BrickJournal #63

The Magazine for LEGO® Enthusiasts of All Ages!

Issue 63 • September 2020

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in the US

Exploring Ryan Van Duzor’s Coral Reef!

Colin Hemmen’s Brickiverse!

John Klapheke’s Creations!

AND MORE!

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Issue 63 • September 2020

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

People Allen T. Hickmon: Building and Acting the Part......................3 Jessica Ferrell: Legends & Lore.................................................6 Colin Hemmen: Bringing Bricks to Life.................................12

Building Ryan Van Duzor’s Wonders of the Fragile Reef........................16

Eli Willsea: Microbuilding Master!................................24 Andrew Steele: Making Monsters!........................................30 Grant Davis: The Painted City..............................................38 Ian Hou: Ooo... .................................................................42 John Klapheke’s Adventures of Indiana Jones..................46 Mike Koppe’s Oblivion Sky Tower.......................................50

Bantha Bricks: The Razor Crest...............................................54 You Can Build It: Creative Blue Bricks Whale.......................60 Minifigure Customization 101: You Know, You’re Not so Bad for a Droid........................................................65

Community Building LEGO Legacy...................................70 Community Ads...............................................78 Last Word.............................................................79 AFOLs....................................................................80

From the Editor: Hi! Welcome to issue 63 (!) of BrickJournal! I can pretty much say that I had no idea that the magazine would still be going after over a decade, but here we are!

September 2020 Issue 63 Publisher John Morrow

Proofreader John Morrow

Despite the delay since last issue (due to the Covid-19 pandemic), this issue has a lot of neat articles—starting with the Wonders of the Fragile Reef, built by Ryan Van Duzor. It’s currently on display at the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark! We also have some amazing sculptors of character with Ian Hou and Andrew Steele! We even wander into a LEGO-themed mobile game (LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed) to see how the game was created!

West Coast Editors Ashley Glennon

Joe Meno, Editor

Editor in Chief Joe Meno

Photography Editor Geoff Gray Japanese Bureau Editor Nathan Bryan

LEGO Ideas Correspondent Glen Wadleigh Contributors: Jared Burks, Grant Davis, Ryan Van Duzor, Christopher Deck, Jessica Ferrell, Colin Hemmen, Allen T. Hickmon, Ian Hou, John Klapheke, Mike Koppe, Steven Smyth, Andrew Steele, Eli Willsea, and Greg Hyland.

Many thanks to the websites who have served as mirrors for BrickJournal:

Along with that are the columns for minifigure customizing and minibuilding, a new feature for Star Wars builders, and a toon by Greg Hyland of AFOLs—so sit back, turn the page, and settle in. It’ll be a fun ride!

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 www.twomorrows.com or scan below!

Website

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About the Cover: Ryan Van Duzor’s reef graces the cover of this issue.

Photography by Ryan Van Duzor.

About the Contents: “It’s better down where it’s wetter under the sea!”

Photograph by Ryan Van Duzor

Star Wars and all related characters and properties TM & © Lucasfilm.

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 $67 Economy US, $79 Expedited US, $101 International, or $27 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, 9001 Barb Anne Court, Springfield, VA 22152, 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

Allen as Thanos.

With having a passion for LEGO and a desire to do movie accurate cosplay, I got together with my best friend and cosplay partner Brandy Donielle. We thought it would be cool to combine the two together at an upcoming event called Planet Comicon. I chose the topic of Avengers: Endgame since we cosplay Black Widow and Nick Fury.

I had always done a LEGO booth each year at Planet, and ironically, I inadvertently met Brandy there, which we didn’t realize until a couple years later.

I started off with a big mosaic of the Avengers: Endgame wording starting to fade away after the Thanos snap, along with a few other pieces to accompany the theme. The Tesseract build was one the specialty pieces on display. On the second day of the event, Brandy used her professional face painting and body art skills to transform us from Black Widow and Nick Fury into Thanos and Gamora.

It’s not every day that you call upon someone of her expertise, especially with as busy a schedule as she has,

Allen T. Hickmon:

Building and Acting the Part!

Article by Allen T. Hickmon Photography by Chris Hackett The Avengers logo mosaic.

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From left to right: Allen T. Hickmon, Brandy Donielle, and Derek Berdine at the display.

to help pull off the events that we do. I was also fortunate to have my photographer Chris Hackett capture us in our element. Everything was on point all the way down to the stones that Brandy adhered to the painted Gauntlet on my hand.

Even though it was a fun time, we were more excited about the next LEGO Cosplay combination. Since the sequel to Jumanji was coming out later that year, and Brickworld Kansas City was premiering in our hometown, we started preparing the builds and costumes to debut at those events. I called in the skills of another builder and cosplayer to assist us. This time, it was Brandy Donielle as Ruby Roundhouse, myself as Franklin Finbar, and Derek Berdine as Professor Shelly Oberon.

Derek and I had to build the iconic movie title lettering in order to pull the entire set-up together. I thought it would be cool to make a large hippo

The crew in front of the display.

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A closer look at the display with the photo frame.

Group portrait.

partially submerged in the water, ready to attack like in the movie. The idea of tying in the actual Jumanji board game cover somehow had to happen, so I decided to make a sweet photo op picture frame that resembled the cover. This allowed us to incorporate even more experiences to be had with the guests admiring our work. Children were able to sit down while Brandy painted their faces, and I was able to entertain guests until she was done. After the art was completed, they were able to place their faces into the Jumanji picture frame for their keepsake and help immortalize the hard work that we all put in. The building process is painstaking and the face painting is grueling, but the end result is gratifying, as the smiles from the crowd are our reward.

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People

Baba Yaga.

Opposite page: Baba Yaga and her home.

Jessica Farrell:

Legends & Lore!

Article by Joe Meno Photography by Jessica Farrell

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For Jessica Farrell, LEGO building has become an important part of life. She started building at the age of four and went from building sets to building MOCs not too long after. She remembers asking for train and town sets for Christmas, building them all on Christmas Day, then breaking them up to build a giant space station the very next day! The only toy she ever wanted was LEGO so she could amass a parts collection for MOCs. In spite of her collecting, she eventually went to other things.

After having a really long Dark Age, Jessica returned to building in 2014. After a chance meeting with an AFOL, she was introduced to the world of LUGs and she found her local LEGO group, brick.ie (the Irish LUG).

“Once I had gathered enough courage to gate-crash a meeting, it felt like coming home.” she says. “The members of brick.ie were so welcoming and encouraging, I felt a sense of belonging straight away.”

Having four generations of female artists in her family, she inherited some artistic talent, but she did not realize LEGO was her medium until she started building in earnest. She had been a qualified horticulturist and ran a garden nursery for many years. However, when her LEGO hobby started growing faster than her flowers, she started to take on commissioned builds and other LEGO-related work. About a year ago, she took the plunge and turned her hobby into a full-time job. (continued on page 10)

Baba Yaga

Building notes (by Jessica Ferrell): This piece is actually part of a series called ‘Legends & Lore’, on which I am currently working. The aim is to depict creatures or characters from folklore and legend around the world, some well-known, others less so. The Baba Yaga has roots in Eastern European culture and I remember reading the tale to my baby sister from an old children’s book which was translated from Russian. The book is long lost but this model is my portrayal of a story which thrilled, terrified and fascinated.

I enjoy building in a variety of scales: microscale, trophy scale, minifig and larger. The advantage of going larger than minifig scale is that one can experiment with elements that would otherwise be out of proportion to the rest of the build. Of course, using the larger scale in a forest setting had its own challenges; for example, creating trees that looked reasonably proportionate to the scene without being wildly impractical!

Other than the general consensus that she is a creepy looking old crone, descriptions of the Baba Yaga vary greatly from one story to another. I chose to drape her hunched form in black and hide most of her face beneath a cowl in order to convey a sense of the scary unknown.

An overhead view of the layout.

Another angle of the layout.

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Baba Yaga by her home.

Here There be Serpents!

Building notes: Also part of my ongoing ‘Legends & Lore’ series, this model is one that I was looking forward to creating for quite a while. The inspiration for the composition and color scheme came from the writings of Robin Hobb, author of the Liveship Traders series. Her description of the tangle of brightly colored serpents thrashing in the roiling sea was something I longed to bring into being. I hope I did her work justice!

There are three more completed models in the Legends & Lore series: Phoenix at Sunrise, The Dragon’s Hoard, and Kyuubi no Kitsune. Five more are planned.

Some views of the layout.

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Some other views of the layout.

She likes almost all of the LEGO themes and tries not to limit herself to one or two favorites. Likewise, she prefers her work to be as varied as possible. As she notes, “If what I am building now is completely different than what I built before, then I am developing new skills and meeting new challenges. “ The approach she uses to plan and do a build is research, learn and build. She does a considerable amount of research on the build’s subject, so she ends up learning a lot of new things, too. Jessica admits that she actually prefers to be a little scared—“What if I won’t be able to pull it off this time?”—when she starts a new project. She acknowledges that the thrill and fear are powerful motivators.

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Jessica had been taught an artist’s appreciation of color, form, and beauty in all things, so she tries to put that sense of beauty in every model she builds. Planning, however, rarely involves drawings beyond quick sketches for her. She doesn’t use digital design tools either—she doesn’t know how! Instead, she designs mentally. She explains:

“If what I am building now is completely different than what I built before, then I am developing new skills and meeting new challenges.”

“I go around my house imagining shapes, colors, and connections, with all these mental images and mathematical calculations going on inside my head. It sometimes feels like I’ve already finished a build before I start it!”

Switching her LEGO hobby to LEGO work has sped up her average build time. Sometimes a build can still take almost a year to create, but it will contain 150,000 pieces or more and a lot of detail!

For beginning builders, she offers the following advice, given to her by a good friend who went on to be an official set designer: “He said that whenever I come across a new element (new, or just new to me), I should fiddle around with it, and make as many connections as I can come up with and use the piece in a mini-build. Then the element is properly cataloged in my mind for future use when the need arises.”

You can see more of Jessica’s work at her Flickr gallery here: https://www. flickr.com/photos/148766883@N05/ with/49580274427/ or by scanning this QR code!

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People

Colin Hemmen:

Bringing Bricks to Life!

Article and Photography

by Colin Hemmen

Colin Hemmen originally was featured in BrickJournal #37, showcasing his sculptures.

Since then, what has he built? Colin reflects on his building and how he has progressed since we first saw him.

It’s really great to be back gracing the pages of BrickJournal magazine.

And let me start by saying a big thank you again for the opportunity to be a part of this lovely publication. With that being said, the first time I was asked if I wanted to be featured, the whole AFOL world was unknown to me. So let me bring everyone up to speed.

Since our very first meeting at BrickCon a few years back, I felt like I was welcomed into a new family. And that family just keeps getting bigger. One thing I noticed right off the bat was how friendly all the other builders and fans of the hobby were with one another. And that was right up my alley—a very inviting feeling. One of the very next things I noticed was how all of these amazing creations looked great from all sides and angles. At the time, I was making a bunch of one-dimensional MOCs that looked great in pictures, but not so much from the sides or top/back. So I knew I had to step my game up.

I have always loved drawing and enjoy the challenge of trying to accomplish that using LEGO bricks.

Nine times out of ten, I don’t have something specific planned for a build.

I’ll see a piece and get an idea from the elements—like how a minifigure’s hair might make for a good nose.

Some of Colin’s many sculptures.

Or this horn would be great for a monster’s moustache. That’s also how I like to approach buying a set. Sure, there are themes I love like Elves, Nexo Knights, The Mixels, Monster Fighters, stuff like that. But mainly, I’m looking at the parts.

I like to find the odd shapes and see something different in that than what it was intended as. And that’s what keeps my love for it going.

I like to try and stay busy even if I’m not working on anything in particular, whether it’s fiddling around with bricks and table scraps or just learning new part connections to see if anything cool inspires me.

I like the escape from everyday life that LEGO is able to provide me. It’s very therapeutic to be able to create something out of thin air. A lot of that comes from just giving yourself time to sit down and see what happens.

“I like the escape from everyday life that LEGO is able to provide me.”

You may or may not have realized that I like to make faces. And when I figured out I could do that with LEGO, a whole new world opened up.

Normally, I don’t have a lot of patience for things like bad drivers and time wasting. And I think that’s why I enjoy LEGO in such a way: The satisfaction of problem-solving a certain connection issue, or making a build structurally sound enough to withstand the scrutiny of the TSA. Becoming an uncle four years ago got me back into buying Duplo even before my niece was born. And it’s great to see a new generation benefiting and learning from the almighty plastic bricks that people from all ages and places have come to know and love. It’s also great to finally start seeing more sets that are less gender specific.

Another great joy is sharing a creation on social media and getting a nice, positive reaction. One of my favorite comments that I tend to get is just one word, and that is “Wow.” I love that my non-LEGO friends are very supportive. But it always feels just a little more special when other builders whose work you

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admire as well hit the “Like” button.

It’s a very heartfelt testament and very encouraging. I get a lot of inspiration from that.

Often times, I’ll look back at some older creations I’ve done, and it’s nice to see a progress and evolution in my work, and how being a part of the LEGO community has allowed me access to a much wider range of elements—both in bulk purchases and support from my LUG, as well as coming from a big family who generously have donated to my collection over the years. And I feel that nourishment very much helps with my constant desire for improving and building a better product each time—not to mention all of the new elements that keep coming out. I think to myself, I have to use this new thing somehow!

Another thing I always have in the back of my head and pay attention to is how all of these other builders are using the exact same pieces as I am, but coming up with completely different ways to use them. I’m continuously impressed with the level of talent, skill, ability, and imagination in the world. It’s really great to see how versatile they are, and the literally unlimited combinations that I see from my peers daily.

I hope that when people see my LEGO creations, they can appreciate the different ways the same parts can be used and reused to make something cool over and over again.

Play well!

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Another set of Colin’s works.

All characters TM & © their respective owners.

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People

Ryan Van Duzor’s

Wonders of the Fragile Reef Article by Joe Meno Photography by Ryan Van Duzor and the LEGO House

The coral reef is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Under the sea, colorful anemones shelter clownfish, while moray eels watch schools of fish swim by. Jellyfish lazily move by, propelled by the pulsing of their bodies. It’s an alien world that only a few people have gone to, and a world that Ryan Van Duzor built. His build, Wonders of the Fragile Reef, is a model of a reef and many of its denizens, and is a great showcase of LEGO building that is now at the LEGO House in its Masterpiece Gallery.

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Ryan, a high school and college science instructor, has been an AFOL for about six years. He restarted his building (he built when he young) when he started buying his daughter her first sets. Since then, he has built a variety of builds— usually big builds with small builds sprinkled in. Wonders of the Fragile Reef took over two years to build, but then took another eight months of additional building for the LEGO House.

When asked about his building approach, Ryan replies, “I do all of my planning in my head, and much of the time spent on my MOCs is in the planning and piece-finding phase. I am a tactile builder and I don’t use computer programs. Visualization is the key to my building style. I will often have an image in my head, buy a bunch of pieces that I think might fit that image, and then sit and play with them until I find the look I want. This is not the most efficient approach, but I need the parts in my hands to start to figure out if they will work for my purpose.”

A diver brushes by a shark at the reef.

A look from above the reef.

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Jellyfish.

For Wonders of the Fragile Reef, Ryan made his initial focus the layout and structure for the corals. He explains: “I wanted the reef to look realistic, meaning fairly chaotic and organized at the same time, much like a real reef ecosystem.

The foundation and structure was vital to provide a platform for the corals and to be pleasing to view. I had a few major elements early on that I knew would be included (the sharks, schools of fish, anemones, and shipwreck), but the primary component through the whole build and rebuild process was to have a diverse selection of realistic/ believable corals and to have them in areas of the reef that were plausible or scientifically accurate. After about a year of work, my focus changed to details. I have built hundreds of corals over the years and I started the process of culling the ones that weren’t good enough (in my eyes). I have also continuously added and built new corals as new ideas have come in my head and new elements have been released. For the final rebuild before I displayed at the LEGO House, I knew I had to add sea turtles, so I spent an entire summer building/culling those. I also did a total rebuild to fit into the LEGO House displays and take advantage of that space.

I tore the entire reef apart and added a deep water drop-off section. I also took advantage of an awesome selection of new parts and the new ‘coral’ color for additional corals. I would say that the biggest changes over the past three years have been in the quality and details of the build. I was not afraid to remove things or rebuild things that were not quite right.” For him, the hardest part about building the reef was the fragility of the corals and finding the space and location for each. Many hours were spent arranging and rearranging (and rebuilding) the corals as well as the other animals.

Ariel can be found there too.

A moray eel waits in his den.

Turtles swim lazily in the reef.

Crabs explore a skeleton.

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Ryan estimates there are close to 1000 or more animals, including corals, anemones, jellyfish, snails, crabs, urchins, turtles, eels, sharks, and fish. He tried not to leave anyone out. The Little Mermaid can be found in the reef as well as Flounder; however, Sebastian is missing. When asked about his favorite build in the layout, he answers: “This is like choosing a favorite child! I really like the look of my staghorn/elkhorn corals (the ones with droid arms and heads and the ones with the dark orange plant stems). I think those corals complete the reef and show the natural stratification of organisms you see on real reefs. I also had an absolute blast making turtles! I tried to add variety and different scales to represent different species and ages.”

Another detail that Ryan added was color, as he tells: “Corals have spectacular coloration, especially under the

Staghorn/elkhorn corals Ryan Van Duzor with his model and awards at Bricks Cascade 2019.

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right lighting. I cared for coral reef aquariums for years and was always awestruck by their fluorescence under blue actinic lighting. I wanted to portray that color and have something that was beautiful to look at. Often underwater photos do not show corals’ true colors due to the absorption of light waves and dominance of the blue spectrum. I also find that many of the LEGO builds are dominated by gray, black and brown. I wanted to take full advantage of the bright and fluorescent colors that LEGO has produced over the years.”

The public reaction to the model has been amazing. Ryan exclaims, “I absolutely love hearing children and adults alike saying ‘WOW’ or ‘look at that!’ or ‘I love the colors!’ I think this build just came together and it connects to people.

It draws them in with the color, but keeps them there with the detail, much like a real coral reef. I have seen people stare at the reef for an hour or more looking at every detail.

There is no higher compliment than that!”

Crabs and other creatures take over a shipwreck.

He concludes, “I feel very proud that my build can be shared with so many more people while it is on display at the LEGO House.”

Jellyfish and fish.

Wonders of the Fragile Reef at the Masterpiece Gallery.

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People

Eli Willsea:

Microbuilding Master!

Article by Joe Meno Photography by Eli Willsea Eli Willsea started playing with LEGO as a child, with his brother and neighbor, creating all sorts of random creations for their adventures, including fortresses, vehicles, and evil creatures to defeat. His favorite themes were Aqua Raiders and Knights Kingdom, and while he always tended to build “rainbow creations,” there always was a desire to take his building to the next level.

The MasterBuilder Academy subscription sets, which came out in 2011, were the sparks that led him to build better.

Eli received the first set as a gift along with a subscription from his grandmother. Reading through booklets that were in each set, he learned the importance of techniques like SNOT, how to color block, and why not to use BURPS. He also got a peek at some AFOL MOCs that he had previously only thought could be found at LEGOLand. Inspiration was already beginning to take seed in Eli’s mind.

The next summer he visited his local fair which displayed some LEGO creations by a builder that later became his good friend, Grant Davis. Eli spent hours poring over Grant’s creations, examining all the details. Being fully inspired, Eli went home and built his first MOC. Ever since then he’s been building and steadily improving with no signs of stopping in sight!

Since Eli started building MOCs, he has constantly been trying to improve and is always looking for ways to innovate using old and new LEGO elements. He started posting his creations on MOCpages, then moved to Flickr. The community on Flickr is where he developed a lot of his building technique and met many friends. With so many other builders that inspire him online, being in an environment where he can see their creations is priceless.

The Imaginary Islands This model is one of Eli’s newer works. Using only slope bricks and a couple of Technic supports, he makes a futuristic city that rises above a lush tropical island. The water is light blue plates covered with transparent light blue tiles that are round or rectangular, suggesting waves in a simple, elegant way.

With microscale, it takes only a few special pieces to suggest scale. Cheese slopes become roofs or terrain with the change of its color.

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Platform 9 3/4

This is a Harry Potter inspired model, with a microscale version of the Hogwarts Express waiting for passengers.

There is a lot going on in this build. The hilly side is completely built with studs pointing sideways. The brown trees are held in place with clip plates that are covered by 1 x 4 curved bows.

The window sills are wands from the Harry Potter sets that have been left on their sprues. 1 x 2 Grille tiles are used to keep the sprues in place.

Finally, the glass panels on the roof are actually doors that are attached to a rigid tube by a clip plate and a bracket that fits on the door’s only stud.

Eli’s desire to create beautiful things is what motivates him the most when he builds. There’s some doubt as to what first inspired him to start building micro—maybe it was just a desire to diversify and try something new. He found out soon enough that micro is one of his favorite scales to build in. Microscale is one of the easier ways to express an idea in a shorter amount of time and with a limited amount of parts.

There are many great microscale builds out there that have inspired him, but he also feels that there is room for innovation and creativity when building small, and that pushes him to do more. He loves getting to use pieces in different ways: for instance, when building microscale, teeth elements become trees, cones become tier roofs, and minifig hands represent flags. Finding creative uses for strange or standard parts is always a fun challenge for him.

Planning a build isn’t very hard. Once he has an idea to build, Eli will often make a quick sketch on a sticky note to lay out the general design. The sketches are rough, but they give him some idea of where he is headed with the build.

Many of his creations are built organically, with the sketch simply being the launching point for an idea. Sometimes he designs as he goes and he just starts putting random parts together until he finds something interesting. This approach often becomes a fun way to build.

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Island of Imagination Picking a favorite build is hard for Eli. He has many builds he is satisfied with, so singling out one build is tough. There are many factors that lend to a build feeling extra special: maybe it’s the memories surrounding building it or the results of making a dream a reality, or simply an audience reaction, enjoying creations he spent a lot of time on. If he had to pick one creation, though, he would choose the build titled Island of Imagination, which was a small build made for his sister for her birthday. Staying up all night shaping and tweaking the build to make it the perfect gift is a perfect example of one of his core beliefs: when one pours their heart into a project, no matter the size, that passion is evident to others in the build.

For beginning builders, Eli offers this advice: “It’s important to be looking at other people’s builds and see what they are creating. You can learn a lot just from observation. Check websites like the Brothers Brick for inspiration. Don’t feel limited by your collection, build with what you have. If you run into a dead end, try something else! Most importantly, share your builds! Ask for feedback and constructive criticism and then apply it to your build.

Don’t be afraid to build your dreams—put your heart into it and have fun!”

You can see more of Eli’s work at his Flickr gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eliwillsea/ or by scanning the QR code!

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Build Your Own Castle This is a clever build by Eli. Using a outside frame, he built a set of different modules that could be placed in to create a small castle layout. The castle walls are the most complex build, using clip plates attached to a grey light saber blade. Once the plates are attached, they are inserted in a jumper plate’s stud and lined up with other wall sections.

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People

Andrew Steele:

Making Monsters!

Article by Joe Meno Photography provided by Andrew Steele What would inspire a builder to make a monster? For Andrew Steele, it took a couple of TV shows. He saw the gorgonopsid on the BBC programs Primeval and Walking with Monsters, and decided to make one of his own.

For him, this build wasn’t that far from what he usually builds. His favorite themes are Bionicle, Exo-Force and Ninjago, so making a creature isn’t something that is completely new.

This time, though, he was building a creature that at one time was alive. Andrew needed to do some research about the creature, and went to the Melbourne Museum (in Melbourne, Australia) in 2018 to sketch and photograph the gorgonopsid skeleton they exhibited.

After that, he drew up some ideas for the internal structure and then began to order parts from Bricklink.

After a year of work, he presented the Fire Gorgon online.

The model is 1.4 meters long (4.5 feet) and stands about 19 inches high at the forelegs. The head is .28 meters long (almost 11 inches).

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One of the sketches of the gorgonopsid.

Developing the jaws.

Building the Fire Gorgon entailed using Technic bricks and elements, which are designed for movement. Bionicle parts also used ball joints to attach, which allowed parts to be able to free rotate into a place. The Technic also served as a framework—the ‘skin’ of the beast is actually a patchwork of plating made by clipping, appropriately enough, dinosaur tails!

After the scale was determined, the building started with the head. Using sketches and some clay modeling, Andrew was able to build a LEGO-based jawline. From there, the rest of the head was built and a set of cubic modules were developed for the body. These would be where the joints would be for the legs. Attaching the modules was a spine of squares that kept the shape of the beast and made attachment points for the skin.

The head with ‘skin.’ Look closely and you’ll see the long curved tail inserted in a robot arm that is clipped to the lip line—actually a segment of flex tube.

The rear module. The hind legs are fitted on the center turntable.

The hardest part for Andrew to build was the neck section, because it had to support the weight of the head. Here you can see some of the reinforcement that was used.

The body segments in place. You can see the spine now plated and the Fire Gorgon begin to come to life.

The body segments with the legs placed. The legs and bottom of the body would be skinned in the final steps of building. The electric cord is for a lighting system to give the Fire Gorgon its light.

To make the belly light, a different skin technique was used. Using LEGO netting, round plates were attached with transparent 1 x 1 round plates—the shape made the belly appear to have scales, and the colors of the 1x1s defied the color of that scale.

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The lighting lights the bottom of the neck and the belly.

The back is a layer of plating that almost looks like an exoskeleton.

The feet use Hero Factory parts for the toes. Underneath is a element that has ball joints so the toes can be moved.

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The tail shows the plate layering on the top and the skinning on the side.

The final result is a model that is plastic, but organic and impressive and a little scary. The color of the skin and the contours it makes are some of the factors that make it come to life. The eyes also give the Fire Gorgon a sinister look.

The lighting belly takes it to another level entirely and makes the model otherworldly. With his preferences of building, that makes sense, so let’s take a look at a smaller model of his.

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Side view of the head.

A look at the open jaw, Another look with his arm up.

Congo 2.0 Congo is an update from another figure he has done, and what is amazing is that he uses a lot of System bricks and elements to create an organic look. The dark green, olive green, and yellow orange are a perfect color palette for Congo. Armor is done in Dark Bluish Gray, which has enough of an assortment to make whatever needs to be made, from Congo’s cuffs to his spiked mace.

His armor uses large treads which not only are easy to attach, they loosely flow over the body, adding to the organic look.

Big or small, it’s easy to see why Andrew is a monster maker!

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A closer look at Congo’s armor.

His back shows off the armor really well.

The hand is made up of click hinges.

The battle mace.

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People

Grant Davis:

The Painted City Article by Joe Meno Photography provided by Grant Davis 38

The Painted City is a build that was a collaboration between three builders. When the project began in May 2019, Grant Davis and Micah Biedemen built at Grant’s house for a week. What started as a quick collaboration, though, took on a life of its own as the builders’ ambitions grew. By the time Micah had to leave, the project was unfinished and remained that way as school and work took priority.

Over Christmas, Eli Willseas came and helped complete the project and photograph it. The total amount of combined build time added up to about three weeks, with a part count between 50,000–100,000 parts.

The original inspiration for this model was a painting done by artist LZY (Li Zhiyong). When contacted about the LEGO version that was built, Li was very impressed: “When I saw that my previous work was made into a LEGO model, my first reaction was incredible—it was really great! I would have never expected this to happen, much less on the other side of the ocean!”

You can see more of Li Zhiyong’ss work at https://www.artstation.com/l_z_y.

To create the illusion of distance, forced perspective was used between the closer building (which was minifigure scale) and the background city (which was microscale). In terms of construction, Grant built most of the background city, Eli built all of the right side buildings and some of the left, with Micah filling out the left side buildings and providing creative input.

Here’s a look at all the builds that were done to make this layout, including some behind-the-scenes photos of the photo shoot itself.

Here’s a look at one of the buildings closer up. To make some of the details, the customary stud-up bricks are turned sideways to allow for tiles to be placed like posters on the walls. The smooth surfaces of the walls are broken by 1 x 1 round plates.

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The layout was actually five separate components—the back city, two sections on the left, and two sections on the right. Each of the sections were complete builds that were moved into place and adjusted for the final photo composition. Since the sections were movable, they were completely detailed. Some of those details became obscured by other sections, such as the trolley seen on the right behind a building.

The white bricks on this section support the back, and are not seen on the final photo.

This foreground section only shows a little in the final photo, but the detail shines here. The lower floor is completely unseen in the photo.

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Here are some sections being built. Note that some of the color choices were changed before the final layout was set up.

A trolley peeks out of one of the sections built, but...

...the trolley is completely revealed here. Even the track was built.

Setting up the final photo. The background was placed before the photo session, so everything was done in camera without any effects.

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People

Ian Hou’s Toy Story Alien.

Ian Hou:

Ooo...

Article by Joe Meno Photography by Ian Hou

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Ian Hou has been building for only a few years but has already been displayed at the LEGO House. His work has a sense of fun that is shown in the surprises he places in his models. In the model showcased here, the Toy Story Alien has some places that can only be seen if the viewer looks at the back. BrickJournal talked to him about his building and his Toy Story Alien.

BrickJournal: So tell us about yourself. How old are you and when did you start building?

Ian Hou: I am a 39-year-old LEGO builder from Taiwan. I played with LEGO as a child, but went on to other things. In 2014, my brother gave me a LEGO set and hoped that I would assemble it. I clearly remember, it was the 10218 Pet Shop.

It took me many days to complete it. I discovered the differences in types and colors of LEGO parts with my childhood memories during building. The ways of connection and the appearance of the final model are more refined, especially with the way the sign was built by stacking plates sideways.

All of this reignited my passion for LEGO as a child. After finishing the Pet Shop, I bought a few LEGO sets and completed them according to the instructions.

I bought the Creative Bucket 10681 at the beginning of 2014 to build my first creation, a sculpture of my Golden Retriever Astro. It was a very simple but important work for me. My models in that early period were small due to the limited quantity of pieces I had. My first relatively complete and satisfactory work was Shulers tool box, which is a mini-size tool box that contains a tape

measure, a screwdriver and a disassembler. Then I started to build my own creations with a few pieces.

Since then, it has been six years of building experiences!

What is you favorite theme?

My favorite theme is Creator. The way the Creator series are built inspires more ideas from me. When assembling Creator Expert cars, particularly from 10220 Volkswagen T1 to the Ford Mustang 10265, I am able to appreciate the designer’s work and learn the building techniques and use them in my works.

What models have you built?

My creations can be classified into three categories. The first is related to everyday objects, such as the dragon boat for the Dragon Boat Festival, Frankenstein for Halloween, and Santa Claus for Christmas, among others.

The second category is characters, such as Deadpool Duck, Rio Tsu Kankichi, the Incredibles, Niffler from Harry Potter, and others. The third and last category is animals, such as the Rooster, Cats in the park, Hedwig the white owl from Harry Potter, and Circus Animals.

Rooster.

Niffler (above), and Deadpool Duck (below).

Mr. Incredible and Jack-Jack.

Blue and Red slipper.

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In 2017, I brought ManekiNeko, Daruma doll, Santa Claus, The Year of the Rooster, Dragon Boat and blue and white slippers display to the LEGO House Masterpiece gallery in Billund, Denmark.

Tell us about the Alien.

Rio Tsu Kankichi

ManekiNeko.

The Alien was completed at the end of 2018. I started from the head and the size of the entire build was determined by the wheel frame parts above the eyes, the three eyes and forehead, then ears and mouth. It took me about two months to make the head. After a few months of rest, I built the body and legs in May. I had to spend more time building the inner thighs and shoes. It took me about a month to make the interior of the body. I decided to design some surprises in the body during the construction process.

I wanted to build a scene inside the body. Also, I built another scene in the interior of the head—a rocket launching to Pizza Planet. It took two weeks to build the vignette.

What inspired you to add the internal scenes?

Hedwig.

Frankenstein.

Dragon Boat.

Toy Story Alien.

Santa Claus.

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Circus Animals.

While I am building, I always want to make some surprises for the viewer.

Along with the outside appearance of the work, the interior space is open and usable. I try to make a scene that relates to the overall model. This kind of design always elicits a ‘wow’ of surprise from the viewer. I have done several other works like this: The Joker, Santa Claus, and Queen Amidala.

Daruma.

What’s next?

Next year I will have a personal LEGO exhibition in Taiwan. Right now, I am organizing my six years of work and I will make the ‘cute creative style works’ as the main sets of the exhibition. This year, I plan to create some cute and realistic animals and I am building The Year of the Rat now.

What advice would you give to new and beginning builders?

Just do it right now! Enjoy the creative process. It’s fun to build with LEGO and LEGO makes building fun!

The rear of the alien, which has...

...different scenes!

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Building

John Klapheke’s

Adventures of Indiana Jones Article by Joe Meno Photography

by John Klapheke

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In 1981, Raiders of the Lost Ark was released. This movie quickly became one of the most popular movies of all time and led to a trilogy of films: Raiders, then Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and finally Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). 19 years later, the latest Indy film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released.

The LEGO Group produced a wave of LEGO sets themed to Indiana Jones in 2008 and 2009, with all the films represented. In 2017, builder John Klapheke decided to build a set of vignettes for each Indiana Jones movie. Each one is a 3-D cut of a scene, fit to a 12 stud by 12 stud base. By using figures and various builds, John created scenes with action and amazing detail.

John uses a multitude of techniques on each vignette. Wall and cliff details use sideways building, and netting and LEGO strings are used to make bridges.

Every part of a vignette is used in some manner.

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On the outdoor vignettes, the built trees and foliage help extend the scene outside of the build. Some of the builds mount vehicles on hidden bases to give the illusion of jumping or heading to a ledge.

John’s vignettes for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade are among the best for showing interiors, as seen in the examples here.

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John made six vignettes for each movie, which were built over the summer of 2017. Afterwards, they were put on display at LEGO fan conventions.

You can see all of the vignettes at John’s Flickr feed: https://www.flickr.com/photos/john_klapheke/ or you can scan the QR code here!

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Building

The Sky Tower model.

Mike Koppe’s

Oblivion Sky Tower Article and Photography

by Mike Koppe

A concept sketch of the setting.

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Mike Koppe, a sci-fi fan and LEGO builder, was inspired to build the Sky Tower from the movie Oblivion after watching the movie a few times. Wanting to match the movie setting, he also wanted the model to be displayed on a stand that would suspend it a couple of feet in the air. The resulting build used LEGO, glue, steel, and a little plexiglass, but is a stunning blend of building techniques.

The build was initially designed on LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) to get an idea of how many different elements would be needed and how much it would cost. The part count initially came out to around 7800 elements. However, the final number of elements was considerably lower, about 7000.

The parts that were removed were 2x2 inverse tiles, as it was intended that those parts were to smooth the bottom of the larger surface areas, such as the landing pad. At the beginning, hundreds of these elements are added throughout the building and it was discovered that the tiles would warp the structure of the model. This problem was solved by cutting gray baseplates to cover the bottom surfaces to replace the tiles instead. The plates benefitted from the support the baseplates gave and kept the ceiling plates thin at the same time. The gray baseplates were easy to cut to size by scoring with a sharp knife.

Sketch of treadmill and workout area.

A closer look at the workout area.

The bedroom and one of the outside decks.

The bedroom seen with the interior lighting.

Another overall view of the Sky Tower.

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Other problems came up as building continued. Building the pool was easy on LDD, as there was no gravity to work against. However, with the pool being 20 inches long and made of two identical halves with no points to join, Mike had no choice but to glue them together. On the top of the model, the large span of the roof and its combined weight with the control room on top led to adding additional transparent supports at the centrally located interior staircase.

The upper level under construction.

The treadmill in the house was also a challenge that was solved by using a non-LEGO solution. Because the treadmill was a tube, Mike wanted to make a LEGO tube, but no LEGO element or construction would fit the proper diameter, so he used an ABS pipe section that had the right diameter. With these and other issues cropping up during construction, it took several months of small design changes and parts ordering.

The completed house is 23 inches by 30 inches, including the bubble ship landing pad. Its weight is around 12 pounds. The lower level is the workshop area and features a loading dock at the rear for drones to enter from the outside. Inside, a yellow line on the floor is a path for the drones from the dock to the repair station. The large glass front wall looks right into the pool. The workshop area has lots of storage for tools and also has a separate storage room.

The upper level contains the living space, dining area and kitchen in the front half. Behind the wall of the large kitchen

The upper level nearing completion.

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The showers and kitchen area on the upper level are seen here.

are showers and the infirmary. The oval structures at the back contain the bedroom on one side and the gym on the opposite side. Underneath the upper level at the rear, the dock door can be seen outlined with two red stripes.

The Sky Tower has interior lighting, thanks to 12V white LED flexible PCB strips. The wiring for the lights runs into the drone loading room where a 9V adaptor plugs in to light the building inside and out. The entire back of the building wall lifts up to reveal interior details.

To make the base, Mike used 3/4’ by 2.5” wood that was angled by making joints at the top and bottom. The joints were reinforced by 6” screws, since the angled offset puts a lot of stress on the pylon itself. At the top, the is a 14’ by 14’ aluminum plate to support the main structure. The base will eventually be 20 pounds to hold the pylon in place with the main structure on it.

All in all, this was an interesting build for Mike. It was also a good lesson in building things only seen in sci-fi movies— they are hard to build in the real world, that’s for sure.

The lower level, with workspace and drone airlocks.

The stand for Sky Tower. The model sits on the top plate.

Drone airlocks and exit bay.

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Community

Bantha Bricks:

The Razor Crest

Article by Steven Smyth, Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars Photography by FX Manaud

Galactic greetings! I’m Steven Smyth from Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars. Since the community’s founding in 2016, on an almost daily basis, I have witnessed amazing and creative Star Wars builds in the best Star Wars themed building brick group on Facebook. FX Manaud took on the challenge of building the Razor Crest from The Mandalorian and the final build looks fantastic. I thought it would be great to learn more about this talented builder and his custom LEGO build.

Steven Smyth: How’s it going, FX? I know you have quite a following on your Papaglop page and everyone in Bantha Bricks has been in awe over your amazing Star Wars brick build of the Razor Crest among others, but for the uninitiated, please introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do.

FX Manaud: Hi, first, thank you for contacting me! My builder name is Papaglop, my first name is F-X, I was born in France 44 years ago but I moved to Canada ten years ago. I work in the video games industry. I played a lot with LEGO when I was a kid (Castle and Space era), but then I stopped when I got my first Nintendo and I did not touch a brick for 30 years. Then, my first daughter was born and we started building together, first with big Megabloks. At the time she could not pronounce “Block” and would say “Glop” instead, so when she wanted to play, she would say “Papa! Glop!” and the name stuck with me. Then we got her first real LEGO bricks, mostly used from the thrift store. Everything changed when my wife offered me my first real Star Wars set six years ago (the Millennium Falcon 7965) and then the same year she found me loads of used LEGO, an incredible haul for just $10 CAD with many old Star Wars sets in it. That is really what kickstarted my collection. I’ve been an AFOL since then: Building Star Wars sets and MOCs. Would you say Star Wars is your favorite theme? Or do you have a shocker for us?

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No surprise here. It’s Star Wars all the way: sets and MOCs and minifigs. I’m a fan of the movies/series/novels/comics, and when I happen to buy sets from other IPs, it’s always for parts for my Star Wars MOCs. I also buy Minecraft sets

because my daughter is really into it these days.

Why do you choose the LEGO brick as your medium to express yourself?

At some point in my childhood, I wanted to be an architect. I guess it stemmed from there.

The world has fallen in love with the new hit show, The Mandalorian, so let’s jump right into your newest MOC of the Razor Crest. What inspired you to tackle this starship?

I was really looking forward to this show as soon as it was announced.

And I discovered the Razor Crest on April 14th when the SW Celebration panel for The Mandalorian aired on YouTube. I immediately wanted to MOC it. So I did a first version, based on just a couple of images, then I improved it after each trailer. At the time, when I was posting photos of it on the Internet, most people had no idea what it was because by then Top view.

Rear view.

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The cockpit with the Child.

only a minority of fans were aware of its existence. Then the first episode aired and it was so good, it was giving me so many good shots of the ship, interior and exterior. I was in awe.

At first I wanted to upgrade the first one I had done, but I realized it was a little bit too small to fit all the details I wanted in it. I had learned from the mistakes and complexities of the first version and I wanted to avoid them.

So I started another one from scratch, a bigger one, more accurate and modular, to be able to make modifications easily after each new chapter of the series and be able to take photos of the interior. I started from the inside and built around it as I did for my MOC U-Wing.

Can you tell us a bit about the construction, any special techniques you used?

The forward module of the Razor Crest.

The lower deck of the forward module.

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The upper deck of the midship module, which is the rear wall of the cockpit. The ladder goes down to...

I usually stick to the usual and legal techniques. I don’t think my technique is special. I just follow the system.

My goals are always being as screen accurate as possible, as minifig scale as possible and as stud-less as possible. But the really special feature of this build is the fact that it is modular. When I was doing my other MOCs, and my first Razor Crest, each time I wanted to change something.

I then had to dismantle a lot and it

was super frustrating. So I decided to keep it modular to be able to change things with more ease. It is also much better for taking photos; you can take the modules apart to improve accessibility.

What are your favorite design elements you created for the build?

I’d say the whole cockpit with the Child and his shiny ball, the armory with the guns and the detonators, the reactors and the bed.

Did you freestyle build this or did you use a computer design program to lay it out first?

I rarely used Stud.io and LDD when I did my first version of the Razor Crest, and when I shared photos a couple of people asked if I would provide the plans—I was pretty sure I would never design them. With the second version, thanks to the success of the show, it got more traction and a lot of people asked me for the instructions.

But I wasn’t sure how long it would take to retro-engineer everything. I was kind of overwhelmed and not super motivated. Then I received a message from someone in Oregon, asking if I needed help with the plans.

He even had a sample of instructions of my build, based on photos that I had put on Facebook. It was weird to see my creation in digital!

So I accepted his help and I sent him hundreds of photos and videos of my Razor Crest.

It is really James who kickstarted the digital version of the build and gave me the courage to go on with the instructions. I’m super thankful for it! Doing this also taught me a lot about using Stud.io so I’ll feel more comfortable the next time.

Were there any moments in this build where you felt like, aww man, I’m stuck! If so, how did you overcome that obstacle?

...the armory on the lower deck of the module.

Note the guns and thermal detonators.

An overhead view of the Razor Crest.

During the build of the physical model, the canopy was really a challenge, I did dozens of versions. I kept trying until I found the best

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solutions. During the digital build, I felt stuck many times because of the limitations of Stud.io, but then again, I did not give up.

What would be your advice to anyone looking to build a unique starship on their own?

Choose a ship, choose a scale, choose a style, and look at the pieces you have in stock. Also, get as much documentation as you can on the ship and then go for it!

You have instructions available for people to follow along and build the amazing MOC you designed; how would our reader go about finding these and purchasing them?

A look through the loading ramp, showing the carbonite rack.

Just send me an email to papaglop. moc@gmail.com and I’m on most social media platforms. I’m papaglop on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and I even have a blog: http://papaglop. blogspot.com.

Any final things you would like to add?

Thank you for having me and May the Force be with you!

I have spoken.

The mini carbon freezer is on one side of the lower deck.

The carbonite rack is opposite the freezer.

To see more amazing builds, cool contests and giveaways and familyfriendly discussion about everything Star Wars brick, check out the Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars Facebook group at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/starwarsLEGOgroup or banthabricks.com or scan the QR code here!

You can go to Papglop’s blog by scanning this QR code!

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Keep BrickJournal & TwoMorrows clicking!

Two great ways to help us stay in business!

Just as BrickJournal #62 was about to go on sale, comics shops and our Barnes & Noble distributor shut down due to the worldwide pandemic, and we had to dispose of thousands of copies that never made it to stores. We’ve incurred huge losses on all those copies, and even as distributors and stores reopen, it’ll be months before they catch up on payments— and we’ll see lower orders as some stores close permanently, and the ones that survive will be cutting back.

But when TwoMorrows Publishing was founded in 1994, our publications weren’t sold through comics shops or bookstores—only by mail order and subscriptions. With your help, we’ll continue shipping worldwide by mail, even if stores and distributors are forced to shut down again. So here’s two simple ways you can keep us publishing new material:

#1: Subscribe for a half-year!

Your direct orders help us plan our print runs, and provide the cash flow to keep printing. So we’re temporarily offering less expensive half-year subscriptions, which let you support

us for the short-term, then go back to purchasing at your local store over the next few months. Even if you don’t subscribe, please consider ordering BrickJournal #62 if you missed it at Barnes & Noble—every print or digital purchase helps!

#2: Get older issues of BrickJournal!

Download our new, easy to use 2020 Digital Catalog at: https://www.twomorrows.com/2020InteractiveCatalog.pdf and order our books and magazines online. If you prefer not to order online, we can also take orders by phone or mail, and will include a free printed catalog with your order.

Finally, don’t miss the World of TwoMorrows 25th Anniversary book, available now in Softcover, Ultra-Limited Hardcover, and Digital Editions. If you’ve enjoyed the material we’ve produced for the last quarter-century, you’ll love learning how we made it happen all these years!

Now stay safe, and let’s keep BrickJournal and TwoMorrows clicking for another 25 years!

- John Morrow, publisher

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SUBSCRIBE now for a half-year (or double it for a full year)!

It supports us in the short-term, and ensures you don’t miss any issues!

2020

Due to the recent pandemic store closings, we’ve adjusted our schedule for 2020 releases. See our website for other ship dates.

RETROFAN #12

RETROFAN #13

RETROFAN #14

BRICKJOURNAL #65

Hollywood interviewer CHRIS MANN goes behind the scenes of TV’s sexy sitcom THREE’S COMPANY—and NANCY MORGAN RITTER, first wife of JOHN RITTER, shares stories about the TV funnyman. Plus: RICK GOLDSCHMIDT’s making of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, RONNIE SCHELL interview, Sheena Queen of the TV Jungle, Dr. Seuss toys, Popeye cartoons, DOCTOR WHO’s 1960s U.S. invasion, & more fun features!

Exclusive interviews with Lost in Space’s MARK GODDARD and MARTA KRISTEN, Dynomutt and Blue Falcon, Hogan’s Heroes’ BOB CRANE, a history of Wham-O’s Frisbee, Twilight Zone and other TV sci-fi anthologies, Who Created Archie Andrews?, oddities from the San Diego Zoo, lava lamps, and more with ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, and SCOTT SHAW! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Holy backstage pass! See rare, behind-thescenes photos of many of your favorite Sixties TV shows! Plus: an unpublished interview with Green Hornet VAN WILLIAMS, Bigfoot on Saturday morning television, WOLFMAN JACK, The Saint, the lean years of Star Trek fandom, the Wrestlemania video game, TV tie-in toys no kid would want, and more features from FARINO, MANGELS, MURRAY, SAAVEDRA, SHAW, and MICHAEL EURY.

BrickJournal celebrates the holidays with brick sculptor ZIO CHAO, takes a offbeat look at Christmas with our minifigure customizer JARED K. BURKS, and decks the halls with the holiday creations of KOEN ZWANENBURG! Plus: “AFOLs” by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, step-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and more!

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You Can Build It MINI Build Creative Blue Bricks Whale Design and Instructions

by Christopher Deck

Hello everybody, and welcome to a special underwater building session in this deep sea-related issue of BrickJournal!

Parts List (Parts can be ordered from Bricklink.com

Deep sea is a popular and recurring theme in the LEGO® catalogue. We had many underwater action themes like Aquazone released in 1995 with a revival called Aquaraiders II in 2007. Between the two series there was Mission Deep Sea from 2002, a sub theme of Alpha team.

Then in 2010 the Atlantis series was launched. Recently, in the year 2018, an Aquaman submersible set was released within the DC Super Heroes line.

Qty Color Part 2 Blue 99781.dat 6 Dark-Azure 87087.dat 8 Blue 3004.dat 2 Trans-Blue 3003.dat 2 Dark-Azure 3001.dat 1 Trans-L6t-Blue 6126b.dat 4 Medium-Azure 63868.dat

On the city-side of the portfolio, we had the Divers from 1997, continued in 2015 with the Deep Sea Explorers. Both city adventure lines came with nicely designed playsets.

While the new Creator series had not been started yet, the predecessor, the Designer sets came with several underwater building sets. Creature started with several smaller creature sets, but the first deep sea dedicated creature sets were released in 2019 with Deep Sea Creatures (set 31088) and Underwater Robot (set 31090).

The creatures within those two sets include a shark, lantern fish, crab, octopus, and a stingray—however, no proper whale. We will change this today by building an 18-studlong blue whale. All you need are two of the tiny Creative Blue Bricks sets (11006) which are new this year. Although the parts variety is very limited in those sets only containing 57 pieces, the whale using two of these sets looks pretty realistic and could be of use for an underwater diorama.

Have fun building and enjoy exploring the ocean!

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by searching by part number and color)

2 3 2 4 4 2 8 8 2 2 2

Description Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Down Brick 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side Brick 1 x 2 Brick 2 x 2 Brick 2 x 4 Minifig Flame with Rim Plate 1 x 2 with Clip Horizontal on End (Thick C-Clip) Dark-Azure 15573.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud, without Understud Blue 48336.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Handle Type 2 Blue 3022.dat Plate 2 x 2 Medium-Azure 3022.dat Plate 2 x 2 Blue 87580.dat Plate 2 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud Dark-Azure 3795.dat Plate 2 x 6 Blue 3040b.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 1 Blue 3039.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 2 Dark-Azure 3660.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 2 Inverted White 98138p07.dat Tile 1 x 1 Round with Eye Pattern Dark-Azure 2412b.dat Tile 1 x 2 Grille with Groove

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PS: If you are interested in building a neat-looking submersible using the two creature sets 5761 and 6742, check: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=478777

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Building Minifigure Customization 101:

You Know, You’re Not so Bad for a Droid!

Article and Photography

by Jared K. Burks

IG-11.

I have been captivated by the Disney television series the Mandalorian, just as everyone else. This show has felt more like classic Star Wars than any of the following films. There are several archetype main characters for us all to enjoy; Din Djarin (The Mandalorian), IG-11, the Child (baby Yoda), Greef Karga, Kuiil, Cara Dune, and Moff Gideon. The interactions of these characters gives us the Hero, the Caregiver, the Innocent, the Scoundrel, the Regular Guy, the Explorer, and the Villain. Seven of the twelve common archetypes exists in this show with a few others darting in and out of individual episodes, which is likely why I enjoyed them so. For more information on these archetypes: https:// writerswrite.co.za/the-12-common-archetypes/ We are lucky LEGO has provided a version, or an easy to create version, of all these characters; or they soon will with the Razor Crest Set. Well, except one character: IG-11. This one figure is created very poorly, and I have labeled it as massively inadequate. LEGO has chosen to recycle the battle droid body far too frequently and has done so again here with an inverted 1x1 cone for a head. Not only is this barely recognizable, but it isn’t even printed well. LEGO could and should have done better. That being said, I will share my effort here, and while my version is not designed for a five-year-old, I believe it fits better into the theme and LEGOverse than does the battle droid-based figure.

IG-11 Inspiration.

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In order to create my version of IG-11 you need to know how to extrude.

Extrude means to “thrust or force out.” I have used Adobe’s Fusion 360 software to create my version of IG-11, and in almost every part of the figure a basic extrusion is all that is required to create the figure. Let’s go through the steps. I will break the figure into four basic parts—the head, torso, arms, and legs—and go through how I created each portion. All this said, for the IG-11 figure to fit into the LEGOverse, the custom IG-11 will need to be very similar to the battle droid in size and scale.

IG-11 Render.

Render compared to LEGO Battle Droid.

Head I have built the head in two different ways to serve different purposes, but for this article, I am going to cover the more basic version. I merged the bottom of the head with the torso. The part attached to the torso has a small hole in the center to function as the swivel point for the upper portions of the head to rotate. There are two additional portions of the head: the eyestalks, and the telescopic optical sensor, which is attached to the top dome. The top dome has the central rod that travels through the center of the other pieces, allowing the head to rotate in any direction.

Each of the parts of the head were created by extruding one part to create the base and then other parts to subtract the new portion from the main part.

This can be slow and tedious as you create the smallest detail and honestly, I initially made the eyestalks and optical sensors far too small. I had to scale these up to allow them to print properly and not break when handling them.

This came from trial and error in printing as I devised the correct solution.

Parts of the IG-11 head.

Head and Inspiration. The IG-11, IG-88, and several other parts found in the Cantina were all created from a combustion chamber from a Rolls Royce Derwent jet engine. (https://youtu. be/AmQl8khvVUE & https://makingstarwars. net/2013/12/a-very-brief-history-of-ig-88s-head/) How the parts of the head are kept together.

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Views of IG-11 torso.

Torso The torso is created much the same as the head, but it is broken into zones: the shoulders, the chest, the abdomen, and the gun belts. The shoulders are basic and only have a fillet at the edge, which is merely a rounding over of the edge.

The chest has the detail where the self-destruction device is located. This used a slightly different tool in the Fusion program; when using the combine tool you use the intersect option. This allows it to create an object that traces the complex surface of the chest. The abdomen contains many details, but they are repetitive details. This means once one is created, it is merely copied and placed in multiple locations. The gun belt took on a completely different level of difficulty.

Perhaps there is an easier way to create it than the way I chose to create it, but as I am still learning Fusion 360, I had to create boxes that tracked where the belt would go. I used the same combine function with the intersect option for the belt to mirror the path. I created the front portion and then duplicated and created the back. Once I had one belt, I copied and mirrored the belt on the other side and then added the details to make the belt more interesting.

Legs The legs present the unique function of the IG-11 figure and character. In the show, IG-11 rotates at the hips to spin and shoot from any direction. I wanted to capture this function in the figure that I created. This meant that I needed a clip for the legs to attach to the torso and a pin for the attachment to the legs to allow for the rotation of the torso. I created legs that mirrored those of a battle droid in size and scale, but with the design elements of IG-11. At the top of the legs instead of attaching a clip, I created a small hole. This hole is where the pin can attach to the leg, and with the clip on the top, allow for the attachment to the torso. The feet are actually a bit more bulky than the battle droid feet.

This detail was done on purpose to mirror the actual design; however, they must be larger than they should to allow them to interface with the LEGO studs with which they must connect. Ultimately, the pin-clip allows for a rotation of the torso just as it is in the show. The pin-clip and the rotating parts of the head give the figure much more dynamic options than the LEGO equivalents.

IG-11’s waist clip.

Views of the IG-11 legs.

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Arms I was actually content with the battle droid arms, but after custom creating all the other parts I decided that I would create two different styles of the arms; one bent, one straight. I also wanted to mimic the enclosed cylinder over the shoulder. This made the arm creation a bit more difficult. The reason for this is the clip on the LEGO arm holds tight against the shoulder, but my version does not. This means my arm is a friction fit and with a bit of wear it will eventually loosen up, but I am building a display and light play figure, so I am not too concerned on this point. In addition, if it does loosen up, a bit of superglue inside will tighten it back up. This is actually an old school trick for any joint.

Place a small amount of superglue inside and never stop moving the arm. If you stop moving the arm it will set up and glue the arm in place, but if you keep moving the arm it will spread the glue all over the inside of the joint, filling the space and tightening up the joint.

Views of IG-11 arms.

Now that all of the parts have been created digitally, I have printed them on my Epax-X1 resin printer using Elegoo Mars’ ABS like grey resin. Of course, care must be exercised when using resin printers and the parts must be post processed. This entails washing the parts in isopropyl alcohol to remove uncured resin, drying, and then final curing the parts in a UV light box. After curing, I have chosen to paint my figures using Dupli-Color Charcoal Gray Fabric and Vinyl Dye.

Completed figure before painting.

Vinyl dye.

Upon completing, I have my bounty hunter pucks for a display that I created in my last article about the Child; however, with the Razor Crest set fast approaching, many display opportunities exist.

Completed figure before painting.

Completed figure after painting.

Completed figure after painting.

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

Come back next issue for more Minifigure Customization!

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

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People

Building

Article by Joe Meno Art provided by Gameloft

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LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed is a mobile game that was released by Gameloft on February 27, 2020. The game appears to be a combat game using minifigures, but there is a delightful LEGO twist to the game universe. Here, the combat isn’t violent—miniatures may get blown apart, but they always come back together. The emphasis on the game is building: building a good group and building LEGO sets that enhance the teams. The game draws upon the long history of LEGO sets and minifigures to make a engaging and fun game.

Gameloft was able to weave LEGO history and a little of its own storytelling in LEGO Legacy. BrickJournal was able to ask a few questions to a couple of the people behind the making of LEGO Legacy: Arnaud Bonnard (Game Director for LEGO Legacy) and Bryan Cook (Game Manager for LEGO Legacy). From them we were able to get a look at how the game was… built.

Facing Page: Promotional art showing (from right to left) Jester Gogo, Basil the Bat Lord, Princess Storm, Kai, Nya, and Zane.

Above: Basil the Bat Lord.

How long did it take to develop the game from start to finish?

AB: LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed took about two years to develop, with some months spent in soft launch before going worldwide.

Is the game development staff made up of LEGO fans and/ or builders?

AB: Many of us disconnected with LEGO when we were teenagers, and we’ve realized that coming back to LEGO years later was a deeply powerful experience. Even if we had a few AFOLs on the team, most of us were “hit”

by LEGO as we started working on the game, and fully embraced it! We wanted to share this moment with our game. LEGO Legacy was shaped to celebrate the brand, with a special dedication put into reconnecting adults with how awesome it is.

BrickJournal: There’s more than a few questions, so let’s start at the beginning. Who came up with the general idea of the game (rebuilding Piptown) and how did it come about? Did the LEGO Group come to you with the idea, or was it the other way around?

Arnaud Bonnard: LEGO didn’t come up with the idea. They were looking for video-game partners, so we came with a pitch that involved some fun combat. From there they invited us to Billund, Denmark to talk more about our proposal, and while visiting the LEGO HQ, with the actual vault, we were inspired by all the amazing dormant minifigures and sets people had great memories of. That redefined our pitch and became the starting point of this game, and of our collaboration with LEGO to celebrate this unique awesome brand!

Bryan Cook: Rebuilding Piptown is a metaphor for reawakening all those dormant memories. As you discover more, you rebuild your connection to the joy of playing with LEGO.

In LEGO Legacy, LEGO sets are used to boost certain minifigures. How did you figure out how the sets worked in the game, and how did you select them?

AB: Sets aren’t designed alone, they are part of the metagame along with the minifigures. We looked at what kind of effects we’d like to play with next, compared that with our list of must-have sets we wanted from the game (whether they’re old or new), built from there.

BC: Sets in-game are actually one of those moments where you have two problems and if you look at them properly, they magically solve each other. We needed a simple way to guide players toward good teams and we needed a way to let players interact with their fondly remembered sets. We put the two together and it was a good marriage.

How did you and the LEGO Group work together to further develop the characters of the minifigures?

AB: If a minifigure already has lore, then we’ll respect it entirely. We’ll reuse the name, the background story, etc. If the minifigure has nothing, just a visual description (ex. Darwin the pirate) then we’ll work with LEGO to give

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The game’s home screen, which has more further on the left edge—challenges can be accessed there. Here you have access to all the zones you can play in as well as game messages and resources.

them a name, a personality, even a background. We mix ingame story with real life trivia so that players get attached to these characters, while learning more about them in real life.

Each minifigure has a variety of fighting abilities that are developed in the game. How were these determined?

AB: We have high-level intentions: for example, the Pirates minifigures spread debuffs, and we go more granular for each character. We needed a healer, so we decided the Cook could be one, then we modify their specific design kit, animations, sound, etc. It is a very comprehensive process!

Who are the favorite minifigures of the developers?

If you open a single campaign in the campaigns zone, you’ll see a map and points to fight. Using your minifigures, you fight and progress along the map, winning a variety of prizes.

AB: My sweet spot goes to the Pirates from 1989, like Redbeard, Darwin, Laquay, for all the memories I have with them as a kid. It’s great to play with them again! I also now truly admire the Minifigure Series, as there are so many unique personalities in there.

BC: Until we started I would have said Black Spaceman, but seeing all of the awesome minifigures in the Minifigure series, it would have to be one of them.

The player’s basic goal of LEGO: Legacy is to collect minifigures to fight other minifigures, and the overall storyline is to rebuild Piptown, the setting of the game… so is there a character that is the leader of the opponent minifigures?

A fight begins. You have the ability (most of the time) to choose your target and attack. Sequence of attacks is determined by the minifigure attributes.

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AB: The story of the game echoes what the players are living. You’ll slowly reconnect with all the themes and minifigures in a fun, witty way. We do have a few more prevalent minifigures like Willa the Witch, and Garmadon, but it’s really about an ensemble cast game! As you all now know, the game is about reconnecting with LEGO in real life, which in LEGO terms means for an adult to “step out of the Dark Age” and rediscover the joys of LEGO. The story

of the minifigures in-game mimics and exaggerates that: they are in a dull world, cut from each other, and where building is no longer really a thing. You’ll get to reconnect with minifigures, reignite your dormant memories, resume building, and ultimately find back some creative fun that was forgotten as an adult—Piptown being the metaphor or all this. That being said, as you unfold the story, you’ll meet our own creation: the unique minifigure Rorrim, the only one who doesn’t exist as an official real life minifigure… yet.

Some characters will resist this path though, or want to take another one. That’s what the “villains” are about (Willa, Garmadon, etc.), each has one trait (fear, personal interest, power, etc.) that will make them seek something else first.

Rorrim in-game acts as a catalyzer; he’s fueling these characters who don’t seek unity (yet) for his own ambitions.

And these ambitions, like everything in our game, exist on two layers (ex. an environment when you fight, at first it looks like a regular RPG ice cave; when you double check it’s actually minifigures in a freezer).

We want to leave his backstory a little hidden so players can learn about him themselves, but Rorrim Retsim has a special relationship with you, the player, at the beginning of the game. He represents adulthood telling you to put away your toys and grow up. His ultimate goal is to box up all of the LEGO and move on. So he recruits the big bads from the various themes to help him undermine the LEGO Legacy world. We like to see Rorrim as someone with actual good motivations, but whose obsession makes him act in bad ways to achieve them. Visually, we show Rorrim’s age and obsession by using an “old fig” as a base (what existed in LEGO before 1978, before the minifigures as we know them), and from here, he rebuilt himself, more and more driven by his obsessions. We assembled him using older pieces from over the years to make him seem like a Minifigure out of time.

Going to the Sets zone will take you to different areas that have LEGO sets that need to be assembled. Gathering part tiles, you can build a set which has certain abilities that can be used with your minifigures.

A set has a set of abilities that come online when you gather more set tiles.

How did social media (Facebook surveys) play a part in developing the game?

AB: We did a few surveys indeed, to confirm that the game concept would appeal to enough people, and see which themes are the most popular, which minifigure or set people remember dearly, and to collect general information of what players would want. This is basically data to fuel our decisions, and with it, we pick and choose depending what features and content we want to bring next in the game.

Opening the Heroes head, you’ll find the minifigures you have, along with their rank and tiles needed to advance to the next level.

And a final question: Any teasers for upcoming content?

AB: We’re working hard to release the first content update of the game. With it or just after, we’ll introduce a big new mode called Brixpeditions that will bring our players on a challenging journey requiring the depth of their collection!

We’re very excited about this feature, as well as the new minifigures we will be introducing in the coming months.

Fans have lots to look forward to!

Thanks for the interview!

Opening a character shows information about the minifigure, including special abilities that are eventually uprated as you gather more minifigure tiles.

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WHATEVER YOU’RE INTO, BUILD IT WITH

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LEGO TRAINS! CALE LEIPHART’s Blue Comet, GLENN HOLLAND introduces us to the L-Gauge Modular Building Standard, a look at PennLUG’s Train Roundhouse, and many other train-related surprises! Plus a “Bricks in the Middle” comic by KEVIN HINKLE, “You Can Build It” instructions

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NEW

BRICKJOURNAL #17

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 ALIEN CONQUEST SETS, plus JARED K. BURKS’ column on MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION, building tips, event reports, our step-by-step “YOU CAN BUILD IT” INSTRUCTIONS, and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #41

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

BRICKJOURNAL #59

STAR WARSTM THEMED BUILDERS! Travel to a galaxy far, far away with JACOB NEIL CARPENTER’S DEATH STAR, the work of MIRI DUDAS, and the LEGO® photography of JAMES PHILIPPART! Plus “You Can Build It” instructions, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art with TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

TRAINS

BRICKJOURNAL #24

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

BRICKJOURNAL #46

More with train builder CALE LEIPHART, updated train layouts and models from the 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’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more!

BRICKJOURNAL #23

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 minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, “You Can Build It” instructions, and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #37

Custom ships by ERIC DRUON, incredible galactic layouts by builder AC PIN, a look at the many droid creations built by LEGO fans—truly, the LEGO Force has awakened!

Plus JARED K. BURKS on minifigure customizing, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, & more!

MECHA

BRICKJOURNAL #15

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!

BRICKJOURNAL #40

Build giant robots and mechs with 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, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions

by CHRISTOPHER DECK, DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #48

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!

CARS

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!

STEAMPUNK

BRICKJOURNAL #51

STEAMPUNK, with builder GUY HIMBER! PAUL HETHERINGTON talks about his cover model “Unchain My Heart,” ROD GILLIES’ latest Steampunk work, and a look at the creations of other top Steampunk builders! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

TECHNIC

BRICKJOURNAL #21

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

BRICKJOURNAL #38

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, & more!

DISNEY®

BRICKJOURNAL #9

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!

BRICKJOURNAL #44

THEME PARK ISSUE! ERIK JONES’ custom LEGO version of Cinderella Castle, STÉPHANE DELY’s Disneyland Paris Sleeping Beauty Castle, and JOHN RUDY’s brick versions of your favorite theme park rides! Plus “You Can Build It” instructions

by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #29

PAUL BORATKO and editor JOE MENO diagram instructions on adding functions to your models, shop-talk with LEGO Technic designers, and more creations moving at top speed! Plus Minifigure Customization

by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #49

GEOFF GRAY explores Technic history, JOE MENO interviews former LEGO Set Designer SØREN HOLM about the classic Technic Space Shuttle, MICHAEL BROWN shows off his Technic-scale AH-64, and more! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

CASTLES

BRICKJOURNAL #25

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

BRICKJOURNAL #45

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

SCULPTURE

BRICKJOURNAL #18

Two JAPANESE LEGO FAN EVENTS, plus a look at JAPAN’S SACRED LEGO LAND, Nasu Highland Park—the site of 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!

BRICKJOURNAL #31

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, and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #52

Russian builder TIMOFEY TKACHEV, plus what it takes to become a LEGO Certified Professional (an elite group of builders officially recognized by LEGO), with New York’s SEAN KENNEY and Australian RYAN McNAUGHT! Also: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

BRICKJOURNAL #54

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: HSINWEI CHI and his revolutionary LEGO animals and giant robots! We also declassify other top LEGO builders’ creations, including MICHAEL BROWN’s Technic-scale F-18 Hornet!

Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

BRICKJOURNAL #55

LEGO HEADS & TAILS: FELIX JAENSCH’s remarkable LEGO sculptures, from realistic animals to the human skull and amazing face masks! BRYAN BENSON’s detailed Kermorvan Lighthouse and how he built it from LEGO bricks. A spectacular Winter layout by DAVE SCHEFCIK! Plus: Minifigure customizing, step-by-step instructions, BrickNerd, & more!

LEGO®, the Minifigure, and the Brick and Knob configurations are trademarks of the LEGO Group of Companies. BrickJournal is not affiliated with The LEGO Group. All characters shown are TM & © their respective owners.

SUPER-HEROES

BRICKJOURNAL #20

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!

BRICKJOURNAL #32

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, and more!

GAMING

BRICKJOURNAL #34

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, and more!

MINDSTORMS & ROBOTICS

BRICKJOURNAL #5

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

BRICKJOURNAL #33

MINDSTORMS EV3 builders MARCANDRE BAZERGUI and ANDY MILLUZZI, designer LEE MAGPILI, CHRIS GIDDENS with his amazing robot sculptures, Minifig 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!

BRICKJOURNAL #42

How schools and AFOLs 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 MINDSTORMS to the next level! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more!

ARCHITECTURE & MICROSCALE

BRICKJOURNAL #43

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, and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #53

TYLER CLITES and SEAN MAYO show you LEGO hacks to twink and juice your creations! Also, see big bad game-inspired models by BARON VON BRUNK, and Pokemon-inspired models by LI LI! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

UNDERSEA

BRICKJOURNAL #10

Looks at the creation of LEGO’S 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, stepby-step building instructions, minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, LEGO history, and more!

DINOSAURS

BRICKJOURNAL #47

Builder MITSURU NIKAIDO shows us undersea creatures and organic builds!

Then jump aboard MARCELLO DeCICCO’s minifigure-scale warships! See PEDRO NASCIMENTO’s amazing architectural creations! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

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TwoMorrows.

BRICKJOURNAL #30

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, and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #35

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, and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #36

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-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #39

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, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, DIY Fan Art by BrickNerd TOMMY WILLIAMSON, and more!

TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 USA 919-449-0344 E-mail:

store@twomorrows.com

Order online at twomorrows.com

Community Ads

FOR SALE!

ORIGINAL MINIFIGURE COMIC BOOK COVER REPRODUCTIONS

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Commission LEGO™ illustrator, Greg Hyland, to draw a full-size, production-quality recreation of any Marvel or DC comic book cover using LEGO™ Minifigures!

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Artwork will be a black & white ink drawing on 11”x17” comic book illustration board.

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Last Word So ends this issue of BrickJournal.

I’m finishing up this issue in mid-March—and between the fun crazy time I had at Toy Fair New York (which you can see at the left) and now, things have certainly changed.

I hope that you are reading this with your family at home.

If so, share this thought with them: we will make it through this together.

If not, spend time with your family or loved ones. Call others farther away. Pass hope to each other. Text a funny picture to someone you know. Build something and take a pic of it. Send it to a friend. That’s what BrickJournal has been doing: showing builds, and building... community.

If you have comments or suggestions about the magazine, drop me a line. This is just as much your magazine as mine, so ask!

Til then, BUILD ON! That Joe Meno Guy

Busted!

79

80

ALTER EGO #165

ALTER EGO #166

ALTER EGO #167

WILL MURRAY showcases original Marvel publisher (from 1939-1971) MARTIN GOODMAN, with artifacts by LEE, KIRBY, DITKO, ROMITA, MANEELY, BUSCEMA, EVERETT, BURGOS, GUSTAVSON, SCHOMBURG, COLAN, ADAMS, STERANKO, and many others! Plus FCA, Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt with more on PETE MORISI, JOHN BROOME, and a cover by DREW FRIEDMAN!

FAWCETT COLLECTORS OF AMERICA (FCA) Special, with spotlights on KURT SCHAFFENBERGER (Captain Marvel, Ibis the Invincible, Marvel Family, Lois Lane), and ALEX ROSS on his awesome painting of the super-heroes influenced by the original Captain Marvel! Plus MICHAEL T. GILBERT’s “Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt” on Superman editor MORT WEISINGER, JOHN BROOME, and more! Cover by SCHAFFENBERGER!

Salute to Golden & Silver Age artist SYD SHORES as he’s remembered by daughter NANCY SHORES KARLEBACH, fellow artist ALLEN BELLMAN, DR. MICHAEL J. VASSALLO, and interviewer RICHARD ARNDT. Plus: mid-1940s “Green Turtle” artist/creator CHU HING profiled by ALEX JAY, JOHN BROOME, MICHAEL T. GILBERT and Mr. Monster on MORT WEISINGER Part Two, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

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(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Dec. 2020

WORLD OF TWOMORROWS

BACK ISSUE #121

BACK ISSUE #122

KIRBY COLLECTOR #78

SILVER ANNIVERSARY ISSUE! How Kirby kickstarted the Silver Age and revamped Golden Age characters for the 1960s, the Silver Surfer’s influence, pivotal decisions (good and bad) Jack made throughout his comics career, Kirby pencil art gallery, MARK EVANIER and our regular columnists, a classic 1950s story, KIRBY/STEVE RUDE cover (and deluxe silver sleeve) and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (DELUXE EDITION w/ silver sleeve) $12.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

BACK ISSUE #123

KIRBY COLLECTOR #79

See “THE BIG PICTURE” of how Kirby fits into the grand scheme of things! His creations’ lasting legacy, how his work fights illiteracy, a RARE KIRBY INTERVIEW, inconsistencies in his 1960s MARVEL WORK, editorial changes in his comics, big concepts in OMAC, best DOUBLE-PAGE SPREADS, MARK EVANIER’s 2019 Kirby Tribute Panel, PENCIL ART GALLERY, and a new cover based on OMAC #1!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Fall 2020

BACK ISSUE #124

Celebrate our 25th anniversary with this retrospective by publisher JOHN MORROW and Comic Book Creator magazine’s JON B. COOKE! Go behind-the-scenes with MICHAEL EURY, ROY THOMAS, GEORGE KHOURY, and a host of other TwoMorrows contributors! Introduction by MARK EVANIER, Foreword by ALEX ROSS, Afterword by PAUL LEVITZ, and a new cover by TOM McWEENEY!

CONAN AND THE BARBARIANS! Celebrating the 50th anniversary of ROY THOMAS and BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH’s Conan #1! The Bronze Age Barbarian Boom, Top 50 Marvel Conan stories, Marvel’s Not-Quite Conans (from Kull to Skull), Arak–Son of Thunder, Warlord action figures, GRAY MORROW’s Edge of Chaos, and Conan the Barbarian at Dark Horse Comics. With an unused WINDSOR-SMITH Conan #9 cover.

Celebrates the 40TH ANNIVERSARY of MARV WOLFMAN and GEORGE PÉREZ’s New Teen Titans, featuring a guest editorial

by WOLFMAN and a PÉREZ tribute and art gallery! Plus: The New Teen Titans’ 40 GREATEST MOMENTS, the Titans in the media, hero histories of RAVEN, STARFIRE, and the PROTECTOR, and more! With a NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED PÉREZ TITANS COVER from 1981!

SUPERHERO ROMANCE ISSUE! Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark’s many loves, Star Sapphire history, Bronze Age weddings, DeFALCO/ STERN Johnny Storm/Alicia Pro2Pro interview, Elongated Man and Wife, May-December romances, Supergirl’s Secret Marriage, and…

Aunt May and Doc Ock?? Featuring MIKE W. BARR, CARY BATES, STEVE ENGLEHART, BOB LAYTON, DENNY O’NEIL, and many more! Cover by DAVE GIBBONS.

HORRIFIC HEROES! With Bronze Age histories of Man-Thing, the Demon, and the Creeper, Atlas/Seaboard’s horrifying heroes, and Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch) rides again! Featuring the work of CHRIS CLAREMONT, GERRY CONWAY, ERNIE COLON, MICHAEL GOLDEN, JACK KIRBY, MIKE PLOOG, JAVIER SALTARES, MARK TEXIERA, and more. Man-Thing cover by RUDY NEBRES.

(224-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $37.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 • Now shipping!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Sept. 2020

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(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Nov. 2020

TwoMorrows.

The Future of Comics History.

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #23

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #24 AMERICAN COMIC BOOK AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES: 1940-44 CHRONICLES: The 1980s

WENDY PINI discusses her days as Red Sonja cosplayer, and 40+ years of ELFQUEST! Plus RICHARD PINI on their 48-year marriage and creative partnership! SCOTT SHAW! talks about early San Diego Comic-Cons and friendship with JACK KIRBY, Captain Carrot, and Flintstones work! GIL KANE’s business partner LARRY KOSTER about their adventures together! PABLO MARCOS on his Marvel horror work, HEMBECK, and more!

TIMOTHY TRUMAN discusses his start at the Kubert School, Grimjack with writer JOHN OSTRANDER, and current collaborations with son Benjamin. SCOTT SHAW! talks about early San Diego Comic-Cons and friendship with JACK KIRBY, Captain Carrot, and Flintstones work! Also PATRICK McDONNELL’s favorite MUTTS comic book pastiches, letterer JANICE CHIANG profiled, HEMBECK, and more! TIM TRUMAN cover.

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now Shipping!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Fall 2020

Covers comics’ WWII GOLDEN AGE! EISNER’s Uncle Sam and work with IGER, SIMON & KIRBY’s Captain America, birth of Archie Andrews, “packagers” like HARRY A CHESLER, and how dozens of companies published the entire gamut of genres, from funny animas & crime to jungle & sci-fi adventures. By KURT MITCHELL with ROY THOMAS.

NEW PRINTING with corrections, better binding, & enhanced cover durability! KEITH DALLAS documents comics’ 1980s Reagan years: Rise and fall of JIM SHOOTER, FRANK MILLER as comic book superstar, DC’s CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, MOORE and GAIMAN’s British invasion, ECLIPSE, PACIFIC, FIRST, COMICO, DARK HORSE and more!

(288-pg. FULL-COLOR Hardcover) $45.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 • Now shipping!

(288-pg. FULL-COLOR Hardcover) $48.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 • Now shipping!

TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 USA 919-449-0344 E-mail:

store@twomorrows.com

Order at twomorrows.com

RetroFan: The Pop Culture You Grew Up With!

If you love Pop Culture of the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties, editor MICHAEL EURY’s latest magazine is just for you!

RETROFAN #11 (Now Bi-Monthly!)

Just in time for Halloween, RETROFAN #11 features interviews with Dark Shadows’ Quentin Collins, DAVID SELBY, and the niece of movie Frankenstein Glenn Strange, JULIE ANN REAMS. Plus: KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER, ROD SERLING retrospective, CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST, TV’s Adventures of Superman, Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen, QUISP and QUAKE cereals, the Drak Pak and the Monster Squad, scratch model customs, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns by ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, and SCOTT SHAW! Edited by MICHAEL EURY. (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 • (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships October 2020

RETROFAN #6

RETROFAN #7

RETROFAN #8

RETROFAN #9

RETROFAN #10

Interviews with MeTV’s crazy creepster SVENGOOLIE and Eddie Munster himself, BUTCH PATRICK! Call on the original Saturday Morning GHOST BUSTERS, with BOB BURNS! Uncover the nutty NAUGAS! Plus: “My Life in the Twilight Zone,” “I Was a Teenage James Bond,” “My Letters to Famous People,” the ARCHIE-DOBIE GILLIS connection, Pinball Hall of Fame, Alien action figures, Rubik’s Cube & more!

With a JACLYN SMITH interview, as we reopen the Charlie’s Angels Casebook, and visit the Guinness World Records’ largest Charlie’s Angels collection. Plus: interview with LARRY STORCH, The Lone Ranger in Hollywood, The Dick Van Dyke Show, a vintage interview with Jonny Quest creator DOUG WILDEY, a visit to the Land of Oz, the ultra-rare Marvel World superhero playset, and more!

NOW BI-MONTHLY! Interviews with the ’60s grooviest family band THE COWSILLS, and TV’s coolest mom JUNE LOCKHART! Mars Attacks!, MAD Magazine in the ’70s, Flintstones turn 60, Electra Woman & Dyna Girl, Honey West, Max Headroom, Popeye Picnic, the Smiley Face fad, & more! With MICHAEL EURY, ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, and SCOTT SHAW!

NOW BI-MONTHLY! Interviews with ’70s’ Captain America REB BROWN, and Captain Nice (and Knight Rider’s KITT) WILLIAM DANIELS with wife BONNIE BARTLETT! Plus: Coloring Books, Fall Previews for Saturday morning cartoons, The Cyclops movie, actors behind your favorite TV commercial characters, BENNY HILL, the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, 8-track tapes, and more!

NOW BI-MONTHLY! Celebrating fifty years of SHAFT, interviews with FAMILY AFFAIR’s KATHY GARVER and The Brady Bunch Variety Hour’s GERI “FAKE JAN” REISCHL, ED “BIG DADDY” ROTH, rare GODZILLA merchandise, Spaghetti Westerns, Saturday morning cartoon preview specials, fake presidential candidates, Spider-Man/The Spider parallels, Stuckey’s, and more fun, fab features!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

RETROFAN #1

RETROFAN #2

RETROFAN #3

RETROFAN #4

RETROFAN #5

LOU FERRIGNO interview, The Phantom in Hollywood, Filmation’s STAR TREK CARTOON, “How I Met LON CHANEY, JR.”, goofy comic Zody the Mod Rob, Mego’s rare ELASTIC HULK toy, RetroTravel to Mount Airy, NC (the real-life Mayberry), interview with BETTY LYNN (“Thelma Lou” of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW), TOM STEWART’s eclectic House of Collectibles, and MR. MICROPHONE!

Horror-hosts ZACHERLEY, VAMPIRA, SEYMOUR, MARVIN, and an interview with our cover-featured ELVIRA! THE GROOVIE GOOLIES, BEWITCHED, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, and THE MUNSTERS! The long-buried Dinosaur Land amusement park! History of BEN COOPER HALLOWEEN COSTUMES, character lunchboxes, superhero VIEW-MASTERS, SINDY (the British Barbie), and more!

Interview with SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE director RICHARD DONNER, IRWIN ALLEN’s sci-fi universe, Saturday morning’s undersea adventures of Aquaman, horror and sci-fi zines of the Sixties and Seventies, Spider-Man and Hulk toilet paper, RetroTravel to METROPOLIS, IL (home of the Superman Celebration), SEA-MONKEYS®, FUNNY FACE beverages, Superman/Batman memorabilia, & more!

Interviews with SHAZAM! TV show’s JOHN (Captain Marvel) DAVEY and MICHAEL (Billy Batson) Gray, the GREEN HORNET in Hollywood, remembering monster maker RAY HARRYHAUSEN, the way-out Santa Monica Pacific Ocean Amusement Park, a Star Trek Set Tour, SAM J. JONES on the Spirit movie pilot, British sci-fi TV classic THUNDERBIRDS, Casper & Richie Rich museum, the KING TUT fad, and more!

Interviews with MARK HAMILL & Greatest American Hero’s WILLIAM KATT! Blast off with JASON OF STAR COMMAND! Stop by the MUSEUM OF POPULAR CULTURE! Plus: “The First Time I Met Tarzan,” MAJOR MATT MASON, MOON LANDING MANIA, SNUFFY SMITH AT 100 with cartoonist JOHN ROSE, TV Dinners, Celebrity Crushes, and more fun, fab features!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99