BrickJournal #74 by TwoMorrows Publishing

Issue 74 • July 2022

10.95

Jürgen Wittner’s Treadable Jhaelon Edwards Smith’s Starkiller Base

INSTRUCTIONS AND MORE!

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

82658 00481

Find us @Barnes & Noble or Subscribe!

THE MAGAZINE FOR LEGO ENTHUSIASTS OF ALL AGES! ®

BRICKJOURNAL magazine spotlights all aspects of the LEGO® Community! It showcases events, people, and models every issue, with contributions and how-to articles by top builders worldwide, new product intros, and more. Available in FULL-COLOR print and digital editions.

#73 is now shipping!

NEXT ISSUE: WE RETURN TO MECHA IN #75! SUBSCRIBE NOW!

#75 ships August 2022!

GET THE NEXT SIX PRINT ISSUES PLUS FREE DIGITAL EDITIONS!

NEWATES 2R 202

SUBSCRIBE TO BRICKJOURNAL

o $68 Economy US Postpaid (backing board, poly bag) o $91 Premium US (rigid mailer, faster delivery) o $103 International o $29 Digital Editions Only Name: Address: City/Province: State: Country (if not USA): E-mail address:

Zip Code:

(for free digital editions)

DON’T MISS AN ISSUE • ORDER TODAY! TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

TwoMorrows Publishing

10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com • Order at twomorrows.com LEGO® and the Brick and Knob configurations are trademarks of the LEGO Group of Companies. BrickJournal is not associated with The LEGO Group.

For faster service, order online at:

www.twomorrows.com or by phone: 919-449-0344

Issue 74 • July 2022

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

People Rita Ebel: Ramping Up Accessibility in Germany! .......................................................3 Joe Lam: Brick Artist! .........................................................5

Building Adnan Lotia: Cover Artist .....................................................12 Thomas Carlier: Building Casita Madrigal ..........................16

Patrick Higgins: Building Disney’s Haunted Mansion’s Ballroom .................18 Sebastian Bachórzewski’s Science over Superstition ...........................22 Bantha Bricks Files: Lee Goldman’s Fury Interceptor ...........................................27 Jürgen Wittner’s D-25 Treadable .............................................32 Jhaelon Edwards Smith’s Starkiller Base ................................................40

BrickNerd Instructions: Flying by Bespin ...........................................46 You Can Build It: Mini Vehicle Concept I ...............................52 Minifigure Customization 101: RWBY: The Final Chapter...........................61

Community Creating Mando’s New Ride!......................68 Community Ads...............................................78 Last Word ...........................................................79 AFOLs ...................................................................80

From the Editor: Hi! So we did another Star Wars issue— this time with some help from a Star Wars building group! There’s some neat stuff in here, including instructions for a concept fighter that was designed but never made.

July 2022 Issue 74 Publisher John Morrow Editor in Chief Joe Meno BrickNerd and Assistant Editor Dave Schefcik Photography Editor Geoff Gray

There’s also some ships—including the new ship the Mandolorian has (all of these were designed and submmitted before the official set was announced, too!). While we don’t have a minimodel from Christopher Deck this issue (he’s recovering from COVID), there are some other models to build!

Proofreader John Morrow

Outside of that, there are some other neat builds, including album cover mosiacs, Disney’s Haunted Mansion, and Casita Madrigal from Encanto! And ramps!

Japanese Bureau Editor Nathan Bryan

Have fun!

West Coast Editors Ashley Glennon Bantha Bricks Correspondent Steven Smyth Contributors: Jared Burks, Christopher Deck, Steven Smyth, Inez T. Vasquez, and Greg Hyland. Many thanks to the websites who have served as mirrors for BrickJournal: www.LUGNET.com www.Brickshelf.com www.peeron.com www.brickmodder.net www.rustyclank.com

About the Cover: Jürgen Wittner’s Treadable model takes the spotlight! Photo by Jürgen Wittner. About the Contents: A close-up of Adnan Lotia’s mosaic of Blondie’s Parallel Lines album cover. Render by Adnan Lotia.

So sit back, relax, or go to your building space and take a look. Joe Meno, editor P.S. Have ideas or comments? Drop me a line at brickjournal@gmail.com. I’m open to suggestions and comments and will do my best to reply.

P.P.S... Yes, BrickJournal has a website — www.brickjournal.com! Twitter? Yep, there too — http://twitter.com/brickjournal. Facebook? Yup — http://www.facebook.com/group. php?gid=58728699914&ref=mf. Or you can scan the bottom codes with a QR reader!

Website

Twitter

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)

Facebook

Subscriptions

SNOT (Studs Not on Top) LUG (LEGO Users Group) LTC (LEGO Train Club) MECHA (a large armored robot on legs, typically controlled by a pilot seated inside) MECH (a large piloted combat robot) DARK AGES (usually teen years, when you drift away from building) STUDS OUT (building where the studs on bricks face the viewer)

BrickJournalTM issue 74, July 2022 (ISSN 1941-2347) is published bi-monthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BrickJournal, c/o TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614. Joe Meno, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. BrickJournal Editorial Offices: 6701 Coachman Drive, Springfield, VA 22152, USA. E-mail: admin@brickjournal.com. Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Six-issue subscriptions: $68 US, $103 Elsewhere, $29 Digital Only, and can be purchased at www.twomorrows.com. 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 © 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. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

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.

People

A ramp at Hamm, Germany.

Siegburg, Germany.

Rita Ebel at one of her ramps, in Bensheim, Germany.

Walking up a step is something many of us take for granted, but for some it’s a challenge. Those who travel by wheelchair or other aids cannot step up—a wheelchair is simply not designed for such movement, and using canes and crutches require balance and effort that may be taxing to a person.

Rita Ebel:

Making these places accessible is the mission of Rita Ebel, herself a wheelchair user. Her solution to the step? Build a ramp with LEGO bricks and mount to it. The idea isn’t an original one—Rita was inspired to do this when she read an article in a trade magazine for paraplegics about a woman, Corinne Huber, who builds ramps out of LEGO. After seeing a picture of an electric wheelchair going over the LEGO ramp, Rita was totally sold on the idea and wanted to build ramps in her hometown of Hanau, Germany. After contacting Corinne, Rita got instructions for ramp building and started a group (Team Legooma) to build them. Rita’s first ramp was built in 2019, and since then has built over 70 ramps for stores and businesses. She takes ramp requests by mail, which must fit some basic conditions: only one step in height (17 cm high), the ground in front of the step must be reasonably level, and only stores and businesses can submit requests—the only exceptions are residences with children who are dependent on wheelchairs. Those meeting the conditions are put on a waiting list and are processed one by one. Each ramp is glued together and placed on location—they are not fastened, but a mat under the steps prevents slipping.

Ramping Up Accessibility in Germany! Article by Joe Meno Photography by Rita Ebel (@die_Lego_Oma)

Hanau, Germany.

A split ramp at Hanau, Germany.

Another split ramp at Dieburg, Germany. The structure of the ramp can easily be seen here.

Hanau, Germany.

The hardest challenge for Rita has been gathering the LEGO bricks for making the ramps. While LEGO has been contacted for support, there has not been a response. As a result, she uses public donations. To date, over 1.3 tons of bricks have been used.

Puhlheim, Germany.

With exposure on local and international media, Rita’s LEGO-built ramps have gone worldwide. She has sent ramp instructions to Japan, the USA, and Russia and the instructions have been translated to German, Spanish, French, Italian, Danish, Czech, Turkish, and Russian. While she doesn’t want to build ramps all over the world, Rita wants to take this idea worldwide, and is happy for all those who choose to help build accessibility for their community, one ramp at a time.

People

Joe Lam’s fan and brush.

Joe Lam:

Brick Artist! Article and Photography by Joe Lam

Most of the time, LEGO art is thought of as mosaics, and maybe sculpture. However, some new models made of paintings and brush art have begun to be seen online. One of the creators of these models is Joe Lam. BrickJournal chatted with him about his work and building. Joe Lam lives in Hong Kong. An accountant by day, after hours he builds beautiful models of birds and art. He started building in 2017, and as he puts it, “I can’t stop collecting LEGO.” His favorite LEGO items are the Modular buildings and minifgures. He enjoys building culture-related and architectural models, but really likes building painting-like creations, including oil painting and ink painting. When asked about how he started building his own models, Joe answers, “After a few years of collecting and building LEGO sets, I started to think whether I could build my own creations by using LEGO parts that I collected. As I said earlier, I like the Modular series so much, my first MOC was my living room at minifigure scale. I will never forget that when I finished building this, I showed my wife and asked her, ‘Do you recognize what I am building?’ I was so excited at that time; the satisfaction of building my own unique creation motivated me to continue building MOCs.”

Koi fish painting.

Mt. Fuji and Cranes, which is now on display at the LEGO House in Denmark.

This eventually led to the creations Joe makes now: “I like trying different themes and covering different topics. Around two years ago, with the shared background of studying oil painting and ink painting together with my wife Frances for several years, I started to build some artthemed creations, like traditional jade seals—the Asian’s traditional four treasures of the study, and paintings.” Joe’s reasons for building are a little different. When he started building MOCs, Joe wants to show others that LEGO bricks can be anything within one’s imagination. He builds from a wide range of topics, such as mechs, animation-based MOCs, painting and culturally-themed models, modulars, and vehicles. He comments, “There is a quote that I like most about creativity from Albert Einstein: ‘Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.’ Bricks are limited, but creativity is not. So I am always happy to hear others saying, ‘Wow, is it LEGO?’ when they see my MOCs.”

Building a model is a matter of making some sketches and developing a draft by using LEGO software, unless it’s a small MOC. It can take a few days to complete a build, but sometimes it can take a month or so. For example, the White Tiger Painting took Joe three nights to complete the shape of the head. However, several modifications were made to the head and body, so it took him a month to complete the entire work. The hardest builds that Joe has done are the life-size Sushi Boat he built two years ago and the Poseidon Statue he built last year. For the Sushi Boat, the challenge was making the boat shape, especially when LEGO parts in tan are limited. Additionally, making the sushi as realistic as it could be took him weeks to complete.

White tiger painting.

Poseidon.

Four treasures.

For the Poseidon Statue, building the human face and body shape by using LEGO parts is one of the most challenging technical tasks in building a MOC, especially since this particular MOC is almost 60 cm tall. Making it stand alone without any supports other than its legs was another challenge Joe faced when building it. The build that Joe is proudest of is the interior design of his church. He describes: “It is the second MOC I built a few years ago that was a minifigure-scale building. While the technique used in building this MOC may not be so special, every detail inside the MOC reflected that scale. When people looked at the pictures of the MOC, they initially didn’t realize it was not a real church but a LEGO model. I am so proud of the model, especially since the scale and proportions captured what the interior is in reality.” Another build that Joe is proud of is Mount Fuji and Cranes (see page 6),which won the Grand Prize in the LEGO House competition and is now being displayed at the LEGO House. Making the posture of the cranes lifelike is a point of pride for Joe.

Peacock painting. Sushi boat.

The Jade Seal series.

The jade seal series Joe built in 2020 is another favorite. Building a lifesize jade seal, which is a symbol of the Emperor, in an 8 x 8 stud area was really challenging. Joe enjoyed the process and results of this series of builds, which included three models: a Lion, Dragon, and Kylin (a hooved mythical creature of Chinese myth). Building detailed life-size models is how Joe works to change the mindset of people thinking LEGO is no more than a toy for kids. He states, “LEGO can be art, it just depends on how we treat it. If you think it’s a toy, then it is. With your creativity, it can also be art!”

Joe and his family.

Some views of Joe’s church interior.

Future builds include building paintings of the twelve creatures of the Chinese Zodiac. The White Tiger is the first step toward completing them, with the Rat and Ox coming soon. He hopes to complete the series in one year. For advice, Joe has this: “When I was a beginning builder, I kept on looking at creations from some master builders and studying how they built. Their standards were so high that as a beginner, it was difficult to achieve that level. However, we can always learn from building. So never stop building your own creations. Sometimes, the result may not be good, but failure is always our greatest teacher. Enjoy your builds, and enjoy the process.” You can see more of Joe’s work at his Flickr gallery: https:// www.flickr.com/ photos/78570952@ N05/ or by scanning this QR code!

WHATEVER YOU’RE INTO, BUILD IT WITH

BOOKS & BACK ISSUES!

BrickJournal 50 is a special double-size book! #

A landmark edition, celebrating over a decade as the premier publication for LEGO® fans! (144-page FULL-COLOR paperback) $17.95 On Sale: $10.00 • (Digital Edition) $7.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-082-3

Instruction Books!

LEGO FANS! 022 NEW SUBSCRIBE TO RATE S! BRICKJOURNAL ®

GET THE NEXT SIX PRINT ISSUES PLUS FREE DIGITAL EDITIONS! o $68 Economy US Postpaid (same price as 2021!) o $91 Premium US (faster delivery, in a rigid mailer) o $103 International o $29 Digital Editions Only Name: Address: City/Province: State: Country (if not USA): E-mail address:

Zip Code:

(for free digital editions)

TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 Order at: www.twomorrows.com • Phone: 919-449-0344

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! (84-page FULL-COLOR Trade Paperbacks) $9.95 On Sale: $5.00 • (Digital Editions) $4.99

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! (84-page FULL-COLOR trade paperbacks) $9.95 On Sale: $5.00 (Digital Editions) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL BUNDLE

Get in-stock copies of the first 50 issues for $3 each (66% off)! Includes #3, 5, 9-13, 15, 17-49, and double-size #50!

(41 issues + double-size #50) $129 plus shipping (Digital editions are not included. If an issue is sold out when your order, we will refund $3 per missing item.) NO SUBSTITUTIONS or DELETIONS!

Building

Blondie’s Parallel Lines album cover, rendered by Adnan Lotia. © Chrysalis Records.

Adnan Lotia:

Cover Artist

Article by Joe Meno Photography by Adnan Lotia

Adnan Lotia is a name that is not familiar to many, but his work has been widely seen on Instagram. His account, @uvupv, posts a build almost daily that is based on something that is relatively rare now: album covers. His artwork is digitally created and based on the albums of the ’80s. Before he was a digital creator, Adnan was a educator and graphic designer. He has been LEGO building since childhood—he and his brother shared a huge amount on LEGO and they loved building sets and freeform creations together. They both returned to collecting LEGO after college, but mostly for display purposes rather than for building their own creations. Adnan continued into building and was teaching LEGO robotics in Brooklyn, New York and inevitably ended up building quite a few interesting projects with his students, including Great Ball Contraptions and complex, multifunction robots for tournament competition. His first custom creations were alternate builds of the first big set Adnan bought as an adult: Batman’s Tumbler. He designed several versions of Batman’s Batwing, an aircraft based on a film from the 1980s. Next, he built a motorized helicopter based on Airwolf, a TV show from the ’80s; then a motorized robot based on Short Circuit, another ’80s film; and then a motorized car based on Knight Rider, yet another ’80 TV series. It’s easy to see a pattern developed with his building subjects. Adnan’s favorite theme is Blacktron—black became his favorite color at a very

young age thanks to this LEGO theme. One of his prized possessions back then was the Blacktron Invader (#6894) which blew his mind with its modular, reconfigurable design. This inspired him to start building custom creations instead of just following the instructions. The set’s color palette of black and yellow also had a strong impact on Adnan as a child—he started thinking of LEGO elements in terms of color, which is still how he sorts them. Another inspiration includes pop culture. Adnan considers himself fortunate to have grown up during a golden age of toys, comic books, animation, film, and television—all targeted at children. At the forefront of this wave of commercialism was MTV, so music was a huge part of his childhood, too. Music videos, posters, and t-shirts all permeated his adolescence. When Adnan started collecting music, it was on cassette tapes. Initially enchanted by album cover art then, and later when the format switched to CDs, he loved CD case inserts, which would often contain photography, lyrics, and provide a certain visual aesthetic to accompany the music. It’s this particular thread that Adnan thinks he is unraveling in his series of album covers.

One of Adnan’s first builds, KITT from the Knight Rider TV series. Knight Rider © Universal Studios.

Purple Rain, by Prince and the Revolution. © Universal Music.

The album series started as small daily Stud.io sketches that Adnan still tries to post online every weekday. After doing them for the better part of a year, it now takes hours to days, depending on the complexity of an album cover, which he considers according to several factors: How much detail is in it, the number of colors needed, and the constraints of any added text, which is often the case. The biggest advantage to using digital LEGO is speed. The pieces needed are available instantly, so Adnan doesn’t need to take apart an old build before trying something new. His first album cover was Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, and it took a day to put together on a 28 x 28 stud base. Since then, about the only thing that is the same in all of his covers is the base size! Most of the preplanning for a build is done in Adnan’s head, while gazing at album covers and deciding how to capture various details before he starts actually putting things together in Stud.io. Then, the building is 100% digital. His technique is either to rough out large portions of the album cover and then add detail, or start with a detail and work outwards. The only physical component of his work are dozens of CD inserts dating back decades that his brother kindly donated to the cause. They are particularly useful when making color decisions or examining small details if a good digital reference cannot be found.

Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon cover. © Harvest Records.

Madonna’s True Blue. © Sire Records.

Around the time that Adnan got to Madonna’s True Blue cover, he hit an impasse. It was so difficult to capture her hair, which was an integral part of the design. Each element had to be adjusted individually, which is a painstaking process in digital LEGO! He was on the verge of abandoning the series altogether, but he put on the album and its great music helped through a laborious build. Since then, Adnan always listens to the albums while he is transforming it into LEGO. Discipline, perseverance, and good planning are other ways to avoid getting frustrated with a project when working on a schedule. In terms of builds that Adnan is most proud of, his rendition of Prince’s Purple Rain cover comes to mind. This was an especially important album to Adnan because he grew up listening to and loving Prince. However, it took a long time before he was confident enough to attempt Purple Rain because it had several detailed elements: Prince on his motorbike, the background with lots of smoke, some extremely stylized text, and the flowery, wallpapered panels to each side. Adnan had to go through his entire bag of tricks, including using an illuminated element, transparent tiles, and of course, purple Batarangs in the final render. He hopes he did this incredible album justice. For Adnan, there is a bit of planning and preparation involved in building a project. He makes a lot of decisions

Abbey Road, by the Beatles. © Apple Records.

You can see more of Adnan’s work at his Instagram gallery: https://www.instagram. com/uvupv/ or you can scan the QR code below!

before starting to work, but often has to power through a build if things don’t work out the way he planned. For him, the moral is: Don’t plan, prepare! The more that he works in Stud.io, the more he familiarizes himself with their catalog of parts. The more that he experiments with them, the more options he has the next time he encounters a problem. Adnan’s goal is to keep getting better at using the tool so he can attempt more complex builds in the future. This automatically makes each build a little quicker—and also lets him correct his mistakes faster. As for building, Adnan has many reasons to do so. As a LEGO builder, he’s fond of exploring connections and finding solutions to visual problems in a digital mosaic format. As an artist, he is inspired by how music is interwoven through his life, and the many albums that were an integral part of his memories of the past. He has tried to bring LEGO and music together in his work because they are two important parts of his life, but there are so many fantastic albums that inspired him over the years, that he thinks he will be busy with his album series for quite a while. For other builders, Adnan has these words: “The idea of building something small every day seems simple enough, but I’ve found that you better make what you love, because it requires dedication and commitment. The amazing community of talented LEGO builders on Instagram really inspired me this past year to keep building and sharing, even when things got rough. My advice to any new builders out there is: Build cool stuff to have fun!”

Don’t STEAL our Digital Editions! C’mon citizen, DO THE RIGHT THING! A Mom & Pop publisher like us needs every sale just to survive! DON’T DOWNLOAD OR READ ILLEGAL COPIES ONLINE! Buy affordable, legal downloads only at

www.twomorrows.com or through our Apple and Google Apps!

& DON’T SHARE THEM WITH FRIENDS OR POST THEM ONLINE. Help us keep producing great publications like this one!

Building

Thomas Carlier:

Building Casita Madrigal Article and Renders by Thomas Carlier Thomas Carlier is a builder living in Switzerland. Currently a fifth-year medical student, he has been playing with LEGO bricks since he was little. He started seriously building MOCs around the age of 16, thanks to the LEGO IDEAS platform. He only had a few bricks in stock when he started building his MOCs, so digital creation was obvious to him. As time has progressed, he has been able to expand his stock, but having started the habit of building digitally, Thomas doesn’t does not see himself changing to real-life building, as he has much more freedom with digital bricks, with no restrictions in the piece count and color use. LEGO Digital Designer is the fastest software to build digitally, but sometimes he also uses Mecabricks, an online LEGO construction platform which has the advantage of allowing some ‘illegal’ construction techniques not supported by LDD. Stud.io is a good transition to make a model buildable in real life, but Thomas hasn’t gotten used to it yet, so he’ll stick with LDD. Thomas talked to BrickJournal about his build: “Being a huge fan of animated films, especially those from Disney-Pixar, I immediately fell in love with the pictures of Encanto and I must say, the Casa Madrigal is one of the most beautiful pieces created by the Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios. It’s colorful, giant, with multiple doors and windows, all decorated with luxurious vegetation. I decided to build the version from the poster: this version is slightly higher and narrower than the one from the movie. I think this version of Casita looks more impressive and less repetitive.

Another view of the home. Encanto and all related properties and characters TM & © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Thomas Carlier’s Casita Madrigal.

The entrance.

The side balconies.

“It took me several weeks to finish the building. I’m usually faster in creating my MOCs, but I had very little free time in the last few months and had to build it part-time (a few hours here and there). “I really wanted to represent the atmosphere of the film so I opted for the bright colors (I’m not really used to playing with bright colors, preferring less nuanced colors because I think it looks more realistic) and it was quite complicated, because if you use too many bright colors, you can quickly make a model that looks too childish. “The most difficult part of the build was undoubtedly the trees, plants and flowers. I’m pretty comfortable with buildings and houses, so it didn’t cause me a lot of problems, but vegetation is always a big challenge to me (especially when building digitally). It took me a lot of time to attach all the multiple plants on the walls of the house, but I’m quite happy with the result.

Working on the model in Mecabricks...

“At the moment, there is no interior to the house. I do plan to build the rooms of the characters in the future, but I am currently on other projects that are very time-consuming. Unfortunately, a lot of bricks that I use in digital aren’t available in the right color in real life, so it will be very difficult to do a real version of it. This idea is still in my mind, so maybe if I find an alternative, it could be possible.” The central tower. ...and the resulting render.

The minifigures of Encanto.

Building

The ballroom...

Patrick Higgins:

Building Disney’s Haunted Mansion’s Ballroom! Article and Photography by Patrick Higgins

Haunted Mansion and all related properties and characters TM & © Disney Enterprises, Inc.

“Welcome to the Haunted Mansion...” begins one of the most famous attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The Haunted Mansion wasn’t one of the original attractions at Disneyland (the first Disney park) but quickly became a classic when it did open in 1967. Since then, guests have been going to see the many rooms and chambers inside, including the ballroom. Home of a ‘swinging wake,’ the dining room, as seen from above by the guests in their Doom Buggies, is real... but the ghosts dancing and partying? They fade in and out of sight, glowing and translucent. The organ player fades and the organ pipes show the ‘voices’ behind it. All of this is live, and while the dancers spin and fade, the guests watching above are left wondering “How did they do that?” And how can you do this in LEGO? Patrick Higgins, a college student, showed us how. He’s been a LEGO builder pretty much all of his life, with his first set being the 2006 Batwing. His favorite theme is Batman (2006-2008). His current favorite theme is Harry Potter. He always enjoyed building new things with his parts, but then he started building big. His first huge model, since he is a Batman fan, was Arkham Asylum. He built it to make a place to store all of the LEGO Batman villains he had collected over the years. He displayed it at Brickfair Alabama, and loved that feeling of satisfaction he got from seeing the final product. Since then, he has continued making new things and trying new techniques.

...where “happy haunts materialize.”

For the Haunted Mansion, he was inspired by the actual ride at Walt Disney World. His family went to the park in Spring 2021 and the attraction has always been one of his favorite rides. While riding it, he got curious about how the effect in the haunted ballroom was accomplished, and after a few Google searches, he had figured it out. He was so impressed with the effect that he decided the haunted ballroom would be his next project, and that he would get that effect to work in LEGO scale. For this build, it took a lot of pre-planning before even the first bricks came together. For example, the motors needed to move the figures had to run under the entire build, so Patrick had to first find motors that would do what he wanted, then had to bump the entire floor up to allow the motors to operate. For the interior details, he used a book from Disney World that was full of details and pictures of the Haunted Mansion. It proved to be invaluable to faithfully recreate the Mansion, which took six months to complete.

“Grim grinning ghost come out to socialize.”

The base is covered with the logo for the Disney attraction.

The Haunted Mansion is very likely the hardest build that Patrick has done. Assembling and installing the lights was incredibly tedious, and he is grateful to his grandfather for helping him out. One of the walls is built at an angle, which proved to be a challenge when he was installing the roof. On the first day of its display at Brickfair Alabama 2022, one of the motors stopped working properly and Patrick had to spend some time repairing it. Another ongoing LEGO project Patrick has been working on is the Pieces of Cinema. One of his longest running projects, this is a series of vignettes of important or iconic movie scenes from the last 80 years. Currently, this is the project Patrick is most proud of, with 40 models built so far, and another 10 more in progress.

How Did They Do That? The effect of the ghosts appearing is called the Pepper’s Ghost effect and uses a sheet of glass to reflect an image above or below the observer, to appear to be in front of an environment. You can see this when you see your reflection in a window. By using remote lighting, ghosts can appear and disappear!

Background Observer’s image

The organ player in the hidden area. The lights used to illuminate him are behind.

The organ empty...

Ghost

...and occupied.

Patrick builds for a few reasons. Some of the things he builds are for his own enjoyment, like the Pieces of Cinema. Some things he builds for the challenge, like the Haunted Mansion, and some he builds to fit a need he has in his collection, like Arkham Asylum. For him, LEGO building is very rewarding in many ways and is a very entertaining hobby. For advice, Patrick offers this: “Boost your knowledge on the wide variety of LEGO parts available. Use Bricklink to find and order parts. Connect with other LEGO builders. Get inspired by something you love and turn it into a reality.”

You can see the glass that reflects the ghosts here. All of the ghost figures are below the tracked floor. The viewer can only see the reflection if their lights are on. The dance floor before (above)... ...and during the swinging wake (below).

Dancers set up with lights beside them.

Building

Sebastian Bachórzewski’s

Science over Superstition Article and Photography by Sebastian Bachórzewski Somewhere, a scientist is working in his lab on an experiment that will change the world! The lab is filled with the crackle of electricity and the smell of oil and soot. The scientist checks his notes and calculates and recalculates. With a throw of a switch, he will tap into a source of energy that could power nations! The villagers have viewed the mansion at the edge of town with suspicion. Strange lights and sounds have been seen and heard there, and only a few know about the recluse who lives there. For the villagers, it is a place to fear. But if they had to courage to knock on the door... what would they find? This layout, Science over Superstition, was built by Sebastian Bachórzewski, a builder who has a family shop with LEGO bricks. Before the shop, he spent many years in advertising as a designer. He’s only been building vignettes for about seven years, continuing with bigger creations four years ago. Since then, he has been constantly trying to improve his skills.

Beginning the layout, with larger elements built and placed.

The completed layout.

Sebastian returned to LEGO building when his son was born. He built all sorts of things for his son. After a while, Sebastian started taking pictures of his minifigures and uploading them to Instagram. That’s how he discovered the AFOL community. When he found Flickr, his brain nearly exploded when he saw the MOCs there, and he knew he wanted to start building cool stuff. Discovering Flickr and all the great builders who showed their work on the site was a powerful inspiration for him. Sebastian’s favorite themes are not LEGO themes—in fact, he isn’t interested in sets beyond what parts they have. His themes are fan-driven and include cyberpunk and postapocalyptic. He loves chaos, dirt, and ruined buildings. Before that, he went back to building with the thought that if he collected enough bricks, he would build medieval castles and villages. Somehow, that didn’t happen. When building, Sebastian tries not to limit himself to one theme or subject which he likes, so he builds something different from time to time. As more elements are added (including electronics), the floor is raised and decorated. An overhead view.

In the dark, the layout takes on a more foreboding appearance.

Concerning Science over Superstition, Sebastian wanted to build something in steampunk style and came up with the idea of building a laboratory. He did a little research online to get into the steampunk theme and started building. He wanted to create a lonely scientist surrounded by machines, working at night on his life’s work. It took over a month to complete this MOC. In the beginning, he was building and modifying machines for the laboratory, which took the longest time. He was constantly changing something to get an effect he would be happy with. When building, he is the opposite of a well-organized builder. Starting with a loose concept in his head, his creation evolves as he builds. It’s often the case that he starts with the thought of building something small, and ending up with something several times larger. There’s a downside to this, of course—he has to redo things a lot. He’s more of a freestyler type of builder. Sebastian’s hardest build is also the one he is most proud of: His cyberpunk favela. The difficulty didn’t come from any technical matters, but from deadline pressure. He was building this for his LUG exhibition and completely misjudged the time needed to build it. Something that seemed simple to him in his head took him completely by surprise. As a result, he ended up sleeping very little for a few weeks, and stayed at his desk and bricks on weekends up until the event.

Testing the lighting.

The deadline also made the build very spontaneous, which is what Sebastian likes the most. The entire building is almost a meter high and can be viewed from all sides. In theory, it seemed simple to build—lots of small dilapidated, different modules, bundled together into one big building. In practice, it turned out that if you didn’t want it to look boring and repetitive, you had to put a lot of effort into it. Building fills Sebastian’s need to create. He drew, painted graffiti, animated some short cartoons online, and designed advertisements until he started LEGO building. He tries not to recreate things that already exist. Nowadays, it is difficult to create something that no one else has come up with before, so one can say that what he is doing is a remix of everything that catches his eye. Sebastian’s building advice? “Be yourself and build what gives you pleasure, and not what people expect from you. Don’t fixate on using fancy techniques, but on what you want to say with colors and compositions. Everything else will come with experience.” You can see this and more of Sebastian’s builds at his Flickr gallery: https://www. flickr.com/people/legoinsomnia/ or by scanning this QR code!

Sebastian’s favela. The completed layout.

LEE goldman

Lee Goldman’s

Fury Interceptor Article by Steven Smyth, Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars Photography by Lee Goldman

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

Lee Goldman is a builder with quite an array of amazing Star Wars: The Old Republic builds, including the Sith Fury-class Interceptor. I thought it would be fun to spend a little time checking out this build and getting to know the person behind this upscaled beast! Steven Smyth: How’s it going, Lee? I know you have quite a following with the members of the Bantha Bricks group and I know people in the community and beyond in other online discussions have been drooling over that upscaled Sith Fury. You have truly built some amazing starship MOCs, but for the uninitiated, please introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do. Lee Goldman: Thanks. My name is Lee Goldman and I have a business that focuses on educational snorkeling tours in places throughout the tropical Pacific. I started this business after many years working for travel companies that hired me to design and lead adventure tours throughout the Indo-West Pacific. I have a Master’s degree in Marine Biology, and my family and I recently moved to Las Vegas after 20 years living in the Philippines, Palau, and Guam. I know Las Vegas seems an interesting choice to live, but I love the desert as much as the ocean. I come from a family of engineers, and although I did not follow their paths in life, I certainly got my 27 love of building from them.

Data File: Sith Fury Interceptor The Fury Interceptor was seen in the computer game Star Wars: The Old Republic, set before the Star Wars movies. The ship was used by Sith Warriors and Inquisitors as their base of operations. Source: Star Wars Wookieepedia

Top view of the Fury Interceptor.

Front view of the Fury Interceptor.

Would you say Star Wars is your favorite theme? Or do you have a shocker for us? Yes, for sure the Star Wars theme is my focus when designing. I was that wide-eyed nine-year-old that fell in love with Star Wars back in 1977, and it has been a part of my life ever since. But truth be told, I love the Marvel and DC themes as well! [laughter] Why do you choose the LEGO brick as your medium to express yourself?

Rear view of the Fury Interceptor, showing the docking hatch in the center.

My LEGO addiction was fueled by the challenge of being able to take a bunch of bricks that have finite shapes and sizes that attach in specific ways, and putting them together in a way to perfectly mimic the model that I so appreciated. With LEGO, at the same time it is a puzzle to be solved, it is also art to be admired. It satisfies much of who I am as a builder and an artist. Star Wars: The Old Republic is a very exciting subgenre of the Star Wars universe. Are you a fan, or what inspired you to tackle this monster build? Actually, I was not initially a big follower of the Old Republic, but the ships are amazing! I was attracted to the Sith Fury because of its smooth lines, symmetry, and uniqueness. I have the official LEGO set #9500 and felt it deserved a more detailed approach. Since then, I have designed several UCS models from that era in the Star Wars universe.

Side view with panels open.

Interior Interior

COMMUNICATIONS DECK CABIN BRIDGE

ARMORY

MEDICAL BAY

CARGO HOLD

ENGINEERING BAY

Interior, showing the communications deck and blue holoprojector, as well as something to entertain between missions.

Can you tell us a bit about the construction, any special techniques you used? Like all my builds, I strive for a super solid structure as the foundation and the Sith Fury was no different. I used the classic overlapping layered approach to the walls and three-ply plating for the floor. It may be heavy, but it is totally swooshable, I never have any hesitation or worry picking it up and moving it around. The tricky part of the design, to me, were the underwings. There is a fair amount of weight associated with them, and the angles do not allow for a lot of attachments that may increase clutch power to hold them in place. I used several technic parts to accomplish the build. Some of the parts include modified bricks with ball joints and technic axles that thread through technic bricks. But each of these techniques had to be approached in non-traditional ways because of the angle of the wings.

The Interceptor with upper plates removed.

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

Interior, showing the rear bays for engineering and medical (there is a white bed and a red bacta tank).

LG: The interior! I love the chance to include an interior to my builds, and definitely the Sith Fury because there was a detailed layout for me to follow. To include an interior means that many of the regular techniques to achieve a particular façade must be modified or even abandoned because I may not have the luxury of space. When I design an interior, I also must think of how the exterior will work without compromising the elements inside the model. Again, a challenge I relish. Did you freestyle build this or did you use a computer design program to lay it out first? I did freestyle this build. This was one of my first MOCs (My Own Creation) and along with the Upsilon-class command shuttle, I built it first and then reverseengineered it into Stud.io to be able to create the instructions. Once I became very comfortable with Stud.io, I changed the order in which I build and design first in Stud.io and then built the model based on the instructions I generated from Stud.io. Admittedly, at first, I was a bit intimidated by Stud.io and I thought it might take away from the absolute fun I had in physically tinkering with LEGO pieces to create the given model. But I now love Stud.io and get a real sense of satisfaction in seeing my builds come to life based on the computer-aided design. In addition, using Stud.io is certainly a heck of a lot cheaper on my wallet! For example, with the Sith Fury I would get an idea of how I wanted to build a given section, but I would have to buy a given part to see if I liked the approach. I guess the upside is that I acquired a ton of LEGO as I phased out a given piece for 30 something better.

Were there any moments in this build where you felt like, “Aww man, I’m stuck!” If so, how did you overcome that obstacle? Yes, and this often happens with all my builds. Like any puzzle, I would often walk away from my building table or close Stud.io and just think it over. Like the Force, I would remain calm and let the answer come to me. I know that sounds a bit corny, but there is always an answer and LEGO has so many pieces that allow us to approach a given design from a variety of ways.

Side view of the Fury.

What would be your advice to anyone looking to build a custom Star Wars ship or vehicle on their own? LG: Research! When I decide to build something, I download every single picture. That includes many different angles and fixed dimensions, and then I study it for days before I start to design it. It is important to become familiar with many LEGO pieces and techniques for building complex structures like circles, spheres, and assemblies with opposing studs. I also use the LEGO converter to try to scale as best I can. Do you have intentions to release instructions on this build? If so, can you tell us more about those plans? They are being offered as PDF instructions or as a complete set through The Brick Collective at www.brickcollective.com.

Any final things you would like to add? I want to thank you for this consideration. I love LEGO and the LEGO community, and this is a huge honor to have some of my builds appreciated like this. 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!

What can we expect to see from you in the future designwise? I just finished an 1,867-piece Jedi Vector from the High Republic that measures three feet long. It is one of my favorite builds in my collection of ten UCS style builds. All of them can be found on my Instagram page at www.instagram.com/swbrickdesigns.

jurgen wittner

Jürgen Wittner’s

DN-25 Treadable

Article by Steven Smyth, Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars Photography by Jürgen Wittner 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. Jürgen Wittner, who is an inspiring Star Wars LEGO builder in the community, built a minifigure scale DN-25 Treadable, the vehicle associated with Lando Calrissian, but technically belonging to Kalo’ne, in Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. I thought it would be great to learn more about this fantastic friend of the Bantha Bricks community, an extremely talented builder, and his custom LEGO vehicle build.

Steven Smyth: How’s it going, Jürgen? I know you have quite a following with the members of the Bantha Bricks group and I know people in the community and beyond in other online discussions have been awestruck by your DN-25 Treadable. You have definitely built some amazing MOCs and even dioramas to go along with them, but for the uninitiated, please introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do. Jürgen Wittner: Hi everyone! My name is Jürgen, 44 years old, architect, and I live in Berlin, Germany. I am a very new member of the whole LEGO Star Wars and MOC scene. I had a lot of LEGO bricks in my childhood and LEGO was my absolute favorite indoor activity in the 1980s and early 1990s. LEGO came back into my life with my now seven-year-old son. He is a really big LEGO and Star Wars fan and we built a lot of smaller LEGO Star Wars sets together, looked at Star Wars books, and I explained the story and characters to him in a suitable way for a child. During the first COVID lockdown in April 2019, I was looking for an additional hobby that would challenge me both mentally, but also involve some work with my hands. So I wished for the play scale Millennium Falcon, set 75257, as a birthday present from my girlfriend. That was the starting point for my first MOC and laid the foundation for my renewed enthusiasm for building LEGO.

Would you say Star Wars is your favorite theme? Or do you have a shocker for us? Yes, Star Wars is my absolute, and currently only, LEGO theme, no shockers! But I must admit that I am not a hardcore Star Wars fan, but, like almost all people of my generation, I grew up with the Star Wars movies, and especially Episode IV to VI are still among my absolute favorite movies, which I watch at least every 1–2 years. Basically, I have always been interested in science-fiction, no matter if it was a movie, series or book. I am most attracted to spaceships and futuristic vehicles, so a new theme for me would most likely go in the direction of Battlestar Galactica, Alien or another science-fiction saga.

Data File: DN-25 Treadable The Treadable was first seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as a vehicle owned by Lando Calrissian. This is a desert vehicle that is used to travel on the planet Pasaana. Source: Star Wars Wookieepedia

BB-8, Finn, C-3PO, and Chewbacca encounter Lando.

Why did you choose the LEGO brick as your medium to express yourself? As I said in my introduction, a main reason was my son, and my basically always present interest in LEGO. I also did a lot of model making with classic car model kits from Revell and other brands, but that could not catch me anymore. For me, there were two arguments in favor of LEGO. First, I can build together with my son. That would simply not be possible with classic model kits, where you have to glue and paint with very fine motor skills. On the other hand, I simply love the challenge of using the given building elements from LEGO to get closer, piece by piece, to the most perfect result possible. I also really like the combination of physical building and digital design in BrickLink Stud.io as an iterative process. Another look at the Treadable.

33 33

We know the Star Wars fandom is always digging into the background for new characters and vehicles, especially the really unique ones scattered through background shots. Is this what inspired you to craft this epic vehicle set? The fact that this vehicle is an underdog in the Star Wars cosmos certainly played a part in my choosing it. Otherwise, my focus is actually more on the spaceships and vehicles of the classic trilogy, like Millennium Falcon, AT-AT, Sandcrawler, etc. In fact, the scene on Pasaana, with the Festival of the Ancestors, where we meet Lando Calrissian for the first time after so long, was for me one of the most beautiful scenes of the whole sequel trilogy. And the Treadable plays a central and present role in this scene. I also liked the fact that the vehicle is not a war machine, but a completely unarmed moving market stall. But it is an absolutely awesome version of a market stall. Overhead view of the meeting.

Can you tell us a bit about the construction—were there any special techniques you used? I always like to do clean and mostly stud-less looking designs, so I used a lot of tiling and SNOT techniques to make that look possible. I am also a big fan of greebling, so I have included lots of small, technical looking details in different areas, such as the space between the tracks, as well as the interior and cargo on the roof racks.

What are your favorite design elements you created for the build? I think the most special and most present construction on the MOC are the chain treads. In the first version of the MOC I started with the standard Technic treads. That did not look bad and had the advantage that the vehicle would have been drivable. But it did not at all reflect the accuracy of the chains on the original. It looked more like a street version of the Treadable. So, even though the Stud.io model and instructions were almost finished, and even though the parts for the test build were already ordered, I decided to discard the standard treads and design a track by myself. The result is a track system consisting of over 400 hinges, plates, and tiles with a total part amount of 1800, which in my opinion, optimally pays tribute to the chain of the original. Did you freestyle build this or did you use a computer design program to lay it out first? The Treadable was my first MOC that I initially designed in Stud.io and started with the physical test build when the 3-D model was almost finished. I built the Millennium Falcon MOC, my AT-AT MOD, and the Snowspeeder in a trial and error process first physically, and digitized them after completion in Stud.io. But no matter which of these two approaches, I always try not to consider any detail or construction as final in both phases, digital or physical. If I see room for improvement, whether in terms of appearance, stability or economy, I try to go the extra mile to develop the most coherent, efficient model possible.

a glance at the interior of the cargo section.

Some views of the detailing of the Treadable.

Were there any moments in this build where you felt like, “Aww man, I’m stuck!” If so, how did you overcome that obstacle? The moment with the chains, which I did not fully like, was such a moment. On the one hand, there was an almost finished model plus instructions with chains that were fully functional; on the other hand, I had the desire to get the maximum out of this model in terms of design. However, the disadvantage of the whole thing was that I was sure that brick-built chains would not be functional, because the LEGO hinges would not be stable enough for rotation. That cost me some nerves and sleepless nights. Finally, I consulted the Bantha Bricks Facebook community and my Instagram followers to make a decision, and simply started a poll. It was a close run, but fortunately the pendulum swung to the side that was also my favorite—namely, to throw a large part of the design over the pile and to redesign the chains. What would be your advice to anyone looking to build a custom Star Wars modular building or even a diorama on their own? Different views of the cargo pod.

A look at the treads.

My advice would be that, before you start designing, whether virtual or physically, think carefully about what direction you want your vehicle or diorama to take. What scale should the model be: microscale, midi scale, play scale, minifig scale, etc.? Should it be more a low budget MOC or a MOC with maximum detail? Should it be a pure display model or should it have technical functions like lighting and mechanical or motorized moving parts? Of course, you can build without a big plan in your mind, but as you can see from the example of my discarded chain system for my Treadable, something like this can cause you a lot of extra work. In any case, you would be well advised to think about where you want to go beforehand. But the most important advice is to certainly just live out your creativity, and not let small or large detours get you down.

Do you have intentions to release instructions on this build? If so can you tell us more about those plans?

A closer look at the shop side.

Yes, as with almost all of my MOCs, I have created instructions for the Treadable as well. The instructions include 414 building steps on 154 pages. The vehicle consists of 3791 parts. As with all my instructions, they are exclusively available at The Brick Collective Store. There is even a building kit for the Treadable made by BrickMoon. In this kit are, in addition to the parts for the vehicle, all the minifigures from the scene in Episode IX (Rey, Poe, Finn, C-3PO, BB-8, Chewbacca, Lando, and Kalo’ne) and a UCSstyle badge with a custom-made specification sticker included.

Any final things you would like to add?

The cockpit.

Finally, I would like to thank the LEGO Star Wars community and especially the people in the Facebook group: Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars! They accepted me as a greenhorn member to their community about two years ago and supported me in many questions and decisions with their knowledge, and thus in my work. The most important thing for me about the LEGO MOC community is the community spirit behind it. That many people are not only interested in building and collecting LEGO for themselves at home, but that you also do things for the community. And the knowledge of the community about LEGO, building techniques and other things is something that I have often taken advantage of, but in turn I try to give something back to the community with the instructions for my MOCs.

On display.

More views.

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!

jhaelon edwars smith 40

The front half of Starkiller Base.

Jhaelon Edwards Smith’s

Starkiller Base

Article by Steven Smyth, Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars Photography by Jhaelon Edwards Smith Jhaelon Edwards Smith, who is a well-known community member and YouTube sensation under RichboyJhae, built an amazing Starkiller Base. I thought it would be great to learn more about this extremely talented builder and his custom Star Wars LEGO build.

Steven Smyth: How’s it going, Jhaelon? I know you have quite a following with the members of the Bantha Bricks group and I know people in the community and beyond in other online discussions, like your YouTube channel, have been flat out stunned with the magnificence of your Starkiller Base. You have built some amazing MOCs and dioramas, but for the uninitiated, please introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do. Jhaelon Edwards Smith: Ah, thanks Steven. My name is Jhaelon, but most know me as RichboyJhae. I am a huge LEGO Star Wars fan! I primarily build MOCs (My Own Creation) of Star Wars scenes and sequences. My builds are typically pretty large in scale, but I always strive for that not to come at the expense of detail. I also make an effort to incorporate a custom vehicle I have designed into all my builds. Would you say Star Wars is your favorite theme? Or do you have a shocker for us? Unfortunately, I have no surprising answer here. Star Wars is absolutely my favorite theme. I am probably a bigger Star Wars fan than I am a LEGO fan. Why did you choose the LEGO brick as your medium to express yourself? Towards the beginning, LEGO was the medium I was just most familiar with. It is a lovely medium for any type of art, but it’s versatility, and scale of minifigures, makes it perfect for Star Wars creations.

What inspired you to take on this epically huge Starkiller Base MOC? I can’t say I ever intended for it to be epically huge. I typically do not decide on the size of the build up front. I always start by figuring out everything I would like to include in the build, then I determine what size is most realistic to achieve that. Starkiller Base was one of those unique and diverse locations that lent itself well to an immersive LEGO build. I got to build a forest, a large snowscape, mountains, a giant base interior, as well as a huge army assembly all in one build. I cannot think of a single other Star Wars location that would allow a builder to incorporate all those elements, all at once. Can you tell us a bit about the construction—were there any special techniques you used? I am almost embarrassed to say it, but I have been working on this build for so long that I have forgotten a lot of the techniques I used to achieve certain things. I will highlight one technique in particular, that I used a lot, and that I am most proud of. The rockwork technique I used for the interior of Snoke’s room, as well as the prison section, was very unique and visually appealing. I took a bunch of smaller rock assemblies, making sure their shapes were complementary to each other, somewhat like a puzzle, then clipped them into a wall. The result is pretty impressive!

Rey with stormtrooper in Starkiller Base.

Data File: Starkiller Base Seen in The Force Awakens, Starkiller Base was a military base on the ice planet of Ilum. Armed with a superweapon capable of destroying star systems, the base was destroyed by Poe Dameron. Source: Star Wars Wookieepedia

Starkiller base Kylo Ren’s meditation chamber with Snoke hologram.

41 41

Rey and Finn are at the top of the catwalks.

Troops are gathered in a show of force.

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

In another part of the base, there are sleep quarters for the stormtroopers.

I used a combination of both! I usually design all my vehicles digitally and I continued that process with the First Order Transporter in this build. There were a few other non-vehicle builds I designed digitally, such as the big turrets on the stage.

The superweapon command center.

Were there any moments in this build where you felt like, “Aww man, I’m stuck!” If so, maybe you can inspire someone on how you overcame that obstacle? I do not think I ever really hit that point in this build. There was always so much to build that I could always work on something. Sometimes it is necessary to take a break from a build though, just to regain your sanity. [laughter]

What would be your advice to anyone looking to build a custom Star Wars diorama on their own? Do not be afraid to use elements and techniques that others have used before you! The community has tons of awesome people who share their creations. Use those as inspiration to guide you on your build process. I know you have a huge following on YouTube; can you tell us more about your channel and what viewers can expect to see now and in the future? I am almost always building some sort of large-scale build on my channel and documenting the process weekly. If you would like to see, in detail, how large-scale builds come together, my channel is a great resource. I review tons of other people’s Star Wars MOCs if you would like to keep up with a lot of the great community builds. I also just have a ton of fun on my channel. My live streams are a great place to hang out and talk about Star Wars. I also create Star Wars related music if you are into that! Are you a part of any Star Wars specific Lego User Groups (LUGs)? If so, can you tell us a bit about them? The only LUG I belong to is the Houston Brick Club. They are not specifically Star Wars related, but if you are in the Houston area, it is definitely worth joining the group!

The back half of the layout has the thermal oscillator that was destroyed by Poe Dameron. Rey escapes from her captors and slips unseen into the base.

Jhaelon with his layout.

Any final things you would like to add? JES: Thanks for the interview! It was a ton of fun getting to talk. If just one person who reads this gets inspired to go build a Star Wars MOC, I will be very happy! 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! Your food is always grilled at Starkiller Base! Poe Dameron starts his attack run. On patrol.

Parts List

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

Qty Part 1 29119.dat 1

29120.dat

76116.dat

1 1 1 2

3024.dat 11477.dat 3024.dat 85861.dat

6 3004.dat 4 3010.dat 8 3023.dat 12 3710.dat 1 15573.dat 3

22886.dat

1 3 8 6 4

26603.dat 87079.dat 3023.dat 2431.dat 2453b.dat

1 5 1 1 1 2

3033.dat 3069b.dat 3460.dat 3666.dat 4740.dat 6091.dat

11211.dat

Design and Instructions by Dan Ko and the BrickNerd Team

32000.dat

67810.dat

With the Book of Boba Fett bringing our favorite Firesprayclass starship (RIP Slave I) back to the forefront, we were inspired to create this model to complement all the amazing Star Wars creations in this issue of BrickJournal.

1 3 1

3023.dat 3623.dat 3794b.dat

1 2 1 1

3960.dat 4274.dat 4740.dat 6541.dat

11610.dat

15712.dat

2 2 2

25269.dat 32828.dat 49307.dat

48729b.dat

Flying by Bespin

The LEGO model is a desk vignette of a tiny Slave I flying away from the cloudy world of Bespin. New white corner curve pieces represent the clouds, there is a forced perspective of a light grey Cloud City, and the sunset is brick-built layer by layer out of orange hues. What a sunset! This was originally built as a trophy by Dan Ko for his Small Wars microscale contest in 2021, but was just too good not to share with the rest of the community. May the Force be with you!

Color Dark Red

Description Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 with Cutout Right Dark Red Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 with Cutout Left Dark Red Minifig Mechanical Arm with Clip and Rod Hole Black Plate 1 x 1 Black Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 Sand Green Plate 1 x 1 Dark Green Plate 1 x 1 Round with Open Stud Bright Lt Orange Brick 1 x 2 Bright Lt Orange Brick 1 x 4 Bright Lt Orange Plate 1 x 2 Bright Lt Orange Plate 1 x 4 Bright Lt Orange Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud, without Understud Bright Lt Orange Brick 1 x 2 x 3 without Understud Bright Lt Orange Tile 2 x 3 Bright Lt Orange Tile 2 x 4 with Groove Orange Plate 1 x 2 White Tile 1 x 4 with Groove White Brick 1 x 1 x 5 with Solid Stud White Plate 6 x 10 White Tile 1 x 2 with Groove White Plate 1 x 8 White Plate 1 x 6 White Dish 2 x 2 Inverted White Brick 2 x 1 x 1 & 1/3 with Curved Top White Brick 1 x 2 with Two Studs on One Side White Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Holes White Brick 2 x 2 x 1.333 with Curved Corner Top Lt Bluish Grey Plate 1 x 2 Lt Bluish Grey Plate 1 x 3 Lt Bluish Grey Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud Lt Bluish Grey Dish 4 x 4 Inverted Lt Bluish Grey Technic Pin 1/2 Lt Bluish Grey Dish 2 x 2 Inverted Lt Bluish Grey Technic Brick 1 x 1 with Hole Lt Bluish Grey Cone 1 x 1 Inverted with Shaft Lt Bluish Grey Tile 1 x 1 with Clip (Thick C-Clip) Lt Bluish Grey Tile 1 x 1 Corner Round Lt Bluish Grey Plate 1 x 1 Round with Bar Lt Bluish Grey Brick 1 x 1 x 0.667 with Curved Top Lt Bluish Grey Bar 1.5L with Clip with Truncated Sides and Hole in Shaft

jacQueline Sanchez jewelry design

LEGO AND DIAMONDS ®

jacquelinesanchez.com

@jacquelinesanchezjewelry

404.441.5225

49 49

BrickNerd was a LEGO fan website 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 partnership with BrickNerd.

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

You Can Build It MINI Build

MINI Vehicle Concept 1 Design and Instructions by David Strenzler Thank you to David Strenzler of Force of Bricks (www. forceofbricks.de) for providing us with these great instructions to build the Vehicle Concept 1 drawn by Ryan Church for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Ryan is currently a concept design supervisor at Lucasfilm.

Parts List

(Parts can be ordered from Bricklink.com by searching by part number and color) Qty Color 1 Black 4 Black 1 Black 1 Black 1 Black 2 Black 1 Black 1 Black

Part 3023.dat 3024.dat 3623.dat 3710.dat 4070.dat 4733.dat 11610.dat 18674.dat

The universe of Star Wars is so rich and diverse, especially when it comes to available ship designs. That is what I wanted to bring to people’s minds. The Vehicle Concept 1 is a perfect example of such variety, and is refreshing compared to a classic X-Wing or TIE Fighter design.

3 2

Black Black

24246.dat 26047.dat

3 4

Black Black

30374.dat 35480.dat

Well, we love it; thank you again! Folks, be sure to check out Force of Bricks on all social media platforms! May the Force be with you and your bricks!

1 1 1 1 1

Black Black Black Black Trans Lt Blue

44375b.dat 63965.dat 85861.dat 87994.dat 22388.dat

1 2 4

Trans Lt Blue White White

24246.dat 2431.dat 3023.dat

Steven Smyth: What inspired you to build the Episode III concept art into brick form? David Strenzler: I was inspired to build this design in particular in LEGO because it stands out from the typical Star Wars design aesthetic, and its elegant curves and smart wing mechanism caught my attention. What do you hope audiences will derive from building it?

Description Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 1 Plate 1 x 3 Plate 1 x 4 Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Four Sides Cone 1 x 1 Inverted with Shaft Plate 2 x 2 Round with 1 Centre Stud Tile 1 x 1 with Rounded End Plate 1 x 1 Round with Horizontal Handle on Side Bar 4L Lightsaber Blade Plate 1 x 2 with Round Ends and 2 Open Studs Dish 6 x 6 Inverted with Solid Studs ~Bar 6L with Thick Stop (Obsolete) Plate 1 x 1 Round with Open Stud Bar 3L Slope Brick 50 1 x 1 x 0.667 Quadruple Tile 1 x 1 with Rounded End Tile 1 x 4 with Groove Plate 1 x 2

Qty Color 3 White 6 White 1 White 5 White 2 White 5 White 2 White

Part 3069b.dat 3070b.dat 3460.dat 3623.dat 3666.dat 3710.dat 4032a.dat

2 2 8 2 5 1 2

White White White White White White White

4162.dat 6636.dat 11090.dat 11212.dat 11477.dat 13547.dat 18674.dat

1 1 2 4

White White White White

24201.dat 24246.dat 25269.dat 29119.dat

White

29120.dat

1 3

White White

36840.dat 54200.dat

Description Tile 1 x 2 with Groove Tile 1 x 1 with Groove Plate 1 x 8 Plate 1 x 3 Plate 1 x 6 Plate 1 x 4 Plate 2 x 2 Round with Axlehole Type 1 Tile 1 x 8 Tile 1 x 6 Bar Tube with Clip Plate 3 x 3 Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 Slope Brick Curved 4 x 1 Inverted Plate 2 x 2 Round with 1 Centre Stud Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 Inverted Tile 1 x 1 with Rounded End Tile 1 x 1 Corner Round Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 with Cutout Right Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 with Cutout Left Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 1 Up Slope Brick 31 1 x 1 x 0.667

Qty Color 4 White 4 White 1 White 1 2 1 1 8 3 1 1 4 1 1 1 8 2 1 2

Part 60478.dat 63864.dat 85970.dat

Description Plate 1 x 2 with Handle on End Tile 1 x 3 Slope Brick Curved 1 x 8 with Plate 1x 2 White 87087.dat Brick 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side White 98138pb0.dat Tile 1 x 1 Round with H Pattern Lt Bluish Grey 14418.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Socket Joint-8 with Friction Lt Bluish Grey 15712.dat Tile 1 x 1 with Clip (Thick C-Clip) Lt Bluish Grey 32828.dat Plate 1 x 1 Round with Bar Lt Bluish Grey 85861.dat Plate 1 x 1 Round with Open Stud Lt Bluish Grey 3023.dat Plate 1 x 2 Lt Bluish Grey 4070.dat Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight Dark Bluish Grey 4733.dat Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Four Sides Dark Bluish Grey 6541.dat Technic Brick 1 x 1 with Hole Dark Bluish Grey 14419.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Socket Joint-8 with Friction and Ball Joint-8 Dark Bluish Grey 22890.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Ball Joint-8 on End Dark Bluish Grey 35480.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Round Ends and 2 Open Studs Dark Bluish Grey 54200.dat Slope Brick 31 1 x 1 x 0.667 Dark Bluish Grey 78257.dat Plate 1 x 1 with Handles on Opposite Ends Dark Bluish Grey 85861.dat Plate 1 x 1 Round with Open Stud

Building

Minifig Customization 101: half-sister Yang Xiao Long. Please see the two prior articles in the series for more details, or hit your favorite search engine and look up RWBY.

The Final Chapter Article by Jared Burks I finally have an article trilogy! The previous article was definitely my Empire Strikes Back, as I hit several roadblocks to the character projects, which kept keeping them from being satisfactorily completed. I believe I have most, if not all, of them solved at this point and I am happy to share the story.

The Story So Far

Let’s begin with a bit of a recap: I am attempting to create the four huntresses from team RWBY, pronounced “Ruby.” This group of huntresses are featured in an anime web series created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. RWBY is set in the fictional world of Remnant, which is composed of four kingdoms plagued by malevolent creatures known as the “Creatures of Grimm.” As huntresses along with huntsmen, Team RWBY fight the Grimm. Team RWBY, is composed of Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna (of the half-human, half-animal Faunus race), and Ruby’s

In my first article on making these minifigures, I started with Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee. For Ruby, I found reference art and began work on her hair, accessories (scarf/ hood combo, cape, and skirt) and weapon (Crescent Rose). For Weiss, I found her reference art and worked on her hairpiece, skirt, and weapon (Myrtenaster). I expanded my work to include Blake and Yang in my second article. Refinements were also done for the initial two minifgures, with accessories and weapons improved for both. For Blake, reference art was found and work started on hair, accessories (waist cape and hair bow) and weapon (Gambol Shroud). Yang was in the initial stages of design with reference art found and the first version of her weapon (Ember Celica) designed. Today, I will show you how I wrapped things up and finalized the figures. I am pleased, very pleased, but there are still things to do like airbrushing Weiss’ skirt, adding some paint details to the Gambol Shroud, creating a completely custom hair for Blake, and further improving my cloth parts. I am actively working on these bits, but honestly the figures are complete as they are; those are just bonus points and when I create figures like this there are always lose threads to tie up. So let’s jump 61 into what I have to share today.

3-D Printing

Test pieces of the Gambol Shroud.

Digital models of the Ember Celica.

During the creation of these figures, I had several 3-D printing issues that caused me to upgrade my resin printer, add and replace a flexible build plate, and (due to an error) replace the screen. When you are creating parts, especially with all the different resins I used (Anycubic Basic Clear, Elegoo Abs-Like Grey & White, EPAX Hard Black, and Siraya Tech Fast Navy Grey & Tenacious) it can be challenging to figure out all the different printing settings and resin shrinkage. The resin will cure faster or slower and if you get the timing wrong, you can muddy the details you have worked hard to add to your models. Each resin, as it cures, will shrink at a different rate, which means 3.05 mm in one uncured resin will be 3.1 in another. While this seems like a trivial issue when you go to place a part in a Minifigure hand or around the head, if the part is too loose or too small, it simply won’t fit. As many parts had to be painted, these had to be tested after the correct paint was identified, as the paints can have various thicknesses as well, making this whole process quite painful. In the WIP II article I showed the process of designing Blake’s Gambol Shroud, however, it wasn’t really finished at that time. I had to better design the sheath that holds the sword, which was much more complicated than I thought due to the tooth on the blade. Adding and removing that from the sheath is challenging as the resin doesn’t just flow out of this small hole during printing. These are some of the challenges facing printing these small elements. Yang’s Ember Celica had a first draft in WIP II as well; however, as I continued to work with this design, I found it failed on several fronts—and honestly, I had merely over-designed it. The details weren’t going to print, so I needed to simplify the design, which had me starting over on the design. Printing this design was particularly challenging as it had to fit over the arm, the hand had to fit through the end, and it needed to be tight so it wouldn’t spin. I printed about a hundred different versions.

Test of the Ember Celica print, with a crack forming on the top. Variant prints.

I also tried something new in printing: I bought a set of resin dyes. Typically these would be added to a clear resin, but I had the Siraya Tech Navy Grey that came out in a color close to the color desired for Weiss’ skirt. I wanted it more in the purple family as her torso is Sand Purple. I therefore added some clear resin to the Navy Grey to dilute the pigments and then added quite a bit of red dye, some white dye and white resin, and a bit of orange dye. As you can see from the iterations image, I created many different prints to get the color I was after. This worked well and the dyes seemed to have little effect on the resin behavior. This brings me to what color the final parts were.

Paint and Coloring

In the WIP II article, I demonstrated the difference in a white part color versus a black when both were painted red. The white part yields a vibrant red color, however the black gives a muddied red hue. This meant that many parts had to be reprinted in white to allow them to be painted appropriately. Whenever possible, I use Vinyl Dyes to paint parts, because this fuses and penetrates the parts a bit better than normal paint. I find Vinyl Dyes at auto part stores, but the major limitation is the limited selection of colors. I used these to paint much of Ruby’s accessories, Weiss’ hair and skirt, Blake’s hair, and finally Yang’s Ember Celica. (I had to figure out the final hair styles for Blake and Yang, and thus conducted a study of official LEGO hair.) Some parts needed a bit more, as in Weiss’ Myrtenaster, which I wanted to be a bit shiny. I started with a black part, because this works best for shiny parts. I tried the metallic silver, plate finish, and the stainless steel. The plate was by far the most chrome looking; however, when I added a 1k clear coat, it dulled the finish dramatically. As I wanted to add additional details of the color coded ammo, I found that the stainless steel version looked the best to me. I also found that the plate finish without a clear coat was more hard wearing than I believed. Now that I had the base color down, I needed to add these custom ammo details. This is where the Wicked Colors Acrylics came into play. I used them on Weiss’ crown, in her hair and weapon, and also on Ruby’s Crescent Rose to add the red detailing. I want to try and invert this process with a red Crescent Rose, but I have not had a chance yet. These paints were added via a brush.

Acrylic paints.

Vinyl dye.

Using different paints.

Final painted parts.

Cloth

Whenever I start making a figure I commonly ask, what did LEGO do? Meaning, if LEGO were to make this figure or a part of this style, how did they approach it? Well, this leads me to create studies. I have shown you this with swords, but for here I performed a Cloth Study for capes and waist capes. These studies allowed me to design the needed capes and waist capes; however, what is the best method to add details? Well, I found a new product on Amazon, printable canvas without a paper backing. This is designed to go into your inkjet printer and worked amazingly well, but it is a touch thick. The issue with the thickness is that when trimmed, it still has a white edge, which meant I had to paint the edge. Ruby’s cape was also difficult to create because it didn’t fit well under her hood/scarf part, so I ended up cutting her cape out of red duck cloth. Once I had the cloth printed, I used hole and leather punches to add the various holes to the cloth and cut them from the fabric with a sharp pair of scissors. I am still not completely happy and am continuing to investigate cloth.

Character Design

I found that all the characters’ eyes were too small to give the desired detail, so Ruby’s and Weiss’ heads were reprinted after a face study was performed using Blake. This way all the faces can share the same characteristics. This was a major change across all of the designs; more specific changes will be discussed below.

Ruby

Ruby was fairly well complete as of the second article. The major changes have been her cape, completion of her two-part skirt, and the painting of the Crescent Rose. While I am happy with the figure, I am learning Blender and hope to create a more custom hair style for her in the future. I also want to rework her cape and find a better method to paint her Crescent Rose to give a better polish to the part. Oh, and to address her forearm guards—due to the method of printing, they don’t wrap completely around. The point of putting these details in this article is to demonstrate that there is always growth, always things to further customize, and most projects are never really complete.

Weiss:

Weiss had two major issues in the last article: The hair and the skirt. The hair was resolved by fixing the scaling, but the skirt needed a better color match. I found a way to change resin colors with resin dye and went to the darker shade of her skirt, but this will make it harder to paint in the future. So I will need to find the correct shade of light blue, but it will also have to be an opaque paint. This is a moment where I would spend hours in a store looking through paint, but with the COVID Omicron variant, I am not willing to do that currently. So Weiss was finished by painting her hair, the crown hair piece, and finalizing her two-part skirt with the white underlayer.

Blake

Blake was first shown in the WIP II article and a hairpiece was proposed, but a different hairstyle was shown. Neither of these are perfect, but Blake (due to her Faunus status and ears hidden beneath her bow) requires a fairly flat top hair style. This had me flip-flop back to the previously proposed hair style. This also meant paint and a small hole for the bow to attach. The bow is a “Friends” bow downloaded from LEOCad with the attachment pin repositioned. I may change this to a Minnie Mouse/Daisy Duck style bow, but that made her even taller and more of a challenge. Ultimately she is the reason I want to learn Blender to create custom hair styles. Her hair is the most inaccurate of all the styles. I couldn’t merely cut up parts and piece them together as I did with Weiss; it requires a completely novel creation. I also want to paint her weapon and change her waist cape once I settle on a cloth process. I hope to extend the back design onto the cloth as well.

Yang

Yang was merely a concept in the previous article, and there is not a character study of her outfit that I am able to find. This meant I had to interpret her design from watching the show and from only two images from two different perspectives. This was challenging, and her design features quite a bit of color blocking. I did manage to give her some stylish sunglasses, so she does have two different heads. I like the way she came out, but it was a unique challenge to determine what her back would look like under all her hair. The other challenge is the purple bandana on her leg, which I chose to leave off. I want to add a rubber band for this detail, but I haven’t figured that out yet. The “Friends” hair piece is the best out of all the figures’ hair styles; the challenge is the way she posed in many of the posters. Her weapon is also the smallest and least detailed. Figuring out how to better paint it in the future is on the to-do list.

Summary

As you can see from above, there is still work to do, but most familiar with the show would see the figures and be fairly happy with my effort, as am I. If I get those future changes made, great; if I don’t, I don’t. I think Team RWBY is fairly well complete, and this gives me the opportunity to have some fun with some side projects listed below. Original posters...

...and the minifigure versions.

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

Posters

One of the remarkable parts of the show is that the characters are designed by color. Red, White, Black, and Yellow for Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. This has resulted in several stunning color blocking posters from the series that I really gravitate to for the colors. This is likely one of the reasons I really enjoy the series and the art. I have used the custom figures to replicate several of these posters, and this was merely done for fun. I hope you enjoy them.

BigFig

As a post signature, or P.S. to this article series, I have started to play with making a Ruby BigFig. This is my giant 6.7x 3-D printed version of a LEGO figure. I have not yet painted this fig, but find it amazing I was merely able to scale up the larger custom elements. I hope you all have enjoyed the process and the shared details. I learned a ton through creating these four figures. These have been some of the most ambitious figures I have made to date because of the number of elements I have had to design and create via 3-D printing. Who knows what the next project will bring, but I hope to do more of these types of designs in the future.

Prints in progress.

Come back next time for more minifig customizing tips! 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!

corey schaaf

Some views of Jonathan’s model.

Creating Mando’s New Ride!

The hype is real folks! The new hit Star Wars show on Disney+, The Book of Boba Fett, has brought us some very interesting storytelling and I think we all collectively lost it when The Mandalorian himself showed up. It didn’t stop there, especially for those of us who cherish the Star Wars prequels! Din Djarin’s new ship? A derelict Naboo N-1 Starfighter first seen in Episode I: The Phantom Menace turned into an unregistered and highly modified hot rod of a starfighter for the Mandalorian!

Article by Steven Smyth, Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars Photography by Jonathan Dagar, FX Manaud, and Steve Marsh

Naturally this caused an explosion of MOCs (My Own Creation) of the awesome ship being built in the Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars Facebook community! So we asked around in the group and a few talented builders opened up and wanted to share their individual take and their version on the new Naboo Starfighter. So strap in, because these sublight drives kick like a gundark with its ears in a twist! First we start off with Jonathan Dagar and his fantastic N-1. Let’s jump right into it Jonathan—what inspired you to build Din Djarin’s starfighter?

Jonathan Dagar’s Version I have always loved Star Wars for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was especially fond of Episode I when I saw it for the first time, and grew up with it. I especially loved the Naboo N-1 Starfighter. I had the toy version from KFC, I think? There was however a long time period between then and now, a Dark Age if you will, where I did not have much LEGO or Star Wars in my life. I believe most LEGO builders and collectors are very familiar with the Dark Age. For most of us, it almost seems like a part of a rite of passage. So the N-1 definitely hit a childhood memory soft spot! Exactly, fast forward to the near present. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, my love for Star Wars was reignited with The Mandalorian TV show. I felt it was so good, it was the best it had ever been. So much so that I purchased the Razor Crest set, and from there my LEGO collection and appreciation started anew. I totally get that, Jonathan. I think The Mandalorian and most of the new content coming out now, but especially The Mandalorian, is extremely exciting, and I think majority of Star Wars enthusiasts agree—what a great time to be alive, with all the new shows and films coming out! Yes! And then The Book of Boba Fett surprised us with an episode almost entirely centered on the Mandalorian. Imagine my reaction and surprise when I saw that his new ship was going to be an N-1 Starfighter! I know, right? That initial test flight scene was intense! So I thought it was only fitting to put my newfound MOC skills to use and build a tribute to what linked my love for Star Wars past and present. I figured it would be a great challenge to do this while it was trending and competing with other designers who had similar inspiration! Well, I am glad you did, Jonathan! Your design is wonderful and looks like it could be a set released by the LEGO Company itself. I really appreciate you taking the time to tell us about what it meant to you!

Next we go over FX Manaud’s take on this beauty. Any regular follower of BrickJournal will recognize your name, being the first Bantha Bricks Files interview with your amazing modular and minifigure scale Razor Crest from The Mandalorian series in BrickJournal #63 in August of 2020! So beyond the logical follow up to your Razor Crest, what else could have inspired you to want to build the Mandalorian’s N-1?

Some views of Manaud FX’s model.

Well, Steven, first you have to understand my state of mind when I watch any new Star Wars content, live-action or animated. I am 40% focused on what is happening, 40% thinking of the wider implications for the general canon and Easter eggs, and another 40% trying to convert everything I see into LEGO. So at 120% overload, I end up pretty tired after each episode!

Wow FX, that sounds intense! But I totally get it, Star Wars gets me pumped too! In Chapter 5, I immediately recognized the N-1 under its sheet and my train of thought was, if this ends up really being his new ship, why bother MOCing it? People already have the official set, and even if Din and Peli Motto modify it a lot, everyone is just going to modify their sets and flood the internet with photos—so again, why bother MOCing it? Eight minutes later or so, the ship is out of the shop and I notice the dome replacing the droid and instantly think, if I was to build it, I would make it big enough to have Grogu in there. Then the wife turned to me and said, “You are MOCing it in your head right now, aren’t you?” She knows me so well! Then the following day my neighbor, some followers, some colleagues, and my friends from Brickboyz_CD all asked me if I was going to MOC it. So let me guess…

So I dived in it! The whole Saturday with real bricks, luckily, I had a lot of Flat Silver leftover pieces from my Razor Crest, and after that I spent Sunday evening on Stud.io.

FX Manaud’s Version Too funny, FX; I wouldn’t expect anything less from you though. So what is your favorite part about the Starfighter? The general shape, curves and angles are not as simple as they seem, but they are interesting. I also love all these asymmetric details on the engines and the fuselage. When I see full symmetric MOCs of this ship, I think, “Maybe you should watch the show again.” FX, you know I am a fan of yours and love your designs! This Mandalorian N-1 Naboo Starfighter is no exception; I totally appreciate your keen eye and attention to all the details. Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your day to share it with us!

Lastly we zoom in on Steve Marsh’s version of the Naboo Starfighter. What inspired you to build the Mandalorian’s N-1? Really it was the challenge along with having a new ship in the Star Wars universe to create. Those two factors were pretty irresistible to me, and it seems a great many other people also! The ship’s sleek curves and unbroken hull are extremely difficult to reproduce precisely using a block-based medium like LEGO, so I personally opted for smoothness for my model, aiming to have as few studs visible as possible, whilst still producing the shape and aesthetics as accurately as I could. I see that, your particular approach to creating the Mandalorian’s N-1 is different from most. It looks really clean as stud-less as it is. What is your favorite part of the Starfighter?

Some views of Steve Marsh’s model.

I have two. I love the exposed front engine section with the raised circular ‘souped up’ V8 type engine, and I also love how there are subtle differences on either side of the ship, from its engines being slightly different in detail, to the exposed under-paneling on the hull. Many early MOCs of this ship skipped these differing details in a rush to be the first out of the door, but as time has gone on, we have seen some really accurate representations of it with very fine detail differences on both sides of the ship.

You are definitely well known for finer details, and also the studfree design style, as seen in your prior spotlight on the Corvus from Star Wars Battlefront 2 in BrickJournal #70 last October 2021. I really like the wings being as smooth as they are. You did a fantastic job building your vision of this starfighter, and I really appreciate you taking a moment out of your day to share your insight and ship with us! This really is just a scratch on the surface of amazing N1 Starfighter builds being shared in groups by many talented builders, so if you want 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! This is the way!

Steve Marsh’s Version

THE MAGAZINE FOR LEGO ENTHUSIASTS OF ALL AGES! ®

BRICKJOURNAL magazine (edited by Joe Meno) spotlights all aspects of the LEGO® Fan Community, showcasing events, BRICKJOURNAL #73 people, and models every issue, with ANTOINE HUGUERRE’s Big Thunder contributions and how-to articles by top Board Mountain! Go to Monstropolis to help builders worldwide, new product intros, Sully find Mike Wazowski in BRANDON Monsters, Inc factory! Plus, and more. Available in both FULL-COLOR JAMES’ more intricate STAR WARS creations by print and digital editions. Print subscribers builder LEE GOLDMAN, nerding Out with BrickNerd, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, get the digital version FREE!

SUBSCRIBE! Six issues: 68 in the US $ 103 International • $29 Digital Only $

BRICKJOURNAL #70

BRICKJOURNAL #69

BRICKJOURNAL #72

BRICKJOURNAL #71

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

LEGO® COLOR! A mosaic by Bricknerd’s DAVE SCHEFCIK, CAZ MOCKETT and her monocolor habitats, flowers and other creations by INEZ VAQUEZ, STEVEN SMYTH’s intricate Star Wars builds, “AFOLs” by GREG HYLAND, step-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

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

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL #68

BRICKJOURNAL #67

LEGO® photography with Toy Photographers Blog founder SHELLY CORBETT, and photographers ASTRID HEYLAND, NATASJA VOS, and MARCO ZANCONI offer their favorite tips and tricks to make your creations look great! Plus, STEVEN SMYTH’s Star Wars builds, instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

BRICKJOURNAL #66

LEGO® brick-built Edwards Island by DALE HARRIS of HarrisBricks! The hot rods of PAUL SLUITERS! Rocket to outer space with SCOTT BOWMAN and JOE CHAMBERS’ Space Shuttle Discovery set! Plus, Star Wars builds with STEVEN SMYTH of Bantha Bricks, BrickNerd, step-by-step building instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS!

Starship builders NICK TROTTA and ATTILA GALLIK, TIM GODDARD’s space builds which have been featured online and showcased in the book LEGO Space: Building the Future, STEVEN SMYTH’s intricate Star Wars builds, “AFOLs” by Greg Hyland, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, and more!

ALICE FINCH’s art/architectural models, the WOMEN’S BRICK INITIATIVE and the BRICK ALLIANCE (bringing more builders to the community), the WOMEN OF PHILIPPINES LUG (LEGO Users Group) and their creations, STEVEN SMYTH’s intricate Star Wars builds, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

Get an introduction to TOM GERARDIN’s LEGO best friends Billy and Charlie, tour Disneyland Paris’ Sleeping Beauty Castle in bricks with DARIO DEL FRATES, and visit more theme parks LEGO-style with BILL VOLLBRECHT! Plus: “AFOLs” by GREG HYLAND, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, and more!!

YUANSHENG HE’s breathtaking LEGO® brick art photography, the many models of TOM FROST, and the intricate Star Wars builds of Bantha Brick’s STEVEN SMYTH! Plus: “Bricks in the Middle” by KEVIN HINKLE and MATTHEW KAY, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

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

BRICKJOURNAL #65

BRICKJOURNAL #64

BRICKJOURNAL #63

BRICKJOURNAL #62

BRICKJOURNAL #61

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

Classic LEGO themes re-imagined! PIET NIEDERHAUSEN’s creations based on the Classic Yellow Castle, CHRIS GIDDENS (originator of Neo-Classic Space theme), and tour the Masterpiece Gallery at Denmark’s LEGO House! Plus: “Bricks in the Middle” by HINKLE and KAY, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS!

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” by GREG HYLAND, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art with TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

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

LEGO FIGURE BUILDING! JAE WON LEE’s historical and legendary characters, EERO OKKONEN’s stunning mythic figures, ANDREA (“Norton74”) LATTANZIO’s new ultra-realistic builds (including classic food stands and gas stations), “AFOLs” by GREG HYLAND, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

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

BRICKJOURNAL #60

BRICKJOURNAL #59

BRICKJOURNAL #58

BRICKJOURNAL #57

BRICKJOURNAL #56

MYSTERIOUS, SPOOKY LEGO BUILDING! FLYNN DeMARCO’s motorized Treasure of the Snake Queen, Laika’s MISSING LINK by HOLLY WEBSTER, STACY STERLING’s HAUNTED MANSION, “AFOLs” by GREG HYLAND, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art with TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

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

LEGO WARBIRDS, PAST AND PRESENT! JEFF CHERRY’S WWII and modern fighters (P-51 Mustang and F-14 Tomcat), RALPH SAVELSBURG’S BrickJournal exclusive X-plane, MICHAEL BROWN’S F-14 Tomcat “Vandy One”, step-by-step LEGO instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art with TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

MICROSCALE LEGO BUILDING! Tour WAYNE TYLER’S National Mall (Washington, DC) layout, skyscrapers from ROCCO BUTTLIERE, BLAKE FOSTER’s Ugly Duckling spaceship, step-by-step “You Can Build It” LEGO instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art with TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

LIFE-SIZE LEGO and what it takes to build them (besides a ton of LEGO brick)! HELEN SHAM’s sculptures of giant everyday items, MAGNUS LAUGHLO’s GI Joe®-inspired models, military builds by ERIC ONG, plus “Bricks In The Middle” comic by KEVIN HINKLE, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, Minifig Customization by JARED K. BURKS, & more!

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

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

BRICKJOURNAL #55

BRICKJOURNAL #54

BRICKJOURNAL #53

BRICKJOURNAL #52

BRICKJOURNAL #51

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

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: HSINWEI CHI and his revolutionary LEGO animals and giant robots! We also declassify other top LEGO builders’ creations, including MICHAEL BROWN’s Technic-scale F-18 Hornet! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

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

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

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!

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

NOW ON SALE! BRICKJOURNAL’S ACCLAIMED BOOKS FOR LEGO FANS!

BRICKJOURNAL #50

MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION 1 & 2

YOU CAN BUILD IT, BOOK 1 and BOOK 2

DOUBLE-SIZE BOOK! JOE MENO discusses the beginnings of BrickJournal, LEGO Group’s TORMOD ASKILDSEN interviewed, fan community growth over 10 years, and the best builders of the past 50 issues! Plus: Minifigure customizing with JARED K. BURKS, instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more!

JARED K. BURKS shares his knowledge of the techniques he uses to alter the lovable LEGO® Minifigure into any character you can imagine! With step-by-step tutorials on decal design and application; color alteration; custom part modification and creation; plus tips on minifigure displays and digital photography to capture your custom figures in the best light! Book 2 features advanced techniques on virtual customization; designing decals and advanced decal application; custom part modification and creation; 3-D printing; advanced painting techniques; lighting figures with LEDs or EL wire; tips on minifigure displays; and a Gallery from top customizers, with their best tricks and tips!

From the producers of BRICKJOURNAL MAGAZINE comes a new series of books, compiling STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS by the LEGO fan community’s top custom builders! BOOK ONE is for beginning-to-intermediate builders, and features instructions for LEGO creations from a fire engine and Christmas ornaments to miniscale models from a galaxy far, far away! BOOK TWO is for intermediate-to-advanced builders, with more detailed projects to tackle, from a miniscale yellow castle and miniland people, to a mini USS Constitution! Together, these books take you from novice to expert builder, teaching you key building techniques along the way!

(144-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $17.95 NOW ONLY $10 (Digital Edition) $8.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $10.95 NOW ONLY $5 each (Digital Editions) $4.99 each

(84-page FULL-COLOR trade paperbacks) $9.95 NOW ONLY $5 each (Digital Editions) $4.99 each

BRICKJOURNAL #49

BRICKJOURNAL #48

BRICKJOURNAL #47

BRICKJOURNAL #46

BRICKJOURNAL #45

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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

store@twomorrows.com

Order online at twomorrows.com

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.

Community Ads

FOR SALE!

ORIGINAL MINIFIGURE COMIC BOOK COVER REPRODUCTIONS by GREG HYLAND

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

STAR WARS #7

Artwork will be a black & white ink drawing on 11”x17” comic book illustration board. Art will include paste-up cover copy, logos, and trade dress. Email greg@lethargiclad.com for |NCREDIBLE HULK #181 information on pricing and timeframe.

Last Word Hope you liked the Star Wars issue! I need to thank Steven Smyth for rounding up everyone for the issue—this is only scratchng the surface in terms of Star Wars builders, though! There are so many that post their models online. We’ll be showing more in Steven’s running column. Under the Getting Old Department: It’s telling when one of the things I really liked this issue was something that I had when I was younger. The album covers done by Adnan Lotia brought back a lot of memories from high school and college. Playing with LEGO can evoke those memories sometimes, but this is one of those times where the resulting MOC brings back some old thoughts. Not every toy can do that. Build on! One of the albums I grew up with— well, they were CDs by then. © A&M Records Ltd.

That Joe Meno Guy

RetroFan: The Pop Culture You Grew Up With! Remember when Saturday morning television was our domain, and ours alone? When tattoos came from bubble gum packs, Slurpees came in superhero cups, and TV heroes taught us to be nice to each other? If you love Pop Culture of the Sixties, Seventies, and Eighties, TwoMorrows’ new magazine is just for you! Editor MICHAEL EURY (author of numerous books on pop culture, former editor for DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics, and editor of TwoMorrows’ Eisner Award-winning BACK ISSUE magazine for comic book fans) has assembled an unbeatable roster of regular and rotating Celebrity Columnists to cover the pop culture you grew up with: • ANDY MANGELS (best-selling sci-fi author and award-winning pop culture historian) • ERNEST FARINO (Emmy Award-winning visual effects designer, animator, and director) • SCOTT SHAW! (acclaimed cartoonist, animator, Emmy Award-winning storyboard artist, and historian) • WILL MURRAY (pulp adventure novelist and pop culture historian) • SCOTT SAAVEDRA (graphic designer, cartoonist, and COMIC BOOK HEAVEN creator) • MARK VOGER (renowned pop culture newspaper columnist and book author), and others!

RETROFAN #21

RETROFAN #22

RETROFAN #23

RETROFAN #24

RETROFAN #25

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.

Surf’s up as SIXTIES BEACH MOVIES make a RetroFan splash! Plus: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, ZORRO’s Saturday morning cartoon, TV’s THE WILD, WILD WEST, CARtoons and other drag-mags, VALSPEAK, and more fun, fab features! Like, totally! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Meet the stars behind the Black Lagoon: RICOU BROWNING, BEN CHAPMAN, JULIE ADAMS, and LORI NELSON! Plus SHADOW CHASERS, featuring show creator KENNETH JOHNSON. Also: THE BEATLES’ YELLOW SUBMARINE, FLASH GORDON cartoons, TV’s cult classic THE PRISONER and kid’s show ZOOM, COLORFORMS, M&Ms, and more fun, fab features! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Interviews with Lost in Space’s ANGELA CARTWRIGHT and BILL MUMY, and Land of the Lost’s WESLEY EURE! Revisit Leave It to Beaver with JERRY MATHERS, TONY DOW, and KEN OSMOND! Plus: UNDERDOG, Rankin-Bass’ stop-motion classic THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, Christmas gifts you didn’t want, the CABBAGE PATCH KIDS fad, and more! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Meet Mission: Impossible’s LYNDA DAY GEORGE in an exclusive interview! Celebrate Rambo’s 50th birthday with his creator, novelist DAVID MORRELL! Plus: TV faves WKRP IN CINCINNATI and SPACE: 1999, Fleisher’s and Filmation’s SUPERMAN cartoons, commercial jingles, JERRY LEWIS and BOB HOPE comic books, and more fun, fab features! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

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

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Aug. 2022

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Oct. 2022

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Dec. 2022

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Feb. 2023

TwoMorrows. The Future of Pop History.

RETROFAN #17

RETROFAN #18

RETROFAN #19

RETROFAN #20

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.

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, singer B. J. THOMAS in one of his final interviews, LONE RANGER cartoons, G.I. JOE, and more! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

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

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

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

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

store@twomorrows.com

Order at twomorrows.com

New from TwoMorrows!

ALTER EGO #176

KIRBY COLLECTOR #84

BACK ISSUE #136

BACK ISSUE #137

COMIC BOOK CREATOR #28

STEVE SHERMAN TRIBUTE! Kirby family members, friends, comics creators, and the entertainment industry salute Jack’s assistant (and puppeteer on Men in Black, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, and others). MARK EVANIER and Steve recall assisting Kirby, Steve discusses Jack’s Speak-Out Series, Kirby memorabilia from his collection, an interview with wife DIANA MERCER, and Steve’s unseen 1974 KIRBY/ROYER cover!

BRONZE AGE COMICS STRIPS! SpiderMan, Friday Foster, DC’s World’s Greatest Superheroes starring Superman, Howard the Duck, Richie Rich, Star Hawks, Star Trek, MIKE GRELL’s Tarzan, and more! Plus Charlton’s comic strip tie-ins and the MENOMONEE FALLS GAZETTE. With COLAN, GOODWIN, GIL KANE, KREMER, STAN LEE, ROMITA, THOMAS, TUSKA, and more.

1980s PRE-CRISIS DC MINISERIES! Green Arrow, Secrets of the Legion, Tales of the Green Lantern Corps, Krypton Chronicles, America vs. the Justice Society, Legend of Wonder Woman, Conqueror of the Barren Earth, and more! Featuring MIKE W. BARR, KURT BUSIEK, PAUL KUPPERBERG, RON RANDALL, TRINA ROBBINS, JOE STATON, CURT SWAN, ROY THOMAS, and others. VON EEDEN and GIORDANO cover.

STEVE BISSETTE career-spanning interview, from his Joe Kubert School days, Swamp Thing stint, publisher of Taboo and Tyrant, creator rights crusader, and more. Also, Part One of our MIKE GOLD interview on his Chicago youth, start in underground comix, and arrival at DC Comics, right in time for the implosion! Plus BUD PLANT on his publishing days, comic shop owner, and start in mail order—and all the usual fun stuff!

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

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Summer 2022

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

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

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Now shipping!

THE LIFE & ART OF

JOHN SEVERIN

OUR ARTISTS AT WAR

AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS

The Golden Age comics of major pulp magazine publisher STREET & SMITH (THE SHADOW, DOC SAVAGE, RED DRAGON, SUPERSNIPE) examined in loving detail by MARK CARLSON-GHOST! Art by BOB POWELL, HOWARD NOSTRAND, and others, ANTHONY TOLLIN on “The Shadow/Batman Connection”, FCA, MICHAEL T. GILBERT, JOHN BROOME, PETER NORMANTON, and more!

Follows his career from fandom to redesigning the LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES and his introduction of X-MEN characters Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Thunderbird (plus his design of Wolverine’s alter ego, Logan). Includes later work on THE FUTURIANS, unused character designs, and other rare material! Written by GLEN CADIGAN with introduction by ALEX ROSS. (160-page COLOR softcover) $27.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99 Ships June 2022

TWO-FISTED COMIC BOOK ARTIST

A spirited biography of EC Comics mainstay (with HARVEY KURTZMAN on Mad and Two-Fisted Tales) and co-creator of Western strip American Eagle. Covers his 40+ year association with Cracked magazine, his pivotal Marvel Comics work inking HERB TRIMPE on The Hulk & teaming with sister MARIE SEVERIN on King Kull, and more! By GREG BIGA and JON B. COOKE. (160-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $39.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99

SUBSCRIPTION RATES

2022

Print subscribers get the digital edition free!

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

Examines US War comics: EC COMICS (Two-Fisted Tales, Frontline Combat), DC COMICS (Enemy Ace, All American Men of War, G.I. Combat, Our Fighting Forces, Our Army at War, Star-Spangled War Stories), WARREN PUBLISHING (Blazing Combat), CHARLTON (Willy Schultz and the Iron Corporal) and more! Featuring KURTZMAN, SEVERIN, DAVIS, WOOD, KUBERT, GLANZMAN, KIRBY, and others! By RICHARD ARNDT and STEVEN FEARS, with an introduction by ROY THOMAS.

PETER BOSCH’s history of over 300 TV shows and 2000+ comic book adaptations across five decades, from well-known series (STAR TREK, THE MUNSTERS) to lesserknown shows (CAPTAIN GALLANT, PINKY LEE). With profiles of artists who drew TV comics: GENE COLAN, ALEX TOTH, DAN SPIEGLE, RUSS MANNING, JOHN BUSCEMA, RUSS HEATH, and more!

(160-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $27.95 (Digital Edition) $14.99

(192-page COLOR SOFTCOVER) $29.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99

ECONOMY US

(1940s-1980s)

PREMIUM US

CBA BULLPEN

Collects all seven issues of JON B. COOKE’s little-seen fanzine, published just after the original COMIC BOOK ARTIST ended its TwoMorrows run in 2003. 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! (176-page TRADE PAPERBACK with COLOR) $24.95 • (Digital Edition) $8.99 ISBN: 978-1-60549-105-9 Now shipping!

Poly mailer, backing board

Faster service, rigid mailer

Non-US orders, rigid mailer

INTERNATIONAL

DIGITAL ONLY

$68 $90 $68 $49 $49 $68

$91 $121 $91 $65 $65 $91

$103 $137 $103 $72 $72 $103

$29 $39 $29 $19 $19 $29

TwoMorrows. The Future of Comics History. TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA

No print issue

Phone: 919-449-0344 E-mail: store@twomorrows.com Web: www.twomorrows.com Don’t miss exclusive sales, limited editions, and new releases! Sign up for our mailing list:

https://groups.io/g/twomorrows

Download our Free Catalog of all our available books and back issues! https://www.twomorrows.com/media/TwoMorrowsCatalog.pdf

PRINTED IN CHINA

DAVE COCKRUM