Support Beam Technique

Name of Model: Support Beam Technique

Created by: Stefan F. (vdubguy67')

Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43547163@N08/7901737686/in/photostream/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/43547163@N08/7901740164/

Details: Stefan F. brings us this clever design for a support beam that uses a trapping technique to hold angled sections in. The secret sauce is a few 1x8 plates with door rails, cheese slopes connected by Technic half-pins to 1 x 1 bricks, and a few 1 x 1 bricks with studs on two sides to hold it all together. It seems simple once you see the finished result, but it's a clever way to add a more realistic texture at this small scale without having to resort to overly specialized parts. It's not that LEGO hasn't made plenty of parts that will do this, but sometimes it's the principle of the thing, sometimes you don't have that part, and sometimes you just need that look to fit a certain space that the official parts can't. You can see it in use in this nice MOC:

Seven Nation Army

Name of Model: M.O. Round 1: Seven Nation Army

Created by: Legofreak2444 ~

Found at: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/340959

Details: The MocOlympics just started, and there are already many amazing entries. This one stood out for me, though, because of the composition. There were many large, impressive dios based on the "Seven Nation Army" theme, but Legofreak2444 took his in a different direction. Of course, mecha look cool, and this is a particularly good one. But it's the contrast between it and the desolate (and wonderfully textured) landscape that inspires a feeling of hope, but at the same time implies a difficult and epic past. I definitely think that the composition of the build is just as, if not more, important than the quality of the MOC. This is a good example- each component is wonderful, by itself, but not terribly unique. Together, though, they make an amazing final product.

Pancake Bot is Coming to Maker Faire New York

Name of Model: Pancake Bot

Created by: Miguel Valenzuela

Found at: http://blog.makezine.com/2012/09/08/maker-faire-new-york-lego-pancake-bot-interview/ and http://makermig.blogspot.com/2012/09/lego-pancake-bot-new-york-world-maker.html

Details: Yes, I've blogged this model before. Now, though, we can announce that you can come see it in action at this year's Maker Faire New York, coming up September 29th and 30th. There's more related news as well - the robot itself has been refined and now features a simpler, zebra-striped design (there's a new page on the builder's web site discussing the changes). Last - but certainly not least - the official Make magazine blog now has an interview with this model's creator. It's great to see a clever design improved upon, and even better to see it reach a broader audience. Maker Faire NY is also known as "World Maker Faire" - it's intended to be the biggest and best DIY event in the world, which is how it can attract LEGO fans from Norway. Tickets for Maker Faire NY are available online. A few of our friends from New York's LEGO Users Group, I LUG NY, will also be there with a LEGO display. Searching for "LEGO" on the MFNY2012 list of Makers turns up a total of 12 LEGO-related exhibits at this year's event.

Classic Robot

Name of Model: "MUMMY!"

Created by: MortalSwordsman .

Found at: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/340154

Details: This is a relatively simple model, but the cute and effective details made me smile. The ribbed tubing is used excellently on the head, and the mouth piece is perfect. The printed tiles look great, particularly on the back. It just goes to show that even simple MOCs can be great.

Slices of Life in Billund's Miniland

Photos by: larswelin

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

Details: It's time for another look inside LEGOLAND - this time the park in Billund, Denmark. There are only 38 photos here, but there are some nice angles we don't see too often. I'm partial to the open-air food market shown here, which makes great use of several of the large food elements originally made for the Belville line (LEGO sometimes uses these in sets with minifigs, but they usually stick out for being oversized because they were originally made for the larger dolls). There's also this great street level scene that feels like it could be a photo of a city early in the morning. There's also a look at a working canal, several well-textured houses, a mural built as a mosaic into the side of a building, a car with a broken headlight (I wonder if that's supposed to be that way or if it fell off), grand columns, skyscrapers, a harbor, a hotel, a train freight yard, row houses, an excellent phone booth, and even a jumbo jet.