Posted by
Dan
at
12:45 AM
| Name of Model: MegaCon 2014 Moonbase |
| Created by: GFLUG and "Orange LUG" |
| Found at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/moctagon/sets/72157638835134784 (and more - see roundup below) |
Details:  Last weekend, I was out at MegaCon 2014 with GFLUG, "Orange LUG", and the Bonahooms (of BrickWorld fame, there promoting the upcoming BrickWorld Tampa event). The main group build was a Moonbase-themed display, although it ended up being more "moon" than proper, standard-meeting Moonbase. In spite of my post here about the moonbase standard being the top Google result for "Moonbase Standard", I had actually never built a moonbase module before - something I rectified with an Alien Conquest-themed build (not itself worth featuring here, although I'm happy with how the corridors came out). There were other MOCs on display as well - many small things, a large train display, a LEGO-movie themed section, a fantastic twist on the Great Ball Contraption concept, and many MOCs based on various movies and television shows. You can see all of those in the coverage roundup below.
...but you probably shouldn't. You should go build some moonbase modules, right now. Moonbase isn't dead! Moonbase is easy! Moonbase is fun! You should build moonbase! Go, now, stop reading this and build some moonbase!
Coverage Roundup (trying to focus on LEGO-oriented coverage - there are some "interesting" cosplayers at this event, be warned that you're likely to see something Not Safe For Work in the background if you dig too far):
Moctagon Jones' Flickr photos
my (danny316p's) Flickr photos
Orlando Weekly slideshow
BrickRabbitt's Flickr photos (added 4/25)
Todd Thuma's Flickr photos (added 5/5)
As always, if you know of photos or other coverage I should have here and don't, you can leave a note in the comments or e-mail us at legomodeloftheday@gmail.com
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Posted by
Dan
at
11:34 PM
| Name of Model: AquaLAB |
| Created by: bort138 |
| Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294857@N08/sets/72157624970481537/ |
Details:  As I've mentioned before, there are never enough good Aquazone models. At some level, I can understand the distaste - as the first "playtheme", Aquazone looks a little like the beginning of an annoying trend to long-time LEGO fans who preferred the days of evergreen themes always being available. Alas, the days of always having Town, Space, Castle, and Pirates around are behind us, and we're now stuck in the world of themes rotating in-and-out every two years or so for the foreseeable future. In spite of that baggage, though the Aquazone theme actually was pretty interesting, and since it lasted three years originally AND has had two reboots, it's arguably an "evergreen" theme itself (a recent BrickJournal issue recapped LEGO's on-and-off habits with underwater themes).
This is not "just" an Aquanauts base, though - it's built as several modules in the moonbase standard. This was actually featured as part of the Space layout at BrickCon 2010 (which worked well as a way to open up the theme and include this in a collaborative layout). The details on this model are every bit as stunning as its size - while the vehicles around the AquaLAB look like they could be sets, every one of them is an original creation. All of the modules are fully furnished - this is one of the few bases that actually has enough amenities to function as real living quarters for its inhabitants. The modules even have removable roofs so that you can see all the interiors. True to theme, there's also a room for processing crystals.
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Posted by
Dan
at
11:14 PM
| Name of Model: moonbase |
| Created by various people, but today's photos are offered on flickr by: jonpalmer |
| Found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bumcrush/sets/72157624888198989/with/5015218913/ |
Details:  LEGO Space fans have a hard time putting together group layouts. They, understandably, used to feel pretty left out when fans of other evergreen themes put together large collaborative set-ups - while there are relatively simple ways to set up town layouts or giant castle battle scenes, it's not terribly easy to create a space layout as a group. The Moonbase standard is an attempt at creating a standard for a large, planet-based space station so that LEGO conventions can include a cohesive giant Space display. Inevitably, there are still more spaceships than will really fit on the layout, but it's still the best way for space-loving builders to work together and create something enormous.
While the popularity of moonbase has waxed and waned over the years (primarily as a result of the moonbase website being available on a less-than-consistent basis), it retains a presence at seemingly every convention of adult fans of LEGO (or "AFOLs"). Now, the photos explaining how to build in this standard are saved in the flickr set I'm featuring today. If you're registered for an upcoming LEGO convention, you no longer have "I can't find the standard!" as an excuse for not joining in the space-y fun. |
| This is Sunday's model of the day |
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Posted by
Dan
at
10:26 PM
| Name of Model: MicroMoonbase | | Created by: graviton | | Found at: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=156604 | Details:
 A while back, adult LEGO space fans came up with a standardized format for an on-planet space station so that glamorous space layouts could be assembled quickly at LEGO enthusiast events. That system is called "moonbase", and I'll blog more about it (and its constraints) another day. Today though, I'm featuring a microscale variation on the concept - small sections of planet surface in an extremely small scale (even smaller than the standard minifig scale used for most moonbase modules). For obvious reasons, there are lots of cool little tricks hidden in this model. I like some of the clever uses of color to make the different sections distinct as well. |
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