BrickJournal #47 by TwoMorrows Publishing

The Magazine for LEGO® Enthusiasts of All Ages! Issue 47 • September 2017

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Going Undersea with Mitsuru Nikaido Boarding Ships by Marcello De Cicco Instructions and MORE!

Creating Dan Church’s Cienasis

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Issue 47 • September 2017

Contents

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

People G_phy: Mocs in China................................... 3 Cindy Su: Big Fig Maker!.............................12 Marcello de Cicco: Telling World War II’s Stories in Bricks..........................................18

Building Creating Cienasis 5.......................................22 James Zhan’s Coral Reef.............................30 Gilcélio Chagas’ Underwater Adventure...........................34 Mitsuru Nikaido’s Animal Kingdom......36 BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art: Submarine ROV..........................................44 You Can Build It: Gungan Tribubble Bongo Submersible..................................48 Ogel Sub: Miniaturized............................52 Minifigure Customization 101: Intermission.................................................56

Community Hankyu’s Brick Aquarium..........................60 papercube: Making Paper Cubes with MINDSTORMS...................................68 Community Ads............................................78 Last Word.........................................................79 AFOLs................................................................80

From the Editor: It’s the beginning of summer now, and I am traveling to do stuff. I am missing all the events on the East Coast to go to the other side of the country. It’s a change of pace for me—I am missing the two big events this year I usually go to, Brickworld and BrickFair.

September 2017 Issue 47 Publisher John Morrow

Editor in Chief Joe Meno

Photography Editor Geoff Gray

I also missed FIRST LEGO League this year. Part of that was because the school I mentor didn’t have any teams go higher than the state level, and the other part was that FLL World Championships is now divided into two sites, so either I had to choose one or the other, and the scheduling didn’t work out. I missed them both, which is a shame.

Japanese Bureau Editor Nathan Bryan

In the meantime, I have been doing other things—teaching robotics and building! You’ll be seeing more on what I am building pretty soon. And robotics? That’s a thing I have been playing with since I got an NXT. So even when I’m not working, I’m still doing LEGO stuff... and having fun! Build on!

Proofreader John Morrow

West Coast Editors Todd Kubo Ashley Glennon

LEGO Ideas Correspondent Glen Wadleigh

Contributors: Jared Burks, Andreas Baumgart, Gilcélio Chagas, Dan Church, Marcello de Cicco, Christopher Deck, G_phy, Jumpei Mitsui, Mitsuru Nikaido, Cindy Su, Tommy Williamson, James Zhan, and Greg Hyland. Many thanks to the websites who have served as mirrors for BrickJournal:

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: Some of the animals built by Mitsuru Nikaido. Photo provided by Mitsuru Nikaido. About the Contents: LEGO bricks make the perfect color for a coral reef. Photo by Jumpei Mitsui.

Glossary AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) AFFOL (Adult Female Fan of LEGO) TFFOL (Teen Female 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) POOP (Pieces—that can be or should be made—Of Other Pieces)

SNOT (Studs Not on Top) LUG (LEGO Users Group) LTC (LEGO Train Club) MECHA (a large armored robot on legs, typically controlled by a pilot seated inside) MECH (a large piloted combat robot) 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, $70 Expedited US, $97 International, or $23 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

G_phy:

MOCs in China! Article and Photography by G_phy

When I was a kid, I was fascinated with brick toys. I still remember that I once owned a green toy truck, made of LEGO bricks with a few types of plate, shapes and wheels. However, I used them to build an airplane that could transform, and a so-called tank that required imagination to recognize the shape. They were my early works which accompanied and satisfied me in the years before I enrolled in my elementary school. Gradually, with more friends and classmates during my campus life, I gave up toys and buried the memory of LEGO. After growing up, I couldn’t stop roaming around the LEGO shop. It was as if I was still a kid and would get my parents to get me a toy set. But paying for a set by myself? The price was too high, and just a glance could satisfy me. Admittedly, I indeed dreamt about buying a set to recall the happiness of my childhood. I failed to convince myself to do so, however, because of the lack of suitable opportunities.

A look at G_phy’s Black Leopard (above) and Ford Edge (below).

To tell the truth, I’m interested in all kinds of DIY toys, from models to transformable ones, because all of them require the owner to build something as opposed to purchasing a finished one for display. Still, I always lost my interest in them shortly after I bought them, since they couldn’t meet my requirements to create and build without constraining the products themselves... ...until late June 2013, when taobao.com gave me the opportunity to return to brick toys. I vaguely knew about LEGO Technic, which combined modeling and other functions. That changed my image of LEGO. As a result, I 6 started to look for my first genuine LEGO set. I purchased 9396 (the helicopter). I still remembered the moment when I opened the set. I could not wait to start my building

but was reluctant to finish it. In the following days, I was impressed deeply by the sophisticated features and mechanical structures of it. It was large and attractive, and I rebuilt it into its model B, which led me to further my interest in LEGO.

Soon after, he gave the two finished models to me and, surprisingly, never asked me to return them, for the socalled reason that “he did not have any places to display.” Thanks to my dearest friends, I earned my first “pot of gold” to start my journey in MOC building.

Because of high set prices, I hesitated to buy another three extraordinary sets, including two retired ones. I kept talking about the sets though, so one of my best friends sent me 9398 (the 4x4 Crawler). It made me so excited that another friend was also inspired and immediately bought the two retired sets without hesitation: 8043 (the Motorized Excavator) and 8258 (the Crane Truck).

On my first anniversary with LEGO, I decided to seriously build, so I began to buy individual bricks and elements. 30 percent of all my work is made up of extra bricks that were worth more than a expert set. This includes my tank model: The 2A6 Leopard, also called Black Leopard or Black Tank. At the same time I started uploading my work online, I was also invited to be a member of ChinaLUG, which brought me great joy and honor and made me proud.

The newest Batmobile.

Then, naturally, MOCs became part of my life. My family first tolerated my addiction, but now they support my choice, and this attitude allows me to create anything I want without worry. I also know and meet groups of people who are crazy about MOCs. We encourage each other and share the enjoyment of creativity. All in all, I would like to continue my way of MOC building, a way with joy and challenges. A few of my best-designed MOCs are as follows: The 2A6 Leopard (2014), the Space Shuttle Discovery (2015), Macross VF-1S (2016), the Ford Edge (2016), and the Batmobile in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

G_phy’s VF-1S.

Some views of the Leopard.

Leopard 2A6 This is my first dedicated MOC, which I finished in June 2014. It took me nearly two months to finish. The difficulty in building the model was in several aspects. In addition to recreating the shape, I also worked to duplicate other appealing functions, including moving, changing direction, making an all-round spinning turret, an elevating barrel, and shell shooting capability (refilling 7-9 shells). Above all, the most challenging job is to combine the functional system of loading and firing, while leaving space for elevating or lowering the gun within the limited room of the turret, which took most of my time in accomplishing the work.

Space Shuttle Discovery Discovery is my second work after Leopard. It only took me half a month to finish, which is a relatively short time, and, therefore, I believe it is only half-finished. In my overall plan, the whole work will eventually include the shuttle, the launch vehicle, and mobile launch pad. To build such a MOC, I also would research the manned space shuttle that has been retired.

A side view of the Discovery.

Top view of the Discovery. Looking at the nose of the Discovery.

Some rear views of the Discovery.

The Ford Edge This is my first custom-made MOC, finished in July 2016. I first intended to do it for filling the gap in the lack of civilian autos. Additionally, it is also challenging because, compared to supercars, these kind of cars are harder to build in terms of shape and character.

The interior and dashboard of the Edge.

The steering wheel, which turns with the front wheels.

An overhead view.

The doors of the Edge all open.

Looking at the side of the Ford Edge.

Macross VF-1S In the famous Japanese cartoon Macross (called Robotech in the US), the hero Rick Hunter flies VF-1S when he joined Skull Squadron. The cartoon is remembered by those who are born in the 1970s and 1980s, and one of their most important impressions is the unique red VF. This is also true of me. In order to participate in my club’s Mecha Theme MOC competition, I completed this Technic build that is the largest LEGO work of mine. Every MOC is a challenge for me. Even though this was my first Mecha, I still wanted to create the best. The leg of VF-1S is where I started. Like a foundation of a house, the leg is the base of the work and it will lead the whole process. There are 6 joints on each leg and the design procedure is: determining the position of the joints, the size of the leg, and figuring the strength that some motions will take. The knee joints will suffer the largest force and bear the biggest angle of rotation, so I applied a self-contained spring into the joint without interfering with the beauty of the bricks. Briefly speaking, the spring is also built with the elements from LEGO Technic and is a tiny device made of bricks. As a result, my imagination realized a force-taking solution for the knee. The VF-1S’s scale is apparent here.

The VF-1S in its battroid form. There is an intermediate form, the Gerwalk form, that then can be changed to Fighter mode.

The VF-1S is set to the Technic figure scale.

The body is the most complex in the whole work, because of its complicated style and the structure of transformable machinery. In order to demonstrate the most faithful shape of the machine, I worked to make the body hollow. As a result, a large amount of joints are needed. Taking the stability of different shapes into consideration, I also reinforced the whole work, although it looks thin. In terms of some details, I even applied different building structures in the chest and back part so that they will show some differentiation. In the process of transforming, I also improved some building. The transforming requires a significantly large force on the connected joints when raising up arms that are linked with shoulders. When raising the arms with weapons to form a 90° angle with the body, it can barely stay stable using existing bricks. With constant trial and improvements, I created new joints based on the spring ones with smaller size, larger force, and all-around rotation.

An overhead view of the Fighter mode of the VF-1S.

My VF-1S is nearly 80cm long and weighs 5kg. It can transform into two modes and reliably stand up. It took me two months of leisure time to finish it to do three types of transformations. Apart from a few LEGO bricks, my VF1S is built with almost all LEGO Technic bricks. The VF-1S in Gerwalk mode.

A look at the fighter from the front.

Another look in Gerwalk mode.

A look at the fighter from the rear.

Side view.

A look at the interior.

The Batmobile from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice In August 2016, I participated in another competition that was themed as MOCs of future cars. In this one, the key themes turned out to be concept vehicle, unique characters, and outstanding influence. I finally decided to choose the Batmobile that is shown in the movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It was shortly after the movie was in theaters that I chose it as my subject, as photos of the car were very difficult to be found, either from screenshots from the movie or posters with low resolution. It took me a long time to search and learn some details, dimensions and overall views of the car. The most sophisticated part is to replicate the curve of the car and the special design of auto scissor-like doors. After modifying five or six times, I created a satisfying shape and opening action. The other difficulty was the half-packed design in the wheels. If it was a static model, it would be easy to realize. But it also gave up the meaning of a automobile. So, it challenged me a lot when I tried to make the wheels move by motors and, at the same time, create a thin and suitable design to pack the wheels. It was my first trial, but I succeeded. When I created my Batmobile, I decided to build a series of MOCs. I still don’t know how long it will take for me to realize my whole plan, but I’m sure I will keep moving on my way with LEGO MOCs. So, please wait for my next work!

Overhead view.

Rear view.

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People

Cindy Su:

Big Fig Maker! 12

Cindy with her creations.

Last issue we met Helen Sham, and this issue we meet a friend of hers, Cindy Su. Like Helen, Cindy is a minifigure builder. BrickJournal was able to talk to her about her building and her What do models. you do outside the hobby?

What do you do outside the hobby? I live and work in Taipei City, Taiwan. I am an Executive Personal Assistant for a company vice president in a large Taiwanese manufacturing company. I am responsible for our corporate events around the world. In my job, I need to be good at planning with a strong attention to detail, so all this helps with LEGO!

When did you start building? When I was a child between 5 and 15 years old, I often played LEGO with my older brother, building LEGO castles and space rockets. My brother always took control of the building process, ‘delegating’ to me the task of finding the bricks for him. It made me so sad, because I was never able to do any of the assembly work. In those days (1980s), LEGO was more of a boys’ toy.

Cindy’s builds of Donald and Daisy Duck.

After I turned 15 years old, I entered my ‘dark age’ until the age of 40. I spent the majority of my time doing many other things such as cooking, travelling, and listening to music. My husband was always an avid LEGO collector, playing with big sets such as Grand Carousel and Sydney Opera House. He owns his own company and is under a lot of time pressure, so was always unable to complete them. One day, I started to work on his unfinished sets. That got me hooked back on LEGO! That was two years ago now and since then, I haven’t stopped! Marge and Bart Simpson.

Disney Characters - from left: Cinderella, Jasmine, Prince Charming, Ariel, and Snow White.

Cindy’s first MOC: Baymax from Big Hero 6.

What was your first MOC build? I have been replicating existing masterpiece designs over these last two years that I have seen on Flickr and Pinterest. I struggled with inspiration for my own designs, but all that changed when I started a class at my favorite local LEGO store (BB4U in Taipei City), learning the basics of LEGO with the very competent Will Ho. We started building a 35 centimeter Baymax character and this was my very first MOC! This of course equipped me with the skills and courage to undertake building bigger models. Since then, I decided to focus on building 25 centimeter models, such as the Disney Princesses, The Simpsons, and horror sets. At this time, I met my new best friend Helen Sham, a MOC LEGO designer. She has shared so much of her knowledge and experience with me, especially in building the 25 centimeter models. So now I am working on developing my skills in this area, with a dream to MOC 45 to 90 centimeter models!

What are your favorite themes? I love horror movies, so I have collected many LEGO horror sets and toys; for example, Haunted House. I am a big fan of Disney, so I collect the Disney Princess Collections. I love these princess stories, because I believe there are many good life morals in them to teach us!

When did you start building large minifigures? My first large minifigures were two years ago. I started with the set 3723 of LEGO Minifigure and Charlie Chaplin. I spotted a photo on Flickr of Charlie Chaplin at LEGOLand USA and I rebuilt his head; his clothing, body and legs were all my MOC. I was really struck by Charlie Chaplin’s head design and decided I needed to have a model of my own on my wall.

How many MOCs have you built? So far, I have built around 20 MOCs, including Disney Princesses, The Simpsons, horror movie characters, Disney Donald Duck and Daisy... many of which can be seen on the photo of a wall in my home.

How do you plan your building? I usually collect a lot of photos of the same design from online sites such as Flickr and Pinterest. I prefer to free build, because my projects have been smaller. Since I plan to become more adventurous in my LEGO model sizes, I will start to use the LEGO LDraw™ software. This will help me design better and plan the number of actual bricks that I need. Even with all the technological help, I still prefer to free build. It’s more fun!

What do you plan to build in the future? I want to complete the horror and the Disney Princess collections, so that I have a complete range of both on display! I plan to ‘go large’ on my models, making them 25 centimeters tall or even taller! I have a cat named Mimi, who is my 21 year old ‘little daughter’. I plan to complete a life-size model of her this year.

The Beatles!

Cindy at work.

Helen at work on a figure.

Some Japanese characters.

What inspires you to build? My first inspiration is to give unique gifts to my friends for Christmas. I built a Spider-Man and Molly for my best friends. Now I build 25 centimeter models for birthday gifts for my special friends. I make a model that depicts the person, detailing their hair, handbag, clothing. I love seeing their amazing reactions to their LEGO ‘mini me’. I have a huge passion for LEGO—it eases my stress and releases my inner creativity.

Frankenstein and Dracula.

Chef, Harley Quinn, and a London officer.

What advice would you give to a beginning builder? Well, I am a relative beginner too, having only started my AFOL passion two years ago! My advice is to start building what you like or what you are interested in. It’s better to start with small models and learn as you go. As you grow in your confidence, you are ready to undertake something bigger or more complicated. Playing LEGO is just like doing a jigsaw puzzle, like a mystery to be solved. They key thing is not to get frustrated and give up—keep persisting!

LEGO retailers offer classes in building LEGO sets, so this is a great way to improve your skills and also meet more expert builders. There are many LUGs (LEGO User Groups) around the world. I have always found my local group to be a great source of information and skill sharing. It’s in a LUG that you have a better chance to meet a friend who can hopefully encourage you. This is where I met Helen. I always get a sense of achievement after I have finished my models, so I hope that beginners can feel this too and share their joy with their families!

Some models made for friends.

People

The USS Yorktown.

Marcello de Cicco:

Telling World War II’s Stories with Bricks Article and Photography by Marcello de Cicco

I always like to tell a historical story when I build with LEGO. When I was a little buckaroo, I was always fascinated with LEGO and World War II warships. As I became older, I began studying to become an architect, designing and building luxurious homes in high school and college. One day I realized if I could design a home with blueprints, then I could design a World War II warship out of LEGO. The internet has a plethora of information with pictures, diagrams, blueprints and books to use for LEGO building. I built the LEGO battleship Yamato... because it was the biggest and most powerful battleship ever built. Then I started wondering, “This battleship should have been put into a museum. What happened to it?” That’s how it all started. My first story: Operation Ten-Go. Japanese Battleship Yamato was sent on a one-way mission to Okinawa in April 7, 1945. Japanese Destroyer Yukikaze was one of the destroyers with the Yamato. 400+ U.S. Navy aircraft from eight U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, including the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10), helped sink the mighty Japanese battleship. I built all of the models needed for this story, from the ships to the planes on the deck of the Yorktown.

Marcello with his ships, from front to rear: The destroyer Yukikaze, the super battleship Yamato, and aircraft carrier Yorktown.

Some details on the Yorktown.

All the LEGO ships and planes are built to the same scale (1:108) from actual blueprints and diagrams. Here are some measurements and details: Essex Class Aircraft carrier USS Yorktown CV-10. Over 26,000 bricks used. 8’6” long, 21” wide and 18” tall. Weight : 76 pounds, has flashing lights and rotating radar antenna. Separates in four sections. Japanese Super Battleship Yamato Over 25,000 bricks used. 8’ long, 14” wide and 19” tall. Weight: 50 lbs and separates into three sections. Japanese Destroyer Yukikaze (the lucky ship) Over 3,000+ LEGO bricks used. 44” long, 4 ½” wide and 10” tall. Weight: 15 lbs separates into two sections. The Yamato.

The Yorktown.

Working on the bow. Note the reference schematic on the right.

Shipbuilding in Bricks Unlike their real-life counterparts, Marcello’s ships are not built in dry dock, but at his workspace. For the Yorktown, he began by finding schematics and references to work out the scale measurements of his model. Once he figures out the overall measurements, Marcello begins laying down the hull. Reference brick stacks are placed to compare deck lines as he builds.

The completed upper decks.

Working on the Yorktown’s stern.

Because the interior of the ship will not be seen, Marcello can use basic bricks in any color to fill and reinforce the ship. The ship is divided into sections to allow breaking down for travel. Details are built and added as the hull is raised. It’s a painstaking and long process, but the end result is breathtaking.

Progress is made on the stern.

Another view of the ships.

I’m now working on a new story... The Doolittle Raid B-25 bombers sit on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) in the Pacific Ocean in 1942. The Hornet, one of three carriers in the Yorktown class, was the ship that launched the bombers flown by Air Force Lt. Col. James Doolittle and his pilots during an air raid in Tokyo four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Later, it also was involved in the Battle of Midway. Under construction: USS Hornet (CV-8) aircraft carrier World War 2 Yorktown Class 18,000 to 20,000 LEGO bricks when completed 7’.7” long, 15 “ wide and 20” tall when completed Separates in four sections

A look at the superstructure of the Yamato.

Other models planned to complete the Doolittle Raid story: USS Nashville light cruiser sinking a Japanese fishing ‘spy boat’ trawler After the Dolittle Raid, the next story I will tell is about the German battleship Bismarck sinking the British Battlecruiser Hood in 1:108 scale. After that, I don’t know what story I will tell, but there will be more to come. Planes dropping torpedoes targeted at the Yukikaze.

Building

Creating Cienasis 5 Article and Photography by Dan Church

Dan Church is a 23-year-old college graduate with a degree in civil engineering. He works currently as a structural engineer and lives in Wisconsin. Dan started building at a young age and never really stopped building, although he did build a lot less throughout college while away at school. He discovered the online LEGO community in 2007 when he was 14 and started posting on mocpages.com and flickr. His original building was more into the castle side of things, but he transitioned into more of a sci-fi builder in recent years.

About Cienasis 5 Dan loves building with LEGO as a creative outlet. Building with LEGO growing up really put him on the path to engineering in the first place: One starts with a picture of what they’d like to see in their head, and then they have to figure out how to make that happen using a very finite set of parts and shapes. This really helped him to develop a strong set of problemsolving skills which he uses every day in his career.

A predominantly ocean-covered world, the people of the planet Rhilaf developed the HFG (Hydrophobic Field Generator), which allows vessels to be suspended above the water. This also reduced the resistance caused by the water, allowing the vessel to travel at much faster speeds. As a result the people saw no need to develop air travel at the same time as we did on Earth. Their connection to the seas keeps them attached to the oceans in every way possible. Seafaring is a time-honored tradition that is also this world’s most efficient means of transportation. With the emergence of the HFG into the seafaring industry, a network of mid-ocean oases, called Cienasis, sprang out of the ocean to provide places for rest, refueling and trade. These mid-ocean points of trade are centers of culture and communication, with many languages being shared between the different factions and peoples of the watery world.

Bar and Support Craft

Cienasis 5’s stations have different facilities, with a trading station and, in this case, a bar (seen in the middle). Boats and other support vehicles regularly visit for trade and fuel.

Bar

Those who sail the boats and ships here need to rest and relax. This station has a bar for visitors to unwind.

Aerial View

Here is an overhead view of Cienasis 5, one of the many stations found on Rhilaf.

Solar Panel

Here is a look at the solar array used by the station.

“Esprit del Mar” (Spirit of the Ocean) Air Skiff

This is a more recent build by Dan and has a clean color palette of white, light bluish gray, and gold. To achieve the rounded hull, rounded slopes and Friends curved panel elements are used.

As far as building preferences go, Dan’s builds do not refer to outside sources very much. He tries to show his creativity in its purest form. Many of his builds begin from fumbling around with a few parts and seeing how they look, and going from there. Table scraps (builds made from leftover parts from a build) are where most of his builds start. Dan’s builds often start with an odd connection which inspired an idea, then down the line became a finished build.

Dan loves building his own worlds too. Even though he doesn’t consider himself much of a storyteller, he would prefer to build something and create the world it inhabits rather than build something already thought up in the medium of LEGO. That said, he does enjoy the occasional sourcebased build, such as a video game build to contribute to the GamerLUG display at Brickworld each year.

Breeze’s Heir

Breeze’s Heir, the first boat Dan built for his Cienasis theme, started from the angle of the wedge plates that make up the engines that extend off of the stern of the vessel. The design was also inspired by the Disney movie Treasure Planet. From that movie, he really loved the idea of sailing ships making interstellar journeys.

Announcing

BrickJournal Building Sets!

Designed by BrickJournal’s Editorin-Chief Joe Meno, these are the beginning of a series of custom sets inspired by the themes and builders featured in the magazine! You can find out about these sets and upcoming sets at:

Microscale Space Shuttle with Stand: 50 pcs. $10

Microscale Starship: 166 pcs. $30

www.brickjournal.com/sets

Minecreep: 75 pcs. $15

Building Sets For those who want to do more than read BrickJournal!

This is not a LEGO® Product. These are reused LEGO elements that have been repackaged or altered from their original form. LEGO is a trademark of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse these products. The LEGO Group is not liable for any loss injury, or damage arising from the use or misuse of these products.

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!

(84-page FULL-COLOR Trade Paperbacks) $9.95 • (Digital Editions) $4.95

BOTH BOOKS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!

TwoMorrows—A New Day For LEGO Fandom.

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 E-mail: store@twomorrowspubs.com • Visit us on the Web at www.twomorrows.com

Building

James Zhan’s Coral Reef Article and Photography by James Zhan

James Zhan is from Taipei, Taiwan and is a 39 year old Graphic Designer and AFOL. While he does building in a lot of themes, this diorama is different, as it has many different creatures in a colorful environment that takes advantage of the LEGO color palette. BrickJournal asked him to talk about this model and his building, and this is his reply: I did not have LEGO sets when I was young, so I bought a lot of sets in 2007, such as Vikings and Castle series. I bought almost all of them (I needed all kinds of parts), and I started building my own creations. I have always been building since 2007 to the present. My favorite themes are Pirates and ocean adventurebased, because pirates and marine explorers are free to sail and explore.

Some views of the reef, showing the fish, the blue ribbon eels, and a crab.

I will be a dive guide in the summer so I get to see the beautiful sea, but I also see the damaged marine ecology. These things make me want to use LEGO bricks to produce beautiful marine animals. I design and make my creations reflect my learning, and I hope that my models will become larger and richer as time goes on. The hard part of this build was the entire coral reef ecology, because there are so many biological species. A reef is filled with a lot of creatures and animals; to produce each is very difficult, as I don’t have enough LEGO parts and the scale of my model reef is not big enough. The easy part of this build was the marine animals that are present in the sea, such as Blue Ribbon eel, Teira batfish, sea horse, Heniochus acuminatus (pennant coralfish), Pikachu Nudibranch, and Stephanolepis cirrhifer (thread-sail filefish). As long as there is information to reference these animals, building them is not too hard. I like a variety of MOC themes, because I end up learning as I build with the information I find, and understanding I gain, while researching. Since LEGO produces new parts every year, I also practice and learn new MOC skills. I plan and design my builds by first researching and then drawing the initial design. My favorite part of building is trying all kinds of LEGO parts to build the model; sometimes planning, sometimes not planning. During this time I usually discover a variety of surprising changes, which add to the enjoyment of building a MOC. Some more views of the colorful diorama.

Building

The full layout.

Gilcélio Chagas’

Underwater Adventure Article by Joe Meno Photography by Gilcélio Chagas

Gilcélio Chagas is a Brazilian AFOL builder who works as an engineer for a company that fixes elevators. While he has been in the hobby for only ten years, he has built dozens of creations, from Model Team scale vehicles to microscale starships. He also has competed in the Iron Builder online building competition, so he is generally acknowledged as one of the most creative AFOLs around. His first hobby is diving, which inspired him to build the Underwater Adventure diorama. He really loves LEGO, so everything he sees makes him feel like he could build it in LEGO. When diving, his thoughts drifted to whether he could build the reef in LEGO. Planning a build requires that Chagas look for picture and photos online before starting, and then checking to see if he has the colors to begin. After that, it’s building time and he builds brick by brick until he reaches the final result. Sometimes this takes a lot of time to find the perfect part to fill a detail. His experience in building aquatic models is relatively new, but he’ll be building more in the future. His next project? He’s doing a lot of research on Pixar movies, so expect something soon!

A closer look at the sea bottom animals and plants.

The submersible.

Building

Mitsuru Nikaido’s Animal Kingdom! Article by Joe Meno Photography by Mitsuru Nikaido

If you’re viewing a Digital Edition of this publication,

PLEASE READ THIS: This is copyrighted material, NOT intended for downloading anywhere except our website or Apps. If you downloaded it from another website or torrent, go ahead and read it, and if you decide to keep it, DO THE RIGHT THING and buy a legal download, or a printed copy. Otherwise, DELETE IT FROM YOUR DEVICE and DO NOT SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS OR POST IT ANYWHERE. If you enjoy our publications enough to download them, please pay for them so we can keep producing ones like this. Our digital editions should ONLY be downloaded within our Apps and at

www.twomorrows.com

Mitsuru Nikaido is a print designer who designs books and product packages during the day, but in his off time is a LEGO builder. His current focus is a blend of organic and mechanical textures and forms that are mostly in the form of sea animals. His creations are visually complex, with tubes and spikes coming from shells and exoskeletons. The result is a wonderful weaving of organic and technical, and of creatures that would breathe and also whir with noise for gears and hinges. It’s a different look that is futuristic and also naturalistic. Nikaido’s interest in LEGO building began in elementary school, but like many, after graduating he stopped building and entered a Dark Age. His interest with building was rekindled when he started buying sets for his child. That was three years ago, and in the time since, his models have gotten the attention of many online for his distinct style.

As mentioned before, his style is a blend of nature and technology. For most builders, the LEGO brick and its limitations as a block shape have led builders to make block-shaped creatures. Nikaido uses curved elements to define organic shapes and uses tubing to simulate veins or other organic forms.

Nikaido builds to reflect his love of animals and creatures of the earth. He sees the beauty in the evolution that creatures have taken to survive competition. He sees beauty in all creatures, even insects. They may have an ugly appearance, but what they evolved to is meaningful for survival. He also sees beauty in industrial machines built by humans, so for him, it’s fun to imagine a ‘machine organism” that combines them.

Hermit Crab

An example of a “machine organism” can be found in Nikaido’s rendition of a hermit crab. While much of the model is made up of spikes made from flick-fire missiles, the legs are a combination of the organiclooking red rounded slopes and the mechanical dark grey elements. A closer look reveals the parts to be skis or binoculars, which reinforce the mechanical feel of the crab.

Inspiration comes from nature. From a walk in the mountains or a book in the library, an idea can be born. There are no rough sketches for Nikaido, as he checks a skeleton with references, like books, to determine the overall shape and balance. After that, he builds to flesh out the bones. This happens over several days, but actual build time is around 12 hours. The most difficult build for him was a T-Rex model, as it was a challenge to balance structural strength and appearance.

T-Rex

Nikaido’s T-Rex is a nice study in biomechanical building. While the interior is Technic and other elements, the external form is defined by curved organic looking parts. They look like shielding but also look like places where there is organic tissue. The balance in white ‘skinning’ and mechanical volume helps define the form of the model—if there was no white skin, the structure would not be as easy to read with all the small elements showing.

Sea Turtle

Nikaido’s sea turtle uses the shell color to break up the forms of the rest of the body. The shell pattern is based on the limitations of the curved slopes, but also matches the organic pattern of a real turtle. The shell pattern also conceals the interior and underside, which can be seen at the right. The form of the turtle is accurate proportionally, and even looks right when taken off its stand to rest on the ground.

Sunfish

Nikaido’s sunfish is more mechanical than organic, but there are some nice uses of minifigure skis to define the rear fin ridges. The white body parts used to define the bottom front of the fish are a nice visual counter to the overall grey—a viewer’s eye finds different areas to help define the model. The yellow eye is a strong accent for the model. This fish could be in the ocean or in space!

Seahorse

This seahorse captures the delicate form of its real-life counterpart using a lot of clip elements, especially in the tail. Once again, white is used to define form (like the T-Rex). The eyes are transparent green and are a strong accent, like the yellow eyes of the Sunfish. There’s also a little gold seen in the body to offset the grey.

Sea Lion

The sea lion is a marvelous example of using different parts in unusually effective ways. There are two elements on this creation that make it really successful. One is the control lever base—in white, they are used as the sea lion’s eyes. The other part is the minifigure Wolverine claws. In this model, they make perfect whiskers. The rounded parts all serve to make the sea lion’s form more organic. Wings are used as flippers, and perched on a built iceberg, the sea lion looks at home.

After building animals, what would Nakaido like to build? The answer is simple: A model of a zoo to place his animals in!

Fiddler Crab

Thanks to the numerous clips in the legs and claws of this model, the crab is articulated and can pose in different ways. Even the eyes can move and are printed transparent tiles. White parts make up the exoskeleton of this crab and simplify its form. The white minifigure skis define the legs with a tip, much like a real crab.

Submarine ROV

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.

Design and Instructions by Tommy Williamson

About this issue’s model:

This model is of an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) — basically an underwater drone. These are primarily used in sea exploration, but as prices for these vehicles have decreased, ROVs have become more accessible for public use. This particular model could be used for taking film footage and photography.

Parts List

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

Qty Part Color Description 2 6141.dat Trans Clear Plate 1 x 1 Round 1 30151.dat Trans Clear Cylinder 2 x 2 x 1.667 with Dome Top 1 98138.dat Trans Clear Tile 1 x 1 Round with Groove 1 98100.dat White Brick 2 x 2 Round Sloped 1 3749.dat Tan Technic Axle Pin 2 2654.dat Yellow Dish 2 x 2 2 3023.dat Yellow Plate 1 x 2 4 4085c.dat Yellow Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Vertical (Thick U-Clip) 12 6141.dat Yellow Plate 1 x 1 Round 10 6143.dat Yellow Brick 2 x 2 Round Type 2 1 30361a.dat Yellow Cylinder 2 x 2 x 2 Robot Body without Bottom Axle Holder 4 47905.dat Yellow Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Two Opposite Sides 4 50950.dat Yellow Slope Brick Curved 3 x 1 2 6583.dat Dark Bluish Gray Plate 1 x 6 with Train Wagon End 1 30162.dat Dark Bluish Gray Minifig Binoculars with Round Eyepiece 2 2341.dat Black Slope Brick 45 3 x 1 Inverted Double without Inner Stopper Rings 1 3021.dat Black Plate 2 x 3 1 3023.dat Black Plate 1 x 2

Qty Part Color Description 1 3062b.dat Black Brick 1 x 1 Round with Hollow Stud 1 3666.dat Black Plate 1 x 6 1 3710.dat Black Plate 1 x 4 2 4529.dat Black Minifig Saucepan 2 4735.dat Black Brick 1 x 1 x 2/3 Round with Bar and Clip Vertical 1 6041.dat Black Propellor 3 Blade 3.5 Diameter 4 11090.dat Black Bar Tube with Clip 1 30360.dat Black Cylinder 3 x 6 x 2 2/3 Horizontal 2 30367a.dat Black Cylinder 2 x 2 with Dome Top with Blocked Stud 2 30374.dat Black Bar 4L Light Sabre Blade 1 55299.dat Black Minifig Tool Open End Wrench 1 58367.dat Black Minifig Hose Nozzle with Side String Hole 1 60478.dat Black Plate 1 x 2 with Handle on End 2 85984.dat Black Slope Brick 31 1 x 2 x 0.667 1 92593.dat Black Plate 1 x 4 with Two Studs 1 3023.dat Light Bluish Gray Plate 1 x 2 1 4032a.dat Light Bluish Gray Plate 2 x 2 Round with Axlehole Type 1 2 60470a.dat Light Bluish Gray Plate 1 x 2 with 2 Clips Horizontal (Open U-Clips)

You Can Build It MINI Model

Gungan Tribubble Bongo Submersible Design and Instructions by Christopher Deck

Hello everybody, I am certainly glad to join you again for a building session in BrickJournal! Going along with the underwater theme of this issue, I would like to build the Gungan Bongo Sub from Star Wars: Episode One with you. It’s a sleek and organic looking submersible, nimbly maneuvering through the oceans with ease. The flexible driving fins and front diving plane give the vehicle its superior underwater agility. Many versions of the Bongo Sub already have been built; official sets and fan creations, in minifigure or microscale. But this won’t prevent us from developing and building another new version using cool pieces, colors and techniques. Thus we will employ dinosaur flippers (animal body part 40386) for the driving fins. To convert the technic pin into a stud, we will cover them with 1x1 round bricks. Now we attach these to a 2x2 round brick. The best way is to attach them so that the flipper tips point outward. Then you can start rotating the flippers inward until they are nicely twisted together and give a dynamic visual appearance. I hope you will enjoy building this model and hope to see you next time!

Parts List (Parts can be ordered from Bricklink.com by searching by part number and color) Qty Color

Sand-Blue

1 3

Trans-Yellow Trans-White

2 4 1

Blue Sand-Blue Blue

1 2 2 3 2

Sand-Blue Sand-Blue Sand-Blue Sand-Blue Sand-Blue

Sand-Blue

Blue

Part

Description

40386.dat Animal Dinosaur Flipper with Pin 3062b.dat Brick 1 x 1 Round with Hollow Stud 3941.dat Brick 2 x 2 Round 30367b.dat Cylinder 2 x 2 with Dome Top with Axle Hole and Blocked Stud 3024.dat Plate 1 x 1 3024.dat Plate 1 x 1 50949.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Racer Grille 4 x 1 x 2/3 3710.dat Plate 1 x 4 3022.dat Plate 2 x 2 2420.dat Plate 2 x 2 Corner 3021.dat Plate 2 x 3 30357.dat Plate 3 x 3 Corner Round 2450.dat Plate 3 x 3 without Corner 54200.dat Slope Brick 31 1 x 1 x 0.667

Qty Color

Blue

Sand-Blue

Black

Trans-Green

2 2

Sand-Blue Sand-Blue

Part

Description

29120.dat Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 with Cutout Left 29119.dat Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 with Cutout Right 47457.dat Slope Brick Curved 2 x 2 x 2/3 Triple with Two Top Studs 47456.dat Slope Brick Curved 2 x 2 x 2/3 with Fin and 2 Studs 43093.dat Technic Axle Pin with Friction 3700.dat Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Hole 4263.dat Technic Plate 1 x 4 with Holes 98138.dat Tile 1 x 1 Round with Groove 43723.dat Wing 2 x 3 Left 43722.dat Wing 2 x 3 Right

You Can Build It MINI Model

Ogel Sub: Miniaturized! Design and Instructions by Christopher Deck

Hello once again, everybody! It’s a great pleasure for me to join for a second building session with you this time! Before we start, we go back in time fifteen years. When you browse the LEGO catalogue of the year 2002, you will see the sets of the Alpha Team theme. One of its sub themes is Mission Deep Sea with exciting underwater sets continuing the action of the Aquazone theme sets from the late 1990s. Just for completion, Aquazone was continued in the year 2007 with a second wave of underwater sets, so Mission Deep Sea bridges a

ten years lasting gap between the underwater themes. Taken from this theme, we want to build a miniaturized version of the Ogel Sub, the bad guys’ main submersible, featuring two extra large tool arms equipped with claws and a saw. If you like SNOT bricking, you will like this model. It’s quite compact and features studs on every side to obtain the desired shape and functionality. Particularly tricky is the cockpit with trans-red inverted underside and sloped upper side. I hope you will enjoy building this streamlined submersible as much as I did! Happy building and see you next time!

Parts List (Parts can be ordered from Bricklink.com by searching by part number and color) Qty Color

2 1

1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 1

Black Dark Bluish Gray

Part

Description

4221.dat Arm Piece Grab Jaw 30198.dat Arm Piece Grab Jaw Holder with Handle Black 99780.dat Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Up Black 2921.dat Brick 1 x 1 with Handle Black 4070.dat Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight Dark-Gray 4733.dat Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Four Sides Black 4595.dat Brick 1 x 2 x 0.667 with Studs on Sides Trans-Neon-Green 58176.dat Cylinder Domed 1 x 1 x 1.667 with Bar Trans-Orange 6117.dat Minifig Chainsaw Blade Black 53989.dat Minifig Mechanical Arm with Clip and Rod Hole Black 3024.dat Plate 1 x 1

Qty Color

Part

2 1 6 1

Trans-Neon-Orange 6141.dat Black 3023.dat Trans-Red 3023.dat Red 4596.dat

Dark-Gray

1 1 2

Black Red Black

Trans-Red

5 1

Black Black

1 4 1

Black Trans-Red Black

Description

Plate 1 x 1 Round Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2 with 3L Extension and Stud Hole 3794a.dat Plate 1 x 2 without Groove with 1 Centre Stud 3022.dat Plate 2 x 2 3020.dat Plate 2 x 4 61409.dat Slope Brick 18 2 x 1 x 2/3 Grille 54200.dat Slope Brick 31 1 x 1 x 0.667 3040b.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 1 32000.dat Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Holes 3069b.dat Tile 1 x 2 with Groove 3069b.dat Tile 1 x 2 with Groove 24307.dat Wing 2 x 2 Right

You can view Christopher’s webpage by going to www.deckdesigns.de or scanning this QR code!

Building Minifig Customization 101

Intermission Article and Photography by Jared K. Burks

Cue the hold music . . . . . . . . . . . (This is a very specific song; can you guess it?) Life: it happens. Projects never run as smoothly as you hope, as there are always unforeseen obstacles. What does this mean? It means that I have not, as of the writing of this article, been able to complete my giant figure I started in the last article, so please stay tuned for the next one. As an intermission of sorts, I am going to be covering the creation I made for a friend’s son’s birthday party. I was given very strict instructions (wink). A friend of mine asked me to create a figure kit that they could make during the party and give away as party favors. The figure they wanted me to put together was entirely up to me, but I was told the birthday boy enjoyed LEGO, Star Wars, and Minecraft. What was I going to do with that bit of guidance? Well, I quickly visited my local LEGO store and dug through the build-a-figure box to see what parts were available. Luckily, they had tan stubby legs, and this set me in motion. Please recall from a previous article that I had molded the Minecraft head to create some custom colored Minecraft head parts to create my daughter’s favorite Minecraft YouTube characters. As this friend’s son was a Minecraft fan, this would allow me to make another custom Minecraft figure. So I set to casting some custom colored Minecraft heads. Now, all I needed was a torso, a decal, and an accessory item, and we would have a party project for my friend’s son. Luckily, I had a stack of tan torsos to go along with the tan stubby legs; can you guess the character we are going to make (tan torso, tan stubby legs, and custom colored Minecraft head)? Clearly, LEGO, Star Wars, and Minecraft needed the greatest Jedi Master of all time, Yoda! Therefore, I needed an 8-bit decal for Yoda’s head and torso, which sounds easy to create, but perhaps not. We have to examine Minecraft figures and determine how many boxes fit on the head, and then figure out a way to get Yoda’s details to fit inside these boxes. This led me to create the following template.

Figures with 3-D printed lightsaber and walking stick.

Template.

Now that I have a template, I needed to color in the boxes to recreate Yoda’s head and torso. I wanted to create something that was close to the LEGO version of Yoda, so I simply pulled up images of Yoda’s head and torso, placed them next to the boxed template, and colored the boxes. What are the major details of Yoda’s head? His eyes, ears, and hair; so I focused on these details, let go of the others, and left them up to the observer’s brain to fill in the details. If you look at Minecraft figures closely, they typically have several shades of the color that predominates the figure to give it a bit of variation and detail to make them look a bit more interesting and not as flat. Given this detail, I mirrored this effect with Yoda, especially on the bare skin areas of the face. Next, I designed Yoda’s torso, which is harder, as it is more difficult to capture the folds of Jedi robes than I ever thought (all those wrinkles and details even in Yoda’s simple garb; please see the photo to the right). I simply needed to print the decals and let the kids apply them at the party, but Yoda just isn’t complete without his lightsaber and walking stick. As this is Minecraft Yoda, I simply couldn’t just throw a standard LEGO lightsaber in with the figure. And since I recently acquired a 3-D printer, I wanted to create versions of the lightsaber and walking stick that would fit into the Minecraft universe: square and blocky. As I am new to 3-D printing, I did not know a whole lot about designing my own 3-D files, so I quickly asked my friends about their experiences and I found a program called Meshmixer from Autodesk (www. meshmixer.com). As this is something new to me, I did what anyone should do: I started studying the program, watching YouTube videos, I read the quick-start guide, and I simply tried a bit of trial and error. Luckily, the undo button was present and I could correct things I messed up. My advice is be fearless; do not be afraid to fail or to try. It may take you a couple of attempts to get something to work, but hang tough, and when and if you get stuck, then ask for help from the community that you will uncover while you are learning.

Reference minifigure.

Decal design of Yoda’s head and torso.

I had planned something simple to start with, the walking stick. LEGO uses a reddish brown bar (lightsaber blade), so for the Minecraft equivalent I envisioned a cuboid (box shaped object with six flat faces and all angles are right angles, and all of its faces are rectangles), which is also known as a rectangular prism. Luckily for me, Meshmixer has some basic shaped meshes, including a cube that I could stretch to make the shape I needed for the walking stick, then adjust the diameter. As this Minecraft walking stick had square sides, I had to figure out what the rounded minifigure hand could hold. This measurement would be critical to the lightsaber hilt as well; therefore, this one trial and error experiment would serve two purposes. I set to test printing a few different diameters of rectangular prisms. Next, I designed the lightsaber hilt. I decided I would create it in the same scale as the LEGO hilt and then scale it to the correct thickness. I got out my calipers, which is a tool to accurately measure the size of objects, and set to work. I measured each portion of the lightsaber hilt to determine the size and format of each section. Once I had these measured, I returned to the basic square shaped mesh included in the Meshmixer and set to work

Creating the light saber and its hilt.

recreating all of these round shapes as square ones. I then assembled them all in Meshmixer and used a “union” tool to create one solid object. Then using a subtractive tool I removed the areas in the top and bottom of my square hilt where the blade could be placed into the hilt, just as it is on the official LEGO element. Once I had all of this done, it was time to scale the blade in the X and Y directions, but leaving the Z direction fixed so that it would be the same length as the official element, but it would fit into Yoda’s round hand.

Creating the walking stick.

Calipers.

Time to print the 3-D files that I created. This brings on a whole new set of skills, but in short, I was printing in PLA (polylatic acid). According to Wikipedia, PLA is a biodegradable and bioactive thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived from renewable resources, such as cornstarch, tapioca roots, chips, starch, or sugarcane. In 2010, PLA had the second highest consumption volume of any bioplastic of the world. I believe that LEGO is even considering replacing ABS with PLA as it is more environmentally friendly. It will degrade if buried. If LEGO does go this route, I wonder more about the stability in hotter climates, but that is a story for another day. As I have a nice silver PLA material for my printer, I printed the saber hilt in silver so they wouldn’t have to paint the hilt. However I didn’t have brown PLA, so they would have to paint the walking stick. To make this easier for the party I suggested they simply color them with a brown Sharpie marker. This method was also used for the lightsaber blade. There were eight Minecraft Yoda figures created at the birthday party and from what I understand, everyone had a great time. Ultimately, activities such as these are why I enjoy this hobby so much, as it connects adults and kids. While this is not the hold music song, the lyrics do express the sentiment I am driving at: It’s hard to explain how a few precious things, Seem to follow throughout all our lives, After all’s said and done I was watching my son, Sleeping there with my bear by his side, So I tucked him in, I kissed him and as I was going, I swear that old bear whispered, ‘boy, welcome home,’ —Return to Pooh Corner Kenny Loggins Sharing your hobby and passions allows you to experience what it was like when you enjoyed them for the first time. LEGO gives that to many of the AFOLs, especially as we share our work at events and shows. Share what you know and never stop learning. Next issue I will jump back into the completion of the clock to giant figure conversion, as when we left off, I had just completed the blank slate. I am learning many things with the giant figure conversion, as it is a scale I have never tackled before. I hope you have enjoyed this brief intermission and found the deviation a bit fun. Typically,

www.brickcoaster.com

Custom Roller Coaster Tracks, Sets and Accessories 58

Two of the complete figures constructed at the party, water still on one of their faces from application! Photo by Chris Carville.

the projects that surprise us bring out some of the best creativity, as you don’t have so much time to overthink the project. Your estimated wait time for the completion of the Giant Figure Conversion article is the next issue of BrickJournal; please continue to hold................. The long-term contract that I had to sign says I’ll be making these movies till the end of time with my Yoda! Yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda yo-yo-yo-yo Yoda! Thank you for waiting, it has been our pleasure to bring you Weird Al’s “Yoda” from the Dare to be Stupid album, 1985.

You can go to Jared’s webpage by going to http://www.fineclonier.com/ or scanning this QR code!

Come back next issue for more Minifigure Customization! Don’t miss Jared K. Burks’ two books Minifigure Customization: Populate Your World! and its sequel Minifigure Customization2: Why Live In The Box? (both available now at www.twomorrows.com)

59 59

Community

Hankyu’s Brick Aquarium Article by Joe Meno Photography by Jumpei Mitsui

In April 2017, the Hankyu Brick Museum opened at the Hankyu Umeda Station, which is connected with Osaka Station in Japan. Located in an alleyway, the museum has five showcases for displaying the work of LEGO Certified Professional Jumpei Mitsui. There is no admission fee to see his work. In front of the museum is the largest LEGO brand store in Japan. As a result, there are many visitors that come to see Jumpei’s work.

The display showcased in this issue is an aquarium, which was built by Jumpei in respect to the aquarium that previously was kept in the same place. This year Hankyu decided to renovate the alley, so the aquarium was removed.

The display itself took 400 hours to construct and used 80,000 bricks. It was commissioned by Hankyu Corporation, which is a private Japanese train company. For Jumpei, this was a labor of love for those who loved the aquarium that had been there for more than 40 years.

The aquarium display has many different LEGO models, including fish, coral and an octopus. At the bottom of the display are colorful sea anemones and coral colonies. Two clownfish rest on an anemone,

and a moray eel peeks out of his hole. At one side, a sea turtle swims over a coral formation, while fish are swimming lazily above the sea bottom. On the sea bottom, there are a couple of other sea creatures that are present. One is a red octopus, which is almost center stage. The other is a red prawn. All of the 3-D elements were built in LEGO form. Some of the work was repetitious, but the end result is nothing but impressive.

The turtle was the hardest model to build, according to Jumpei. To make the rounded form of the turtle shell, he ended up using hinges to make the turtle’s shell pattern. The easiest model for him was the octopus. Jumpei’s hometown is Akashi, which is known for producing octopuses in Japan. As a result, the octopus is Jumpei’s favorite creature. He enjoyed building the octopus, using a 1 x 1 round plate with a hole in the middle to make suckers.

Jumpei’s work at the Hankyu Brick Museum is semi-permanent, so his displays are changed yearly. So if you are traveling to Japan or planning such a trip, before you go to the Osaka LEGO store, visit the Brick Museum and spend a litte time exploring the builds of Jumpei Mitsui. You’ll be surprised and inspired by what you will see.

Community

The papercube team (from left): Roman Dinges, Fabrice Weinberg, Jens Sterk, Henning Kranz and Andreas Baumgart, who is Project Manager.

papercube: Making Paper Cubes with MINDSTORMS! Article by Joe Meno Photography by Finn Rose, Justine Prüne and Lars Riedel

It’s easy to make a paper cube, right? You take a sheet of paper, measure out the six sides, add some tabs and score the folds. After that, it’s a matter of cutting, folding, and gluing the tabs and seams together. Andreas Baumgart, an educator at the Jade University of Applied Sciences in Wilhelmshaven, Germany decided to make a robot using MINDSTORMS parts to demonstrate a computer-based process for manufacturing paper cubes. With the help of seven students, he began this project (called papercube) in February 2015 and completed it two years later. In that time Andreas and his team discovered that making a paper cube was a lot harder to do mechanically. The team developed a machine that used a laser to cut and score a piece of paper to make a box. While the laser is definitely not a LEGO element, the rest of the machine was mostly made up of LEGO MINDSTORMS elements. There are seven EV3 programmable bricks and 21 motors used in the papercube maker. For eye protection, the laser is inside a housing that is covered by a special safety glass. There is a custom lighting system that lines the outside of the laser chamber which not only is a decoration, but also is a visual alarm if the top is left open. The laser itself is actually a three watt 445 nm laserdiode. It’s also a Class 4 laser, which is dangerous enough to burn skin and cause devastating and permanent eye damage as a result of direct, diffuse or indirect beam viewing. A switch in the laser chamber lid prevents the laser from activating if opened. The laser is only one part of papercube, however. Papercube has three sections, and with these sections there are each EV3 MINDSTORMS bricks working with each other through a wireless network. The bricks are directed by a Java application that is cross-platform, so any computer can be used to run papercube. The application has all the programming needed to produce a completed cube, so all that is needed to be done to start is feed paper into papercube. The application also is able to stop papercube at any point in the process in the case of any errors occurring.

Left: The application dashboard. From here all processes are monitored. The three sections have separate controls and overrides, so a program can be initiated or manually started or stopped. Status messages are constantly updated on the screen, informing the user what is happening as well as a start time for the action. Below and bottom: Minifigures overseeing operations.

The frame is a specific size for use in papercube, and from experience it turns out that orange paper is the perfect color to use for the laser. A sheet is inserted in a frame and the frame is closed. Magnets keep a tight hold on the paper without damaging it. Once loaded, the frame can be dropped in the frame feed. The feed can hold several frames stacked. When papercube is operating, the feed can drop frames separately to be moved to the laser chamber. The frame is then rolled into the chamber. Once the frame is completely inside, the entrance is closed. The frame stops and is locked in place and calibrated using a color sensor and a red corner tile. Outside the laser chamber, the team added some fun—some minifigures watching and running the machinery. Since papercube is built on LEGO baseplates for easy disassembly and transport, it makes sense to have some trees and minifigures in place to oversee operations.

papercube: how it works! papercube has three separate stages to cut, separate and make a cube. Let’s take a look at them.

Preparation

Cutting

Preparation

Cutting

A sheet of paper is placed in one of the frames shown in front of papercube. The frame is locked shut with magnets and keeps the paper level and secure when delivered to the laser cutter. The frames can be stacked and placed into the top of the feed chamber. The feed chamber drops the frames individually onto the lower level, where rollers send the frame into the laser chamber. When the frame is completely in the laser chamber, transparent doors seal off the chamber to allow the laser to operate. Inside the chamber, the frame is secured and the laser is calibrated. Right: The laser cutting the box outline. Scoring has already been done.

When the laser chamber is sealed, the laser is activated and initially burns scores for folding. After that, cuts are made. While the final cube is to be separated from the paper, the cube pattern is kept in place by leaving very small gaps at certain points in the pattern. This allows the frame to take everything to the next step.

Folding and Gluing

The final process is a combination of steps. When the frame is moved to the final chamber, it is nudged into place with beams to accurately center the cut pattern. When centered, a cube form is pushed in from above. The form fits a hole which matches the cube dimensions (3 studs by 3 studs), and the downward pressure on the paper folds it on the scores that were made by the laser. The pattern also detaches itself from the frame, so the box begins to form.

The cube is almost completed. The cube press is directly above and retracted to allow the top flaps to fold over.

The pressing is stopped at the halfway point to allow applicators to drop glue at each corner crease. The applicators are fed by a peristaltic pump that was a 3-D part designed by MINDSTORMS builder Michael Brandl. Powered by the MINDSTORMS system, the pump deposits glue made from a special mix of wallpaper glue powder and water. The pump hoses are Technic flexible tube.

About the Project Leader Andreas Baumgart Age: 46 Hometown: Jever, Germany

The laser is in a plotter assembly to allow it to move forward, backward, left, and right. The accuracy of the laser is within 1 mm, which is done with two LEGO MINDSTORMS motors. To maintain this accuracy, the laser is calibrated with the frame. There are two passes needed to cut the cube—one for scoring the folds and one for burning in the cuts. These cuts can be seen on the Java app and monitored in real time. Because of the complexity of curves, straight lines and angles are used.

Andreas Baumgart started working with computers as they first came up in the ’80s. His first project was the Sinclair ZX 81. Andreas’ hobby became his profession after studying electrical engineering. Subsequently, he gained experience in leading IT positions in different companies. Particularly noteworthy is the design and construction of IT systems fit for the future and their adaptation to the different needs of the companies (data center construction, introduction of virtualization environments, etc). As a lecturer, he instructed students in Lotus Notes applications and introduced practical and business-related perspectives into the lecture. Since 2013, Andreas Baumgart has been working at Jade University Wilhelmshaven as a lecturer. Here, he uses LEGO MINDSTORMS Education for his lectures. Together with students from different courses, he realized the production line “papercube”, which is programmed in the context of the lectures and various seminar exercises. The LEGO Mindstorms EV3s are programmed in Java, as this is the programming language primarily taught at Jade University. This teaching concept is supposed to prepare the students for the corporate world: Analyze, structure, and program. In addition to programming skills, a general understanding of the process as well as all individual steps is indispensable. The students also learn teamwork. The papercube-Team won the Jade Teaching Award of the Jade University in May 2016. Andreas Baumgart writes contributions for various newspapers about cultural and IT issues. You can see video of papercube at ths link: https://youtu.be/ BHBlOzzV-Qk or by scanning this QR code!

When the cuts are completed, the frame is moved out of the laser chamber and then raised to be placed on the folder. The folder is where all the processes come together. Thanks to clever design, the box can be made with a press of the cut form into a box underneath. The score lines collapse the form into an open cube. Glue is added at the scores before the box press completely presses the cube, and the box press serves as a form for the cube to set to and dry.

The laser working on the outline of the cube.

After a few moments, the box press is raised and side panels fold the tops of the cube and apply glue to seal it. The cube, now complete, is raised out of its hole to be retrieved by the operator. The process takes a few minutes to complete and is a good demonstration of what a networked system of robots can do—and with a group of programmers and designers, a good example of what can be done with some planning and teamwork.

Above: A look at the panels (in black) that fold the top flaps of the cube and glue them down. The black hose feeds the glue to the applicator tip. The sensor in the foreground is a color sensor that detects the paper frame (which is discarded). Left: A closer look at the applicator.

The team working on papercube. The laser going through its paces.

Building and revising is part of the design process.

Last Chance for T-Shirts! Only $5! LEGO fans: You Can Build It!

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YOU CAN BUILD IT is a new ongoing series of instruction plus shipping books on the art of LEGO® custom building, from the producers of BRICKJOURNAL magazine! Spinning off Sizes: Youth Medium • Youth Large only 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 (shown actual size) 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 plustechniques shippingalong the way! you key building

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Building Sets

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FEMALE LEGO BUILDERS! US Architectural builder ANURADHA PEHRSON, British Microscale builder FERNANDA RIMINI, US Bionicle builder BREANN SLEDGE, and Norwegian Town builder BIRGITTE JONSGARD discuss their work and inspirations! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more!

THEME PARK ISSUE! ERIK JONES’ custom LEGO version of Cinderella Castle, STÉPHANE DELY’s Disneyland Paris Sleeping Beauty Castle, and JOHN RUDY’s brick-built versions of your favorite theme park rides! Plus: Step-by step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons and more!

LEGO GAMING! IMAGINE RIGNEY’s Bioshock builds, NICK JENSEN’s characters and props from HALO and other video games, and GamerLUG member SIMON LIU builds LEGO versions of video game characters, spaceships and more! Plus: “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, MINDSTORMS robotics and more!

LEGO EDUCATION! See how schools and AFOLs can build with the new WeDo, FIRST LEGO LEAGUE’s 2016 season explored (with national competitions at LEGOLand California), and robotics builders the Seshan Brothers take LEGO MINDSTORMS to the next level! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more!

OUT OF THIS WORLD LEGO! Spacethemed 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 by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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BRICKJOURNAL #15

BRICKJOURNAL #13

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!

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!

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BRICKJOURNAL #12

BRICKJOURNAL #11

BRICKJOURNAL #10

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, MINIFIG 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, MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION by JARED K. BURKS, MICRO BUILDING, builder spotlights, LEGO HISTORY, and more!

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!

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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!

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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!

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

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TwoMorrows. BRICKJOURNAL #9

BRICKJOURNAL #7

BRICKJOURNAL #6

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!

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 #5

Event report on the MINDSTORMS 10th ANNIVERSARY at LEGO HEADQUARTERS, Pixar’s ANGUS MACLANE on LEGO in film-making, 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! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

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Last Word And it’s the end of another issue of BrickJournal. Many thanks to all the contributors—this was a fun issue to lay out! Things are getting interesting with the magazine... this is issue #47, so #50 is on the horizon! That’s a landmark I thought the magazine would never reach! With the online-only issues done before print, BrickJournal now has 56 issues... and over a decade of information, models and interviews. This is only scratching the surface—there’s people building new models and new event themes, and there are the things that LEGO is working on too! With all this stuff going on all of the time, it’s become busy—but it’s a fun busy. So, til next issue—where we go back to giant mechas and robots—build on! P.S. If you are in the Florida area on the weekend of September 16-17, dorp by and see me at Bricks ’n’ Blocks, a new event at the Hernando County Fairgrounds. You can get more information at bricks-n-blocks.com!

Doing some beats!

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spies liked their wars cold and their women warm, and TV’s Batman shook a mean cape!

REED CRANDALL ILLUSTRATOR OF THE COMICS

ROGER HILL’s biography of the “artist’s artist” who brought an illustrator’s approach to comics from the 1940s to the ‘70s on Golden Age heroes DOLL MAN, THE RAY, AND BLACKHAWK; horror and sci-fi for EC COMICS; Warren Publishing’s CREEPY, EERIE, and BLAZING COMBAT; THUNDER AGENTS, ERB characters, FLASH GORDON, & more!

LOR FULL-CO VER HARDCO ES RI SE ting documen of de each decastory! comics hi

AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES:

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The 1950s-80s plus 1940s and ‘90s COMING SOON!

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COMICS MAGAZINES FROM TWOMORROWS

BACK ISSUE

ALTER EGO

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JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR

BACK ISSUE celebrates comic books of the 1970s, 1980s, and today through a variety of recurring (and rotating) departments, including Pro2Pro interviews (between two top creators), “Greatest Stories Never Told”, retrospective articles, and more. Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

ALTER EGO, the greatest ‘zine of the ‘60s, is all-new, focusing on Golden and Silver Age comics and creators with articles, interviews and unseen art. Each issue includes an FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) section, Mr. Monster & more. Edited by ROY THOMAS.

COMIC BOOK CREATOR is the new voice of the comics medium, devoted to the work and careers of the men and women who draw, write, edit, and publish comics, focusing always on the artists and not the artifacts, the creators and not the characters. Edited by JON B. COOKE.

DRAW! is the professional “How-To” magazine on cartooning and animation. Each issue features in-depth interviews and stepby-step demonstrations from top comics professionals. Most issues contain nudity for figure-drawing instruction; Mature Readers Only. Edited by MIKE MANLEY.

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.

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

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TwoMorrows. The Future of Comics History.

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com

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