Brickspace

Fancy some more JRC?

2011-01-27T00:42:00.002Z

Guess who is in town tonight ?, originally uploaded by 74louloute.

This creation by 74louloute is just to cool not to blog. I really love the colors in it as well in addition to some great building techniques. If more entries like this keep coming in JRC will work out to by a fantastic contest. Nice work 74louloute.

"Feed Him to the Sarlacc Fish!"

2011-01-22T20:42:00.002Z

"Feed Him to the Sarlacc Fish!", originally uploaded by 2 Much Caffeine.

This new Pirate creation by 2 Much Caffeine is way to cool not to blog. It's a hilarious pirate spin with a Star Wars reference. In addition to the excellent concept it also sports excellent execution.

It's an entry into the Jolly Roger Contest II which you can see at: www.forbiddencove.com

LEGO Sliding Puzzle.

2011-01-20T00:33:00.002Z

I have only one word to day about this creation by Peer Kreuger. GENIUS.

Dr. S.

Seaside Church

2011-01-17T17:24:00.002Z

Seaside Church, originally uploaded by Matija Grguric.

This church by Matija is fantatic with plenty of details all over that any builder can really appreciate. The overall construction is very clean and makes a nice addition to any town layout. He also has plenty more photos on Flickr.

Brainbikerider builds the Nissan iV

2011-01-16T18:17:00.002Z

Nissan iV, originally uploaded by Brainbikerider.

I've always been a fan of concept cars and all other things related to conceptual art. The angles that are in conceptual art are near impossible to build whenever I sit down and try to build concept art and to see a vehicle like this with the angles and curves it has are fantastic.

Iron Condor.

2011-01-09T15:36:00.004Z

This beautiful bomber was built by Jon Hall. Featuring some lovely detailing on the rounded wings, engines and propellors contained with the tail booms, the creation, and the presentation is gorgeous.

Dr. S.

Lock S-Foils in Attack Position!

2010-11-15T17:40:00.002Z

This glorious X-Wing comes from the shipyards of Marshal Banana - I love the little details here, the brick-built wings, the guns, and that oh-so sweet canopy. Possibly the best fan-built X-Wing I've ever seen.

Dr. S.

Let's get physical.

2010-10-26T19:54:00.000+01:00

OK, if this isn't one of the coolest LEGO creations ever, then I'm not a genocidal maniac wearing an eyepatch (and I am).

No, your eyes are not deceiving you, these are LEGO minifigs animated in real time by lckelpete, AKAPeter Salter.

These exercising figs are apparently powered by a single LEGO Power Functions motor. This one gets five stars.

Dr. S.

It's hypnotic...

2010-10-26T19:49:00.000+01:00

The stare. It's hypnotic. I must obey...

This is Stewie from the Family Guy cartoon. Built by car_mp. Cute, but very deadly.

Dr. S.

Duuuuuude!

2010-10-25T19:35:00.000+01:00

We've seen some cool LEGO surfing waves before, but this picture just looks so joyous, and crisp, it jumped out at me. Perfect posing of the Minifig by Darth Yoda.

Dr. S.

This Mecha is hot!

2010-10-16T01:42:00.000+01:00

I'm not really into the whole Mecha thing, probably because I wouldn't know where to start building one myself, but this one, named the Jalapeno Strife by its creator m_o_n_k_e_y really jumped out at me. I love the striking use of colour, the simple, but effective uses of pieces for the weapons, the huge hip joint sections...

It just screams aggression and anger, both qualities that I admire.

Dr. S.

Build Like an Egyptian.

2010-10-13T00:16:00.002+01:00

Built by Shmails, this micro construction is intended as a loose recreation of Abu Simbel, a famous temple carved into the side of an Egyptian mountain. I especially like the the "giant" statues and the greenery on the trees and the entrance into the mountain is superbly realised in such a small scale.

Dr. S.

What a wonderful world.

2010-10-10T12:32:00.001+01:00

I don't just like big machines that shoot things, or deadly craft that scream through the reaches of space, I can also appreciate tranquility and peace, and this creation by -2x4- sums this up perfectly for me. I love the waterfall, the rocks, the trees, the everything.

Dr. S.

The USS Intrepid at STEAM.

2010-10-06T22:22:00.001+01:00

Ed Diment, AKA LEGO Monster has done it again with the simply awe-inspiring 7 metre long Essex Class Aircraft Carrier USS Intrepid.

This creation really has to be seen up close to be believed - built from more than 250,000 LEGO bricks, and featuring working RADAR dishes, aircraft elevators, Power Function controlled main guns and a full air wing of Helldivers, Corsairs, Avengers and Hellcats (designed by Ralph Savelsberg, AKA Mad Physicist), the Intrepid set sail on her maiden voyage at the 2010 Great Western LEGO Show, or as we AFOLs in the UK like to call it, STEAM 2010.

These photos are from my own Flickrstream, however you can see Ed's own stream here, in which he shows the Intrepid under construction.

And finally, a video of the show, again by me, there are some detailed images of the Intrepid and her working features toward the end, along with her escorts, the Submarine USS Pampanito (built by Gary Davis, AKA Bricks for Brains) and the Destroyer USS Haggard (from Babalas Shipyards). All three vessels are depicted as they appeared in the Pacific War in 1945.

Dr.S.

Avant-Garde results!

2010-08-14T15:56:00.001+01:00

I returned home from Denmark today to find that Philip Heinrich and the Bricks in Motion team had announced the winners of their 2010 competition, Avant-Garde!

Below is the results table from the Results forum thread.

Links to the films:

Sdrawkcab (Allekto1323) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqs250FejzE

Ye Giants of Olde (ancientbricks) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWBSqIpTZME
Crime Stories (bodville) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16USvlqgmNE
New Friendly (brenden17) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWm8VH5ulKE
The Lego Movie Montage (BrickAction101) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIwCzDq20Xc
Brick Battle (Builder Brothers) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLkNuasOXk
Colour (CheeseyBricks) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUudhGJvW0s
Just me and myself (ct45211) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GMkf90LRho
Amnesia (Darkman) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsyicKgWol0
The Recycle Machine! (EddieHasscle) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrwR1qTRhzQ
Metamorphosis (fallentomato) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcmzTC_tltA
The After Life Experience (filmyguy) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjFTbiJgNac
Phil and Nick mafia time (Fredrikomovies) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZWDEXhBhJE
no title 17 (HausmacherFilme) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVzxg4akAH0
T.I.N. (Jed277.tv) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EN2Jhm5COQ
After Twenty Years (jogopocomedia) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSKM_bY4AwQ
The Missing Piece (juggernuatpictureshw) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocQfuOuV-GI
The Hero (Just Kidden) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qksjk3_19Kk
Home For Supper (KinzCove) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8JRMsV-1C4
The Dark One (kitbricksto) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR_5MuZ5BHo
Radio Death (legostudiosplus) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHYK-yHckiE
The Lego Minifig. Head Corp. (legosword89) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbzqOZSVpjI
Mr. Bad Frame (lgfb1film) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk0NNSYCET0
The Magician (MindGame) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNKkY4vwDvE
It's a Pleasure to meet you (NiceGuy1130) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZtd57CX6Fs
The Quest of the Bricks (nate13545) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LORrqG8_JA4
Zombie: Genesis (Nick Durron) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQW0sGkgqCI
Brick World (PeanutMaster87) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV14IUy79BM
LEGOlogy (tbonesocrul) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs7QEF-Tfuo
Close Call (TheOstudio) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wToz-Z9pKGs
Studless Freedom (Timothy R) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGegmDZzJ-Q
Music (VIMStudios) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5rantTr7v8
Odd Jobs (namchild) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_ncqqtfhHY
The Importance of Life and Death (sabertoothedlime) http://img412.imageshack.us/i/movie0002d.mp4/

So congrats to the winners, especially Nick Durron for getting the top prize for his film Zombie: Genesis, which I reviewed a few weeks ago. I hadn't seen the other two winners, but now I have and stay tuned for reviews of both. Zach Macias' The Magician is up at 6, and David Boddy's Crime Stories at 7. Though I didn't love either of their films, I'm happy that they got that high up. They're both great Brickfilmers and I expect a lot from them in the future.

~John

The Iron Lockjaw.

2010-08-11T23:12:00.000+01:00

I tried to think of a clever title for this post, but nothing could beat the name given to this tough smuggling ship created by Titolian. It's beat-up appearance is perfect for the backstory created by the builder, and the crew looks fantastic as well. I must warn my own Mr Jek Tranter (PI) that there is a new force to be reckoned with in space...

There's even a cool video showing all the little features, I love it.

Dr. S.

Review: The Nightly News at Nine Chapter 1 DVD

2010-07-30T12:39:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from David M. Pickett, the creator of the Nightly News at Nine, an award-winning Brickfilm series that I hope you've all heard of. David offered me a copy of the NNN Chapter 1 DVD, and there was no way I was saying no!

There's always going to be a problem with selling DVDs of films that have premiered on the internet. In our modern-day world of full access to videos via YouTube, there's little space for DVDs of anything other than feature films. However, there is still a market for this sort of DVDs (albeit a small one), and NNN: Chapter 1 is certainly something to look into buying.

NNN Chapter One cover

Firstly, the design of the DVD. I first expected the NNN DVD to be a rather simple DVD cover, but when it arrived it was much more professional that I imagined. It was even wrapped in a plastic cover like the proper DVDs you can buy at media shops, so +1 professional points for Pickett there.

NNN Chapter One back cover (with a quote from me, yay - thanks David!)

The actual cover design is nothing special, but it works well and reminds you of all the great characters and stylings that make you love NNN. The back cover is full of all the details and descriptions of what's on the disc, and even the paragraph of thin+tall text that gives you all the info on who made the films.

NNN Chapter One disc printing

There's no doubt that the design of the DVD is accurate and impressive, but what's inside? Well, firstly, it's got a printed disc, and they're hard to do. So good for you, David!

The actual DVD contents are quite simple: whilst it's not packed with extras and bits 'n' bobs, there's still a fair amount of other films.

The Nightly News at Nine films themselves have all been squished into one big movie so that you can watch them all from start to finish, seamlessly. The entire first chapter is 25 minutes long, but it's light viewing and fun to watch. You almost forget that you originally saw the Chapter in several parts - instead, it takes the format of Phil and Sherry's News programme, with ad breaks in between segments.

So, undoubtedly, the main NNN Chapter is the best bit of the DVD. It's great just to have that in a place so you can put the DVD into your TV and enjoy it on the big (-ish) screen. It's certainly something that both adults and children will enjoy: children for the fun and silly aspects of it, and adults for the subtle parody of TV and advert formats, plus the social stereotypes in On the street with Steve Deepsea.

Persephone from the SVELT interview segment

But of course, this DVD would be pointless without extra features. As I said, it's all available free online, so what's going to make you pay the $8 for this DVD? Well, David's chucked in two of his other short animations on the DVD as well - most notably Choose Your Own Storyline: The Fight for Paradise Hills, which is a hilarious mock-movie trailer. There's also a non-Brickfilm, Stuck in the Mud, which is short but sweet and quite well-made. I'd love to see more from David in that style.

There's also the NNN trailers, which I don't care much for, but they're on there in case you want them. There's a short deleted scene which shows the NNN studio whilst the SVELT trailer is happening. It's nothing important, but it's funny and a welcome addition to the extra features.

Now onto the most important extra feature: the Director's Commentary! It's obvious that David Pickett is new to the commentary format - he even explains that himself - so it takes a while for him to get warmed up. Don't get put off by the start, it ends up as thoroughly interesting and David gives a lot of hints as to what to expect in NNN: Chapter 2. Pickett shows a lot of humility and sincerity in the commentary, which you don't get in professional commentaries. He seems like a really nice guy; makes me hope he does well with Chapter 2.

So, whilst buying DVDs of Brickfilms is not something that you do very often, perhaps just consider NNN: Chapter 1? It's great simply for Chapter 1 in its entirety, plus some of Pickett's other short films and that interesting commentary. I hope to see a lot more other films from you on the Chapter 2 DVD, David (Metamorphosis, please?)!

~John

Avant-Garde: Crime Stories

2010-07-28T20:48:00.000+01:00

It was only a matter of time before I saw David Boddy's (pe668) entry into the Bricks in Motion Avant-Garde competition, and it is with sadness that I must report that it is nothing compared to last year's entry.

Boddy has one clear flaw, that shows up in all his Brickfilms. It's nothing he can prevent; it's simply his personal style that gets in the way. His films are always crazy, fast and assisted by a constant soundtrack of guitar riffs and rock music. That's his way of doing things; I accept that.

But is the way of doing things that will create a good film? It didn't get in the way of CYCLIC, which was a great film (Boddy's entry to last year's STAR competition). Unfortunately, it's jamming up the works in this film, Crime Stories. I really could not stand the relentless guitar blasting away in the background, though I'll admit it was more appropriate here than in CYCLIC.

Oh, how I wish that Boddy's style was the only thing preventing this film from being as good as CYCLIC. But, of course, wishes don't come true. I can only conclude that Boddy made this film in a rush, or didn't think about it for very long before he made it. It is totally unrelated to the avant-garde genre, and could simply be swept away with the hundreds of other action Brickfilms on YouTube. There's no plot to speak of outside of "prisoner breaks out of jail, steals gold, gets caught", and you know how much I've been wanting to find an film that is avant-garde in terms of plot as well as visually.

But Crime Stories makes up for it, kinda. It's got some great animation - the best I've seen from Boddy yet, some awesome sets, and camerawork that should really be analysed more when you watch the film. Notice in several parts where the camera actually passes through walls, which is a very clever (and very hard to achieve) technique that Boddy pulls off well.

So, whilst Crime Stories totally misses the point of avant-garde, it's a lot of fun to watch and it should be enjoyed at least for its action sequence (which is the entirety of the film).

~John

Avant-Garde: The Afterlife Experience

2010-07-28T20:19:00.001+01:00

Sean Willets (FilmyGuy1) has got his Avant-Garde competition entry up on YouTube, so I figured I'd get it reviewed.

I must admit that when I first started watching it, and when I saw that he had made more than half of it hurriedly in under 48 hours, I was not impressed. Brickfilmers have had almost a year to get their films done, and the start of the film did not help. It's well shot and well animated, but it falls into two big pitfalls: firstly, the actual image quality is poor; and secondly, Willets had the common symptom of making the film very high-contrast and very dark. Loads of Brickfilmers do it, and it really does not look good.

However, after the unimpressive opening, the rest of the film was enjoyable. Quite what it was trying to say (if anything) was lost on me, but it was fun to watch and some bits were well animated. I did, however, have a sharp intake of breath when I saw the infinite-white-expanse background used. Luckily, it didn't last long.

The Afterlife Experience is a silent film, which is nice and calming but really does not help with the emotions our main character is going through. Another thing that was confusing was this: at the start of the film, it seems that the man has a very cold relationship with his wife. She does not seem to show affection to him. Yet, at the end of the film, they love each other. I understand that I misinterpreted the start of the film, but that is not my fault. Some dialogue would have helped oh so much!

So, is this film a contender for the Avant-Garde prize? Perhaps. More so than The Magician - it's interesting, surrealist and original. But is it the best Brickfilm I've ever seen? Not so much.

~John

Avant-Garde: Zombie Genesis

2010-07-28T20:06:00.000+01:00

The future is looking up for the Bricks in Motion Avant-Garde competition. Here's an entry from Nick Durron (director of Picturesque, which I luckily didn't review when it was released because I thought it was awful).

I must admit when I first saw the title of Zombie: Genesis I feared the worst. Another zombie movie. Trying to be realistic. It looked like things were all downhill for the Avant-Garde competition.

However, when I watched it I realised it was in fact a very clever, witty and well made Brickfilm with a clear style and a clear aim. It's a parody of informercial-like programmes you see about the making of movies. It preys on the stereotypes - both obvious (the Swedish bodybuilder, who is the star of the movie) and subtle (the director, who speaks in a Hollywood style that everyone knows all too well). It's well observed, fairly well animated (though some work still needs to be done on the face animations) and I'd say it was a great film overall.

Will it win Avant-Garde? I don't think so. I don't really want it to, either; it's certainly different but it's not something that is truly avant-garde. Either way, Nick Durron has really improved his rep with me after Picturesque.

~John

Avant-Garde: The Magician

2010-07-25T16:03:00.000+01:00

The big news in the Brickfilming world is of Bricks In Motion's latest competition, Avant-Garde, which is ending today. Films were available to post online since the 18th, but I haven't seen very many so the Brickfilmers must still be working on them.

But remember - the deadline is almost over! Then it's time to review all the films and, as always, I'll be there for the showing at some stupid hour of the night. Now onto Zach Macias' entry!

Mr. Macias' entry, called The Magician, unfortunately fits with the predictable empty-expanse format. So, I guess that -1 originality points for this film. However, it's not the format of your film that ultimately matters, it what you do with the format. Macias animates the central magician character expertly, with smooth, natural movements. There's not a flaw in there.

However, a part of me feels let down that one of the best Brickfilmers, Zach Macias, didn't attempt a more challenging topic. Animating bricks to music has certainly be done before, and I must admit that Macias could have done a bit more than what we see in The Magician. The film is avant-garde with its concept, but not with its plot, which is what I hoped to see.

So, whilst Macias' entry is a good film in its own right, I'd hope it's not the kind of quality that will win such a challenging competition. I wonder what everyone else has been up to...

~John

Under cover

2010-07-18T13:02:00.000+01:00

Remember Atin's mind-blowing The Bombing of LA scene? Well, he's back for more with another scene named First Contact.

First Contact by Atin

Once again, the atmosphere and lighting work brilliantly to create a mood for this scene. The sunset/sunrise in the background in particular makes the windows on the buildings glitter with the 'sun' shining through them; really beautiful stuff. Closer to the front, we sadly start to lose detail, as the buildings are quite plain and flat. So, whilst this isn't as good as The Bombing of LA, it's still another great scene and I hope to see more like this from Atin in the future.

~John

Stranger than Fishin'

2010-07-18T12:50:00.000+01:00

Well well, look who's back: it's Zach Macias, with his new comedy sketch Brickfilm, Stranger than Fishin'!

In a way, I feel that Macias' talent is wasted with so many small sketches - much like Spastik Chuwawa - but if it's the way he wants to go, then that's OK with me. Sometimes Brickfilmers just want to provide a bit of comic relief, and not a full-blown masterpiece like The River, Driven or Unrenewable. Macias has found his niche, and I guess that's where he's going to stay.

Nonetheless, this film is full of brilliant animation, and certainly makes up for the long wait when you see how much masking is involved (masking is the process of animating sequences where bricks are in mid-air, and is a very long process). Macias has developed a lot from his early days, and Stranger than Fishin' really shows off his skill in animating smooth, natural movements.

One last thing to note in this animation is the use of several different faces for the main character, a technique that is becoming used more and more often. I hope to see it used a lot more in the future; it's one step closer to creating a Brickfilm which viewers can connect with.

~John

He does it again!

2010-07-07T14:42:00.004+01:00

I don't know if you've seen the earlier creations of Jared Chan but they are all beautiful! Recently he uploaded his latest shop. The detail is marvelous.

When all his creations are put together it's a shopping(and of course a lego) paradise! Well, the picture below speaks for itself.

Ccccoooooffffeeeee!!

2010-06-26T19:40:00.000+01:00

You should probably already know by now that I love every single thing that Alex Eylar (Profound Whatever) builds. Thus, when he turned one of my favourite paintings, Nighthawks, into Lego, I thought Christmas had come early. When I saw he'd distorted Nighthawks into a zombie post-apoc scene, I thought I'd had two Christmases, both early.

Alex Eylar, you da man.

~John

Going Country

2010-06-24T08:54:00.001+01:00

Country Kitchen, originally uploaded by Heather LEGOgirl.

Heather "Heather LEGOgirl" built a Country Style kitchen. Best of all the fridge, freezer, dishwasher, and microwave all have opening doors. On top of that the microwave lights up. I can dig all that in addition to the great style this has. Nice work Heather!

You've had some cowboys in here...

2010-06-24T00:19:00.000+01:00

...not actual cowboys. Though that can happen...

Sorry, went into quote territory there. Anyway, I'm blogging this for two reasons. Firstly, I like it, because it's an excellent rendition of the Eleventh Doctor from Doctor Who by Legoagogo (great user name!) investigating the running theme through this year's series (the 31st no less!) - cracks in time. Secondly, I'd like to remind viewers in the UK that this Saturday is the final episode for this season - and we'll hopefully find out what's been going on for the last 13 weeks. So watch it, please, or I shall get Very Upset Indeed.

Oh, and this post is also something of an experiment for me as it looks like Flickr are messing with a new layout and settings for images, I've jus tried what seems to be a new option for embedding images into blogs like this...

Dr. S.

How we built: Containment

2010-06-23T19:11:00.002+01:00

Welcome to a new series of interviews, called howibuilt (in this case, how we built)! The idea with these interviews is to get inside the minds of your favourite builders and get an insight into their building processes. We've already had one howibuilt post, about the Mistral II, but now I'm officially starting the series.

'Containment'

The recent collaboration between famous builders Nannan Zhang (NannanZ) and Tyler Clites (Legohaulic) created what I think I can safely say is one of the best MOCs of the year: Containment, a massive diorama of an alien world, a cross between a utilitarian space station (built by Nannan)and a post-apocalyptic wasteland (built by Tyler) complete with market sellers.

So let's get started with the interview between myself and Nannan and Tyler!

John: Where did the inspiration for Containment come from?

Nannan: We drew inspiration from the general concept of contrasting an orderly cityscape with a chaotic wasteland. Eventually the city that I was planning to build turned into a factory that took on the theme of isolation from the movie Moon.

Tyler: A lot of the inspiration comes from films and video games. Some of the themes present in the display are inspired by Moon, District 9 and Enemy Mind. Some of the aesthetic inspiration for things like the crashed ship come from films like Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes.

John: How long did Containment take to make, and how many bricks did you have to buy especially for it?

Nannan: We started planning at the beginning of April. Tyler built consistently, but I built my portion in the last three week before the convention due to graduation. I don’t have an estimate for the brick count, and I bought most of what I needed from Bricklink. Tyler was more resourceful and used more pieces from his collection.

Tyler: We finished it several days before Brickworld. The only bricks that I bought specially for the display were roughly 400 dk tan parts.

John: How was the diorama planned? Presumably you met to build it together in the end, but did you build individual sections on your own beforehand?

Tyler: The dio[rama] was planned via Skype. We would occasionally get online and brainstorm different ideas. Nannan came to my house the week before Brickworld. About 95% of our respective parts were complete prior to our meeting.

Nannan: I traveled to Tyler’s house five days before the convention to put everything together and photograph the diorama. This process was the most rewarding experience of the collaboration. Building with someone else is not only fun, but it’s also a great way to become really good friends with another builder.

John: Before announcing the project, you released a dozen of smaller teaser vignettes. Were these originally part of the plan, or did you have that idea later on?

Tyler: The teasers were not originally part of the plan. Nannan approached me with the idea about a week before we began uploading them.

Nannan: As our dio was nearing completion, I wanted to draw some hype for it through a series of vignettes that reveals the backstory to the creation. I believe that a creation of this caliber requires an introduction. Just dropping it from the blue might give someone a heart attack.

John: Do you think you'll have more collaborations in the future? With each other or with more builders?

Nannan: Yes! We plan on more collaborations, at least for Brickworld 2011 if not earlier. I don’t know how we’re going to top what we just did, but we’re up for a good challenge.

Tyler: We will definitely be doing more collaborations in the future. Not only did we manage to create something that we are both immensely proud of, we also got to know each other better as friends and not just as fellow builders.

So there you have it - the complete story of Containment. Thank you very much to Tyler and Nannan for agreeing to answer my questions so soon after BrickWorld.

Hopefully I'll be back later for more howibuilt!

~John

LEGO Printer

2010-06-20T15:53:00.001+01:00

I know I haven't posted for aaaagggggeeeeessss, but oh well. Check out this amazing LEGO printer built over three weeks by 'horseattack' and it genuinely does work!

-Luke

Farewell, Pete.

2010-06-19T20:14:00.000+01:00

Today I bring sad news: The Life Aquatic with Clumsy Pete reached its finalé today. It's been running for five months now, and I don't think there's one Lego fan on Flickr who hasn't seen and admired Bart De Dobbelaer's fantastic series.

So long, Pete! It's been a lot of fun, but I guess it's time for Bart to move on. I guess all good things come to an end and all that.

Hideout by Bart de Dobbelaer

See all Pete vignettes here!

~John

Woof!

2010-06-17T22:57:00.001+01:00

I realise that this is partly based on an idea by Flickr user Teik Joon, but these little dogs by Nolnet have such character, and the all-round parts use is sheer genius.

Dr. S.

Interview with Pierre E. Fieschi - Space Sensation

2010-06-14T00:36:00.004+01:00

I got an interview with popular space builder Pierre E. Fieschi. I asked questions and he responded. Here's the interview...

To start off describe yourself to the readers...
I’m a 22 year-old French student in architecture, doing a master’s degree in Project Theory in Paris France, where I live. Lego’s have been a passion since I was 4 and I didn’t really bother with other toys at all (except Micro Machine which were really quality toys at some point).
I did have a rather long dark age mostly when Lego started making all these super easy 4-piece sets at the end of the 90s. My dark age ended with the Titan XP set and the discovery of Soren Robert’s work and the MOCpages community. I then started building again, discovering techniques (snot, friction…) that were new to me at the time. MOCpages had great builders back then, they’re probably still there but the average quality of builds has deteriorated (along with the picture quality and server speed) beyond repair. I recently stopped using MOCpages even if my page is still up. I can also be found on brickshelf (Kero40) but that page has also been inactive for a while. So I now use Flickr which has some great features and amazing builders.

Also as a follow-up to the first question, what communities or sites can you be found on? Where are you LEGO hangouts? Are you inspired by any other builders in the community? Maybe works of other that aren't LEGO even?
Switching to Flickr early this year really re-boosted my Lego enthusiasm; I discovered many great builders ( Shannon Ocean, Dasnewten, Karf Oolhu… just to name a few) that build so many inspiring things, so much NPU and sharing of ideas. The fact that Flickr isn’t only about Lego also helps a lot to get inspiration from other universes, concept artists, photographers etc…

Your mostly known for you works in the Sci-fi genre, but have you ever veered off and tried other themes?
Very early as a kid I was attracted by both the Space and City themes and microscale… it’s pretty much unchanged today although I have recently been tempted by sky-fi and super-bikes, many things remain to explore: post-apoc, steampunk, atlantis-ish stuff… The only line I dislike building in is Castle… perhaps that will change?

You build creations at an astounding speed, how do you manage to build so quickly? Also where does your inspiration for these creations come from?
I build at extremely varying speeds. But I usually have a precise idea of what I want including most of the assembly details. If I am bored in class I sometimes draw some of the details or perhaps the entire mechanism like I did for The Panzerspinne (you can see the draings in the back of the video) . Building it only took a few hours. I also have a sorting system that suits me well – perhaps that helps? Inspiration comes from wherever really, other builders are of course very inspiring, but video games, movies, things from everyday life can trigger an idea for a build. Homeworld games have particularly inspired me both for Lego and Drawing with their original sci-fi aesthetics.

In addition to having fantastic creations you all have excellent presentation. How do you manage to come up with some of the video presentation ideas that you use?
Until very recently my pictures were taken with a phone. As I came on Flickr I invested in a cheap, but efficient camera and a small tripod. Presentation is very important and it took me a while to realise that.
To be honest I’m still not 100% satisfied with my pictures but as I look at what I’ve photographed since February, they seem to be improving. I take my pictures in day light, on a white Plexiglas sheet to have a reflexion on the floor. I then tweak the contrast and lighting under photoshop which luckily is an every day tool for my studies too.
As for the videos I use a very cheap editing program trial (Muvee). I use a preset meant for sport videos that works well for giant cranes and mechanical spiders. I’m in the process of learning to use Adobe After-Effect to get a bit more out of moving Lego models! But the way I do them now, I have no particular idea of what the video will look like, I just load everything into the program and try my best to make it fit to the music.

If you had to pick a favorite creation of your which do you think it would have to be?
Tough question! There are so many amazing ones. One that recently blew my mind in particular is Dasnewten’s Naganata (the blue one ;) ) It shows off a whole new level of starfighter-building (which I usually find repetitive) and very clean photography.

Do you have any plans for your LEGO building future? Can we also expect any new projects from you in the coming days, weeks, months, etc.?
Oh yes I have more plans than time to build them, because of exams coming *sigh*. Many sketches have been drawn yet and I don’t know what I’ll start with but here is some of the stuff I should get into in 3 weeks:
-A giant shipyard that will hold the Sobani Command Ship under construction and feature pneumatics…
-A Blacktron II tank with a functioning automatic secret weapon
-A (another) microscale Mobile ground docking platform
-A diorama for the Stealth Strategic Bomber with a working elevator…
-Some kind of sky-fi radar dome plane?

That’s all I know so far… The order in which I will give a try at these is still unsure; I’m tempted to start with the shipyard ;)

And on a final note is there any building advice you can give to the readers along with any other tips you have?
Hmmm tips... tips… the only thing I can think about is advising not to sort by colour but rather by type or even groups of types. It encourages funky ;)

Starcraft Terran Battlecruiser

2010-06-14T00:35:00.002+01:00

Starcraft Terran Battlecruiser - updated, originally uploaded by Jerac.

Jarek "Jarac" decided to update his Starcraft Terran Battlecruiser. It was cool during the WIP stages, along with the final stage, I think I love it even more now if that is even possible.

Never tell me the odds...

2010-06-13T17:27:00.000+01:00

Wow! This fantastic scene by marshal banana depicts the Millennium Falcon evading Imperial TIE Fighters through an asteroid field as seen in The Empire Strikes Back.

The presentation here is fantastic, and faultless. Witness the apparent "depth" of the asteroid expanse, the black base, the laser blasts, and the little motion blur on the larger asteroids and on the central TIE fighter's engine - it all combines to give a blistering sense of speed, motion and urgency and I absolutely love it.

Dr. S.

AT-ATs, on the go!

2010-06-09T20:24:00.000+01:00

I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like the subject matter of RogueBantha's latest MOC. From the Star Wars Extended Universe (EU) comes the AT-AT Barge, a huge dark grey container which can pick up and drop off AT-ATs onto tactical positions on Hoth.

I love how RogueBantha always builds on his library of Star Wars mini models, so it's great to see such a functional concept, in a great vignette, and with his classic mini AT-AT model.

'AT-AT Barge' by RogueBantha

~John

Anglo-Saxon housing was the pits

2010-06-03T20:25:00.000+01:00

...and yet my fellow TFOL Karrde makes it look quaint, clean and cute. His latest MOC is of an Anglo-Saxon pit house, half-submerged in the middle of a circle of green grass, with Anglo-Saxon people coming and going, to-ing and fro-ing, and generally doing Anglo-Saxon stuff all around it. A great 'bignette'!

Let's not forget the dark tan path, the SlyOwl-esque fences and the hair from the nurse in Collectible Minifigures Series 1.

"Anglo-Saxon Pit-House" by Karrde

~John

I love playability.

2010-06-01T23:35:00.000+01:00

Anyone who knows me will know that I love playable features in a creation, which is why I was pleased to see this new mech from Legohaulic - he's included a nifty spring-loaded ejection seat for the pilot/driver!

Dr. S.

Austin 7 Pearl - Mail Delivery

2010-05-31T20:01:00.003+01:00

Austin 7 Pearl, originally uploaded by Johŋ.

This new old-style car by our very own, John, is great. I like the configuration of the wheels and mudguards. This is one of John's entries into the LUGnuts 31st challenge. (Expect more entries into that soon)

Cylon by -2x4-

2010-05-30T04:45:00.003+01:00

Cylon01, originally uploaded by - 2x4 -.

This fantastic rendition of the Cylon from Flickr user -2x4- is simply to cool to pass up. The sheer size of this is fantastic along with all of the detail. What I really like the the windscreen design. Nice work!

Fredoichi Rocks Out

2010-05-30T04:43:00.002+01:00

Shūjuku L99 - Assault Class, originally uploaded by Fredoichi.

Flickr user Fredoichi (rather well known on this blog from what I see) astounds us all again with his new Shūjuku L99 - Assault Class mecha. If the design isn't enough he even uses fantastic and interesting parts throughout. I really like the white med. blue and dark bley together. That tan takes the cake though.

LA, say bye-bye!

2010-05-24T21:18:00.000+01:00

I keep telling myself it's too late to blog, but it seems Atin is trying to prove me wrong with his amazing atmospheric scene The Bombing of LA. I literally made a 'ka-boom' sound when I first saw this photo.

Oh, the building is spot-on too. Shame about the slightly bulky plane, though. Good explosion nonetheless.

~John

Tower Palace II

2010-05-21T23:29:00.003+01:00

Tower Palace II, originally uploaded by José Proença - ztp.

Flickr user José Proença - ztp astounds us all with his new castle. The colors and sheer size of this diorama are fantastic. It makes me want to actually try man hand at a successful castle creation... well that and the new 2010 Kingdoms sets I picked up today. Great work José.

Three reasons why I'd want Nannan Zhang as a student if I were a teacher

2010-05-18T18:43:00.000+01:00

1. He'd make an awesome Pirate ship vignette for me when he was leaving university.

2. He'd make an amazing DNA sculpture from Bionicle claws for me when he was leaving university.

3. He'd make a wonderful gear-driven moving model for me when he was leaving university.

Seriously, his teachers are very lucky. And there may be more to come...

~John

Bladerunner Spinner

2010-05-13T00:53:00.002+01:00

Bladerunner Spinner, originally uploaded by Legohaulic.

This wonderful new creation by popular LEGO builder (and interviewee) Legohaulic is simply fantastic and I felt very compelled to blog it especially since he mentioned it in his interview on BrickSpace. Go check out Tyler's spinner in its dark blue glory.

10213 Shuttle adventure

2010-05-09T08:55:00.006+01:00

Lego is launching a new set in June, The 10213 Shuttle adventure. This set includes 1,200 pieces and it's very detailed. It contains a launching pad, a fuel tank with rockets and of course a space shuttle. One of the main functions is the cargo that can open with an arm to attach the included satelite to.

Here's a video about the new product:

This is the official announcement from Lego:

10213 Shuttle Adventure

Ages 16+1,204 piecesUS $99.99 CA $129.99 UK £ 79.99 DE 89.99 €

Blast off on an outer space mission!

Standing 17.5″ (44cm) tall and 10″ (25.5cm) from wing tip to wing tip, this detailed and realistic space shuttle is ready to count down and blast off on its next exciting mission into space! You can take off from the launch pad, separate the detachable fuel tank and booster rockets, and deploy the satellite with unfolding antenna and solar cell panels. Shuttle model features realistic engines, retractable landing gear, an opening cockpit with seats for 2 astronauts, opening cargo compartment with a crane that can hold the satellite and a ground maintenance vehicle. Includes 3 minifigures: 1 male and 1 female astronaut, as well as 1 service crew member.

Includes 3 minifigures: 1 male and 1 female astronaut as well as 1 service crew member!
Features realistic engines, retractable landing gear, opening cockpit with seats for 2 astronauts and even a ground maintenance vehicle!
Take off from the launch pad!
Separate the detachable fuel tank and booster rockets!
Deploy the satellite with unfolding antenna and solar cell panels!
Open the cargo compartment to reveal the crane that can hold the satellite!
Shuttle Adventure stands 17.5″ (44cm) tall and measures 10″ (25.5cm) from wing tip to wing tip!

And then...

2010-05-05T19:37:00.001+01:00

I think I can safely say this is the quickest and craziest summary of the whole Star Wars original saga I've ever seen. And it's a Brickfilm.

Something tells me it wasn't made entirely by the narrator, unless it's just a 40-year-old AFOL whose voice has never broken...

~John

Discovered via @Fredoichi

Checkmate!

2010-05-04T15:05:00.011+01:00

My first contribution to Brickspace is this chess piece made by Flickr user Centuri. This beautifully shaped horse is very clever. The ears are very nice and the eyes are also very clever. More chess pieces made by Centuri can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chansplace/. All the pieces put together would make a lovely and usable chess set.

May+June Background

2010-05-02T19:33:00.000+01:00

"Well hey," you say, "what's this new background you've got on Brickspace?"

Well, it's part of what I hope will become a regular change on Brickspace; our bimonthly background. Inspired by Wallpaper* Magazine's guest cover design, I thought it would be cool to have a different guest-designed background every two months.

Whilst the background for May and June isn't actually designed by Mad Physicist (Ralph Salvesberg), it features his drawings and plans for some of his old fighter plane MOCs. I hope you enjoy the new background - and if you have any ideas or suggestions for July+August's guest background, just email me at john@brickspace.org.

See ya!

~John

Swooshing through the vastness of trans-green cockpits....

2010-04-29T22:40:00.003+01:00

QX-8 Anopheles, originally uploaded by Crimson Wolf.

That's what recent starfighter by popular Flickr user Kevin (Crimson Wolf) is. The use of dark blue is also nice in combination with the organic vibe coming from the wires, tubing, and other whatnot going on in this crazy, tight, little fighter.

Snip snip!

2010-04-29T19:50:00.000+01:00

Maybe it's just me, but there certainly something Burton-esque about Arkov's latest creation, an Animé-style mannequin posing with large scissors. It's got a skirt, massive boots and a mechanical hand. What's not to like? Yah, OK, the scissors scare me a little too. But apart from that?

~John

Pirates Ahoy! - Interview with Luke Watkins

2010-04-27T23:48:00.001+01:00

Ironically the same name as one of BrickSpace's previous admins I am pleased to introduce our second interview in the series with Luke Watkins (Derfel Cadarn). This builder is well known for his rapid creation of majestic and large pirate dioramas. And without further adieu let's get into the interview I had with Luke.
To start off describe yourself to the readers...
Im 26, and ive had Lego since the age of 5 when i inherited my older brothers collection of classic space, town and technic, and from then on i allways got sets every Xmas and birthday till i was old enough to start buying it myself. Ive never had a 'dark ages', as ive allways bought sets every year, just for collection purposes. If i saw a set that i thought looked cool i'd buy it, build it, then put it away. Its was only when i moved last year that i decided to go through my collection and start moccing, so im still pretty new to the scene.

Also as a follow-up to the first question, what communities or sites can you be found on? Where are you LEGO hangouts?
The first online Lego forum i joined was Classic-Castle, and i was active there for a few months as the first few mocs i built were castle themed. Then i went onto pirates and thats when i discovered Eurobricks which has an excellent pirate forum as well as other themes. Im a member of most Lego forums which i all use, but Eurobricks is where im most active.

Are you inspired by any other builders in the community? Maybe works of other that aren't LEGO even?
Theres a lot of great builders out there, but im mainly familiar with those who build in the pirate and castle themes. Slyowl always produces great mocs and i love all the new techniques he comes up with, plus hes also from the UK. Captain Green Hair and Bonapart make some of the best Lego ships ive seen, and I Scream Clone and Kris Kelvin have been producing some great mocs as well recently. I also have to mention DNL, as i think his castle mocs are some of the best as he likes to build with a lot of realism and detail which i myself like to do.

Your mostly know for you pirate builds which are quite impressive, but do you like to dabble in any other themes?
Pirates is my favourite theme to build in, but i am a big fan of Castle and i hope to build quite a few Castle orientated mocs this year. Im also quite keen to build some Town and Train mocs, and Western looks fun, so maybe some mocs there too.

What are your plans for the future? Will you continue with your massive pirate dios?
I hope to allways continue with my large Pirate mocs as theres still so many ideas ive got planned out. Allthough i wont be putting out so many this year as i want to fit in some other themes as well.

I know this may be hard to do, but if you were to pick a favorite creation of yours, which would it be?
My two favourite creations are The Legend Of Porthgwarra and St Cadocs Church, but if i was to pick just one, i would have to pick St Cadocs, as i think it showcase my typical style of history realism and detail, not to mention all the 1x1 round plates! Allthough it seems my most well known moc is For Whom The Bell Tolls.

On a final note are there any creations in the works that you'd like to share?
Ive got part 2 of my Myths & Legends series coming up, and i will be keeping that series going, hopefully tackling Sleepy Hollow for part 3! Ive been planning for a long time on bringing the 'Warlord Chronicles' by Bernard Cornwell to life. Which are the books i got my name 'Derfel Cadarn' from, so hopfully be starting that this year. I will still be fitting in my usuall Pirate dios here and there, and MAYBE a giant sailor pulling 9 or 10 pirate ships through the sea by their anchor chains :)

Thanks again to Luke for that great interview. Expect another more close to home interview coming in the next coming weeks or so. I hope you've enjoyed the start of this new series so far.

Bell Tower

2010-04-26T18:25:00.000+01:00

If someone asked me to name the true undiscovered talent of our community, quy would pop up on the list quite near the top. He gets a fair amount of hits, but certainly not enough to justify his amazing building talent. Whilst his latest creation, the Bell Tower from the latest Pokémon games, is not his best work, I feel that I need to blog something of his and this is as good a chance as any.

Despite having a limited number of dark blue and red pieces, quy has created a bright, pop art-ish tower - and you don't need to be a Pokémon fan to appreciate it.

~John

Brickspace Dictionary: Double-stud cheese SNOT

2010-04-25T15:40:00.001+01:00

Double-stud cheese SNOT (n.) (technique)

The double-stud cheese SNOT technique has recently been discovered by Lego Monster. A simplified version of it had also been conceived by Moko.

The idea works by fitting cheese slopes sideways into the space between a tube (found at the centre of four studs, on the underside of a plate/brick) and the corner of the piece. The cheese slopes fit almost perfectly, with some friction and little damage to the parts. This is a fully legal technique.

There are two ways of utilising this geometry. The first is where you fit cheese slopes into the bottom of one plate and put another plate on top. The construction is stable, but the exact height between the two plates cannot be measured in plates or half-plates. There is also a gap between the plates.

The second way of using the cheese slopes is by using a plate and a brick, as seen above. This option removes the gap, so there is a simple geometry: the resulting construction is 4 plates high. However, when using this technqiue, remember to fit the cheese slopes into the plate first, then fit that into the brick. Doing this the other way round will mean putting the plate will push the cheese slopes into the brick, and getting them out will be tricky.

This technique does not apply to 1xn bricks or plates, since they do not have large tubes, and don't have enough space in their underside. Contrary to what you may think, this technique can be used on a 2x2 brick/plate - but with two cheese slopes at opposite corners. This still provides ample clutch.

Kart Racing

2010-04-24T18:57:00.003+01:00

Kart Racing (And the winner is...)(2) dbz LEGO, originally uploaded by ZetoVince.

This new racing cart by Flickr builder ZetoVince is fantastic an makes use of parts you wouldn't expect and in ways you wouldn't expect. It is also part of his contribution to LUGNuts 30th build challenge where there are two teams (Team Nathan and Team Lino). The teams are split by the beginning letter of usernames and this entry is a fantastic one for Team Nathan although I may be a little bias since I'm also supporting Team Nathan. A fantastic creation nonetheless and the photography is great here.

Home Sweet Home

2010-04-24T15:40:00.000+01:00

Over the past few weeks, Worker201 has been making a whole range of home furnishings. There's flower vases, TVs, and some wonderful chairs. It seems like I have competition, ha ha!

~John

Save 6 Music!

2010-04-19T13:11:00.000+01:00

Today I bring you yet another great music video Brickfilm from OldScratch. You should probably remember his awesome video of 'Knucklehead' by Fight Like Apes, which I blogged yesterday.

This video features an adaption of David Bowie's song 'Changes' (Bowie is the first guy you see in the video, in a clearly-Peter-Reid set). The adaption was written and performed by Adam Buxton, in hope of saving the radio station 6 Music, which the BBC is closing as part of a reshuffle or something dumb like that. Buxton is a DJ on 6 Music, and so has tried to save his career with this version of Bowie's classic song.

Also, I think this is the first time I've seen Arealight's custom hairpieces in a Brickfilm. Good one, OldScratch.

~John

LDD and LU?

2010-04-19T00:37:00.001+01:00

Recent discovery by EuroBricks user superkalle is a new piece of code that can be placed into the LDD software (no worries because he even provides very detailed instructions) of accessing a special database of LEGO elements that have never been released on LDD and in colors LEGO has never produced. This new theme is the LEGO Universe theme which acts in the same manner as Ldraw and MLCad. I have applied the new theme to my version of LDD and find it much easier to use. I think it is also easier to make instructions and such if builds are mostly straightforward. There are also extra tools in this new version of LDD and as mentioned above exclusive LEGO colors that parts aren't ever available in. Check out the new code here.

A few things to keep in mind are that you can't check the price of anything you build in this mode as the parts aren't actually available only digital.
This goes along with the above statement, but you also can't buy whatever you make.

Knucklehead.

2010-04-18T19:51:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since we've seen new animations from Brickfilmer OldScratch. It looks like he's starting a whole new age of Brickfilms, applying his genius in animation and comedy sketches to the Bricks in Motion generation. Many of you may remember his films 'Out of Time' and 'A Wasted Journey' from the old Brickfilms.com podcast.

Well, be prepared to be blown away again, with this music video of the Fight Like Apes song 'Knucklehead'. Because what's better than a Power Miners music video with OldScratch's set design and animation, and guest vocals from Keshen8? Nothing.

Bricks in Motion Awards: 2010 Winners!

2010-04-18T13:56:00.000+01:00

Bricks in Motion.com have just held their annual BiM Awards - the Oscars of the Brickfilming world. The winners were announced in a live chat feed yesteday, but in case you didn't want to scan through the transcript of the entire chat, here's the winners in a handy list:

BEST ANIMATION: A Clone Halloween (Fancypants)

BEST SCREENPLAY: Days of our Pizza (Keshen)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: The River (Night Owl)

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Picturesque (Nick Durron)

BEST SET DESIGN: Alles ist die Noppe (Nichtgedreht)

BEST SOUND DESIGN: The River (Night Owl)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: The River (Night Owl)

BEST VOCAL PERFORMANCE: Keshen as Febrizzio in Days of Our Pizza

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST: It's the Network (Lego Shark Productions)

BEST SERIES: Nightly News at Nine (Fallen Tomato)

VIEWERS' CHOICE: The River (Night Owl)

BEST FILM: Alles ist die Noppe (Nichtgedreht)

As always, I have my own opinions. For Best Animation, I would have much rather given the award to The Force Unleashed, an amazing lightsaber fight also made by Fancypants. So, though it was for the wrong film, at least Fancypants got the award.

Days of Our Pizza is indeed a very well scripted and a very funny film, but it is only a comic sketch. It would have been nice to give the Screenplay award to a film with a well thought-through script with a clear beginning, middle and end and character development to top. A good script is key to any film, and whilst Days of Our Pizza didn't have a bad script, there is room for improvement.

I totally agree with all the awards that Night Owl's The River won. It is an amazing film, and it gave me chills when I first saw it at the STAR closing chat last year. The cinematography and sound design work in perfect harmony to create a truly unique and unforgettable experience.

I seem to remember I was less happy with Picturesque. Whilst the visual effects do deserve their BiM award, the script was atrocious and the overall plot was really not good. I won't watch all three parts now to remind myself - you can watch them for yourselves. I seem to remember the death of one of the main characters is almost completely ignored, in one of the later parts.

Finally, I am glad that the Nightly News at Nine and Alles ist die Noppe have been recognised as the amazing Brickfilms they are. I remember blogging Alles ist die Noppe sometime last year, it's a mesmerizing film that has such style and an entrancing atmosphere. The Nightly News at Nine is a series of quick, witty and well-scripted Brickfilms in a news show format. I'm glad someone else liked it as much as I did.

Oh, and thanks to Zach Macias for letting me know about the winners so quickly. The BiM feed hasn't been showing up in my RSS reader, so I would have otherwise missed it.

~John

There be Ostriches here...

2010-04-15T23:30:00.000+01:00

I don't have a lot to say about this creation by Titolian, save that it has some of the most ingenious parts usage I have ever seen. Enjoy.

Dr. S.

Farewell, Nnenn.

2010-04-14T11:14:00.001+01:00

It is with great sadness that I must report on the tragic death of Nate 'nnenn' Nielsen. He was a big figure in the community, with a whole scale and a part (rubber band holder) named after him. He will be greatly missed even by those who have criticised his methods (myself included).

I will take a quote from Keith Goldman's very well written post on TBB:

Nate’s death was the result of an automobile accident earlier this month. A resident of Tekoa, Washington, Nate was a father, an artist, and a professor specializing in graphic design. Nate is survived by his beloved wife and two sons ages 3 and 8.

It is important to Nate’s family that he is remembered by our community, one that he took great joy in participating in. Above all they want Nate to be remembered as a devoted husband and father, and for us to know that his interest in the brick was inseparable from his love for his boys.

I am truly shocked to hear of his death, and I hope you too realise just how sad this situation is. Nonetheless, Nate's legacy should live on. Keith is organising a formation of Vic Viper spacecraft, in the style of Nnenn, to be shown at Brickworld 2010 in Chicago this year. They will be arranged in a traditional "missing man formation", which is common at memorial events around the world. For more information contact Keith at legomankeith@aol.com .

~John

Interview with Tyler Clites

2010-04-13T02:00:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone you may have noticed the as of late stagnant posting on the blog. The only six posts in March may have shown that, but no longer! We are back with this new interview when I talked with popular builder Tyler Clites (Legohaulic) for a building interview. All of his creations are rockin' so I hope you enjoy this interview I had with Tyler.

To start off describe yourself to the readers...

Well...I'm essentially a loner. I enjoy spending time by myself. I'm a very positive upbeat person with a corny sense of humor. I thrive on being creative. I love a challenge. If someone says it can't be done, I'm going to try to do it.

Also as a follow-up to the first question, what communities or sites can you be found on? Where are you LEGO hangouts?

My loner tendencies show in my online activity. I'm most active on Flickr and Builders Lounge.

Are you inspired by any other builders in the community? Maybe works of other that aren't LEGO even?

I'm primarily inspired by uniqueness! If a builder builds something that hasn't been done before or uses pieces in a unique way, it is a safe bet that I'll be inspired by it. The same goes for concept art, which also serves as a big source of inspiration.

I think it shows that you don't really conform do any theme and your creations show great amounts of creativity, where do you manage to find these ideas?

Most of my ideas just come out of nowhere. I don't sit down and decide to come up with an idea. Sometimes a technique, a photo, a piece of art, or something I see in my daily life will inspire an idea. I start doodling with pieces and something evolves from that.

Do you have any plans for the future? Even those not including LEGO?

Immediately, I plan on finishing college and finishing my project for Brickworld. Hopefully I can find a job at some point that will allow me to be creating something new and different each day. I despise the mundane.

If you had to pick a favorite creation of your which do you think it would have to be?

The Inquisitor would probably be my favorite.

Are there any creations you have in the works that you would like to share in this interview?

I have several thing in the works some I'll share and others will have to wait. I'm working on a dk blue version of the Bladerunner Spinner, and some TLG style mocs/sets for the Put Your Bricks Where Your Mouth Is challenge.

And on a final note is there any building advice you can give to the readers along with any other tips you have?

Build what you like and how you like. Don't let other people's opinions or perceptions determine how you build. This goes for any type of creative medium.

Thanks again Tyler for that excellent interview. From now on I'm going to try and get a new interview up every two-four weeks so stay tuned for the next one!

Wrath MBT by Pierre

2010-04-11T20:54:00.002+01:00

Wrath MBT, originally uploaded by Pierre E Fieschi.

Recent up and coming building Pierre E Fieschi is absolutely fantastic at building and I think all of his talents really come together in this sci-fi tracked vehicle. The usage of parts is fantastic along with all of the angles he has managed to achieve. If you can believe it the turret is 5 years old!

Arios Type Hardsuit

2010-04-11T20:52:00.003+01:00

Arios Type Hardsuit, originally uploaded by Freedom01.

This simple yet intricate (I know a little ironic) hardsuit by Flickr user Freedom01 is great and has a nice Gundam vibe going for it. The use of the color orange is also very appealing. Nice work!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T03:41:00.002+01:00

Peter Cottontail, originally uploaded by Heather LEGOgirl.

From Heather LEGOgirl that is! Her recent Easter creations is great in fitting Easter colors and even a cool backdrop. This little 'working' vignette can get anyone in the mood for a nice relaxing Easter. Since I mentioned working we should show you all Heather's mechanics on the inside of this nice vignette.

There goes the little bunny Peter Cottontail spreading Easter joy.

Lego Building School

2010-03-14T15:11:00.000Z

From Linus Bohman, the guy who brought us The Fadmasher, comes a revolutionary Lego application. It's called the Lego Building School, it's easy to use, and it houses (or will house) all the Lego tutorials that currently exist on the internet. It's a very very useful tool, I've just been trying it out. I strongly suggest you have a go at using it, whether you're a building amateur or an expert.

You should also be able to see some of Brickspace's tutorials on there too, sometime.

~John

G'day!

2010-03-06T18:17:00.000Z

I absolutely love this modular apartment building from dita_svelte. It's based off a building in Sydeny's King's Cross and Pott's Point suburbs. It's meant to be in an Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival style, like many of the buildings seen in those suburbs. It's even got some great minifigs to match. There are some amazing piece uses here: notice the green Toy Story soldier bases on the trees, and the roof made of jumpers is a neat touch too.

~John

Mark V Tank

2010-03-04T01:13:00.000Z

Early Tanks were a strange affair and they are difficult to capture in LEGO - but I think stgeorg6 has done a great job with this Mark V model. The armoured sides are perfect and the angles spot on, and I love those tracks as well.

Dr. S.

"You figurians never cease to amuse me!"

2010-03-03T19:01:00.000Z

In this new episode of the Nightly News at Nine, it's not all about Malifios. Zondar Silverspine explains the war between orange and green, as the two battling colours flatten cities and change people's colour preferences forever!

As Zondar would say, "I'll see you tomorrow, unless you die in the night! Ho ho ho!"

~John

Mix 'n' Match

2010-03-03T18:29:00.000Z

Ever stuck for a new theme to build in? Do you find yourself always building in the same old boring themes? Are you sick of the usual fads? Well, Linus Bohman has an answer to your problems. It's the ingenious Fadmasher - a simple online app for mixing 'n' matching fads. Go check it out!

~John

Ich bin ein Berliner

2010-03-01T17:41:00.001Z

Time to break my long silence and return to golf. To all those who I have disappointed, I am so sorry. I am returning at the Berlin PGA tournament - where I saw the famous landmarks: the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag and the Siegessaeule (Victory Column, where President Obama spoke). In LEGO form! Utterly brilliant.

One for the ladies...

2010-02-25T19:57:00.000Z

Or rather, one full of ladies! This new Vintage Minifigure pack (vol. 5) includes four of the most memorable female 'figs, including the forestwoman, the female ninja, and tube top girl. "No CS minifigs" is the only thing running through my mind when I see this, but I guess you have to sacrifice some things for a full-female Vintage Minifigure Collection.

TLG assure us that the quality problems with the previous Collections, but that doesn't mean it won't be made in China. These things have to happen, guys. We'll just have to grin and bear it.

Clutch Powers to be released TOMORROW!

2010-02-22T20:31:00.000Z

It's been a while since I blogged the trailer of the full-length Lego film Clutch Powers, but now I've just received an email telling me that the film is set for release tomorrow! It will be available on DVD and as a digital download.

So, if you're interested in it, here's the trailer. There are four other clips that you can find on YouTube here.

And, if you need any more information, here's the synopsis:

For the first time ever, see the creative world of LEGO® come to life in the all-new feature-length DVD movie. Meet Clutch Powers, the best builder and explorer in the LEGO®universe as he heads off on his most dangerous mission yet. Join Clutch and his team of LEGO®experts as their adventure leads them from LEGO® City to the Space Police prison planet to the medieval world of Ashlar where they must help the rightful heir to the King’s throne find the courage to regain the kingdom from the evil wizard Mallock the Malign. Their brick-building skills will be put to the ultimate test as they face off against Mallock’s skeleton army. Get ready for an action-packed adventure like nothing you have ever seen before, The Adventures of Clutch Powers!

~John

AFOL: A blocumentary

2010-02-22T19:54:00.000Z

I remember a few days ago, Karrde posted a link to this very interesting Lego documentary on his Facebook account. Since it's been featured on TBB and in Flickr Group discussions all over since, here it is featured on Brickspace.

The documentary, or 'blocumentary', includes interviews with several AFOLs, ending up with them showing off their skills at BrickCon 2009. So, though it's 30 minutes long (way way too long for a short film, if the director Jess Gibson actually wants to show it in festivals), just keep watching and you'll get to see Jordan Schwartz (Sir Nadroj) talking about his 'whimsical style' at the end. Though it may be slow, it's worth it for that and just to inform yourself a little more. Enjoy!

LINK.

~John

Brickspace Dictionary: Five-Wide

2010-02-21T18:15:00.001Z

Five-Wide (n.) (Five Wide)

A five-wide (also 5-wide) is a type of minifig-scale vehicle. The Lego Group (TLG) produce cars that are four studs in width, and trucks that are six studs in width. Five-wide is an alternative to building with an even number of studs' width, but should only be used when it is needed, as it is not always necessary.

Builders choose to use a different width, five studs wide, for several reason. Firstly, it is more to scale than either 4-wide or 6-wide. Four-wide is considered too short because there is not enough space for two minifig-scale seats, and some more complex details are harder to achieve with only four studs' width to play with. Six-wide is thought of as too wide for a normal car, and is preferred for vans and trucks.

Five-wide also provides the builder with a challenge, whereas 4-wide may be considered 'too easy' to build in. Because of the odd number of studs, five-wide presents many problems when it comes to adding details to the car. It can help some features - such as a central ridge down the car's bonnet - but with other features, it is hard to find space to offset the studs. The innards of most five-wides are a mess of offset plates and complicated half-stud measurements.

"Is that car five-wide? Cool!"

"I built this car [in] five-wide, it was really hard"

Photo credit: Legohaulic 'Ford Model A Pickup'

Need more 5-wides? Check out the Flickr Gallery!

Shannon Young's guide to ratios

2010-02-21T11:27:00.000Z

A lot of aspiring builders get very confused by all the measurements involved - half-stud offsets, headlight bricks, brackets, and the 5:6 ratio (brick height to brick length). I must admit than even I have never fully understood the measurements of headlight bricks, though I use them regularly in my building. Luckily the AFOL Shannon Young has recently written an easy-to-understand guide to all SNOT techniques. Check it out here. It's essential reading for any builder!

~John

Toy Fair 2010

2010-02-15T18:58:00.000Z

Those nice guys at FBTB (From Bricks to Bothans) have been snapping pictures of all the new 2010 sets at the 2010 Toy Fair. Below you can see links to all the sets that were displayed there. There are multiple angles of each set, so don't hesitate to click away!

Star Wars

Prince of Persia

Harry Potter

Atlantis

Space Police

World Racers

Power Miners

Kingdoms

City

Hero Factory

Games

Racers

8211 Brick Street Getaway

Creator

~John

The Nightmare before Christmas

2010-02-15T18:00:00.002Z

The Nightmare before Christmas, originally uploaded by brainbikerider.

It doesn't matter what season it is this new vignette by flickr user brainbikerider is great featuring many excellent details from the musical The Nightmare before Chirstmas like tombstones and an excellent Jack minifigure.

Mobile Launcher by legoloverman

2010-02-14T23:37:00.003Z

Launching, originally uploaded by legoloverman.

This new micro-creation by popular micro-scale Peter Reid (legoloverman) is great and features loads of details for anyone of any skill to take in. The usage of old LEGO elements (the trees are in fact official) is marvelous. Great work Peter.

La Resistance!

2010-02-14T23:32:00.003Z

The Resistance is discovered!, originally uploaded by _Matn.

This new creation by Matn on Flickr is fantastic. From the often seen floating rock design and very nice rope bridge to the floating balloon contraption. Great work Matn!

Happy Dane Cook-aversary!

2010-02-14T18:05:00.000Z

Sure, it's a couple of days late, but that doesn't mean I can't celebrate the one year-anniversary of Dane Cook being beaten up in Brickfilms! On February 9th, 2009, Dane Cook was slapped by a hobo with a fish.

Now Dane Cook-slapping veteran 0ldScratch shows us his never-finished Dane Cook film...

~John

What is this I don't even

2010-02-14T18:02:00.000Z

Spastik Chuwawa is hilarious. There's no doubt about it.

~John

A room with a view

2010-02-14T17:03:00.001Z

I'm not sure whether I'm envious of the explorer in Jalkow's JRC entry... on one hand, you have a great view from the top of that waterfall, but on the other you have to live in a tower which is as wide as you are - a tight fit!
I really love the crazy look of this little vignette - the bubbles on the waterfall are a nice idea, but not mots realistic effect I've seen used. The rock work is amazing, the tower straight and simple, and the whole thing has great little touches that remind me of some of SlyOwl's creations. Jolly good work.

~John

More Minifig Collection pics...

2010-02-13T18:26:00.000Z

As we draw closer and closer to the minifig collection's release date, we inevitably get more and more pictures of those desirable minifigs. Now, FL from Flickr has found some close-ups of individual minifigs through Nori-Gallery on Brickshelf...

At the moment there's only pictures of the Robin Hood-like minifig:

FL correctly suggests that you should keep checking the Brickshelf gallery, as there's a folder there that hasn't been moderated yet. Who knows what it could contain?

And yet again, we have no idea of the quality of these minifigs. TLG have assured us that the 'crappy plastic made in China' problem was simply an issue with manufacturing... but will these minifigs be made of good ol' Danish ABS? We're yet to find out, but I certainly hope so.

~John

AFOL survey

2010-02-12T19:25:00.000Z

Lawrence Abrahamson has just emailed me to let me know about the AFOL survey he's conducting for a college project. Being the kind, helpful and loveably crazy guy I am, here's a link to his survey. If you're an AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego), and have some time to spare, spend it on Lawrence's survey. It shouldn't take long.

His message:

Calling all AFOLs...If you are an adult that builds with LEGO, please take this short survey: https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDNyX3VneEJmQjV5bnA0UE9CUVU1QUE6MA We are collecting information as part of a research project looking at the LEGO brand and its loyalty of users. Thanks for your help.

They are only using the data collected in-house for the project.
~John

Minifig Collection - Wave 2!

2010-02-07T19:17:00.000Z

Remember the Minifigure Collection? The one that hasn't been released yet? Well, it seems that we now have images of the second wave, to be released in September this year. Talking about getting ahead of yourself!

Courtesy of Dano as always, this picture shows the first wave of minifigs on top of the podium whilst the second wave - including a mime, a Vamire, a pop singer and a Mexican - are standing around the base.

This second picture gives us a close-up of some of the second wave's figs. Most notably, the Roman centurion - TLG's way of politely saying 'up yours' to BrickForge. Then there's a remake of the Vampire 'fig, the perilously un-PC Mexican (plus maracas and poncho) and some guy with new skis. I seriously can't wait for these to be released...

~John

Space Police III 2010

2010-02-05T19:10:00.000Z

Dano's got his Animé-loving claws on yet another batch of leaked images - this time of the Space Police III summer sets. There's some big 'uns as well...

First up there's 5985, a Space Police base and we all knew was coming eventually. The quarter-domes are huge - so there's opportunity for some big cockpits there. And hey, don't forget the little truck!

Another addition to the Space Police's fleet is 5983, a set which a Flickr user called, very rightly, the Space Police Turbo Sub (it's certainly shaped that way). In this set you can see the new alien, which features in all three new sets. They're clearly trying to get the new fig out there as much as possible.

Then there's the alien's ship, set 5984. It's pretty much an alien-styled duplicate of the Space Police ship, with the same alien plus some purple-suited fellow. This set looks decent enough.

So there we are, here's the completion of the SPIII line for 2010. We've had the small sets, and now here's the big ones. These aren't licensed - so it looks like we'll get some big sets that are actually affordable nowadays.

~John

Building the Forth Bridge - and how Lego inspired the Falkirk Wheel

2010-02-04T18:27:00.000Z

This video from the BBC looks at an amazing model of the Forth Bridge, built by British AFOL Warren Elsmore. You may also know Elsmore as being the creator of the fantastic St Panras station MOC shown at STEAM last year.

There's also a short interview with the designer of the Falkirk Wheel. In it he talks about how Lego inspired the design of the wheel and also helped to solve engineering problems... so please check out the video here!

Here's a snippet from the BBC journalist's interview with AFOL Elsmore, about the Forth Bridge MOC:

"The parts they had problems building on the real bridge were a problem for me too," said Mr Elsmore. In particular, he said, the point where the pylons and bridge supports meet on the base were very tricky to render in Lego.

Just as in the real bridge, some parts of the Lego model are in compression and some in tension. The structure even flexes when under load. The bridge is regularly shown off at Lego shows and some bits of it have to be replaced when Lego trains have been running across it for a few days.

When nature calls...

2010-02-03T19:16:00.000Z

... I Scream Clone's Itchycrotch Creek Outhouse answers. There's a great rickety look to this otherwise simple outhouse that I really like. Oh, and don't forget the stream round the back!

Whilst we're on the topic of I Scream Clone, it seems he's been up to a lot of Wild West building recently. Here's his stagecoach - second only to Sir Nadroj's. There's some great parts to it - note the tumbleweed and the hawk, based off Legohaulic's design.

It seems I Scream Clone is on a roll - let's hope he continues with this Wild West series.

~John

The Mistral II (+interview!)

2010-01-31T17:29:00.001Z

One of the most popular MOCs this week is the Mistral II - a massive flying Steampunk ship drawing inspiration from the Eiffel Tower. It's Nathan Proudlove's remake of his original 2006 creation The Mistral. So sit back, and enjoy the pictures whilst reading a short interview I took with Nathan...

John: The Mistral II is the second version of the Mistral, the first version of which was made a few years ago. What gave you the inspiration to remake such an old project, and why now?

Nathan Proudlove: I decided to remake the Mistral on the way home from a show in which it had been displayed. Mistral I was packed loosely in a box in the back seat of my car, (I didn't have very far to drive) when I heard a sickening sound from behind me at a stoplight. The ship had completely disintegrated! I had only had the thing completed for two weeks when it just ceased to be. Structural integrity wasn't exactly a priority with the first one. So I knew it would have to be rebuilt eventually, I just wasn't sure when.

J: This second version is very different to the first, yet keeps some of the unique features. How did you go about redesigning the Mistral I? Did you start from scratch again?

NP: The rope bridges that I had used for trusswork on the original were actually loaned to me by a friend, so when I returned them, I knew I had to come up with something different for the new version. The idea came while sorting, as it so often does, to use the dozens of dark grey struts and large Insectoid legs I had collected, to loosely replicate the iron work in the Eiffel tower as the base of the Mistral II. The command structure above the deck went through many redesigns, and I consulted with a few of my steampunk peers along the way. They gave good solid critique along the way and got me to pay attention to detail in areas I might have otherwise missed.

J: The Mistral II is clearly a Steampunk creation. Did you use any Steampunk pictures or concept art for inspiration? For example, what gave you the idea for the glass house?

NP: The concept for the first version of the Mistral was mostly inspired by the flying aircraft carrier in the film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. The design of the ship itself was almost exclusively mine though. I simply imagined what a flying aircraft carrier would look like if it were placed in a steampunk setting. The Mistral II, however, took many more design cues from specific sources. I've already mentioned the Eiffel Tower, and the Palais d'Industrie from the Paris World's Fair in 1855 is the source for the glass dome. Mistral II was designed to be elegant, refined and symmetrical, qualities of which the first Mistral possesed none.

Well there you go: anything you ever needed to know about the Mistral! Many thanks to Nathan to answering my questions. I'll [hopefully] see you next week for another interview!

~John

No words needed.

2010-01-30T19:21:00.000Z

Or at least, not in Spastik Chuwawa's latest Brickfilm, Snob on a Pogo Stick. It's quick, it's witty, it features some great animation techniques and, best of all: you can see pictures of the set on Flickr. What's not to like?

~John

REAL Collectable Minifigure pictures!

2010-01-27T22:16:00.000Z

As the saying goes, pictures speak louder than words... and so I leave you with this first ever non-render picture of the collectable minifigures to be available in newsagents or somewhere-like-that this June.

Images courtesy of good ol' Dano courtesy of Pocket-Lint. See close ups of the minifigs:

~John

You Could Say I've Fallen A Little Behind

2010-01-26T00:39:00.009Z

Hopefully a few of these new creations by fellow Flickr users will cheer you all up. Or at least keep you interested in these posts that I make. It seems like John's getting all the attention which is understandable since he posts so much. Anyway lets see if I can deter a little attention my way.
Anyway the first one lined up is by fantastic Pirate builder Derfel Cadarn and this MOC is more than up to par with his usual. The concept is great and the rock work is just as nice. Great work Derfel Cardarn.

Redcoat Rum Runners!, originally uploaded by - Derfel Cadarn -.

Next we have this cool Snow Cat by ltwp formally Gladius on Flickr. This creation sports some great techniques and just looks so adorable. I've always been a sucker for a well designed model, in fact I prefer them most times over dios and this creation is no exception.

Snow Cat, originally uploaded by _ltwp.

Last we've go another pirate creation by Flickr user Sir Regonold who seems to often take a lot of inspiration from building Sir Nadroj, but this very original creation is great sporting a very popular (as far as Flickr comments are concerned).

Colonial Town Center, originally uploaded by Sir Regonold.

Huff, huff. Well that's a line-up now hopefully from now on I won't have to catch-up.

Make Way...

2010-01-26T00:36:00.003Z

Robot Tune Up Lab, originally uploaded by V&A Steamworks.

This new Robot Tune Up Lab by Flickr user V&A SteamWorks (Guy Himber) is coming through with another one of his prevailing steam powered creations and I think this one is just marvelous. The backdrop is well detailed and the mechbot is just as cool. Nice work Guy!

You build what now?

2010-01-24T14:25:00.000Z

Say hello to the first ever 'teaser trailer' for a Lego series. It's for the Bionicle successors, Hero Factory.

~John

8-Bit Trip

2010-01-21T21:25:00.000Z

I just couldn't resist posting this amazing Brickfilm - the animation in it is truly fantastic. Usually, I find Lego 'sculpture animations' - with shapeshipting forms made from Lego bricks - quite dull, and a lot of them are badly made.
This one, however, is the complete opposite. Taking 1500 hours to make, it's a feat of animation. I love the paddle-game scene and the cube part is especially well-animated. Unfortunately the 'Lego-ised' real footage is hard to make out, and the music is only just bearable, but maybe just watch in on mute if you really don't like the soundtrack. Either way, watch this film!

~John

MUJI + LEGO

2010-01-20T20:58:00.000Z

Remember when I blogged about the new MUJI+Lego sets which combined paper crafts with Lego? Well, Flickr user Ateliers Kazu.Raitu has bought two of the sets, and posted images on his photostream. Let's take a look at what the sets are like inside...

The box of this set shows the series' best model: some sort of strange dragon made with lots of different pieces of card to create a fluffy body. Apart from the obvious layout and graphic design differences, the box seems similar to a normal Lego box.

The box contains card with pre-punched holes, as well as a small instruction manual (or 'ideas book' as they used to call it in the Creator line). It seems like you have to cut out the shapes yourself... not the best idea, as people could always cut it out wrong and it will almost always look roughly cut, and not perfect. Then again, keeping the templates blank means people can make whatever shapes they like. It's only an ideas book, after all. I'd rather have both pre-cut templates AND blank sheets.

Here you can see the dragon-like creation. It's quite a clever design, using the bracket to connect the head to the body.

I really like this peacock. Whether it's the Flickr user's very own design, or one included in the 'idea book' I don't know. I only wish there were more Lego in it - it seems as if the Lego pieces are just used as fasteners for the card, not part of the actual shape itself.

There's also a cute little crab. Yay!

Ateliers Kazu.Raitu also bought something which we weren't shown in the Design Milk post - A specialised MUJI+Lego holepunch, which punches stud-sized holes. At least it saves you on buying more and more of the actual sets. To be honest, I like accessories. If this line is ever released by MUJI in Europe, I'd definitely buy this. Think about it this way: you could cut your own minifig capes! Stud-width is the width of a minifig's neck. You could also cut fabric for minifig clothes, boat sails, tent canopies... the possibilities are endless!

The hole-punch also comes with a template to punch studs in a line, all perfectly aligned to the studs on your bricks.

Well I'm glad I found out more about these MUJI sets - I've been wondering what's happening ever since I found and blogged them in December. Hopefully they'll come to Europe and the US sometime. If anything, buy the hole punch.

~John

Interview: Designing Atlantis

2010-01-18T17:10:00.005Z

Many of you may know Peter Reid (Legoloverman) as one of the masters of Neo-Classic Space, and also the creator of many other great microspace models. Well, he's had a hand in the design process of the new Atlantis sets. I managed to get an exclusive interview with Peter - enjoy!

J: How did you get to work on the Atlantis sets? Were you approached by LEGO, or did you approach them?

PR: They approached me. I got a phone call from Jan Beyer, while holidaying with friends in France. Jan asked if I’d be available to travel to Billund for a week, to work on some new stuff. I said ‘yes’ before he’d finished the question, as any right-minded person would. It is the second time I’ve been on a design workshop in Denmark, and I am honoured to have had the chance to work closely with the company. The opportunity to visit the inner sanctum of LEGO is not something to be passed up.

J: When designing the sets, did you add any pieces simply for LEGO fans?

PR: A lot of the time, I was working with very rough prototype pieces. The original brief for Atlantis featured a war between humans and an evil faction of Mermaids. I’ve seen the film ‘Splash’ quite a few times, and I found this anti-mermaid attitude troubling. I’m glad the baddies morphed into those Octopus people. Mermaids are good guys, surely?

J: Did you have a hand in the overall design of the Atlantis sets, with the red slopes and red-and-lime green colour scheme?

PR: I contributed several concept models, working from a series of highly confidential (and extremely exciting) drawings, given to me by my design lead, Phil. I tried to be as faithful to the design brief as possible, and build things in a child-friendly way. A lot of my trademark moves aren’t the sort of thing you’d find in an official LEGO set, so I had to alter my way of building quite a bit.

The good guy vehicles were all yellow in the early stages. The colour of a model is not a major consideration during the initial phase. From a design point of view, form comes first.

J: It seems that the Atlantis sets are very different to normal LEGO sets, and it's clear that an AFOL has had a hand in their designs. But how much lenience did LEGO have with your designs? Did you have to hand your designs over to a LEGO designer to adapt them afterwards?

PR: You’re giving me too much credit - there isn’t a single move in the Atlantis range that I can lay claim to. I was only present for a week during the initial design phase, and the line looked very different back then. When I left Denmark those models were left in the hands of the real designers, who refined things for a long time after I’d gone. Set design is a very collaborative process, with models being passed around and reworked by various team members over a long period of time.

All the good moves in those sets are from the designers at LEGO. There are some very skilled AFOLs working on the inside now, like Jamie Berard, Mark Stafford and Adam Grabowski. All the cool moves and new pieces came from those guys, and the many other excellent designers in Billund.

Many thanks to Peter for answering my questions, and also checking out with The LEGO Group that he was actually allowed to answer them!

~John

Hell's Teeth.

2010-01-18T08:58:00.001Z

Possibly the meanest VTOL ground attack craft I've ever seen, the AGG-12F "Flying Devil" is brought to you by Mentalspagat (and with a handle like that, I'm not going to argue with him). Check out the angles on the rear section, oh and those teeth are just marvellous. His other creations in the set are also very good.

Dr. S.

War in the sky!

2010-01-17T20:50:00.002Z

Wow. That was my first reaction on seeing this beautiful Steampunk airbattleship thingy - sorry cm946, I don't know the proper nomenclature but it IS glorious. It's designed to ram enemy warships, and it's escorted by an equally lovely little cruiser alongside. Simply brilliant.

Dr. S.