Issuu

BRICKJOURNAL #13

BRICKJOURNAL #14

BRICKJOURNAL #15

BRICKJOURNAL #16

Special EVENT ISSUE with reports from BRICKMAGIC (the newest US LEGO fan festival, organized by BrickJournal magazine), BRICKWORLD (one of the oldest US LEGO fan events), and others! Plus: spotlight on BIONICLE Builder NORBERT LAGUBUEN, our regular column on minifigure customization, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions, spotlights on builders and their work, and more!

Discover the world of stop-motion LEGO FILMS, with brickfilmer DAVID PAGANO and others spotlighting LEGO filmmaking, the history of the medium and its community, interviews with the makers of the films seen on the LEGO CLUB SHOW and LEGO.com, and instructions on how to film and build puppets for brick flicks! Plus how to customize minifigures, event reports, step-by-step building instructions, and more!

Looks at the LEGO MECHA genre of building, especially in Japan! Feature editor NATHAN BRYAN spotlights mecha builders such as SAITO YOSHIKAZU, TAKAYUKI TORII, SUKYU and others! Also, a talk with BRIAN COOPER and MARK NEUMANN about their mecha creations, mecha building instructions by SAITO YOSHIKAZU, our regular columns on minifigure customization, building, event reports, and more!

Focuses on STEAMPUNK! Feature editor GUY HIMBER gives a tour with a look at his work, DAVE DeGOBBI’s, NATHAN PROUDLOVE’s, and others! There’s also a look at the history of LEGO Steampunk building, as well as instructions for a Steampunk plane by ROD GILLIES! Plus our regular columns on minifigure customization, building tips, event reports, our step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions, and much more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

Don’t miss our own BrickMagic Festival, May 2011 (in Raleigh, North Carolina) and Summer 2012 (in Orlando, Florida)! For more information, go to: www.brickmagic.org

BRICKJOURNAL COMPENDIUMS Before it was a print magazine, there were nine original DIGITAL issues of BrickJournal, only released online from 2005-2007. Those first nine digital-only issues are finally available in PRINT FORM FOR THE FIRST TIME in our BRICKJOURNAL COMPENDIUMS! Each full-color trade paperback offers a wealth of information and building tips on all things LEGO®! (NOTE: These are DIFFERENT ISSUES than BrickJournal #1-16 shown on this flyer.) QUANTITIES ARE LOW: ORDER SOON TO PREVENT FURTHER SELL-OUTS!

Y: SORROUT! SOLD

COMPENDIUM 1

Features interviews with LEGO car builder ZACHARY SWEIGART (showing his version of the time-traveling Delorean from the movie Back to the Future), JØRGEN VIG KNUDSTORP (CEO of LEGO Systems, Inc.), Mecha builders BRYCE McGLONE and JEFF RANJO, paraplegic LEGO builder SCOTT WARFIELD, BOB CARNEY (LEGO castle builder extraordinaire) and RALPH SAVELSBURG (LEGO plane builder), REVEREND BRENDAN POWELL SMITH (author of the LEGO version of the Bible), NASA Astronaut Trainer KIETH JOHNSON, JAKE McKEE (Global Community Director for The LEGO Group), JASON ALLEMANN on recreating the spacecraft from 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Make Contact, features on the BIONICLE universe, how to make your own custom bricks, plus instructions and techniques, and more!

COMPENDIUM 2

COMPENDIUM 4

Features interviews with MIKE WILDER (about using a Mindstorms robot to film a 3-D documentary) and MARK LARSON (creator of the Fabuland Housewifes online comic strip), ALBAN NANTY on his LEGO-based Star Wars® film, plus features on LEGO character sculptures, tutorials on LCad software for creating projects, an examination of LEGOLand’s history, behind the scenes at a LEGO factory, building big with LEGOs (from castles and rollercoasters to ships and skyscrapers), creating custom minifigures, instructions and building techniques, and more!

Spotlights a Lego art show, building a larger-than-life Yoda, an interview with LEGOLand builder GUY BAGLEY and a top LEGO Star Wars set designer, how to build a DROID STARFIGHTER, a LEGO POKÉMON character gallery, a look at the POWER FUNCTIONS electric building system, a visit to an amazing STAR WARS LEGO DISPLAY in the United Kingdom, coverage of the 75th Anniversary celebration at the LEGO headquarters in Denmark, LEGO event reports, building instructions and techniques, and more!

(224-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $34.95 ISBN: 9781605490021 50% OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME AT www.twomorrows.com

(256-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $39.95 ISBN: 9781605490199 15% OFF AT www.twomorrows.com

(256-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $39.95 ISBN: 978-1-893905-97-9 15% OFF AT www.twomorrows.com

COMPENDIUM 3 IS SOLD OUT!

But all nine of the original digital issues in the Compendiums are available online as DIGITAL EDITIONS for $3.95 each.

MINIFIGURE YOU CAN BUILD IT BOOK 1 & 2 CUSTOMIZATION: Compiles step-by-step instructions by some POPULATE YOUR WORLD!

Full-color book with step-by-step tutorials on customizing LEGO® Minifigures, showing decal design and application, color alteration, custom part modification and creation, plus tips on minifigure displays and digital photography to capture your custom figures in their best light! Learn the tools to use, plus tips and tricks from professional customizer JARED K. BURKS (known online as Kaminoan), and see a gallery of some of the best custom figures ever created!

of the top custom builders in the LEGO fan community! BOOK ONE is for beginningto-intermediate builders, and features instructions for creations from a fire engine and Christmas ornaments to miniscale models from a galaxy far, far away! BOOK TWO is for intermediate-to-advanced builders, with more detailed projects to tackle, from a miniscale yellow castle and miniland people, to a mini USS Constitution! Together, they take you from novice to expert builder, teaching you key building techniques along the way!

(80-page FULL-COLOR trade paperback) $9.95 • (Digital Edition) $3.95

(80-page FULL-COLOR trade paperbacks) $9.95 each • (Digital Editions) $3.95 each

TwoMorrows. Celebrating The Art & History Of LEGO.

TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • Visit us on the Web at www.twomorrows.com

BRICKJOURNAL ISSUE 13 • FEBRUARY 2011 • EVENT WRAP-UP: BRICKMAGIC • BRICKCON • BRICKFAIR • BRICKWORLD • FANA’BRIQUES • LEGO INSIDE TOUR • GREAT WESTERN LEGO SHOW

Festival for LEGO Fans

The Magazine for LEGO® Enthusiasts of All Ages! Issue 13 • February 2011

8.95

in the US

Making the Rounds at the Major LEGO Fan Conventions BrickMagic Brickcon Brickfair Brickworld Fana’briques PLUS Builder Profiles Instructions AND MORE!

74470 23979

50% more space than last year, for even more LEGO fun in 2011!

THE MAGAZINE FOR LEGO ENTHUSIASTS OF ALL AGES! ®

Raleigh

2011

Festival for LEGO Fans ®

Presented by TwoMorrows Inc. and BrickJournal Magazine

MAY 5-8, 2011

DIEDGITIITOANSL E

BL BRICKJOURNAL magazine (edited by Joe AVAILANLY O Meno) spotlights all aspects of the LEGO® R FO 95 Community, showcasing events, people, and $3. models every issue, with contributions and how-to articles by top builders worldwide, new product intros, and more. Available in both FULL-COLOR print and digital editions. Print subscribers get the digital version FREE! LEGO, the Minifigure, and the Brick and Knob configurations are trademarks of the LEGO Group of Companies.

PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS: Six issues $57 US ($75 Canada, $86 elsewhere) DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: $23.70 for six digital issues

BRICKJOURNAL #1

BRICKJOURNAL #2

The ultimate resource for LEGO enthusiasts of all ages, showcasing events, people, and models! FULL-COLOR #1 features an interview with Certified LEGO Professional NATHAN SAWAYA, car designs by STEPHAN SANDER, step-by-step building instructions and techniques for all skill levels, new set reviews, on-the-scene reports from LEGO community events, and other surprises!

This FULL-COLOR issue spotlights blockbuster summer movies, LEGO style! Go behind the scenes for new sets for INDIANA JONES, and see new models, including an MINI FLYING WING and a LEGO CITY, a lifesize IRON MAN, plus how to CUSTOMIZE MINIFIGURES, BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS, a tour of the ONLINE LEGO FACTORY, and lots more!

(84-page print magazine) SOLD OUT (Digital Edition) $3.95

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND

• Meet Certified Professional LEGO builder SEAN KENNEY, and help him build!

• See a huge hall of custom LEGO CREATIONS by top builders from around the world! • Dive into the FREE BUILD ROOM and create with tons of loose LEGO bricks! • Attend WORKSHOPS on BUILDING TECHNIQUES and MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZING!

at the Hilton North Raleigh 3415 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27609 Private builder convention: Thursday and Friday Public Hours: Saturday 10-5 • Sunday 10-4

Sponsored by: BRICKJOURNAL #3

• See non-stop animated LEGO FILMS! • Watch a ROBOTICS COMPETITION by FIRST® LEGO® League teams! • Shop for hard-to-find LEGO parts and sets, and buy our special LIMITED EDITION EVENT KIT, available only at BrickMagic! (Preorder your Event Kit now to avoid a sellout!) • Enter the COOL CAR CONTEST and LEGO CAR RACE, see presentations on MINDSTORMS, creating LEGO MOSAICS, and more!

SINGLE-DAY TICKETS: • Adults (age 17-up): $12 • Kids (age 4-16) and Seniors: $8 • Age 3 and under: FREE (Moms are HALF-PRICE on Mother’s Day with a paying child or spouse.)

PRE-ORDER ONLINE & SAVE $1 PER TICKET! Over 8000 attended in 2010! Order now to avoid lines at the door (and a possible sell-out)!

BRICKJOURNAL #5

BRICKJOURNAL #6

BRICKJOURNAL #7

Interviews with LEGO BUILDERS including cover model builder ARTHUR GUGICK, event reports from BRICKFAIR and others, touring the LEGO IDEA HOUSE, plus STEP-BY-STEP BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS and TECHNIQUES for all skill levels, NEW SET REVIEWS, and an extensive report on constructing the Chinese Olympic Village in LEGO!

Event report on the MINDSTORMS 10th ANNIVERSARY at LEGO HEADQUARTERS, Pixar’s ANGUS MACLANE on LEGO in filmmaking, a glimpse at the LEGO Group’s past with the DIRECTOR OF LEGO’S IDEA HOUSE, event reports, a look at how SEAN KENNEY’s LEGO creations ended up on NBC’S 30 ROCK television show, instructions and spotlights on builders, and more!

Spotlight on CLASSIC SPACE SETS and a look at new ones, BRANDON GRIFFITH shows his STAR TREK MODELS, LEGO set designers discuss their work creating the SPACE POLICE with PIRATE SETS, POWER FUNCTIONS TRAIN DEVELOPMENT, the world’s TALLEST LEGO TOWER, MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION, plus coverage of BRICKFEST 2009 and more!

Focuses on the new LEGO ARCHITECTURE line, with a look at the new sets designed by ADAM REED TUCKER, plus interviews with other architectural builders, including SPENCER REZKALLA. Also, behind the scenes on the creation of POWER MINERS and the GRAND CAROUSEL, a LEGO BATTLESHIP over 20 feet long, reports from LEGO events worldwide, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

• Special discounted hotel rate: $84/night • Attend the public event on Saturday and Sunday, or be an exhibitor ($50 fee) and display your creations, and attend the private convention Thursday & Friday • Vendor tables: $100 each (limit of 4)

For more info or to order tickets or preorder your Event Kit, go to:

www.brickmagic.org BrickMagic is not part of The LEGO Group, but is sponsored by them. LEGO, the Minifigure, and the Brick and Knob configurations are trademarks of the LEGO Group of Companies. Wall•E (by Angus MacLane) TM & ©2011 Pixar. Sean Kenney and frog photos courtesy of & ©2011 Sean Kenney.

BRICKJOURNAL #4

Event Reports from BRICKWORLD, FIRST LEGO LEAGUE WORLD FESTIVAL and PIECE OF PEACE (Japan), spotlight on our cover model builder BRYCE McGLONE, behind the scenes of LEGO BATMAN, LEGO at COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL, FIRST LEGO LEAGUE WORLD FESTIVAL, plus STEP-BY-STEP BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS, TECHNIQUES, and more!

or call 919-449-0344

BRICKJOURNAL #8

BRICKJOURNAL #9

BRICKJOURNAL #10

BRICKJOURNAL #11

BRICKJOURNAL #12

We go to the Middle Ages, with a look at the LEGO Group’s CASTLE LINE, featuring an interview with the designer behind the first LEGO castle set, the YELLOW CASTLE. Also: we spotlight builders that have created their own large-scale version of the castle, and interview other castle builders, plus a report on BRICKWORLD in Chicago, ands still more instructions and building tips!

BrickJournal looks at LEGO® DISNEY SETS, with features on the Disney LEGO sets of the past (MICKEY and MINNIE) and present (TOY STORY and PRINCE OF PERSIA)! We also present Disney models built by LEGO fans, and a look at the newest Master Build model at WALT DISNEY WORLD, plus articles and instructions on building and customization, and more!

BrickJournal goes undersea with looks at the creation of LEGO’s new ATLANTIS SETS, plus a spotlight on a fan-created underwater theme, THE SEA MONKEYS, with builder FELIX GRECO! Also, a report on the LEGO WORLD convention in the Netherlands, BUILDER SPOTLIGHTS, INSTRUCTIONS and ways to CUSTOMIZE MINIFIGURES, LEGO HISTORY, and more!

“Racers” theme issue, with building tips on race cars by the ARVO BROTHERS, interview with LEGO RACERS designer ANDREW WOODMAN, LEGO FORMULA ONE RACING, TECHNIC SPORTS CAR building, event reports, instructions and columns on MINIFIGURE CUSTOMIZATION and MICRO BUILDING, builder spotlights, LEGO HISTORY, and more!

A look at school sculptures by NATHAN SAWAYA, builder MARCOS BESSA’s creations, ANGUS MACLANE’s CubeDudes, a Nepali Diorama by JORDAN SCHWARTZ, instructions to build a school bus for your LEGO town, minifigure customizations, how a POWER MINERS model became one for ATLANTIS, building standards, and much more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $3.95

Issue 13 • February 2011

Contents

From the Editor.........................................................................................2

People

Building a Calling Card........................................................................3 Yul B. Karel, Robot Builder.................................................................6 Norbert Lagubuen, BIONICLE Builder.....................................8 Jesper Jørgen: Blacktron.................................................................12

Building

Classic Set Spotlight: Blacktron Alienator...........................14 Losing the LEGO Aesthetic...........................................................17 Minifigure Customization 101: Minifig Displays..........20 You Can Build It: CIS AAT................................................................24 Reviews: Harry Potter Sets: Hogwarts Castle and The Burrow........................................26

Community

Bricks of Character...............................................................................30 Tribute: Nate‘Nnenn’Nielson......................................................37 British Bricks: The Great Western LEGO Show................43 BrickMagic: Capturing the Magic............................................48 Brickworld, Brickfair, Brickcon: A Scrapbook....................53 Fana’briques 2010: Five Years of Success............................62 LEGO Architecture Show...............................................................64 Tribute: David Jezek, Founder of Bricklink.........................68 Inside the LEGO Inside Tour.........................................................70 AFOLCon: A new LEGO event...................................................74 A Duck Tale: A Story of a Symbol..............................................76 Community Ads...................................................................................78 Last Word...................................................................................................79 AFOLs...........................................................................................................80 Right: One of the layouts from Brickcon’s Big in Japan display.

From the Editor: It’s the wrapup! Here’s an issue that highlights some of the big events of last year - not all, but the ones we could get into this page count!

February 2011 Issue 13

Editor in Chief Joe Meno Photography Editor Geoff Gray Business Manager and Proofreader Carin Proctor Proofreader Coy and Trey Brewer European and LEGO Group Bureau Editor Megan Rothrock Japanese Bureau Editor Nathan Bryan West Coast Editors Todd Kubo Ashley Glennon

Contributors:

Micah Berkoff, Jared Burks, Zander Coleman, Christopher Deck, Dirk Denoyelle, Warren Elsmore, Joe Evangelista, Keith Goldman, Kristian Hauge, Jason Head, Iain Clifford Heath, Jesper Jørgen, Yul B. Karel, Norbert Lagubuen, Paul Lee, Lino Martins, Joe Meno, Thierry Meyer, Huw Millington, Jennifer Joy Poole, Megan Rothrock, Jordan Schwartz, Patrick Seet, Eric Smith, Bjarne Tveskov, Tommy Williamson, and Greg Hyland. Many thanks to the websites who have served as mirrors for BrickJournal: www.LUGNET.com, www.Brickshelf.com, www.peeron.com, www.brickmodder.net www.rustyclank.com

About the Cover: Setting up for Brickworld.

We have events from all over the world, including the US, France and Indonesia! Also we talk with a person who builds in a theme that hasn’t been in BrickJournal for a while...Bionicle! Finally, we are looking at classic sets... We also have a review and the usual departments with their instructions and thoughts on building, so what are you waiting for? Start reading!!!

Joe Meno Editor P.S. Have ideas or comments? Drop me a line at admin@brickjournal.com. I’m open to suggestions and comments and will do my best to reply. P.P.S....... Yes, BrickJournal has a website — www.brickjournal.com! Twitter? Yep, there too - http://twitter.com/brickjournal. Facebook? Yup - http://www.facebook.com/ group.php?gid=58728699914&ref=mf. Or you can scan the bottom codes with a QR reader! P.P.P.S. If you want info on a subscription, you can go to: http://twomorrows.com/ index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78&products_id=616 or scan below!

Website

Glossary

Twitter

AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) NLSO (Non-LEGO Significant Other) MOC (My Own Creation) TLG (The LEGO Group) BURP (Big Ugly Rock Piece) LURP (Little Ugly Rock Piece)

Facebook

Subscriptions

POOP (Pieces—that can be or should be made—Of Other Pieces) SNOT (Studs Not on Top) LUG (LEGO Users Group) LTC (LEGO Train Club)

LEGO®, TECHNIC, MINDSTORMS, Belville, Scala, BIONICLE, ExoForce, Mars Mission, World City, and other LEGO theme lines are trademarks of the LEGO Group of companies. All articles, photos, and art are copyright BrickJournal Media, LLC 2008, TwoMorrows Publishing and the respective writers, photographers, and artists. All rights reserved. All trademarked items are the property of their respective owners and licensees. Subscriptions are $57USD Media Mail, $75 Canada, $86 International Surface, $128 International Airmail and can be purchased at www.twomorrows.com or payment sent to: TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614 USA. The editorial/advertising office address for BrickJournal is: BrickJournal Editor, 5600 Oak Meadow Lane #1108, Raleigh, NC 27612 USA or admin@brickjournal.com. First Printing. Printed in Canada. ISSN 1941-2347. BrickJournal and its staff would like to thank the LDraw community for the software it makes available to the community, which we use for making all of the instructions and renderings in this magazine. We would especially like to thank Kevin Clague for his continued upgrades of the LPub tool that is a part of the LDraw suite. For more information, please visit http://www.ldraw.org.

People

Dirk Denoyelle:

Building a Calling Card

Dirk with the completed mosaic.

Article by Joe Meno Photography from Dirk Denoyelle 3

People

Norbert Labuguen:

BIONICLE Builder Article by Joe Meno and Norbert Labuguen Photography by Joe Meno and Jason Head

Norbert Labuguen poses with Shadow Scorpion.

Norbert Labuguen is a BIONICLE® builder who hit the convention scene this year in the US with a bang - he recieved multiple awards in the first two conventions he has attended for his models. He fits his building in with his job as a In-House Reservations Agent for a large hotel in Long Beach, California and as a staff volunteer with Comic-Con International: San Diego. His education (which has become handy with his building) is a Biology Degree with an option in Zoology from California State University, Long Beach. Norbert chatted with BrickJournal about his building and his convention experiences. BrickJournal: Norbert, how long have you been building? I started building at the age of 6. When I was 18, though, I only had a few sets, so I pretty much only collected until I was 20. It has been 21 years on and off since I started seriously as an AFOL. Did you start in BIONICLE, and if not, what did you start building in? The first set I collected was the Monorail Transport System (#6990), circa 1987. I also had a few Space Police sets as well. I did not do anything seriously until 1990 when I could afford to buy more sets. These were primarily space and aquatic/ submarine themes.

“

Raging Minotaur was inspired by the minotaur in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.

”

Bricks by the Bay 2010 Best Original BIONICLE Creation, (Judges Choice)

What inspired you to go into BIONICLE building? I was drawn to the strange angular and curved shapes that BIONICLE had to offer as well as the mechanical elements from Technic. Having been an action figure collector, I felt familiar with the weapons, accessories, gears, moving parts, and points of articulation. The inspiration began with the precursor to BIONICLE, Throwbots/ Slizer. I collected multiple sets and built larger versions of some of the models. Then I thought outside of the genre and I built a 12-inch-long yellow scorpion. What was the first BIONICLE model you built? I collected all the original six. I think I purchased Pohatu and Onua first. I know that I have more multiple copies of these sets than the other four. I built larger versions of Pohatu and Onua. Where did you start displaying your models? At Comic-Con International San Diego 2009, I saw a flier for Bricks By The Bay (BBTB) 2010. BBTB was the first ever first LEGO fan convention I have attended.

Classic Set Spotlight

Set 6786: Blacktron Alienator

Article, set art and interview by Huw Millington Additional photo provided by Bjarne Tveskov Name: Theme: Pieces:

Alienator (US), Strider (UK), Space-Rider (Germany) Space/Blacktron 82

Minifigs: 1 Availability:

Brickset User Rating:

1988 - 1991 4.6/5

Hi, I’m Huw Millington, owner of Brickset.com. This is the first in a series of articles in which I’ll be looking back at much-loved classic LEGO sets. I’ll tell you why I’ve chosen them, what Brickset users think about them and, hopefully, we’ll track down and interview the set designers to find out about them from LEGO’s perspective. With so many to choose from it’s obviously going to be a difficult task selecting which sets to feature. For this first article, I’ve chosen one of my personal favourites, the Blacktron Alienator or Blacktron Strider as it was known in the UK. The original Blacktron sets were released in 1988 and were the first space sets that weren’t white, blue or grey. Although they were black and yellow spacecraft, and its all-black minifigs with black visors looked menacing, there was no mention in the 1988 catalogue that these were ‘baddies’ however I suspect many kids thought they were. It was not until 1989 (when the original Space Police sets were released) that it became apparent that they were, in fact, the bad guys in space and were being pursued and captured by galactic law-enforcement agencies for crimes unspecified. The Alienator was the smallest of five sets in the original Blacktron space sub-theme (one of which, the Renegade, was released only in North America). In my view, it is the best of the theme. The Alienator is a heavily armed bipedal walker and it did not take much imagination to picture it plodding over dusty planet surface leaving a path of destruction in its wake. As well as introducing a new colour scheme, Blacktron sets also included another cool feature: modular design. They all split into multiple sub sections which were held together with Technic pins. Not only could you recombine parts from the same set to make different vehicles, but if you had more than one set you could combine parts from them all to make all manner of spacecraft and wheeled vehicles. So, what makes this a classic? As well as the great colour scheme, minifigs and modularity shared with other Blacktron sets, what makes this one special is its design and selection of parts. There had been several two-legged space walkers released previously but this was the first that actually looked as if it could walk. It was

probably inspired by AT-ST walkers from Star Wars, which of course LEGO didn’t license for another 12 years. It looks functional, efficient and intimidating. The low-slung cockpit overhanging its legs gives it the look of a plodding beast. Its legs move forward and backwards and with the aid of the ‘hand of God’ (user’s hand - Editor’s Note) it can walk across the floor. The rear section is hinged to reveal a cache of weapons. It’s heavily armed with rockets and ray guns. And that’s just the main model... Back in the ‘80s LEGO took the time to illustrate other models that could be made with the parts on the back of the box. They didn’t provide instructions, merely inspiration. The parts selection in the Alienator was so flexible that all three of the alternate models were good enough to be main models in their own right. So, the combination of colour, design, flexibility and parts selection are the reasons that this set deserves to be called a classlc. Here’s what Brickset users have said about the set in their reviews: “It’s amazing what can be made with this. Even the alternate models are just as good... So much flexibility and intimidation in one set. It’s great how you can interchange parts with other Blacktron sets.” – Snake “All the parts in this set are just superb.

Designing the Blacktron Alienator: An Interview with Bjarne Tveskov BrickJournal: Blacktron was a radical departure from the space sets before it in that they were black and looked ‘evil’. How did it come about? Did you design them as bad guys? How did you end up with the black/yellow colour scheme? Did you try others? Bjarne Tveskov: The company Tyco was quite aggressive in the US construction toy area in the mid-eighties and I think it’s fair to say that Blacktron was somewhat of a response to the market situation at the time. The first three Blacktron sets were designed during the summer of 1986 by three different designers plus our boss Jens Nygård Knudsen. I guess the colour combination we used was done to signal danger like a wasp or some kind of mechanical insect from outer space. I can’t recall if we tried other colours, we were in quite a hurry working during the summer holiday. But we usually did try different combinations. For instance, Space Police 1 was supposed to look like Futuron, only with green transparent parts, looking 15

Building

Minifig Customization 101:

Minifig Displays! Article by Jared K. Burks and Matt Sailors (theinformaticist)

It has been some time since this article series has started and if you have been following along since the beginning you likely have quite the collection of custom figures to display. If not, you likely have quite the collection of official figures and perhaps you want to display these as well. How can this be done? Well, there are multiple products out there and multiple ways to use them. In this article we will visit the ones I am aware of and the ways I use them. If you know of others please log onto my forums and share your options (www.fineclonier.com/Forums) and we can all compare notes. I will also disclose a few ideas I have had to create some new options.

Let’s begin this review of the available display options by looking at what the LEGO® Group has given us to use to display our figures. I bet there are more than you realize and these options are typically the ones that best integrate into our LEGO collections. The most recent display stand that the company has given us accompanies the new “Minifigures” line. This simple little plate (Tile, Modified 4 x 3 with 4 Studs in Center: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=88646) which is quite effective for displaying figures and is economically priced around twenty cents on Bricklink. Collectible Minifigures base.

Minifigure display base minifigure sets sold in 2000 (Star Wars, Rock Raiders, Ninja, and City) and 2003 (Sports).

Display board using the minifig display bases.

This plate is also similar to the display plates that LEGO gave us a few years ago. These tiles (Modified 6 x 6 x 2/3 with 4 Studs and Embossed Letters: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?pg=3&catString=38&catType =P&v=2) came with a few sets and had the embossed words “Star Wars,” “Sports,” “Rock Raiders,” “Ninja,” or “City.” These came in various colors and all but the “Star Wars” versions can be found for pennies on Bricklink making it an economical way to display your figures. This little stand features a card slot which means you could display your figure with a nice little printed backdrop or figure schematic. When displaying my collection I use many of these stands along with a special board I had made (seen below). The plates slide into a special slot cut into the board that makes display shelves for the figures.

Let us not forget that LEGO has also supplied us with magnetic stands (Magnet, Brick 2 x 4 Sealed Base with Extension Plate with Hole: http://www.bricklink. com/catalogItem.asp?G=74188). These are likely the most economical currently as they are in high supply on Bricklink. They are also available in several colors.

Much like my display boards described above these could be used in several creative ways to display figures. Just think of what could be done with these and a magnetic dry-erase board. To take it one step further, there are now magnetic paint primers. You could paint the wall of your LEGO space with a magnetic primer, use a colored paint over the primer and then display all your figures without placing a single nail in the wall by using these magnetic stands.

Minifigures magnet base.

Magnetic dry-erase board.

Using bricks and tiles you can create individual displays stands, risers, and even display boxes. Many of these have been built and displayed. With a Google search, the instructions can sometimes be found. Get creative and you can build all sorts of displays to house your figures.

Photo by Larry Lars.

Built base for minifigure.

Photo by Ace Kim.

A built minifigure display pod.

Review

Harry PotterTM Sets:

Jennifer Joy Poole has been building and displaying LEGO® scenes from all seven Harry Potter books for some time, so it only makes sense that she review a couple of the new HP sets that just came out. Known as the “Harry Potter Girl” on the East Coast, she reviewed the sets from two points of view: that of an adult builder and also an avid Harry Potter fan. Following are her comments. A couple years ago I was told by a LEGO contact that the Harry Potter license would never again grace store shelves, so the about-face on the company’s part was cause for celebration. I had gotten used to the notion that I would have to customize minifigs and pick my own scenes to make sets. I am overjoyed that I have a vast array of new flesh-colored characters to use, though I will have to continue to make do customizing Dean Thomas since he is dark-skinned. There is still a lack of diversity in the LEGO minifigs, and this is a case where a more balanced approach to them would be really appreciated.

Hogwarts Castle and The Burrow

Review by Jennifer Joy Poole Photography by Jennifer Joy Poole and the LEGO Group

Hogwarts Castle The newest Hogwarts Castle is a very good playset. I think it would be great for boys and girls and most AFOLs. There are rooms for Gryffindor’s common room, Slytherin’s common room, the Room of Hidden Things, the restricted section in the library, the Great Hall, Dumbledore’s office, and the Astronomy tower. Kids can reenact what they read in the book or watched in the movies. AFOLs can marvel at the design of the castle itself and secretly plot to make a full castle in their spare time - or perhaps I’m the only one? Hogwarts Castle is large and some took some time to build. LEGO has gotten so good at bagging their sets that it’s very easy to build one section at a time. The outside of the castle seems to be very similar to the original HP castle (4709) stylistically. It looks cleaner with no plastic shingles on the Great Hall. The new 10 X 10 octagon modified plate makes the “tower” a far more interesting shape.

A look at the floor plates.

However, there are architectural problems with the great hall. The four 4X12 grey plates that create the base do not connect perfectly. To create more stability, the designers could have used an 8 X 12 or even a 16 X 12 plate. The large table must be attached in order to reinforce the plates, otherwise the bottom grey plates will detach from the rest of the building when moving the great hall. The castle walls are also rickety. Although the 1 X 2 dark tan bricks near the base of the great hall create a good decoration, they cause the 1 X 2 tan pillars to be less structurally sound. The walls do not tighten up until the top two 2 x

8 brown bricks are attached. This causes the brown bricks to meet at an odd angle. As the build continues, the walls get stronger but there is no hope for the bottom if, again, the table is not attached. There is another minor complaint: Having read the HP books several times, there is an internal logic where rooms are in the castle. When I was building the Room of Hidden Things and the Room of Requirement on the ground floor, it was confusing before I reminded myself it was a LEGO set. From the books, I know that the Room of Requirement is on the seventh floor near Dumbledore’s office and the library is on the fourth floor, but that does not make for a fun Harry Potter LEGO set to play with. The fact that those areas were included, though, was great. There is a very good collection of characters in this set: Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Voldemort, Flitwick, Filch, Mrs. Norris (the cat), and the Dementors. I am personally most excited about Mrs. Norris since I have always wanted to make a scene from the 2nd Harry Potter book with her in it. Harry, Hermione, and Dumbledore all feature two different faces. I am a huge supporter of always providing two faces to every minifig head. However, the Dumbledore head seemed a bit confusing, as one side has him with glasses and the other without, with no expression change. I also didn’t understand why a Ron minifig was not included. I know he is in other sets, so his absence felt weird to me. On the other hand, the inclusion of Harry’s invisibility cloak is an awesome little touch that shows this is a Harry Potter set, not just a one-off Castle set.

Above: The castle exterior. Below: Closeups of the interiors.

An aside: All the new minifigs of the Harry Potter characters from the most recent sets are almost straight out of the HP LEGO video game. I personally thought that was very cool. Since you can see the minifigs in action in the video game, it seems to bring more life to the real minifigs. If you have collected the former Hogwarts castles, here are my suggestions to make an almost complete Hogwarts. Combining the new castle with selected elements from the previous castles will enable you to have a more complete and realistic Harry Potter castle. Take the Clock Tower from set 4757 and the greenhouse and small building from set 5378, and the resulting creation will look much more complete. I purchased a second castle to be able to create Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, as they can be built with the same set. You just need blue and yellow chairs and banners or shields. I am having some banner stickers made based on the HP keychains from the HP LEGO video game.

Building

Iain Heath:

Bricks of Character

Article by Iain Heath Photography by Iain Heath, Tommy Williamson, Micah Berkoff, Lino Martins and Joe Meno

The LEGO® community has two main strengths: fanaticism, and diversity. It’s also very large. Ok, so it has three main strengths: fanaticism, diversity and largeness, and an unshakable loyalty to the LEGO Company and its products. Four! Four main strengths: fanaticism, diversity ...ok, let’s quit while we’re ahead, and just focus on that diversity part, shall we?! Since you’re holding an issue of BrickJournal in your hands (or tentacles) then it’s fair to say you’re a LEGO fan, and that you didn’t just get your first LEGO set from Granny this past Christmas. And as a LEGO fan, you probably have a particular “thing” that you like to do, right? Maybe you love collecting Star Wars sets, or having huge Medieval battles with your friends, or creating Steampunk vehicles inspired by your favorite anime. Or a hundred other things. And that’s my point - we’re a very diverse bunch! Within the LEGO community you’ll find many “hubs” centered around different themes like these. Some are pretty well known, such as Space, Castle, or Trains, while some are less well-known, like Microscale, Caver Racers, or Frogspace (don’t ask). If you’ve ever been to a public LEGO exhibition or attended a LEGO convention, you’ll have seen special areas devoted to these themes. So what do you do if your creations don’t fit into one of these categories? Which table do you put them on? This was the conundrum that faced me when I got involved in my first LEGO convention!

In the Beginning

So how did I get into this pickle? I’ve been collecting and building LEGO sets all my life. Back in the day, when people still wore Brylcreem, LEGO bricks were pretty basic. You had about 6 colors to work with, and even fewer shapes. The humble cheese wedge was but a twinkle in some future LEGO designer’s eye. So playing with LEGO bricks required a lot of imagination! A yellow brick stacked on a blue brick was Mr Spock. It was that simple.

Then one day, the LEGO Group invented the minifig. And they liked the minifig, and saw that it was good. And we kids

thought it was pretty cool, too. Now we had Space and Castle and Town and Pirates, and a couple more colors to work with, and things were swell. Swoooosh! Ka-pow! Then one day, the company said to the minifig, “Go forth and multiply into about a million different themes, most of which shall fizzle after about a year.” And the minifig said, “OK, but I’m going to need a lot of complex specialized parts for each theme, for no apparent reason.” And the LEGO Company made it so. And almost went out out of business. But then LEGO discovered licensed themes, and balance in the Force was restored.

Dumbing Things Down

So that’s the situation I found myself in by the end of the 90’s. Minifigs and themes were two of LEGO’s greatest innovations. But I found it very hard to do anything with LEGO outside the scope of minfig-based, theme-based play. As an adult, I wanted to find something more creative to do with my collection. But it was comprised largely of minfigs, minifig accessories, and horrendous “one use” bricks such as the bathtub brick. And there was no Internet-based LEGO community to inspire me yet. When I had kids, I decided to turn my LEGO collection into the ‘family’ collection. And I tried an experiment. I removed all the minifig-related parts, and those bathtub bricks, reducing it to just basic bricks. But as a compromise, I kept a couple of minifigs (a wizard, a spaceman, an explorer, etc.). I figured these would give the kids a focal point for building. But instead they just used the minifigs like action figures, and ignored the regular bricks. ...welcome to Surprised-ville. Population: me! I quickly realized I’d have to lead by example, and build stuff that was way cooler than those stinking minifigs! I began with small models of my favorite mythical creatures. Then I moved onto characters from our favorite TV shows. And soon the kids started to get the idea. But by accident, I had also finally discovered what I wanted to do with LEGO. I had a purpose.

Brickcon 2010 in Seattle, Washington.

HALO® Spartan built by Shawn Snyder.

Community Think back to a time when clowns making balloon animals was funny; when magicians could amaze you with simple sleight of hand by making a coin disappear and then pulling it out from behind your ear; and a time when a simple shape could be turned into just about anything that your imagination could conjure. This feeling does not last forever though, usually just as long as your childhood will allow. But there are times that make you feel like a kid again where everything is magical and everything you see is new. This past May was such a time thanks to the new LEGO® fan convention BrickMagic.

BrickMagic 2010:

Capturing the Magic Article by Joe Evangelista Photography by Joe Meno

Top: Cinderella Castle from Walt Disney World. Below: Crowds make their way through the displays during public hours.

It’s a good time to be an Adult Fan of LEGO (AFOL), or any aged fan of LEGO for that matter! There is so much positive news coming from the company these days, and that excitement is carrying over into the growing number of LEGO conventions that have begun tapping into that enthusiasm. There has been a vast increase in the number of people attending conventions. To answer the growing demand, BrickMagic was held on Mother’s Day weekend (May 6th – May 9th) at the North Raleigh Hilton in Raleigh, NC. Although it is brand new to the convention circuit, it has perhaps made one of the strongest waves in quite a while. The event allowed fans to return to a familiar place – their version of the Cheers bar: a place where everyone knows your name. The convention floor became a walking version of Facebook. You could see what everyone was working on (similar to a live picture album), view their current status (progress or lack thereof depending on how they had packed for the trip), and randomly talk with friends that you have seen only once before whose names you still struggle to remember. Running a convention in today’s LEGO fan environment is not an easy thing to do. While years ago fans were content to simply gather together and be in the same room talking shop about their favorite hobby, today there are many expectations that need to be met in the minds of most AFOLs. We as fans have gotten spoiled in the past with lavish hotel settings, immersive panel discussions, challenging build competitions, great prizes, and official set unveilings. With all of that (and more) to live up to, how can a new event meet the bar that has been set by all of the conventions that have come before it? Know your audience and know what makes them tick (or at least tickles their fancy). BrickMagic also had an ace up its sleeve in the form of an organizer, Joe Meno, who is no stranger to conventions and has run them for the community in the past. And while he won’t tickle anything for you, he will regale you with stories of conventions past and find you a place to call your own in any setting.

Meno, John Morrow, and the rest of the organizers were able to successfully incorporate all aspects of a great show and still maintain a healthy balance between the exclusive AFOL convention and the public showcase. The private convention for fan exhibitors became home for 95 fans who filled a 10,000 sq. ft. Hilton hotel ballroom with amazing creations. The 8,000 public visitors rushed through the doors all weekend long to see what fans had brought to share. From pirates to western, numerous train layouts to Harry Potter, castles to spaceships, and everything in between, there was something for everyone at the show. And if 95 fans can fill a space that large with that much variety, just think what they’ll do with even more space for next year’s event! In addition to the main convention hall, BrickMagic featured the standard array of ‘brick vendors’ selling everything from basic LEGO (both new & used) to custom LEGO compatible gear. Conventions in general are a great way to stock up on retired sets and pick up some fun custom parts to add some variety to your collection. Custom part makers BrickForge and BrickArms were both in attendance to cater to some of the fans’ more realistic demands – historic weapons & armor, farm animals, Vespa scooters, modern weaponry, and of course mushrooms (because nothing speaks to the fact that you’ve been up all night building better than a mushroom patch). But the real show started on the night of Wednesday May 5th, just before more exhibitors had even arrived. Thirty minutes away from the convention space at the xyz theater in Durham, the BrickFlix event not so silently kicked off the festivities for the long weekend. With a sold-out family show and a well attended late show, audiences were able to view a variety of LEGO stop motion animation films in an actual theater! No more small computer monitors to squint your eyes at – BrickFlix showcased high quality videos at a larger than life size! David Pagano, well-known in the Brickfilms world, was in attendance to answer questions from young fans and showcase some new films he had just finished shooting. Expect to see this event to return at future BrickMagic conventions. BrickMagic also saw the launch of a new book – LEGO: A Love Story – written by newcomer fan Jonathan Bender. His book chronicles how he came out of his “Dark Ages” (a period of time when LEGO is buried in the closet because it is seen as un-cool) and came to fall in love with the simple act of building creations with the little bricks that helped to define his childhood. “I could not have asked for a better first event to launch the book. The crowd was enthusiastic and interested in finding out more about what was inside the book. A few AFOLs really helped me out by keeping me company and talking about the book on the public days. I really enjoy conventions, it’s a chance to see what people have built in person, talk about different building techniques – it’s kind of a dream LEGO vacation. The only thing I would have changed (thankfully) is that I would have brought more books. We sold out by lunch on Sunday.” In the book, Jonathan chronicles his early experiences in finding the LEGO fan community. Apparently he has been to quite a few conventions, as BrickMagic did not seem to intimidate him at all. “The adult fan community is incredibly welcoming. Something about playing with LEGO bricks just seems to attract nice people. And although I’ll admit it’s a bit strange to be coming to a convention with a book about the world of conventions, any worries about fitting in disappeared when I found myself helping Joe Meno carry in some of Nathan Sawaya’s sculptures just a minute or two after saying hello.”

Jonathan Bender with his book.

The Pennsylvania LEGO Users Group (PennLUG) tends to its display. Other user groups that participated included the Washington, DC Metro Area LEGO Users Group (WAMALUG) and the North Carolina LEGO Users Group (NCLUG). Below: David Pagano takes questions at the Brickflix Film Festival.

BrickJournal #13