The Magazine for LEGO® Enthusiasts of All Ages! Issue 49 • February 2018
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Celebrating 40 Years of TECHNIC! Michael Brown’s AH-64 Apache Helicopter TECHNIC’s Model History MINDSTORMS Printing Press
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Issue 49 • February 2018
Contents
From the Editor........................................................2
People Building WTC1: A New York Icon....................3
Building
Michael Brown’s Apache!...................................8 The LEGO MINDSTORMS Gutenberg Printing Press......................................................15 A Visual Tour of the Khagaan........................20 From Spooky to Kooky: The IDEAS of Hugh Scandrett....................26 40 Years of Technic..............................................31 BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art: Expert Builder Car............................................40 Minifigure Customization 101: The Power of the AFOL Community......43 You Can Build It: MINI Episode VIII Resistance Bomber....46
Community
Bionicle Chronicle Barriers: The Brick-built Wall in our Minds........................................................52 Making a MINDSTORMS Lab.........................58 Reviewing The LEGO Trains Book ................62 A Review of Brick Madness..............................65 Postcards from Princess Land.......................66 Who is the LEGObomber?..............................70 Bricks by the Bay..................................................72 Community Ads...................................................78 Last Word.................................................................79 AFOLs........................................................................80
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From the Editor: It finally happened. I wasn’t able to get something promised in the magazine. BrickJournal was supposed to have an interview with the designer to the Technic Space Shuttle, but something got in the way—the LEGO House, to be exact.
February 2018 Issue 49 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: Nicholas Allard, Michael Brandl, Sam Bridgham, Michael Brown, Jared Burks, Christopher Deck, Greg DiNapoli, Dave Foreman, Peer Kreuger, Ingmar H. Riedel-Kruse PhD, Princess Lee, Justin McAleece, Hugh Scandrett, Tommy Williamson, and Greg Hyland. Many thanks to the websites who have served as mirrors for BrickJournal:
The designer of the really impressive set from the late ’80s is still with the LEGO Group, and is now the manager of the LEGO House. Because the LEGO House opened at the end of September, he was not able to take the time to do an interview. This is a disappointment, and I apologize. This will be in a future issue, probably with a look at the LEGO House, when BrickJournal gets to visit! There’s other stuff in this issue, though—the Apache article made it in, as well as other articles on MINDSTORMS lab machinery and space rovers! There’s also the regular columns too, and there’s a lot to go through, so.... Build on! Joe Meno, Editor P.S. Have ideas or comments? Drop me a line at brickjournal@gmail.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
Subscriptions
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About the Cover: The anniversary of the Technic theme was celebrated with a printed beam in selected Technic sets. Photo by Joe Meno. About the Contents: A shot of 1WTC at its real site! Photo by Greg DiNapoli.
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
Building
1WTC
A New York Icon Article by Greg DiNapoli As a graphic designer and an architectural illustrator, my love of art and architecture can be traced back to my childhood obsession with LEGO bricks. As a child, I was enamored with big structures; whether it was supertall skyscrapers, lighthouses, or huge ships, it was always a dream of mine to build large models of my favorite structures out of LEGO bricks. It was frustrating, however, being limited to the pieces in my collection. While extensive, I never had enough of the right parts to realize my dream. After graduating college and landing my first job with steady income, I discovered bricklink.com and this opened up a world of possibilities I never dreamed of. Suddenly I had access to any piece I could ever want, mostly in large quantities. I immediately decided to try to fulfill my childhood dream and build a large skyscraper. I chose the Sears (now Willis) Tower in Chicago. Completed in 2006, it is about six feet tall and is accurate in proportion, but being my first build in years, it lacked detail. After that, I became busy with my career, marriage and becoming a father, but the desire to build another, more accurate skyscraper never left me. Living only an hour outside of New York City, I grew up drawn to the Twin Towers. I had such an interest in tall skyscrapers, and there weren’t many bigger than them. Watching them collapse during the tragic events of 9/11 was devastating on so many levels, not only because of the unimaginable loss of life, but also from an architectural standpoint. The city had lost an architectural icon, and the hole in skyline was a constant reminder of that awful day. Greg DiNapoli by his model.
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I followed the redevelopment of Ground Zero closely. When the final design for One World Trade Center was released years later, I immediately wanted to recreate it out of LEGO bricks. I was drawn to it for several reasons: First, it meant New York would reclaim America’s tallest building. But more importantly, I loved the simple geometric form of the tower, but also its complexity; it changes shape depending on from what angle you look at it. From one angle, it invokes an obelisk similar to the Washington Monument, but at another it actually holds the exact same form as one of the original Twin Tower buildings. I think it is a great memorial to what once stood there, and for the lives lost. I immediately put pencil to paper and did my first design for my build in 2011. Life then got in the way and I had to put it aside, but in 2016, I finally decided to start sourcing pieces and finalizing a design. Still dissatisfied with the level of detail in my Sears Tower, I was determined to make my model of One World Trade Center as accurate as possible. It was also important for me to recreate how One World Trade Center looks at night, so I kept lighting possibilities in my mind as I worked out my final design. My design process included both pencil drawings on graph paper and computer drawings to figure out proportion and shape. Once I was set with a rough idea, I took to LEGO Digital Designer to get a better sense of what it would look like, and an approximate piece count to help with sourcing bricks.
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Looking at 1WTC from the top down.
One of the things that always bothered me about my Sears Tower build was that I never completed the city block and detail around the base of the building. I was determined to get this correct with my One World Trade Center build. After several trips to the real building, I devised a base layout as closely as I could to the real city block, including streetlights, trees and landscaping details. The tower is actually built similarly to the real tower; while mine is completely hollow and does not have a central core like the real one, my LEGO version uses a double wall, with much of the strength coming from an inner wall with 9,230 transblue bricks placed over it replicating a glass “curtain wall.” The inner wall also mimics the real steel structure, done in white bricks, and the window layout of the real building, with some windows done in black and others done in transclear bricks, so when lit up from the inside, it appears as if some windows are lit and others are not. This actually took a lot of planning and several build attempts to get correct. The number of windows in my model is very close to the number of windows in the real tower. The spire was also a challenge and it took me four designs before I settled on the final one. It was also a challenge getting it to light up accurately, and hiding many wires in a small space. There are 16 LEDs in the spire which light it up in red, white and blue. The folks at Brickstuff.com were a great help to me as they answered all of my questions, and they also custom programmed a lighting effect board for me, so the red aviation light at the tip of the spire flashes in the same sequence as the real building’s, and the beacon just below the tip of the spire mimics the tower’s real beacon, similar to the rotating light of a lighthouse.
A look at the construction of the base, showing the sideways studs for adding detail.
After a few years of planning, eight months of build time, sourcing 25,000 pieces and perfecting a lighting system, my model was complete. Putting the last brick on the top of the eight foot tower was very satisfying as it not only culminated months of work, but I was also completing something I had wanted to do for as long as I could remember. What was even more exciting than finally finishing the build was how well it was received. With the help of prominent LEGO artist and friend Jonathan Lopes, my building was featured on prominent New York City arts and entertainment websites, LEGO fan sites, and the evening news in the New York city area. I was even able to bring my version of One World Lighting details and landscaping is seen here.
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1 WTC
DAY AND NIGHT
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The upper tower lit.
Greg setting up the skyscraper at 1WTC!
Trade Center to the real thing; One World Observatory, the observation deck at the top of One World Trade Center, invited me and my building for a visit and an interview that was featured on their social media channels (@oneworldnyc). Not long after my visit, it was off to BrickFair New Jersey where I was a LEGO exhibitor for the first time. My attention to detail and lighting was rewarded as I was fortunate to receive the award for Best Lit MOC. As an artist, using LEGO bricks as a medium was extremely rewarding, which is a testament to their worldwide popularity with both children and adults. A life-long fan, LEGO bricks are more than just a children’s toy; they are a creative outlet that constantly leaves you wanting more. After an entire childhood filled with LEGO bricks, I still had the desire to create with them over a decade later. I’m not sure what I’ll build next, but I know I won’t be able to go too long before picking up a brick again.
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Building
Michael Brown’s
Apache! Article by Joe Meno
The first thing you notice about Michael Brown’s Apache model is its size. Using a scale larger than minifigure scale, the helicopter replica is over 30 inches long and is primarily made up of LEGO Technic parts. It’s the result of years of work by Michael. It looks intimidating in black, until its electrical systems are activated. Then it becomes stunning. The rotors slowly begin to rotate, and lights flare to life under the model. In spite of its size, the model sounds bigger and even meaner. Michael’s research with the Apache has been extensive, as his son works on them in the military. From there and Michael’s own experience working in the aerospace industry, he has worked to make the Apache as accurate as possible with LEGO elements. Even at this state, though, he is not finished building—there are some details Michael wants to add to make the model more realistic. In the meantime, here’s a look at the model at this point. There’s a lot of work that has been done already, and more than enough to examine!
Looking Forward
The front tip of the Apache is where the pilot’s night vision and gunner’s sensor turret are located. Both the model and the actual chopper can rotate the turrets, but one feature that Michael wants to incorporate is gearing the turret so the underside gun also rotates in unison. The lights are LEDs that are not LEGO, but from a third-party maker. The tires in the landing gear are also non-LEGO at the moment, as the size is non-standard.
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Rotor Control
The rotors are LEGO Technic helicopter blades and are accurate to the Apache’s rotors. A closer look reveals that the pitch of the rotors can be controlled like a real helicopter—and the functioning control yoke is in the pilot’s position in the cockpit. You can actually control the rotors from the cockpit! Another thing that can be seen here is how Michael used fairings and panels to shape and sculpt the Apache’s body. The engine cowlings are fairings that are held together with Technic pins, which makes it easy to remove and access the gears and interior.
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An Upper View
Here’s an overall view of the model. The Apache is powered by a LEGO Power Functions large battery box, which can be hidden inside the model’s body. The power goes to two medium Power Functions motors that are inside the engine pods on each side of the center of the Apache and the LEDs that are on the side and bottom of the model. The rotors are connected to the motors through gearing and proved to be the biggest challenge for Michael to deal with, especially developing and scaling down the tail section, which has an operating rudder and horizontal stabilizers.
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Unarmed for the Moment
This view shows that the Apache is not loaded—the winglets don’t have any munitions attached. This is another set of additions that is on Michael’s list of updates and uprates. The Apache is black for only one reason: Black has the most panels and fairings to use for building. LEGO has some parts in gray, but military colors are practically nonexistent.
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Broadside
The side view of the model is spoton in accuracy and is amazing in the detail that was attained. Part of this is because the larger scale allowed a larger palette of parts to be used to define shape. The scale also allowed for the panels to cover the functional areas of the model. The battery pack is visible and gives an indication of size. An interesting use of a part can be seen in the engine pod exhausts. A close look shows that the exhausts are front-loader scoops. They mimic the function of the real exhausts, that send the heated fumes into the rotors to scatter their heat.
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Tail View
The tail has the most functioning components in the entire model, with movable stabilizers and rudder as well as a tail rotor that has controllable blade pitch. The blades are again from Technic airplane and helicopter sets. The photo on the right shows the axle in the body that drives the tail rotor with the help of a universal joint.
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Looking Inside
By removing some panels, the interior mechanisms can be seen and accessed for working or repair. Removing the top panels under the rotor and on the engine pods give a glance into the gearing and motors used to run both the main and tail rotor. Looking at the motor gearing shows that the medium motor is first geared to go 90 degrees from its initial axle direction to drive a large black gear that directly drives the main motor and drives another gear that is linked to a drive axle that goes to the rear rotor. There’s also a small hint of viewing the interior of the cockpit—there are instrument panels in place that add another level of detail to the model.
One Gun
The main gun of the Apache is modeled here with the spring launcher that was first available with the Star Wars Constructible Figures. It’s a perfect match for the real-life weapon, and provides the Apache to actually shoot! This is on that same uprate and update list for Michael. After two years of building a largescale model, you would think that Michael is finished, but that would be untrue. His next project is larger—a Technic scale F-18 fighter!
Building
The press on display.
The LEGO MINDSTORMS Gutenberg Printing Press Article by Michael Brandl During the fall Mike Brandl’s LEGO User Group (LUG) has an annual exhibition at a medieval fair in Austria. The motto this year was “500 years Reformation.” Thinking of that, the name Gutenberg instantly came to Mike’s mind, and with that his famous invention: The Gutenberg printing press. Mike decided then to build a LEGO Mindstorms printing press for the medieval fair and print some small Bibles! The finished press takes all the motor and data ports from one MINDSTORMS brick, so there are four motors and four sensors used to run the press. Everything to print one side of paper can be done with the program. Here’s how it was done.
The printed results.
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1 3
1
int r P / p m a t S A full view of the press.
The LEGO MINDSTORMS Gutenberg Printing Press consists of four important parts controlled by a MINDSTORMS EV3 brick. The parts include: 1 Stamps. There are four laser-engraved stamps, as the small bible will have four pages to print. These stamps are mounted on a set of Technic frames so they can easily be exchanged.
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2 Paper transport mechanism (shown on photo at top right). A piece of paper (size A5, approximately half of a letter-sized paper) is transported to the stamp. The paper is transported with a frame of Technic beams by chain threads, with sensors used to place the paper accurately. 3 Ink pad. For inking the stamps, the ink pad is mounted on a long beam and can be inserted by a motor inside the printing press.
2 The paper cradle, with motor driving the treads in the foreground. The touch sensor for stopping the cradle is seen at the right edge.
d e e F e t Ink Pla
Plate
4 The press, showing the large motor on the top running one of the linear actuators shown in the center.
4 Press (shown on photo at middle right). To stamp the ink to the paper, two linear actuators are used for the press, a rigid frame of Technic beams and frames ensures that the needed pressure is built up.
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Another angle of the press showing the ink pad mechanism.
The press produces a printed page in the following sequence: 1. Move the ink pad to the first stamp 2. Press the ink pad to the first stamp 3. Drop and shift the ink pad to the second stamp 4. Press the ink to the second stamp 5. Retract the ink pad from the machine 6. Load a blank sheet of paper in its cradle and let the press place it gently on top of the inked stamp 7. Stamp the ink to the paper, using the press 8. Carefully lift the piece of paper off the stamps (using a small lever driven by the fourth motor) and unload the cradle, completing the first side of the paper. This was done for approx 20 sheets of paper and then stamps were changed, now using stamp three and four and printing the opposite side of the sheet of paper. After that, the last thing to do is to fold the paper, resulting in a (very) small Bible with four pages!
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The EV3 brick starting up.
Mike’s Inspiration
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg was a German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher who introduced printing to Europe. His introduction of mechanical movable type printing to Europe started the Printing Revolution and is widely regarded as the most important invention of the second millennium and the seminal event which ushered in the modern period of human history. It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, the Age of Enlightenment, and the scientific revolution, and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses. In 1439, besides being the inventor of the printing press, Gutenberg was the first European to use movable type. Among his many contributions to printing were: The invention of a process for mass-producing movable type; the use of oil-based ink for printing books; adjustable molds; mechanical movable type; and the use of a wooden printing press similar to the agricultural screw presses of the period. His truly epochal invention was the combination of these elements into a practical system that allowed the mass production of printed books and was economically viable for printers and readers alike. The use of movable type was a marked improvement on the handwritten manuscript, which was the existing method of book production in Europe, and upon woodblock printing, and revolutionized European book-making. Gutenberg’s printing technology spread rapidly throughout Europe and later the world.
The EV3 brick starting up.
His major work, the Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible), has been acclaimed for its high aesthetic and technical quality.
The ink pad feeder.
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Building
A Visual Tour of the Khagaan
Article and Photography by Peer Kreuger
Khagaan with its support vehicles.
My name is Peer Kreuger, and for my job I work in a warehouse for a medical company. (It inspired me to make my Muravi forklift.) I halfway finished a study in graphic design, and enjoy dissecting art and movies for fun. (This also helps me get inspiration for my own YouTube work.)
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I’ve been building since forever. My dad got me an 8843 forklift when I was five or so (I strongly suspect he bought it for himself, but it eventually ended up in my collection anyway). I had a bit of a Dark Age between 14 and 18, but finding other folks online who were still busy with LEGO quickly ended my misconception that LEGO was just for kids. Going to meetings and connecting with other AFOLs sealed the deal. Technic is by far my favorite theme, but I always prefer to support it with generous helpings of system bricks. A combo of Model Team and Technic would be ideal for me. Otherwise, LEGO just excels at great themes. Khagaan was an experiment to mix Khagaan as seen on YouTube. Technic with Space, but other themes like Elves, Racers and Power Miners are interesting as well. I’d be a trainhead if I had the money, time and space. The inspiration for Khagaan and the additional vehicles is from the game “Homeworld—Deserts of Kharak.” The Homeworld series has a massive influence on just about every space builder I know, mainly because it has a very solid graphic identity that in turn was inspired by artists like Chris Foss and John Harris. It is a style that’s very distinctive; Star Trek is very clean, sleek and monochromatic, Star Wars is dirty, greebly and monochromatic. The Homeworld series just goes hog wild with color schemes, striping and visual identity. Also, most of it is very geometric in shape, which translates well to LEGO bricks.
The latest iteration of the Homeworld series (Deserts of Kharak) takes a spacebound RTS game, and since it’s a prequel, translates space warfare to mostly land-based combat. There’s some interesting parallels between the vast emptiness of space, punctuated by asteroids and shipwrecks, and a massive desert (dotted once again by crashed, salvageable shipwrecks). As expected, DoK has some fantastic vehicle design, and absolutely magnificent cutscenes that showcase all that hardware from their best angles. Also, since making functional air- or spaceships isn’t easy with LEGO, Landships are more feasible to do.
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Another inspiration is the TV series Thunderbirds. Ever since I was a kid I was amazed with how well their miniature work just... works. It’s great material to find out how you can make something look good or realistic with very low-tech means. Also; bigger vehicles carrying smaller, specialized vehicles somehow pushes all the right buttons for me.
Challenges
Khagaan has a forward elevator for its support vehicles.
The main challenge with this set of models was scale and playability. The smaller vehicles simply had to be fully remote-controlled, with interesting functionality. Also, they had to look the part. For sanity’s sake, I haven’t gone with exact replicas of the Homeworld vehicles, but they are very obviously references to the source material. Since the mothership had to take the smaller vehicles on board, their size dictated the shape of the elevator, the deck space to park them, and so on. The remote controls for the vehicles are a mix of regular Power Functions for the Khagaan itself, and Sbricks (Bluetooth-based third-party controllers) for the smaller vehicles. Sbricks offer a slight size advantage compared to Power Functions, which meant I was less restricted for the visual design of the vehicles. Another challenge the models had was picking up and delivering the small containers. What I came up with took some experimentation, but was worth the effort.
Under construction.
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Moving Containers
Each container has two magnets inside; one facing up and one facing down. I experimented a lot with different grabbing systems, but all have their downsides. The regular forklift method is dull and doesn’t work well with cranes. Grabbers are also hard to install on cranes, and hooks are way too fiddly. I wanted to do everything by remote control, so no manual helping to hook things up or to detach them.
Transport containers.
Grabbing things is easy with magnets, but detaching them again was a bit of a headache. (Again, I didn’t want to detach them by hand.) For the vehicles I built two systems that use levers to force the load away from the magnet. For the crane, I use magnets that pop up from the deck to grab the containers from underneath. Since they also pop down again when not in use, the smaller vehicles are able to grab them again. The magnets that come from underneath connect to the container’s magnets directly, so they’re able to overpower the magnet from the crane—the upwards-facing magnet on the container has a tile on top of it, so the connection is weaker there.
A breakdown of the containers showing the magnets inside.
Magnetic Holders There are magnets on various points on the Khagaan and elsewhere:
11. On the crane line
22. On the deck (two positions) 1
33. On the tracked vehicle (the Salvager) 44. On the wheeled vehicle (the Baserunner)
4 3 2
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Seen in the background of the YouTube video are the remains of other ships. These were also built by Peer.
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The Baserunner uses a Power Functions L motor for drive and a servo for steering, and a medium motor to operate the grabber. For control, it uses an Sbrick, as I can work with one receiver and have more precise control.
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The Salvager uses three Power Functions M motors, two for drive and one for the grabber. For control, this uses an Sbrick for the same reason the Baserunner does.
The Khagaan has two Power Functions XL motors to drive its tracks, and one L motor for steering. The crane is powered by three Power Functions M motors, and the ship’s elevator is run by another Power Functions XL motor. There’s nine sets of PF lights. All of this runs on a single PF rechargeable battery. The model also uses three Power Functions infrared receivers.
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Building
The Addams Family Mansion.
From Spooky to Kooky:
The IDEAS of Hugh Scandrett Article and Photography by Hugh Scandrett 26
Background
As a child in the 1960s, I had lots of LEGO, and always built many things. About four years ago, a friend sponsored a FIRST® LEGO League competition at our work as a team-building activity. About 100 people (ages 20-60) were thrown into a ten-hour, no-preparation event, which culminated in a super friendly and inspiring competition and social event. It was awesome, and it rekindled the LEGO brainwaves in me. About three years ago, after completing the Parisian Restaurant (a personal favorite!), I caught the modular building bug and completed all ten (at the time) of them. Then I built The Tower of Orthanc 10237 to get into the creepy space, and studied the Haunted House 10228 for more building ideas.
Addams Family Mansion
I loved the 1960s TV series Addams Family and wanted to do a building that was big and creepy! The mansion is an “end of series” 50th anniversary tribute, coinciding with the April 1966 finale. The Addams Family Mansion consists of three fully detailed floors, and the whole building can be split through the center. Each of the floor segments are removable. The family looks right at home. It took me about six months of studying the old TV series DVDs, trial and error on the greenhouse, and angled corner section, and sourcing the 7,000+ parts. Then it was submitted to LEGO IDEAS and received 10,000 votes of support in June of 2016 and went into LEGO Review. While it was not “approved” into a kit, I enjoyed the experience, and lots of people enjoyed seeing the creation. The Addams Family Mansion can be found here: https:// ideas.lego.com/projects/b0a40865-77f1-4c04-9d89-53ff8a754c3d
Above and below: Some interior sections of the mansion.
The project was a challenge because it was my first MOC. There was lots to learn about translating an idea into large implementation and lots of building and rebuilding. There was lots of learning the better way to do something right. I did the project freehand, from looking at several source materials, mostly screen captures from the original TV series on DVD and one fictional sketch of the rear of the mansion (never shown on TV) that I found. I had no LDD file or drawings. I started by prototyping the greenhouse, portico and the 45-degree front corner of the mansion. With solid designs of those, I could layout the whole footprint, and determine baseplate needs. There are over 7,000 pieces in the build, so sourcing was one of the toughest parts of this project. Also, the amount of detail presented a challenge. Among the many aspects, the mansion features full tile carpeting throughout, a glass greenhouse at the rear, and a whole host of furnishings such as suits of armor, taxidermy, and a bed of nails. All the ceilings are finished with inverted tiles. You can also find the family automobile out front and all of the Addams Family members as minifigures including Lurch, Thing and Cousin It (added using hair from Gloin/Hobbit). The Addams Family Mansion consists of three fully detailed floors and the whole building can be split through the center on a pivot hinge; each of the floor segments are removable allowing for easy access and imaginative play. The front view of the mansion includes the grand portico and Addams Family car. Nighttime shots of the LEGO Addams Family Mansion with interior lighting using Brickstuff components can be found on Flickr at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/140336078@ N03/sets/72157665021280493 The cast, from left to right: Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester, Grandmama, Cousin It, and Lurch.
Some interior sections of the mansion.
The mansion lit up.
Fawlty Towers, as built by Hugh Scandrett.
Fawlty Towers Hotel
After submitting the Addams Family Mansion, I turned my attention to another favorite TV series: Fawlty Towers. Fans of the show will know that Fawlty Towers was a BBC television sitcom broadcast in 1975 and 1979 with a total of twelve episodes. As of August 2017, it is available on Netflix! The show was created and written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, who both starred in the show. The series is set in Fawlty Towers, a fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay on the “English Riviera” and is one of the best-loved shows in British popular culture. My research included re-watching the series on DVD several times, taking screen captures of hotel detail, and reading two books: The Complete Fawlty Towers by Cleese and Booth, and Fawlty Towers – Fully Booked by Bright and Ross. Fawlty Towers, as shown on BBC.
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Building the hotel had a few challenges: First, the bay windows! The bay window angles are achieved with normal hinges, and the bay segments just sit on tiles. The really tricky bit was the front angled edge. I used Ridge Slope 25° (LEGO Part 3299) vertically attached with plates and through wall 1x1 bricks forming a “hook” to hold them in place. That took a while to make them look right and get the right fit.
Building bay windows: To make the stripping, a strip was built with slopes and plates (left), building a hook that kept the strip in place (center right).
In the original hotel, the windows are framed in whiteblack-white. I assembled each of the 15 windows using a combination of black and white 1x tiles and plates laterally framing the standard window pieces. To hold those together there is a top 1x1 brick connecting bridge in the inside that also connected the window segment to the walls. Finally, the front porch was tough also, with a similar vertical approach to the black strips, and trial and error on arch segments. It was fun creating the minifigures for the whole cast: Basil and Sybil Fawlty, Polly and Manuel! The hotel is 24” wide and 17” tall. The grass areas imitate the hill that the hotel is set on. True to form are the front steps, porch, doorway, bay windows, and even the rain downspouts. Included are some bits of British humor from the series: One friendly Siberian Hamster also known as “Basil the Rat” (LEGO Part 40234), from the episode by that name. On the roof, in the water tank you will find two dead pigeons (LEGO Part 13665), from the “Hotel Inspector” episode.
A look at the rear of the facade.
My original idea was to build the entire Hotel, with lobby, kitchen, bar and all the upstairs rooms. Once I got the scale sorted out, the project started to head for a 20,000 piece build, so I re-scoped it to just the front Façade. Also, I found that the hotel lobby had been very well done before by Nathan Feist here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ travel/travel_news/article-2734633/A-chip-old-block-LegendaryFawlty-Towers-hotel-foyer-created-entirely-LEGO-Basil-Sybilaren-t-included.html
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The Fawlty Towers Hotel submission to LEGO IDEAS can be found here: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/bc6dce20-e086-4b22-899528582916ccc8 Another MOC submitted is MonoChrome Mixup, where each scene includes one or two monochrome minifigures on a matching color background: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/76cc2ddc-64c7-4886-aef941d3afdc8ebd
Biography
I am a 60-year-old software executive, working with an amazing team of engineers who write software that helps restaurants serve their guests. Living in the Boston area, aside from LEGO, my other hobbies include glass blowing and woodworking. I have a large collection of LEGO sets assembled in my hobby room, and several new MOCs underway. Next up is a full-size sculpture of ALF, from the sitcom series by the same name.
The cast in real life....
© John Cleese & Connie Booth
The full facade.
Welcome! MonoChrome Mixup.
...and in minifigures!
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Years of Technic Timelines compiled by Geoff Gray
“When the LEGO Group released the first ‘Technical Set’ in 1977, new elements were added to reproduce realistic technical functions. The beams and plates, gears, axles, connectors and special parts, wheels and tires that were part of Technic were all new in 1977, and all were a result of the approach to model building taken by Jan Ryaa and Erik Bach.” Quote taken from the LEGO Technic website (https://www.lego.com/en-gb/technic/historypage/stories/the-beginning).
40 years ago, The LEGO Group introduced a new line of sets called TECHNIC. The line offered builders more options for creating large “technical” models and spawned an explosion of creativity and education never before seen in a toy. Forty years later, the line is as strong as ever. Models released by the company have included features like realistic internal combustion engines, fully functional differentials, fully functional transmission assemblies, rack and pinion steering, operational wishbone suspensions, steering wheel paddle shifters (on the Porsche 911) and more. They added pneumatics to the line to allow for simulation of hydraulic machinery, then augmented the hydraulics with things like linear actuators that allow for much stronger torque application. They introduced flex cable systems to allow for transmission of motion through cabling (a principle used in bicycles for the brakes and the gear shifters). They added (and continue to add) a variety of motors, gears and connectors to the line. They started adding automated control through various programmable bricks (more information at the end of this article) which led to a whole new revolution of designs. To honor the TECHNIC line, I have chosen a set and one or more elements from each year of the product line to show in the timeline. There is no particular reason for each of the items I chose except that maybe I have found the set or elements particularly useful or interesting. Unless otherwise noted, I used the Bricklink inventory database to verify the release dates. All of the parts images were created by me using LDraw. All of the set images are copyright of The LEGO Group.
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Technic line, The LEGO Group created instructions for this go-kart that you can build from the parts of three sets (42063, 42061 and 42057). You can download the instructions from the LEGO website.
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Built With Technic—A Babbage Difference Engine Andrew Carol built a machine for calculating polynomial functions mechanically, known as a difference engine. (If you watched the movie “Hidden Figures,” the work that the “calculators” did for NASA is a good example of the type of calculations that difference engines were originally trying to make easier.) This working engine was built completely out of LEGO and LEGO Technic pieces. You can read all about it on his site: http://acarol.woz.org/LegoDifferenceEngine.html.
This picture shows some of the details of a Babbage Difference Machine designed and built by Andrew Carol. The inset shows the entire machine.
1978
854 Go Kart
1977
853 Auto Chassis
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1980
1979
951 Bulldozer
8858 Auto Engines
1981
8859 Tractor
Built With Technic—A Working Air Engine The “Super Awesome Micro Project” is a full-size working car with the engine (and most of the rest of the car) built entirely out of LEGO. The four engines are comprised of 256 pneumatic pistons and the car itself is built with more than 500,000 LEGO elements. The car was built in Romania by Raul Oaida and then shipped to Austrailia where Steve Sammartino (the visionary of this project) and the forty financial backers reside. See the car in action at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ ObE4_nMCjE
This picture shows the side of four working LEGO pneumatic engines used to power a full-sized car designed and built by Steve Sammartino and Raul Oaida. The inset shows the full car.
1982
8700 Power Pack
1984
1983
8847 Dragster
8851 Excavator
1986
1985
8680 Arctic Rescue Base
1972 Go Kart
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Some Of The References...The following table shows a few web sites you can visit to learn more about LEGO Technic. I used a couple of these sites for reference while building this timeline. LEGO Engineering
Pins By The Year
Run by Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach, LEGO Education and Engineering Design Group Educators.
https://www.lego.com/en-us/technic/
LEGO Technic LEGO Official Site.
Philo’s Mindstorms and Technic pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Mindstorms
Wikipedia
I used this site to gather some of the “Programmable Brick” information.
https://pbrick.info/
Pbrick Info
“Random Information about all LEGO discontinued programmable bricks.”
1988
1987
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http://www.philohome.com/mindstorms.htm
Philippe “Philo”Hurbain’s web site contains pages dedicated to Technic and Mindstorms stuff.
1990
8865 Test Car 8852 Robot
http://www.legoengineering.com/
8094 Control Center
1989
8862 Backhoe
1991
8074 Universal Set
Year
Bricklink Part #
Description
1970 x1299
Technic Bush Old 1
1970 n/a
Technic Axle 4, 6, 8, 12
1970 n/a
Technic Expert Builder Gear 9T, 15T, 21T
1972 9244ac01
Technic Universal Joint Old Style
1974 x148
Technic Bush Old 2
1974 bb76
Technic Link Chain Large
1976 3700b
Technic Brick 1x2 with Hole Type II
Axles By The Year
Before There Was Technic… there was Technic. The Technic line was launched in 1977, but prior to that year, there were several items released that were either helping to shape the line or would become an integral part of the line. Samsonite released gear sets in the late 1960s. More gears and Technic axles were released in 1970 (the Expert Builder line). Even a precursor to the Technic brick was introduced prior to 1977. Here are some of those parts:
1994
1992
1996
8880 Super Car
8868 Air Tech Claw Rig
1993
8082 Multi Control Set
1995
8480 Space Shuttle
8485 Control Center II
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Technic Idea Books Book Number
Year
Page Count
8888
1980 100 pages (including covers)
8889
1984 116 pages (including covers)
8890
1988 52 pages (including covers)
8891
1991 100 pages (including covers)
The covers of the four Technic Idea Books Here is a spread from the first book (#8888) showing the mechanics of a crane.
1998
1997
8479 Barcode Multi Set
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8482 Cybermaster
2000
1999
8448 Super Street Sensation
8002 Destroyer Droid
2001
8466 4X4 Off Roader
More Technic Books
No Starch Press publishes a number of books on LEGO Technic, as well as Mindstorms and other LEGO topics. These are a few of the books available. I have reviewed The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder’s Guide and highly recommend it for anyone that wants to dive deep into the product line and how to use it. For more information, you can visit https://www.nostarch. com/catalog/lego
2002
65081 R2D2/C3P0 Set
2004
2003
8455 Backhoe Loader
2006
8436 Truck
8285 Tow Truck
2005
8421 Mobile Crane
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Programmable Bricks Throughout the decades, The LEGO Group has created many devices that were designed to allow kids to learn about automation and robotics. The first device along these lines was the Technic Control Center, released in 1986 (Note: The LEGO Mindstorms entry in Wikipedia showed this was released in 1989, so I updated the entry). This controller was available through DACTA (the educational branch of The LEGO Group) and allowed the user to control 4.5V devices through their computer. Over the next thirty years, several other P-Bricks (programmable bricks) were released. While the Mindstorms line is not strictly part of the Technic line, I am including it here since Mindstorms would not be possible without Technic.
Technic Control Center 4.5V [1986]: Six nonreversible output ports, three reversible output ports, one continuous output port, two input ports, and a manual-override stop button. It was available with either a PC Interface or an Apple IIe Interface. Technic Control Center I [1990]: Standalone “sequencer” that had three outputs. It used manual control to execute.
Dacta Control Lab [1993]: Four passive inputs, Four active inputs, eight programmable outputs, and one continuous output, all at 9V. Only available through Dacta and not mass-marketed to the public.
Set 1092 (shown above) is a great example of a set that could be combined with the Technic Control Center 4.5V to make models controlled by computers.
Technic Control Center II [1995]: Similar to Control Center I, but with different colors for the buttons. I am not aware of any other differences with the controller’s functionality. Code Pilot [1997]: Single motor port, single touch sensor port, and built-in light sensor. It read barcodes to “load” programs. Available only with 8479 “Barcode Multi-Set.”
2010
2008
8051 Motorbike
8297 Off Roader
2007
8275 Motorized Bulldozer
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The CodePilot barcode reader.
2009
8258 Crane Truck
2011
8070 Supercar
RCX 1.0 [1998]: Three input ports, three output ports, IR port for programming and for communicating with other RCX bricks. Built-in jack for external power. Cybermaster [1998]: Similar internals to RCX, but uses RF instead of IR to communicate. One output port, two built-in motors, and four passive sensor ports. The motors have tachometers and speedometers. RCX 1.5 [1999]: Same as RCX 1.0 but external power jack removed.
The Dacta Control Lab module. It connected to a PC or Apple through a 9-pin serial cable.
Mindstorms Scout [1999]: Similar in appearance to the RCX, this blue computer has two passive input and two output ports and a built-in light sensor. It can be daisy chained to the micro-scout with a fiber optic cable and can be controlled by the RCX with the “Send IR Message” command. Micro Scout [1999]: Built-in light sensor and single built-in motor. Can be controlled by Scout, Spybotics or RCX using VLL.
Dark Side Developers Kit [2000]: Same MicroScout, but with a darker case. RCX 2.0 [2001]: IR Receiver carrier frequency doubled to 76kHz.
Spybotics Module [2002]: Four colors (depending on the set), with two built-in motors, a built-in touch sensor and an IR remote control. Uses “serial to IR” cable to program.
NXT [2006]: Four inputs (active or passive), three motor ports, and uses USB to talk to a PC. NXT 2.0 [2009]: Same brick, but newer software and introduced a color sensor. Set 3806 “Gigamesh” from the Spybotics line.
EV3 [2013]: Third generation MINDSTORMS flagship product. Four input ports, four motor ports, USB and Bluetooth communication, microSD for alternate-boot operating system.
2014
2012
2016
42025 Cargo Plane
9396 Helicopter
2013
42009 Mobile Crane Mk II
42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
2015
42043 Mercedes Benz Arocs
39
Expert Builder Car Design and Instructions by Tommy Williamson
About this issue’s model:
I was lucky enough to be the perfect age when LEGO Technic was introduced, or as it was called back then, “Expert Builder.” I never got the classic 8860 Auto Chassis, but my friend Sean had it and we occupied ourselves for hours with it. It is an absolute classic, and when I thought about what I might want to design for this Technic issue, this was the first thing I thought of—enjoy!
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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.
Parts List
(Parts can be ordered through Bricklink.com by searching by part number and color)
Qty Part 4 3022.dat 5 3023.dat 2 48336.dat
Color Red Red Red
2
60470a.dat
Red
1
3839b.dat
Yellow
1 2
2445.dat 2926.dat
Black Black
2 1 1 1 6
3020.dat 3023.dat 3032.dat 3068b.dat 3794a.dat
Black Black Black Black Black
1
3829c01.dat Black
1
3839b.dat
Black
1 1 4
3937.dat 6134.dat 51011.dat
Black Black Black
1 1 2
51739.dat 99780.dat 2412b.dat
Black Black Light Bluish Gray
2 1
2420.dat 2436a.dat
Light Bluish Gray Light Bluish Gray
1 2 2 4
3020.dat 3023.dat 3710.dat 50944.dat
Light Bluish Gray Light Bluish Gray Light Bluish Gray Light Bluish Gray
2
85984.dat
Light Bluish Gray
1 2
3710.dat 3794a.dat
Blue Blue
4 2
4070.dat 3666.dat
Blue Dark Purple
Description Plate 2 x 2 Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2 with Handle Type 2 Plate 1 x 2 with 2 Clips Horizontal (Open U-Clips) Plate 1 x 2 with Handles Type 2 Plate 2 x 12 Plate 1 x 4 with Wheels Holder Plate 2 x 4 Plate 1 x 2 Plate 4 x 6 Tile 2 x 2 with Groove Plate 1 x 2 without Groove with 1 Centre Stud Car Steering Stand and Wheel (Complete) Plate 1 x 2 with Handles Type 2 Hinge 1 x 2 Base Hinge 2 x 2 Top Tyre 6.4/ 75 x 8 Shallow Offset Tread Wing 2 x 4 Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Up Tile 1 x 2 Grille with Groove Plate 2 x 2 Corner Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 4 with Square Corners Plate 2 x 4 Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 4 Wheel Rim 6.4 x 11 with 5 Spokes Slope Brick 31 1 x 2 x 0.667 Plate 1 x 4 Plate 1 x 2 without Groove with 1 Centre Stud Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight Plate 1 x 6
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42
Building Minifig Customization 101
The Power of the AFOL Community Article and Photography by Jared K. Burks
The ubiquitous brick separator.
I am going to depart from my typical column on custom minifigures to discuss my professional life and a recent experience with the power of the AFOL community. I am writing this article as a thank you to the AFOLs who assisted me and to explain the power of the brick. I live in Houston, Texas, where I work for a well-known Cancer Center helping to operate a large research core facility. Core facilities are shared resource facilities where large equipment that is either too difficult or too expensive for individual research labs to operate or maintain are centralized. These are shared amongst all researchers at the Institution. Technology experts operate and assist researchers from the entire medical center (which is composed of many local institutions) and even some researchers outside the state. As I mentioned before, this facility is strictly for researching cancer. I am getting a bit ahead of myself at this point though. Houston was struck by Hurricane Harvey and as a result, my home was inundated with about two feet of water from the rainfall delivered by the storm. This event started on the morning of August 27th and has affected my life ever since. My family is completely safe, everyone is healthy, and as of the writing of this article, we are still in temporary housing but hope to move to a house by the end of October. On September 5th, I was talking to Joe Meno (BrickJournal editor) about the flooding and article deadlines for the magazine—while disasters may happen, life and deadlines march on. I had already chatted with a few customizers who would be willing to fill in for me. As the conversation progressed, I mentioned to Joe a professional presentation I was about to give at an upcoming meeting in Europe. I was going to use a LEGO model to explain my logic behind why to use a very specific innovative technology and why scientifically it is critical to ask questions in this manner. In order to complete this example I wanted to hand out LEGO brick separators as an analogy to this technology. Jared’s post on Facebook.
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Demonstrating Cancer Research with LEGO Imagine a cancer tumor as a sphere...
However, Hurricane Harvey destroyed my timeline on my presentation and left me unable to secure the needed separators. Through my conversation with Joe, he encouraged me to post my need on Facebook and ask AFOLs to help. I was leaving the country in four days, which isn’t much time to get items shipped in—especially to a location that was hit by a hurricane only a few days before. The task was to secure separators, which meant that everyone shipping them would have to ship via Priority Mail the day after I posted on Facebook to reach me in time. Before we find out how this request ended up, let us circle back to what I do at work. The facility I work in specializes in Flow Cytometry, Cell Sorting, Comfocal Imaging, Multispectral Imaging, Mass Cytometry and more recently, Mass Cytometry Imaging. Let me explain these processes and how they tie back to the presentation I was going to give in Europe.
Procedures such as Flow Cytrometry and Mass Cytrometry require that the mass be broken up to single cells and suspended in a solution. This allows researchers to see and identify cells and see inside them.
However, this doesn’t give any insight into the actual structure of the tumor. Without a diagram, how can one determine structure and construction?
In research, tumors taken out of patients are commonly studied by many techniques in order to understand how the cancer is developing, changing, and responding to therapies. To get an idea of how these techniques are used, let’s start by making an example tumor by building a Lowell Sphere. In order to use Flow Cytometry, these tumors must be broken up into single cells and suspended in a buffer (salt) solution. The flow cytometer uses cells that are floating in a solution with fluorescent (glow in the dark) labeled biomarkers, such as proteins, DNA, and RNA. Because of the fluorescent attachment, scientists can only detect up to about 18 of them at a time in a single cell. While this is quite a few markers, these experiments are very technically challenging. With this information, we can determine what type of cells are present and a bit about what is happening inside each cell. Recall though that these cells are floating in a solution, so any structural information is lost. This would be like me handing you a set of LEGO parts and asking you to build a complex structure such as the Lower Sphere with no instructions. Basically, Flow Cytometry can tell you about the composition, but not generally the construction of a tumor. Mass Cytometry replaces the fluorescent probe with atoms of metals that have unique mass. With a mass cytometer we can detect the mass of the metals found in the cells, and because we know which metals were attached to which biomarkers, we know which biomarkers were in each cell. With this experimental alteration, we can detect 50 biomarkers per cell, which is a substantial jump which gets closer to the number truly needed to understand complex biological systems. However, just like Flow Cytometry, this method also requires the cells to be in solution. Again, we have composition with now additional details, but not construction. If we were to take the Lowell Sphere, break it up into individual LEGO elements and organize those elements by color and type, we would have something similar to Flow or Mass Cytometry. While this is great, it doesn’t tell us how to build a Lowell Sphere or how that Lowell Sphere is related to any other Lowell Sphere.
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Imaging methods can tell you about the structural organization of tissue, however it has been traditionally limited to only seven biomarkers or less at one time. Without the needed number to retain the composition of the tumor, it is hard to understand the structure’s construction. A new technology, Mass Cytometry Imaging, finally combines the high biomarker number of Mass Cytometry with the spatial organization of imaging, which allows researchers to examine the construction of tumors. By understanding how these tumors are built, we can determine how to destroy, treat, contain, and predict which drugs will work better for treatment. This merger will allow researchers to image 40-60 biomarkers in tissues and understand how different cells organize in the tumor. In data collected from other imaging technologies, we have found that when a few very specific cell types are located closely to tumor cells, the tumor shape is altered and generally, the longer people survive their tumors. This is all very preliminary research, but by understanding the construction of the tumor, we can alter it to make treatment more effective. If only we had a brick separator to take apart the Burks-Lowell Tumor Sphere to understand how it is built. We could use that information to extrapolate as to how other Lowell spheres are built, and improve cancer treatment. At this meeting, I wanted to give every scientist there a brick separator to get them to think about taking apart the tumors piece-by-piece to gain a better understanding of how tumors are built. As you can imagine, well over 400 brick separators made it to my door from many AFOLs in the required time. There were 150 scientists at the meeting and I gave each a separator. I have given the talk five times since the meeting and I continue to hand out the brick separators to further challenge people to think more about how tumors are built and organized, so we can better engineer treatments.
Mass Cytrometry allows imaging, which like a brick separator, opens a structure to see constructions as well as composition.
A much more complete picture of a tumor can be seen with all of this information.
So many thanks to the AFOLs that sent separators. Please continue to think about LEGO in different ways, as you never know how something as simple as a LEGO model may help change the world. I ended my talk by showing that a Brick separator can not only take apart a Lowell sphere, but also that it has four unique functions. I asked my fellow scientists to not be locked into one function, but to think outside the norms and figure out what other questions the new technology might answer.
The Swiss Army knife of the LEGO palette: the separator.
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 Customization: Why Live In The Box? (both available now at www.twomorrows.com)
You can view Jared’s webpage by going to http://www.fineclonier.com/ or scanning this QR code!
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You Can Build It MINI Model
Hello everybody! I am exceedingly glad to guide you through another mini model building session featured in this issue of BrickJournal! I guess many of you are excitingly awaiting the start of the latest Star Wars movie —Episode VIII: The Last Jedi—in the cinemas. Already known from the movie’s teaser trailer is the B/SF-17 heavy bomber used by the Resistance. It’s a cylindrical/ conical starship with a characteristic downwards oriented fin slightly resembling the forward section of the famous Nebulon-B frigate seen in the classic Star Wars trilogy.
MINI Episode VIII Resistance Bomber Design and Instructions by Christopher Deck
Before we start building, I would like to highlight a few tricky sections of the ship. The basic center shape is a cylinder for which we chose a big three-wide cylinder piece usually used as engines in official LEGO sets. The conical tailing towards the rear of the ship is very shallow. We cannot use a simple 2x2x2 cone on top of the truncated 3x3x2 cone piece. Instead we use two more truncated cone pieces attached to it. To attach the small wing on the forward cockpit cylinder we are grateful to finally have a 2x2x1 round brick with two Technic pin holes on two opposite sides. Let’s finally take a look at the engine block. To align five of the six engines in one row as narrowly as possible, we use the old 1x2x2/3 bricks which first appeared in the space sets from 1985. Attaching two of these is possible but will generate to neighboring studs with less width than two standard studs, but still allows for the attachment light cover pieces which are smaller than a 1x1 round element. Now get your bricks, and happy building! See you next time in a BrickJournal near you!
46
Parts List (Parts can be ordered from Bricklink.com by searching by part number and color) Center Section Qty Color 2
Light-Bluish-Gray 52107.dat
Part
Description
Qty Color 1
Light-Bluish-Gray 4081b.dat
Part
Description
1
Dark-Bluish-Gray
3941.dat
Brick 2 x 2 Round
1
Blue
4274.dat
Technic Pin 1/2
1
Light-Bluish-Gray 6233.dat
1 1
Light-Bluish-Gray 98100.dat Light-Bluish-Gray 30360.dat
1
Light-Bluish-Gray 3794b.dat
1
Dark-Bluish-Gray
4
Light-Bluish-Gray 85984.dat
4 1 1
Blue
4274.dat
Trans-White
98138.dat
Light-Bluish-Gray 32187.dat
Cockpit Section Qty Color 1 1
18674.dat
Part
Light-Bluish-Gray 98100.dat Light-Bluish-Gray 17485.dat
1
Light-Bluish-Gray 43898.dat
1
Light-Bluish-Gray 4032a.dat
2
Black
4459.dat
2
Dark-Bluish-Gray
2412b.dat
2
1 1 1
Light-Bluish-Gray 18677.dat
Trans-White
98138.dat
Light-Bluish-Gray 24299.dat Light-Bluish-Gray 24307.dat
Rear Gun Pod
Brick 1 x 2 with Studs on Sides Brick 2 x 2 Round Sloped Cone 3 x 3 x 2
Cylinder 3 x 6 x 2 2/3 Horizontal Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud Plate 2 x 2 Round with 1 Centre Stud
Slope Brick 31 1 x 2 x 0.667 Technic Pin 1/2
Technic Transmission Driving Ring Extension
Tile 1 x 1 Round with Groove Description
Brick 2 x 2 Round Sloped
Light-Bluish-Gray 3005.dat
87087.dat
2
Light-Bluish-Gray 47905.dat
1
Light-Bluish-Gray 59900.dat Trans-White
30367a.dat
2
Dark-Bluish-Gray
86208.dat
1
Dark-Bluish-Gray
6141.dat
1
6 1
Blue
Dark-Bluish-Gray
3024.dat 6019.dat
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Light-Bluish-Gray 54383.dat
Plate 2 x 2 Round with Axlehole Type 1
Technic Pin with Friction
Tile 1 x 1 Round with Groove
Tile 1 x 2 Grille with Groove Wing 2 x 2 Left
Wing 2 x 2 Right
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30162.dat
Minifig Binoculars with Round Eyepiece
6141.dat
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6190.dat
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Part
Plate 1 x 2 with Offset Peghole on Underside
Dish 3 x 3 Inverted
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Dark-Bluish-Gray
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Description
Light-Bluish-Gray 6141.dat
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Part
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Qty Color
Brick 2 x 2 Round with Pin Holes
Qty Color
30367b.dat
Bottom Fin
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Plate 1 x 1 Round
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1
60478.dat
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Engine Block Qty Color
Part
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Light-Bluish-Gray 4595.dat
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Trans-Red
58176.dat
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18654.dat
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Trans-Red
98138.dat
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42446.dat
Light-Bluish-Gray 3062b.dat
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6541.dat
Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Light Type 2
Description Bar 1 x 3
Brick 1 x 1
Brick 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side
Brick 1 x1 with Studs on Two Opposite Sides Cone 1 x 1 with Stop
Cylinder 2 x 2 with Dome Top with Blocked Stud
Minifig Torch without Grooves Plate 1 x 1
Plate 1 x 1 Round
Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Horizontal (Open U-Clip)
Plate 1 x 2 with Handle on End Plate 1 x 2 with Single Clip on Top Slope Brick 75 2 x 1 x 3 Inverted
Tile 1 x 1 Round with Groove Wing 3 x 6 Left
Wing 3 x 6 Right Description
Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 1
Brick 1 x 1 Round with Hollow Stud
Brick 1 x 2 x 0.667 with Studs on Sides
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Technic Brick 1 x 1 with Hole
Tile 1 x 1 Round with Groove
Plate 1 x 1 Round
Center Section
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Cockpit Section
Rear Gun Pod
Bottom Fin
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Engine Block
You can go to Christopher’s webpage by going to www.deckdesigns.de or scanning this QR code!
www.brickcoaster.com
Custom Roller Coaster Tracks, Sets and Accessories
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Community
Barriers: The Brick-Built Wall in our Minds! Article by Dave Foreman Photography by Molly Raye
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LEGO is a fantastic toy, and even more amazing art medium with boundless possibilities. LEGO does one thing very well though, that perhaps isn’t always a net positive: It constructs really well. And one of those things LEGO tends to build is mental barriers. The divide between AFOLs who build with system and those like myself who build with constraction is a great example. SNOT (Studs Not On Top) is still to this day a difficult concept for some MOCers to grasp even though its proliferation is seen at all levels of LEGO set buying, from a small Polybag like Colt’s Mech up to the big giant mega sets. Some builders just can’t seem to wrap their minds around the idea. Classes, tutorials, building techniques, these are all things that help us break down the mental barriers in our minds that have been put in place. How did they get there, those barriers we have to overcome in our minds? One could speculate on the many possible reasons but I will offer my own. First, that’s just how the mind works. Our brains like to put things into containers or filing systems for future reference. So you could argue that it’s just biology. Secondly, I think it has to do a lot with how we are introduced to and experience LEGO on a regular basis. Most FOLs buy LEGO sets with instructions which tell you how to build the set itself. LEGO has a very rigid structure in its design of play, and they seldom break those rules for themselves, even though FOLs don’t adhere to them much, if at all. We’ve all seen that varying degree of what a builder will do to get the results they want out of
their MOC. Even I have my limits on what I’ll tolerate as a builder. Take the fact that we are told very early on in our experience how to build our LEGO, coupled with the fact that LEGO’s marketing is often very segregated, and the conditions seem ripe for mental barriers to spring up without us even realizing them. It isn’t until we’re teenagers or adults that we start analyzing these barriers and begin to chip away at them. The barrier I most wish to address is that between building systems and styles of MOCing. LEGO House famously has three Dinosaurs in it, a Duplo Dino, a System Dino, and a Technic Dino. Even LEGO’s own marketing dictates that these are very separate building systems and only two of them ever really see any crossover in LEGO’s designs. However, if pushed, every building system LEGO has can work together if the transitions are right. A 2x4 fits onto a 1x2 Duplo block, Technic and system integrate almost seamlessly with the plethora of parts available made specifically for this transition. Even constraction can be fully integrated with elements designed especially for that. These types of elements are typically found in action sets where Mechs and moving figures are found. When you dive even deeper into the Bionicle community, there exists a divide between older “G1” or “Gen1” Bionicle, and CCBS which is what is used today and has been since 2011. System Builders even go as far as to categorize Bionicle and CCBS as “not really LEGO.” OUCH, that hurts! Not only does that hurt my feelings as a “Bionicle guy,” but that hurts your potential as a MOCer as well. One major symptom of barriers is “Stale building.” I’ve talked to a good amount of MOCers who were bored with their established building style or even what they were seeing from other builders, until they saw my unique blend of Constraction elements mixed with System. Once they realized that the two aren’t very separate, they became inspired to build new things or explore new territory. How many builders have been turned off to the possibilities that Constraction holds for their MOC because they won’t even look at those kinds of parts as being a viable option? I think you might be surprised at how often a Constraction element might be just what the doctor ordered for your MOC.
Meskii
The petite robot girl with a love for all things adorable. Built by Molly Raye.
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Need an Air Conditioner unit for the top of your skyscraper? Try a CCBS armor square shell [Element ID 4667120] in Flat Silver as a starting point. One thing I’ve discovered over the years is that System builders inevitably end up with some amount of Bionicle/constraction in their collections and it ends up sitting in a bin completely forgotten about. As a Constraction expert I can tell you that CCBS is much more friendly to system than old Bionicle elements, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t find a use for those parts. “No part is useless,” I say. If you can connect it to other LEGO, its useful, and if you change your outlook on a part, a theme, a style of building, a lot can happen for you.
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Surprisingly enough, one barrier I am elated to say does not appear to exist in the LEGO community is that between genders. For more on this I interviewed Bionicle’s most seminal female MOCer, Molly Raye, who goes by the username Alieraah on the Internet. Her MOCs have been featured on The Brothers Brick and in Blocks Magazine, and she was also named one of Brickly’s Artist of the Week. She’s a powerful builder who delivers intriguing, diverse and rich characters with her builds, and she is personally one of my favorite builders in the Bionicle MOCing community. I interviewed Molly about some of the barriers in both the Bionicle community overall and those facing women in the AFOL community.
Dave Foreman: How did you get into LEGO, what is an early experience you had with LEGO? Molly Raye: Like many other things, I first encountered LEGO as a hand-me-down toy from my older sister. Because she is 11 years my senior, many of the pieces and minifigures were from early ’80s to mid ’90s sets. They were mostly space themes, with a dash of Fabuland, Aquazone, and Castle. Because she totally butchered the sets and the instructions were long gone, I spent a lot of time using the pieces to build my own things. This set into motion my drive to collect more pieces so I could build even more things. Not long after becoming totally invested in LEGO as a child, my family adopted a kitten, who would often play with and run off with my LEGO pieces. I ended up naming the cat LEGO as a result. Some of my fonder memories of the toy involve chasing down LEGO, because he stole my LEGO.
Endeavor the Mad
Fearsome dragon warrior who craves power and status. Built by Molly Raye.
How do you overcome mental barriers? Molly: The two personal barriers I deal with the most would be “lack of inspiration” and generally being my own worst critic. For the first, even if I want to MOC, I force myself to take a break, and try to find new media that might inspire new ideas from me. Sitting down and trying to force myself to build something while uninspired only results in frustration. So I might use the free time to instead play a new video game, or read a book. Something that, by the end of the experience, would hopefully ignite some new ideas. For the latter, I often find when I’m harshly critiquing my own work, it is because I’m trying to
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live up to the standards of the community as much as possible. To deal with such, I just have to remind myself that I do this as a hobby, as something I enjoy. I’ll sometimes build a MOC in complete secrecy, showing no WIP pictures, as to not have that type of external influence. What are some barriers you feel are in place for women in MOCing? Molly: I really do not think there are any barriers for women in MOCing. The closest thing to such that I have heard is that Bionicle or LEGO in general is a “boys toy.” But that isn’t so much a barrier as it is a misguided statement. Anything that has stalled or stopped me from MOCing hasn’t been due to my status as a woman, but rather are issues many people in the online communities face. Anywhere from harsh feedback to lack of inspiration can and does get in the way of creating MOCs for many people. If anything, especially within the Bionicle community, female MOCists often get special attention simply because they are female and are seen as a rarity. I’m sure there may be women out there who have experienced some type of barrier due to being female, but personally that attribute has not affected my ability to MOC in any detrimental way, nor have I seen it impact other women in the online community. Why do you think it is that women don’t seem to have this barrier to entry in the LEGO community when it exists elsewhere, such as in video gaming?
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A quiet, reserved girl who is always hiding behind her kabuki mask (opposite page). Built by Molly Raye.
Molly: I don’t think it really exists there either. I say that as an avid gamer in online MMORPGs such as WoW. I think perhaps you are mistaking adversity for being “barriers.” Replacing the term, yes, I’ve faced plenty of adversity as a female AFOL. I’ve had people straight up call me a fraud, and that “women can’t MOC that well” or that “Her boyfriend clearly builds her MOCs for her.” I’ve had people in the LEGO community take issue with me because I am a woman, much like I among others have seen in a setting like video gaming. The difference is, I can either let those types of statements bother me to the point of being uninvolved in those communities or activities, or I can choose to put them behind me and keep doing what I enjoy. The fact of the matter is, those people who make such snide comments are often in an insignificantly small minority, and far more tend to be kinder and enjoy the company of both men and women alike. That’s true. Some see adversity as a barrier though, an obstacle to overcome. Molly: I can understand that, it is an obstacle to overcome for sure, but for me, a barrier would suggest something that succeeds in keeping me out. And as far as I am personally concerned, obstacles and adversity or not, nothing is keeping me from achieving new heights in MOCing in comparison to anyone else. That’s a good attitude to have. It’s not a barrier if it doesn’t stop you.
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Our mutual friend Bre (Tyrigsus online), another female MOCer in the Bionicle community, had this to say of Molly. “I don’t really think there are barriers. I just think there are parts, and how they are built. The gender doesn’t
really make the difference. I mean, look at Molly. She runs some of the most powerful accounts in the Bionicle community. A lot of male MOCists wish they were her.” I have to agree with both women here. Molly is just the Bionicle community’s example of a woman doing well in the community. If you look at powerful female AFOLs, you have Alice Finch wining Best in Show for her incredibly ambitious MOCs, Elspeth DeMonte contributing to online outlets like The Brothers Brick and The New Elementary. Mariann Asanuma has made quite the career for herself as a professional LEGO artist. Everywhere you look in this community there are amazing women doing amazing things with LEGO. As an older member of the Bionicle community, age often comes up as a barrier as well. Either kids think they can’t be as good a MOCer as I am because I’m so much older than they are, or sometimes there is discrimination due to age from younger members of the community. But I’ve seen great MOCs from people of all ages. My friend Dan Quinonez is half my age and I already have learned a lot about landscape building from him. Things like age, gender, the things that make us what we are instead of who we are are only barriers if we allow them to be. And there lies the answer to this whole conundrum. Barriers are only that if you allow them to be. Overcoming a barrier like Molly demonstrated simply means changing your way of thinking or thought process. It’s merely taking a mental brick separator to that wall that has been constructed without us realizing it. As a builder who had to take that journey myself, I can tell you from personal experience that it’s so liberating when you can finally see clearly across the spectrum of LEGO, and see all the possibilities that lie in the elements LEGO has provided for us. The first step to dismantling a barrier though, is to recognize where they exist in the first place. So ask yourself, “What are my barriers?” and you’ll soon be on your way to overcoming them as well—and when you do, your building will improve as a result of it.
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Community
The LEGO MINDSTORMS system has been used to make many sorts of robots, from rovers to puppets. However, the use of a MINDSTORMS set in a laboratory setting hasn’t been explored until recently. Ordinarily, one wouldn’t have a LEGO robot be used in a lab, but a researcher in Stanford stepped out of the ordinary. Ingmar H. Riedel-Kruse, PhD, Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford, thought of using LEGO robots as a means to get children more involved in science and technology fields. He and his team originally developed a “biology cloud lab” that allowed students to remotely execute biology experiments. The lab was built, and the prototype of the remote-controlled robot was primarily built from LEGO elements. The robot’s main function was to pipette small amounts of fluids on petri dishes by moving and controlling a syringe to gather and drop those fluids, which then affected the behavior of simple biological organisms, i.e., slime molds. The completed system was then used by students and evaluated in collaboration with Paulo Blikstein, Prof. of Education at Stanford. These results, including building instructions, were published and presented at the conference for Human-ComputerInteraction in 2015.1
Two students using a MINDSTORMS-driven pipette dropper (pipettor).
Making a MINDSTORMS Lab! Article by Joe Meno
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From this initial effort, Ingmar had insights that led to his next iterations. First, the MINDSTORMS system had limitations. Using the older NXT sets, there was a limitation of three motors. Also, because the robot was controlled remotely from a server, the LEGO software available with the set was not usable for this project. A Raspberry Pi control unit was used with the MINDSTORMS brick to control the robot. The project was a proof of concept for an online remote project environment, and in that respect, it was very successful. Not only were students able to work with the robot, they could also perform experiments and collaborate with other students. Since the robot was away from students, they did not have to worry about safety issues and intensive hands-on work—instead, they could focus on the experimental design. However, there was a lot of effort on this that required outside hacking and assembly. Ingmar and the team began to think about ways to streamline the system to make it more readily usable by schools and afterschool programs. There were reasons to do this—he wanted to make life sciences/wet sciences (Chemistry) more fun, and also bring mechatronics and life-sciences together so they could be learned and approached in a more integrated and engaging (hands-on) way. Kids also may already like one of the two fields, so this could “bridge their curiosity” to the other field, as Ingmar notes. The initial idea was refined to create a two-module system to move and deliver liquids easily and accurately. A handheld pipette holder (pipettor) was built using an EV3 as the controller, which could be added to a gantry that could move the pipette over a set of cuvettes or dishes to pick up and deliver liquids, and also flush and clean itself. For Ingmar, the first challenge for design was developing the pipettor—how could a mechanism be built that could handle fluids reliably in small amounts? Once that was figured out, the next step was to make it as light as possible. The next step was making a good gantry design that the pipette could easily be attached. The final model
Pipettor
movement track of lift
Pipettor Lift
mov eme nt tra ck of Gantry Tray tray
Controls The motorized pipettor using LEGO parts. The rotation of the large motor pushes the syringe plunger like a piston.
1D can be built using one Educational EV3 kit, which allows schools or others that have those kit to build them directly. There are a few non-LEGO parts (such as the syringes, ruler, and double-stick tape) that can be purchased for under $5 online. The pipettor is attached to a movable gantry. Since there are only three motors in this set, this limited the abilities of the robot to move on one set of directions, hence the name 1D (1 Direction)!
(“1D”) was the result of some iterations that use only the parts available in just one EV3 Education set, with the intention to enable easier adoption by educators. They also developed a “2D” model, which had more degrees of freedom and higher performance for liquid handling, but at the expense of additional LEGO parts. In 2017, he and his team presented another paper2 with the results of their further studies and design work including the design files for these robots. This study addressed if students in advance elementary school and middle school could build and handle their robots and perform relevant science experiments. Students were instructed to move liquids manually with plastic pipettes, then building a mechanical pipettor with the LEGO MINDSTORMS parts. The final step was attaching the pipette apparatus to a larger assembly that could replicate their experiments using bot components. Would they enjoy it? What would they learn? The studies also involved teachers to get their input. The robots have already been tested in a few classes and afterschool programs. 1D proved to be an effective demonstrator to students of the advantages (and
disadvantages) of robots in the lab. However, this was only just the first step. Ingmar and Paulo are currently doing more studies with funding from the National Science Foundation (Grant 1638070). They are also looking for other teachers/DIY/afterschool programs to collaborate with who would like to use and develop these activities further and share feedback widely. The next steps are to make the system overall more accessible, by 1) Using Raspberry Pi or Arduino to drive the robot, which would open programming to other languages like Scratch or Java to be used, and 2) going beyond LEGO by using 3-D printed design of parts or the entire robot. The study and digital files to assemble and program 1D and 2D can be found at the PLOS Biology webpage: http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal. pbio.2001413 References (open access): 1 Hossain et al., Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 3681, 2015. 2 Gerber et al. PLoS Biology, 15(3) 2017.
movement track of gantry (x-axis) movement track of lift
movement of gantry (y track -axis)
Controls
2D is designed to access four multiwell plates on two axes (x and y), which are used in biology labs. Additional parts are needed for this design, including two extra motors, which can be ordered from Bricklink. This robot can also handle much lower fluid volumes (down to sub microliters) used in research through the use of a redesigned syringe holder.
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If you are interested in collaborating with the Riedel-Kruse Lab on these robots, you can contact Ingmar H. Riedel-Kruse at ingmar@stanford.edu or scan the QR code at the left.
FROM THE PRODUCERS OF BRICKJOURNAL:
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TwoMorrows—A New Day For LEGO Fans!
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g n i w e i v Re
Review by Ashley Glennon Page Layouts provided by No Starch Press
Hello BrickJournal readers. I need to disclose a significant bias. When I received my review copy of The LEGO Trains Book by Holger Matthes, I was stoked! You see, Matthes is no ordinary LEGO train builder. His early train work was so popular that even the tourist arm of the African country of Namibia recognized him. Matthes built a LEGO replica of their desert traversing train called the Transnamib Express back in 2001. After seeing photos of his LEGO model, the Namibian tourism department invited him to come tour their country (all expenses paid) on the real train! Back in 2003-2004, Matthes spoke at a number of LEGO gatherings, including Brickfest PDX 2004—where I met him live and he presented his Namibian story.
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Acquiring bulk parts and building models with intimate detail was not an easy feat in the early 2000s. Fans were just starting to find each other online and digital cameras were still in their infancy. Matthes was building extraordinary LEGO trains before many of you were even born.
Some page layouts showcasing the photography in the book.
So heck yeah, I was excited about his book! The LEGO Trains Book is actually an English translation of a book Matthes released in his native Germany in 2016. The German book, LEGO Eisenbahn: Konzepte und Techniken fur realistische Modelle translates to something like: LEGO Trains: Concepts and Techniques For Realistic Models. Thanks to No Starch Press, we have an easier-to-read title and a hardbound edition of the book at a lower price than the German edition. The book features an introduction, four huge, information-packed chapters, and then concludes with nearly 100 pages of building instructions. Matthes kicks off the book by offering advice on where to find parts and ideas to build more trains, then takes the reader through the most comprehensive history lesson I have ever read about LEGO trains. And this history lesson isn’t boring or weak. Matthes carefully threads together the pros and cons of each LEGO train era and points out distinguishing features of each. Matthes naturally begins with the blue-rail era when trains were blocky and the wheels were red. Next he takes us into the gray-rail powered decade between 19801990. The 9-volt era begins in 1991, then we visit the RC era starting in 2006. We entered the Power Functions era in 2007 where we remain today. LEGO trains have been around for 50 years, and as we have come to expect, some parts made in 1966 fit well and look great on LEGO trains today. The next chapter consists of an excellent overview of LEGO building principles, with an emphasis on train-building of course. Matthes begins with a visual overview of the basic names of parts, then jumps headlong into one of my favorite sections of the book: SNOT! Studs not on top (or SNOT as it’s known among us fans) is a fun way of describing building in every direction. Matthes is a master in this space and it shows. Here you will learn how the meager headlight brick is essential for train designs and you’re treated to many colorful applications. Next you will learn how side-studded bricks, plus plates, panels, tiles and hinges can be used in surprising ways. An off-center and odd-dimensions building section will help you build more realistic trains. Then the chapter wraps up with pinstriping and texture techniques.
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The instructions and diagrams in the book are outstanding and will be useful to the new and the experienced builder.
Designing your own models is the focus of Chapter Three. A nice exploration of scale and a discussion on the merits of building trains at 6, 7 or 8 studs wide will help you choose a size that suits your style. A good chunk of this lengthy chapter reviews the LEGO-related considerations of real train stuff. What sort of couplers or trucks might you use? Do want to build modern locomotives or steam era? What power system might you use? How might color choices affect your ability to build a realistic model? The chapter concludes with tips for effective layout design, with a nod toward considering third party track suppliers for realistic operation. Starting with Chapter Four—Case Studies In Design—the European origin of this book becomes very prominent. Within this chapter, Matthes walks you through a thoughtful design and planning process using several of his own models. An iterative approach is suggested, then Matthes challenges you to tackle the most iconic or representative portions of each loco you make. He shows great examples of double decker passenger cars, a modern electric locomotive, and then an elaborate steam engine. Although the planning and design concepts are relevant to trains around the world, the American audience may find it hard to relate to the German locomotive examples. European modelers, on the other hand, will likely be delighted to see shapes and geometries more relevant to their continent. The building instructions chapter will likely be the favorite of most readers, and for good reason. Nearly 100 pages are dedicated to full color, step-bystep instructions of some of Germany’s most iconic trains. A sleek and ultramodern ICE 3 train starts the chapter, followed by a gray gondola that looks easy to adapt for American use. Next up, there’s a Swiss electric “Crocodile,” then a generic passenger car that could be modified to match just about any railroad worldwide. The chapter concludes with a glimpse of an 8-wide European steam engine, but these instructions are only available online. This hefty, full-color, hardbound book is worth the purchase price for the building instructions alone. The real treat for the die-hard fan, though, is that this book is like a private building lesson from one of the greatest LEGO train builders in the world.
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Not too long ago, a documentary was made that was about the LEGO fan community. A variety of LEGO builders were featured and interviewed about their work and fascination with the brick. The movie was titled Beyond the Brick: A LEGO Brickumentary, and it was released in 2014.
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A Review of
This isn’t that film. Brick Madness, an independent film directed and produced by Justin McAleece, was being made at the same time and took a different direction. Instead of a documentary, this was a mockumentary (like This is Spinal Tap) that initially takes a humorous look at the LEGO hobby and its fans, but becomes a movie that also has a heart. The movie centers around a fictitious building tournament of Brix (not LEGO, for legal reasons) and the competitors, past and present. The past is represented by the previous seven-time champion of the tournament and the Godfather of Brix, Max Grand. He was forced out of competition when he was accused of “gluing’ his creations. In the six years since, another builder has taken his place—the arrogant and commercial builder Ricky 6 (who changes his name to reflect the Brix tournaments he has won). This year looks to be the year that Ricky becomes Ricky 7. However, there are other competitors in the tournament. The host of Brick Madness, Cedric Donovan (Robin Steffen), talks with all of the builders, including Marvin (an obsessive-compulsive man with an obsession with building perfectly, performed by Byron Watkins), Delilah (a female builder who feels a little out of place in the predominately male community, played by Laura Howard), and Seth Paxton (a new competitor played by Matthew Albrecht, who is forced to compete to save his brix-based charity). Another fan is Wyatt (Tilt Tyree), who has spent his years documenting the tournaments on video. All of these characters are very broad caricatures of LEGO fans and fandom in general. The humor hit a little close to home for me at times (I started in the hobby as a photographer of LEGO creations), but ultimately the film redeems itself with how all the characters grow during the tournament. There are some very funny moments, and there are some sad moments when some competitors get eliminated. The authenticity of the movie was maintained by filming at a real LEGO fan convention—Bricks by the Bay. Some LEGO fans also make cameos in the movie as interviewees—one, Fradel Gonzalez, has been featured in BrickJournal. Another builder involved with the film, Carl Merriam, has gone on and is now a LEGO set designer in Denmark. His most famous set is the recently released Apollo Saturn V Rocket set. For Brick Madness, Carl built some of the models and the title logo.
Review by Joe Meno
One of the actors, Jadon Sand, might also be familiar, as he was Will Ferrell’s son in The LEGO Movie. He’s a surprise in his appearance. The other actors are from independent films and television productions, and play their characters very well. Outstanding performances come from Laura Howard (her performance is perfect as a young lady that has a talent that places her in a maledominated place) and Tilt Tyree. (His portrayal of Wyatt initially has a touch of sadness, as he starts the movie as the person who really just wants some attention. By the end of the movie, by giving him a purpose, Tilt changes Wyatt completely for the better.) Brick Madness is being seen on the independent movie circuit, so keep an eye out for it at film festivals. It’s a good takeoff on LEGO and other fandom that is funny and by the end, heartwarming. You can find out more about the movie at its webpage: http://brickmadnessthemovie.com
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Community
Princess Land ’s storefront.
In Taiwan, buying a LEGO set isn’t quite as easy as going to a LEGO brand retail store. There are LEGOcertified stores that are managed by independent shopkeepers who stock and sell LEGO sets and parts, but have a much different look than the LEGO stores in the US and Europe. One of these shops is Princess Land. Located in New Taipei City, this shop is only distinguished in its alley by a wall sign with a 2x4 brick and some window displays. However, Princess Land is not only a LEGO shop, but also a restaurant with a full menu! The shop started with only LEGO parts first, though—the owner, Princess Lee, started the shop in 2013. She sold sets and parts and also built the sets with her children.
ts such s even d hold n a L s s Prince Princess Lee with a new set!
Postcards from Princess Land! Article by Joe Meno 66
one. as this
Minifigures are easily found and built here.
and odern ore is m The st
g. invitin
The store housed sets and nearly three thousand LEGO parts, with displays of minifigures for sale and walls of LEGO elements that can be purchased like the Brand Retail Pick-a-Brick! There’s also displays of sets in glass cases. With so many parts and sets available, this became a place where families would spend hours searching for needed parts and making minifigures or other creations, and also became a sightseeing spot for others. All of the shopping and searching often left the families tired and hungry—so they suggested opening up a restaurant or a cafe so everyone could rest and enjoy eating after shopping.
Used parts ca n be
There are bins and bins of parts, as well as sets old and
new.
searched for to o.
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2017 was the year that Princess Land and Restaurant opened. This combination expanded the store to include a restaurant that served local foods, such as curry rice, and also breakfast, including eggs and Belgian waffles. What makes the restaurant unique, though, is its selection of brick-themed desserts—Princess Restaurant serves brick-shaped tiramisu, cake, and chocolate! The restaurant also made another display area—this time, it’s LEGO mosaics. Princess Land has a wall gallery of LEGO art with their indoor tables, with two LEGO versions of famous paintings currently on display: Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Other paintings will eventually appear as they are made—the hard part is to gather all the parts for building! The tables are also display cases for other LEGO sets that visitors can see while they eat. Outside, the restaurant is much like a traditional outdoor cafe.
nt. the restaura The front of
on One of the mosaics
Lisa. display—the Mona
Some of the food available.
The result is a destination that appeals to families and LEGO fans locally and even worldwide, and it’s perhaps Princess’ best creation, combining her love of children and love of food into a friendly space that is a corner of LEGO paradise! You can find more information on Princess Land by scanning the QR code to the left or going to their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ legoprince1119/ No.1, Aly. 15, Ln. 18, Yanhe Rd., Tucheng Dist., New Taipei City 236, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
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A look inside
the restaurant .
Don’t just read BrickJournal —
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Designed by BrickJournal’s Editor-in-Chief JOE MENO, these custom sets are inspired by the themes and builders featured in this magazine! Find out about these sets and upcoming designs at: www.brickjournal.com/sets
Microscale Space Shuttle with Base: 50 pcs. $10 Mini EV3 set: 106 pcs. $25
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Who is the LEGObomber? Article by Joe Meno Photography by Sam Bridgham In the town of Durango, Colorado, something odd is going on. At various places, LEGO sculptures are left on signposts and other landmarks without warning. These colorful creations have become known as LEGObombs, like photobombs in online pictures. However, these are not things that last for a moment. These models stay for a while. The LEGObombs are built by Sam Bridgham, who also has taught LEGO robotics. BrickJournal will be talking to him about his teaching and building next issue. Until then, here’s a sample of his work.
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You can also scan this QR code to see more!
WHERE EVERYTHING OLD IS COOL AGAIN!
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Bricks by the Bay 2017 Article by Joe Meno Photography by Nicolas Allard
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Bricks by the Bay is a convention based in Santa Clara, California, that happens in summer. This year, it hosted BrickJournal’s editor, Joe Meno, as its Keynote Speaker. The opportunity to speak and visit this convention for the first time was a highlight of the year for the editor. This event is different from other LEGO fan conventions in that it is a weekend event, but only has one public day. This allows for more time for speakers and activities. Being a younger event at eight years, there weren’t as many LEGO fans as other conventions such as Brickworld in Chicago, or BrickFair Virginia, which happened on the same weekend as this event.
The theme for Bricks by the Bay this year was “California Dreamin’.” There were many creations that showcased the theme, but none matched the spectacle of Flynn De Marco and Richard Board’s layout celebrating the Golden State, Their model had visitors go through a rollercoaster ride of the state, with lit and moving vignettes depicting landmarks and attractions of California, including Disneyland. There were many other displays and models at the convention, so this is only a very small glimpse of what was displayed. BrickJournal has already spotlighted some of the builders from the event (Noel Encarcion’s Gundam mecha was featured in issue #48, and Dave Foreman’s Bionicle build was also shown in his new column), and will be featuring more builds in upcoming issues. Until then, enjoy these photos!
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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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BRICKJOURNAL #46
BRICKJOURNAL #45
BRICKJOURNAL #44
THE WORLD OF LEGO MECHA! Learn the secrets and tricks of building mechs with some of the best mecca builders in the world! Interviews with BENJAMIN CHEH, KELVIN LOW, LU SIM, FREDDY TAM, DAVID LIU, and SAM CHEUNG! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!
LEGO GOES UNDERSEA! Builder MITSURU NIKAIDO shows us his undersea creatures and organic builds! Then jump aboard MARCELLO DeCICCO’s minifigure-scale warships! And see amazing architectural creations by PEDRO NASCIMENTO! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!
LEGO TRAINS! Spotlight on train builder CALE LEIPHART, a look at the train layouts and models from the PENNSYLVANIA LEGO Users Group (PENNLug), BRICK MODEL RAILROADER (a new LEGO Train fan website that launched this year), and more locomotive action! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more!
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!
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(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #43
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! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #42
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’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #41
BRICKJOURNAL #40
BRICKJOURNAL #39
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!
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!
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
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BRICKJOURNAL #38
BRICKJOURNAL #37
BRICKJOURNAL #36
BRICKJOURNAL #35
BRICKJOURNAL #34
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-bystep “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, stepby-step “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!
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!
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #33
BRICKJOURNAL #32
BRICKJOURNAL #31
BRICKJOURNAL #30
BRICKJOURNAL #29
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, stepby-step “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!
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, shop-talk with LEGO TECHNIC designers, and more surprises to keep your creations moving at top speed! Plus Minifigure Customization by JARED BURKS, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, and more!
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(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #28
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! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #27
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, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, & more! (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #26
BRICKJOURNAL #25
BRICKJOURNAL #24
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-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and more!
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!
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #23
BRICKJOURNAL #22
BRICKJOURNAL #21
BRICKJOURNAL #20
BRICKJOURNAL #19
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!
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!
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #18
BRICKJOURNAL #17
BRICKJOURNAL #15
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!
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!
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #13
BRICKJOURNAL #12
EVENT ISSUE with reports from the BRICKMAGIC fan festival (organized by BrickJournal), 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, MINIFIG CUSTOMIZATION by JARED K. BURKS, how a POWER MINERS model became one for ATLANTIS, building standards, and much more!
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
TwoMorrows. BRICKJOURNAL #11
“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!
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
BRICKJOURNAL #10
BRICKJOURNAL #9
BRICKJOURNAL #7
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!
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!
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95
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FOR SALE!
ORIGINAL MINIFIGURE COMIC BOOK COVER REPRODUCTIONS by GREG HYLAND
Commission LEGO™ illustrator, Greg Hyland, to draw a full-size, production-quality recreation of any Marvel or DC comic book cover using LEGO™ Minifigures!
STAR WARS #7
Artwork will be a black & white ink drawing on 11”x17” comic book illustration board. Art will include paste-up cover copy, logos, and trade dress. Email greg@lethargiclad.com for |NCREDIBLE HULK #181 information on pricing and timeframe.
Last Word
And this ends issue #49 of BrickJournal! This time, the Last Word is the Last 2000 Words—two photos from two events. The one above is from BrickCon in Seattle and is of AFOL Mel Finelli and her built alter ego, which was a gift from another builder. The other photo is from Bricks by the Bay— me and a MOC by Bill Ward. Both show the fun and joy in the hobby, not only in the bricks, but in the people who build! As BrickJournal heads to issue #50, it’s a nice reminder that the people make the community! See you then for a colossal double-size issue!
AFOLs Classics
80
All characters TM & © their respective owners.
MORE BOOKS FROM TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
MONSTER MASH
COMIC BOOK FEVER
KIRBY100
HERO-A-GO-GO!
MARK VOGER’s time-trip back to 1957-1972, to explore the CREEPY, KOOKY MONSTER CRAZE, when monsters stomped into America’s mainstream!
GEORGE KHOURY presents a “love letter” to the comics of 1976-1986, covering all that era’s top artists, coolest stories, and even the best ads!
Celebrate JACK KIRBY’S 100th BIRTHDAY with an all-star line-up of 100 COMICS PROS who critique key images from his 50-year career!
MICHAEL EURY looks at comics’ CAMP AGE, when
(192-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $13.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-064-9
(240-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $34.95 (Digital Edition) $12.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-063-2
(224-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $34.95 (Digital Edition) $12.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-078-6
(272-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $36.95 (Digital Edition) $12.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-073-1
REED CRANDALL
THE MLJ COMPANION
Documents the complete history of ARCHIE COMICS’ super-heroes known as the “Mighty Crusaders”, with in-depth examinations of each era of the characters’ history: The GOLDEN AGE (beginning with the Shield, the first patriotic super-hero), the SILVER AGE (spotlighting the campy Mighty Comics issues, and The Fly and Jaguar), the BRONZE AGE (the Red Circle line, and the !mpact imprint published by DC Comics), up to the MODERN AGE, with its Dark Circle imprint! (288-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $34.95 (Digital Edition) $14.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-067-0
spies liked their wars cold and their women warm, and TV’s Batman shook a mean cape!
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:
(256-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $49.95 (Digital Edition) $19.95 ISBN: 978-1-60549-077-9
The 1950s-80s plus 1940s and ’90s COMING SOON!
COMICS MAGAZINES FROM TWOMORROWS
BACK ISSUE
ALTER EGO
COMIC BOOK CREATOR
DRAW!
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) $4.95
(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Editions) $5.95
(100-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Editions) $5.95
(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Editions) $4.95
(100-page FULL-COLOR mag) $10.95 (Digital Editions) $5.95
TwoMorrows. The Future of Pop History.
TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA
Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com
It’s
GROOVY, baby!
Follow-up to Mark Voger’s smash hit MONSTER MASH!
All characters TM & © their respective owners.
From WOODSTOCK to “THE BANANA SPLITS,” from “SGT. PEPPER” to “H.R. PUFNSTUF,” from ALTAMONT to “THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY,” GROOVY is a far-out trip to the era of lava lamps and love beads. This profusely illustrated HARDCOVER BOOK, in PSYCHEDELIC COLOR, features interviews with icons of grooviness such as PETER MAX, BRIAN WILSON, PETER FONDA, MELANIE, DAVID CASSIDY, members of the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, CREAM, THE DOORS, THE COWSILLS and VANILLA FUDGE; and cast members of groovy TV shows like “THE MONKEES,” “LAUGH-IN” and “THE BRADY BUNCH.” GROOVY revisits the era’s ROCK FESTIVALS, MOVIES, ART—even COMICS and CARTOONS, from the 1968 ‘mod’ WONDER WOMAN to R. CRUMB. A color-saturated pop-culture history written and designed by MARK VOGER (author of the acclaimed book MONSTER MASH), GROOVY is one trip that doesn’t require dangerous chemicals!
(192-page FULL-COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 • ISBN: 978-1-60549-080-9 • DIGITAL EDITION: $15.95
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