Fascinating LEGO® Model of the Day

Virulence VV

2011-12-17T08:40:00.002-08:00

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/legohaulic/6422265995/in/photostream

Details: Legohaulic has once again built an amazing and unique ship. The rare color sand purple is only available in a few parts, but they are used fantastically here. The interesting, curved shape is also neat.

Suitcase

2011-11-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Name of Model: Lego Luggage to Lug around your Lego

Created by: monsterbrick (Matt Armstrong)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/monsterbrick/tags/suitcase/

Details: Every once in a while, you hear someone dismiss a LEGO creation as a variation on a box. I believe that this is the only counterargument necessary - it's indisputably a box, and yet it's still a distinctive and fantastic creation. The dark tan corners are an excellent use of the 3x3 wedge plate (I will never understand why a wedge plate is one of the few pieces LEGO makes widely available in that color). The use of a rope bridge as the handle is inspired - it also doubles nicely as a working latch. The parts made to look like latches are a rare great use of Vehicle, Base 4 x 5, with some nice pearl gold on the top. I don't know where the LEGO logo towel is from (I want one!), but the boat rigging holding it in (this piece, I think) pushes this over the top.

128 Pictures from LEGOLAND California at Halloween

2011-10-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

Photos by: marcorbito

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcorbito/tags/legoland/

Details: If you liked last week's look at LEGOLAND California at Halloween, I have a real treat for you - another large photo gallery of highlights from LEGOLAND California in October in 2010. There are plenty more exciting scenes here, including many that weren't in the photoset featured last week. There are (of course) more trick or treaters (note the clever use of the large spider's web in the window), as well as a haunted house (seen above), an homage to Michael Jackson's Thriller, and a giant pumpkin sculpture. I had mentioned the funeral procession last week, but the view shown this week gives us an interesting look at hearse, people and musical instruments. I'm thrilled any time we get a good look at useful techniques at the LEGOLAND parks, but it only gets better when we see the extra seasonal goodies added in. Have a Happy Halloween, everybody!

LEGO-Theme based MOCs

2011-10-29T14:12:00.003-07:00

Name of Model: Rise to the Wicked

Created by: Nuju Metru

Found at: http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=351

Details: Nuju Metru has taken his building in an interesting direction here in that he built these MOCs as a LEGO theme. Instead of a detailed sculpture or gigantic, expensive creation that would never be marketable, he has created a line of playsets. Each and every model has several play features, mostly rubber band launchers (none of that cheap flick-fire stuff) and collapsing structures. The models - or should I call them sets? - cover a variety of price points. Tying it all together is a fantasy storyline. Pictured is the Siege of the Portal. Be sure to check out the different creative sets on BZPower and FlickR.

Cubans: the New CubeDudes

2011-10-27T16:32:00.004-07:00

Name of Model: Cubans!

Created by: Owen S.

Found at: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/284460

Details: The CubeDude craze has come and gone - well, not really gone, per se, but calmed down a bit - and we are left with a LEGO community lacking a cubic fad to match our cubic medium. But no more! Owen S. of MOCpages has made a slew of cubic characters with one unsymetrical eye and only the most basic features. Are they totally original? No. Are they even minorly complex? no. But are they cute and addictive? Yes! And, I think, a lot of the appeal is in capturing a character with a few cute, well-chosen details. Be sure to check out Owen S.'s collection and the MOCpages group.

Warscape: Vol 1

2011-10-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: WarScape: Vol 1

Created by: Siercon and Coral

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/legocy/6262374104/in/photostream/

Details: To the non-Lego hobbyist, this may seem like merely eight individually epic modular builds that combine into an even bigger and better landscape. Although it is that, I found the real treat to be going in and gawking at all of the brilliant microscale NPU ("New" or "Nice" Parts Usage)! Interesting connections and builds abound, made only more impressive by the impossibly tiny scale. Note, for instance, the mermaid and catapults. In some instances parts of elements are hidden to allow the appropiate details to show, like the giesha-fan stairs, which, having tried and failed at before, I find particularly impressive. And, as a Bionicle fan, I have to commend the comprably huge kiina spikes in one of the towers. And those are just a few examples! You really should look through the photostream yourself - it's well worth your while. Via The Brothers Brick.

LEGOLAND California at Halloween

2011-10-25T05:39:00.001-07:00

Name of photoset: LEGO Land California

Photos by: KaylynStar

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaylynstar/sets/72157625308418736/

Details: The LEGOLAND parks frequently enhance their displays with seasonal displays and in-jokes, adding an extra reason to come back. Around Halloween in 2010, the California park got in on the fun. Check out the trick-or-treaters seen in this photoset. Just in the one photo shown here, we've got some great dragon costumes, some great ghosts, a wizard, a pair of ballerinas, a knight, and several interesting figures without costumes. Elsewhere in the park, we can spot a coven of witches, a haunted cemetery, a pumpkin patch and hayride, a giant spider attack, and a funeral procession driving up to a zombie-infested graveyard.

New Contributor

2011-10-20T14:31:00.003-07:00

Hey, this is Lego Obsessionist! I will be helping contribute to FLOMD from now on. Dan has made a fantastic blog, in fact, it was one of the first ones I started reading when I discovered the online Lego community, and I learned alot from it. I hope I can continue this awesomeness and give you readers more posts to enjoy and alleviate the recent lack of posts.

I'm a TFOL and and have been Bionicle fan from the start. My creations, which you can see here on MOCpages, are mostly Bionicle-based, although I enjoy system building as well. I realize that many builders think of Bionicle and the recent Hero Factory as being inferior in general to System or even Technic, and I hope I can show you how untrue that is through featuring innovative Bionicle MOCs. Of course, I am not limited to Bionicle, I will try to represent all themes or combinations thereof when a fascinating MOC catches my eye.

I hope you enjoy my posts, and continue to read this great blog!

Hiatus

2011-09-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

We've been accidentally less-than-daily for a while now. I'm sorry about that, but with my schedule lately it just isn't possible to maintain the promised schedule here. If you are interested in helping out here in the future so we can prevent these gaps (LMOTD is back to being essentially a one-man operation, so this happens whenever I'm too busy to tend to it), please let me know by sending an e-mail to legomodeloftheday@gmail.com

National Building Museum Exhibit Damaged by Earthquake

2011-09-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

Name of Photoset: LEGO® Architecture Survives the Quake

Photos by: National Building Museum

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalbuildingmuseum/sets/72157627398453375/

Details: I've previously mentioned the display at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. Recently, shortly after an earthquake could be felt in the DC area, the museum reported that two of the LEGO buildings were damaged in the quake. In spite of the few glued parts I noticed while seeing the display in person last year, apparently most of the display is not glued. About one fourth of the Burj Khalifa and the top of the Empire State Building fell apart, but the display is currently open again for visitors. I have not been able to find any information on when Adam Reed Tucker will be returning to repair these two models.

On a happier note, this exhibit will now be open an entire year longer than previously announced - you can now see LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition through September 3, 2012 (which would make a nice addition to a trip to BrickFair VA 2012). While you're there, don't miss the ongoing Washington: Symbol and City exhibit.

Grand Palace of Thailand

2011-09-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: This is the model of the Grand Palace of Thailand. Any suggestions please email vslcheung@gmail.com

Created by: fvin

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=469432

Details: This stunning minifig-scale recreation of the Grand Palace of Thailand makes fantastic use of color and greebly bits as architectural details. Frequently, the colors don't actually come in the correct shapes to do a straight LEGO rendition of the original building, but here combinations of smaller parts are used perfectly to create a striking resemblance. Quite a few parts are used in surprising ways, but some that stood out to me were the gold flags used as trim on the roof, the use of 1x2 bricks bent into a curve over the main entrance, and the wheels used in the pediments over the first-floor windows. Of course, the gorgeous curves of the building's distinctive domes are the easy show stealer - accurately using lots of small, flouted gold elements to sell the look.

"Calamity Jane" Privateer Gunship

2011-09-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: "Calamity Jane" Privateer Gunship

Created by: yoder42 (Michael Yoder)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yoderism/sets/72157625809993596/with/5349101705/ and http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=430852

Details: There are enormous spaceships, and then there are enormous spaceships that actually fill up all that space with plausible details. This ship is most definitely the latter - complete with an interior, weaponry, detachable pods, a cargo bay, container modules, and an easy-to-open modular design.

Moulding Machines

2011-09-06T21:24:00.001-07:00

Name of Model: 4000001 Moulding Machines

Created by the LEGO company for participants on one LEGO Inside Tour.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/si-mocs/sets/72157626759883253/with/5797067803/

Details: I've previously blogged about the LEGO inside tour and one of the exclusive kits given there, but as additional tours come up, each one gets a new exclusive kit. The most recent inside tour participants received the set I'm featuring today - 4000001 Moulding Machines. The person who took the photos featured here also made a video of the build and wrote a full review for EuroBricks. The set recreates both the current style of moulding machine and the earliest hand-operated moulding machine from 1949. There are even play features - you can press the mould together on the smaller machine, and the larger machine has a slot for a round 1x1 plate to go through as if it were a raw ABS pellet.

You know you want it - and sure enough, someone has loaded it up into LDD and made building instructions.

This is Tuesday and Wednesday's models of the day

A Subtractive 3D Printer

2011-09-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: LEGO 3D Milling Machine - "3D Printer"

Created by: Arthur Sacek for ZOOM Education for Life

Found at: http://www.youtube.com/user/arthursacek

Details:
This "milling machine" is an unusual approach to the 3D Printer concept - instead of using an additive process that slowly stacks up, this machine uses a subtractive process by taking a block of floral foam and trimming it down. That "trimming" is actually even more interesting - a drill (the only non-LEGO component here) digs in over and over again, and the final shape of the printed object is only visible after using a vacuum cleaner to suck away the thick layer of floral foam dust.

Another Blog You Should Read: Mike Doyle's reMOCable

2011-08-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

Name of Blog: reMOCable

Created by: Mike Doyle

Found at: http://remocable.blogspot.com/

Details: You may remember Mike Doyle from some his shockingly detailed creations. More recently, he's also taken to blogging, with an emphasis on the artsier side of the hobby. Models from a variety of builders (all credited) are presented as part of a coherent theme, and each post shows one theme. The result is an interesting balance between the of-the-moment feel of blogs and the more traditional feel of coffee-table art books.

Cowpoke

2011-08-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Cowpoke

Created by: Paganomation

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paganomation/sets/72157627332264629/

Details: This poseable figure, "Cowpoke", was created for LEGO for this music video:

There are also two behind-the-scenes videos:

New Set Announced: 10222 Winter Village Post Office

2011-08-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: 10222 Winter Village Post Office

Created by the LEGO company

Found at: http://www.fbtb.net/2011/08/05/official-announcement-10222-winter-village-post-office/

Details: The new Winter Village Post Office was unveiled at BrickFair:

10222 Winter Village Post Office
Ages 12+. 820 pieces.
US $59.99 CA $79.99 DE 59.99 € UK 49.99 £
Continuing the winter scene series, the Winter Village Post Office is the perfect snow-covered setting. In the cozy post office, the worker is hard at work sorting all the mail into containers and sacks, while upstairs, there’s just time for the postman to take a break before setting off in the traditional post car with all the letters and gifts. From the pavilion outside, musicians fill the air with music, while children take in the wintry atmosphere by the park bench before throwing snowballs at each other – the musicians had better get ready to duck!
• Includes 7 minifigures: female post office worker, male postman, female, 2 kids and 2 musicians and a dog!
• Post office features dark-green split roof with snow, fireplace, light brick, table, coffee mug, and lamppost and mailboxes outside!
• Also features evergreen tree and assorted minifigure accessories
Available for sale directly through LEGO® beginning

October 2011 via shop.LEGO.com, LEGO® Stores or via phone:
US Contact Center 1-800-453-4652

CA (English) Contact Center 1-800-453-4652

CA (French) Contact Center 1-877-518-5346

European Contact Center 00-800-5346-1111

New Set Announced: 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van

2011-08-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van

Created by the LEGO company

Found at: http://www.brothers-brick.com/2011/08/13/10220-volkswagen-t1-camper-van-rolls-out-oct-2011-news/

Details: We've had a few new sets pop up recently - one of them being the 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van:

10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van
Ages 16+. 1,322 pieces.

US $119.99 CA $129.99 DE 99.99 € UK 79.99 £ DK 799 DKK
This authentic camper van is a replica of the classic Volkswagen Camper Van from 1962. Every iconic feature is here! On the outside, the terrific detailing includes ‘V’ shape three-way color split at the front, rounded roof and window frames, opening ‘splittie’ safari windshield, opening doors, iconic pop-up roof with textile curtain surround, roof rack, rear side air intake vents and lots more! The detailing is equally impressive on the inside, from the authentic VW air-cooled flat four cylinder boxer engine, front cabin bench seat, gear stick, angled dashboard and iconic spherical speedometer, to custom LEGO® features like folding rear bench seat, folding dinette table, closet with mirror and even a painting!
Features 11 windows, authentic plaid-print textile curtains and wing mirror!

Rear door opens to reveal detailed engine!

Interior also features rear bench seat that transforms into a bed, ‘Make LEGO Models, Not War’ T-shirt and rear shelf with plant!

Measures 11.8″ (30cm) long and 5.5″ (14cm) high!

Club Tropicana on Golden Island

2011-08-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Club Tropicana

Created by: Frederik Normann

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/60001201@N04/sets/72157626585307326/

Details: This fantastic island resort layout was whipped up for LEGOWORLD 2011. Built in minifig scale with all the expected details - landscaping, docks, boats, interiors, waterfalls - you name it, it's there. You can't help but suspect most people didn't even notice the Jørgen and Kjeld minifigures inside - these rare minifigures are used by some LEGO employees like business cards and are highly collectible. Some of the furniture uses a technique with minifig hands and lever bases to make pieces that ordinarily wouldn't connect (such as coins or window panes) into perfect table tops. The stunning scope of this model distracts from such small details, though, and draws attention to the landscaping and water.

Publisher Needed for Book about LEGOLAND Windsor Miniland

2011-08-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Name of Book: Caught in a Moment

Created by: Craig Williams

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12678461@N08/tags/caughtinamoment/

Details: If you've been following this blog for a while, you know we love Miniland. The LEGOLAND parks feature not just excellent models at miniland scale, but capture scenes, characters, and locations in ways that are often difficult to do at other scales. The faceless figures are very expressive, and all sorts of great techniques and in-jokes become clear with a close inspection of the models. In the photo shown here, for example, you can see partial minifigs used as puppets for a puppet show. There aren't that many photos in the part of this set we can see, but they're all excellent. The photographer has assembled them into a book and is looking for a publisher - anyone know someone that could make this book happen?

CNC Machine Demonstration

2011-08-15T21:21:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 CNC mill

Created by: kabeltomten

Found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re9F6Tp-B_A

Details: Perhaps a demonstration of a concept isn't terribly exciting, but this dry-run of a CNC machine is captivating. The use of a large Power Functions motor to drive the "drill" component is a smart choice, but not as clever as the use of a separate speed computer so that the user can keep close tabs on it. Thanks to that, you can add a manual form of precision to the precision already offered by the NXT motors. The possibilities for combining this with actual power tools (or some capable LEGO equivalent) are endless.

Since I'm sure it'll come up in the comments - yes, we have technically featured a sort of CNC machine before (Pancakes, anyone?), but that one worked by maneuvering the head on multiple axes. This one actually moves the platform for the x and y dimensions.

BrickFair 2011 Wrap-Up

2011-08-13T15:01:00.008-07:00

Name of Event: BrickFair 2011

Found at: http://www.brickfair.com/ (note: link goes to upcoming event, click on "Other Events" on the top right to find information on BrickFair 2011 and other events.

Details: Here we are, nearly a week after surviving our third BrickFair. This was a low-key year, mostly because my own plans were made fairly last-minute. There were no LMOTD tile giveaways this year, and I brought fewer of my own creations that I've blogged - but it was still an intense weekend, thanks to all of the other things that were there to see. I'll be updating this over the next few weeks as I slowly get my feed reader back under control, but here's a partial round up of photos and coverage from the event. You can send your tips and photos in to legomodeloftheday@gmail.com.
my 1,524 flickr photos
ED́WW day_dae (esteemedhelga)™'s flickr photos (set 1)
ED́WW day_dae (esteemedhelga)™'s flickr photos (set 2)
Brickapolis' flickr photos
New Scientist article
unsupervised1's flickr photos
jchanes927's flickr photos
Brian's Bricks's flickr photos
Bosta's flickr photos
Mariann Asanuma pre-event commentary
Mariann Asanuma post-event commentary
Joe Meno's flickr photos (Thursday)
Joe Meno's flickr photos (Friday)
Joe Meno's flickr photos (Saturday)
Joe Meno's flickr photos (Sunday)
taygete05's flickr photos (including the one used above)
AB Quest's flickr photos
BrickFair group pool on flickr
rhombitruncated's flickr photos
pianoforte's flickr photos
tehLEGOman's flickr photos
pjmoyer's Brickshelf Gallery
The Brothers Brick's Wrap Up
-R8-'s flickr photos
Shuppiluliumas' flickr photos
CP5670's Brickshelf gallery
scrope's Brickshelf gallery
Classicsmiley's flickr photos
Rob Bender's flickr photos
idea.org article: NASA partners with community LEGO event for community outreach

Nxt2saurus Can Avoid Obstacles, Rotate in Place, Balance Self - With Only Two Motors

2011-07-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Nxt2saurus

Created by: Menno Gorter

Found at: http://technicbricks.blogspot.com/2011/01/week-techvideo-2011-01-biped-saurus.html

Details: Try wrapping your head around the mechanism behind this model. Using only two motors and a simple program, this robot can turn in place, avoid obstacles, and balance itself by shifting its center of gravity. The builder is intentionally not making it too obvious how it works, but I think it's possible to reverse engineer some of it. The "feet" actually spin, so the axles going down to them must be geared to power that feature. The shifting of the center of gravity could be worked in by providing extra friction somewhere in the gear train - conveniently, this design combines that with the task of lifting each foot to take steps.

Some of the clever parts of this design don't actually involve gearing at all. Putting the weight of the motors low in the legs makes the walking motion much easier on the gear train. The combination of a touch sensor and an ultrasonic sensor handles obstacle avoidance in a way that should be easy to program - and since the ultrasonic sensor is mounted loosely, it sways from side to side to allow for more thorough detection of obstacles. This is a masterpiece of showing how to get a variety of features out of very few sensors and motors.

A brief note about this "of the day" blog: It just hasn't been possible to post daily lately. Among other things, last minute plans to be at all four days of BrickFair have eaten up time that would normally be spent posting. We'll get back on schedule after we come back with a full report from the event.

HAK Utrine

2011-07-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: HAK Utrine

Created by: gordangrguric

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/49091484@N07/sets/72157624197803980/

Details: We first had a look at this model back at BrickMagic 2011 - where it easily won Best-in-Show. The unusual technique used makes the building mostly hollow. The walls are built with substantial sideways sections, allowing the model to more accurately reflect the look of the original. No detail was spared - door pulls and light fixtures are carefully recreated. Every 1x1 round plate in the roof garden is carefully arranged and attached in just the right place, and the inner atrium appears in perfect detail. Some careful BrickLink purchases got just the right colors and pieces to make every detail exact. Look closely at those doors on the top floor - fairly rare medium stone 6 x 6 tiles were used to ensure a clean, accurate, consistent look, unmarred by the more distinctive textures that 1 x 6 tiles or some combination of tiles would leave. Photos really don't capture all of the details of this model, but it's a masterpiece of architectural reproduction.

Life-Size LEGO Technic Control Center Made Out of LEGO

2011-07-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Control Center

Created by: Brixe63

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35385165@N05/tags/controlcenterii/

Details: Back in 1995, LEGO released the (then-groundbreaking) Control Center II. As a "programmable" (through routines on a specialized console) tool for motorized Technic creations, it was a precursor to the more recent Mindstorms kits. One of the models you could build with the kit (the dinosaur) has been used as a flagship for the LEGO company long past when you could actually buy the Control Center II - giant sculptures of it can be found at LEGOLAND attractions. Here, we have life-size reproductions of some elements from the kit - the Control Center itself, and the European version of the power cable - alongside a 9V motor (a newer version than the one that came with the Control Center kits) and the end of a European extension cord.

Luxo Jr

2011-07-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Going to the movies?

Created by: The Slushey One (kyle slushey)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyle_slushey_is_awesome/5911253068/

Details: This version of Luxo Jr (we swear, this is really a much-beloved Pixar character) may be one of the most complex "simple" objects we've ever seen. The high amount of detail shown here was made possible by using various parts with clips the size of minifig hands and bars that fit inside of those clips. They're not as well-known as the standard LEGO bricks, but they've been becoming increasingly common over the past several decades. By the 80's, we were seeing those sorts of parts used not just for minifig accessories, but in Space robots and in various lamp models. LEGO didn't really make this into much of a standard "system" until the past 10 years or so - the unexpected popularity of the lightsaber element made it practical to think of these as elements you can build with and not just decorative accessories. Suddenly, what started as a coincidence of common measurements has become a real system you can build realistic models out of.

Angry Bird

2011-07-14T17:54:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Angry Bird

Created by: Sam Knavel

Found at: http://mocpages.com/moc.php/276140

Details: The birds are angry. The pigs don't stand a chance. Particularly if the other birds are also built out with studs facing every direction. The eyebrows are actually adjustable (the joys of mounting a 1x2 tile on top of small plate), but the really angry look captured here seems to capture the feel of the popular game surprisingly well.

A "War Machine"

2011-07-06T01:00:00.014-07:00

Name of Model: War machine

Created by: Pjurkovi

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/47343879@N08/5880270395/in/set-72157626941434660/

Details: This "war machine" is something of a giant crossbow on wheels. Somehow, though, it feels almost too realistic. Even though it comes in near miniland scale and features immediately recognizable LEGO elements, it feels more like a die-cast replica used in tabletop gaming. Maybe that was the point. In a way, I actually don't want to know how this was constructed - tying the difficult to work with LEGO string around the very sloped dinosaur tails could not have been easy. Getting either side's string-tied-to-a-tail to stay put instead of sliding off must have been a difficult feat, and getting the string to appear taut as well is enough to make this seemingly simple model suddenly become an impossibly difficult "don't try this at home" model.

A "Starfighter" in Atlantis colors

2011-07-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Eridan starfighter

Created by: thire5

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=476699

Details: This beautiful spaceship accomplishes something many people think is impossible: it uses a bunch of very specialized elements to create a seamless and original look. Many of the pieces - not to mention the red and trans-bright-green color scheme - come from the 2010 Atlantis kits (speaking of which, the 8075 Neptune Carrier, which is where that cockpit piece comes from, is currently 30% off at Amazon). The way the slopes for the nose are combined is already surprisingly sleek, but then you notice that Technic/Bioncle element hiding under the tip. There are quite a few great details and uses of parts here, but don't miss the landing gear and greebled underside - which makes great use of a Bionicle Krana Holder, chairs, and a cargo train windscreen.

NXT-Based Pancake CNC

2011-07-04T20:16:00.001-07:00

Name of Model: Pancake Bot

Created by: Miguel Valenzuela

Found at: http://makermig.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-pancake-bot-works.html

Details: This 3-axis (well, two axes plus a batter squirter) CNC prints pancake batter. The batter lands directly onto a griddle. Full details are on the website linked to above. I'll let you watch instead of spoiling the video for you.

Part and Set Patents

2011-07-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: various

Created by: Erling T. Dideriksen

Found at: http://www.google.com/search?q=Erling+T.+Dideriksen&hl=en&tbo=1&tbm=pts&ei=_dLvTcK8HNT3gAfkx-iUDw&start=0&sa=N&biw=1440&bih=785

Details: Here's an interesting inside-look at the design process for new LEGO sets and pieces. Over the years, Erling T. Dideriksen designed many classic elements for the LEGO company. There are many parts, kits, and portions of kits that have been patented over the years for LEGO, but not all of them came to fruition, and of those not all have lasted for years. The patent for the 2x2 turntable was filed in 1977 (the same year that two-part element was released) and remains with us to this day (although LEGO started packaging it as two separate elements instead of one pre-assembled part years ago), but the motorcycle (filed for in 1982, released in a different form in 1983) hasn't been seen in a kit since the early 1990's.

BrickWorld 2011 Round-Up

2011-06-27T19:27:00.002-07:00

Name of Model: BrickWorld

Found at: http://www.brickworld.us/

Details: BrickWorld 2011 has come and gone. Here's a round-up of some photos:

Bill Ward's recap part 1
Bill Ward's recap part 2
Bill Ward's flickr photo roundup
When lost in.....'s flickr photos
marc_buehler's flickr photos
martiger's flickr photos
Joe Meno's flickr photos
the rest of Joe Meno's flickr photos
sidersdd's
flickr photos
Bisonfuehrer's flickr photos
Alex Eylar's photos on MOCpages
BrickWorld pool on flickr

LEGO Sets Designed by Mark Stafford for the 2010 line

2011-06-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: 2010

Created by: Mark Stafford

Found at: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/245506

Details: LEGO set designer Mark Stafford was kind enough to create a public portfolio of some of his work. The links above are for his contributions to the 2010 line, although he's also created similar pages for his contributions to the 2009 and 2008 lines. Although LEGO occasionally selects new designers from the LEGO fan community, they generally focus primarily on people with professional design or engineering backgrounds. Mark Stafford is one set designer who did come from the community. He has helped push LEGO towards ideas that are more attractive to adult fans as well as the kids who end up with most of the new sets. Many of his designs feature unusual parts and techniques that can expand the possibilities of what we can build. In a few cases, you can actually see trends from the fan community sneak into some of the kits he has designed.

Alternate Models for Set 5867

2011-06-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: (various, but they are all alternate models for set 5867)

Created by: NK DeSign-er

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/32900512@N02/tags/5867/

Details: Remember the alternate models for set 4100? How about the 4939 Cool Cars alternate Oldsmobile? That same builder (and former LEGO kit designer) has struck again lately, creating alternate models for set 5867 Super Speedster - 11 of them by my count. One thing I particularly like is that there is a variety of sizes here - 8-wide and 10-wide are well represented, and each race car chassis comes in around 6-wide, and the truck comes in at 14-wide counting the side-view mirrors. Even though these are all cars, they show a good deal of variety.

A brief note about the current state of LMOTD: posts will be intermittent for the rest of the month, and we'll be getting back up-to-speed come July

A Bionicle Vic Viper

2011-06-09T21:06:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Ormurvík Space Superiority Racer

Created by: Patuara

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=474910

Details: This beautiful mix of Technic, Bionicle, and "System" elements makes a startlingly convincing vic viper. You can sort of tell where parts begin and end (with how much you can spot likely being a direct function of your level of Bionicle knowledge), but the parts gel together in a way we rarely see with elements that don't usually connect seamlessly. In those few places where a piece would normally create it's own gap, smaller pieces are used to fill those gaps. Don't miss the underside, which shows more traditional elements holding the craft together, providing greebling, and giving us sturdy landing gear.

8-wide Maersk Locomotive

2011-06-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Maersk locomotive

Created by: Mad physicist

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/madphysicist/tags/sd402/

Details: Here's a new take on the Maersk set released recently - a wider version in a different color. Unless you see them side-by-side, it can often be difficult to tell the difference between Maersk blue and medium blue - which can be used to your advantage if you want to use a wider variety of parts to get the exact look you want. In this case, the issue was size. The builder is very passionate about scale. "Minifig scale" is an inherently nebulous concept, and LEGO's habit of throwing minifigs into things at wildly different sizes makes it even murkier. Having decided that 8 studs wide is appropriate for a train, the next challenge was to work out the details (such as the brick-built lettering on the sides). Many of them are essentially unchanged from the design in the set, but elsewhere - such as on the windows - things look much better.

My apologies about the gap in lately - it's been a rough few weeks for me personally (a death in the family) and I haven't been able to make blogging a priority. We're trying to get back up to speed now. I won't be making up the missing posts.

NXT-Based Globe Plotter

2011-05-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: The Globe Plotter

Created by: Mike Brandl

Found at: http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/News/ReadMore/Default.aspx?id=312580

Details: I've previously mentioned this builder's Egg Printer, but he's since made many more variations on the concept. This particular one prints a map of the world onto a round ball using three felt-tip pens.

Marriott hotels

2011-05-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

Name of Series: Marriott hotels

Created by: Sean Kenney

Found at: http://www.mocpages.com/folder.php/28543

Details: LEGO Certified Professional Sean Kenney was recently commissioned to create replicas of eight different Marriott hotels. As you would expect from Sean's reputation, all of them are fantastic models. Built in microscale, they show off the architecture of the buildings nicely. Each model was presented to the matching hotel as an award for design, construction, collaboration, and and participation.

A Car for Micro-Figs

2011-05-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: The Family Tourer

Created by: Karf Oohlu

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dragon55/5717797659/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/dragon55/5718360288/in/photostream/

Details: If you've picked up any of the LEGO Games, you may have noticed that many of them come with small characters that look only vaguely like minifigures - they're about half as wide. I'm sure that these little guys will only get more popular with time, and that we'll soon see tons of models based on them. Here, we see a small car - featuring a pair of horse saddles to make the seats. The doors attach directly to the saddles. Suddenly, four-wide seems like plenty to make a decent-looking, 'fig-ready classic automobile.

For bonus points, see if you can figure out how the headlights and spare tire were attached.

Great War Tortoise

2011-05-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Great War Tortoise

Created by: Siercon and Coral

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/legocy/5712470390/

Details: The concept of this model is fairly entertaining, but easily overshadowed by the clever uses of pieces and techniques. The shell is made with the Rock Raiders roll cage element, which has been filled in with a variety of small slopes and brown triangular clip-on signs. The beak connects a Bionicle joint to a Knight's Kingdom visor and a Knight's Kingdom foot. The feet here are jointed (the joints make for a nice way to connect to the Bionicle shoulder armor) and make great use of sloped octagonal bricks and dinosaur feet.

A Clever Hardsuit

2011-05-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Clank, Clank, Clank, Clank, Clank, RATATATATATATATATAT!

Created by: Carpet Lego

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carpet_legos/5680877076/in/photostream/

Details: While hardsuits (and mecha in general) are seemingly a dime-a-dozen on flickr, few of them seem to push the envelope on techniques. After all, once you've figured out how to build a compelling frame, it's tempting to create variations on it in every color. Here, though, we see a few unusual ideas. Plates with clips connect to radar dishes to make the feet. Flick-fire missiles on the arms connect to half-width Technic beams, which are then held on with half pins. The balance of greebling to smooth surfaces seems more like what we'd see on an actual robot. The hints of a roll cage near the minifig's head are another unusually realistic touch.

Dinner and A Movie

2011-05-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Galaxy Diner and Empire Theater

Created by: sonicstarlight

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26864031@N00/sets/72157626344290071/

Details: In a bit of a retro/deco-ish feel, this pair of Cafe Corner-standard buildings gives us something we don't see enough in this modular style. It's easy to get wrapped up in the time period that we see in the official sets, but these feel a bit more 1950's or 1960's. Many of the techniques used are what you'd expect (the cinema in particular seems to borrow a bit from set 10184 Town Plan), but there are some great surprises. Plates with rails give the diner a surprisingly convincing impression of texture. The mix of three different styles of mosaic-based lettering gives a realistic feel, breaking up the impression that you're looking at something whipped up based on one person's preferences - the combination of blocky letters for the "Galaxy" sign and curvy letters on the "Empire" sign is a brilliant touch.

Super-8 Movie Projector

2011-05-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Lego Technic Super-8 Movie Projector

Created by: Friedemann Wachsmuth

Found at: http://www.peaceman.de/blog/index.php/lego-technic-super-8-movie-projector

Details: Using Technic and Power Functions parts (plus non-LEGO lens, lamp, and reels), this projector can display movies as seen in the clip here. Sadly, this clip seems to be it for first-hand documentation of this model. The rewind transmission feature shown is pretty nifty, but I think I speak for all Technic nerds when I say I want to know how the geneva mechanism was implemented here.

A brief note about this past week: between recovering from BrickMagic and the Blogger outage, we didn't stand a chance at actually getting posts up in time. In the interest of not staying behind, we'll be skipping that week and picking up again with today.

BrickMagic 2011 Round Up

2011-05-10T07:52:00.002-07:00

Name of Event: BrickMagic 2011

Found at: http://www.brickmagic.org/

Details: Now that we're beginning to recover from this weekend's festivities at BrickMagic, it's time to start rounding up coverage of the event. As previously noted, the new Pet Shop set was unveiled on Friday. I'll be updating this page as I come across more photos and other coverage - as always, you can send your tips in to legomodeloftheday@gmail.com

my flickr photos
Official group flickr pool
Joe Architect's flickr photos
Brickapolis' flickr photos
tehLEGOman's flickr photos

Photo above by Brickapolis, showing the speed build team next to their completed Tower Bridge set.

New Set Announced: 10218 Pet Shop

2011-05-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: 10218 Pet Shop

Created by the LEGO company

Found at: http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=10218&cn=245

Details: You may have noticed the odd pacing of posts these past few days. We are at BrickMagic, and earlier today (erm, yesterday now) were present during the official unveiling of 10218 Pet Shop. I've been slowly uploading my photos of the event (including 10218 and a few great town and train layouts) to BrickMagic 2011 flickr set, and we'll probably put more of a round-up together sometime in the next few days. The high-res press photo pack has also been put on flickr. Here's the official info from LEGO:

10218 Pet Shop
Ages 16+. 2,032 pieces.
US $149.99 CA $199.99 DE 149.99 € UK 119.99 £
Available: Beginning of May

Continuing the LEGO® Modular Buildings series, this highly detailed, 3-story Pet Shop building and townhouse with full internal and external detailing is the perfect addition to your LEGO town. Greet customers with a menagerie of pets and let them treat them with a selection of toys and supplies. The pet shop building features a hinged staircase for easy access, upper apartment with kitchenette and upper loft overlooking the open plan interior below. To the side, the tastefully appointed townhouse features a detailed ground floor with accessories and spiral staircase leading to the upper floor. The attic space features storage boxes and French doors leading out to an elegant front balcony, while the rooftop garden, complete with fresh vegetables, brightens up the rear of the building.

• Includes 4 minifigures with accessories: pet shop owner, girl on bicycle, painter with paint roller and woman!
• Pet shop includes dog, cat, 2 parrots and fish tank with goldfish!
• Also includes 3 dog bones, ball, frog toy, birdhouse, bucket and brush!
• Kitchenette features stone fireplace, stove, sink, coffee maker and small table and chair!
• Upper loft features skylight, bed and lamp!
• Townhouse features ground floor with mailbox and mail, hat rack, couch, telephone, toilet and access to basement crawl space!
• Measures 11″ (25.5cm) wide and 10.5″ (26.5cm) high!
• Combine with other modular buildings, like 10197 Fire Brigade and 10211 Grand Emporium!

Enhanced Spinjitzu Techniques

2011-05-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: The Ninjago Turbo Spin

Created by: Family Vuurzoon

Found at: http://mocpages.com/moc.php/256447

Details: If you've tried to play the Ninjago game and had trouble getting the "spinners" to spin (it's OK, I can't do it either), you probably need one of these. This simple Technic device works like the top launchers we've seen before (with a rip cord) but can also be ran by a motor. The result is fast, reliable spinning. No word yet on whether or not this is considered cheating within the scope of the game, but it sure looks like a fun "spin" on the concept.

R2-D2 Sculpture

2011-05-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Star Wars Lego Artoo-Detoo R2-D2

Created by: SPARKART!

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/36161867@N08/sets/72157626425806979/

Details: It's Star Wars day again (May the Fourth be with you! Yadda yadda yadda...), so here is a sculpture of R2-D2 on a classy black stand. I'm not really sure what the scale is on this sculpture (it's a bit large for most of the popular ones), but the details come across very well. Perhaps the scale was chosen so that the markings on R2-D2 would be close to full stud widths. The signature angled posture is captured here beautifully, but he can be stood up as well. It's not easy to use this many small slopes to make something appear this round - although steam engine builders have mastered the technique at a smaller scale, the effect doesn't tend to come out as smoothly there.

Giganthor the Dragon

2011-05-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

Name of Model:
An extremely dangerous creature known as the Giganthor has escaped from the forbidden dungeons. It slaughtered civilians and soldiers alike but only one man stood his ground. If he is not careful enough he too might perish under the dragons wrath.

Created by: Unitronus

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=470544

Details: Although the tricky use of color, solid landscaping, and clever minifig placement could steal the show here, the focus is clearly on the monstrous dragon. A frightening sight with an even more frightening number of points of articulation, the dragon is shown here mid-battle, just after fatally maiming a minifigure. The combination of slopes and spikey bits is very evocative of a scaly skin texture. Don't miss the bits of Bionicle chain hanging down, making it instantly clear that the dragon has escaped.

Using the NXT and Kinect Together

2011-05-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: A hands-free controlled robot

Created by: Mauro Brunato

Found at: http://rasomuro.org/20110326.html

Details: You may have heard that the Microsoft Kinect is ripe for hackers to use as input device for various robotics projects. Here, we see it used to create a gestural interface for steering a tribot. The Kinect is connected to a computer over USB, and the computer in turn uses bluetooth to communicate with the NXT. From there, it's apparently rather straightforward to hook up any NXT-based feature you want.

The Obligatory Royal Wedding Post

2011-05-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: LEGO Wills & Kate

Created by: Justin Ramsden

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinramsdenphotography/sets/72157626594492540/

Details: We don't like writing this anymore than you like reading it, but it's time for the obligatory royal wedding post. I'm pretty sure we're legally required to have one. First up, we have a life-size sculpture of the happy couple. Built by LEGOLAND Windsor's youngest model maker for a TV spot, this pair of busts and classy stand shows the royal couple as well as any official LEGOLAND model - and oh yes, that tie is purple. Don't miss the technique used on the prince's hair.

Name of Model: (unnamed - it appears that they're passing on officially making a big deal of this)

Created by LEGOLAND Master Builders

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thorskegga/sets/72157626609839938/

Details: Speaking of LEGOLAND Windsor, they've also added a dash of the royal wedding into miniland. To round out the weekend, here's our attempt at rounding up coverage of that event (as always, we'll update this post instead of adding more posts as more links of note come to my attention - you can e-mail us at legomodeloftheday@gmail.com with your tips):

BBC News article
Mariann Asanuma's blog post
Thorskegga Thorn's flickr photos

Mostly Bricks also has a bit of a round-up, which also features the minifig-scale rendition of the wedding by the Brickish Association.

Pod Racing Goes Better With Coca-Cola

2011-04-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Coke Racer

Created by: Pepa Quin

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pepa_quin/sets/72157626279189491/

Details: No, we would never succumb to product placement. Never! We're like a popular 60's pop group, and just naturally suggest that Things Go Better With Coca-Cola occasionally without skipping a beat. In this case, we see Coke logos and iconography brilliantly added to a Star Wars-style pod racer. The technique for the roughly life-size cans is particularly clever - and fortunately for coke fiends like myself, well detailed in the work-in-progress photos of this model. Building a round mosaic with a size requirement is an impressive feat, even without working it into a complete model concept.

Although this wasn't entered into the contest that inspired it, the challenge was to build a pod racer in a non-Star Wars theme that LEGO has licensed. Not only was this clear winner not allowed in the end, but the LEGO Star Wars fan community has proven itself unable to create even one pod racer based on Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer, or Winnie the Pooh.

8 Original Models from the Parts in Set 8048

2011-04-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: My own creations from set 8048

Created by: Tomik

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=470006

Details: Here's another set of winners for our alternate models category - which recognizes great original creations based on parts from only one kit. In this case, there are actually 8 new models shown (all of which can be built with the 314 parts in set 8048 Buggy)- a motorbike, a plane, two trike designs, a helicopter, a wasp, a rabbit, and a dinosaur. As you would expect with alternate models from a Technic kit, some of these have working features - a knob in the back make the rabbit's arms move, for example, and the motorbike features working suspension and an engine with pistons that pump as you roll it along.

A Baby Chick and Easter Eggs

2011-04-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Happy Easter 2011

Created by: schfio

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/schfio/sets/72157626422017053/

Details: You may have heard that it was Easter this past weekend. For the occasion, this builder created this spectacular sculpture of a baby chick with easter eggs. Although the building-in-all-directions technique is still fairly novel (and frequently done with the aid of a computer), this builder has started making it a main part of his style and incorporated elements that can't easily be specified in a computer-generated design. Note how the little wings are attached by a clip instead of being sculpted on. The use of round eyes and a nose pushed between studs perpendicular to it are also great touches (which also serve to emphasize that this design is more than just a computer-generated pattern).

Four LEGO Delta Robots

2011-04-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Four Lego Delta Robots

Created by: Shep (Tinkernology)

Found at: http://tinkernology.blogspot.com/2011/04/four-lego-delta-robots.html

Details: You may remember the first LEGO flexpicker robot built by today's builder a little over two years ago. While an excellent project, it wasn't the most realistic use of the technology - generally speaking, multiple delta robots are used together as part of an assembly line. Although that would be a mere quibble for most of us, it was reason enough for the builder to give it another go, applying various new techniques and algorithms to improve performance and reduce size compared to the original. A full description is at the site listed above.

Hong Kong's LEGO Exhibition 2011 at Cityplaza

2011-04-25T21:03:00.003-07:00

Name of Model: LEGO Exhibition 2011

Created by various builders

Found at: ? (if you know of an official website or flyer for this event, please let us know)

Details: Here we have one of the most difficult things to round up photos of - a large, apparently nameless (if it has a website or flyer, I haven't been able to find it) display built by many builders that will be on display for a fairly long period of time. You can visit this display from April 15th through May 2nd at Hong Kong's Cityplaza. We'll be trying to round up as much meaningful coverage of the event as possible.

Brothers Brick summary (includes some information about the displays and builders)
(blxbrx) blog post
Bo-Chi Workshop's flickr photos
Kwok-wai YUEN's flickr photos
ArzLan's Brickshelf gallery
hermanwest's flickr photos
WilliamCK Lee's flickr photos
*Fung*'s flickr photos
Ngok's flickr photos
gillianRice's flickr photos
totoro n_n's flickr photos
Nicolas Guyon (guyonicolas)'s flickr photos
charlingling's flickr photos
algabbe's flickr photos

4/29: We've found a flyer.

Rolling Ball Clock

2011-04-23T09:36:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: This clock is based on the Arrow Handicraft Deluxe Rolling Ball Clock

Created by: bobko

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=73767

Details: You can use this ball clock to tell time. The third row tells the hours, the second row gives 5 minutes increments and the remainder is shown by the first row of balls. Mechanical logic keeps the balls flowing into the right places. In a technique I'm surprised I haven't seen in a Great Ball Contraption module yet, a ball lift is made out of chain with a few pieces of tread in the middle. Half-width beams are then able to attach to the treads.
Building instructions for this model are also included in the Brickshelf gallery.

Villa Maison - Revisited

2011-04-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Villa Maison Revisited

Created by: Marcos Bessa

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcosbessa/sets/72157626377661781/

Details: We've touched on this design before, back when instructions were made available for it. Originally, it only existed in that digital form, but now one has been made of real bricks. A few minor modifications had been made (forcing a few parts into a dark green color, making some structural improvements), but otherwise the design is still the same. What makes it so special is that this model is being auctioned off on eBay as part of Creations for Charity, which is currently raising money for relief efforts in Japan.

A Modernized Microscale Soviet Cruiser

2011-04-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: A modernized version of the Sverdlov class cruiser. Includes a fixed triple launcher for SS-N-3B anti-ship missiles and a SAM launcher for the SA-2 missile.

Created by: Einon

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=441777

Details: I was having trouble determining the exact ship that the builder referenced in the title of this model, but this ship is based on a large soviet battlecruiser. The bold color scheme and microscale detailing help to make it stand out.

Garrison of Moriah

2011-04-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Garrison of Moriah

Created by: gerburrows (Gerry Burrows)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gerburrows/sets/72157626512173154/

Details: We've seen other epic models before - but never anything quite this ambitious. This room-eating display was built in about 9 months by one person. In some of the photos, you can see a bit of a bridge and a couch. The LEGO bridge actually goes completely to the other end of the couch, where more is being added to this colossal model. One interesting technique used to quickly reach some of the heights seen here is using baseplates at various angles - in the image shown here, the large grey expanses are all 48x48 (15 inches square) baseplates. Don't miss the second centerpiece, which is a bit more Castle-y and features some great landscaping. The inside of the arena (behind the large statue) is surprisingly detailed considering how hard it must be to get in there and move the minifigs around.

I, for one, can't wait to see what's on the other side of that bridge.

A Piece of Cake

2011-04-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: It's My Birthday

Created by: powerpig (Chris McVeigh)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/powerpig/5610707006/

Details: I've seen plenty of cakes over the years, but this one, erm, "takes the cake". The upside-down plates used in the middle make for a surprisingly believable cake-y texture. The frosting on the outside is similarly good use of texture - having studs face out in every direction captures the look better than tiles or the sides of bricks could. The 1x1 round plates (and the similar flowery element) make great sprinkles.

NXT-Controlled Pinhole Camera

2011-04-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: legocamera

Created by: bshikin

Found at: http://code.google.com/p/legocamera/

Details: People have been using analog film with LEGO pieces to make pinhole cameras for years, but this is the first one I've seen that is controlled by a microprocessor. The description offered falls just short of full instructions - the complete source code (which includes such features as a film winding angle calculator and shutter speed calculator) is available to view or download. Since it tracks how much film is left, you never have to worry about exposing the rest of the film before you want to.

Housekeeping Note

2011-04-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's come to my attention that some recent posts have been showing up out of order. Since I've been less active here lately (I'd rather be building than writing, and we do have BrickMagic right around the corner), I've been relying on posts I've written earlier. The dates seem to have slipped by, but I do believe they're back in the correct order now. There still aren't enough of them to make up for lost time, so we're going to skip a week and get back to today's model of the day. Sorry for the inconvenience - now let's try this again.

Star Wars Miniland is Now Open at LEGOLAND California

2011-04-18T20:53:00.001-07:00

Name of Model: Star Wars Miniland

Created by: LEGOLAND California Master Builders

Found at: http://california.legoland.com/plan/shows_and_events/STAR-WARS-Miniland/

Details: You may remember that Star Wars Miniland opened recently. It's gotten a considerable amount of attention. You know what that means - it's coverage round up time.

Official coverage:
LEGO® STAR WARS™ Miniland Webcam
Press release: Carrie Fisher Returns to “A Galaxy Far, Far Away” for the Grand Opening of STAR WARS™™ Miniland at LEGOLAND® California
There's an official LEGOLAND California YouTube channel with several videos related to the opening event and the new display.

Highlights of the unofficial coverage we've seen:
Mariann Asanuma's report (includes photos and a video)
Mariann Asanuma's advance preview (from March 5th - she also has some Star Wars flickr photos spanning a longer period that covers some of the construction and the final display)
Paul D Hayes's flickr photos
BestOfTodd's flickr photos
Pixelated Geek has a gallery of photos from the opening cermony
amyr_81's flickr photos
Tommy Poulsen's flickr photos (this set is where the photo above is from)
San Diego News report
fbtb's flickr photos
bradthegso's flickr photos

Previously:
Bonus: A Sneak Peek At Star Wars Miniland's Progress
Star Wars Miniland Coming to LEGOLAND California

Have a great link on the LEGOLAND California Star Wars Miniland that we missed? Send it in to legomodeloftheday@gmail.com

HispaBrick 10

2011-04-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

Found at: http://www.hispabrickmagazine.com/

Details: It's time to check in again on HispaBrick magazine. Last time we featured HispaBrick magazine, they had just released their 8th issue. They've since released their ninth and tenth issues. As usual, they're keeping up the great work and publishing in both English and Spanish.

Hover Car

2011-04-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Hover Car

Created by: polywen

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/artpoly/5468737675/in/photostream/

Details: This sleek spaceship captures the car-of-the-future look perfectly while putting some rather obnoxious LEGO elements (specifically, those clunky windscreens with a front edge) to fantastic use.

Minifig-Scale Rodanthe Inn

2011-04-13T18:35:00.001-07:00

Name of Model: Rodanthe Inn

Created by: Kopaka-1 (Sune Høyer Sørensen)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kopaka/sets/72157626443898182/with/5596281044/

Details: At Klodsfest 2010, this minifig-scale recreation of the inn from the movie Nights in Rodanthe won fourth place in the "building" category. It's not hard to see why, with the amount of detail packed into it. The building itself has a surprising amount of texture (particularly for such a monochromatic structure), and the subtle landscaping is also top-notch.

An Ornate Box

2011-04-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: custom box

Created by: 123laulau

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=467918

Details: Here's a charming experiment in color and texture - a 6x16 box in yellow and dark red. IThe top makes great use of one of the curved slope elements in quantity to create a more interesting texture. In the front, we see the common jumper-plate-sideways-looks-like-a-drawer-pull technique flanked by a pair of 1x1 plates stuck into 1x2 Technic bricks. The design is somewhat simple but very visually appealing.

This is Tuesday's model of the day

Vision Guided NXT LEGO Sorter

2011-04-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: LEGO Mindstorms NXT Vision Guided Brick Sorter ver1

Created by: akiyuky (who is also on YouTube)

Found at: http://legokarakuri.blog91.fc2.com/blog-category-3.html

Details: This may be the most useful LEGO robot we've seen yet. This machine can sort LEGO pieces by shape and weight. As you can see in the video, a handful of pieces are pushed out of a reservoir of LEGO elements, and a pair of conveyor belts move the parts from there to a digital scale. The digital scale is in view of a webcam, along with the piece on it. OpenCV is used along with some custom software and a custom database of parts to identify the pieces. From there, another mechanism puts it into one of eight cups based on what type of piece it is.

According to the blog posts describing this, this is just the first iteration. I can't wait to see where this project ends up.

Housekeeping note: in the interest of not letting things get out of hand, we will not be taking the time to make up the week we just accidentally skipped. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Photos and Videos from LEGOLAND Billund

2011-03-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

Name of Photoset: Legoland

Photos by: Loozrboy

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/loozrboy/sets/72157625268155694/

Details: It's time for another look at what's up at LEGOLAND. This time the photos are from LEGOLAND Billund in Denmark, which was looking pretty great in October of 2010. You'll want to make sure to look at some of the videos included here. Although the parks actually use non-LEGO hardware to make moving items happen (it'd be more exciting if they used Mindstorms components, but I guess that'd be harder to maintain outdoors), it's still thrilling to see things like the boat navigating working canal locks and the ferry transporting moving cars.

Mining Ship Class A

2011-03-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Mining Ship Class A

Created by: LUKY'S 1987 LEGO CREATIONS (Lukáš Šógor)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/57490753@N05/sets/72157625992002739/with/5470769844/

Details: Another example of the mega-microscale genre, this spaceship would have been considered large even if it were at minifig scale. The color scheme is very well chosen. While many people have complained about the merits of the newer shade of grey versus the old one, surprisingly few have embraced the fact that the bluish grey colors actually look great next to blue and dark blue. Throw in a realistic amount of greebling and texture, and it's a plausible design for a real spaceship.

This is Saturday's model of the day

Life-Size Lantern

2011-03-25T01:00:00.017-07:00

Name of Model: Lantern build by Lasse and Anne Mette Vestergard from Denmark.

Created by: Lasse

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=467343

Details: This lantern has quite a few clever parts uses. The outer "glass" is made from 24 1x4x6 3-pane windows. The loop at the top is actually a tire that fits a 3-wide Technic pulley wheel. The candle in the center is actually a stack of large white radar dishes. Even the flame is out of the ordinary - it's made out of several small trans-orange pieces instead of the usual flame element LEGO makes. The whole thing looks so sleek that you could be forgiven for not recognizing it as being made out of LEGO elements at all.

Miniature Replica of Connect Four Game

2011-03-24T01:00:00.035-07:00

Name of Model: Connect Four

Created by: Stacy Sterling

Found at: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/254129

Details: Have you ever played the game Connect Four? You can't really play this one, but it definitely has the look of the classic game down. The technique here is very simple but tends to be overlooked frequently: you can connect the studs on top of other LEGO pieces to the holes in the sides of Technic bricks and beams. Here, we see that done with round 1x1 plates. The big feat is balancing a round plate just so, like was done for the piece on the top that looks like it's about to go in to the game board.

One of the frustrating things about this hobby is that no matter how many great uses of simple techniques like this we see, we always hear from loud, obnoxious people who don't know what they're talking about that these things aren't possible. You know the sort - the ignorant parents in the toy store who can stare right at the LEGO logo on a box and still insist that Technic elements aren't "real LEGO". They're usually the same people who try to refer to bricks as "legos" and insist that kids can't ever come up with original ideas if they start with kits. If only we could show those people more models like this - simple enough to be easy to build, but still able to show off a great technique in an interesting way - we might be able to get the idea out there that you really can build clever things using the parts that can be found in stores.

Bonus: A Sneak Peek At Star Wars Miniland's Progress

2011-03-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

Name of Photo set: LEGOLAND Star Wars

Photos by by: dave_banks_geekdad

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8339576@N04/sets/72157626196276819/

Details: Are you excited about the new Star Wars miniland? Here's a peek at how assembly of that display is going - 37 photos courtesy of dave_banks_geekdad. You can see some of the backdrops, buildings, vehicles, and figures already coming into place.

Half-Size Grand Emporium and Green Grocer

2011-03-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Little Grand Emporium

Created by: Puddleglum

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthew_raehl/sets/72157626302398766/

Details: I've previously covered half-size versions of the Fire Brigade and Cafe Corner, but now two new installments have been added to the series: the Green Grocer and the Grand Emporium. Both do a stunning job of capturing the look and feel of the original.

The interesting thing about going for half-size instead of just a generic "microscale", is that there's actually a scale factor involved to dictate what some parts should be. In both of these, you can see how 2x2 tiles on the sidewalk become 1x1 tiles to create the same mosaic-style patterns. A pair of skeleton legs on the grocer becomes one 1x1 tile with a clip on top. Doors and windows can be tricky, since LEGO hasn't made windows in some of these sizes. You're still required to fill some details in in an impressionistic manner, but not everyone can pull that off and still have things end up looking fairly accurate.

Yes, we're sneaking in a double-header again - these are Tuesday and Wednesday's models of the day.

National Building Museum Discount

2011-03-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

Just a head's up: there's currently a week-long livingsocial deal for the National Building Museum that includes a discount for admission to the LEGO display (which we reviewed last year). It's something worth keeping in mind if you're in DC or planning a trip there soon (perhaps for BrickFair 2011).

NXT-Based Battle Tank

2011-03-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: MINDSTORMS NXT battle tank (fully-functional)

Created by: Drummerke1995 (Martijn Hellemans "Dino_Martino")

Found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eDzabK6XOI&feature=player_embedded#at=393

Details: Over the past few months, the builders of this battle tank has been posting information about it in drips and drabs on the NXTStep blog. Things seem to have hit a point where this is worth featuring - in this (nearly 10 minute) video clip, we can see it maneuvered around through a remote control, firing at targets (using a guide laser), and using the NXT motors to power a full drive system (with working suspension). We'll update this post as more details come out, but for now the video above will have to suffice.

Alphabet Ships

2011-03-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: LEGO Alphabet Spaceships

Created by: andertoons

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andertoons-cartoons/collections/72157621953646058/

Details:

If you know your Star Wars ships, you've heard all about the "A-Wing", "X-Wing", "Y-Wing", and "B-Wing", but you've probably noticed that they haven't done the whole alphabet. A few LEGO aficionados have, though. The latest to finish such a project is andertoons, who recently finished building completely original crafts for every letter of the alphabet.

Comb the Desert

2011-03-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Stay in School

Created by: okayaraman (Okay Yaramanoglu)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23397895@N08/5037808677/

Details: You may remember something similar to this scene from the movie Spaceballs. See, we need these troopers to comb the desert in of these droids...

A little texture goes a long way here. Grill tiles make the sand behind the troopers actually look combed, and the use of flag poles to make the tines of the comb itself is very realistic. Those are held in upside-down thanks to a row of Technic half-pins, which fit directly into the brick above.

All About "Three Story Victorian with Tree"

2011-03-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Three Story Victorian with Tree

Created by: Mike Doyle

Found at: http://mikedoylesnap.blogspot.com/2011/01/three-story-victorian-with-tree.html

Details: There are actually a few other links relevant to this stunning model. Since Mike Doyle is something of a rising star in the LEGO community, he's attracting plenty of attention and having much written about his work already. It's great to see a relatively new builder creating such amazing models and getting recognized for it, but it makes it difficult for those of us who focus on writing something original about models we feature. Fortunately, I can also aggregate links fairly well - here's a round-up of sorts:

The original blog post is the definitive page for this model (same link featured above)
That's just one post on Mike Doyle's blog
This model is also on MOCPages
...and on flickr
...and already dismantled! You can buy a commemorative print with a small chunk of the model now.
There are also two work-in-progress posts about the construction of this model.
LEGO Designer Marcos Bessa interviewed Mike Doyle about his projects, goals, and experiences
In the interest of encouraging other new builders, Mike published his own primer on the LEGO hobby (I'd say he's off to a great start there!)

...and for those of you keeping score at home, this is post #1100.

Collapsible Settlers of Catan Game

2011-03-17T01:00:00.002-07:00

Name of Model: LEGO Settlers of Catan

Created by: Natron77 (Nation Morath) - and Lauren

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationmorath/sets/72157626115258451/

Details: People have built Settlers of Catan games out of LEGO before, but I believe this is the first one to feature a collapsible frame for easy transportation and storage. The collapsing feature looks to be a matter of placing regular plates instead of hinge plates in a few places in each hexagon. The game is fully playable, and features microscale building on every game tile. It looks like it would be fun to try to play!

Where LEGO Meets Dr. Seuss

2011-03-16T20:26:00.002-07:00

Name of Model: A.B.S. Snorter and his Lego brick sorter

Created by: Legohaulic (Tyler)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/legohaulic/5515324610/

Details:

A.B.S. Snorter and his Lego brick sorter,
Will suck up your bricks and do other neat tricks.
He'll place them in bins with nothing but grins,
And sort them by color for only a dollar.
But be careful my friend with the money you spend,
For if it is A.B.S. Snorter you decide to employ,
He may run away with your most precious toy.

The verse above was written by the builder (who also took the lone photograph of this model). Clearly, someone has been inspired by Dr. Seuss. His unique style of illustrating comes across clearly here, as does the whimsical feel of his children's books. The most obvious special technique here is probably the hands - they're made out of minifig arms, but with the minifig hands attaching them to plates with bars and the shoulder joints facing outward. In the back, we see what appears to be falling bricks but turns out to be completely attached. Things are built out in every direction to get the look just right. I particularly love how the arms coming out of the sides are mounted on white steering wheels, which provide a nifty porthole effect.

A Reproduction of a Display Ship

2011-03-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: SS Dogbone

Created by: strandee (Eric Strand)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16302109@N08/sets/72157626132088613/

Details: Over the years, a number of display models have been used to promote general LEGO building. In the 1960's, this frequently meant large boats using large quantities of the fairly basic elements available at the time. These early models were glued and frequently made of cellulose acetate plastic. LEGO stop used that plastic in the 60's, after it became clear that it can warp in some conditions. That warping problem makes original models rare (few were kept in good condition, and nobody at the time expected that they wouldn't last terribly well), but many Adult-Fans-Of-LEGO reproduce the old design using parts as close to the originals as possible. Here, you can spot windows with a large ledge (that prevent them from sitting flat on a baseplate) on every deck of the ship. This particular boat was copied from a model found in the Toy and Plastic Brick Museum in Bellaire, Ohio, USA.

NXT Blimp

2011-03-14T20:30:00.002-07:00

Name of Model: BIC5 - NXT Blimp

Created by: Kenneth & Lasse at BrickIt.dk

Found at: http://brickit.dk/index.php?page=projects&id=8&step=2

Details: If you've seen the LEGO Education Renewable Energy Add-On Set, you've probably wondered if the windmill blades could be used to propel something instead. As it turns out, they can! They work wonderfully for steering blimps. The video here includes some footage from LEGOWORLD Copenhagen, where a video camera was attached to the blimp. For some meta fun, see if you can spot the photography rover driving around on the ground. I'm really hoping that somewhere, there's footage from that NXT robot of this NXT robot in action. I'm also trying to determine if I can make my own before the next LEGO convention I go to.

LUGNUTs' "For the Ladies" Roundup

2011-03-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: New Ford Territory 2011

Created by: lego911 (Peter Blackert)

Roundup found at: http://lugnuts-cars.blogspot.com/2011/03/for-ladies-round-up.html

Details: The LUGNUTs have been at it again - this past month, they had a theme loosely based around the Valentine's day holiday. "For the Ladies" brought out the usual interesting and impressive mix of vehicles. My personal favorite is this 2011 Ford Territory, which I actually had to check to see that it was made out of LEGO bricks. The curves of this one are almost too believable, and it looks like the doors even really open. The actual offset techniques here are things we've seen before, but the application is spot-on and really sells this design.

(Unofficial) Pirates of the Caribbean in Miniland Form

2011-03-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides

Created by: GeekyTom(Tommy Williamson)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/geekytom/sets/72157626206769522/with/5501606781/

Details: It feels a little strange to throw that "(Unofficial)" up there in this post's title. After all, it's already been announced that LEGO is doing an official line of Pirates of the Caribbean series, and LEGOLAND parks have featured characters (both officially licensed and otherwise) in miniland for years. It's surely only a matter of time before these Disney pirates wiggle their way in to the official LEGO miniland displays. The master model builders who create those for the company will have a hard time competing with the rendition of Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa pictured here. I suspect that they won't be allowed to use a Technic rubber band to properly define the edges of a hat. The angle work on the torsos is stunning and a bit unexpected - usually you see a few slopes used when that is tried, but here we see tiles and plates attached at odd angles. On Jack Sparrow, the space created by the angle leaves room for minifig hands to clip onto a plate-with-railing in front of them. We see similar clips used in a few other places - the Jack's hair and hands use variations on the same technique. The legs on both figures look great, but use the same sort of non-production parts that are occasionally special-made for the LEGOLAND Model shops (existing parts, but in colors you can't find in a set). On second thought, are we sure that this guy DOESN'T work for the company?

Remote Controlled Plowing Truck

2011-03-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

Name of Model: An IR controlled plowtruck with autovalves

Created by: Ultimario

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=464033

Details: Here's a new twist on the Technic snow plow idea: a heavy-duty truck with a large plow on the front of it. The system uses pneumatics (with auto-valves) and Power Functions to allow it to be remotely controlled. All four wheels are powered (plus steering in the front), and the plow is fully controllable. The suspension system is surprising - it's sort of a beefed-up version of the live axle concept that moves a chunk of the chassis down to simplify delivering power.

This is Friday's model of the day

A Carnival In Venice

2011-03-10T22:19:00.000-08:00

Name of Model: Il Carnevale di Venezia

Created by: 000

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=463027

Details: This stunning scene was built for a recent contest with a romantic theme - the concept being that the older couple is dancing away from the hustle and bustle out front. The scene itself steals the show from them, thanks to a brilliant mix of great colors and techniques. Every arch features a unique decoration, and seemingly every surface has some plant life on it - we even see sand green next to the water, where a grime from higher tides would be. The boat is a fantastic surprise - those large sloped elements are originally from Star Wars kits, but here they make a very realistic hull. The arbor in the back left corner makes impressive use of dark tan elements, and the roofs are made almost entirely of 1x1 round bricks. The base of this model is a very subtle use of studs-not-on-top technique - although that checkered pattern appears to be 2x2 tiles at first glance, it's actually sideways bricks and plates to come to the exact same final dimensions.

Mystery Box

2011-03-09T22:39:00.000-08:00

Name of Model: Mystery Box

Created by: Todd Wilder

Found at: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/249968

Details: Reader Todd Wilder recently sent word about his latest creation (finished in January 2011): a "Mystery Box" table with a variety of secret compartments. Since just having mysterious compartments wouldn't be mysterious enough, the compartments are set up to only open in a certain order. A fun tessellated question mark pattern covers the sides, while the top is a very classy black. Rather than spoil the surprises, I'll point you to the site listed above to read more about this model.

Retro-Neo-Blacktron

2011-03-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

Name of Model: S-Bad 2b

Created by: AmazingBrickCreations.com (Robert)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/galaxy53281/sets/72157626081006807/

Details: Here's something you don't see every day - a model from 1987, re-created. Back then, kits from the original Blacktron theme were widely available and still new. This model is based on the theme but an entirely original creation. Back in 1987, the builder created building instructions for it. When this instructions were rediscovered recently, he decided to give this spaceship another go - which led to this set of photos.

NXT Soccer Controlled By Helmets

2011-03-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

Name of Model: Crazy LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Soccer with Helmets - LEGO World 2011 (Copenhagen)

Created by: NeXTSTORM

Found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-uyz0j7G70&feature=player_embedded#at=34

Details: Here's an interesting idea for making LEGO robots at events more interactive - giving people an NXT-enhanced helmet that can control a robot playing a soccer-style game. Third-party sensors (gyro and acceleration) are used to track head movements. Commands are derived from there and then sent (over bluetooth) to the robots on the field.

The most impressive part? This was all done in the graphical programming language that ships with the NXT - none of this was done with traditional text-based programming languages.

LEGOPalooza Roundup

2011-03-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

Name of Event: LEGOPalooza 2011

Created by: NCLUG

Found at: http://www.nclug.us/2011/03/06/legopalooza-2011-photos-and-coverage/

Details:
I'm still pretty exhausted after a long, strenuous weekend at LEGOPalooza. I stepped up to coordinate the town & train layout, and pretty much everything that could go wrong did - the final result came out well, but I was surprised we managed to pull it off at all. Since I already wrote up a proper round-up on the NCLUG (North Carolina LEGO Users Group) website and would rather not have to keep track of this in two places, I'm going to direct you there for photos and coverage of the event.

New Set Announced: 10219 Maersk Train

2011-03-05T20:36:00.001-08:00

Name of Model: 10219 Maersk Train

Created by the LEGO company

Found at: http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=10219&cn=245

Details: So a few weeks ago, we were hamming it up by featuring a model of a Maersk train while other LEGO blogs were leaking images of what appeared to be some sort of official set with a similar theme. That set became official back on February 19th and looks really neat - here are the details from LEGO (they also have more photos at the link above):

10219 Maersk Train
Ages 14+. 1,234 pieces.
US $119.99 CA $159.99 DE 119.99 € UK 91.99 £
The highly-realistic Maersk diesel-electric freight train has arrived! A replica of the real engine that operated on the railroads of America, this Maersk train features exceptional detailing and functions, such as opening driver’s cab, removable side panel revealing a detailed, 16-cylinder engine, and authentic Maersk branding. The model also includes 2 wagons and 3 containers with opening doors (1 with refrigeration detailing). The set also includes a shunter truck and detachable trailer for loading and offloading the containers. Add LEGO® Power Functions accessories to motorize!
• Includes 3 workman minifigures!

• Train measures 36″ (92cm) long!

• Building instructions include a historical description of the LEGO Group/A.P. Moller Maersk Group cooperation and a timeline of the products launched!

• Containers can be loaded side-by-side or stacked!

• Motorize your Maersk train by adding LEGO Power Functions 8878 Power Functions Rechargeable Battery Box, #8887 Transformer 10V DC, #8884 Power Functions IR Receiver, 8879 Power Functions IR Speed Remote Control and 88002 Power Functions Train Motor!

A Magic Mirror

2011-03-04T01:00:00.012-08:00

Name of Model: Mirror mirror on the wall....

Created by: monsterbrick (Matt Armstrong)

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/monsterbrick/tags/magicmirror/

Details: It's a real shame that LEGO has been phasing out chrome-colored elements recently. Sure, the process of manufacturing those parts is expensive, but the effect is fantastic. Just a few short years ago, you could get the UCS Naboo Starfighter, which came with tons of chrome silver elements - including the wings you see used so well here. The metallic silver color we see instead isn't all bad, but it just doesn't have that reflective sheen that you need when trying to build mirrors. This magic mirror (think Snow White) looks stunning.

Although we're all distracted by the chrome (ooh! shiny!), the eyes in this model show the best use yet for that obnoxious element "Brick, Modified 1 x 4 with Sloped Ends and Two Top Studs".

A Beautiful Campus

2011-03-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

Name of Model: A building complex started in 1991

Created by: aror

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=463229

Details: Every once in a while, you come across a gorgeous large layout that feels like minifigs could actually live in it. It's less like looking at a model, and more like seeing a little world. This minifig-scale model clearly meets that criteria - the four large buildings are flanked by smaller buildings, vehicles, and landscaping, in a way that resembles a well-maintained professional or academic campus early in the morning (before the crowds have come about). This project was started in 1991, and the colors reflect that - note how red and white are the main colors, and green is used sparingly. Back then, large plates and plants were the only widely available (non-DUPLO) parts in green. In spite of the limited palette, there's still a colorful ceiling pattern and plenty of other subtle details. The tall windows make this interpretation of minifig scale very close to that of the Cafe Corner set. The details around the windows aren't filled with tricky techniques, but they still take on a grand effect when repeated over these large walls. Don't miss the use of grey goblets on the chimneys, or the fantastic use of Imperial flags outside of a Pirates-based setting.

Mickey Mouse

2011-03-02T01:00:00.004-08:00

Name of Model: Mickey Mouse

Created by: polywen

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/artpoly/tags/mickey/

Details: Disney's Mickey Mouse in fully articulated form might not seem like an easy thing to build - but this design came quickly after the builder realized that a round ball could easily be turned into Mickey's head. There are some great techniques here - the legs connect to the torso by use of Bionicle ball-and-socket joints (good thing that the Technic ball joint element is actually made in red!), the mouth is made from a flower, and the thumbs are made from signal paddles. It helps that Mickey is one of the few characters with wiry enough limbs that the tentacle-like click hinge elements actually suit him well. Perhaps the best detail, though, is the rather mundane use of two tan 2x2 round plates near the top of his head - they perfectly capture the iconic "windows' peak" look of Mickey's face.

A Spaceship - with Instructions, Variations, and Inspiration

2011-03-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

Name of Model: ZR-42 Double-Dee Titan inspired by Peter Morris

Created by: mryoder

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=462294

Details: I always struggle to come up with good uses for the more specialized faceted wedge elements that LEGO has been making over the past 12 years or so (why, yes, I'm getting old, why do you ask?) - so it's a good thing people finding ways to make great spaceships with them facing in every direction are posting building instructions. Finally - awesome studs-not-on-top wedge-based designs for the rest of us. Now, if you don't remember the 90's and don't have any of that awesome windscreen element, don't worry - you can just change the design a little bit. The builder already has - don't miss the flickr set of variations on this design. There's a Power Miners version that is particularly great - the stickers from the kits give it a worn look. Some of the variations are actually based on Peter Morris' earlier design (Archangel) which you can also get instructions for.

Site Spotlight: Brick It Good

2011-02-21T20:34:00.000-08:00

Name of Website: BRICKITGOOD

Created by: Mr. Corey Sanders

Found at: http://www.brickitgood.info/

Details:
Here's a new feature I'd like to get started on right away (mostly because I just found out about this great website): a spotlight on useful resources within the LEGO community. BRICKITGOOD is the work of Mr. Corey Sanders, a schoolteacher from Nevada who runs (and personally funds) an after-school LEGO program for elementary-school aged students. The site features a wide variety of models, with plenty of photos for each one. Most of the models also include instructions - some of which are in LEGO Digital Designer format so you can easily buy the parts needed to build them. An advantage (for teachers especially) of creating building instructions is that you can save designs while taking the models apart - which is particularly important when you need to make the parts available again for other students. In addition to creating instructions for his own designs, he has also created instructions for a number of popular models that haven't been available to the public (such as promotional items that were only given away as glued models). These models are a great starting place for your original creations - or you could try rebuilding some of the designs as shown. The events section covers student creations, regional events, and the 2004 Master Model Builder search (yes, when you build lifelike sculptures this well, LEGO takes notice).

The photos below show examples of the variety of material available on the BRICKITGOOD website, and each one is a link that takes you to the appropriate section of the site.

What's Been Going On

2011-02-17T20:55:00.000-08:00

Since we've clearly been failing at trying to catch up lately, I think it's time to fill you in on what's been going on behind the scenes.

First, we need to make our accidental February hiatus official - there's just no way we can reasonably make up the time now. We'll return to the of-the-day format in March, and actually be on time for a while.

Seeing that events in my personal life can still interrupt the blog a bit, I think it's time we look again into bringing new contributors to this blog. Let me know if you'd be interested in doing something here. While I'd like to pick off a few writers from other LEGO blogs out there (it seems there's a new one every day lately), we're open to trying out new ideas as well - if you have any suggestions, feel free to send them in to legomodeloftheday@gmail.com

We're actually already looking into some new features, but you know how us LEGO fans are - we like to stop writing and actually build something once in a while. It's better to have a few more people involved and more ideas in the pipeline.

I prefer not to bore my readers with my personal life, but here's a quick rundown for the interested: about a week after my hand got better, I came down with a really nasty sinus infection. Somewhere in the middle of that, my main laptop died. After warranty-covered repairs were done, it came back without an operating system - I've been trying to get my regular tasks going in Ubuntu over this past week.

Oh, and did you know I build? I'm planning on debuting a sculpture and some new Cafe Corner style town models at this year's LEGOPalooza - where I'm also coordinating a town/train layout. If you're near Chapel Hill, NC, USA on March 5th or 6th, you might want to check it out.

Automated Shirt Folder

2011-02-07T21:10:00.001-08:00

Name of Model: Faster Lego Mindstorms NXT T-Shirt Folding Machine

Created by: changyunhsu

Found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Gr63NbXD4

Details: Folding shirts takes time. Building and programming this robot to do it for you doesn't take that much time. The obvious next improvement is to make it grab the shirts itself so it doesn't need to be loaded with each shirt. This definitely speeds things up, though. The use of a cardboard box alongside standard NXT parts is pretty clever. In the interest of showing something you probably haven't seen before, the video above is of the second (faster) version of this machine.

LUGNUTs - By Random Appointment Roundup

2011-02-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

Name of Model: 1937 Bugatti tipo Cinquantesette Atalante

Created by: r a p h y

Round up found at: http://lugnuts-cars.blogspot.com/2011/01/by-random-appointment-roundup.html

Details: For December's LUGNUTS challenge - "By Random Appointment" - members of this elite club of LEGO car builders randomly swapped assignments to build specific vehicles. While you can always count on LUGNUTS to collectively come up with some great designs, this particularly challenge required people to commit to participating before they were assigned a car to build - which brought out some different approaches than we've seen in the past. Case in point: the model I've pictured here, built by someone who generally builds in the 4-wide "Tiny Turbo" scale. That the jump to minifig scale worked at all is impressive, but this is actually a classy-looking 1937 Bugatti that'd fit well in any minifig-scale town. Elsewhere, we can see some more welcome improvements in the variety of models showcased - while "Model Team" style models are common in the group, it looks like Technic builders are finally starting to make serious inroads into LUGNUTS. You should, of course, check out all the models you can from the links above.