BrickJournal #56 Preview

The Magazine for LEGO® Enthusiasts of All Ages!

Issue 56 • April 2019

8.95

$

in the US

Building Life-Size LEGO ! ®

Helen Sham on Living Large

GI JOE® in Bricks!

Eric Ong’s Military Models

Instructions AND MORE!

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Issue 56 • April 2019

Contents

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

People Malin Kylinger’s World Inside of Me.......3 Helen Sham: Building Life-Size.............10 Builder Spotlight: Eric Ong....................18 Building is Half the Battle: Reimagining G.I. Joe Through LEGO.........................................23 You Can Build It: Cobra C.L.A.W...........................................32

Building Ralf Langer: Building The Future is Bright..............36 Djorde Dobrosavljevic’ : Character Builder!...................................40 You Can Build It: The Miner..................................................44 You Can Build It: House Mouse...........................................51 You Can Build It: Krennic’s Personal Shuttle...................56 BrickNerd’s DIY: Neuralizer..................................................60 Minifigure Customization 101: It is Good to Have Friends!..................64

Community An Abridged History of Little Guys... in Space!..............................69 Community Ads.........................................78 Last Word......................................................79 AFOLs.............................................................80

Malin Kylinger’s creation, World Inside of Me, is a great example of LEGO building becoming art. There’s many levels to the model, from the sculptural aspects of the face to the landscaping of the foreground and background. It’s both beautiful and dark, wondrous and ominous. With all of these visual elements mixed to make a complex visual setting, Malin’s inspiration was actually pretty simple.

She bought the two collectible minifigures (Genie and Ghost) at the same time in April 2018 and wanted to do something with them because they have similar “leg”parts and can be seen as opposites.

Malin wanted them to stand on the shoulders of a person as the classic devil and angel. Having had both physical and mental problems for the last twenty years, she wanted to build something to represent some of the duality she felt.

Her LEGO hobby saved her these last couple of years, and the community has made her see that she was not alone in feeling that there can be a duality in one’s personality.

Malin has one side that is very social and energetic, but also has a more introverted personality where she loves to sort and build LEGO. But it’s not just that simple; she wanted to build something that other people could connect to and interpret in a way that is meaningful for them. When publishing the photos of this build, she saw that the different landscapes could represent the imagination: the sea of creative force that can be both light and dark. So when reading this, one can understand that in her view the landscape and the symbolic value of the build is worth the most; the face is only the setting for her message.

But that doesn’t mean that one can’t just appreciate the build for the face.

People

Malin Kylinger’s

World Inside of Me

Article and Photography

by Malin Kylinger

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World Building

Her work is very organic; starting with a certain part, she then builds them together. With experience from previous builds, she started building this creation from the top-down. This worked a lot better than the other way around. The hardest part in this whole build has been striking the balance between creating depth, and looking good when it is seen straight on.

Getting Nosy

After making a rough sketch of her model, she began building. Starting with the nose, she used pretty straightforward SNOT techniques with studs facing forward.

Lip Service

The lips are just cheese slopes on the side and are only held in place by the pieces around them. She very carefully pushed the tan cheese slopes halfway in so that the transition is smoother.Â

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Eye to Eye

For the eye Malin used the mudguard (98282) as an eyelid and to create a marked rounded edge. She also used this part when building the dragon creature in a previous build: The Legend of Anendra. In the eye there are 1x1 cheese slopes on the sides, with the iris being held in place by a droid arm. The upper eyelash was originally set by the eye as seen above, but was later mounted from the head jewelry, as seen below.

People

Helen Sham:

Building Life-Size!

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Article and Art by Helen Sham

First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Joe Meno, editor of BrickJournal, who invited me back for a third interview. This is an honor that my work will be used on the cover of this edition of the magazine.

Some of Helen’s models.

I started building things at an early age (around five or six years old), when I received a big box of LEGO from an uncle as a present. I would spend hours and hours working on it. I can’t remember exactly what kind of vehicle it was anymore. Soon after I completed it, I disassembled it and used all those LEGO pieces to build my own toys, which included airplanes, houses, race cars, etc... As I grew up, I left my LEGO pieces behind... until a couple years ago.

Initially, like many others, I purchased and assembled different LEGO sets that were available in the market. This all changed when I walked by a store which sold LEGO individual pieces... It was incredible! I didn’t realize that I could purchase parts to build my own creations! That was the very first time I heard of “My Own Creation” (MOC), although I have been producing my own creations for such a long time! With all those LEGO parts I could purchase, my building possibilities were endless. I officially stepped on my MOC path.

One afternoon, I was watching television and a Ghostbusters movie trailer came on, which stimulated my creative juices. I spent two days designing the iconic “Stay Puft Marshmallow Man” from Ghostbusters with LEGO bricks and the outcome was surprisingly good.

One of my good friends is a collector of LEGO minifigures, such as those wearing rabbit, piggy, and monkey costumes.

These minifigures made me wonder, “How cute would it be if I could enlarge them?” I began to design my first 25 cm tall LEGO figure, which was a LEGO figure in a bumblebee costume.

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People

Builder Spotlight:

Eric Ong

Article and Photography

by Eric Ong Some views of Eric’s F-117A.

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For Eric Ong, it’s only been four years since he returned to LEGO building.

He grew up building with his father’s LEGO CITY Police and Fireman sets but gradually got lost in the world of video games, cartoons and toys in the ’80s and ’90s. Now a 45-year-old Engineering Supervisor in the Semiconductor industry, he uses LEGO as a source of inspiration and as a creative outlet. His favorite LEGO themes are Superheroes, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. The Ultimate Collector Series Batman Tumbler is his favorite set. He has combined his building hobby with another hobby—building military hobby kits to create amazing models of military hardware. Eric took out some time to show and talk about some of his best creations.

Various views of the F-16D.

F-16D Fighting Falcon Eric created a fictitious F-16D (Thunder Ace), which is based on a Singapore Air Force twin-seater attack plane. The F-16 is always a popular choice for modelers to work on, and Eric is a fan of its sleek and functional appearance. It took six weeks for Eric to research, design, build, and decal his model. It took him a while to work on the moving parts such as the wing ailerons, stabilizers, air brakes, arrestor hook, and landing gear. He’s glad the wings are able to handle its payloads (fuel tanks, GBUs and missiles) and the model is sturdy enough to swoosh with. Some uncommon LEGO elements, such as the angled tile, were used on the wings and stabilizers.

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Details of the model.

Building

The G.I. Joe® brand first emerged in the early ’60s as a 1:6 scale 12-inch military themed “action figure”—socalled due to the assumption that boys would not play with dolls—and marketed by Hasbro. In 1982 the G.I. Joe toy brand was revived and reinvented—this time in the form of much smaller action figures, due to a natural oil shortage. The size chosen was 3.75 inch—the same 1:18 scale used by Star Wars figures, but with far more sophisticated joint articulation. In this format, G.I. Joe became the code name of a fictional U.S. military special forces team, made up of the best of the best in the U.S. armed forces, and equipped with an array of modern and state-of-the-art (but largely fictional) military hardware.

Their enemy was Cobra—a ruthless “international terrorist organization” (a description which during the Cold War sounded more fantastical and less alarmingly real world than it might today), full of colorful villains that would not be out of place in a James Bond movie. Cobra had a large arsenal of fictional vehicles that were typically even more futuristic-looking than their Joe counterparts. Unlike the Star Wars toys competing for shelf space in toy store aisles, G.I. Joe toys did not depend on a large-budget movie for their story. Supported by a popular cartoon and a longrunning comic, G.I. Joe would go on for a dozen years into the early ’90s. At its peak around the mid ’80s, it was one of the most successful toys in the United States. This is the G.I. Joe that I grew up on, and the one I have been reimagining in LEGO.

Building is Half the Battle!

Reimagining G.I. Joe through LEGO Article by Magnus Lauglo

Magnus Lauglo has been active in the AFOL community since the early 2000s, back in the Lugnet days. He has built largely in the Castle and military themes, and even has his own modular landscape. For the past eight years, he has been busy breathing new life into the G.I. Joe universe in brick form. You can run into him on flickr at Magnus-L https://www.flickr.com/ photos/78224984@N00/ or in person at BrickFair VA. G.I. Joe and all related characters TM & © Hasbro.

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Magnus has built a multitude of G.I. Joe and COBRA vehicles.

Here’s a sample of his many builds:

his light Guns - T other d in lw Whir hind G.I. Joe can be towed be n u dual g . vehicles

G.I. Joe Killer W.H.A.L.E. – On e of the most popula r G.I. Joe vehicl es.

I’ve added some co and expanded its lor to my version capacity for troo transport. p

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As a child living in Europe, I spent the ’80s deeply immersed in LEGO and Transformers, and I didn’t start collecting G.I. Joe until the early ’90s, a little after what are usually considered the brand’s best years. This meant that I never owned any of the early-to-mid period classic action figures and vehicles. I stayed faithfully, if increasingly dubiously, with the toy line until it was cancelled in the mid ‘90s, after suffering from several years of inferior product, resulting from attempts to keep up with an everchanging and fad-driven toy market.

All those years I also continued building LEGO. Unlike many builders, I never went through a “Dark Age.” I discovered the AFOL community around the beginning of the 21st Century, initially spending some time as a Castle builder. I lost steam as a Castle builder in the early 2000s, soon after LEGO discontinued its classic gray colors, in favor of new brighter shades of gray. However, around this same time, LEGO introduced dark green, which in turn inspired me to start my own building military vehicles. (See my article on building modern armor in Brick Journal #1, Volume 2, Spring 2008.) I was active in the military building community for many years, and I count G.I. Joe as a major inspiration for my military building style. However, there are only so many tanks, helicopters, and fighter planes I could build before the same ideas started rehashing themselves, and eventually I found myself burning out on military building. I stayed active in the AFOL community, but for several years I built very sparingly—I still liked LEGO, I just didn’t know what to build next.

e best r - Probably th G.I. Joe Maule classic line. I added e basic tank of th and modified the ge fla ou m some ca et a little. unmanned turr

You Can Build It Minifigure Model

Cobra C.L.A.W.

Parts List

(Parts can be ordered through Bricklink.com by searching by part number and color) Qty 2 2 1 2 1 3 2 2 1 2 1 2 1

Design by Magnus Lauglo Instructions by Joe Meno

About this model: The C.L.A.W. is a Covert Light Aerial Weapon used by Cobra. Basically a personal flying wing, this was armed with two rockets and a machine gun.

This particular model is designed to fold up and be stowed in compartments in the upper deck of the Terror Drome, ready for quick deployment.

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1 1 1 1 1 2 2 4 2 2 1 1 1 2 1

Part Color Description 57467.dat Chrome Silver Minifig Harpoon 2431.dat White Tile 1x4 with Groove 2452.dat White Hinge Plate 1x2 with 3 Fingers On Side 2540.dat White Plate 1x2 with Handle 3022.dat White Plate 2x2 3068b.dat White Tile 2x2 with Groove 3710.dat White Plate 1x4 4070.dat White Brick 1x1 with Headlight 4276b.dat White Hinge Plate 1x2 with 2 Fingers and Hollow Studs 4599b.dat White Tap 1x1 without Hole in Spout 6636.dat White Tile 1x6 14719.dat White Tile 2x2 Corner 15573.dat White Plate 1x2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud, without Understud 15712.dat White Tile 1x1 with Clip (Thick C-Clip) 41769.dat White Wing 2x4 Right 41770.dat White Wing 2x4 Left 43722.dat White Wing 2x3 Right 43723.dat White Wing 2x3 Left 44676.dat White Flag 2x2 Trapezoid 60478.dat White Plate 1x2 with Handle on End 61252.dat White Plate 1x1 with Clip Horizontal (Thick C-Clip) 99774.dat White Minifig Ski 4L without Hinge 30377.dat Dk Bluish Grey Minifig Mechanical Arm 3062b.dat Black Brick 1x1 Round w/ Hollow Stud 30374.dat Black Bar 4L Lightsaber Blade 6141.dat Lt Bluish Grey Plate 1x1 Round 24201.dat Lt Bluish Grey Slope Brick Curved 2x1 Inverted 42446.dat Lt Bluish Grey Bracket 1x1 - 1x1

Building

The Spinebeast.

Djordje Dobrosavljević:

Character Builder!

Article by Joe Meno Photography by Djordje Dobrosavljević

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Djordje Dobrosavljević builds characters. If you look on his Flickr gallery, you’ll see creatures and beings of all sorts, from whimsical aliens to terrifying beasts. They all look like they were photographed during a live photo session, showing their personality with their stance, and sometimes their smile. Very few of them look like something that could be made from LEGO elements, except for perhaps the LEGO theme that was made up of crazy-looking creatures; the Mixels. The 24-year-old builder has been building these since 2001, when the Bionicle line was released.

Djordje did have a Dark Age where he stopped building, which started in 2007. For him, when Bionicle was released, it was a really new sort of toy—a constructible action figure, or construction figure. He never had any actual LEGO sets until that point, but those weird colorful robot things really grabbed his attention. Their designs and the intricate storyline LEGO made up for the characters really inspired him. He returned to building four years later. What got him back into building from his Dark Age was the Hero Factory line, which was the successor to Bionicle. This time, his building was more driven by wanting to explore character design in general, which is another of Djordje’s long-time interests.

You Can Build It MINI Model

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

The Miner

Design by Djordje Dobrosavljević Instructions by Joe Meno The Miner is a build that spotlights the whimsy and humor that Djordje invokes when creating. Using Technic and Hero Factory parts, he builds a mole—not just any mole, but a miner mole! With helmet on, the mole is ready to start digging into his next job!

When asked, Djordje had this to say about the Miner: “People usually regard moles as garden ruining pests, but I’ve always been a bit fascinated by them and how they make their elaborate and winding tunnel homes right beneath our feet. It was this appreciation for them that inspired the build, as I wanted to portray the animal as the industrious construction worker that it is. The build itself is fairly simple and came together pretty quickly over the course of an afternoon a few years ago. I hope the readers have as much fun building it themselves as I did originally!”

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Qty Color 2 White 6 White 1 Red 1 Red 2 Reddish Brown 2 Reddish Brown 2 Orange 2 Orange 1 Orange 2 Orange 1 Yellow 4 Black 2 Black 1 Black 1 Black 1 Black 6 Black 2 Black 2 Black 3 Black 2 Black 1 Black 1 Black 1 Black 2 5 1 2 1 2 3 2 1 2 3 2 1 1

Part Description 53451.dat Minifig Helmet Viking Horn 87747.dat Bar 0.5L with Curved Blade 2L 6141.dat Plate 1x1 Round 32062.dat Technic Axle 2 Notched 3069b.dat Tile 1x2 with Groove 60481.dat Slope Brick 65 2x1x2 3004.dat Brick 1x2 3005.dat Brick 1x1 44790.dat Technic Hockey Helmet 54200.dat Slope Brick 31 1x1x0.667 92208.dat Head, Upper Part W. Hole 3005.dat Brick 1x1 3021.dat Plate 2x3 3023.dat Plate 1x2 3941.dat Brick 2x2 Round 3942c.dat Cone 2x2x2 with Hollow Stud Open 4070.dat Brick 1x1 with Headlight 4519.dat Technic Axle 3 4599b.dat Tap 1x1 without Hole in Spout 4697b.dat Technic Pneumatic T-Piece - Type 2 4733.dat Brick 1x1 with Studs on Four Sides 6141.dat Plate 1x1 Round 6233.dat Cone 3x3x2 15573.dat Plate 1x2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud, without Understud Black 15712.dat Tile 1x1 with Clip (Thick C-Clip) Black 32474.dat Technic Ball Joint w/Axlehole Blind Black 47753.dat Wedge 4x4 Triple Curved without Studs Black 48729a.dat Bar 1.5L with Clip without Hole in Shaft Black 60470b.dat Plate 1x2 with 2 Clips Horizontal (Thick C-Clips) Black 61252.dat Plate 1x1 with Clip Horizontal (Thick C-Clip) Black 85861.dat Plate 1x1 Round with Open Stud Black 87087.dat Brick 1x1 with Stud on 1 Side Black 87994.dat Bar 3L Black 90641.dat Constraction Shell 2.5x3x3 Flat Light Bluish Grey 90650.dat Constraction Shell 2.5x4x6 Flat with Wings Light Bluish Grey 4274.dat Technic Pin 1/2 Light Bluish Grey 4697b.dat Technic Pneumatic T-Piece - Type 2 Light Bluish Grey 30374.dat Bar 4L Lightsaber Blade

You Can Build It

Model

House Mouse

Design and Instructions by Felix Jaensch

About this model: Last issue, Felix Jaensch showed us some wonderful animal builds. This issue, he shows us how he builds one of his animals: A house mouse.

There are a couple of features that aren’t easily seen on this model. The head can rotate slightly from side to side thanks to the attachment by a lightsaber bar. The other feature is that the tail can bend thanks to the flex tube that runs through the 1x1 round parts and cone.

Enjoy building!

Parts List

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

Qty 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 4 2 3 4 1 1 2 4 1

Part 3023.dat 3024.dat 3700.dat 4070.dat 4733.dat

Color Red Red Red Red Red

Description Plate 1x2 Plate 1x1 Technic Brick 1x2 with Hole Brick 1x1 with Headlight Brick 1x1 with Studs on Four Sides 30374.dat Red Bar 4L Lightsaber Blade 3001.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Brick 2x4 3002.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Brick 2x3 3004.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Brick 1x2 3005.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Brick 1x1 3020.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Plate 2x4 3023.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Plate 1x2 3024.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Plate 1x1 3039.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Slope Brick 45 2x2 3040b.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Slope Brick 45 2x1 3069b.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Tile 1x2 with Groove 3070b.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Tile 1x1 with Groove

Qty 1 1 5 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 3 1 3 1 8 2 2 4 1 1

Part Color Description 3622.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Brick 1x3 3623.dat Dk. Bluish Gre Plate 1x3 3665.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Slope Brick 45 2x1 Inverted 3700.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Technic Brick 1x2 with Hole 3794a.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Plate 1x2 without Groove with 1 Centre Stud 4070.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Brick 1x1 with Headlight 6541.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Technic Brick 1x1 with Hole 32064a.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Technic Brick 1x2 with Axlehole Type 1 43722.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Wing 2x3 Right 43723.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Wing 2x3 Left 50746.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Slope Brick 31 1x1x0.667 61678.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Slope Brick Curved 4x1 85984.dat Dk. Bluish Grey Slope Brick 31 1x2x0.667 3794a.dat Black Plate 1x2 without Groove with 1 Centre Stud 3062b.dat Lt. Bluish Grey Brick 1x1 Round w/Hollow Stud 4032a.dat Lt. Bluish Grey Plate 2x2 Round with Axlehole Type 1 4274.dat Lt. Bluish Grey Technic Pin 1/2 4275b.dat Lt. Bluish Grey Hinge Plate 1x2 with 3 Fingers and Hollow Studs 4589.dat Lt. Bluish Grey Cone 1x1 71175.dat Lt. Bluish Grey Technic Flex-System Hose 12L (240LDU)

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You Can Build It MINI Model

and can be folded upwards until the wing tips are touching each other once the shuttle is in parking position.

With that our model is finished, and I hope you will enjoy building this elegant spacecraft with its long and elegant lines. I hope to see you next time!

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

Director Krennic’s Personal Shuttle Design and Instructions

by Christopher Deck

Hello everybody, I am glad to be back for another exciting mini building session together with you in BrickJournal!

Today we want to build a model with a sophisticated geometry. It’s Director Krennic’s personal shuttlecraft as seen in the Star Wars spin-off movie Rogue One. Its remarkable design features a pyramid-like main body with a tail on the backbone and two extraordinarily long wings which can fold up in landing position.

To do the angles justice, we cannot simply use standard slopes of 45 degrees, but need an inner construction with hinges instead. The hull sides and front can then be attached on these internal hinges. A tight central construction which will later hold the upper backbone of the shuttle is necessary, as the angled sides do not leave much space inside.

A pretty clever way to realize the two angled engine thrusters on the backside is to use transparent light-blue Bionicle tooth pieces. They seat perfectly between the angled side panels. As a bonus, the wings are functional

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Qty Color 3 Black 1 Black 2 3 3 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2

Part Description 3005.dat Brick 1x1 30165.dat Brick 2x2 with Curved Top and 2 Studs on Top Black 4589.dat Cone 1x1 Black 3937.dat Hinge 1x2 Base Black 3938.dat Hinge 1x2 Top Black 3024.dat Plate 1x1 Black 26047.dat Plate 1x1 Round with Horizontal Handle on Side Black 32028.dat Plate 1x2 with Door Rail Black 60478.dat Plate 1x2 with Handle on End Black 3839b.dat Plate 1x2 with Handles Type 2 Black 3710.dat Plate 1x4 Black 2444.dat Plate 2x2 with Hole and Split Underside Ribs Black 3021.dat Plate 2x3 Black 3020.dat Plate 2x4 Black 2450.dat Plate 3x3 without Corner Black 4460a.dat Slope Brick 75 2x1x3 with Open Stud Black 43093.dat Technic Axle Pin with Friction Black 32523.dat Technic Beam 3 Black 2780.dat Technic Pin with Friction and Slots Black 15712.dat Tile 1x1 with Clip (Thick C-Clip) Black 3069b.dat Tile 1x2 with Groove Black 3068b.dat Tile 2x2 with Groove Black 87079.dat Tile 2x4 with Groove Black 43723.dat Wing 2x3 Left Black 43722.dat Wing 2x3 Right Black 47397.dat Wing 3x12 Left Black 47398.dat Wing 3x12 Right Black 43719.dat Wing 4x4 with 2x2 Cutout Trans-Light-Blue 41669.dat Technic Tooth 1x3 with Axlehole

Neuralizer

About this issue’s model:

I’d like to tell you about this month’s model, but it’s classified. Oh, and that bright light you saw wasn’t a UFO. Swamp gas from a weather balloon was caught in a thermal pocket and refracted the light from Venus. Now if you’ll just look at this right here, I’ll explain everything...

Parts List

(Parts can be ordered through Bricklink.com by searching by part number and color) Qty Part Color 2 85080.dat Red

Design and Instructions

by Tommy Williamson

Description Brick 2x2 Corner Round w Stud Notch and Reinforced Underside 1 3023.dat Lt Bluish Grey Plate 1x2 1 3034.dat Lt Bluish Grey Plate 2x8 1 3069b.dat Lt Bluish Grey Tile 1x2 with Groove 1 3710.dat Lt Bluish Grey Plate 1x4 2 4274.dat Lt Bluish Grey Technic Pin 1/2 2 6192.dat Lt Bluish Grey Brick 2x4 with Curved Top 2 6222.dat Lt Bluish Grey Brick 4x4 Round with Holes 1 6587.dat Lt Bluish Grey Technic Axle 3 with Stud 2 11477.dat Lt Bluish Grey Slope Brick Curved 2x1 2 15712.dat Lt Bluish Grey Tile 1x1 w/Clip (Thick C-Clip) 1 48336.dat Lt Bluish Grey Plate 1x2 with Handle Type 2 2 50746.dat Lt Bluish Grey Slope Brick 31 1x1x0.667 6 60474.dat Lt Bluish Grey Plate 4x4 Round with Hole and Snapstud 18 85080.dat Lt Bluish Grey Brick 2x2 Corner Round w Stud Notch and Reinforced Underside 2 86500.dat Lt Bluish Grey Dome 4x4 Smooth 1 99780.dat Lt Bluish Grey Bracket 1x2 - 1x2 Up 3 2654.dat Dish 2x2 Black

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.

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Building

Minifigure Customization 101:

It is Good to Have Friends!

Article and Photography

by Chris Campbell and Jared K. Burks Spider-Man and all related characters TM & Š Marvel Characters, Inc.

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I had an article written. I had a strategy in mind. Life happened late on Boxing Day (for my fellow Americans, that is December 26th) though; the power company’s transformer blew up near my house while I was on holiday with my family. I returned on the 27th to initially discover the AC was not working (I live in Texas and it is hot all the time), which was not fun. To date we have discovered that it fried the transformer on the AC, the doorbell, a breaker, several outlets, a coffee maker, and my decal printer and computer.

My computer and printer were plugged into a surge protector and while other items plugged in survived, but my printer didn’t. My printer survived Hurricane Harvey, the associated flooding, and the massive drywall induced dust storm of the Harvey tear-out, yet it did not survive a transformer blowing up and sending a power spike (even though it was powered off)! ARGH! I, of course, discovered that the printer was broken the night before this article was due to Joe Meno for page layouts, therefore it became a last-minute scramble.

This left me very discouraged, with a very expensive repair bill, and without a way to complete this article. I started scrambling and the article present is due to Chris Campbell and his willingness to not sleep, and pay overnight shipping fees to send me parts. Thank you Chris! Chris will be helping to open Brick Print Studios in the near future (brickprintstudios.com), if not by the time this article is in print.

Sometimes the simplest strategies are generally the hardest to create, but result in the best designs. Examine Apple products. They make it look easy, but it is not. Look at other designs out there; how many points of failure exist, and why everyone chases Apple. I hope in this article to demonstrate how to keep things simple and fun, even with a last-minute scramble.

For the purpose of this article, we need an inspiration. I recently took my daughter to see the film Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, and given the dynamic range that Marvel has created in the multi-universe of Spider-people/ characters, this gives us a bit to work with. I am going to do my best to stick

to the film and create one or two of them for the article, as clearly we all need friends to help bail us out of trouble and broken printer situations from time to time. This article was originally going to create Spider-Ham and Spider-Noir from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, but things changed last minute and I now have most of the cast; some created by me, some by modifying LEGO or aftermarket parts, and some from the companies in Asia selling versions.

This is the scramble. I will leave certain descriptive details about what I was going to do for Spider-Ham and hopefully create a better option for the next article, using Fusion 360 with a more detailed approach. For this article I will be showcasing the following:

Inspiration art for Miles Morales.

• Miles Morales Spider-Man (My custom design and custom direct-printed

by Chris, thank you) • Peter B. Parker – Alternate Universe out-of-shape Spider-Man (Mix and Match Official LEGO Parts + Custom Cloth by Mark Parker – MMCB Capes, again it is good to have friends) • Spider-Noir (My custom design, custom direct printed by Chris, thank you, + Custom Cloth by Mark Parker – MMCB Capes, again it is good to have friends)

Inspiration art for Miles Morales with hood.

• Jefferson Davis (Miles Father – Mix and Match Official LEGO Parts, will tweak later) • Stand-in Spider-Ham (Mix and Match Parts + Crazy Bricks [crazybricks.com] Pig head) • Stand-in Spider-Gwen (from Asian supplier, will make my own later) • Peter Parker Spider-Man of Miles’ Universe (Official LEGO Spider-Man)

Miles Morales

Miles was a last-minute addition to this article. In all honesty, the plan was for Spider-Ham and Spider-Noir, but hey, things go wonky and someone isn’t sleeping, so more gets piled on to make up. So Miles was designed. He was a quick modification to the Spider-Man design, primarily adding his version of the Spider to the front and back of the outfit. As his is a black suit, it is keeping the webbing low-key; I had designed it in white, but Chris determined it was too bold and converted it to dark bluey-grey. We completed the figure using a similar eye design to Spider-Noir; just wait for the details below. I am toying playing with this one and using the new Harry Potter movable stubbie legs, adding a black jacket and a red hood for his “transition” look from the film. If I had my printer working I would mod and add my Nike design from a Shaun of the Dead Ed figure I made, but it’s not possible here (future work!). Hope you like Miles!

Miles Morales with and without hood.

Inspiration art for Peter B. Parker, Spider-Gwen, and Miles Morales.

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David Pagano is an award-winning filmmaker and the head of Paganomation, a New York-based production studio. His brickfilm work has appeared on LEGO.com, Disney XD, Nickelodeon, and for two seconds at the climax of The LEGO Movie. David is also the co-author of The LEGO Animation Book, the definitive guide to filmmaking with LEGO bricks and characters.

Little Guys... In Space! is the biggest, craziest, most complicated film I’ve ever made. Everything in the film is built from LEGO bricks and elements. There are 27 characters across eleven different locations, and the characters alone took a total of 33,286 LEGO pieces to create. It took a crew of 18 people 2,528 hours over the course of seven-and-a-half years to complete the film.

An Abridged History of Little Guys… In Space!

Article and Photography by David Pagano Additional Photography by Jennifer Bourne

And the film is only three minutes long.

But First, the Original Little Guys... In Space! (LGIS for short) is a sequel, and to fully understand it requires a bit of backstory. I made the original Little Guys! film as my thesis project at NYU back in 2007.

On the first day of our senior production class, my professor told us something along the lines of: “You can make your film about anything, but I suggest that you pick an idea that you really love. Because at some point during the production process, you’re going to hate working on it.

But if you start from a place of really loving it, it’ll make the days when you do hate it a little less rough.”

Filmmaker David Pagano on set.

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What kind of film would I really love to make? The answer was simple: An homage to/parody of 1980s toy commercials.

And since I was expected to “get a real job” after graduation, I decided to create the film using a medium I also loved: LEGO bricks. After all, no one would ever hire me to make a stop-motion film using toys (or so I thought).

And so, the concept behind Little Guys! was born. I would take LEGO bricks—which can be used to create pretty much anything—and use them to make an exciting commercial for a fake toy that does essentially nothing.

Making “Little Guys!”

The most basic of the Little Guys! figures. Despite being locked in a nonarticulated T-pose, these toys are marketed (within the world of the Little Guys! films, anyway) as “the most exciting, most fun friends you’ve ever played with.”

I spent eight months creating the first Little Guys! film, using (and reusing) every piece in my collection to make it work. I would build a character and backdrop, animate the scene, and then take everything apart to build the next scene. The retro ’80s vibe was chosen partially out of necessity—I was shooting with an HD camera, but if I made the final film low-resolution, I could explain away any technical limitations or lo-fi design choices as intentional artifacts of the era.

I graduated in 2007 and found work in the New York animation industry. And over the next several years, Little Guys! made the rounds at festivals, at LEGO fan events, on the Internet… and at The LEGO Group itself. Eventually, unexpectedly (and somewhat remarkably), the original Little Guys! film got my foot in the door making shorts for TLG, and was the impetus for starting my own animation studio, leading to dozens of other Paganomationproduced animated shorts.

So, naturally, I decided to make another one.

The characters from the original Little Guys! film had limited articulation.

The arms and torsos were all solid pieces, but these kids could nod, turn their heads, and rotate their wrists and eyebrows. The eyes and mouth shapes could also be swapped to have the character blink or talk.

And Then, a Sequel The idea for a Little Guys! sequel had always been to set it “In Space”. I love science-fiction almost as much as I love retro commercials, and there’s a rich history of transporting beloved franchises spaceTHIS as a PREVIEW, IF into YOUouter ENJOYED trope. If it could work for PowerCLICK Rangers, the ORDER 13th, THIS THEFriday LINK TO and Gilligan’s Island, why notISSUE Little IN Guys!?

PRINT OR DIGITAL FORMAT! I started working on LGIS on May 13, 2011. As with the original film, I began by collecting reference material for inspiration. I watched tons of 1980s commercials on YouTube, had a sci-fi movie marathon, and poured over books on the art of Star Wars, NASA history, and retro video game box art.

The improved articulation of the LGIS charaters is apparent in this scene featuring alien co-workers Susan Williams (left) and Groblenak (right).

Susan’s eyes use ball turret parts from LEGO Star Wars, and Groblenak’s snout is fully posable thanks to the larger ball-and-socket joints.

In the background is a water cooler prop made possible by the release of #21313 Ship in a Bottle.

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One of the things I really enjoy is world-building—both with my LEGO collection, and in terms of writing a story. I love the idea of a film universe that’s larger than just what you see on screen. For LGIS, my research into old spacey content had revealed recurring themes of “the future!”, synthesizers, goofy alien make-up, and an air of vague militarism. I tried BRICKJOURNAL to cram as much of that stuff into the script as possible. #56 LIFE-SIZE LEGO and what it takes to build them (besides a ton of LEGO brick)! HELEN SHAM’s sculptures of giant everyday items,

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by ERIC ONG, plus “Bricks In The Middle” comic by KEVIN obscure references and jokes-per-minute isIt”definitely HINKLE, “You Can Build instructions by CHRISTOPHER BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, Minifig

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Guys! films as both parody and pastiche, and I believe that (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 Edition) $4.95 and to make a successful parody, you have to(Digital really know bit.ly/BrickJournal56 love the originals.