the center, both in red, I attached them to the front of the torso with another 1x1 brick with a stud on the side. Then using small plates built into the torso in red, the torso looks like it has a ribbon wrapped around it. Plus placing a red 1x2 tile on the right shoulder made it look like the ribbon came over the groom’s shoulder. The legs were added on to the bottom using plain black 1x1 bricks with plates for feet, and a 1x1 tile to give the shoes a bit more bulk. Having one foot facing in a different direction that the other gives the model a more realistic pose. The arms were built with red plates, to look like they were part of the shirt, thus creating the illusion that the groom is wearing a vest that is black. I had one arm straight and another bent to keep it not so symmetrical and bring a bit of movement into the figure. The head, I tried to keep simple as traditionally the headpiece is a simple small cap that fits the top of the head. I added a round 2x2 plate for the top of the hat to give it a more round, fitted look, and the red round 1x1 plate finished the model off. Of course I used the standard construction for a Miniland head, using a jumper plate under the head to give it a chin, and then joined it to the torso with a 1x1 tan plate for a neck.

A look at the detail of the groom.

The Bride A traditional Chinese bride costume can vary a lot, but a distinctive style of red with flower patterns usually is included. The dress is always long flowing down to the wearer’s feet and the whole ensemble is topped off usually with an elaborate headpiece. Usually the bride will wear a jacket that matches the rest of the dress, which I have created by using three-brick-high slopes on each side, creating a flared look to the bottom of the dress and to give the bride a waist.

The bride’s headpiece detail can be seen here.

The torso and the flared bottom part have 1x1 Technic bricks stacked up in the middle of the front in yellow, to allow the flower’s knobs to be pushed into the holes of the Technic bricks. This adds the look of flower embroidery and breaks up the main red color of the figure. Adding yellow plates to the bottom allows the structure to hold together better and add a yellow trim. Also, reducing the height of the Bride gives a more realistic look standing next to her taller groom. The arms were a bit more tricky, as I wanted the Bride to have her hands clasped together in a formal pose rather then her arms just dropping to each side. I used a 1x1x1 brick with arch to give the Bride elbows so her hands, which are 1x1 round plates, meet in front of her torso. The arms are topped off with tiles to give them a more sleek look, making the figure more feminine. The headpiece is probably the most detailed part of the entire model, as it had to look like a real traditional part of the costume. As with most of the real headpieces, tiny fluffy red balls are usually suspended off the main headpiece, and for the LEGO figure I used simple cherries. Using the holes in the studs of top and bottom angular plates, the cherries are suspended out from the head. I also used different clips to get the cherries into different positions to form an arch across the entire head. I then added small lengths of tubing with 1x1 cones attached to represent the hanging decorations on each side of the face. Using the same design as the Groom’s head, a jumper plate is paced under the head to form a chin, and a round 1x1 plate gives the figure a more slender neck. Using red 1x1 slopes on each shoulder, sloping up to the neck, gives the impression of a collar, and two jumpers were added to the bottom of the figure for feet.

Another look at the couple from the bride’s side.

A view of the door and Guardian Lion.

The Background Setting Instead of just having the couple on their own, I wanted to display them in an traditional setting, so I decided to create a entrance door with Guardian Lions to give it an authentic look. The main doors, which are just brown tiles on a plate background, are framed with red and yellow columns, which are usually seen in Chinese architecture. Using jumper plates, I created a tiered look above the doors to separate the door frame from the roof.

A side view of the setting, showing the floor tiles.

A look at the roof detail.

The roof and tops of the walls were created to look like the curved tiles that are found in traditional Chinese roofs. I used 1x1 round bricks attached to plates that connected to a brick hinge on the back, top of each wall. For the main roof above the doors, clips are used to connect to a 1x2 plate with stick. This allows the correct angle of the roof. The dragon heads are made from clips attached to a 1x1 lamp holder, then hinged to a clip.

Adding a tube across the front above the door allows for lanterns to be attached, which are trans-red 2x2 radar dishes stacked together, and a small stick with holder pushed into the top. Pushing a round 1x1 yellow plate into a vertical clip adds the final touch as door handles. Light and dark plates arranged in squares create a paved tiling effect for the floor.

The Guardian Lion.

Finally, the traditional Guardian Lions complete the authentic look and give the whole scene a Chinese feel. The lions were the hardest part to build and took the longest. Just the design and figuring out which parts worked best took a couple of days. I had to do a lot of trial and error designing these to the Miniland scale. First I worked out the size I wanted them in relation to the scene and created the basic body shape. The slopes and inversed slopes created the angles needed. Using lots of angular plates allowed the details of the lion to be added to give the lion’s head bulk and to create the knobble look. Just leaving a gap between plates for the mouth gives the lion its teeth, and placing a jumper plate above the two round 1x1 plates gives the serious look of the lion. Adding a 1x1 slope for the nose creates a short snout that is typical of the real sculptures. I made one of the front legs raised and on a grey minifigure head without a face. This is typical with Guardian Lions as it represents supremacy over the world. Finishing off the Lions, I placed them on small plinths and aligned the feel over jumpers so then the top of each plinth had no studs and just showed the smoothness of tiles. This creates a majestic look for the Lions and makes them instantly recognizable.

The Composition Placement Having the couple standing in the center of the whole model makes them the center of the overall layout. The walls on each side frame the entire scene and the door frame actually frames the Bride and Groom. The Lions create the authentic feel and add perspective to the model and draws the eye to the main characters, the Bride and Groom in their traditional Chinese costumes.

The other side of the Lion.

The overall build took around a week to design and build and was such a experience having my wife involved with the design. It used around 1500 LEGO pieces and has been displayed at a variety of LEGO fan events in Europe. The colors and intricate detail complete the model and bring the entire scene to life. Please visit my website to see more photos, and drop me a line if you would like to know more info about my builds. Kevin Hall LEGO Brick Artist www.brickgalleria.com

The rear of the Lion. Kevin at LEGOLand Windsor.

Minifig Customization 101

Building

This series as of late has been discussing modifying official LEGO elements. The previous article discussed the creation of a Captain Caveman figure using a classic LEGO ghost; in today’s article we will create Ultraman by modification and light sculpting. For starters, I was not yet born when the show Ultraman (Urutoraman) was originally released in 1966. However, it is unlikely that any sci-fi fan born in the 1970s doesn’t know Ultraman. Ultraman became a major pop culture phenomenon in Japan and across the world, spawning dozens of sequels, spin-offs, imitators, parodies, and remakes. Ultraman is right up there with all the mecha TV shows of the era; the only major difference is it was a Tokusatsu television series (live-action film or television drama that features considerable use of special effects). Eiji Tsuburaya created the main characters in the Ultraman show and was a pioneer in special effects, a title he earned when he brought Godzilla to the screen in 1954! The basic premise behind Ultraman was a monster version of the British science-fiction series Doctor Who, which started in 1963. The final design for Ultraman was created by Toru Narita based on an earlier work known as Redman. Ultraman resembled a less-scary Buck Rogers-style alien mixed with the iconic Roswell Alien (do you know what part we will be modifying?). The “warning light,” or color timer as it was known in the US, was added at the last minute. As any fan of the show can tell you, the color timer indicates Ultraman’s energy level, and he never has long, so he always fights hard. As I watched the series dubbed into English, I will continue with the names of characters and organizations using their English titles. For more info on the original Japanese, a quick search of Wikipedia will give all the details you could ever need. The Ultraman series begins with Shin Hayata flying his Science Special Search Party plane, investigating an odd occurrence, when it collides with a red sphere of light. This sphere is the Travel Sphere for Ultraman. The collision kills Hayata, however. Ultraman feels remorseful and merges his essence with Hayata to save his life. From this point on Hayata serves as the human host for Ultraman and is able to transform into Ultraman by raising and activating the “beta capsule,” a power artifact. As Ultraman, Hayata saves the day when danger threatens and the resources of the Science Special Search Party are simply not enough. As with any great Japanese monster show, Ultraman used various monster costumes called kaiju. These were used heavily at the time and commonly recycled with a fresh coat of spray paint, which according to one of the principal actors, Haruo Nakajima (he performed the original Godzilla) would be applied with the actor inside. Nakajima, one of the monster actors, once stated that the staggering gait of some of the monsters he acted was due less to his acting than the paint fumes he endured. We will use more safety options than these show creators!

Ultraman!! Article by Jared K. Burks

Ultraman: Given when this character was created, it was basically a man in a suit, so we need a custom helmet and decals to recreate the figure.

Enough about the show—if I haven’t jogged your memory, or enticed you to Youtube to watch the old show, go read Ernest Cline’s book (soon to be a movie) Ready Player One, to understand the importance of Ultraman on the pop culture of the day.

Close up details on the suit used in the show. Note how the back closes to seal the suit up because it was videoed from all directions, so it had to be a complete closure.

Head prep – Carefully remove the eyes and printing from the CMS Classic Alien head. Then polish the head back to full shine.

At the beginning of this article I mentioned we would be creating Ultraman using a bit of light sculpting and parts modification, so let’s get to work. As I hinted at, we will be using the Roswell or “Classic” Alien head from the CMS 6 set. The head shape is nearly perfect, but the eyes are a bit too large, especially as a fin has to be added between them. We could try reshaping the eyes by modifying the plastic, but I want to try to stamp a pattern in them and I can’t do that with the plastic, so the first step in creating this head is to simply remove the eyes. This is accomplished using 220 grit sandpaper and a bit of care. Luckily LEGO has given us an easy way to determine when the eyes have been completely removed—just look for the eye printing. When the eye printing is completely removed, the eyes are gone; you can also run your fingernail over the area, as any bump or edge can be easily felt this way, for a touch of additional sanding. Just use care to make sure you are not sanding a flat spot when removing the eyes, as the rest of the head is nice and round. It is for this reason that we are using this head from the beginning. Sandpaper is also the safest way to remove the eyes; if one used a knife, it would be quite easy to cut the hand holding the part. Once the eyes are removed, sand the head to remove the scratches introduced by the 220 grit sandpaper; this can be done a few different ways. You could use Brasso, the micro-abrasive we use to remove printing from the figure, but this would take quite a bit of time and elbow grease as the scratches are reasonably deep. It would be like skipping from 220 grit to 8000 grit sandpaper. It will get the job done in a pinch, but it will take a lot of extra work. So instead I grab my Micro-Mesh sanding paper series. I bought these off eBay years ago; they are strips of Micro-Mesh sanding paper cut for pen turners. MicroMesh sandpaper (which are really cloths) have grits that range from 1500 to 12000. The 1500 is slightly coarser than a conventional 600 grit sandpaper and the 12000 will leave scratch patterns that cannot be detected by the human eye. Micro-Mesh abrasives can polish to an optically clear, reflective state, or through the use of a more coarse grit, leave a matte or satin finish. These are my go-to solutions when polishing LEGO parts, even transparent parts! I don’t know how many of you recall the articles on sculpting, but it is critical to polish each layer when creating a part. It is always harder to sand around additional details, so sanding the bottom layer well and each layer as it is added is the best way to proceed. Now that we have an eyeless head, we need to start with the fin and mouth, as these will dictate the placement of the eyes and ears. I could create a fin out of clay; the issue with this is durability. If I was going to mold and cast the head, then perhaps I wouldn’t worry, but at the moment this is a one-off, and because of how I am going to finish the part I am not wanting to cast it at this time. These factors always need to be thought about when creating a part. Since I am not going to use clay, I will be using styrene. This has a few advantages

beyond being more hardwearing, predominately it can be made thinner than the clay. The major issue is how to drape or attach it to the head, as the head has a unique curve. Well, we need a template. How do we create that template? We create a template form using clay. This clay doesn’t have to survive long and is really only needed to give the shape of the head, so by taking a piece of clay and rolling it out into a tube shape between your hands, you can press it onto the center of the head. Then it can be carefully removed and cured via hair drier or oven. Because it is so thin, it won’t take long. Now you have a template to trace the inside of, that is the exact curve of the center of the Alien head. This shape can be transferred to the styrene, which can then be carefully cut. Because the styrene cut will need to be sanded and cleaned up, make sure to work towards the line you drew from the template instead of cutting directly on the line. This will take a little practice, but you can achieve a perfect fit. Just don’t be afraid of making two or three of these and using the one you like best. The outer or top shape of the fin is partially determined by placement on the head, so before we attach it we have to create the mouth area, which is an indented flat spot where the actor’s mouth protruded from the costume. Therefore we need to sand this area using a small needle file. Once the mouth area is defined, the fin can be tested and its final shape determined. Simply sand it to the desired shape and thickness and then you can attach it with something simple like Superglue or styrene glue. Now that we have a mouth and fin, we need eyes. These need to be equal distance from the fin and in a sort of drop shape turned sideways. They also have a fine mesh screen over them, as the actor had to see out. So taking a very small amount of clay, make a tube, then cut the tube on a 45 degree angle; this will give you roughly an oval, which can be shaped into a teardrop shape easily, and the two eyes will be roughly the same size. These can then be added to the head and shaped into a slightly rounded curve from side to top to side. Then go find your favorite small tool with a textured grip, like the one in the photo. Using this texture, roll this across your eye clay to recreate the mesh screen effect on the eye. In the grey clay this doesn’t look like much detail, but when the eyes are painted this will pop out at you. Now simply cure the eyes with a hair drier; they are very thin so it won’t take long.

Creation of the fin template and fin, complete with dry fit.

The ears are easy and where I have minimized the detail the most. The main reason is I would have to cut into the head, and that is a whole different skill set and much more difficult. So to keep this simpler I recreated the basic ear shape and pressed the clay onto the head. Again, grab that hair drier and cure the ears. Now that all the clay on the head is cured, let’s add that fin. The main reason to wait is to avoid snapping it off. Speaking from experience, I didn’t and snapped it off. The main reason this could be a problem is every time you glue the fin you leave a bit of extra behind and it can be an issue. If you glue it once this isn’t an issue. However, waiting can be difficult.

www.brickcoaster.com

Custom Roller Coaster Tracks, Sets and Accessories

Once the glue has cured, the head will need to be primed. I didn’t have a black primer so I just used black paint. This worked okay, but not as well as actual primer. The reason I wanted to use black is I am ultimately going to paint the whole figure silver. I want the silver to stand out and the best way is a black base. This also helps for color uniformity between all the various parts I am painting. I used my airbrush, but a rattle can could be used. Once the black paint dried (critical, never apply paint over a wet lower layer as the lower layer may never properly cure), I applied the silver with the same airbrush, but again a rattle can could be used. I merely stick the head on a 1x1 round brick and place a cotton swab inside the open end of the brick to hold the part I am painting; this has saved me from painting my fingers many times. Next grab a black figure (hands, arms, torso, and legs) and prep them for painting (wash, dry, prime, dry). Spray them with the same silver. Hips will be red, so note I did not paint them. Also be careful of joint areas; if you paint them, the joint will be rigid and may scratch off some of your paint. So I carefully apply painter’s tape to the joints (neck, shoulder, legs). On the hands I simply pull them out just a bit and paint; this way the joint is protected. While painting, grab a brush and a dab of mustard yellow and paint the eyes. Application of clay eyes with texture added, ears, and fin. Priming with black paint followed by silver paint. Complete painting of the figure.

Now visit my article on creating decals and draw up art to match Ultraman. I am applying all the red color via decals, which is why I was simply able to paint the whole figure (minus the hips) silver. Apply the decals and then clearcoat the figure. Once clearcoated, reassemble the figure and prep him for battle!

Finished figure with decals added! Ultraman!

Ultraman defending the city!

For those lucky enough to back the Crazy Arms Kickstarter project, you have likely recently received your Crazy Arms from Guy Himber. This figure is perfect for Crazy Arms as he was always pulling these odd martial arts poses with his hands in odd locations. Without Crazy Arms these poses are not possible. With a few of the other CMS figures and the micro-buildings from TRU, you have a landscape for Ultraman to defend the citizens from the kaiju monsters; just keep an eye on that “warning” light! Buildings kindly constructed and arranged by Branwen Elissa Burks. You can go to Jared’s webpage by going to http://www.fineclonier.com/ or scanning this QR code!

Don’t miss Jared K. Burks’ two books Minifigure Customization: Populate Your World! and its sequel Minifigure Customization: Why Live In The Box? (both are available now at www.twomorrows.com)

Come back next issue for more Minifigure Customization!

GET THE ORIGINAL DIGITAL ISSUES! Before becoming a print magazine, there were nine DIGITAL EDITIONS of BRICKJOURNAL, which are available at www.twomorrows.com for $3.95 each! (NOTE: These are DIFFERENT ISSUES than the ones shown on this flyer.)

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You Can Build It! (Recommended for ages 8 and above)

YOU CAN BUILD IT is an ongoing series of instruction books on the art of LEGO® custom building, from BRICKJOURNAL magazine! Spinning off from its popular “You Can Build It” column, these books are loaded with nothing but STEP-BYSTEP INSTRUCTIONS by top custom LEGO builders. BOOK ONE offers instructions for custom Miniland figures, a fire engine, a spacefighter, a tulip, a street vignette, plus miniscale models from “a galaxy far, far away,” and more! BOOK TWO has even more custom projects to tackle, including advanced Miniland figures, a miniscale yellow castle, a deep sea scene, a mini USS Constitution, and more! So if you’re ready to go beyond the standard LEGO sets available in stores and move into custom building with the bricks you already own, this ongoing series will quickly teach you key build ing techniques of the pros! (84-page FULL-COLOR Trade Paperbacks) $9.95 (Digital Editions) $3.95

Bring Home Some BrickMagic!

Minifigure LEGO fans: Customizing! T-SHIRT You Can Build It!

Relive the fun and excitement of the BrickMagic LEGO Festival with our BrickMagic t-shirt and embroidered patches, while they last!

BRICKJOURNAL columnist JARED K. BURKS’ (yellow preshrunk 100% cotton, with 4-color printing on front only) book MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION: YOU CAN BUILD IT is a new ongoing series of instruction POPULATE YOUR WORLD!$10 shows a wideplus shipping each books on the art of LEGO® custom building, from range the of techniques you can use to alter Sizes: Youth Small, Medium, & Large producers of BRICKJOURNAL magazine! Spinningthe off lovable LEGO® Minifigure. And the Adult Small,2:Medium, & Large from BrickJournal’s popular “You Can Build It” column, sequel, MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION these FULL-COLOR books are loaded with nothing but LIVE IN THE BOX?, offers even more WHY STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS by some of the toptechniques custom to alter minifigures! builders in the LEGO fan community. BOOK ONE is for • Virtual customization, and designing beginning-to-intermediate builders, with instructions for custom creations including Miniland figures, a fire engine, decals a tulip, a spacefighter (below), a street vignette, plus • Custom part modification and creation miniscale models from “a galaxy far, far away,” and more! • 3-D printing and painting techniques BOOK TWO has even more detailed projects to tackle, • Lighting with LEDs or EL wire including advanced Miniland figures, a miniscale yellow castle, a deep sea scene, a • Ideas on displays and digital photography mini USSa Constitution, andwith more! So&if tricks! you’re ready to go beyond the standard LEGO • Plus custom gallery tips (shown actual size) sets available in stores and move into custom building with the bricks you already Don’t live $1 inside the any alien, superhero, own, this ongoing series willbox—populate quickly take youyour fromworld novicewith to expert builder, teaching historical, each action, horror,plus or science-fiction figure you key building techniques along the way!you can “just imagine”! shipping

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OUT OF THIS WORLD LEGO! Space-themed LEGO creations of LIA CHAN, 2001: A Space Odyssey’s Orion space plane by NICK DEAN, and Pre-Classic Space builder CHRIS GIDDENS! Plus: Orbit the LEGO community with JARED K. BURKS’ minifigure customizing, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

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BRICKJOURNAL #38

BRICKJOURNAL #37

BRICKJOURNAL #36

LEGO MECHA! How to build giant robots and mechs with builders BENJAMIN CHEH MING HANN and KELVIN LOW, and SETH HIGGINS shows us his amazing transforming LEGO robots! And even cyborgs love Minifig Customization by JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step "You Can Build It" instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, DIY Fan Art by BrickNerd TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons, and more!

LEGO DINOSAURS! Builder WILLIAM PUGH discusses building prehistoric creatures, a LEGO Jurassic World by DIEGO MAXIMINO PRIETO ALVAREZ, and dino bones by MATT SAILORS! Plus: Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, stepby-step "You Can Build It" instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, DIY Fan Art by BrickNerd TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons, and more!

LEGO COOL CARS AND HOT RODS! LEGO car builders Stephan Sander, Jordanian Firas Abu-Jaber, and Andrea Lattanzio! Plus: Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, AFOLs by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, step-by-step "You Can Build It" instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd Pop Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

STAR WARS! Amazing custom ships by ERIC DRUON, incredible galactic layouts by builder AC PIN, a look at the many droid creations built by LEGO fans—truly, the LEGO Force has awakened! Plus JARED K. BURKS on minifigure customizing, step-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

MICROSCALE BUILDING! With JUSTIN McMILLAN’s micro house and other buildings, a look at the MICROSCALE Standard by TwinLUG, and featuring some of the best microscopic LEGO work from around the world, plus JARED K. BURKS’ minifigure customizing, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

BRICKJOURNAL #35

BRICKJOURNAL #34

BRICKJOURNAL #33

BRICKJOURNAL #32

BRICKJOURNAL #31

HISTORY IN LEGO BRICKS! LEGO pro RYAN McNAUGHT on his LEGO Pompeii and other projects, military builder DAN SISKIND on his BrickMania creations, and LASSE VESTERGARD about his historical building, JARED K. BURKS on minifigure customizing, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

TOMMY WILLIAMSON on the making of his YouTube sensation BATMAN VS SUPERMAN, BRANDON GRIFFITH’S COMICBRICKS PROJECT recreates iconic comic book covers out of LEGO, JARED BURKS and his custom Agents of SHIELD minifigs, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

LEGO ROBOTS! A talk with MINDSTORMS EV3 builders MARC-ANDRE BAZERGUI and ANDY MILLUZZI, designer LEE MAGPILI, CHRIS GIDDENS with his amazing robot sculptures, plus Minifigure Customization by JARED BURKS, step-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, other looks at MINDSTORMS building, and more!

LEGO ARTISTRY with builder/photographer CHRIS McVEIGH; mosaic builders BRIAN KORTE, DAVE WARE and DAVE SHADDIX; and sculptors SEAN KENNEY (about his nature models) and ED DIMENT (about a full-size bus stop built with LEGO bricks)! Plus Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, MINDSTORMS building, and more!

Building LEGO bricks WITH character, with IAIN HEATH and TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Manga-inspired creations of MIKE DUNG, sculptures by Taiwanese Brick Artist YO YO CHEN, Minifigure Customization by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS building, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

BRICKJOURNAL #30

BRICKJOURNAL #29

BRICKJOURNAL #28

BRICKJOURNAL #27

BRICKJOURNAL #26

LEGO ARCHITECTURE with JONATHAN LOPES, a microscale model of Copenhagen by ULRIK HANSEN, and a look at the LEGO MUSEUM being constructed in Denmark! Plus Minifigure Customization by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS building with DAMIEN KEE, and more!

TECHNIC hot rod builder PAUL BORATKO and editor JOE MENO diagram instructions on adding functions to your models, shoptalk with LEGO TECHNIC designers, and more surprises to keep your creations moving at top speed! Plus Minifigure Customization by JARED BURKS, step-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, and more!

Learn what went into the making of The LEGO Movie and other brickfilms with moviemaker DAVID PAGANO, chat with brickfilmers The Brotherhood Workshop, sit in on a talk with the makers of LEGO: A Brickumentary, a look at MINDSTORMS building, minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, & more!

GUY HIMBER takes you to the IRON BUILDER CONTEST, which showcases the top LEGO® builders in the world! Cover by LEGO magazine and comic artist PAUL LEE, amazing custom models by LINO MARTINS, TYLER CLITES, BRUCE LOWELL, COLE BLAQ and others, minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, & more!

CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL with builders SEAN and STEPHANIE MAYO (known online as Siercon and Coral), other custom animal models from BrickJournal editor JOE MENO, LEGO DINOSAURS with WILL PUGH, plus more minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, AFOLs by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

BRICKJOURNAL #20

BRICKJOURNAL #19

BRICKJOURNAL #18

BRICKJOURNAL #17

BRICKJOURNAL #16

LEGO SUPERHEROES! Behind-the-scenes of the DC and Marvel Comics sets, plus a feature on GREG HYLAND, the artist of the superhero comic books in each box! Also, other superhero work by ALEX SCHRANZ and our cover artist OLIVIER CURTO. Plus, JARED K. BURKS’ regular column on minifigure customization, building tips, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions, and more!

LEGO EVENTS ISSUE covering our own BRICKMAGIC FESTIVAL, BRICKWORLD, BRICKFAIR, BRICKCON, plus other events outside the US. There’s full event details, plus interviews with the winners of the BRICKMAGIC CHALLENGE competition, complete with instructions to build award winning models. Also JARED K. BURKS’ regular column on minifigure customizing, building tips, and more!

Go to Japan with articles on two JAPANESE LEGO FAN EVENTS, plus take a look at JAPAN’S SACRED LEGO LAND, Nasu Highland Park—the site of the BrickFan events and a pilgrimage site for many Japanese LEGO fans. Also, a feature on JAPAN’S TV CHAMPIONSHIP OF LEGO, a look at the CLICKBRICK LEGO SHOPS in Japan, plus how to get into TECHNIC BUILDING, LEGO EDUCATION, and more!

LEGO SPACE WAR issue! A STARFIGHTER BUILDING LESSON by Peter Reid, WHY SPACE MARINES ARE SO POPULAR by Mark Stafford, a trip behind the scenes of LEGO’S NEW ALIEN CONQUEST SETS that hit store shelves earlier this year, plus JARED K. BURKS’ column on MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION, building tips, event reports, our step-by-step “YOU CAN BUILD IT” INSTRUCTIONS, and more!

Focuses on STEAMPUNK! Feature editor GUY HIMBER gives a tour with a look at his work, DAVE DeGOBBI’s, NATHAN PROUDLOVE’s, and others! There’s also a look at the history of LEGO Steampunk building, as well as instructions for a Steampunk plane by ROD GILLIES! Plus our regular columns on minifigure customization, building tips, event reports, our step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions, and much more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

BRICKJOURNAL #10

BRICKJOURNAL #9

BRICKJOURNAL #8

BRICKJOURNAL #7

BRICKJOURNAL #6

BrickJournal goes undersea with looks at the creation of LEGO’s new ATLANTIS SETS, plus a spotlight on a fan-created underwater theme, THE SEA MONKEYS, with builder FELIX GRECO! Also, a report on the LEGO WORLD convention in the Netherlands, BUILDER SPOTLIGHTS, INSTRUCTIONS and ways to CUSTOMIZE MINIFIGURES, LEGO HISTORY, and more!

BrickJournal looks at LEGO® DISNEY SETS, with features on the Disney LEGO sets of the past (MICKEY and MINNIE) and present (TOY STORY and PRINCE OF PERSIA)! We also present Disney models built by LEGO fans, and a look at the newest Master Build model at WALT DISNEY WORLD, plus articles and instructions on building and customization, and more!

We go to the Middle Ages, with a look at the LEGO Group’s CASTLE LINE, featuring an interview with the designer behind the first LEGO castle set, the YELLOW CASTLE. Also: we spotlight builders that have created their own large-scale version of the castle, and interview other castle builders, plus a report on BRICKWORLD in Chicago, ands still more instructions and building tips!

Focuses on the new LEGO ARCHITECTURE line, with a look at the new sets designed by ADAM REED TUCKER, plus interviews with other architectural builders, including SPENCER REZKALLA. Also, behind the scenes on the creation of POWER MINERS and the GRAND CAROUSEL, a LEGO BATTLESHIP over 20 feet long, reports from LEGO events worldwide, and more!

Spotlight on CLASSIC SPACE SETS and a look at new ones, BRANDON GRIFFITH shows his STAR TREK MODELS, LEGO set designers discuss their work creating the SPACE POLICE with PIRATE SETS, POWER FUNCTIONS TRAIN DEVELOPMENT, the world’s TALLEST LEGO TOWER, MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION, plus coverage of BRICKFEST 2009 and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

BRICKJOURNAL #25

BRICKJOURNAL #24

BRICKJOURNAL #23

BRICKJOURNAL #22

BRICKJOURNAL #21

MEDIEVAL CASTLE BUILDING! Top LEGO® Castle builders present their creations, including BOB CARNEY’s amazingly detailed model of Neuschwanstein Castle, plus others, along with articles on building and detailing castles of your own! Also: JARED BURKS on minifigure customization, AFOLs by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and more!

LEGO TRAINS! Builder CALE LEIPHART shows how to get started building trains and train layouts, with instructions on building microscale trains by editor JOE MENO, building layouts with the members of the Pennsylvania LEGO Users Group (PennLUG), fan-built LEGO monorails minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, microscale building by CHRISTOPHER DECK, “You Can Build It”, and more!

STAR WARS issue, with custom creations from a long time ago and far, far away! JACOB CARPENTER’s Imperial Star Destroyer, MARK KELSO’s Invisible Hand, interview with SIMON MACDONALD about building Star Wars costume props with LEGO elements, history of the LEGO X-Wing, plus our regular features on minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, “You Can Build It” instructions, and more!

LEGO PLANE BUILDING! Top builder RALPH SAVELSBERG takes off with his custom LEGO fighter models, there’s a squadron of articles on Sky-Fi planes by FRADEL GONZALES and COLE MARTIN, find instructions to build a Sky-Fi plane, plus our regular feature on minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, other step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions, and more!

LEGO CAR BUILDING! Guest editors LINO MARTINS and NATHAN PROUDLOVE of LUGNuts share secrets behind their LEGO car creations, and present TECHNIC SUPERCAR MODELS by PAUL BORATKO III and other top builders! Plus custom instructions by TIM GOULD and CHRISTOPHER DECK, minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” section, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

BRICKJOURNAL #15

BRICKJOURNAL #14

BRICKJOURNAL #13

BRICKJOURNAL #12

BRICKJOURNAL #11

Looks at the LEGO MECHA genre of building, especially in Japan! Feature editor NATHAN BRYAN spotlights mecha builders such as SAITO YOSHIKAZU, TAKAYUKI TORII, SUKYU and others! Also, a talk with BRIAN COOPER and MARK NEUMANN about their mecha creations, mecha building instructions by SAITO YOSHIKAZU, our regular columns on minifigure customization, building, event reports, and more!

Discover the world of stop-motion LEGO FILMS, with brickfilmer DAVID PAGANO and others spotlighting LEGO filmmaking, the history of the medium and its community, interviews with the makers of the films seen on the LEGO CLUB SHOW and LEGO.com, and instructions on how to film and build puppets for brick flicks! Plus how to customize minifigures, event reports, step-by-step building instructions, and more!

Special EVENT ISSUE with reports from BRICKMAGIC (the newest US LEGO fan festival, organized by BrickJournal magazine), BRICKWORLD (one of the oldest US LEGO fan events), and others! Plus: spotlight on BIONICLE Builder NORBERT LAGUBUEN, our regular column on minifigure customization, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions, spotlights on builders and their work, and more!

A look at back-to-school sculptures by NATHAN SAWAYA, LEGO builder MARCOS BESSA’s creations, ANGUS MACLANE’s CubeDudes, a Nepali Diorama by JORDAN SCHWARTZ, instructions to build a school bus for your LEGO town, MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION by JARED K. BURKS, how a POWER MINERS model became one for ATLANTIS, building standards, and much more!

“Racers” theme issue, with building tips on race cars by the ARVO BROTHERS, interview with LEGO RACERS designer ANDREW WOODMAN, LEGO FORMULA ONE RACING, TECHNIC SPORTS CAR building, event reports, instructions and columns on MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION by JARED K. BURKS, MICRO BUILDING, builder spotlights, LEGO HISTORY, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

(84-page FULL-COLOR mag) SOLD OUT (Digital Edition) $3.95

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

BRICKJOURNAL #5

BRICKJOURNAL #4

BRICKJOURNAL #3

BRICKJOURNAL #2

BRICKJOURNAL #1

Event report on the MINDSTORMS 10th ANNIVERSARY at LEGO HEADQUARTERS, Pixar’s ANGUS MACLANE on LEGO in filmmaking, a glimpse at the LEGO Group’s past with the DIRECTOR OF LEGO’S IDEA HOUSE, event reports, a look at how SEAN KENNEY’s LEGO creations ended up on NBC’S 30 ROCK television show, instructions and spotlights on builders, and more!

Interviews with LEGO BUILDERS including cover model builder ARTHUR GUGICK, event reports from BRICKFAIR and others, touring the LEGO IDEA HOUSE, plus STEP-BY-STEP BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS and TECHNIQUES for all skill levels, NEW SET REVIEWS, and an extensive report on constructing the Chinese Olympic Village in LEGO!

Event Reports from BRICKWORLD, FIRST LEGO LEAGUE WORLD FESTIVAL and PIECE OF PEACE (Japan), spotlight on our cover model builder BRYCE McGLONE, behind the scenes of LEGO BATMAN, LEGO at COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL, FIRST LEGO LEAGUE WORLD FESTIVAL, plus STEP-BY-STEP BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS, TECHNIQUES, and more!

This FULL-COLOR issue spotlights blockbuster summer movies, LEGO style! Go behind the scenes for new sets for INDIANA JONES, and see new models, including an MINI FLYING WING and a LEGO CITY, a lifesize IRON MAN, plus how to CUSTOMIZE MINIFIGURES, BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS, a tour of the ONLINE LEGO FACTORY, and lots more!

The ultimate resource for LEGO enthusiasts of all ages, showcasing events, people, and models! FULL-COLOR #1 features an interview with Certified LEGO Professional NATHAN SAWAYA, car designs by STEPHAN SANDER, step-by-step building instructions and techniques for all skill levels, new set reviews, on-the-scene reports from LEGO community events, and other surprises!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

(84-page FULL-COLOR mag) SOLD OUT (Digital Edition) $3.95

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

(84-page FULL-COLOR mag) SOLD OUT (Digital Edition) $3.95

Community Ads

And another issue of BrickJournal is completed. You’d think that it would get easier to do this publication over time, but it is really work. Since the first issue of BrickJournal came out over ten years ago, the number of AFOLs has grown tremendously. You can see it at the conventions and also in the announcements of new sets that are being picked up by mainstream media. Who would have thought that the Wall Street Journal would carry announcements of new sets at New York Toy Fair?

Last Word

There are more fans than ever, and the building that is done now by the current fans has advanced the skills of the community by leaps and bounds. With new parts comes new ideas and new techniques. It’s fascinating to watch how the younger builders begin to find their way and style and show it. And it’s easier to show—more conventions, more websites and even more magazines! And that is all good—the more opportunities for people to discover LEGO building, the more opportunity to create LEGO fans! It’s a fun time for me finding these new people and featuring them in the mag. I hope that you learned a new trick or two here from them—right now, I want to build micro mechas! Or Gamera! Next issue is “Space”....til then, Build on!

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