Fire Brigade Modification

Name of Model: Fire Brigade Modification

Created by: a-corb (unconfirmed, this model was part of a group layout)

Found at: Flickr

Details: It's amazing what a few simple modifications can do to the overall appearance of a building. Here we see two modified Fire Brigade sets. This modification consists of two second floors of the proper set and a bottom floor that has had the window arrangement tossed up somewhat so that it gets away from the 'firehouse' look. What is achieved in the end is a very classical and elegant looking building, worthy of any city. So, if you were wondering what to do with those extra copies of 10197 lying around (a problem we all wish we could have); wonder no more! (As a sidenote, look what someone did with three copies of the Fire Brigade!)

Production Stops for Set 10179-1: Millennium Falcon

The production line has stopped for the largest Star Wars set to date, 10179-1: Millennium Falcon. So if you don't have one, and you were thinking of buying one 'in the near future'; the future has come.

Somewhat sad to see the Falcon go, but that's the cycle of things. Hopefully we'll get something equally nice in its place.

Snooker Table

Name of Model: Snooker table

Created by: lego_mancer

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28507435@N07/4036026327/

Details: Snooker is a game similar to pool. It requires a table like this one, which happens to be perfectly scaled for miniland-sized people. The details come out well here thanks to the wise decision to construct the walls and buffers sideways. Besides the obvious "needs players!" critique, that's really all there is to say.

Barcelona's Casa Battló

Name of Model: Casa Battló

Created by: Henrik Hoexbroe

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hxmiesa/tags/gaudi/

Details: While the colorful roof and details of the Casa Battló cry out to be recreated in LEGO form, the lack of straight lines on the original building makes things substantially more complicated. Surprisingly, though the curves of the gorgeous inspiration have been rendered adequately. The techniques here are fairly simple, but surprisingly effective. Additional photos of the inspiration for this creation can be found at the official website (Flash required): http://www.casabatllo.es/

Flying Saucer

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Name of Model: UFO Invader

Created by: [Dablackcat]

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/33465810@N06/3736720606/ and on BrickShelf: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=392673

Details: This six-sided structure makes good use of some fairly difficult to use Bionicle elements. The six-sides appear to be provided by a Technic wheel - which conveniently gives another place to connect things through its axle. Constructing something this clever is a feat in itself, but actually getting a proper cockpit with a windshield and seat makes this instantly recognizable as a flying saucer. Making this more unusual yet, this model was built for the Flattery Challenge, a contest that asks LEGO hobbyists to attempt a model more in the style of another builder. Part of the game is that when the models are first shared online, the builder of each model isn't revealed - so people have to guess who built what and whose style they are imitating. In this case, the builder was trying to imitate Arpy's creations.

LEGOWORLD 2009 Round-Up

As previously noted, LEGOWORLD was this past weekend in the Netherlands. Here is our belated attempt at the obligatory photo round-up (and as usual, we'll be adding more links to this page as we find out about them): spacie 11's flickr photos Vincent Kessels' Flickr photos danman1968's BrickShelf gallery LegoRK's BrickShelf gallery Regiorunner's BrickShelf gallery patje's BrickShelf gallery barman's BrickShelf gallery bonaparte's majhost gallery The photo used above was taken by Vincent Kessels and depicts an NXT-based recreation of the LEGO company's warehouse - this model is currently partially described at http://thenxtstep.blogspot.com/2009/10/legoworld-2009_22.html

The Early Days of Legoland

Sometimes you come across things that completely take you by surprise. That's how I felt when I saw this collection of photographs of Legoland [Lego in general, for that matter] when it was in its infancy. It's hard to believe how far the brick has come since the 60's.

Maybe you'll like these photos on Flickr as much as I did.

Modular Buildings

Name of Model: Modular Buildings

Created by: Daniel Z

Found at: Flickr

Details: I took one look at these two lovely buildings and said "oh yeah". Wonderful proportioning is used throughout the whole creation. Some very subtle details add alot to the overall appearance. I'm particularly fond of the 1x2 bley plates stuck between the studs to give a grill effect on the top of the tan/bley building. Check out Daniel's photostream on Flickr for more of his wonderful creations.

South Korea Shows the LEGO Community What it can do

South Korea known throughout for its technological advancement and general "modernity". Through a westerner's eyes like mine, the country does not appear to have a large presence of AFOLs. Asian population centres like Hong Kong and Japan have achieved far more publicity in the west for their accomplishments. These include building the worlds tallest LEGO tower and building a minifig scale model of the Beijing Olympic Village. Having said all of that, I was taken aback by the display I found photographs of while browsing through Brickshelf today. If it was anywhere in the world it would be impressive, and my bias makes this wonderful display even more impressive. Lego ambassador Sung-wan Kim (of BrickInside) was involved in this display's construction, no doubt making the overall product even more superlative. Overall, just a wonderful piece of work, and a testament to creativity. I barely described the display at all, I'll let you 'describe' it for yourself. So check out the Brickshelf gallery and prepare to be awed!

Rolling Ball Stop Motion Video

Name of Model: LEGO Sphere/Ball Stop Motion レゴの球体を制作

Created by: talapz

Found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLywpg5Kjkc&feature=channel

Details: I've written about ball sculptures before, but the sad truth about round LEGO items is that they don't generally roll. This one, however, does. The video says it all, although you may have to squint a bit to make out how some of the plates with clips fit in.