BrickJournal #83 Preview

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Article and Photography

by Jason Wolfson, PhD

As a young kid, I was always into science-fiction and fantasy. In the mid-’70s, the show Space: 1999 hit TV screens, and I was hooked. Essentially there is an international base on the moon and the adventures of the crew. I didn’t fully grasp the concept of the show until I was older and watched it again: September 13, 1999, there is an explosion on the moon, the moon gets torn out of Earth’s orbit, and hurtles into deep space. The one thing about the show that many people remember is their iconic spacecraft, the Eagle. The design of this ship, to me, is realistic, practical, and above all, really cool looking. I have always wanted to build this out of LEGO bricks, and in order to do it justice, models had to be extremely large to capture the amazing details of this spacecraft. However, at the beginning of this year (2023), I was looking at the various new LEGO pieces available, and that, coupled with being invited to Doctoberfest 2023 (primarily a Doctor Who convention) to display and talk about my Doctor Who LEGO creations, I decided that I would build the Eagle (the show promoter loves Space: 1999 Eagles!).

First thing I worked on was the cockpit of the ship. Like most things I work on, I concentrate my efforts on the part of the model that draws you in, like the face of Gonzo or the head of the Jabberwock, two models that are some of my favorite MOCs I have built in the past. For reference, I used a small die-cast model of the Eagle to gauge the proportions of the model and make sure what I built matched well. I also had Space: 1999 episodes playing in the background for more inspiration.

Following the construction of the cockpit, I worked on the main body of the ship. Using the model as reference, I figured out how many studs long and wide I needed to build the main body of the craft. The Technic connector pieces were the perfect pieces to use to match the pipe-like support structure that gives the Eagle its iconic look. My first iteration of this was very weak structurally, so inside I reinforced it with several of the newer Technic modified frame (11 x 15) inside to keep it stable and more easily transportable. It is very stable when I hold it in the center there. Many people have asked me if the center part of the ship can be swapped out for other modules (like in the TV show). Unfortunately, the answer is no at this time. To do this would make

Jason Wolfson’s Eagle

Jason’s Eagle cockpit.

Battle of Endor

Article and Photography by Joe Chambers

The blast from the Death Star’s super-laser vaporized another Mon Calamari Cruiser. The Death Star wasn’t supposed to be operational. Of immediate concern, though, was the full Imperial Navy battle formation sprawled out before General Lando Calrissian as he maneuvered the Millennium Falcon through a flurry of blaster fire.

“…Yes, I said closer!” he yelled. “Move as close as you can, and engage those Star Destroyers at point-blank range!”

Admiral Akbar recoiled at the thought. A single one of those kilometer-long Imperial-II class Star Destroyers had almost twice the firepower of any ship within the Alliance fleet. “At that close range, we won’t last long against those Star Destroyers.”

As true as that was, they desperately needed to buy time. “We’ll last longer than we will against that Death Star,” Lando replied, “and we might just take a few of them with us!”

Joe Chambers:

The centerpiece of the whole display is the two Star Destroyers, specifically the one in the process of Rapid Unplanned Disassembly. These two are the result of an experiment I started a couple years ago and have still not fully finished. I got the LEGO UCS Star Destroyer and had a fun time building it, but if I might be honest, I was not impressed with it. Yes, it was huge and imposing, like a Star Destroyer should be, but it also had entirely too many studs showing and was structurally unstable to the point of being at risk of spontaneous disassembly if you so much as sneezed on it. In fact, I accidentally nudged the conning tower of one and it just plain fell off, as if my elbow was a screaming A-Wing pilot spinning out of control.

These ships did start off as the UCS set, but were modified extensively to specifically address these two issues with a liberal application of tiles and new supports, all while using as many of the parts from the original set as possible. What I ended up with was a version that has 1.5 times the number of parts and a good

An Imperial Star Destroyer suffers a direct hit.

Another view of the Star Destroyers.

Dana

Knudson:

Classic Baby Space!

Article and Photography by Dana Knudson

Classic Space is one of a few LEGO themes that is a touchstone to many LEGO builders. Recognized by its color scheme of blue and gray, the sets were simple spacecraft piloted by minifigure spacemen. 74 sets were produced under the theme, which became the inspiration for Dana Knudson’s Space Baby models. Dana Knudson is a builder and LEGO ambassador for PeachLUG, a LEGO users group based in Georgia. He was a child of the ’70s, and grew up during the golden age of toys: Star Wars, GI Joe, Transformers, and LEGO. Most of Dana’s childhood toys ended up in resale shops or sold on Yahoo Auctions when he needed money in his twenties, but he always kept his LEGO space sets. At that time, he had only seven Classic Space sets and one Futuron set.

As with most kids, Dana went into a Dark Age, but every so often, he would pull his sets out of storage to rebuild them. He was able to build most of the old sets from memory.

When LEGO started releasing Star Wars sets, Dana couldn’t help himself from getting the Slave 1 (Boba Fett’s spaceship) and a couple of other sets. For him, it was like someone got chocolate in his peanut butter; they were fun sets, but he had other interests at the time, so he didn’t get any more sets. However,

to include many of the details from the original sets in his baby versions. Play features were also important. For Dana, picking a favorite model is like asking which is his favorite child. All of the models have bits that are special to him, such as the rocket gantry from 486 or the transparentclear shields on the 452, or even making sure the rover fits on the back of 497. Part of the fun was finding elements to make the reduction in scale still look right, like the round 1 x 1 with bar handle for the monorail car in 6970, the new 1 x 1 plate with bars on two sides for 6801, and Technic ball joints for his beloved balloon tires. Other challenges were building scaled-down versions of the 1558-B

497-B Galaxy Commander.

Mobile Command Trailer.

There are other iconic sets that come to people’s minds when they think of Classic Space, but the X-1 Patrol Craft was Dana’s first Classic Space set when he was a kid and holds a special place in his childhood. Naturally, it was the first of the Baby Space builds he made. For him, the original set was a perfect build. Simple enough to build from memory, swooshable, and with great parts to build something from your own imagination. He didn’t realize it at the time, but when he built it, he was essentially setting the scale for the rest of his builds and his own fan theme: Baby Space.

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

Qty Color Part Description

1 Black 98138.dat Tile 1 x 1 Round with Groove

1 Trans Green 3070b.dat Tile 1 x 1 with Groove

2 Trans Red 3070b.dat Tile 1 x 1 with Groove

2 Trans Red 6141.dat Plate 1 x 1 Round

6 Lt Bluish Grey 2420.dat Plate 2 x 2 Corner

1 Lt Bluish Grey 2431.dat Tile 1 x 4 with Groove

2 Lt Bluish Grey 3020.dat Plate 2 x 4

1 Lt Bluish Grey 3023.dat Plate 1 x 2

1 Lt Bluish Grey 3040b.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 1

1 Lt Bluish Grey 3710.dat Plate 1 x 4

6 Lt Bluish Grey 3794b.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud

4 Lt Bluish Grey 4070.dat Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight

2 Lt Bluish Grey 15712.dat Tile 1 x 1 with Clip (Thick C-Clip)

2 Lt Bluish Grey 32828.dat Plate 1 x 1 Round with Bar

2 Lt Bluish Grey 43722.dat Wing 2 x 3 Right

2 Lt Bluish Grey 43723.dat Wing 2 x 3 Left

2 Lt Bluish Grey 59900.dat Cone 1 x 1 with Stop

2 Lt Bluish Grey 73587p02.dat Hinge Control Stick Base with Control Stick

17 Lt Bluish Grey 85861.dat Plate 1 x 1 Round with Open Stud

4 Lt Bluish Grey 87994.dat Bar 3L

1 Lt Bluish Grey 92946.dat Slope Plate 45.73 2 x 1

2 Lt Bluish Grey 98100.dat Cone 2 x 2 Truncated

You Can Build It Baby X-1 Patrol Craft

Design and Instructions

by Dana Knudson

Is FebROVERy the Best Month of the Year?

Article by Andreas Lenander of BrickNerd.com

The short and simple answer is… yes! FebRovrey is clearly the best month of the year, and let me tell you why. Now, before you go crazy and start making arguments for SHIPtember (yes Simon, it’s awesome as well) or NoVVember (that is actually a pretty awesome month too, by the way), let me explain why I love FebROVERy so much that I decided to build an army of rovers and write an article about it.

Origins of FebROVERy

The legend of FebROVERy can be traced back to sometime in 2011 where the person behind this whole thing, Crimso Giger, first wrote this on Flickr: “I’ve created a new group called ‘LEGO Classic Space Rovers,’ dedicated to... well, Classic Space Rovers! You know, those silly little ground vehicles which were so common in the ’80s to mid-’90s Space themes. The purpose of the group is to have fun!”

2011 seems to have been the official starting point, meaning that we are over a decade into marking this magnificent theme-month—which makes it even more fitting to write this article now! However, in 2011 the group was still called “LEGO Classic Space Rovers,” so we need to jump forward a year before the first mention of the term FebROVERy appears. That was the first year people started inviting other builders to join the group and share in the fun that is now synonymous with FebROVERy. Since then, the number of rovers in that group has reached some seriously impressive proportions, with around 3500 photos!

When I first got into the AFOL community, I was pretty quickly fascinated with all the different thememonths. (Come on, slightly changing the name of the month to match it with a specific LEGO challenge? That’s pure comedy gold right there!) Like most “new” AFOLs, my collection was fairly limited at that time, and FebROVERy was the perfect “gateway drug” to really get into the community, as it doesn’t require a large number of pieces. Another aspect is that it has never really been a contest. Don’t get me wrong, contests are a lot of fun (I mean, did you see all the fun stuff submitted to Nerdly Strikes Back?!) and a great way to sharpen your skills as a builder, but sometimes you just want to kick back and build a silly little rover. In 2021, in honor of the 10th anniversary of FebROVERy, I built more than ten rovers.

Some of Andreas’ rover builds: OCS-82.

MCR-44.

HA-2M.

of FebROVERy remains having fun and promoting whimsical creativity—something illustrated perfectly by Walter Whiteside Jr. and his radio rover.

Nostalgia and Invention

Moving further into the FebROVERy lore, we find the above-mentioned David Alexander Smith, an avid rover-builder, who was kind enough to share his thoughts about this magnificent month.

“FebROVERy has always been the most joyous occasion for me, pulling together so many things that are great about the LEGO community. It’s a heady mixture of nostalgia and innovation all wrapped up in a fun, unpretentious community event. For a few weeks each year, it gets me on my knees building like a child again. There is little planning, but is mostly just the scattering of bricks and the serendipity involved in discovering crazy new ways to build. Finding a familiar element and suddenly seeing how it can be adapted to rover design is the thrill that keeps me feverishly building through the month.

“For those of us who have children, it also gives us a chance to build together with our kids, explore the nature of construction conventions with them, as well as sharing the unparalleled wonder of the Classic Space theme. And when the community gets behind an idea like this, it brings out the best in us AFOLs. Checking the FebROVERy feed during this period is like watching a fireworks display of childhood magic and unrestricted imagination.”

Classic Space Makes You Smile

Another guy synonymous with small rovers, often accompanied by a smiling Classic Space figure, is David Roberts, who had this to say on the topic.

“I enjoy how the first Classic Space sets were small and simple and had a very limited palette, yet the variations which can be built in that style are huge. I also like how the Classic Spacemen were always smiling, always busy, always purposeful, yet we never found out what kept them so busy.

Walter Whiteside’s radio rover.

A few of the rovers David Alexander Smith has built over the years.

SHIPtember:

Going BIG, or...

September is when Space builders (or Spacers) go big! For them, the month is SHIPtember—which has a double meaning. The month is devoted to building and showing spaceships that are 100 studs or longer in length, which are Seriously Huge Investments in Parts. A green baseplate is 32 studs or 10 inches long, so 100 studs is over 30 inches—a pretty large size and scale to start a build.

Traditionally, this month-long challenge is hosted on Flickr, with many Spacers contributing ships to the SHIPtember armada. In 2022, 63 builders built 73 SHIPs. Here’s a gallery of some of the builds, with comments and a little history from the builders (known by their Flickr handle) about their SHIP and how they became part of SHIPtember.

Red Spacecat: Frigate

About ten years ago, Simon Liu (Si-MOCs) reached out to me with the request to create a poster for his “space themed month” idea. I thought that sounded like a great event and gladly made a poster design for him. With me being a slow builder, especially with larger projects, it took me until 2018 to even attempt an entry myself. That time my idea didn’t really come to fruition, and I opted out without having completed the build. Come 2022 and already one week into SHIPtember with no intention of entering, I suddenly got inspired and hastily took to Studio to begin sketching out the ideas I had in my mind. Before I knew it I was ordering parts and committed to see this iteration through. I barely finished before the deadline and was proud to score second place in the people’s choice awards.

The main inspiration for my SHIP, and indeed the reason why I completed my entry this time, was the many new parts that had come out over the span of 2021 and 2022. Many seemed tailor-made for my specific style of building, and I set the goal of using as many of them as possible in this one build. This did mean my SHIP would be predominantly white, because most of these relatively new parts weren’t available in many colors by the time I started building. As the project developed, the design leaned more and more towards the classic Japanese aesthetics of “Space Battleship Yamato” and the like. This realization dictated my direction moving forward and gave me a clearer endpoint for the project. I was very happy with the end result, enough so that I keep updating the build when new colors become available to further enhance it.

emklement • Pegasus 6o

In September 2021, I joined the LEGO SPACE! Discord where SHIPtember is held. This is where I also found out about SHIPtember for the first time. When I saw all the amazing WIPs of the SHIPs, I wanted to participate. At this time, I didn’t have enough time and pieces to build a SHIP, but in 2022 I finally had enough of both to build.

My main inspiration for the SHIP was the 2x2 Curved Slope (part number 15068), of which I bought a ton of extras for SHIPtember. My other inspirations were a lot of different vertical spaceship’s concept arts that I found on Flickr.

Article and Photography by the builders of SHIPtember

Dream Dynamic • Starburst Starship

Much like Benny, I will turn anything LEGO into a spaceship. I found the SHIPtember activities after joining the AFOL community around 2016 as a builder/streamer, but wouldn’t have the parts and space to try a SHIP until 2019. My intention for any project of this scale is to push my own limits, and this began with a physical SHIP that included a rotating gravity wheel and internal working LEDs. The gravity wheel and lighting FX carried over to each SHIPtember, where I would advance the process and style for each SHIP.

The Starburst Starship was born out of a digital freebuild intended to continue work in Blender, where I was learning animation processes to make my SHIPs move. Built in Studio in just over a week, the remainder of the month was spent refining the lighting effects, Blender animations and compositions. It represents the fourth Interstellar starship in the series, designed for long voyages; these SHIPs accelerate for the first half of their journey and then spin 180 degrees to slow down for arrival.

stevenwhoward.techillustration • Hóng Hăi

I got into SHIPtember in 2020 with my digital build of Ebirah. I saw a lot of fellow AFOLs doing SHIPtember and I wanted to try the challenge myself, and made my first ship in 12 days. I then made a Lord of the Ringsinspired Mouth of Sauron in 2021 and then created Hóng Hăi in 2023.

Hóng Hăi was a fun challenge as I collabed with the phenomenal concept artist and my friend, Till Freitag. We used Midjourney AI to give us an image to build (and him to draw) off of. We documented the process for a video on my Youtube channel Digitally Assembled. It was challenging to match the extremely odd image AI produced, but that was the fun of it, and I think it produced a really unique and cool spaceship.

NoVVember: Vic Viper Month

Article and Photography by the builders of NoVVember

November is the month for another build challenge for Space builders. This time, the objective is to make a Vic Viper, which is a fighter craft used in the classic video game Gradius. Dozens of builders participate, and here is a sample of their work!

BricksandBoosters • LSS Beagle

I found out about the LEGO online community around 2007 from a co-worker, who turned me on to the LEGO group on Flickr, and The Brothers Brick. Since the VV group on Flickr started in September of 2008, and Nnenn was a regular subject of TBB, I was likely familiar with it from early on. From 2006–2014 I was living away from the bulk of my collection and didn’t have enough bricks with me to build much until 2012, when I joined Flickr (as BricksandBoosters) and started my occasional posting. I’ve built at least one Viper every year since 2012 excepting 2014, when I moved cross-country in November, but that led to the unification of my collection. I tend to gravitate towards Blacktron-themed Vipers, but have built a variety of themes, including chickens! I like the creativity that the constraints of the specific VicViper platform inspire, and that it isn’t a contest.

donuts_ftw • Y-22 Tunnel Viper

I’ve been participating in NoVVember for a few years now. I’m mainly a space/sci-fi builder, so building spaceships is something I’d be doing anyway. To me, the fun part of NoVVember is taking the design pattern (two prongs, two wings, a cockpit, and a tail), and seeing what kind of different things you can do within those limits. Sometimes, constraints force you to be more creative! Plus, it’s less of a commitment than SHIPtember...

I was initially inspired by the Hero Factory shells that make the engine cowlings. I also wanted to use the “maxaroni” pieces for thick cables/hoses, and the most of any color I had available at the time was teal. These two things gave me Rock Raiders vibes, so I decided to lean into that, by adding some yellow and silver details, and a open roll cage-like cockpit in brown. Add in a rocky brown base with some trans-neon green crystals, and the Tunnel Viper was complete!

My Red-Tron VV I built in 2022 was largely inspired by my “The Lost Themes of LEGO: Sets That Could Have Been” article for BrickNerd (I write as Michael J—see it at bricknerd.com/home/the-lost-themes-of-lego-sets-that-could-havebeen-7-8-22). The article collects pictures and thoughts on themes that were conceptualized at LEGO but not released, although some did come out in different forms. A lot of the article is based on what Mark Stafford wrote in his BrickJournal #6 article in 2009 on Space themes that weren’t produced. I gravitated towards the theme I called Red-Tron in the article for last year’s VicViper. The aggressive, industrial feel of that theme felt right for a Viper. That’s likely why several of my previous VV’s have been Blacktron. I think the nature of a VicViper lends itself to an aggressive story, especially when looking at the Gradius games, that doesn’t work as well for Classic Space and some other themes. That being said, I have built less aggressive VV’s, but I like them the best when, like my Red-Tron VV, they have a “give no quarter” appearance.

Peter L Morris • Welterweight

ln early October of 2008, Nate Nielsen (nnenn) sends me Flickrmail about a theme build month, where we’d invite a bunch of builders to post builds inspired by the Vic Viper from the Gradius series of video games by Konami. He pointed out that if we were going to get people to join in, we’d need to lead the way and post a bunch of different builds. He planned on showcasing one a day for all of NoVVember. I knew I couldn’t get that many ready in time, but via his encouragement, I built as many as I could. The Vic Viper is my favorite starfighter of all time, so back then it wasn’t hard for me to crank out variations of it.

For the Welterweight, one day my daughter Zoe brought me a few pieces and asked me to build her a custom Vic Viper using those colors. They just happened to be white, lavender, and pink. I knew it would be a challenge, since pink and lavender have a limited parts palette. The general shape I wanted to match was this one particular model of the Vic Viper from Gradius 3. Once I had that, it was just a matter of trying to figure out how to add the pink and lavender, then balance them out. I was nervous she wouldn’t like the finished product, but she loves it, and that’s good enough for me.

pyrefyre • GV-22 Velocity Impulse Pack [Exo-Reactor] - “Atradenia”

I remember over a decade ago being so amazed at the community spirit led by nnenn and others around the first NoVVember, and knew I had to be a part of it immediately. Fast forward to today and NoVVember is the one thing I’ll always participate in, and is one of the main reasons why I got back into the hobby!

This year’s entry was a thought experiment: does a giant thruster pack on a mecha count as a VV? As long as the criteria are met, why not?!

BlueSkinnedBeast • LL731 Valour Victorious

Actually finding the SHIPtember Flickr group led to finding the LEGO Space Discord, and that led to finding the Vic Vipers group that hosts NoVVember. Vic Vipers aren’t something I build very often or particularly specialize in, but having just found the group, it seemed almost ungrateful not to participate. Two forward prongs, two rear wings, one Big A** Vertical Stabilizer. Should be easy, right?

This build got rebuilt and modified several times (unusual for me as I tend to adapt my ideas as I build) as I brought the model to completion, swapping the forward prongs from blue to grey and attempting eight or nine different vertical tailfin designs. It’s relatively conventional space fighter-shaped, but sometimes that’s okay. It’s quite swooshable and not particularly fragile, which is nice.

Article and Photography

by Brian Williams

You have just built your best MOC yet—the perfect blend of design, NPU (Neat Part Usage) and story. But there’s one thing still lacking: it needs fire. That is to say you literally need to model actual fire, but the usual brick techniques just look flat. That’s where lighting can help. This article will show you techniques for lighting three popular use cases of fire that can really add impact to your MOC. Some of these use only LEGO elements, while others use lights made specifically for use with LEGO, sold by third party lighting manufacturers. Such lights require no drilling, and can be removed later to restore your LEGO bricks to their original condition. If you are new to LEGO lighting and want to see more cool lighting techniques, check out my book The LEGO Lighting Book or subscribe to my “brick_lighting” channel on Instagram.

1. Torches

Let’s begin with a simple torch. The LEGO #64647 flame and #6126b wave elements come in translucent colors and are popular choices for small fires and torches. The LEGO #88005 Powered Up (or older #8870 Power Function) light can be attached underneath using a #3062b 1x1 Round Brick with Open Stud (left side in Figure 1). This light is a bit difficult to hide, and you may want to instead opt for a small LED sold through many third party lighting manufacturers (right side in Figure 1). Brickstuff calls them ‘Pico Leds’, Game of Bricks and Light My Bricks call them ‘Bit Lights’, while Vonado and Bricksmax call them ‘Dot Lights.’ But they are all functionally the same. Each features a 5v LED attached to a thin board that fits under a 1x1 round plate, thin wires that fit between bricks, 0.8mm connectors, and can be used interchangeably. I’ll refer to them generically as pico lights since Brickstuff first introduced them and coined the term.

Brian Williams:

How to Light a Fire — Without Rubbing Two Bricks Together

Simply place a pico light (orange, yellow, or warm white) on top of a #86208 Space Gun and then lock it on using a #85861 Inverted Round Plate with Open Stud and place the flame or wave atop. Then attach these to a flicker lighting effects controller (LEC) board to add a realistic flicker. Most of the third party lighting manufacturers sell flicker LECs with three output channels that flicker with slightly different patterns to give several torches a more natural, varied appearance. For large installations, Brickstuff even makes a high capacity flicker LEC with variable flicker intensity that supports 6 and 30 channels. They also sell pre-wired torches with pico lights that flicker all on their own—no separate LEC board required.

2) Explosions

Explosions usually feature large fireballs made from transyellow and/or trans-orange or other translucent bricks (see figure 2). When building fireballs, make sure to make it hollow to run lights inside. Use the brightest lights that you have available. Older LEGO 9v lights can be used and have a flashing mode, but will draw a lot of current. Another option is to use several ‘strip lights’ offered through most third party lighting manufacturers in many colors. These feature two bright LEDs attached to a flexible adhesive strip with connectors on each end, so they can be daisy-chained.

In fireballs, I like to use several lights with a mix of warm colors. Combine orange strip lights from Light My Bricks with red and yellow from Game of Bricks. Hook up half to be always on, and the rest to an LEC to animate them. You can use the flicker LEC mentioned for the torches above, but for fireballs I find a fast moving marquee or machine gun LEC looks better. Note that Lifelites sells the Elite Advanced LEC with eight channels offering several patterns and speed options that works well for this. The fast lighthouse pattern works well. The Elite Advanced uses 3mm barrel LEDs which have thicker cables, but work well for this application.

Figure 1a, showing more examples of torch lighting.

Figure 2, showing a fireball.

Figure 1, showing how to make a torch.

Ladies and gentlemen, we just received a new bulletin a moment ago. The Government Meteorological Bureau has requested the large observatories of the world to keep an astronomical watch on any further disturbances occurring in our atmosphere. Due to the unusual nature of this occurrence, we have arranged an interview with noted astronomer Professor Smith, who will give us their views on the event. We take you to the SIGGI Observatorio in Guatemala where Jared Burks will interview Professor Beatrice Francis Smith, famous astronomer. We take you now to San Miquel Duenas, Guatemala.

Minifigure Customization 101:

Article and Photography by Jared Burks

JARED BURKS: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is Jared Burks, speaking to you from the observatory in Guatemala. I am standing in a large semi-circular room, pitch black except for an oblong split in the ceiling. Through this opening I can see a sprinkling of stars that cast a kind of frosty glow over the intricate mechanism of the huge telescope. The ticking sound you hear is the vibration of the clockwork. Professor Smith stands directly above me on a small platform, peering through a giant lens. I ask you to be patient, ladies and gentlemen, during any delay that may arise during our interview. Besides her ceaseless watch of the heavens, Professor Smith may be interrupted by telephone or other communications. During this period, she is in constant touch with the astronomical centers of the world... Professor, may I begin our questions?

PROFESSOR SMITH: At any time, Mr. Burks.

BURKS: Professor, would you please tell our audience exactly what you see as you observe the atmospheric disturbances through your telescope?

SMITH: Nothing unusual at the moment, Mr. Burks. A red disk swimming in a black sea. Transverse deep purple stripes across the disk are unique, but not bothersome. Quite distinct now because the object seems to be entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

BURKS: In your opinion, what do these transverse stripes signify, Professor Smith?

SMITH: Not canals, I can assure you, Mr. Burks, although that’s the popular conjecture of those who imagine this object originated from an inhabited planet, stating they can’t be random. From a scientific viewpoint, the stripes are merely the result of atmospheric conditions peculiar to the object.

Professor Smith and Correspondent Jared Burks.

Mini Vic Viper and Classic Space Rovers

Vic Viper Parts List

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

Qty Part Color Description

2 577b.dat Black Minifig Lightsaber Hilt with Bottom Ring

1 3023.dat Black Plate 1 x 2

2 3024.dat Black Plate 1 x 1

1 3794b.dat Black Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud

4 3938.dat Black Hinge 1 x 2 Top

1 3960.dat Black Dish 4 x 4 Inverted

3 20482.dat Black Tile 1 x 1 Round with Pin and Pin Hole

2 24201.dat Black Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 Inverted

2 30162.dat Black Minifig Binoculars with Round Eyepiece

1 30602.dat Black Slope Brick Curved Top 2 x 2 x 1

1 48729b.dat Black Bar 1.5L with Clip with Truncated Sides and Hole in Shaft

1 64644.dat Black Minifig Telescope

1 65578.dat Black Plate 1 x 1 Round with Angled Bar

2 78257.dat Black Plate 1 x 1 with Handles on Opposite Ends

2 69754.dat Pearl Dk Grey Projectile Launcher, 1 x 2 Mini Blaster

4 6141.dat Trans Brt Green Plate 1 x 1 Round

1 3023a.dat Yellow Plate 1 x 2

1 3070b.dat Yellow Tile 1 x 1 with Groove

1 3710.dat Yellow Plate 1 x 4

1 3794b.dat Yellow Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud

This whole issue is about celebrating the space-themed building challenges in the LEGO community: FebROVERy, SHIPtember, and NoVVember. It would be presumptuous of us to publish SHIPtember instructions, but we wanted to contribute a mini-Vic Viper and Rover for your custom collection.

When I build MOCs like the Vic Viper, it all starts with a specific new part that I want to use in an interesting way. This time it was the stud shooter. I just really liked its shape, and it looked like it would be perfect for rocket nozzles! I also used long curved slopes to build the forward prongs. Another trick I use often is to cover visible undersides with rocker plates. That gave me the idea for the big guns.

When I build ships in this size, I usually use flags for wings. I love how thin and smooth they are. Like many times before, I used the hexagonal flag and put it at the same angle as the rest of the ship. Lastly, for the dorsal tail fin, I also used a flag for the same reasons. I experimented a while to get the right angle I wanted, and I am pleased with how it turned out.

For our mini-Rover, the design is based on using the new round double 1 x 2 element with two bars as the treads. You can build both the Vic Viper and the Rover in as many different color schemes as you like to match whatever look or Classic Space faction you love most!

2 6019.dat Yellow Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Horizontal (Thick U-Clip)

2 15571.dat Yellow Slope Brick 45 1 x 2 Triple with Bottom Stud Holder

4 36840.dat Yellow Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 1 Up

1 41855.dat Yellow Slope Brick Rounded 2 x 2 x 0.667

1 44676.dat Yellow Flag 2 x 2 Trapezoid

1 54200.dat Yellow Slope Brick 31 1 x 1 x 0.667

2 85970.dat Yellow Slope Brick Curved 1 x 8 with Plate 1 x 2

2 99207.dat Yellow Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Up

4 36840.dat Brt Lt Orange Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 1 Up

2 51000.dat Brt Lt Orange Flag 5 x 6 Hexagonal

2 98138.dat Brt Lt Orange Tile 1 x 1 Round with Groove

2 85861.dat Orange Plate 1 x 1 Round with Open Stud

2 96910.dat Orange Tile 1 x 2 Chamfered with 2 Top Indentations

You Can Build It

MINI Build

MINI Crimson Firehawk

Design and Instructions

by

Christopher Deck

Hello everybody, and welcome to another building session in BrickJournal! Today we want to build the Crimson Firehawk, a brand new starship design of the very latest Star Wars animated television series: Young Jedi Adventures. The series is for the younger Star Wars fans and is set during the so-called High Republic era, reaching from ca. 500 to 100 years before Episode 4: A New Hope.

There is not much known yet about the Crimson Firehawk as the series has just begun this year. It’s obviously a space transport with a red and white color scheme typical for the Republic eras. It has a crescent shape with an interesting rear section, featuring a broad entry ramp. To realize this shape in bricks, the entire rear and bottom section is built studs-down due to the inverted use of the modified 1x2 tile with bar handle (part number 2432).

Another tricky point of the transport ship is that the engine cylinders are embedded in the flat wing structure. Fortunately there are the relatively new 1x2 plates with pin hole on top (part number 11458) which can be assembled in a way that there is a 1x1 plate leftover on each side of the engine tube by fixing them with a friction pin.

Another nice greebly detail is the inverted turntable on top of the ship. This came in handy as we already had a studsdown section as part of the construction. I hope you will enjoy building this very recently released starship!

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

Qty Color Part Description

2 Dk-Bluish-Gray 99780.dat Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Up

2 White 26604.dat Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Two Adjacent Sides

4 Dk-Bluish-Gray 59900.dat Cone 1 x 1 with Stop

1 White 98100.dat Cone 2 x 2 Truncated

1 Lt-Bluish-Gray 30162.dat Minifig Binoculars with Round Eyepiece

2 White 3024.dat Plate 1 x 1

2 Dk-Bluish-Gray 6141.dat Plate 1 x 1 Round

3 White 3023.dat Plate 1 x 2

1 Dk-Bluish-Gray 60470b.dat Plate 1 x 2 with 2 Clips Horizontal (Thick C-Clips)

1 White 3794b.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Groove with 1 Centre Stud

1 Dk-Bluish-Gray 48336.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Handle Type 2

1 Lt-Bluish-Gray 3839b.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Handles Type 2

4 Dk-Bluish-Gray 11458.dat Plate 1 x 2 with Offset Peghole

2 White 3623.dat Plate 1 x 3

2 White 3022.dat Plate 2 x 2

2 Red 26601.dat Plate 2 x 2 without Corner

1 Lt-Bluish-Gray 3021.dat Plate 2 x 3

1 White 3021.dat Plate 2 x 3

1 Lt-Bluish-Gray 3176.dat Plate 3 x 2 with Hole

2 White 30565.dat Plate 4 x 4 Corner Round

2 Red 28192.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 1 with Cutout and without Stud

2 White 28192.dat Slope Brick 45 2 x 1 with Cutout and without Stud

1 White 4861.dat Slope Brick 45 3 x 4 Double / 33

2 White 11477.dat Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1

2 Red 29120.dat Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 with Cutout Left

2 Red 29119.dat Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 with Cutout Right

1 Trans-White 30602.dat Slope Brick Curved Top 2 x 2 x 1

2 Lt-Bluish-Gray 32054.dat Technic Pin Long with Stop Bush

2 Red 25269.dat Tile 1 x 1 Corner Round

2 Dk-Bluish-Gray 2412b.dat Tile 1 x 2 Grille with Groove

2 Red 3069b.dat Tile 1 x 2 with Groove

1 Lt-Bluish-Gray 3069b.dat Tile 1 x 2 with Groove

2 Dk-Bluish-Gray 3069b.dat Tile 1 x 2 with Groove

1 White 2432.dat Tile 1 x 2 with Handle

1 White 3680c01.dat Turntable 2 x 2 Plate with Light Grey Top

1 Lt-Bluish-Gray 65429.dat Wing 2 x 4 Left with Truncated Tip

1 Lt-Bluish-Gray 65426.dat Wing 2 x 4 Right with Truncated Tip

Corey

Schaaf’s

Kintan Strider Speeder Bike

Article by David Strenzler, Bantha Bricks:

Fans of LEGO Star Wars

Photography by Corey Schaaf

Galactic greetings! We are Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars. As administrators of the best LEGO Star Wars-themed group on Facebook, David Strenzler, Frank Averstegge, and Eloi Parizeau witness amazingly creative builds by Star Wars fans worldwide on a nearly daily basis.

Corey Schaaf is a very active member of our community and devoted moderator of the Bantha Bricks Admin team, as well as a passionate MOC builder.

Some of you might recall that BrickJournal #73 featured an interview with Corey that was focused on his Resistance Troop Transport Ship. It was our pleasure to speak to Corey once more to learn about his latest design: a Kintan Strider Speeder Bike, as seen in The Book of Boba Fett.

Data File: Kintan Strider Speeder Bike

The Speeder Bikes of the Kintan Striders Gang are overpowered repulsorcraft that are as dangerous as the Niktos often found riding them. With many of the comforts and safety features of civilian models stripped away, the speeders are crafted for maximum speed and marked by the skeletal gang symbol.

Source: StarWars.com

Bantha Bricks: How is it going, Corey? The LEGO Star Wars community has known you for some time through the Bantha Bricks Facebook group, where you amazed us with your skilled Star Wars-inspired designs.

Could you please introduce yourself and what you do?

Corey Schaaf: You’re too kind!

I’m happily married to the love of my life, Erica. I’m also the father to two amazing children; Lincoln (8) and Lillie (6). When I’m not spending time with them, I’m usually visiting my locally owned Minifig Shop, sorting LEGO, or enjoying some St. Louis Cardinal baseball.

Professionally, I’m a Design Manager with a focus on user experience and user interface design. Similarly to my day job, designing my own creations (MOCs) involves a lot of

problem solving. From the initial idea to the creation of instructions, my background in design meshes well with the entire lifecycle of my LEGO projects.

Does Star Wars remain your favorite theme, or have others recently surfaced?

My answer has not changed since the last time you asked. Star Wars is still my favorite. It’s an exciting time to be a fan because of the recent announcement of the three new Star Wars movies in addition to the already popular live action series, such as The Mandalorian, Andor, The Book of Boba Fett, and the upcoming Ahsoka

However, while I’ve always loved designing vehicles from the Star Wars universe, I’m really starting to dig some of the LEGO dioramas from independent creators like Anthony Bill (@billsbrickz) and Hauke Jürgensen (@codyaner.bricks). It’s a perfect way to capture memorable moments from Star Wars while also being able to display a few of the minifigs in my collection.

!

Why do you choose the LEGO brick as your medium of self-expression? What makes LEGO so special for you?

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_78&products_id=1778

I have been creative since my childhood. I always gravitated towards the fine arts, such as drawing, painting, or performing music. My parents recognized this interest and helped to nurture it. Some of my earliest memories as a child involve me playing with large tubs of LEGO with my older brother. We were always building bases for our G.I. Joe and Cobra battles out of Lincoln Logs and, of course, LEGO bricks.

As I grew older, my love for creating things continued even when my LEGO hobby was on pause. I got into woodworking when I moved into my first home because I enjoyed being able to create things.

A rearward view with the speeder hood open.

BRICKJOURNAL #83

Blast off deep into space with the creations of DANA KNUDSON and other top space builders, flyby the annual SHIPtember challenge, and see vehicles built for the FebROVERy challenge! Plus: Nerding Out with BrickNerd, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS! It’s all the right stuff for LEGO fans