A Photographer’s Story: Sarah Bastien’s Photo Album

Building

Spider-Man swings into action. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

Ready, Set, Action!

Minifigure Posing

Article and Photography by Chellie Hyre Instagram:@littleplanetchell Flickr Gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/ littleplanetchell/

LEGO minifigures sometimes get a bad rap when it comes to posing. With only seven points of articulation (neck, shoulders, wrists, and hips), it’s true that they are less “bendy” than many other toy figures. I believe their inherent blockiness and simplicity is actually part of a minifigure’s charm. But that doesn’t mean they have to look stiff and lifeless in photographs. So how do you increase the “posability” of LEGO minifigs and make them more interesting?

Posing Basics

Just like in portrait photography, the general rule is “if it bends, bend it”. Try these basic tips for posing minifigures: • Move their legs and arms—even if they are standing, having the legs slightly apart adds interest. • When walking or running, it will usually look less awkward if the arms and legs are positioned in opposite directions (e.g., when the right leg is moving forward, the right arm is moving backward). • Turn their heads (and hair or helmets!)—they don’t always have to look straight ahead. • Bend their body slightly forward or backwards. • Give them something to hold—a map, a book, a mug, or another accessory that will complement their story. One challenge with minifigs is keeping them balanced once you get them into a specific pose. Use “tac” (reusable mounting putty), sticks, wire, or other support pieces to help temporarily anchor them. Once your figures are posed, pay attention to the angle you use to photograph them. It’s generally better to avoid straight-on front or straight-on side views. Get low to make the figure look larger in the frame. Take some time to see how everything looks in-camera, as even slight changes can make a huge difference and add more interest.

Building

Dean’s camcorder.

Dean Gofnung: Camera Building

Article by Dean Gofnung Photography by Dean Gofnung & Geoff Vlcek

Dean Gofnung is a student who is also a filmmaker and a LEGO builder. He’s been building all of his life and combined his love of building with his other interests, to make a replica of a camcorder. Before building MOCs, though, he started as a toddler with Duplo bricks and progressed to his favorite themes: Adventurers, Ideas, and Jack Stone—he’s the only person he knows who is a fan of Jack Stone. He began building MOCs during the pandemic. Inspired by other builders, Dean wanted to start making his own models and become a better builder! The inspirations behind his build are his fascination with cameras and his drive to build better. The camera that the MOC is based on is a vintage Hi8 tape camcorder. Dean’s dad found it at his grandfather’s house, so he gave it to Dean since he knew how much Dean loves cameras. Dean had an idea to make a camera in LEGO, but this time, he knew he found the camera to replicate! Building a MOC can take days to weeks depending on the complexity and size of the model. Dean starts building, not knowing exactly what the MOC will look like completed. He will have a rough idea of what he wants, but his ideas can change anytime. For instance, the camera he built has a Hi8 tape door. He wanted to add the camera’s door opening mechanism but couldn’t find a way to build it. He tried different mechanisms until he found one that he was happy with. Having a rough idea of what to build, Dean starts building until he feels finished with the model. He loves completing his MOCs—when he builds a MOC,

Polaroid® Camera

Design and Instructions by the BrickNerd Team

Few things are more iconic than the classic Polaroid camera—there’s just something magical in taking a photo and being able to hold it in your hand a few moments later.

To pay tribute to this icon of photography, and to follow up on our Vintage Camera instructions from last year, the BrickNerd team designed a small replica Polaroid camera for you to build at home. It is scaled to the 6x6 tile that is doubling as the instant film that made Polaroid cameras so captivating. The tile slides right into the thin opening on the front, so we can’t wait to see custom printed ones hanging on fridges and pinned to bulletin boards! We even snuck in some interesting techniques to align the colorful strip across the camera’s body. It was such fun to design, and we hope you’ll enjoy building this little model just as much as this little trip down memory lane!

BrickNerd is your place for all things LEGO and the LEGO fan community. Spearheaded by Dave Schefcik and some of the best LEGO builders in the world, the site’s mission is to showcase the best of the AFOL community by highlighting builds, interviews and in-depth articles. BrickJournal 50 is proud to continue its partnership with BrickNerd.

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

Qty Part Color Description

1 4274.dat Blue Technic Pin 1/2 5 2431.dat Black Tile 1 x 4 with Groove 6 2653.dat Black Brick 1 x 4 with Groove 1 2780.dat Black Technic Pin with Friction and Slots 3 3004.dat Black Brick 1 x 2 2 3005.dat Black Brick 1 x 1 10 3023.dat Black Plate 1 x 2 1 3024.dat Black Plate 1 x 1 1 3032.dat Black Plate 4 x 6 2 3039.dat Black Slope Brick 45 2 x 2 6 3040b.dat Black Slope Brick 45 2 x 1 5 3045.dat Black Slope Brick 45 2 x 2 Double Convex 5 3069b.dat Black Tile 1 x 2 with Groove 2 3245c.dat Black Brick 1 x 2 x 2 without Understud 6 3623.dat Black Plate 1 x 3 1 3700.dat Black Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Hole 2 4733.dat Black Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Four Sides 1 6636.dat Black Tile 1 x 6 8 11212.dat Black Plate 3 x 3 1 15571.dat Black Slope Brick 45 1 x 2 Triple with Bottom Stud Holder 1 18674.dat Black Plate 2 x 2 Round with 1 Centre Stud 1 49098.dat Black Wheel Rim 11 x 18 Side with Tyre Widener 1 60478.dat Black Plate 1 x 2 with Handle on End 2 63864.dat Black Tile 1 x 3 1 72206p01.datBlack Wheel 11 x 24 with Integral Rubber Black Tyre 3 78329.dat Black Plate 1 x 5 5 85861.dat Black Plate 1 x 1 Round with Open Stud 1 85975.dat Black Minifig Hat Fez 2 87079.dat Black Tile 2 x 4 with Groove 5 3023.dat Tan Plate 1 x 2 4 3024.dat Tan Plate 1 x 1 1 3069b.dat Tan Tile 1 x 2 with Groove 1 3070b.dat Tan Tile 1 x 1 with Groove 1 3622.dat Tan Brick 1 x 3 2 3623.dat Tan Plate 1 x 3 1 3700.dat Tan Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Hole 1 6636.dat Tan Tile 1 x 6 Tan

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

Building Building Peacock MOCs

Article and Photography by Seth Peacock. Instagram: @obsessionist_seth

You can see Seth’s Instagram gallery by scanning this QR code!

One of the outstanding MOCs that was shown at BrickFair Virginia and online was a rendition of a peacock. Titled the Automaton Peacock, the builder is Seth Peacock. He spoke with BrickJournal about building peacocks and other builds!

BrickJournal: Hi Seth! What do you do?

Seth Peacock: I work in Research & Development for a paper packaging company. Most of my time is either in the laboratory or wrangling spreadsheets and databases.

How long have you been building?

Since my first birthday, when I got a Duplo set.

What got you into building as an adult?

I never had a Dark Age. I discovered the online LEGO community in middle school, and once I realized I could just keep building forever, I knew I couldn’t stop. I checked MOCpages and BZPower daily, along with a whole list of LEGO blogs. (Editor’s Note: MOCpages was a creation-sharing site and BZPower is an online forum for Bionicle fans.) It was a pretty smooth transition from a TFOL nervously sending my creations to internet “strangers” through the BZPower convention circuit, to an AFOL who could afford to attend some of those conventions in person.