Details: You may remember the spectacular pop-up model of Kinkaku-ji (the Temple of the Golden Pavilion) from a few years back. More recently, the builder has made another excellent pop-up temple - Nara, Japan's Todai-ji. This one also includes the Daibutsu inside the temple. Around the 1:52 mark, the video switches from a demonstration to CAD-based building instructions, complete with part counts for each step. All 8,816 pieces are accounted for, and there's a complete parts list with BrickLink part numbers at the end.
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.
Details: On the left, there's today's model of the day. On the right, a picture of the character he is based on. The builder decided to try building a version of the character after getting hold of just the clothes from the doll version of this mascot character (widely used by LEGO in Europe in the 1950's, the mascot seems to be the earliest version of the "Jack", "Zack", and "Max" characters we've seen more recently in LEGO advertisements). This version ends up looking more like the cheery printed version of the character than like the doll. It holds together surprisingly well considering how many sections had to be built sideways or upside down in order to get curvature to come out.
Details: Since the builder did a great job of summing up the history of the source material (follow the links above for that), I'll focus on the building itself here. The first thing that caught my eye was the sign - an elegant mosaic with clear plates as letters. It's actually more complicated than it looks at first glance - it actually gets a plate thicker on each side near the top and bottom, the very top and absolute bottom face different directions than the rest to get the edge of the trim to come out right. The cornicework above the windows is so simple that it barely qualifies as an interesting technique, but the effect comes out perfectly. The entryway looks great, with a current show info, a ticket booth, and old-fashioned outdoor lights. In that same photo, you can see a few plates on the side of the building with their bottoms facing outward - probably held in by using round 1x1 plates wedged in between the studs, with the top of the 1x1 plates connected to Technic bricks. I really like that so much of the surrounding plaza and city scene was recreated here as well - it makes it feel more like a scene out of 1927 instead of a town with a random landmark thrown in. You can see some photos of the source material in the 31-photo flickr set showcasing this model.
Details: While this miniland-scale rendition of a Hittite chariot differs a bit from the source material, it's still an exciting piece as a LEGO construction. To start with, there's the level of detail on the horses - minifig screwdrivers stick into click hinges to form the tails, studs in all directions to build the imposing face of each horse, and proper harnesses and manes. The builder posted an overview shot of just the horse design, which brings out other details - sculpted legs, hoofs, the angle of the head and neck (I'm going to guess Technic bricks are used to hold that in place) and even half-stud offsets in the middle of the horse's body.
There are also two great miniland-scale figures riding the chariot. I don't think we've seen bearded figures at this scale before, but the technique is as effective as it is simple. The tree and plain landscaping are just the icing on the cake.
This is the first great model of the Golden Pavilion that I've seen - and that fact is going to get lost in the shuffle due to just how unique this creation is. This thing is spectacular on several different levels. On the one hand, it's built to look like a LEGO set box - all the sides are assembled as mosaics, and the details (including letters in English and Japanese, as well as a "parts list" and "actual size" minifigs) are all spectacular, even though things are kept strictly at low resolutions to match the side they are on. On the other hand - it's a giant pop-up creation that folds out to construct the perfect minifig-scale model of the Golden Pavilion inside! The close-ups near the end of the clip provide some insight as to how this was done, but it still remains a mysterious marvel.
Details: Sean Kenney was recently commissioned to build the historic facade of the New York Stock Exchange building. This model is 3 feet tall, a scale that allowed both minifigs and miniland figures to represent the sculptures above the columns. Speaking of those enormous columns - Sean posted building instructions so we can build our own giant columns!
Details: Back in the 1980's, a travelling show in the US (yes, kids, there really was a time when LEGO operated travelling shows in the United States) featured various elements of Americana shown in LEGO form. One of these was a large (roughly miniland-scaled) model of Mark Twain's house in Hartford, Connecticut. Mark Twain's house is now a museum open year round (not to mention a National Historic Landmark since 1963), and you can learn about the restoration and architecture of the house on the museum's website and at the museum. The LEGO model of the house is now on display inside of the life-size house on "long-term loan", but based on what I've heard about LEGO downsizing its model storage in Enfield, Connecticut, I think it's safe to assume that this model will be there next time you have a chance to visit the Mark Twain house (which we're all doing next time we're near Hartford, CT, right?)
This past week, a life-size sculpture of Mark Twain was unveiled at the museum. The sculpture is itself an impressive collection (note the use of dark orange for the vest) and features radar dishes for the buttons on Twain's clothing. The face is made without too many special techniques, but clearly captures his likeness in tan bricks and plates. You can pose with this glued sculpture at the museum.
As a final entertaining sidenote: those of us who have read the classic and out-of-print book "The World of LEGO Toys" will recognize this model of the Twain house as the unexplained "New England Victorian house" shown in the book. When I first saw that in the book, I remarked that it didn't look much like your average Victorian home in New England, and I wondered why they went with such a large and unusual design - now, the mystery of what inspired this brilliant model has been solved, and we can appreciate the model for it's likeness to the house it is based on.
Details: Yes, I know it's the end of the day and you've probably seen quite a few moonlanding tributes already - but bear with me for a LEGO fix I've seen blogged surprisingly little lately. Back in 2003, LEGO releasedaset illustrating the first moon landing in minifig form. That model is the bulk of today's scene - a clever "mod" (short for "modification" - LEGO fans refer to sets enhanced with parts from their personal collections as "mods" to set them apart from regular sets or completely original creations) that adds a lunar surface to the set. The kit itself was already a fitting tribute, and a highlight of the short-lived "Discovery" line of LEGO sets, but the landscaping (moonscaping) built by HotToadsToys brings this official kit to life.
Details: Michael Jasper has done a series of vignettes of historical figures, making use of very low piece counts, but incorporating pieces that most of us tend to overlook in very imaginative ways. His version of Francis Drake, pictured here, is a perfect example. In the stand for the globe I'm counting three pieces: an Islander minifig hair, a faucet tap, and a life preserver. And those legs/shoes are pretty obvious how to build when you look at them, but the average Zack doesn't come up with that. Very well done Michael! I also encourage you to take a look at some of the other historical figures he's done, like Alfred Nobel, Marilyn Monroe, and Vincent Van Gogh.
Details: OK, so this one blurs the rules a bit by using some non-LEGO parts, but it's also just an impressive ship. The builder claims that this ship is based on the original Krol Dawid ship, which fought in the Battle of Oliwa for the Polish Navy. I haven't found a good photo of the original (I'm sure you've noticed I've barely had time to blog here lately) but the details look fantastic no matter what. Wikipedia has the history of the original ship.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the LEGO brick. LEGO has a press release about the history of the brick up in celebration. Google has a special logo it honor of it (screenshot). I haven't heard anything about them releasing any sort of anniversary bucket (Usually LEGO releases special anniversary buckets at unusually low prices to commemorate events), but there is an updated version of the 1958 Town Plan set (and the updated version does have special gold bricks). LegOficina dos Baixinhos pulled up the original Danish patent, where you can clearly see that the Godtfred Kirk Christiansen applies for a patent for LEGO bricks on January 28th, 1958.
Details: Generally I try to avoid posting models that could be deemed offensive, but this one is timely and I bet that most people already know what's being depicted in this model. Things to note in this model are the use of scale, the way that the smoke was created using a mottled design of various dark colos, and the great use of half-stud spaces in the facade of the buildings. That fountain looks great too.
