Victorian III

Name of Model: Victorian III

Created by: SoftaRae

Found at: MOCPages

Details: SoftaRae has a series of Victorian Houses based on some old houses in San Fransisco called "the painted ladies" for their variety in color. At first glance, it may be hard to distinguish that this is actually a creation made of LEGO bricks. Take a closer look. SoftaRae includes a number of close-ups at MocPages. And notice that this is Victorian III (Roman Numberals for 3) - this is the successor to the Victorian II featured here previously, and there's also one earlier building to look at in this series. Looks like we've got a lot of rare pieces & colors in here. I like the use of tiles on the exterior walls to give the sense of wood paneling. Note also the cheese wedge used decoratively around the windows. Not to mention the intricate use of 1x1 cylinders on the door and windows to look like colored glass.

Treeman

Name of Model: Treeman

Created by: Aaron the AHOL Man-Child

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cbla_member/3364204311/

Details: You can build trees. You can build sculptures. You can build mecha. Few can figure out a way to combine all three in a way that creates something brilliant and entirely new. Note the use of various shrubbery elements (including some of the smaller Bionicle spine pieces) and the mix of bright green, green, and dark green. Actually, the roots with the dark brown bits mixed in look pretty great too. Another interesting trick used here (and usually seen in the world of LEGO-based "Mecha") is the use of minifig legs as joints in the fingers.

Cockpit Box

Name of Model: Cockpit Box

Created by: Nnenn

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nnenn/3418787940/

Details: At first blush this model may not blow you away. But take some consideration and a second look. Nnenn, who is far and away a builder of starfighters, describes in notes on his post at Flickr what he's up to. The image below represents a concept to aid of builders of starships, or just about anything else for that matter. If you have an initial template, a framework to start with, in this case a "Cockpit box," it gives you a good starting point from which to (pun intended) build on. Often builders might have an idea of what they want to build, but don't know where to start. But if you start with a template like this Cockpit Box, it gets your fingers moving, gives your mind a minute to warm up while you snap things together, and then it's a lot easier to start creatively figuring out what to add on to the rest of it. Do you typically start by building a wing? Work on a nose. Do you generally start with finishing off the cockpit? Derive an unusual landing mechanism, or a new prototype weapon. Even before publishing this Cockpit Box concept, Nnenn has proven that there are an infinite number of ways to build a fascinating LEGO starfighter. Take a look at his long list of existing starfighters and other assorted space-themed stuff. You probably won't get to where he is overnight, but now he's offered you a little extra help in getting there. Why not take advantage of it? Go build yourself a starfighter. :)

New Train Set: Emerald Night

Name of Model: Emerald Night

Created by the LEGO company

Found at: LEGO Shop-at-Home

Details: Available NOW, the new Emerald Night train set. This is the first realistic steam engine set made by the LEGO company. With realistic colors (many parts appearing in those colors for the first time) too!

Giant Nintendo DSi Sculpture

Name of Model: Nintendo DSi

Created by: Sean Kenney

Found at: http://www.seankenney.com/portfolio/nintendo_dsi/

Details: Um. Wow. So what would you do with 51, 324 LEGO bricks and a nice commission from Nintendo? At 7 feet wide and 250 pounds, this is probably not the Nintendo DS you're going to slip into your pocket. Sean Kenney is a well-known LEGO certified professional who appears regularly in the news whether in print, on TV, or online. Sean is also the creator and owner of MOCpages, a popular site for LEGO fans to post pictures of their own MOCs (My Own Creations). I love how the size of the model allows a greater amount of detail in the creation. The cat mosaic cracks me up. Take a look at some of the other images Sean has on his site that show you the details. He actually has the Nintendo disclaimer and bar code on the back! Okay, so the disclaimer amounts to gobbledygook, but it's very well designed gobbledygook! My only question is: Does the thing fold up? :) [Editor's Note: Sadly, no - the steel frame used to make this sturdy keeps it from folding. This model is currently on display in the store window (ready for people on the street to take pictures with it) at the Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York, USA.]

Robotics Monday: Egg Printer

Name of Model: CHRISTBAUMKUGELMALER

Created by: Mike Brandl

Found at: http://lego.brandls.info/roboter/legrob-xmasplotter.htm English Translation: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://lego.brandls.info/roboter/legrob-xmasplotter.htm

Details: Perhaps this is a few days late for your Easter plans, but I'm sure there's nothing stopping you from decorating eggs at other times of the year (the builder has also suggested using this machine to make Christmas decorations). This NXT-based egg decorator is a fun twist on the old-fashioned way of coloring round objects, and also allows for some precise drawings that would be very difficult to do by hand. Side note: Since I was referred to this MOC through a translated version of the page, I decided to go ahead and include an English translation as well as the original (in this case, German) webpage. Does anyone have a preference regarding automatically translated webpages?

An Easter Surprise

Name of Model: Swedish church unveils Lego Jesus statue for Easter

Created by members of the Oensta Gryta Church in Vaesteras, Sweden. Photo and summary provided by AFP.

Found at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jfvsy2G44S1zgbkMgubhgKUEEPuQ

Details: Although the vast majority of LEGO creations I've seen touch on religion do so in a disparaging or satirical way, a bona-fide piece of Christian art has, erm, "arisen" this Easter Sunday. I'm hoping more photos surface soon, but a quick search for information on the church behind this didn't turn up anything interesting (if you're in the area and can report back on whether people are allowed to view this piece in person, please do). Some short blurbs related to this (no serious articles about it have arisen yet) mentioned that this approximately 6-foot tall sculpture was based on an earlier marble sculpture - which was also the rationale for white being the primary color here (other colors were used internally for structural support).

As a newswire service AFP does not obtain release from the subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, graphics or quoted in its text. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted material where the marks and material are included in AFP photos or content. LMOTD has extended them the same level of courtesy and will change the featured photo and linked article in this post when made aware of similar resources from a more reasonable outlet.

LEGO Master Builder R2-D2 Sculpture Event

Name of Model: LEGO Master Builder R2-D2 Sculpture Event

Created by: The General Public

Found at: Duckingham Design & Flickr

Details: What a fun event! For three days, master model builder Dan Steininger was on hand overseeing hundreds of kids (and grown-up kids) participating to build an 8 foot tall R2-D2. In the picture you see a miniature version of R2-D2--this is what he referred to as his "instructions" for building the bigger one. There were about 8 tables with bins of white, blue, and grey 2x4's and 2x8's and instructions on how to make a giant "4x" brick, which is basically the equivalent of one of the bricks on the "instruction model." When you were done building your brick(s) you took your contribution to Dan or one of his helps and he would periodically add more to the sculpture. I was hoping to come back and see the finished sculpture at a later time, but Dan said that actually, after it is finished, it gets dismantled for the next build. This particular model had already been built several times. I'm glad I'm not on the dismantling crew! :) Looks like this particular event will be headed to Colorado Mills in Lakewood, CO for an event April 17-19. If you don't live around there but want to keep up with other events that might be in your area, check out the Upcoming Events page at LEGO.com.

Steven Marshall's Mirror

Name of Model: Mirror

Created by: Steven Marshall

Found at: MOCPages & Flickr

Details: Found this recent creation by Steven Marshall, already well-known in the AFOL community for his "studless" vehicles (i.e. he builds cars & trucks with a goal to leave no studs showing which results in a very smooth creation that makes you say, "Whoah, that's made out of LEGO???"). In keeping with his typical "studless" creations Steven here presents a beautiful castle scene amplified by the use of a mirror to create a "castle on the lake" effect. Very well done! Mixing the Greys A few years ago LEGO began changing the colors of its common light grey and dark grey. For the castle walls here, it looks like Steven is using the new light grey, but for the rocks on under the castle and on the edge of the lake, it looks like he's got a very effective mix of old and new dark grey. Technic 1x2 beams Am I mistaken or is he using a pile of Technic 1x2 beams to get this beautiful rounded brick look on his castle walls? That looks like a very useful technique I'll have to remember ... right after I find the money to invest in a pile of those 1x2 beams! Lots of SNOT and Cheese Okay, that might sound gross, but that's what going on here. For all you LEGO newbies, SNOT stands for "studs not on top" and is a technique that builders use to create different effects. And cheese are those tiny little 30° 1x1 slopes that come in awful handy for a lot of things, especially when you're building jagged rock edges next to a lake. :) The Frog And the frog has got to be my absolute favorite LEGO piece, so a plus 25 points to Steven for his use of a frog here. Be sure to follow the links through to Flickr and check out the rest of the pictures Steven has of this creation.

4 Paws For Whit Event

This weekend, there's an event at the Commonwealth Commerce Center, 209 E Washington Ave, Jackson, Mississippi, USA. The event is a LEGO based fund raiser supporting 4 Paws For Whit. Whit Warren's parents are LEGO fans who believe that an assistance dog from 4 Paws For Ability is necessary for Whit. - but training for an autism assistance dog costs $13,000. Come out on April 4th, 2009, from 11 AM to 6 PM to support the cause and enjoy some fun activities, including many LEGO-related displays and events. Although the exact attractions are not being announced in advance, I can tell you that at least one LEGO Users Group will be bringing exhibits, there will be play tables for kids, and a number of BrickLink sellers have donated LEGO packages for the silent auction. There will also be informational booths and some non-LEGO fun as well - take the whole family for a day of fun in support of an assistance dog for Whit.