Details: 20 inches by 20 inches (64 studs square) is a pretty small space, particularly if you're trying to build sprawling landmarks. It is, however, apparently enough space to capture the grandeur and distinctive architecture of St. Basil's Cathedral. Part of Moscow, Russia's Moscow Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990, the cathedral was built in the 1500's and was secularized in the 1920's. The unusual domes - bulb-like shapes that look more like onions than anything you'd normally see on a building - are naturally difficult to capture in LEGO form (and their colors only add to the challenge). I have a feeling that the Dome Creator software wasn't able to handle this one.
Beyond the domes, there are also some great techniques used to create details on the sides of the building. The bottoms of plates show outwards so that their undersides can form the texture of the walls. Wheel wells do a surprisingly good job of providing the arch shape found on the smaller spires. Hinge plates give several places angles to create octagonal and round-looking spires. A row of plates with clips allows for fence elements to face two different directions and still be connected firmly to the structure.
Details: I'm not sure quite how to describe this scale (it's definitely larger than minifig scale), but this Snoopy (from PEANUTS) is adorable. As some of the flickr commenters pointed out, the part selection could have been better - but that's besides the point, since this is part of the builder's attempt to build and photograph a new small model every day. It's hard enough just to write about a different model every day, never mind building and photographing a fresh one! In an apparent effort to completely show me up, the builder also pointed outthreeearlierSnoopy LEGO models for comparison's sake.
Details: Coaxial rotation is one of those concepts that used to constantly stymie Technic fans. Specifically, those of us who likes clocks. Surprisingly, while I've blogged a working grandfather clock before, I've never pointed out how hard it is to solve this problem. Or is it? In recent years, we've seen LEGO designers make frequent use of the once-rare transmission gear to allow multiple different speeds to be transmitted on the same axle. New for 2010, we even have a bevel gear that sits loose on an axle. To build clock hands, it's particularly useful to use that transmission gear with plates with toothedends (if you have some, that is - few molds from when LEGO liked that "toothed" system are still in production now. There were issues with the sturdiness of the parts, and the newer parts that replaced those elements are much more reliable).
Of course, all of these parts and issues from the past few decades can be worked around by using vintage parts. The earliest LEGO gears, released in 1965, don't connect firmly to Technic axles. They work with Technic axles, but these gears actually were around first. Not only do these work nicely for coaxial rotation, but since they're large enough to be used as clock faces anyway, you can also just build a hand directly onto one and use it as both a hand and the face of the clock.
That solution is clever enough, but this builder upped the ante by powering this with wind-up motors. The result is an analog clock that can really be wound. Follow the links above for video, photos, and more details (including some information on the escapement).
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Usually, when I see a model inspired by the Cafe Corner set or following the modular build standard established by that kit, I write about it at Brick Town Talk instead of here (if it hasn't been blogged there already). As I was prepping a post about this model for BTT earlier, more details started to stick out to me - enough to make me realize I should feature it here as well. While this isn't quite a reproduction of the original building that inspired it (shown above right), this conjures up all the right details from the original and fits it into a layout-ready 24 studs (sure, 16- and 32-stud measurements are more common, but it's easy to fit in any multiple of 8 studs as a building width). The gargoyle-esque bits on either side of the top window are Bionicle krana in white. I don't believe we've ever seen them used in a model for minifigs before. Above that same window, we also see a ball joint element and a tooth with axle hole used as architectural details. Spires are made from 1x6 curved slopes, and border detailing makes use of many 2 x 2 curved slope pieces. All those clever bits come in before you even get to the gorgeous detailing at the windows!
Details: Generally speaking, there aren't that many textures that you can get out of standard LEGO pieces. Sure, you can stretch the limits by turning pieces in every direction - the bottoms and tops of pieces have different textures than what we're used to seeing on the side. Here, a combination of a large (looks like miniland to me) scale, that technique of using every side of the brick, and intentional disassembly make this house look abandoned and worn down. The close-up shots give away some of the magic: cheese slopes and front-facing tiles without bricks behind create the rustic look of the snow-covered walls, some parts (like this door) just aren't attached, and open spaces between plates give the illusion of rotting wood (the use of angled tiles in that photo is surprisingly effective too). The kicker? This is this builder's first creation since getting started as a LEGO hobbyist. Some people just have too much of a talent for this...
It's been a strange week in the LEGO robotics world. It appears that community hub http://nxtasy.org/ is not going to be coming back online. http://www.mindboards.net/ has now surfaced as a potential replacement - and frankly, it's got enough of the Mindstorms community's "stars" involved that it should have no problem bringing in most of us from nxtasy. These new forums are tied to a SourceForge project that aims to gather information, tools, and software for use with the NXT (presumably other LEGO programmable bricks as well, but NXT is the main focus). The site is still in it's infancy but worth a look if you're into Mindstorms.
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It was Brickcon time again this weekend. As I'm writing this, the festivities aren't over yet, so expect this page to be updated with more links over the next few days (or weeks - sometimes people take a while to upload photos, but we keep compiling them). We've previously covered the new set unveiled over the weekend.
On to the photo links (again, we're still adding these - if you know of photos or other coverage that we don't, send in your tips to legomodeloftheday@gmail.com):
Expand your very own wizarding world of Harry Potter™!
No need to pass through the Leaky Cauldron. Now even Muggles can shop in Diagon Alley by building this fantastically magical set that includes 3 extensively detailed buildings and 11 minifigures! Join Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as they shop for their Hogwarts school supplies. Visit Ollivanders, Borgin and Burkes, and Gringotts Bank. Each Diagon Alley building is realistically detailed. Ollivanders offers an extensive selection of wands, storage shelves and a step ladder that allows Ollivander to gather wands from the top floor. The front desk has an “exploding” function for those inconvenient times when a spell goes awry. Borgin and Burkes includes a scary skeleton, “glow-in-the-dark” elements, a fireplace attached to the Floo Network and a Vanishing Cabinet that Dark wizards might use to sneak into Hogwarts. Gringotts Bank is an impressive two-story building with large double doors, and can be opened completely into one large building or closed to create one smaller building. The bank’s interior features a removable vault, along with the Philosopher’s Stone, a clerk’s desk, a chandelier and ‘wonky’ support pillars. Includes 11 minifigures: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, each with magic wand; Rubeus Hagrid, equipped with his pink umbrella; Fred and George Weasley; 2 Gringotts goblins; Mr. Ollivander; Lucius Malfoy (with Death Eater disguise); Fenrir Greyback; and 4 new, decorated owls.
Includes 11 minifigures: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, each with magic wand; Rubeus Hagrid, equipped with his pink umbrella; Fred and George Weasley; 2 Gringotts goblins; Mr. Ollivander; Lucius Malfoy (with Death Eater disguise); Fenrir Greyback; and 4 new, decorated owls!
Diagon Alley is made up of 3 extensively detailed buildings: Ollivanders, Borgin and Burkes and Gringotts Bank!
Ollivanders features lots of wands, storage shelves and a step ladder that leads to the top floor!
Front desk at Ollivanders has an “exploding” function!
Borgin and Burkes includes a skeleton, “glow-in-the-dark” elements, fireplace attached to the Floo Network and even a Vanishing Cabinet!
Gringotts Bank is a two-story building featuring large double doors!
Open Gringotts Bank completely into one large building and explore inside or close it to create a smaller building!
Gringotts Bank features a detailed interior with a removable vault, the Philosopher’s Stone, clerk’s desk, chandelier and ‘wonky’ support pillars!
Includes 11 minifigures: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, each with magic wand; Rubeus Hagrid, equipped with his pink umbrella; Fred and George Weasley; 2 Gringotts goblins; Mr. Ollivander; Lucius Malfoy (with Death Eater disguise); Fenrir Greyback; and 4 new, decorated owls!
Additionally, there's an official set of photos that was released to a few of the larger fan sites - this set seems to include a few (including minifig close-ups) that are not on the official page for this set.
Details: Coming in surprisingly close to minifig scale, this elephant is a great alternative to the official (and now hard-to-find) elephant from a few years back. The most unusual element here, the Cylinder Hemisphere 3 x 3 Ball Turret, makes for great feet. The slopes work out just right, and all of the other extremities came out great too - the two tusks use small spike elements, a 3-long axle forms the tail, and click hinges get the proper (and pose-able!) trunk look. Did I mention that the legs are built upside-down and connected through Technic pins to create joints? That feature is shown off in some fun riding Spartan photos of this model (the cart for riding the elephant isn't bad either, but isn't historically accurate).
Details: Medium lime is one of those rare colors that you almost never see people use. It's just too difficult to gather up enough of a parts selection in some colors to really build much of anything. Today's featured model is the first I've seen rise to this challenge. Apparently based on the movie How To Train Your Dragon, this dragon's construction uses a plate with clip/pneumatic T technique to create this dragon's two long necks. That's right - a fantastic use of a rare color that only uses one part, repeatedly (quantities of obscure parts like this are usually available for sale on BrickLink).
I can't speak for how true this is to the source material (I've never seen the movie - how was it?), but I love the scene built around this dragon. The landscaping looks very realistic and the diverse plant life adds extra detail without being too distracting. Most (maybe even all) of the plant techniques have been used before, but they're used well here - I specifically like how bushes were stacked upside-down to make a tree.
This builder has apparently decided to stick to the theme of making minifig-scale models based on the movie How To Train Your Dragon; a second model has already been posted.
20 inches by 20 inches (64 studs square) is a pretty small space, particularly if you're trying to build sprawling landmarks. It is, however, apparently enough space to capture the grandeur and distinctive architecture of St. Basil's Cathedral. Part of Moscow, Russia's Moscow Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990, the cathedral was built in the 1500's and was secularized in the 1920's. The unusual domes - bulb-like shapes that look more like onions than anything you'd normally see on a building - are naturally difficult to capture in LEGO form (and their colors only add to the challenge). I have a feeling that the Dome Creator software wasn't able to handle this one. 
) is adorable. As some of the flickr commenters pointed out, the part selection could have been better - but that's besides the point, since this is part of 
, this dragon's construction uses a 
