Loftbot

Name of Model: BCBS Round One: LoftBot

Created by: Lego Obsessionist

Found at: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/323135

Details: Here's an oldie but a goodie from another contributor of ours here at LMOTD (someone needs to get more comfortable with blogging their own work...). Longtime readers will know I'm a sucker for anything combining themes in an unexpected way - the more themes and the less popular the themes are, the better. Here, we have a wonderful mix of DUPLO Bob the Builder parts with Bionicle and Technic elements. You know I love that. The head/cabin part from Lofty makes the head of the mech. The body is actually an expanding scissor lift, creating a great play feature beyond the decorative details. Clever parts usage such as the Toa torsos for legs are one thing, but this model also has an element of the old ship-in-a-bottle trick. Note how the interior of Lofty's head is filled in with Technic elements (it's more noticeable from the side).

Angel Tree

Name of Model: Angel Tree

Created by: MisaQa

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/misaqa/sets/72157623356939918/ (flickr set for additional ornaments and tree) http://www.flickr.com/photos/misaqa/sets/72157623232348873/ (flickr set for angels individually) http://www.flickr.com/photos/misaqa/sets/72157623231749917/ (flickr set for angels as a group) http://www.flickr.com/photos/misaqa/collections/72157623232514977/ (flickr collection with all three sets)

Details: There have been surprisingly few interesting ideas for building holiday angels to decorate with at this time of year. MisaQa (of advent calendar fame) has built a spectacular set of miniland-scale angels in various poses with various tools. Some of the details here are exceptionally clever - a silver "cupid" arrow made out of an Aquanaut harpoon and a light saber hilt, with feathers from a Wild West native; parts of levers used as blooming flowers; carefully arranged clikits, clikit hearts used in-scale on angels with sand red hair. The angels figures alone are worth featuring, but she also built a full set of ornaments to round out a tree. The ornaments include some tricks we've seen before, but also make excellent use of rare and seemingly difficult to use parts from a number of places - we see Writing System pen sections, DUPLO, Clikits, and Belville parts all used to great effect in ways that make you wonder why you haven't tried them sooner.

Minifig-Scale Classic Space / DUPLO / Bionicle / Technic trike

Name of Model: Moontrike

Created by: Pat Bunn

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30591566@N02/tags/moclegoscifimecha/

Details: If there's such a thing as "LMOTD bait", this is it. Why yes, that is a variation on a Classic Space color scheme. Those really are X-Pod lids used as wheels in the front. That really IS a pair of Bionicle weapons on either side of a large wheel made out of DUPLO tubes. Did I mention the front wheels can be steered by an axle in the middle of the vehicle that is geared to a knob behind the antennae? Yes, it's a minifig-scale Classic space / DUPLO / Bionicle / Technic trike, with working steering, great greebling, and decent construction techniques. This is the good stuff. That DUPLO tube wheel is mounted on a few tires (which can hold quite a bit with friction, surprisingly), which in turn are connected to the Technic bits and Bionicle weapon. Little more than an inch away from that, we see the Technic structure used as a double-sided element to flip the blue plates (well, this piece) over (yes, this technique's been available for years. You'd be surprised how many seasoned LEGO fans don't know this and continue to whine about how LEGO doesn't make double-sided parts). A few sideways-mounted sarcophagi give us the base of the greebling, and - yes, more places where the studs face a different direction. Many people would think to try something like mounting windshield elements sideways to create a cockpit, but few can build a craft this great all around.

The Maniacal Duplord

Name of Model: The Maniacal Duplord

Created by: optimus-convoy

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10267753@N03/tags/duplo/

Details: Remember last year, when I told you about how awesome the mech named The Mighty Doop-Los is? He has an enemy now, and the enemy is also awesome. Unlike the previous mech, this one uses more traditional parts to build most of the body and joints. There are still plenty of great uses of DUPLO parts here, though. Lever bases fit into a DUPLO 2x2 brick to create eyes for his face. DUPLO bricks are cleverly angled in the way they are attached on the feet and lower arms. Studs-not-on-top elements are used to flip sections over and have separate DUPLO pieces on both the front and the back of various sections (DUPLO pieces connect properly to the regular-size LEGO elements, provided the measurements line up correctly - e.g. 4 studs to 2 DUPLO studs). Tiles line the edges of those sections, maintaining the sleek boxy look. Those fingers on his left hand are minifig legs. Now if only more people would build in the DUPLO/Mecha genre...

Akkada 5 Ground Base Space Colony

Name of Model: Akkada 5 Ground Base

Created by: KryptonHeidt

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kryptonheidt/4477469008/

Details: Some people, believe it or not, have a hard time using DUPLO parts in their creations. Even though LEGO intentionally makes DUPLO parts to work with the smaller standard size parts, many people are either unaware of this or uninterested in taking advantage of it. On the other hand, though, there are people who are willing to take the most outrageous DUPLO pieces and find ways to use them. In one particularly dark time for the DUPLO line, LEGO tried to rebrand it as "LEGO Explore". When parents and grandparents who aren't familiar with LEGO got confused and stopped buying LEGO as a result, LEGO quickly changed back to calling it DUPLO on the box art (the writing on top of the studs still says "LEGO" instead of "DUPLO" though - that part of the change stuck). The Explore theme had some particularly unusual subthemes: Explore Logic brought us simple programmable toys, Explore Together brought us playsets designed for multiple people, Explore Being Me brought us (apparently) educational kits and a reissue of Primo, and Explore Imagination brought us both more "normal" DUPLO sets and a series of music-making kits. Needless to say, this last subtheme is where most of the fun was. The music-making kits seem to be one of those rare items that won't really connect to "normal" parts (you build onto the music-making kits by using plugs and cartridges specially designed for them). The controls for the music-makers could be a bit annoying - the Music Twister (used in this model) in particular only allow you to "twist" a tone while a pre-programmed song plays. Some people complain that this makes the Music Twister parts "useless" (or obnoxious, especially in the hands of a real toddler), but they are wrong - see, you can use it to build an awesome space colony! Just add silos, radar dishes, a spaceman, and greebling.

DUPLO-tastic Spaceship

Name of Model: Duplospace

Created by: L.D.M.

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ltdemartinet/4402701434/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/ltdemartinet/4401946159/in/photostream/

Details: Here's an unusual way of building with DUPLO - building a small frame out of the smaller ordinary pieces, and using a Technic band to hold a layer of DUPLO on top without really attaching the pieces. The effect comes off surprisingly well. That small surprise is what makes this "spiff" style spaceship work well, but more traditional combinations of DUPLO parts and smaller LEGO parts show up here as well, such as taps inside of studs, and 'normal' bricks attached to studs on DUPLO bricks (yes - DUPLO was designed to do that all along, you should stop calling them "baby blocks" now). The curved DUPLO parts can be a bit more difficult to mix into creations, but I'd say this one pulled it off.

Stunning DUPLO Castle

Name of Model: Duplo castle

Created by: marsupilami

Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=201751

Details: There aren't enough enormous DUPLO layouts out there. It's very strange - green is a far more common color in DUPLO than in the smaller LEGO bricks, and you can even buy (at fairly reasonable prices) a variety of shades of green in DUPLO. Bright green, lime green, and even the very rare medium lime color are plentiful in the DUPLO world (Little known fact: the piece LEGO makes in the most colors is the 2x2 DUPLO brick). The various rare colors that are readily available in DUPLO make DUPLO a natural choice for landscaping, but surprisingly few people take advantage of that. The DUPLO world also includes more animals (perfect for farms and medieval livestock) and as many specialized parts for Castle sets as you'll find in the "normal" kits. In terms of building techniques, I don't believe there's much here that we haven't seen before - but there's something to be said for having the ambition to take on a Castle layout properly (and with bricks in colors that allow for some truly accurate landscaping without breaking the bank).

When DUPLO and BIONICLE Combine...

Name of Model: The Mighty Doop-Los

Created by: optimus-convoy

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10267753@N03/tags/duplo/

Details: I like to think I've seen plenty of great techniques for working DUPLO parts into LEGO models - and I've similarly been on the lookout for new BIONICLE techniques. I have no idea how I never knew about all of the exciting techniques I'm seeing here, though. Apparently Bionicle sockets fit at a angle into the corners of DUPLO bricks (note the arms here). A similar technique for other Technic and Bionicle parts allows other DUPLO bricks to stick on at various angles. You can also create a sturdy connection with the inside of the tops of DUPLO studs and the small 1x1 "tap" element (note how the legs are assembled). Finally, the age-old technique that LEGO used to promote heavily in their own official advertisements - standard LEGO bricks in many sizes fit directly on top of DUPLO bricks. While this is a technical tour-de-force, it's also a pretty interesting looking model in its own right - it's a stunning design and a spectacular use of these yellow parts.

DUPLO-scale Great Ball Contraption

Name of Model: Totally Tubular

Created by: Phil Eudy

Found at: (not fully documented online, see videos below)

Details: One of the highlights of BrickFair and LEGOPalooza last year (and again this year - this will be on display at this year's BrickFair as well) is this large Great Ball Contraption. Instead of using the traditional soccer balls, this one uses the balls from DUPLO sets. A variety of other fantastic elements come into play - this one just has to be seen to be believed. Video from LEGOPalooza 2009: Video from BrickFair 2008:

Giant DUPLO Train Turntable

Name of Model: Trains and Grapes

Created by: Ciaran

Found at: http://blog.ciarang.com/posts/trains-and-grapes/

Details: Here's an idea that I had thought of trying before, but hadn't thought of trying with DUPLO. As with many DUPLO projects, the larger bricks provide more sturdiness and generally allow you to rev up the scale without requiring as many parts. This two-train system is a great way of using existing elements to build a large custom turntable - and many LEGO fans have been looking for ways to build larger turntables for years. I get the idea that LEGO never thought that we'd be trying to build so many large things that would require huge turntables. A second video at the website above reveals that this is actually a panoramic camera stand. That comes second, of course, to it just being awesome. This way of doing embedded video is new (to me), but with any luck it'll work: Get the Flash Player to see this player. Apparently this is not going to work - please visit the site listed above to see the video.

Grain Elevator

Name of Model: Grain Elevator

Created by: I K Block

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14881452@N03/sets/72157605525015826/

Details: I don't feature enough freight-related train buildings on here. This is a fantastic DUPLO® Grain Elevator for a town/train layout. Yes, I've found another great DUPLO layout builder - this standout's probably the only one that'll appeal to everybody, but there are other great buildings and layouts pictured on the builder's Flickr account too. Too many LEGO fans forget that DUPLO still counts - it works with the regular-sized pieces, and there are many great things that just aren't possible in the regular scale (such as steep train slopes, intelli-trains, and building large things in rare colors). This building is brilliant and straightforward - you probably already have yellow DUPLO® bricks and doors, even if you probably don't have access to this many of them. Mixing in the dark-orange wood panels is a great touch, and there's no arguing with those roof lines or the utilitarian detailing of the structure. I didn't even know that LEGO made grey (bluish grey?) baseplates for DUPLO, and I think that the loading element pointing to the train cars might actually be a System component, but they look great here. I don't know what the inside looks like (I'm assuming that this isn't functional...) but this is definitely a great model that I'd like in my DUPLO town.

Multi-level DUPLO Train Layout

Name of Model: A unique duplo train tower. It uses bridge halves to raise the track up more than four levels, around at the top, and down again.

Created by: Jeremy Wedel

Found at: http://cavefish.net/intelli-train/pages/DSCN4750n.htm

Details: Yes, DUPLO models do count - LEGO has always been the manufacturer of DUPLO bricks (and they're also to blame for that "LEGO Explore" rebranding initiative a few years back - what were they thinking?). I've recently been looking into the world of DUPLO trains as a way of getting the little kids more excited about the displays my local LUG (LEGO Users Group) puts up. Surprisingly, there's actually a "programmable" train kit for young kids that's easier to work than the nearest adult solution (apparently when this came out in 2003, you could buy the DUPLO train motor for $55 dollars (to work with track not included in the set - a set with track could be bought for $100) but if you wanted similar control over a regular LEGO train at the same time, you would have had to invest in a 9V train set ($100+) and a MINDSTORMS RIS kit ($200+) - not to mention having to work out the programming yourself). Of course, I missed my chance to get any of the DUPLO train motors at a good price, but this one builder has taken it upon himself to create a resource for the people who did manage to get the parts. The site above has a complete hacker's guide and a variety of exciting layouts - this is just one highlight out of the bunch. The track from the more affordable Thomas the Tank Engine line works the same way as the more expensive track, so if you have some Thomas tracks you can try some non-motorized versions of his layouts at home. The tunnel and bridge pieces aren't comparable to anything in the "big kid" train lines (OK - I think that the very hard-to-find monorail sets might be similar), so it's pretty much impossible to build layouts like this one with non-DUPLO track - but that only makes this more awesome.