BrickJournal #71

Issue 71• January 2022

Photographing Bricks and Figures

Techniques, Storytelling Tips and Lighting Tricks Photo Galleries INSTRUCTIONS AND MORE!

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Issue 71 • January 2022

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

LEGO Toy Photography Introduction..........................................................3 Photographer Spotlights: Astrid Heyland..................................................4 Nathan Smith....................................................8 Eat My Bricks: Telling Stories with Bricks and Pics.......14 Photographer Spotlights: Łukasz Więcek.................................................18 Yuri Badiner.....................................................22 Natasja de Vos................................................26 LEGO Toy Photography: A Community Gallery.................................31 Taking Your First Shots..................................40

How To Alan Rappa: Studio Lighting..............................................42 Shelly Corbett: Taking Your Photography Outside.......46 Tom Milton: Next Level Photography...........................50

Building BrickNerd: Vintage Camera... .........................................54 Minifigure Customization 101: By the Power of Inkjet Printing!.............60 You Can Build It: Imperial Troop Transport..........................65

Community Bantha Bricks Files: D awud Farid and Gabriel Kirkland’s Ebon Hawk......................................................68 Community Ads...............................................78 Last Word.............................................................79 AFOLs....................................................................80

From the Editor: Hello there!

This issue took a long time to make for a pretty selfish reason. For the longest time, I was against a photography issue because the majority of photos that I have seen on Instagram with LEGO minifigures didn’t have any building with them—they were just a figure in an environment. Nothing to it.

January 2022 • Issue 71 Publisher John Morrow Editor in Chief Joe Meno Guest Editors Shelly Corbett and Guy Himber Proofreader John Morrow Japanese Bureau Editor Nathan Bryan West Coast Editors Ashley Glennon BrickNerd Editor Dave Schefcik Bantha Bricks Correspondent Steven Smyth

Contributors Yuri Badiner, Jared Burks, Chris Campbell, Christopher Deck, Dawud Farid, Michael Feindura, Sören Grochau, Astrid Heyland, Gabriel Kirkland, Tomek Lasek, Tom Milton, Alan Rappa, Nathan Smith, Steven Smyth, Natasja de Vos, Łukasz Więcek, and Greg Hyland.

Additional Photos Robert Whitehead, Ellen Brantley, Sabrina Tungol, @legophotosource, Maëlick Claes,Kristina Alexanderson, Luigi Priori, Matthew Wyjad, Laurent Delcroix, Marco Zaconi, James Garcia, Keith Yip, Ceri Barrett, Vesa Lehtimaki, Ang Cheng Ann, Ki Young Lee Many thanks to the websites who have served as mirrors for BrickJournal: LUGNET.com, Brickshelf.com, peeron.com, brickmodder.net, rustyclank.com

About the Cover: Some photos from this issue’s contributors!

About the Contents: Oops! A minor mishap with stormtroopers.

Photo by Laurent Delcroix.

It took me until right before this issue’s theme to realize the creativity behind the photos, and one very important point: all you need is a minifigure and a camera to make an excellent photo—making it one of the most inexpensive ways to get into the LEGO hobby, as everyone already has a camera in their phone. This is very accessible to anyone.

Thanks to Guest Editors Shelly Corbett and Guy Himber for their help in rounding up all the photographers for this issue. There are many photos here I wish could have been given more space—and that’s a credit to the photographers. Hopefully, you’ll see the pics and visit everyone’s Instagram feed—and maybe, a couple of new feeds will start.

I’ll be looking for them!

Joe Meno 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.

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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)

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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 2021, TwoMorrows Publishing and the respective writers, photographers, and artists. All rights reserved. All trademarked items are the property of their respective owners and licensees. Star Wars TM Lucasfilm.

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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 of the LDraw suite. For more information, please visit http://www.ldraw.org.

Introduction

Welcome to the 71st issue of BrickJournal magazine! I’m pleased to be the guest editor for this issue devoted to the art of LEGOGRAPHY. While toy photography has been around since the earliest days of photography, it wasn’t until the arrival of social media that the art form grew into the worldwide community that we enjoy today. Online we get the chance to connect through our shared love of LEGO, the minifigure and photography.

Storytelling is at the heart of LEGOGRAPHY and allows us to journey to a land where anything is possible. We can recreate stories from pop culture, literature, or our own imaginations. Our stories are designed to entertain you, make you smile, or remind you of the innocence of childhood.

The images within this issue will give you a taste of what’s possible. My gifted friends will be sharing insights into their working processes; where they get their ideas; what drives them creatively, and so much more! I invite you to sit back, relax, and get ready to step into the wonderful world of LEGOGRAPHY... where we bring the toys to life!

Shelly Corbett Founder, Toy Photographers Blog and the ToyPhotographers.com Podcast

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People

Different figures and scales make for a conflict.

Photographer Spotlight:

Astrid Heyland Article and Photography by Astrid Heyland Instagram: hey.light

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Astrid Heyland is a German photographer that has been photographing toys for about five years. She started with tiny 1:87 figures from model railroads. Now, LEGO minifigures are her heroes. In fact, some of her best ideas come when Astrid picks up a minifigure in her hand and she brainstorms a suitable story for the figure.

Astrid loves taking photos outdoors, but she builds her picture ideas indoors beforehand, in her small home studio. She really enjoys taking the time for the creative process. There is an art to coordinating colors, figures, and accessories. Much of the time she leaves the scene on her photo table for a while, and looks at it every now and then to see if she wants to change anything. When she feels the scene is ready, she packs it into a small can (sometimes there are many cans!). Astrid needs at least 1-2 hours of sunlight for photography. When the weather cooperates, she looks for a suitable place to set up. She loves to be outside looking for the best place, background, and angle for her protagonists.

Above: The sketch for an image, showing composition and elements. In this case, color notations are noted.

Right: The final image.

Accessories help to develop and define the story further, but sometimes she will be inspired by another subject, such as lavender (seen in the photo). From that inspiration, Astrid’s creative process begins with a sketch. Writing down ideas helps to guide her in set building and creative decision making. Of course, the final proof is when she looks at the scene through the camera’s viewfinder.

Astrid’s three most useful tools for toy photography are wire, a battery-operated hot glue gun, and clamps. With these utensils, she can put her figures into any position she desires. Another critical tool is a large folded plastic bag.

The bag allows her to put everything on any surface without anything (including herself!) getting wet or dirty.

The camera Astrid uses is a Sony A7RIII full-frame camera, high-end macro lenses (100mm, 70mm, 50mm lens) and mostly with a tripod. She loves her camera because it’s light and has focus peaking (a method of focusing using high contrast areas of an image to define edges and sharpen focus). If she wants to achieve a special look, she uses her Lensbaby Composer Pro II with the Sweet 50 or Edge 50, lenses that can turn to warp the focus of an image.

Once the image is taken, she edits her photos in Adobe Lightroom. There she sets the brightness, contrast, image selection, color effects, and much more. By the time she has taken the image, Astrid has already considered whether the image should appear warm or cool and which color tones should dominate. When editing, she intensifies these effects. Sometimes she only brightens certain areas in the picture, such as the face or a strong shadow. If there are unwanted elements, such as a wire or some other figure support, she removes them in Adobe Photoshop.

Astrid loves photographing LEGO minfigures. She treasures some characters because they remind her of her childhood—the Disney character minifigures, for example.

On the other hand, she especially loves the beautifully printed torsos and legs from the Legends of China Ninjago, and Vidiyo. There are endless possibilities to combine legs, torso, heads, and hairpieces again and again to create new figures. Animals are another highlight. They appear in all LEGO themes and always add something special to her little stories. She really enjoys building sets from the Architectural theme as well as Ninjago. Sets that she has built include the Old Fishing Store and the Pirates of the Barracuda Bay. Astrid is fascinated by how these small bricks are used to create such different buildings. However, she does have an issue with the bricks—the lines and studs seen in completed models. This pet peeve is why she only uses her buildings as a blurred background element and always covers studs with tiles.

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Left: Setting up another photo using colored lights and cotton wads to create a ‘sky.’ Astrid’s camera has a flexible Lensbaby housing to turn the lens downwards. The model is actually on a glass plate over the lighting and cotton—the columns holding the glass can be seen on the sides.

Above: The final image.

Out of all of her many toy and LEGO-themed images, one of Astrid’s favorites is a photo she made of a LEGO girl swimming with a dolphin. To achieve her vision, she had to first glue the dolphin to a thick wooden stick so it would be easier to position. She then laid down on the edge of a pool, dangerously close to the water, to get the perfect perspective. Even though she had a friend in the pool holding the dolphin above the water, the first test photos revealed that the scene she was creating looked boring—more movement was needed! Then she remembered a young girl in the pool who had been watching Astrid and her assorted toys with interest for quite a while.

With a big smile, Astrid asked the girl if she would like to make a few waves. Of course, she did, and her efforts helped create the final effects and captured Astrid’s vision.

A favorite image taken by Astrid.

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Another favorite: off to adventure!

Another favorite image depicts setting out on a fresh adventure filled with energy and discovery. One summer evening Astrid was hiking around looking for a good place to set up one of her scenes. She had only taken a few steps when she discovered a completely unspectacular manhole cover with some completely unremarkable dried grass in the background. Removing her camera from her backpack, Astrid placed it on the ground and staged her LEGO figure so she could look at the scene through the viewfinder. Although the ground looked gray, dirty and unappealing, the scene was bathed in a wonderful light.

Realizing the setting needed a little extra magic, Astrid poured a little bottled water on the ground. This lastminute aquatic addition filled the photo with wonderful reflections, resulting in one of her favorite photos!

Mickey’s mayhem! [Mickey Mouse TM Disney.]

While taking these photos makes Astrid a magician of sorts, her greatest treasure is watching others when they discover her pictures. Seeing them smile makes her happy.

For beginner photographers, Astrid gives the following advice: “Try everything, whether you like the result or not… because you can learn from your efforts and develop your own style. Also, it’s important to show your work to friends and family. Let your images travel around the world on social media where you can better exchange ideas with others about your creative work and get feedback. And most importantly, enjoy every minute of photography!”

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People

The entrance to Moria, from the Lord of the Rings.

Photographer Spotlight:

Nathan Smith Article and Photography

by Nathan Smith Instagram: @circus_robot

Nathan Smith started his toy photography in 2019 with the intent of doing a LEGO fantasy comic. After spending months on the build and the subsequent pictures, he realized that it would be an impossible feat to match his vision. Undaunted by this, he started focusing on individual photographs in April 2020.

Inspiration for his photography comes from fantasy illustrations and movies.

Nathan learns a lot by studying composition in a variety of mediums and how certain shots are lit and composed in movies. He typically does two types of images that have their own creative flow: movie scene recreations and original compositions.

For scene recreations, the process is more about working backwards and deconstructing where everything would be positioned and how the Director of Photography lit the characters and environment. Nathan does this by setting up the camera with the focal length he thinks would be needed to recreate the shot, then he uses temporary LEGO set pieces to try to get the right distance and relative scale down. From there, he builds the scene in more detail. When he is ready, Nathan starts doing lighting tests.

For original images, Nathan typically starts with thumbnail sketches—nothing too fancy, but he tries to work out composition, main and secondary light sources, and other factors. Having a very specific vision 8 of the final image is an important step because simply building a

good LEGO MOC does not necessarily translate into a good photograph. After sketches, he follows the same build process as before, just using his sketches as a guide instead of an existing picture.

Nathan is not very particular about his equipment, but he has experimented a lot with different light sources and DIY diffusion methods. For example, cheap $5 LED flashlights with a harsh beam of light are perfect for mimicking sunlight or studio spotlights, compared to more expensive “professional” light sources.

For lenses, he uses a Canon 12-22mm zoom lens primarily to get his different wide-angle shots, but sometimes uses a higher mm prime lens for unique scenarios.

Even with a background in 3D animation and digital painting, Nathan tries not to overly rely on post effects, as that takes a lot of the fun away for him personally. Outside of a few unique cases, his post-production workflow is fairly standard. Typically, he takes the base image through color correction in Camera Raw. Then, if he needs to do any additional work with blending layers, enhancing the atmosphere, masking, or painting out blemishes, Photoshop is used.

Nathan is an indoor photographer, usually treating his setups like little movie sets on a sound stage—arranging props and using very controlled lighting.

When photographing, his essential lights include LED flashlights, LED panels, diffusion materials, and small 3mm LEDs for practical lighting effects like the glow from a candle. For images with a visible sky in the background, he uses a 4K television as part of the set. One of his favorite tricks is using face misters, steamers, or atmosphere sprays to get the depth or atmosphere he wants in his photos.

Arwen and Aragorn.

Some of the modular buildings in John’s layout.

A look at part of the lower level.

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A Pirate’s Life is Never Done!

Nathan built the image (above) by making a diorama (right). The environment was established by the diorama, including the sea foam and water and lighting. The pirate was photographed separately and added with his glow effect digitally.

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From the beginning, Nathan has had a weird obsession with making entirely brick-built LEGO scenes as realistic as possible. This comes with challenges of course, the first being relative scale with minifigures. Minifigures are not proportional to real people, and even in an environment built for them, they tend to look small. So, for example, in his Lord of the Rings recreations, he often had to get really creative to make the minifigures match their respective counterparts from the movie. Another challenge with LEGO photography has to do with making photos with a lot of depth in them, such as environment shots.

Imagine wanting to do a scene that had a minifig standing on a tower looking at mountains in the distance. How far away are those mountains? How big would they have to be? At some point the idea becomes impractical to be able to build properly out of LEGO, but that is part of the creative challenge.

Nathan’s photos reflect on his favorite themes: Lord of the Rings! Tolkien has been a huge inspiration on his creativity and he wishes that theme would be revisited someday.

Beyond realism, however, the best compliment he could get is that his images tell a story and evoke some kind of emotion. One of Nathan’s favorite toy photography memories is an example of this kind of storytelling. He won his first BrickCentral monthly theme contest with his image, “A pirate’s life is never done.” The scene is of a pirate ghost still guarding his treasure and it was a very detailed build with difficult lighting and real water. Being very new to the LEGO photography scene at the time, it was great to be recognized by that community.

A steampunk alley escape!

Creating Scale and Distance Different tricks were used to convey a sense of scale in the scene below. Forced perspective and a background monitor give the illusion of space to the final image at right.

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“I’ve got this.”

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Another example of storytelling is his favorite photo called, “I’ve got this,” where a simple Red Lion Knight foot soldier is jumping out at a massive dragon in its lair. The simplicity of the composition mixed with the immediacy of the story really sells it, but there are also a lot of great details in the image as well that can be picked up after the initial viewing.

Nathan’s photography is the result of a lot of effort and practice. Although he has learned a lot over the years, if he was given the chance to go back in time to tell his younger self anything, it would be the importance of file management!

For the first year he had only saved the JPG files and did not back-up the RAW files from his camera.

Additional advice for LEGO enthusiasts trying out photography for the first time is that good lighting and composition take a long time to learn, so just study, experiment, and have fun doing it! It can also be very daunting initially to mess around with all the camera settings, but it is important to understand what changing the f-stop or shutter speed does to an image, or how to make sure all of the important subject matter is in focus. To be honest, however, Nathan admits to not being very knowledgeable about camera equipment like some gear-heads are, but it is important to learn enough to not limit your vision.

As for Nathan and his photography, he has these final words: “This is all fun for me! In the past, I’ve let hobbies like my painting become about recognition or money. The moment this starts feeling like a job, I take a step back. This is my escape from the real world.”

Making a Chase Look Explosive!

This chase was brought to life by the addition of an explosion, which was lit from under, as seen below. The light was reflected in the rocks and other elements of the setup, adding a layer of realism to the scene.

The background monitor can be seen in the photo below.

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People

Bedman.

Eat My Bricks:

Telling Stories with Bricks and Pics!

Article and Photography

by Sören Grochau and Michael Feindura Instagram: @eat_my_bricks Michael Feindura and Sören Grochau.

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Some toy photographers started LEGO photography when they realized the minifigure was a perfect subject to work with. Others, like Sören Grochau started when he played with his son’s LEGO and had fun goofing around with the figures. Sören tried a little bit, but the picture quality didn’t satisfy him, so he called his friend Michael Feindura. With Mic’s professional equipment and skills, they tried their first images together and had a lot of fun. Since then, they have met again and are staging new pictures under the name of Eat My Bricks (EMB).

Photography ideas come from a lot of places for the duo.

Sometimes an idea comes during an ordinary activity, like brushing teeth or bike riding. They also like to be inspired by art or political events. What makes EMB happiest, though, are the spontaneous ideas and the impulses that come serendipitously and are sometimes triggered by just a small everyday object.

When they both agree on an idea, a small sketch is made.

Parts and materials are gathered after a setting is determined. Sometimes this process can be very time-consuming, or this goes very quickly. During the shoot, different perspectives are tried and different lighting is used, as both are easier to do with a live image on a large display.

Once done with the shoot, the photos are opened in Photoshop and Lightroom, where the images are optimized and any small auxiliary wires and dust are removed. The image should look perfect in the end—even as a large fine art print.

The camera used for these photos is a Canon 5D Mk IV with a macro lens—either a Sigma 70mm 2.8 lens or a Canon 100mm 2.8 lens. The camera is perfect in terms of image quality and feature set. An L Bracket from Really Right Stuff is mounted to the camera and from there, a carbon tripod, along with a modified Manfrotto 405 geared head, provides proper support and accurate adjustments for photography. Additionally, EMB has a large backpack full of various small and large LED lamps from Manfrotto, some light stands, and soft boxes to be able to put any setup in the right light.

Most of the time, shoots are done indoors. Shoots often take a certain amount of time and EMB wants to be independent of light conditions and weather. In spite of that, outdoor and indoor photography have their own charms.

With the help of the camera’s wireless function, they can get a good image preview on an iPad and can best create image scenery. Because they don’t compromise on the camera and lenses, there is ‘low-end’ equipment used. On outdoor shoots, EMB may not take all their light stands and lamps. In that case, they fall back on using small LED spotlights, or sometimes use a Canon speedlite.

Other essential items include hot glue (which can be easily removed), adhesive paste, wooden sticks, magnets, and wire. Small tools are also needed, such as tweezers, scalpel or pliers. A chilled drink is also helpful and present during shooting.

Trojan Unicorn.

Fish n’ Bricks.

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Sören working on the staple stacks.

With all of those tools at their disposal, there still has been at least one shoot that was particularly challenging: the picture is of King Kong climbing a skyscraper made of staples. It took hours to arrange those little office items into a scene that resembled a city.

King stack.

Cape Caprese.

Another challenge happened while building the setting for the painting “Trojan Unicorn.” Sören and Mic received a request from a German TV station for a documentary about their work. It would have taken too long to build the setting for this picture. When the camera team came to us, the setting was already built. The setting was then disassembled on camera piece by piece. In the finished film, this sequence was reversed so viewers could see the setting built up.

After making so many images, it’s hard for EMB to select a top five. Many of their images are close to their hearts.

“Fish n’ Bricks” is memorable to them because it was the first image to get what they considered to be a significant reach on Instagram at the time. “Bedman” is very beautiful—it has a charming visual wit and great lighting mood.

However, there are other pictures they like that were very controversial online.

There also seems to be a hidden motif in EMB’s photos: again and again, food appears in their pictures. The natural structures of fruits and pasta simply provide a great contrast to plastic figures, or maybe it’s because they weren’t allowed to play with their food as children.

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Another photo they made seems to have hit a nerve in the community, which doesn’t happen with socially critical or even political topics. The photo is “Water-Gate,” where EMB questions the practices of a corporation in relation to the worldwide supply of drinking water. They had the basic idea for the photo for a while, but preparing the image

took a bit more time. In the end they ended up with a very elaborate set and, above all, a very haunting image.

These efforts to make a photo can be complex, but is part of the journey for EMB. They take their pictures because they want to tell stories. The most important thing for them is to photograph without external constraints and without pressure—because only in this way can they unleash their creativity and let the best images emerge. If an idea can’t be realized the way they imagined it, they discard the idea or try again later. As already mentioned; this is a hobby and it should be fun.

For beginners, they offer the following advice: “Just do it!

Try it out and have fun and experiment. Then, immerse yourself in the huge community of toy photographers.

This is a hobby that connects and has fans all over the world.”

KitchenMaid.

Stop Wars.

Water-Gate.

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People

Photographer Spotlight:

Łukasz Więcek

[TM DC Comics.]

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[TM Lucasfilm.]

Article and Photography by Łukasz Więcek Instagram: @lukasdata

Łukasz Więcek began his photography journey seven years ago. Two years later, he started photographing toys. Joining Instagram encouraged him to share his photos with the world. When Łukasz first started on IG, there were already a few accounts with nice minifigure photos. Seeing them, he was inspired to try minifigures as his toy of choice.

[TM Marvel Entertainment, Inc.]

Photo inspiration is taken from everything that is happening to and around Łukasz. From watching a movie or riding a scooter, he can suddenly have an idea for a photo, which he usually writes down immediately. Of those ideas, he has made over 2000 photos. From that collection, Łukasz chose his best five for this year (which are seen in this article): • Iron Man (from the LEGO set) • The Haunted House set • Star Wars • Ninjago • Batman

His all-time favorite LEGO photo is one he did of Captain America, as Łukasz loves super-hero poses. His favorite moment was when LEGO shared his Star Wars photo on their social media profiles. His was the first photo taken by a fan and shared by LEGO, and was spotted by Mark Hamill on Twitter, who commented on it. Łukasz has always loved to photograph nature and the outdoors, but an unfortunate knee and back injury forced him to try different photography solutions.

Now he often uses a monitor for a background, sand, earth, and artificial grass as a surface and often uses bricks to build everything. His camera of choice is his Samsung NX3000, but when he shoots a big set he uses his smartphone— large sets are literally his biggest challenge.

A large set can also make a memorable story. Łukasz was getting ready to shoot the LEGO Saturn V set, waiting for a blue sky and looking for a good place to take photographs. He found that one day, with a beautiful sky and a previously selected spot a few kilometers from Białystok. When he stood the Saturn V to sit

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[TM Marvel Entertainment, Inc.]

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and turn to get his camera, he heard a crack! The wind was so strong, it knocked over the model! Łukasz thought, “Don’t scream, you can take good photos even with half the set!” as he collected the bricks from the ground and bushes it fell into. It wasn’t easy in the cold, but after 20 minutes, he found all the bricks. Not giving up, Lucas began taking photos. It was only a couple of minutes before a man drove up and screamed, “What are you doing here? And what is this supposed to be?”

It turns out the place that Łukasz selected for his shoot was on land owned by this man. When the man came closer, though, he recognized Łukasz (who was a contestant on the Polish version of LEGO Masters), saying, “Mr. LEGO from TV…”. He then apologized and wished Łukasz a nice day, leaving the photographer to take his pictures.

For those starting out on photography, Łukasz offers this advice: “If you want to start your adventure with LEGO photography and toys, do not be afraid to ask others how to take good photos; read articles, and above all, take a lot of pictures, because then you will quickly gain experience and find your style.”

For Łukasz, the adventure with LEGO photography and toys has become part of his life. Now, he cannot imagine a different lifestyle.

You can see more of Łukasz’ work on his Instagram account or by scanning this QR code!

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People

Mickey and Minnie. [TM Disney.]

Photographer Spotlight:

Yuri Badiner

Interview by Shelly Corbett Photography by Yuri Badiner Instagram: @y.badiner Flickr Gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/yuribadiner/

Spacemen. Elves. Popcorn. Yuri Badiner uses these props and more to make imaginative images that he can post to his Instagram account @y.badiner. For this photography issue of BrickJournal, I caught up with Yuri to find out more about why and how he makes his amazing images!

BrickJournal: Hi Yuri! How long have you been a toy photographer, and what first attracted you to this hobby?

Yuri Badiner: In 2015, our local LEGO office ran a contest on Instagram called “I am a LEGO Photographer.” It was then that I first became acquainted with the world of toy photography. I have never seen anything like this before and didn’t have any photography skills; I just subscribed for several accounts to follow this topic and was a passive viewer. In 2016, I decided to try my hand and started photographing minifigures with my mobile phone. I think many people started with this. Over time, my collection grew and my mobile phone was replaced by an DSLR camera.

Where do you get your best photography ideas?

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This is a good question! Sometimes ideas come to my mind spontaneously and I immediately write them down in notes. Sometimes I hatch an idea for a week or more.

In any case, I draw inspiration from everywhere, and very often the source of the idea is not associated with toy

photography—I just recreate the images and situations I have seen or imagined.

Tell us about your process in creating an image from original thought to final photo ideas.

Most of the time, my plots are built around the character: I take a minifigure and begin to come up with events and situations for it. In some cases, I first come up with a situation, and then place characters in it.

What photography editing software do you commonly use in your image creation, and how does it help you express your ideas?

I use Photoshop and Lightroom. I can’t say that I have good post-processing skills, but I believe that these applications help me to achieve the final image that I intended.

Post-processing is an important step in photography, and since I started to learn it, my photos have been transformed. With the help of photo editors, I try to emphasize everything important in the image and sometimes hide the excess. I almost never use heavy special effects, to keep the photo natural. It is very important not to overdo it and not cross the line between photography and digital art.

What are your top five LEGO themes images you have photographed?

When I started photographing, most of the time I worked with Star Wars and LEGO Batman. Over time, my priorities have changed and now I prefer not to stick to any specific hyped themes. Increasingly, I strive to create classic LEGO moods in my works wherever possible, and look for my own style on it. It’s really hard for me to name even one topic, but it would probably be Space.

What is your current equipment set up and why is it your favorite? Do you have a ‘high-end’ and ‘low-end’ set of gear for your photography?

Lift-off.

I use a Nikon D7100 DSLR, 35mm lens, several YongNuo flashes with softboxes and a couple of LED panels. I think this is a fairly budgeted set that still allows me to embody my ideas. I’ve been shooting LEGO for almost six years and still haven’t answered the question myself, “What interests me more in this hobby—LEGO or photography?”

Probably, all the same, I am really interested in buying LEGO more often than photographic equipment, so I very rarely buy additions to my set of equipment—only if I need something specific, without which I really cannot implement my current plan.

Tell us your favorite photography environment (indoor or outdoor) and why it is the place where you like to create your best work.

Shooting outdoors has to deal with almost uncontrollable light, wind, and other weather conditions, so I definitely love shooting at home or in the studio. At home, I have absolutely all my minifigures and parts and all my equipment at hand. It is very comfortable for me to realize that I am in control of the situation. In such conditions I manage to shoot my best shots. Towards 10:00pm, when my whole family is getting ready to rest, I empty the cutting table in the kitchen and bring everything I need to shoot there.

This is my territory for the next 2-3 hours.

Fairy journey.

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What are your essential tools in your toy photography arsenal, and what might we find surprising in your tool kit? (i.e. bubble gum, peacock feathers, etc.)

I use glue pads and floral wire a lot to suspend minifigures and parts in the air and make them ‘fly.’ In addition, lately, I am increasingly using facial spray to create haze and fog in the frame. In cases where backgrounds assembled from LEGO parts do not suit me, I use moss, tree bark, branches, cotton, wool, and so on.

What kind of reaction are you looking for from your viewers and /or what has been your most treasured feedback?

Power plant.

What I enjoy the most is reading the comments, in which viewers share their feelings about my work. These are very rare comments, so I really appreciate and value them.

I’m curious to know what mood the image creates, and it doesn’t matter if that mood matches my own. We all know how people tend to be stingy with meaningful comments.

If the image resonated in their heart so strongly that it prompted the person to write about it, then my goal has been achieved.

Toy photography can present some unique challenges…

Tell us about some of your more memorable ones and how you have overcome them.

The biggest challenge for me is shooting outdoors. LEGO photography is always miniature scenes, and when you are shooting outdoors, you often have to lie down on the ground (especially if your camera’s display does not flip up) and this is not always comfortable. A couple of times I had to lie on the ground infested with ants or endure multiple mosquito bites for a long time. As I found out later, the result was worth it.

What is your favorite toy photography related memory?

The gateway.

I think my favorite memory is my introduction to toy photography. There was no limit to my surprise; I had never seen anything like it before and never suspected there was such a creative hobby. I’ve always liked creative things, and toy photography is probably one of the main things of this type, especially if you are shooting LEGO. With LEGO parts, you can create your own worlds with your own hands and capture them in a photo. This is stunning.

LEGO has given us many exciting themes over the years.

Which one is your favorite and why do you keep coming back to it as a subject for your toy photography?

I think my favorite theme is Space. I don’t know much about the exact sciences, such as physics or chemistry, without which space exploration is impossible, but I really like the romance and spirit of adventure that this topic provides. People unite to explore the world around them and in search of a new one. What could be more exciting?

Crocodile hunter.

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What comes first: the build or the idea?

The idea is always primary. I build something from LEGO parts specifically to represent and complement my main idea, to create the environment and scenery.

You can see more of Yuri’s photos at his Flickr gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/yuribadiner/ or by scanning this QR code!

What is your biggest challenge photographing LEGO bricks?

One of my biggest challenges is shooting large models and buildings. Since I work in tight spaces, it is often difficult for me to get the right angle or get the lighting right. I almost always consider LEGO photography as a miniature shooting—this is the scale that interests me, so I try to avoid anything really big.

Your work is fantastic, but everyone has to start somewhere! If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you make sure they knew on day one of their toy photography journey?

I would like to tell myself a couple of things: Light is everything! First of all, take care of sufficient lighting, even if you are currently shooting with a mobile phone. Good light will solve a lot of your problems.

Don’t get hung up on certain themes or characters. Look at LEGO wider, there are so many real gems buried under all these Star Wars and super-heroes. New and hyped is not always the best—digging back into the past is no less interesting.

Doorbell.

Hydra.

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People

Photographer Spotlight:

Natasja de Vos Article by Shelly Corbett Photography

by Natasja de Vos Instagram: @by_a.n.n.a Website https://www.byanna-photography.com Natasja de Vos is a photographer that has gained fame for her toyinspired photos on Instagram.

When I interviewed her for BrickJournal, her answers were returned with the accompanying photos; the interview became a storyboard of her work! Enjoy!

Where do you get your best photography ideas?

My ideas don’t come from a place, so “where” isn’t the right word… my best photography ideas pop up with music… or what I read in papers or magazines… or what happened in the news… or by stories told by friends… or by things which happened in my personal life… or even the garden… I can get inspired by everything.

A photo inspired by the lavender and the LEGO bouquet.

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How long have you been a toy photographer and what first attracted you to this hobby?

I started shooting photos of LEGO in 2016.

My boys were young and had a LEGO collection (like I did when I was younger) and we built a lot together. I love to photograph and one day a minifigure came in front of my lens… and I thought that could be fun. That was the start.

My sons’ collection… bought with their saved and birthday money.

Tell us about your process in creating an image from original thought to final photo ideas.

Sometimes it is really easy. For example, when I’m sitting in the garden and I see a beautiful little plant growing with tiny leaves or flowers, I think about my minifigure wall and which minifigure would fit in that scene. Other times, I have ideas that I have to order parts via BrickLink to complete.

Tell us your favorite photography environment (indoor or outdoor) and why it is the place where you like to create your best work.

My dining room table is indoors with the setup that I mentioned in the previous question.

My garden is outdoors, where I have a lot of beautiful spots with plants and wood where I can create some stories.

What are your essential tools in your toy photography arsenal, and what might we find surprising in your tool kit? (i.e. bubble gum, peacock feathers, etc.)

A make-up brush for dust is an essential. For outdoor photos when the minifigures have to stand in, for example, dirt or grass, I use the clear transparent pin (the transparent posing stand with hollow stud) that was introduced by the LEGO DC Collectible Minifigure Series (CMF) to display the figures like they jumped.

This prevents them from falling.

Llama with seeds of a dandelion.

What photography editing software do you commonly use in your image creation, and how does it help you express your ideas?

I’m always picky on dust so I use a make-up brush to wipe off the dust.

Sometimes I forget a spot and then it is very handy to use Photoshop to remove them in the program.

I use different editing software for my images if it is needed. I don’t have Photoshop on my laptop or computer, but I have a iPad Pro and its version of Photoshop. I also use Snapseed, PicsArt, and LD. What is your current equipment setup and why is it your favorite?

At the moment I mostly use colored paper as background for my inside shots, and I have two LED lights (table models) which can adjust in high and low and some little lights for effects behind the object/building. They were not expensive. I think you can create beautiful photos without the expensive sets.

LEGO has given us many exciting themes over the years. Which one is your favorite and why do you keep coming back to it as a subject for your toy photography?

Well, I love the CMF and Harry Potter theme.

With every single minifigure from the CMF collection, you can create and tell a little story. So I’m a collector and I have all the series, missing maybe ten, and of course Mister Gold.

With the Harry Potter theme you can create beautiful scenes. I also love the darkness in it and the mystery.

But I also have big studio lights that are still in the package unused!

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What are your top five LEGO themes images you have photographed?

Looney Tunes. I made this one for our Stuckinplastic blog. I love to create different scenes with the use of non-LEGO accessories, like paper and paint.

Benny flying on chips that are coming out of the bag. I like to create a image of moving in our daily surroundings. To make Benny fly, I used wire and flexible gum and after taking the photo, I remove them digitally with Photoshop.

The faun. I also made this one in my garden. I love the mysticism and the colors in the photo.

The explorer and the snail. This one was the quickest photo I ever made. I saw this beautiful snail on the pavement in the garden and I thought, “What a beauty! I need to make a photo and this minifigure is the best one for it!” The snail was so curious so this moment was the best moment to take the shot!

The beekeeper. I made the hexagon with the wooden icecream sticks and added some crepepaper on it and put a light behind it to make it feel like he was really in the bee’s nest.

What kind of reaction are you looking for from your viewers and /or what has been your most treasured feedback?

Looney Tunes.

Benny flying.

The faun.

The beekeeper.

That they also get inspired to do minifigure photography.

The explorer and the snail.

Toy photography can present some unique challenges. Tell us about some of your more memorable ones and how you have overcome them.

Oh yes they can… I’m a stickler for making sure the hair, arms, and hands are in the right place. When I’m on the way photographing I sometimes forget about that, and when I get home and those three parts are not right, I will not use the photo. Also light can be difficult. I don’t want to have highlights on the face. That sometimes can be hard too when shooting outdoors.

What is your favorite toy photography-related memory?

I think the snail photo in the earlier question… it was perfectly timed!

You have an amazing portfolio of toy and LEGO theme images—which LEGObased one has an unexpected story behind it?

Mickey and Minnie Mouse’s book.

[TM Disney]

The Halloween photo that I made that the monsters invited themselves in. The LEGO Group asked if they could share this photo on their Instagram account… so that was really special to me!

Natasja’s Halloween photo.

What comes first: the build or the idea?

Most of the time the build and then the idea, like I did with the Harry Potter books… I made my Mickey and Minnie book version from it.

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What was your biggest challenge photographing LEGO bricks?

I came up with an idea for other Mickey and Minnie builds. In July I was preparing to make a series of Christmas cards for the Stuckinplastic card exchange, which is a yearly event to send your best wishes to people all over the world. I wanted to use only six colors in my builds (Tan, Blue, White, Red, Gray, and Black) and make different scenes with these colors.

Do you have a favorite LEGO photo, and will you share it with us?

Every photo that I’ve made is dear to me because they are representing a story or a feeling behind it when I made it… so I can’t choose.

Your work is fantastic, but everyone has to start somewhere! If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you make sure they knew on day one of their toy photography journey?

Don’t go for the followers, go for what you like….and do it for yourself. You made a photo with your intentions, and yes, some will like it and some will not. Be proud of what you do!

Mickey and Minnie Mouse through the seasons. [TM Disney]

You can see more of Natasja’s photography at her website: https://www.by-anna-photography.com or by scanning this QR code!

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LEGO Toy Photography:

Community

A Community Gallery Article by Shelly Corbett

The worldwide LEGO toy photography community is amazing and varied! There is too much talent to be showcased in one magazine, so I asked a few friends to share their thoughts on why they enjoy this hobby and what inspires them. Here are their responses.

How long have you been a toy photographer and what first attracted you to this hobby?

Robert Whitehead @shundeez_official

I studied fine art and majored in Photography. I always loved photography and collecting toys. I never thought of combining the two until I saw an image by Mike Stimpson (@ balakov) of a LEGO Stormtrooper lying on a bed of red confetti. It was a recreation of the American Beauty poster and it just spoke to me. I thought to myself “I could that” and so started my toy photography journey way back in 2013.

Ellen Brantley @ebfortworth

[TM Marvel Entertainment, Inc.]

I have been a toy photographer for less than a year. I had no idea that was a thing until I watched a Lensbaby seminar and found Shelly Corbett’s whimsical photos. I was hooked! But as each creative person goes our own way, I started matching minifigs with my love of mountain adventures. I have a background in photography, and I enjoy hand painting digital portraits of people and pets. I thought, why not paint my minifigs? By painting my images, I can give a more personal style to my images. Delving into toy photography has been entertaining and freeing (although it can be a little frustrating when you have the perfect shot, and the little guy falls over!). Toy photography is something that is fun, easy (kind of...), and a hobby anyone with a camera (even your phone) can do!

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Sabrina Tungol @theperrylegoeadventures I have been a toy photographer since 2016. What originally attracted me to the hobby, was the idea that I could take two SigFigs that looked like me and my husband and then recreate our love story in photographs. I was suddenly able to relive moments from my past and create photos I was never able to take. Once I started, I fell in love with the idea that I can create and build any scene from my imagination for just a few dollars and my camera.

Jon @legophotosource I’ve been a toy photographer for a little over a year now and have found the community very friendly and welcoming. What originally attracted me to this hobby was the LEGO photography book, Small Scenes from a Big Galaxy created by Vesa Lehtimäki.

His amazing and intricate scenes really inspired me to try out LEGO photography for myself.

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Where did you get your best photography ideas?

Kristina Alexanderson @kalexanderson

I get my best photography ideas in my ordinary life. I’m able to capture scenes I see but don’t have the opportunity to record with my camera. I use my toys to recreate these scenes from my everyday life.

Maëlick Claes @maelickinthenorth While music and cinematography are two major sources of inspiration for me, it’s the Nordic outdoors that has the biggest impact on my photography. It’s by going out and experiencing nature that I feel the most inspired to take photos of toys, hoping to capture a bit of that feeling and share it. Here in Northern Finland, the forests and lakes are plagued with mosquitoes during the summer.

Because of this, the two most essential items in my backpack are a mosquito net and bug repellent. Without them, it can be challenging, sometimes even impossible, to take photos.

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@legoanywhere I get my best photography ideas from places in the world with beautiful scenery. I want to recreate endless breathtaking scenes with LEGO minifigures which have always resided in my head. I hope that these lovely minifigures may, inside their dreamy and breathtaking sceneries, spread their spirits of boundless dreams and adventures.

Luigi Prioro @Priovit70 Toy photographing to me means primarily having fun. I always try to put something funny or odd in my images. It could be an unusual situation or just an object that simply doesn’t fit. So in my backpack “arsenal” I always have a lot of LEGO food or accessories to add in the scene.

[TM Marvel Entertainment, Inc.]

Great ideas come frequently from personal experiences, but the best ones come when I least expect them.

I often realize I’m laughing by myself during the setup, and that is the funniest part. I’m really pleased when I manage to get a smile out of my followers, but the biggest reward is when someone comments on a photo suggesting a hilarious caption I didn’t even think of.

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Matthew Wyjad @morriswhyadd I get my best ideas while shooting other mediocre ideas, often immediately after disassembling the setup.

Shooting in the moment without much forethought often takes me places that I never expect. There is something about finishing a scene and tearing it down that jolts my brain into realizing how I really should have shot it. I also get my very best ideas from my wife.

What are your essential tools in your toy photography arsenal, and what might we find surprising in your tool kit? (i.e. bubble gum, peacock feathers, etc.)

Laurent Delcroix @laurent_delcroix Since I was a little boy, I loved LEGOs. Like many people, I went through my Dark Ages. In 2021, one day while shopping, I came across the bags of collectible figures and the passion took hold again. I had been collecting figurines for some time and had always taken pictures. Then, one day, I saw Avanaut’s work, and it clicked. Linking my two passions became obvious, LEGO figures and photography. My tools are the Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro with a Canon 6D, a tripod and lighting with LED bulbs that can change color. To show people that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to take pictures, I’ve put myself under the constraint to use lights that many people have at home. Finally, my essentials tools are wire and paste! Without that, it’s impossible to create movements for my minifigs.

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Marco Zanconi @the_aphol The one unexpected tool in my toy photography arsenal is my inseparable light modifiers: IKEA plastic glasses!

What kind of reaction are you looking for from your viewers and /or what has been your most treasured feedback?

James Garcia @thereeljames While the reaction I’m looking for from my audience might differ depending on what the photo is, I always love seeing someone have a truly genuine connection to my work, separate from the actual quality of the photo. Whether that be a laugh, gasp, or even “Awwww,” it’s always so gratifying when your art connects with the viewer. My most treasured feedback has come from children. I feel like a kid again when I’m taking the photos, so there’s nothing like seeing a child’s face light up when they see these LEGO minifigures come to life through photography. I always hope it will inspire them to give the hobby a shot themselves someday!

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Keith Yip @castleinthepool

[TM Marvel Entertainment, Inc.]

I always try to bring a level of realism to my LEGO photography, using mainly lighting and posing minifigures in ways otherwise thought impossible. These days I mostly shoot scenes from super-hero movies or TV series. Hence, the best reaction I can possibly get is someone saying, “Wow, that came straight out of the movie!”

Ceri Barrett @verysmallworlds When I’m planning and creating images I’m usually trying to evoke a specific feeling, whether it’s tranquility, nervous anticipation, love, or even just the peaceful stillness of a morning before you wake up—so when someone gets that feeling from looking at the final image, that’s wonderful!

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If you could go back in in time and talk to your younger self, what would you make sure they knew on day one of their toy photography journey?

Vesa Lehtimäki @avanaut If I could go back in time and talk to the toy photography experimentalist of my early teens, I would say, “Go and seek someone to teach you how a camera works.” Learn about aperture, exposure time and the ISO system. Make sure you have access to a fully manual camera where you can control everything you need to.

Sell your bike, sell whatever you must to raise the money for a good secondhand SLR camera and lens.

Perhaps knowing this would have encouraged me to follow my dream, rather than spending decades failing because of simple technical obstacles at the age of around thirteen.

Ang Cheng Ann (aka. Sunny) @zekezachzoom If I could go back in in time and talk to my younger self, I would tell him to keep that sense of wonder and imagination. Protect the inner child.

It’s easy to just click the shutter to make a picture, but what is in front of the camera, i.e. the story you want to create, is more difficult.

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Ki young Lee @kiyoungphoto I’m mainly going through the process of editing images taken with cameras in Photoshop. In photographs, you can add amazing effects that you could not implement, and you can try various productions such as flying and using magic.

I can also express painting filial piety that you cannot feel in general photos like masterpieces. My parents didn’t like me playing with toys when I was a kid, but my attachment to LEGO was very big. My parents threw away my LEGO; they thought to keep and play LEGO was wrong.

But I want to tell my younger self this: “You’re doing well and don’t give up what you love.”

Marco Zanconi @the_aphol If I was to go back in time and give my younger toy photography self a little advice, it would be that scale is everything, and to save my money and buy a lot of goats!

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LEGOgraphy

Taking Your First Shots

Article and Photography by Tomek Lasek Instagram: @tomekskog

Where do you start?

After seeing all these amazing photos in this issue, full of special effects, you’re probably wondering: Where do you start?

Starting is as easy as taking your phone out of your pocket! In fact, many of the photographers featured started with their camera phones. The camera phone has many advantages compared to a full-sized camera or even a pocket instamatic: • It’s always with you

• It has infinite depth of field

• It’s perfect for getting below the figure

• It can easily photograph a scene from a variety of angles All that you need is a toy or two, a little practice and a story to tell.

Storytelling is where the fun really starts! Toy photography gives you unlimited possibilities. You can be the director of your favorite game, movie, or book. Characters as varied as Luke Skywalker and Gollum are at your fingertips. By starting with your favorite storylines, you can study the work of other artists and the original designers.

How is the scene composed? What lighting angles were used? How are the subjects posed? Not only is this fun, but learning from the masters is always rewarding.

Here are some examples of toy pictures taken with phone cameras.

[TM Lucasfilm.]

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By studying the images of photographers, cinematographers and artists that inspire you, you will often stumble upon your own original ideas. While it’s fun to recreate others’ work, telling your own stories through toy photography can be more fun. With the help of the LEGO minifigure and your imagination, you can construct entire worlds to photograph. Everything is literally in your hands!

Toy photography changed the way I look at the world.

While walking down the street, I often look at the scene through the eyes of my minifigures. Where others will see a bit of moss, a rusty piece of metal or an ugly puddle, I see a magical land, post-apocalyptic ruins, and a lake.

It is great fun!

Here are a few basic tips and tricks to get you started:

Feel free to explore hashtags such as #toyphotography, #toy_photography or #legography on Instagram to see more amazing Legography.

As world famous photographer Chase Jarvis once said, “the best camera is the one that’s with you.” We invite you to grab your toys and your phone and come join the fun!

• Place your phone as low as you can, as this allows you to create the illusion of lifelike minifigures • Use a small tripod or pad to keep your camera steady to keep your subject in focus

• Use a bounce card (any large, white, and relatively rigid surface) to reflect light into the shadows • Use an extra light source such as a small LED light or telescoping flashlight

• Have sticky tack and stiff wire on hand to help position your minfigures in dynamic positions Editing apps such as Snapseed, Pixlr, Remove Object, or PS Express will help bring out the best in your images.

For inspiration, tips, and to connect with other toy photographers, check out the following: Brickcentral.net (Instagram: @brickcentral) A worldwide community of LEGO photographers.

StuckInPlastic.com (Instagram: @stuckinplastic) A creative collective of toy photographers based in Europe.

FotografiaCostruttiva.com (Instagram: @fotografiacostruttiva) An Italian community of LEGO enthusiasts of both bricks and photography.

ToyPhotographers.com (Instagram: _toyphotographers_) A blog and podcast for toy photographers.

[TM Pixar.]

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How-To

Do not cross the warrior’s path.

Alan Rappa:

Studio Lighting Article and Photography by Alan Rappa Instagram: @alanrippa

Introduction I feel like I should be using air quotes when I say “studio lighting,” because in the toy space, I only know a handful of photographers that have a legit studio setup for their work. For the rest of us, when it comes to toy photography, any workable space can be considered a studio. Just as well, it means that any light source you have on hand can be considered studio lighting.

While shooting outdoors under natural light may be the preferred approach for many photographers, using artificial light in a controlled environment can provide an immense amount of creative freedom. That is, once you understand how to effectively manage your light.

In this article I’m going to go over some basics of working with artificial light to provide a foundation for when shooting in your own studio.

Light Fundamentals When it comes to light, there are three primary principles you will want to understand, in order to manage them effectively. These principles are the light’s intensity, direction, and quality.

“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”

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Intensity and direction are pretty self-explanatory.

Intensity is simply how bright your light is, and direction describes where your light is coming from in relation to your subject. Light quality, on the other hand, may be a new concept to those getting started with photography.

Quality describes the hardness or softness of a light. The way to judge a light’s quality is by observing the shadows it creates on your scene. A soft light will have a smooth transition from light to dark, while a hard light will have a much more clearly defined line between light and dark.

Working with Light Each of these three principles will enhance your photo, and each will require their own approach in how you control them. The intensity of your light controls the brightness of your subject. If your light is too bright, your photo will be blown out and overexposed. If your light is too dim, your photo may be dark and underexposed.

If you have a light source that allows you to control its brightness, then you can easily adjust its intensity. If not, you can try increasing or decreasing the distance between your light source and your subject to adjust the amount of light. The further your light source from your subject, the less intense (dimmer) your light will be. The closer your light is to your subject, the more intense (brighter) your light will be.

The direction of your light will help you create dimension in your photo. A straight-on light can make your photos feel very one-dimensional and flat. Moving the direction of your light to the side of your subject can add depth to your photo by creating highlights and shadows.

The quality of light will impact the feel and appearance of your photo. Hard light can be used to add drama or draw emphasis by creating strong lines between highlights and shadows. Soft light can create a softer, gentle appearance by smoothing and more evenly spreading the light across your scene.

Like intensity, you can use distance to adjust the quality of your light, but you can also use a modifier known as a diffuser. Diffusers come in all shapes and sizes, but at their core they are semi-translucent objects that are placed in front of a light source in order to widen the spread and soften the light. In addition to softening a light, diffusers will also reduce a light’s intensity, which is why balancing these three primary principles is often a juggling act.

Types of Light Artificial light in a studio falls into two categories: continuous light and strobe light. Continuous light describes any light source that puts out a consistent level of light, such as a lamp or flashlight. Continuous light is great to work with, because it provides a ‘what you see is what you get’ approach, allowing you to adjust the intensity, direction and quality of your light source and see the immediate impact on your scene.

This flexibility makes continuous light very easy to pick up and learn, as you can experiment with your lighting setups until you find the look you are after. You’ll be able to see right away if there are any hot spots (areas where the light is too bright), reflections, or shadows in your scene just by moving and adjusting your light source.

Continuous light sources are also more easily found around the house to be repurposed for toy photography.

When I first started with toy photography, I used any light source I could get my hands on, from flashlights, to LED ice cubes, to chili-pepper string lights. There really is no limit to what you can utilize as a continuous light, and testing a wide variety of sources can help you explore and unlock new creative ideas.

Alan’s entry for an online contest depicting lady bounty hunters.

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Strobe Light

Strobe lights are the opposite of continuous light. Instead of putting out a continuous, consistent flow of light, strobes emit a fast, powerful burst similar to a flash of lightning. Oftentimes strobes are referred to as flashes as they fire both extremely bright and extremely quick.

The learning curve for strobe lights can be higher than continuous lighting, because you won’t be able to see the effect your light has on a scene until you actually start shooting. Once you begin shooting, there is a constant shoot, review, adjust, and repeat workflow as you dial in your exposure.

Who else was shocked when Benny showed up in Endgame to defeat Thanos?

Strobe lights pack more power than continuous lights, which allows you to use faster shutter speeds when shooting. This can open up creative options to freeze action if you are shooting scenes with explosions, splashes or flying debris.

Strobes are specialized photography gear, and not quite as easy to repurpose from items around the house. In addition to the strobe itself, most will require a device called a trigger that allows your camera to communicate with the strobe. Due to their power, strobes can also chew through batteries, so you’ll want to make sure you have plenty on hand during a photoshoot.

Best of Both Worlds

“My name is Carol!” [TM Marvel Entertainment, Inc.]

I hope this article helps illuminate (pun intended!) some of the basics of working with light in a studio. It may seem daunting when getting started, but a little experimentation goes a long way. Understanding the principles of light, and how to manipulate it will open limitless creative possibilities for your photography. Above all, don’t forget to have fun, because toy photography is just another way to play.

“I like to drink egg creams and fight Nazis. A lot...”

[TM Pixar.]

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“To infinity...”

Lighting Examples

Here are some examples of strobe lighting and how it can be used in a photo shoot.

Another example of hard light.

Light source is very close to the subject with no diffusion.

Example of diffused light.

Light source is still very close to the subject, but diffusion helps spread the light out more evenly, reducing the harsh line between highlights and shadows, creating a more pleasing appearance.

Example of hard light.

Creates a very distinct line between the highlights and shadows. Can be used creatively to create drama.

Repositioning the light helps to soften its spread and fill in the shadows.

Moving the light source further from your subject can also help to soften and spread the light more evenly.

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How-To

Shelly Corbett:

Taking Your Photography Outside!

Article and Photography by Shelly Corbett Instagram: shellycorbettphotography Website: shellycorbett.com

As a proud toy photographer, I’ve always gravitated towards capturing LEGO minifigures outdoors. Something about the mix of hard plastic with the natural environment is appealing to me. Plus, I find the process relaxing, challenging, and a great excuse to explore nature. Taking my minifigure friends with me hiking, to the local park or to the other side of the world, is always a rewarding adventure.

Preparing for an outdoor adventure, I make sure I have a few gadgets with me. These tools include a camera, extra lenses, a bounce card, small portable light, sticky tack, plastic supports, pad for kneeling on, hand clamps, and a small towel. With these resources I can generally capture the images I’m looking for. My success as an outdoor photographer is often dependent on how well I’ve prepared.

The sun moves quickly and the more complicated my setup is, the faster I need to execute it.

Top: “All work and no play” features a Mouseguard minifigure from Crazy Bricks.

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Left: “The road less traveled” is a promo photo taken for Crazy Bricks’ Dino Dudes Kickstarter campaign. Both photos use a Lensbaby composer lens and a wide open aperture to create a dreamy effect.

My Essential Gadgets CAMERA. I use a Sony mirrorless camera because its features include flip screen, focus peaking, image stabilization, and focus zoom. All these features facilitate tight focus of a tiny object while squatting on the ground in awkward positions—a situation I find myself in often.

LENSES. I use my lenses like a painter uses brushes. Each one creates a different look or feel. Currently I rely on the Lensbaby line of lenses because they’re compact and create a variety of looks. I use a combination of dedicated macro lenses, macro filters (these screw onto the front of my lens) and macro rings (which are spacers that turn any lens into a macro lens) to be able to focus close.

BOUNCE CARD. This might be my most essential tool besides my camera. A bounce card is basically any white piece of paper or stiff surface designed to redirect the light back onto the subject. This technique illuminates shadows and brings out the details. I use a piece of corrugated white plastic board for durability, but any white or reflective surface will work. I also carry a small clamp to keep the bounce card in position.

Tools of the trade: Clamp, bounce cards, LED lights, and a tripod.

EXTRA LIGHT. A small, rechargeable LED light is another essential part of my kit. There are days when the clouds don’t budge (especially where I live!) and a bright light adds highlights and contrast to a flat scene. I attach my LED light mounted on a flexible tripod to accommodate a variety of surfaces.

BRICKS AND BITS. Other small items I like to have on hand are small pieces of LEGO that help to lift and stabilize my minifigures. Small Technic pegs, translucent bars and bricks all work for this task. The Technic pins are great to poke into the ground, so my figures don’t fall over. Translucent bricks can help stabilize a boat or canoe in shallow water or lift a speeder ever so slightly above the surface. And the translucent bars are a great way to elevate my minifigures above the scene to give a sense of flying or movement.

STICKY STUFF. Unless you enjoy the challenge of balancing minifigures on uneven terrain (a very Zen activity), you will want to have some sticky tack along. I use blu-tack, museum putty, and a strong adhesive clear tape. To minimize clean up in Photoshop or equivalent, I use these sparingly. I always have a small ball of tack on my camera for quick access.

A setup for a shoot: The skateboard is held up by a wire attached to the skateboard using hot glue. The wire is later edited out using Photoshop. The stormtrooper’s legs are held in position and attached to the skateboard by the wonders of hot glue. Additional lighting is provided by a rechargeable LED on a flexible tripod. Again, the Lensbaby composer gives the image a unique feeling with blur and dreamy bokeh.

More tools: Clamp, wire and transparent elements to hold or suspend minifigures.

These can all be edited out of an image.

The final shot: “Live, love, laugh… skateboard!”

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[TM Disney.]

Before I set up a scene, I must remember to pay close attention to the surroundings and do a quick clean-up of the area before I start photographing. I remove dead leaves, sticks, stray grass, pebbles, pine needles, or anything else that might intrude on the illusion I’m trying to create. It’s shocking how messy the outdoors can be when you put your nose to the ground!

Top: “Up to no good” is a dynamic photo of Chip and Dale on speeder bikes.

Center left: The camera setup shows the Lensbaby composer lens which helps create the blurred effects in-camera. A bounce card is used to the right of the setup to bring out details in the shadows.

Below: Doing a photo shoot on location in Moab Utah. Because the figure is backlit, a bounce card is used to maximize the lighting and bring out the details in the shadows. Mounted to the Sony camera is a Lensbaby Sweet 35 lens. If the lens looks bent, it is!

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The resulting image: “Land shark.”

If you want to see more of Shelly’s work, you can go to www.shellycorbett.com or scan this QR code!

With practice, I’ve learned that all these tools and techniques help me create the illusion that my LEGO minifigures are alive. To best ‘sell’ my illusion, I get my camera lens way below my subject. By angling the lens up, or even with the subject’s eye level, he or she will appear more lifelike. I also pay close attention to the placement of hair and accessories to make sure they haven’t accidentally shifted during travel or set-up.

Proper placement of hands, arms and legs are essential to creating the illusion of life or movement. Even a slight twist of the head can suggest being caught mid-movement.

In the end, all these gadgets and tricks have only one purpose: helping me to tell my stories. If I don’t have anything to say or share, then all the techniques in the world won’t help me connect with my audience.

We have so many stories in common—movies, books, mythology, our common human experiences—and LEGOGRAPHY is a fun and unique way to bring these stories to life.

Shelly’s photos often reference famous pop culture books and movies like this image, titled “Phone home!”

A behind-the-scenes moment of Shelly in action at the 2019 Melbourne Toy Photography Meet-up with the final result (below). Photo credit: Ang Cheng Ann (aka Sunny).

I firmly believe that the magic and innocence of childhood still exists deep within us. LEGOGRAPHY helps me rediscover my own childhood joy and helps to remind others that this joy resides in them too. This is what makes LEGOGRAPHY special to me.

“Vacation on Hoth” was captured while Shelly was waiting for her son to finish his ski lessons.

Never leave home without your toys.

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How-To

Tom Milton:

Next Level Photography!

Article and Photography by Tom Milton Instagram:@tomtommilton Website: www.tommilton.co.uk

Radiative equilibrium

I regularly add various effects to my photography in an effort to create intriguing visual imagery and storytelling devices. And while I am more than happy to use Photoshop and digital editing in my photos, what really gets me excited is the use of practical effects. Through lighting, or motion blur, or adapting my camera lens, I love figuring out how I can make this happen in front of the camera and capture it in real time.

For a long time now, I’ve been striving to get a cinematic feel to my photography, and a big change I made a few years ago was with the purchase of an anamorphic lens.

This is a repurposed projector lens (the gold bit); this is then added to another lens attached to the camera. In this case it’s my Samyang 100mm Macro.

But what is anamorphic? Well, it is where a widescreen image we are used to seeing in the movies is “squashed” horizontally to originally fit onto 35mm film. With this lens it takes a 2.66:1 aspect ratio from the lens and becomes a 3:2 aspect ratio on the back of the camera. I then “unsquash” the image on the computer to create the wider final photo. Unfortunately, it does mean I have to focus twice, and it has to be done manually.

One of the side effects of using a lens like this is the cinematic lens flare they create, streaking across the image.

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For this particular photo and the series of photos that have preceded it, I took inspiration from the glowing face on the classic movie poster of The Thing along with the feeling of 2001: A Space Odyssey, creating my glowing-faced astronaut.

Inside the helmet I have 2x LED light-up studs with the helmet itself lined with aluminium foil to reflect the light and direct the glow out of the face hole.

Good. Your training begins at dawn.

With this photo I used the Spring Lantern Festival as my set for the photo along with Master Wu from the Ninjago Movie. Master Wu is standing just inside the round entranceway to the garden and is lit from behind by an LED torch; these are super-cheap online and make for great spotlights with their zoomable focus.

Combined with some atmosphere spray, the torch forms a glow from behind and the light is dispersed through the opening of the set, creating light beams around Master Wu and towards the camera. I also love how the light catches the ornamental gaps in the wall to create the outside details in the photo.

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Hello there!

For this photo I used an LED light-up saber, with the light embedded in the hilt.

Having practical lighting is always a positive for me, so the reflections and cast light are genuine and true across the minifigure and the set. It can be a challenge to get the whole blade to light up in the resulting photo, but with a long exposure of 60 seconds for this particular photo, the glow can be allowed to spread across the scene.

Using the minifigure of Obi Wan from Episode III, I wanted to hint at what we might get from the upcoming Disney+ series, after he has returned to the deserts of Tatooine. There was also some influence from when he returned for his short cameo in Star Wars Rebels, with the night setting.

To make the sand, I use a mixture of ground brown sugars, to give a fine granulated nature similar to sand. I also love how the odd grain will catch the light and add a little sparkle to the image.

I set the whole thing up inside a fish tank; you can just see the power cable coming out in the top right corner. I use the fish tank to control the environment, and with a closed top, it can hold the atmosphere spray I use, so it lingers like a fog and increases the glow off of the lightsaber.

If you want to see more of Tom’s work, you can go to his website at www.tommilton.co.uk or scan this QR code!

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Don’t be afraid of who you are.

With this photo, I also used the fish tank technique, and it’s easier to see the fog of the spray filling the tank as the backlight shines through it. I really like using backlights to create contrast and silhouettes; it’s something seen a lot in movies and adds to a cinematic feel.

I use lab stands as my lighting rigging when in a studio setting, as the LED torches I use fit into the test tube grips. I have two that allow for a variety of backlighting, spotlighting, and other setups as required.

For the background in this photo I actually used a freeze frame from the Star Wars Biomes short on Disney+, paused on a scene from Tatooine. I think I can speak for lots of toy photographers who have been doing this type of thing with a digital background for a while, that it’s very cool to see this kind of thing being used in The Mandalorian.

Using digital backgrounds is great for minifigures to be able to travel to far flung and otherworldly locations. But using these backgrounds does come with a few things that need to be remembered. Firstly, the depth of field will be much flatter in the background, as it is all a flat image, so the focus and the bokeh of the camera won’t work on various distances, as they don’t exist.

Secondly there will be a gap between the foreground and background, because no middle ground exists. Blending the gap between the two can be a little tricky. In this photo I was happy to use the background, as the fog of the spray inside the fish tank acted to create a blurring between the layers of the photo.

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Qty Part 3 3623.dat 3 3710.dat 1 3794b.dat

Vintage Camera Design and Instructions by the BrickNerd Team

Capturing a moment in time by looking through a viewfinder and pressing a shutter will never get old—even though for many of us, time has moved on and we now use our mobile phones for the same purpose.

But what better way to take a trip down memory lane than building a classic camera?

The BrickNerd team has designed a small callback to this iconic companion of the past: a cute little vintage camera, complete with a viewfinder, a shutter knob and a lens.

There’s some fancy sideways building going on to capture some of the iconic curves that should make for an interesting model. Oh, and did we mention that you can build it in teal? What a treat!

This was a fun little model to design—we hope you’ll enjoy building it just as much as we did designing it!

Parts List

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

Qty Part 4 3005.dat 3 3022.dat 2 3023.dat 3 3024.dat 3 3069b.dat 1 3176.dat

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Color Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey

Description Brick 1 x 1 Plate 2 x 2 Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 1 Tile 1 x 2 with Groove Plate 3 x 2 with Hole

Color Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey

2

4032b.dat Lt Bluish Grey

2

11211.dat

Lt Bluish Grey

2 1

11477.dat 14769.dat

Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey

1

15068.dat

Lt Bluish Grey

2

20482.dat

Lt Bluish Grey

2

24201.dat

Lt Bluish Grey

2 1 2

25269.dat 33291.dat 35459.dat

Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey

2

37352.dat

Lt Bluish Grey

1

56145.dat

Lt Bluish Grey

2

60592.dat

Lt Bluish Grey

1 3

63864.dat 87087.dat

Lt Bluish Grey Lt Bluish Grey

1

87580.dat

Lt Bluish Grey

1

99206.dat

Lt Bluish Grey

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

3024.dat Black 43898.dat Black 87994.dat Black 3001.dat Dk Turquoise 3004.dat Dk Turquoise 3005.dat Dk Turquoise 3023.dat Dk Turquoise 3034.dat Dk Turquoise 3068b.dat Dk Turquoise 3460.dat Dk Turquoise 3795.dat Dk Turquoise 6192.dat Dk Turquoise 32064a.dat Dk Turquoise

4

34103.dat

Dk Turquoise

5

87087.dat

Dk Turquoise

2

60601.dat

Trans Black

1

2654a.dat

Trans Clear

Description Plate 1 x 3 Plate 1 x 4 Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud Plate 2 x 2 Round with Axlehole Type 2 Brick 1 x 2 with Two Studs on One Side Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 Tile 2 x 2 Round with Round Underside Stud Slope Brick Curved 2 x 2 x 0.667 Tile 1 x 1 Round with Pin and Pin Hole Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 Inverted Tile 1 x 1 Corner Round Plate 1 x 1 Round with Tabs Plate 1 x 3 Inverted with Bar Hole Brick 1 x 2 with Curved Top without Understud Wheel Rim 20 x 30 with 6 Spokes and External Ribs Window 1 x 2 x 2 without Sill Tile 1 x 3 Brick 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side Plate 2 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud Plate 2 x 2 x 0.667 with Two Studs On Side and Two Raised Plate 1 x 1 Dish 3 x 3 Inverted Bar 3L Brick 2 x 4 Brick 1 x 2 Brick 1 x 1 Plate 1 x 2 Plate 2 x 8 Tile 2 x 2 with Groove Plate 1 x 8 Plate 2 x 6 Brick 2 x 4 with Curved Top Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Axlehole Type 1 Plate 1 x 3 with 2 Studs Offset Brick 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side Glass for Window 1 x 2 x 2 without Sill Dish 2 x 2 with Rim

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BrickNerd was a LEGO fan website that was started by Tommy Williamson. Relaunched in 2021 by Dave Schefcik and some of the best LEGO builders in the world, the site continues the mission started by Tommy: to show the best of the LEGO fan community online with builds, interviews and articles. BrickJournal is proud to continue its 58 partnership with BrickNerd.

You can go to the BrickNerd website by typing: https://bricknerd.com/ on your browser or by scanning this QR code!

WHATEVER YOU’RE INTO, BUILD IT WITH

BOOKS & BACK ISSUES!

BrickJournal 50 is a special double-size book! #

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

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Customize Minifigures!

ALL FOR $132!

BrickJournal columnist Jared K. Burks’ two books—Minifigure Customization: Populate Your World! and the sequel Minifigure Customization2: Why Live In The Box?—show a wide range of techniques you can use to alter the lovable LEGO® Minifigure!

•V irtual customization, and designing decals •C ustom part modification and creation •3 -D printing and painting techniques • L ighting with LEDs or EL wire • I deas on displays and digital photography •P lus a custom gallery with tips & tricks!

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NO SUBSTITUTIONS or DELETIONS!

Building

He-Man as seen in the cartoons.

[TM & © Mattel]

Minifig Customization 101:

By the Power of Inkjet Printing!

Article by Chris Campbell and Jared Burks Jared Burks: I have written several articles with the help, inspiration, or direct input from my friend, Chris Campbell, who is a co-writer of today’s article. Chris has recently started Geeky Ink Studios, a new custom minifigure printing company. To tackle and understand just what is possible using his new printer, we decided to create a He-Man, Masters of the Universe figure as an initial study. I call this a study as we are learning how to print and what the technology can offer, that will alter or expand the creative process.

In order to create a He-Man figure in a LEGO format, we had to understand what He-Man looks like. Because this is something from many of our childhoods, it is more what we recall it looking like, versus what he actually looked like. This gets more complicated with the Netflix reboot of the cartoon with the new version of the character. We actually showed people the art I created from the cartoon, and many started asking about details from the toys. For some reason, the cartoon He-Man was missing details like the red accents on the chest armor that were on the toy. It turns out that we have biased memories from our childhood based on a merged view of the cartoon and the toy. If you happened to be a big He-Man fan, you may also have memories from the comic books, which further diluted the representation of the character.

For now we settled on a hybrid version of He-Man to include details from the original toy, as well as details from the show.

Chris Campbell: I’m a longtime fan of MOTU (yes, since the early ’80s toys were released, which was before the cartoon). I’ve seen every iteration of the cartoons, starting with the original commercials and ’80s Filmation series ranging to the not-so-great 1990s The New Adventures of He-Man and the 2002

He-Man figures.

reboot (that I did like) to the current Netflix 2021 Masters of the Universe cartoon.

I also read way too many comics and all the mini-comics included with the various Mattel figures. I could basically write a thesis about MOTU at this point, but I digress. I had MOTU toys before I ever even had LEGO. I’ve been wanting a proper custom LEGO He-Man figure for a long time, and sure, there are some bad Chinese knockoffs out there, as well as the Mega-Construx version, but nothing that really brought home the real feel and experience in a custom LEGO minifigure form. After finally convincing Jared to work on a design for it, he delivered… unfortunately, he didn’t deliver what I wanted/ remembered, so we had to make several modifications.

He-Man minifigures.

While Jared is amazing at design, I like to tinker and modify more, so I took Jared’s initial design and immediately texted him saying, “It’s missing the chest armor boxes.” His response was, “It wasn’t in the reference pictures.”

We realized after chatting that he was only looking at references from the ’80s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe from Filmation. While that’s where probably 99% of the world “knows” He-Man from originally, the Filmation cartoon had taken the original figures/characters and had to simplify them for animation production purposes. When looking at the cartoon, many details are lost for most of the characters (though Duncan aka Man-At-Arms was given an extra mustache in order to differentiate him from the rest of the royal guard).

Back to the minifigure, after explaining (okay, vehemently complaining for days), I got a new art file with the boxes added. At this point I started nitpicking again, as I could barely see the boxes. This is where I stepped in to start the modification process.

To be able to chronicle my changes, I created a new file anytime I modded the figure. Basically, I considered Jared’s new file with the boxes to be file Mark 0 as my starting place (hence abbreviated Mk#). And like a good Star Trek film, I only took the even number modifications to physically print after the first one.

I started a Mk1 file and immediately took the chest armor and stretched it a bit. While generally LEGO prints to a specific gap at the edge of the torso, I decided I wanted to go just as close as we could to the edges of the figure for a few reasons. First, I thought it would look better; and second, I really wanted to see how precise our figure template was, as well as the jig/fixture that was made for the

Minifigure jig for printer.

He-Man figure in package.

Minifigure print Mark I.

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printer. After my chest armor modifications—which included stretching and curving a bit differently, as well as making the boxes larger—I printed out the figure.

Minifigure digital print file for Mark I.

This was the first actual minifigure I had printed with this new fixture. As it turns out, the fixture was perfect… however, my art file was off by .4mm. I discovered this as the torso and legs were all printed to the side. When going back to check the art file, sure enough, I had goofed, and had to reposition everything to line up with the art that the fixture was made from. After getting that fixed, I printed again on cheaper parts, and the minifigure turned out very good.

After looking at the minfigure for a while, I came up with a list of other things that now needed to be tweaked. After showing the printed figure to Jared, he was not to be outdone. Hours later, I got another set of new artwork. This time, the chest armor was bigger, and some “non-visible” issues were corrected, as well as having bigger boxes. He wasn’t a fan of my modded chest plate, so this art now became He-Man Mk2.

Mk2 was a great design. I printed out the front and decided I wanted to make it a “fancy” figure. By fancy, I mean I wanted to see what we could do to make the armor raise off the chest, so it had texture to it. While something LEGO would never do, this was to be what I wanted, and I wanted a chest armor that was printed, but rose off the torso.

The Mark I (left) compared to the Mark 0.

Another look at the Mark I. The Mark II.

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My new printer has several great options, including a clear gloss feature. With this, I can go through the software and have it print as true gloss, matte, or gloss embossing wherever needed. I tried each but settled for the embossing feature. I then layered the embossing multiple times just for the great chest part and printed, and then went back and layered the red cross and boxes on the chest again several times. It had a notable effect. Not only does it just look smoother and shinier from the front, it did in fact turn out to have a feel-able difference on the torso, so that you could make out where the chest parts were and the boxes/cross on the chest part sticking out even further. While this is somewhat difficult to photograph, Gloss embossing pass on the printer.

The Mark IV (left) compared to the Mark I (right).

The printed arms to the Mark VI.

The Mark VI.

I think we can show that pretty well in the photo.

The Mk2 worked well, but it still had issues, including color problems, alignment issues on the sides, and a few smaller issues that most people would look over. Well, again, this is something I have always wanted, so it really started the creative juices going. While Jared had been swamped with work and family duties, I just took that file and went to town with more mods.

The Mark VI (left) with the Mark VIII.

There were very minimal changes to the Mk3, mainly just some minor alignment issues. After trying that, the Mk4 was started with a different color LEGO hip piece to help blend the color better, as well as some more changes to the arm to print better. At this point, I also made the chest boxes bigger again, by lessening the black outline size.

The Mark VIII minifigure showing raised printing.

The Mk5 version brought about changes to the pants, to make them look more like the “wooly” briefs used on the character and figure in the ’80s. Previously they had just not really come up enough on the hips. The Mk5 also brought about a color change for the boots. This was done to help us color in the top of the foot, which is not a surface I am able to print to, due to the angle involved.

With the Mk6 version, I made another color change. The arms muscles were still looking too much like tattoos at this point, so I lightened the colors. I ended up doing so again for Mk6.5. Also at this point, although I couldn’t print it as I didn’t have a fixture that would hold it properly (yet), I also added more details to the side of the legs to add the hips and belt on the side of the figure to make sure we had a full-around print on the minifig (yes, I also print the inside and back of the legs). Hopefully I will be able to make this a reality in the next week or two, but for now, the changes were only in the art, and were turned off for printing purposes.

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During all of these test prints, I had neglected He-Man’s face and had been using a stock Star Wars face for a stand-in. Mainly Jared’s original face design was a “snarling” mean face that just didn’t evoke He-Man’s jovial nature to me.

I mean, even in the middle of a fight with Skeletor, he would crack jokes. So I let Jared know his services were required, as we needed a happier He-Man. The Mk7 iteration brought about some more changes to the feet to make some better color decisions, after Jared pointed out we could bring back the fuzzy top to the boots that the toy version had in the ’80s, as well as do a color parity with the rest of the design. After working on that and having to realign the top of the boots on all the sides, that change turned out very well and gave a bit more pop to the figure, in my opinion. I also decided to see what it would look like to print light nougat over the light nougat parts we were using. As the “ink” we use is not 100% opaque, you would normally do a white base print to get the true color you want. In this case, I just turned off under printing to make the muscles. As it turned out, the color on color was perfect. It was darker, as you basically had colored over the same color, so it was still much lighter than nougat; however, dark enough to distinguish itself from the light nougat part.

The final figure, the Mark VIII.

I was very happy with our new He-Man creation at this point; however, it dawned on me that over the course of the few days of working on this, we had lost the initial thought of raising the design off the torso. With that, the Mk8 added four new face designs that Jared had provided, and we brought back the raised armor parts, this time even including He-Man’s gauntlets. As of this writing, this is the final version of the “Classic He-Man.” Is this figure perfect? Surely not, but it is a labor of love, and hopefully everyone will see the work that went into it and have happy thoughts of their childhood. Jared also designed a minifigure based on the new Netflix version, so I’m sure I’ll take up modding that next. And yes, to answer that burning question everyone has at this point, Skeletor is on his way as well at some point.

What I’ve learned during this experience is that while we might remember something a certain way, it is generally the rose-tinted glasses condition. While I wanted my original He-Man figure in LEGO form, if you look back, that’s really a terrible idea. The first version in the ’80s forgot to paint the gauntlets, so they were flesh-colored, as well as several other color issues. With the recent resurgence from Mattel with the Classics line in retail, they gave us what we thought we had in the first place, and that’s kind of what I wanted—a better, souped-up version, basically what I imagined the toy to be when I was playing with it as a kid. Memory is a unique thing, recapturing childhood is challenging, but quite the fun ride if you are able to experience it. We hope this has recalled a few of your childhood memories, and challenge everyone to continue to experiment with how you create custom figures.

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

A look at the raised printing on the rear.

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

On sale:

5 each!

$

Come back next issue for more Minifigure Customization!

64

You Can Build It MINI Build

Design and Instructions

by Christopher Deck

Imperial Troop Transport (ITT) Parts List

Main Body

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

Qty Color Part 3 Light-Bluish-Gray 87087.dat 1 Light-Bluish-Gray 32952.dat

Hello everybody, I’m glad to see you all back for our next mini-building session! Today I want to take you back to the recent animated television series Star Wars: Rebels!

While we usually focus on the spot-on starships, I’d like to show you a ground vehicle today. It looks quite ordinary at a first glance, but the trickiness is its interior.

The Imperial Troop Transport, or ITT for short, is present throughout the entire series. It is employed as troop transport, recon vessel and cargo transport. Although the head looks bulky, the real shape is of a rarely seen wedged type. To get a close match for this shape built in bricks, I was really happy to see those new 3x3 wedge slopes (part numbers 42862 and 48165)!

When attaching those with a 1x1 snot brick to the sides, you get almost a width of five studs. Thus, the rest of the transport had to have this width, too. So, the inner speeder construction contains a connection from two to three studs by using a 1x6 Technic plate (part 4262) and a 3x2 plate with hole (part 3176). You can see this in building steps 2 and 3. The construction is stabilized by a one to two studs connection using a 1x1 brick with single stud on the side (part 87087) and a standard Technic 1x2 brick (part 3700).

This is shown in steps 10 and 11.

So, although we continue to get more and more new piece types like the 1x3 double jumper plate (part 34103), which also allows a shift from two to three studs in width, previously designed elements still are a great (alternative) choice for building. I wish you happy building and I’ll see you next time!

1 1 2 1 4 1 3 3 1 1 3 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 6 1 2 1 1

Description Brick 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side Brick 1 x 1 x 1.667 with Studs on 1 Side Light-Bluish-Gray 3004.dat Brick 1 x 2 Light-Bluish-Gray 3010.dat Brick 1 x 4 Light-Bluish-Gray 3009.dat Brick 1 x 6 Light-Bluish-Gray 30367b.dat Cylinder 2 x 2 with Dome Top with Axle Hole and Blocked Stud Dark-Bluish-Gray 2654.dat Dish 2 x 2 Dark-Bluish-Gray 30162.dat Minifig Binoculars with Round Eyepiece Light-Bluish-Gray 3024.dat Plate 1 x 1 Light-Bluish-Gray 3023.dat Plate 1 x 2 Trans-Black 3023.dat Plate 1 x 2 Light-Bluish-Gray 3794b.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud Light-Bluish-Gray 3666.dat Plate 1 x 6 Light-Bluish-Gray 3022.dat Plate 2 x 2 Light-Bluish-Gray 3021.dat Plate 2 x 3 Light-Bluish-Gray 3795.dat Plate 2 x 6 Light-Bluish-Gray 3176.dat Plate 3 x 2 with Hole Light-Bluish-Gray 11212.dat Plate 3 x 3 Light-Bluish-Gray 85984.dat Slope Brick 31 1 x 2 x 0.667 Light-Bluish-Gray 93604.dat Slope Brick Curved 3 x 4 x 0.667 Rounded Light-Bluish-Gray 3700.dat Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Hole Light-Bluish-Gray 4262.dat Technic Plate 1 x 6 with Holes Dark-Bluish-Gray 2412b.dat Tile 1 x 2 Grille with Groove Light-Bluish-Gray 3069b.dat Tile 1 x 2 with Groove Light-Bluish-Gray 2432.dat Tile 1 x 2 with Handle Light-Bluish-Gray 3068b.dat Tile 2 x 2 with Groove Light-Bluish-Gray 26603.dat Tile 2 x 3 Light-Bluish-Gray 42862.dat Wedge 3 x 3 Sloped Left Light-Bluish-Gray 48165.dat Wedge 3 x 3 Sloped Right

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The Ebon Hawk.

ebon hawk

Dawud Farid and Gabriel Kirkland’s

Ebon Hawk Article by Steven Smyth, Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars Photography by Alec Turner, www.tfp.nyc

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. Dash Rendar and Gabriel Kirkland are a very talented MOC builder and instruction designer, respectively, in the community. I thought it would be great to learn more about this skilled building team and this Ebon Hawk design.

Steven Smyth: How’s it going gentlemen? I’ve known Dash for some time now through the Facebook group, and everyone in Bantha Bricks has been wowed by your many awesome Star Wars builds over the years, but for the uninitiated please introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do.

Dash Rendar: Hey Steven, my name is Dawud Farid aka Dash Rendar, and first I would like to thank you for having us. We love the page, the magazine and all of community and philanthropic work you do, especially in the children’s hospitals.

Also joining us for this interview is the digital instruction craftsman, Gabriel Kirkland. I would pose the same question, please introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do.

Gabriel Kirkland: Well, first just to be in this interview gives me goosebumps.

When we started talking, I was focused more on getting Dash in the spotlight; working with him has given me a sense of purpose and happiness I have not felt in some time. I do not do well talking about myself, but I will give it a go. I am 33, live in California, married, and only got back into LEGO because of my wife.

She bought me a BB-8 set for Christmas a few years ago. Man, it was like a light came back on. I moved around a lot and I had a small LEGO Star Wars collection but during one of the moves it was all given to Goodwill; it was heartbreaking.

Since that BB-8 set, I joined LEGO groups on Facebook and kept seeing customs and I felt like I just needed to try that. I started out with color variants for the Episode 8 and 9 X-Wing fighters while dabbling in Stud.io and LDD.

What happened next?

GK: People seemed to really like them and they started asking me for parts lists and instructions. I was blown away that people wanted to build what I had modified. From there I was given the UCS Slave I and just had to make a Jango Fett Slave I to match, so I made that. It was at about that time I met Dash and he was making posts about the Ebon Hawk. My eyes lit up and I reached out asking if he had plans to make instructions. We spent the next few months talking and video chatting. Dash sent me hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures breaking sections down, and I would rebuild them in Stud.io until we had our first set of instructions. The first time someone bought them, I called him and freaked out, and we have just kept collaborating ever since. We created BrickBoyz Custom Designs with just the two of us, and now we are up to five people, and they are amongst the greatest people I have ever met.

Would you say Star Wars is your favorite theme? Or do you have a surprise theme for us?

DR: Star Wars has had the largest and longest influence on my life, so I would say that Star Wars, hands down, is my all-time favorite theme. I love building Batman related things, as well as mecha and exo-suits, but it always comes back to that galaxy far, far away.

GK: For me, it is in this order: Star Wars, Bionicle, Marvel and Harry Potter.

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

DR: I did not really choose LEGO inasmuch as it chose me.

GK: That is a multiple part answer. First I am not good at anything else; I cannot draw, paint, sculpt, sing, or dance. It reminds me of when I made my first sets, the numbered race cars; they were small, but honestly some of the most fun I had as a kid. Second, the people: Steve, Dash, FX, Michael, and Andrew—I could not ask for a better crew.

The loading ramp and cockpit.

Exterior panels fold up to reveal the interior of the ship.

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deck plans

Dormitory beds

Medical Bay

(port and starboard)

Bathroom

Cargo Bay

Lounge

Hyperdrive

ebon hawk

A forward view of the interior.

Your latest build of the Ebon Hawk from the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic videogame had everyone awestruck; what inspired you to build that particular ship?

DR: It is one of the most beautiful ships in the Star Wars galaxy. I did not really have a choice. I had to build it. Just like the Outrider, the Razor Crest and countless other ships and freighters.

I’m always curious about people who delve beyond the Star Wars films and pull inspiration from Expanded Universe material; can you tell us what you enjoy about Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic?

DR: The history and how vast the Star Wars universe is, far beyond the reaches of Mos Eisley and also Darth Revan.

GK: I must have played that game hundreds of times, but never have done a dark side run, and it has to be one of the best redemption stories in the Star Wars universe. You could escape into that game for hours without stopping. I was just able to play both games again with fan mods.

Access to the lower gun turret.

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

DR: I try to use every technique possible, from SNOT (Studs Not On Top) to greebling. I try to rework everything until it feels right to me.

What are your favorite design elements you created for the Ebon Hawk?

DR: The landing gear, the engines, the medical bay, and bathroom. The nose of the ship, the loading ramp, the arms and the curves. I am just going to say the ship. The entire ship.

GK: The engines! He really had my jaw dropping with those.

How did you know or figure out how to build such an amazing and seemingly accurate starship?

DR: Externally, the build is as accurate as I could have made it, but not so much internally, so I had to take a lot of liberties. I do not think the Ebon Hawk has a bathroom, but I built one inside. The sleeping quarters were originally located inside the mandibles, which was not really a possibility for this build.

71

Vent details on R2-D2.

More views of the Ebon Hawk.

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

GK: I am going to answer this one first. Dash freestyle built this ship and I did not come in until it was about 90% completed.

DR: This is actually how Gabriel and I linked up. I built the ship over the course of a few months and posted it in the Bantha Bricks community on Facebook.

Gabriel loved it so much, he convinced me to show him how it was put together, piece by piece, so that he could make digital instructions. That is how our relationship began, because of this ship.

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

DR: My personality will not let me get stuck, especially when it comes to LEGO. There is always something I can do better. Gabriel is the same way, so every section or aspect is rebuilt at least five times to get as close to the vision as possible.

GK: I was stuck countless times making the instructions. I would finish one section and put it on the main model and it just did not flow right, so had to start all the steps over. Thank God for modules. We have had five major edits to the instructions over the past two years, because for the Ebon Hawk, it had to be perfect. Every comment or message, every criticism, I would write back asking for details on how that individual had difficulties, and we made sure to resolve that problem.

What would be your advice to anyone looking to build a Star Wars ship based on a video game, like Knights of the Old Republic, on their own?

DR: Get as many reference photos as possible. FX Manaud aka Papaglop (see BrickJournal issue #63) does this, he pours over every detail to try and get as close to the original version, but his focus is interior and mine is exterior. Also, do not be afraid to rebuild something if you are not happy with it. Even if it is close to where you want it, but not 100% there, do not be afraid to rebuild.

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GK: Do your research, take inspiration and just start building. Keep making changes until there is not anything else to change. Nothing will ever be perfect, but that is no reason not to try.

Can you tell us a little bit about the process of creating instructions?

DR: It was a long, grueling process because at the time I did not know Stud.io. Gabriel did though, but I do not think either of us had worked with another person in this manner before. Every step image that you see in the instructions was an actual photo from me taking apart the Ebon Hawk and putting it back together— literally thousands of photos, and Gabriel is a very patient man.

GK: You have to figure out at what point you have the builder start the build and keep the flow going.

Another view with gateway down.

We had a bit of a challenge with Dash being in New York and me in California. He had to break everything down into sections and just start sending pictures until it was all together. Then I had to start all over and put everything into steps. At the time I did not know how to use modules, so it took me a long time to finish in a way both Dash and I were happy with. This last edit with modules was a game changer; it made everything so much easier.

What inspired you to get into instruction design?

DR: I have always wanted to share my work but I did not really have the time to learn the program, until realizing it took less time to learn than taking one million photos while deconstructing and reconstructing a build.

GK: I wanted to share what I have built and have others build it too. One of the best moments was having someone build my Slave I and send the pictures to me saying they love it. A big shout out to Andrew.

A forward view.

Where would instructions be available for people to follow along and build the amazing things you design, and how would our readers go about finding these?

DR: The instructions are available on Rebrickable.com under our builder collective called BrickBoyzcd.

GK: Rebrickable.com mainly and Build a MOC at www.buildamoc.com is selling the whole Ebon Hawk package with the instructions.

Any final ideas or thoughts you would like to add?

DR: Thank you for taking the time to showcase this wonderful build and to let people know that they can see more of our work on Facebook, Instagram and Flickr: @brickboyzcd, @brickboyz_cd, @flickr dawudfarid and @Dash Rendar on Facebook.

GK: Picking this hobby back up has been one of the best decisions of my life, and most expensive! Working with Dash is something I am thankful for. Having the Bantha Bricks Facebook community, that has the same love and passion in something that started out as a toy and is now a medium for not just kids but people of every age, is really something beyond words and something everyone should be able to experience.

To see more amazing builds, cool contests and giveaways and family-friendly 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!

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73

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UNDERSEA LEGO BUILDING! RYAN VAN DUZOR’s Coral Reef, the many creations of COLIN HEMMEN’s Brickiverse, plus a look at JOHN KLAPHEKE’s scenes from the Indiana Jones movies! Also: “AFOLs”

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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!

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40th ANNIVERSARY OF LEGO TECHNIC! 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!

THE WORLD OF LEGO MECHA! Learn the secrets and tricks of building mechs with some of the best mecca builders in the world! Interviews with BENJAMIN CHEH, KELVIN LOW, LU SIM, FREDDY TAM, DAVID LIU, and SAM CHEUNG! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

LEGO GOES UNDERSEA! Builder MITSURU NIKAIDO shows us his undersea creatures and organic builds! Then jump aboard MARCELLO DeCICCO’s minifigure-scale warships! And see amazing architectural creations by PEDRO NASCIMENTO! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

LEGO TRAINS! Spotlight on train builder CALE LEIPHART, a look at the train layouts and models from the PENNSYLVANIA LEGO Users Group (PENNLug), BRICK MODEL RAILROADER (a new LEGO Train fan website that launched this year), and more locomotive action! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more!

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

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

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BRICKJOURNAL #44

BRICKJOURNAL #43

BRICKJOURNAL #42

BRICKJOURNAL #41

BRICKJOURNAL #40

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

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

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

OUT OF THIS WORLD LEGO! Spacethemed LEGO creations of LIA CHAN, 2001: A Space Odyssey’s Orion space plane

by NICK DEAN, and Pre-Classic Space builder CHRIS GIDDENS! Plus: Orbit the LEGO community with JARED K. BURKS’ minifigure customizing, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

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

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BRICKJOURNAL #39

BRICKJOURNAL #38

BRICKJOURNAL #37

BRICKJOURNAL #36

BRICKJOURNAL #35

LEGO DINOSAURS! Builder WILLIAM PUGH discusses building prehistoric creatures, a LEGO Jurassic World by DIEGO MAXIMINO PRIETO ALVAREZ, and dino bones by MATT SAILORS! Plus: Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions

by CHRISTOPHER DECK, DIY Fan Art

by BrickNerd TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons, and more!

LEGO COOL CARS AND HOT RODS! LEGO car builders STEPHAN SANDER, JORDANIAN FIRAS ABU-JABER, and ANDREA LATTANZIO! Plus: Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, AFOLs by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, step-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd Pop Art

by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

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

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

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

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

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BRICKJOURNAL #34

BRICKJOURNAL #33

BRICKJOURNAL #32

BRICKJOURNAL #31

BRICKJOURNAL #30

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

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

LEGO ARTISTRY with builder/photographer CHRIS McVEIGH; mosaic builders BRIAN KORTE, DAVE WARE and DAVE SHADDIX; and sculptors SEAN KENNEY (about his nature models) and ED DIMENT (about a full-size bus stop built with LEGO bricks)!

Plus Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, MINDSTORMS building, and more!

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

LEGO ARCHITECTURE with JONATHAN LOPES, a microscale model of Copenhagen

by ULRIK HANSEN, and a look at the LEGO MUSEUM being constructed in Denmark! Plus Minifigure Customization

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

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BRICKJOURNAL #29

BRICKJOURNAL #28

BRICKJOURNAL #27

BRICKJOURNAL #26

BRICKJOURNAL #25

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

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

GUY HIMBER takes you to the IRON BUILDER CONTEST, which showcases the top LEGO® builders in the world! Cover by LEGO magazine and comic artist PAUL LEE, amazing custom models by LINO MARTINS, TYLER CLITES, BRUCE LOWELL, COLE BLAQ and others, minifigure customization

by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, & more!

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

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

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

BRICKJOURNAL #24

BRICKJOURNAL #23

BRICKJOURNAL #22

BRICKJOURNAL #21

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

STAR WARS issue, with custom creations from a long time ago and far, far away!

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

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

LEGO CAR BUILDING! Guest editors LINO MARTINS and NATHAN PROUDLOVE of LUGNuts share secrets behind their LEGO car creations, and present TECHNIC SUPERCAR MODELS by PAUL BORATKO III and other top builders! Plus custom instructions

by TIM GOULD and CHRISTOPHER DECK, minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” section, and more!

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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.

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Last Word There’s one in every convention.

There’s a person who comes into an event completely new, not knowing what to expect. They have seen photos online and spotted builds that seem to be far beyond what they are starting with.

They come in a little nervous, wondering if they can be a ‘good builder’ or part of the community.

And they blow everyone away with their models, and their enthusiasm for the hobby. They have a great time that is concluded with an award for their creation.

But they still wonder if they are a ‘good builder.’

Here’s a secret: I still wonder if I am a good builder. And while that may sound like an insecurity, it’s more of a challenge I give myself. I push myself to build better with that question, and I look to conventions to learn and be inspired.

I also interview people for this magazine for that reason.

Me and Elsa—well, me and Elizabeth Puleo at BrickFair Virginia 2021 with her MOC, which won an award for Best Pop Culture Build.

I look for those people who can teach. There are many of those at an event. But there’s only a few that can teach and inspire.

And there’s the rarest one that just shows up and inspires.

That’s when you discover the community isn’t all about building.

That Joe Meno Guy

Classic

80

RetroFan:

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!

SUBSCRIBE! SIX ISSUES: 68 Economy US (with free digital editions) 80 Expedited US • 87 Premium US 103 International • 27 Digital Only

$

$

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RETROFAN #14

$

$

RETROFAN #15

RETROFAN #19

RETROFAN #20

RETROFAN #21

Interview with Bond Girl and Hammer Films actress CAROLINE MUNRO! Plus: WACKY PACKAGES, COURAGEOUS CAT AND MINUTE MOUSE, FILMATION’S GHOSTBUSTERS vs. the REAL GHOSTBUSTERS, Bandai’s rare PRO WRESTLER ERASERS, behind the scenes of Sixties movies, WATERGATE at Fifty, Go-Go Dancing, a visit to the Red Skelton Museum, and more fun, fab features!

MAD’s maddest artist, SERGIO ARAGONÉS, is profiled! Plus: TV’s Route 66 and an interview with star GEORGE MAHARIS, MOE HOWARD’s final years, catching up with singer B.J. THOMAS, LONE RANGER cartoons, G.I. JOE, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns

by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Meet JULIE NEWMAR, the purr-fect Catwoman! Plus: ASTRO BOY, TARZAN Saturday morning cartoons, the true history of PEBBLES CEREAL, TV’s THE UNTOUCHABLES and SEARCH, the MONKEEMOBILE, SOVIET EXPO ’77, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns

by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

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RETROFAN #16

RETROFAN #17

RETROFAN #18

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, TV’s Zoorama and the San Diego Zoo, The Saint, the lean years of Star Trek fandom, the WrestleFest video game, TV tie-in toys no kid would want, and more fun, fab features!

Sixties teen idol RICKY NELSON remembered by his son MATTHEW NELSON, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., rural sitcom purge, EVEL KNIEVEL toys, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Saturday morning’s Super 7, The Muppet Show, behind-the-scenes photos of Sixties movies, an interview with The Sound of Music’s heartthrob-turnedbad guy DANIEL “Rolf” TRUHITTE, and more fun, fab features!

An exclusive interview with Logan’s Run star MICHAEL YORK, plus Logan’s Run novelist WILLIAM F. NOLAN and vehicle customizer DEAN JEFFRIES. Plus: the Marvel Super Heroes cartoons of 1966, H. R. Pufnstuf, Leave It to Beaver’s SUE “Miss Landers” RANDALL, WOLFMAN JACK, drive-in theaters, My Weekly Reader, DAVID MANDEL’s super collection of comic book art, and more!

Dark Shadows’ Angelique, LARA PARKER, sinks her fangs into an exclusive interview.

Plus: Rankin-Bass’ Mad Monster Party, Aurora Monster model kits, a chat with Aurora painter JAMES BAMA, George of the Jungle, The Haunting, Jawsmania, Drak Pack, TV dads’ jobs, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns by FARINO, MANGELS, MURRAY, SAAVEDRA, SHAW, and MICHAEL EURY.

Our BARBARA EDEN interview will keep you forever dreaming of Jeannie! Plus: The Invaders, the BILLIE JEAN KING/BOBBY RIGGS tennis battle of the sexes, HANNABARBERA’s Saturday morning super-heroes of the Sixties, THE MONSTER TIMES fanzine, and more fun, fab features! Featuring ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW!, and MICHAEL EURY.

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

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

TwoMorrows.

The Future of Pop History.

RETROFAN #10

RETROFAN #11

RETROFAN #12

RETROFAN #13

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!

HALLOWEEN ISSUE! Interviews with DARK SHADOWS’ 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!

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, and more!

Exclusive interviews with Lost in Space’s MARK GODDARD and MARTA KRISTEN, Dynomutt and Blue Falcon, Hogan’s Heroes’ BOB CRANE, a history of WhamO’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 FARINO, MANGELS, MURRAY, SAAVEDRA, SHAW, and MICHAEL EURY!

(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

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

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Order at twomorrows.com

New from TwoMorrows!

BACK ISSUE #133

BACK ISSUE #134

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #27

STARMEN ISSUE, headlined by JAMES ROBINSON and TONY HARRIS’s Jack Knight Starman! Plus: The StarSpangled Kid, Starjammers, the 1980s Starman, and Starstruck! Featuring DAVE COCKRUM, GERRY CONWAY, ROBERT GREENBERGER, ELAINE LEE, TOM LYLE, MICHAEL Wm. KALUTA, ROGER STERN, ROY THOMAS, and more. Jack Knight Starman cover by TONY HARRIS.

BRONZE AGE RARITIES & ODDITIES, spotlighting rare ‘80s European Superman comics! Plus: CURT SWAN’s Batman, JIM APARO’s Superman, DAVID ANTHONY KRAFT’s Marvel custom comics, MICHAEL USLAN’s unseen Earth-Two stories, Leaf’s DC Secret Origins, Marvel’s Evel Knievel, cover variants, and more! With EDUARDO BARRETO, PAUL KUPPERBERG, ALEX SAVIUK, and more. Cover by JOE KUBERT.

Extensive PAUL GULACY retrospective

by GREG BIGA that includes Paul himself, VAL MAYERIK, P. CRAIG RUSSELL, TIM TRUMAN, ROY THOMAS, and others. Plus a JOE SINNOTT MEMORIAL; BUD PLANT discusses his career as underground comix retailer, distributor, fledgling publisher of JACK KATZ’s FIRST KINGDOM, and mailorder bookseller; our regular columnists, and the latest from HEMBECK!

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(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Winter 2022

CBA BULLPEN

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS (1940s-1980s)

OUR ARTISTS AT WAR

KIRBY COLLECTOR #82

“THE MANY WORLDS OF JACK KIRBY!” From Sub-Atomica to outer space, visit Kirby’s work from World War II, the Fourth World, and hidden worlds of Subterranea, Wakanda, Olympia, Lemuria, Atlantis, the Microverse, and others! Plus, a 2021 Kirby panel, featuring JONATHAN ROSS, NEIL GAIMAN, & MARK EVANIER, a Kirby pencil art gallery from MACHINE MAN, 2001, DEVIL DINOSAUR, & more!

2021

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 Ships Winter 2022

JOHN SEVERIN:

TWO-FISTED COMIC BOOK ARTIST

Biography of EC Comics mainstay (with HARVEY KURTZMAN on Mad and TwoFisted Tales) and co-creator of Western strip American Eagle. Covers his work with Cracked magazine, inking HERB TRIMPE on The Hulk and teaming with sister MARIE SEVERIN on King Kull, and more!

With commentary by ADAMS, CORBEN, BYRNE, HEATH, SIMONSON, and others!

Collects all seven issues of JON B. COOKE’s little-seen labor of love fanzine, published in the early 2000s just after the original COMIC BOOK ARTIST ended its TwoMorrows run. Interviews with GEORGE TUSKA, FRED HEMBECK, TERRY BEATTY, and FRANK BOLLE, an all-star tribute to JACK ABEL, a new feature on JACK KIRBY’s unknown 1960 baseball card art, and a 16-page full-color section!

(160-page FULL-COLOR HC) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-106-6 Now shipping!

(176-page paperback w/COLOR) $24.95 (Digital Edition) $8.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-105-9 Now shipping!

SUBSCRIPTION RATES Alter Ego (Six issues) Back Issue (Eight issues) BrickJournal (Six issues) Comic Book Creator (Four issues) Jack Kirby Collector (Four issues) RetroFan (Six issues)

ECONOMY US $68 $90 $68 $46 $49 $68

EXPEDITED US $80 $103 $80 $56 $59 $80

Examines War comic books published in the US: EC Comics (Two-Fisted Tales, Frontline History of over 300 TV shows and 2000+ comic book adaptations across five decades, Combat), DC Comics (Enemy Ace, All American Men of War, G.I. Combat, Our from well-known series (Star Trek, The Munsters) to lesser-known shows (Captain Fighting Forces, Our Army at War, StarGallant, Pinky Lee). With profiles of artists Spangled War Stories), Warren Publishing who drew TV comics: GENE COLAN, ALEX (Blazing Combat), Charlton (Willy Schultz and the Iron Corporal) and more! Featuring TOTH, DAN SPIEGLE, RUSS MANNING, JOHN BUSCEMA, RUSS HEATH, and more! KURTZMAN, SEVERIN, DAVIS, WOOD, KUBERT, GLANZMAN, KIRBY, and more!

(192-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $29.95 (160-page FULL-COLOR TPB) $27.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 (Digital Edition) $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-107-3 ISBN: 978-1-60549-108-0 Ships Spring 2022!

Now shipping!

PREMIUM US $87 $113 $87 $60 $63 $87

TwoMorrows.

The Future of Comics History.

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

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ALTER EGO #175

Spotlighting the artists of ROY THOMAS’ 1980s DC series ALL-STAR SQUADRON! Interviews with artists ARVELL JONES, RICHARD HOWELL, and JERRY ORDWAY, conducted by RICHARD ARNDT! Plus, the Squadron’s FINAL SECRETS, including previously unpublished art, & covers for issues that never existed!

With FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, and a wraparound cover by ARVELL JONES!

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ALTER EGO #174

FCA [FAWCETT COLLECTORS OF AMERICA] issue—spearheaded by feisty and informative articles by Captain Marvel co-creator C.C. BECK—plus a fabulous feature on vintage cards created in Spain and starring The Marvel Family! In addition: DR. WILLIAM FOSTER III interview (conclusion)—MICHAEL T. GILBERT on the lost art of comicbook greats—the haunting of JOHN BROOME—and more! BECK cover!