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Hello everybody! It's been a while since my last creative input here, my apologies. Thus I am very happy to share something with you again. Besides mini model building, I am also a great fan of alternate building with the 3in1 Creator sets. These often come with a great parts variety and are a great source of inspiration. I very much like building alternate models with the whole parts of these sets to go beyond the official builing proposals, but not so this time! Today I would like to show you what can be done with the leftover pieces once you built one of the official building proposals. The set 31066 Space Shuttle Explorer was released in the year 2017 and unfortunately already disappeared from the market. However it is still widely available via online shopping. The set contains 274 pieces plus 12 extra parts, and has instructions for 3 main models: Space Shuttle (no leftover pieces) Surface Station (97 leftover pieces) 6-wheeled Rover (127 leftover pieces) Looking at the big number of leftover pieces, a new idea comes to mind: Additional models from the leftover pieces instead of new alternate models! The idea was to create an entire small space theme becasue there was none in the year 2017. Of course this entire project seems meaningless with regards towards the new official city space theme released in the new catalogue 2019. But I will share the general idea with you anyway. Image 1: Primary model - Space shuttle, no leftovers. Image 2: Secondary Model - Surface Station, 97 leftover pices! Image 3: Space Hopper built from the leftover pieces of the official surface station model. Image 4: Space Hopper and Surface Station. Image 5: Secondary Model - 6-wheeled Rover, 127 leftover pices! Image 6: Communications Antenna built from the leftover pieces of the official Rover model. Image 7: Communications Antenna and Rover. Image 8: The complete space theme consisting of 3x set 31066. So when you build a different model besides the primary model, have a look at the leftover pieces, there's lots of potential in them! Have a good time and happy building! ~ Chris

Do you feel that Creator's Three-In-One line is underappreciated to any degree by AFOLs? If so, why? Is it the limited color selection for most of its sets historically? Is it due to its tendency towards usage of more basic, preexisting bricks and/or parts within its sets? Is it the Three-In-One alternate build approach its sets take? Is it due to its historical tendency towards usage of only preexisting minifigure prints and/or parts? Is it due to its historically limited coverage of other playset subject matters, themes, and genres? Is it simply not as exciting as other themes and offerings from Lego? Is it something else altogether entirely?

It's been a while, sorry for that, but I can finally present you with the interview I had last year during the LEGO Fan Media Days 2017 with Micheal (Mike) Psiaki, LEGO Creator and Creator Expert Designer at TLG. (sorry for typo's and spelling mistakes, it's not 100% checked and verified) INTERVIEW You are Creator Expert designer. Are you involved in modular buildings? So far my involvement with modular buildings has been more like doing some of the small details and not the building itself but in the future you can probably expect to see some module built by me...we'll see *laughs* I'm asking because we do have a lot of questions about modular buildings, but we'll just ask and see if you can answer them. One of the questions is; how do you determine the next modular building? You'll probably have a long list of potential buildings. Normally when we're developing a new model we actually kind of go through a lot of different...uhh...not necessarily committees, but a lot of different people at LEGO are involved in choosing what the new product will be. We've been pretty fortunate with the modular buildings. They've been quite successful, so all those different...stakeholders we call them ...are quite trusting of us. And they pretty much let us do what we want. So normally when you're making a new model you're coming up with a lot of different proposals and showing ideas to a lot of different people and they're giving their input and then you're narrowing it down, but with modular buildings we can essentially choose what we want to do, just as a design team. And then you just do it. So for the last, for the last.... forever, Jamie (Jamie Berard, https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/creatorexpert/explore/designer-bios/jamie) has essentially been in charge of that and he will just make the make model that he and maybe one or two other people agree on should be the next one. As to how that will go in the future...uhhh...I'm sure Jamie will still be involved. But yeah we do have a list of buildings that we have kind of made our dream list of...eventually we need these things. We'd like to do these things in City. But then also sometimes we just have a more generic idea, like, hey, let's do a restaurant. Uhmm...trying to think what the first modular building was, that I was involved with...was the Parisian Restaurant. In that one, the idea had just started out that it would be a restaurant and then it kind of took on a Parisian style throughout the development and ended up as it was. So it's usually a very loose idea like that, that the model with start with...like the brick bank was just a bank. That's the only idea and then however that evolves was like, adding things later on, like, let's have this laundromat on this side and all that stuff is just kind of what we just add in as we please. The building style you choose is obviously depending on the model you choose. But like you said you chose a restaurant and then it turned into a Parisian restaurant. How does a process like this go? This all comes down to like, traditionally it's just been Jamie working on these models and what we do a is we just kind of build all year long, we've just seen what new elements are coming in. We're just building kind of little funny things like...uhmm...on the Parisian restaurant, there's this detail with the feathers that go along the top. You know, I think Jamie had that sitting on his desk for like six years or something. One day he got some of those and made this thing into something that could be a funny detail in a building eventually. And then those are just kind of start getting pulled together and you start to see a style emerge. It's almost just letting it happen. So taking some choice details that we want to put in and the style kind of emerges from that and then other things will change to fit that style. So I don't know that we've ever really made a conscious decision of this. You know, when we start from the beginning that this building will be this style and we'll kind of work towards that style. It's more we're going to we're going to make something that we think is cool and nice. And when sthe style kind of come in, then we'll go back and kind of refine things to match the style, if we feel the need to do that. Some generic Questions about the Creator Expert series. When is a set considered expert in the Creator series? What are your goals? So Creator and Creator Expert are two totally separate product lines at this point. So it's not like we start with an idea and then we develop it and then we decide, is this Expert or is this regular Creator? So for Creator Expert we're already thinking; this is the portfolio that we want to make for the next year and in Expert we want to make models that are for higher age fans. Adults, older kids, we are calling everything 16 plus, I think for the most part. The Winter Village ones are a little more down in age, so we start with that idea that we're building a model for more hardcore LEGO fan. What is it we do then that will make it appealing to them? It's a lot about how the model is built. It's kind of different techniques we use, but it's also about what parts we use. So we want to use fun kind of new different building techniques or just really crazy things building techniques in really wild ways. We also want to use parts that are fun or that are either in new colors or new shapes or just not seen before. Like on this one (10257 Carousel) where we're using a dinosaur tail in a City wheel arch to make the shape. It's doing things like that, that really kind of is the DNA of what makes something Creator Expert. Is it Creator Expert because it's hard to build or the use of different parts? I think it's more that it's harder to build because it's Creator Expert. Because we know we're making an Expert model, we say, whatever we have to do to make this look cool, we'll do that. It doesn't necessarily have to be super complicated but we have a way that we want things to look and generally you have to build things in a complicated way in order to get these results. Like on this car, you know, in order to get the wheel arch so smooth you have to do a lot of weird things to get stuff in it. We never do things intentionally just to make it difficult, but we find ways to make the models as appealing as possible. What are the key components in choosing a Creator Expert set for next year? For example, which percentage is driven by data? So, previous sales or simply 'that would be good to do next'? Well that's a tough one to answer. I think we are taking a lot into account of the market research that we do. It's not so much based on previous sales, but it's also that we have a lot of check ins throughout the year with different leaders in LEGO and so they're the ones that are deciding ultimately what will sell or not. We can come with an idea like, all we know about this is that we think it's cool. And then it's up to them to determine, will this sell? Do we believe that we can sell enough of these? We ourselves, we don't have to do a ton of market research, but eventually that gets done by people to determine if the idea will be getting out. For us it's a lot of thinking about what we would like. Me, I love airplanes and I love helicopters, so I'm always trying to say, hey we've got to do this, we've got to do this *laughs* For example; let's say you know there was a carousel not too long ago and there will be a carousel now. Do you come up with the idea to build a new carousel? Because it hasn't been so long before the other one was released. So a carousel sells? Well, that's part of it. But also we knew that we wanted to make this a new fairground, or another ride for the fairground, so we had the mixer and we had the Ferris wheel and we knew we wanted to do another ride. And we actually built four different models, four different concepts. And there was one of them that needed more development (red. Roller Coaster). It was too early. We didn't have the parts we needed to make it into reality and some that were a little more obscure. The carousel was the one that was the most promising to do that year. But the other part of it was that the carousel before this we actually had some stability issues. So after 11 months we pulled it off of the market. So it was a very short run. And so we saw that it was a really sought after set. So because of that we thought, if it had had its run and been on the market for two or three years then that's fine, you know, let it go, give it some time before we do it again. But then it was only around for 11 months and it had stability issues, but we still saw people were asking about it so much that we thought OK why not make one that is stable, that is good and that we can relaunch. The stability issues they had something to do with the animals going up and down? No the issue was actually that the old carousel was built on a 48x48 base plate. so it was fine when it was sitting there. But then if you picked it up from the plate and tried to move it, it would actually break apart. That's the reason you don't use baseplate now?. On this one we didn't use a baseplate. On the original carousel everything except the baseplate essentially is moving. On this one we have a ground level. This level is also stable to create a nice solid base that you can then actually, you know, lift the model up from that base. You shouldn't have any issues. That was the idea. And what was the reason for omitting up and down movement because that was pretty cool. No this has that. Oh, I was misinformed. This one is not going up and down. The other four going up and down (points at the animals on the carousel). The reason that we thought, you usually see it on the carousel where one animal is stable. So maybe that's for the grandmother or child and the other thing is, that there's also a mechanical reason for that. I wanted to have the stairs here. To sort of balance out the load of the function. It made sense to have no load on the other side as well. And actually the frog is a funny one because the frog had only the leg hopping. Are there also test groups for expert adults? We do both, that is, we were testing with adults, but also with kids. Eventhough you know it is for adults, we still want the kids to be able to play with it and have fun with it. Because ultimately when you buy it on the box then it says 16 plus, but as soon as you take it home and you build it in your home and it's there sitting on the counter, it's a LEGO model and to kids a LEGO model is for them. Are certain Creator Expert sets more popular in certain countries? And do you take that into consideration? When we make products, our goal is that we can have appeal everywhere. I don't know the data on which ones perform best in which countries. I don't actually know any of that off the top of my head. How long does it take to bring and initial concept to store shelves? From the initial concept it's about a year and a half and about eight months of that time is spent actually from the initial concept until the time we say the model is finished. And then from there it's eight months for production to get everything ready and actually have the final product ready for the shelves. So it's not like we're just one person sitting working on this for eight months but it's that we start out when we have the idea of a fairground, and then it's, ok, let's build a bunch of different concepts. Select the one that's best and do some development on that. Is that in line with a City set, for example? Yes. Everything has essentially the same development time frame. But when we choose, for example, when you're doing this one, that you're not working on another product as well. But if you're working in City you may be doing three models at the same time. Is that the reason that there's only one Modular released every year? It's not so much about that we don't have the resources to do it. It's more that we just don't know that there's that much demand for modular buildings, that people need to be bind to more than one every year. And we see it as a collection thing, that people want to collect the whole series so that if you start to release multiples every year then that's starting to be a really big.... it's a lot then to buy the whole series. So we feel right now, and it could change in future, that one modular building per year that's a good amount to have a collectible series and to build up anticipation and that is something that people could feasibly collect. So as soon as you start to put out two hundred and sixty dollar models a year all of a sudden everyone just had to double their budget in order to collect the whole series. How many Creator Expert sets are being released per year? In 2016 we had the Brick Bank, we had the Beetle, Big Ben and the Holiday Train. So traditionally we do four models a year. You might see that change. You might see it go up or down. Let's see...laughs. I can't say any numbers for this year. There will be others this year. I won't say any more than that. Do you also interact with other themes, because we also went to the Friends theme. There's a roller coaster in Friends. Is something like that possible in the Creator Theme? We all were in one big building, all the designers. I like to wander around and see what other people are working on. I don't know how well this fits with the Friends roller coaster but it is a similar theme. That one was actually being developed almost a year before this (Carousel) so it's very much different wavelengths. Our team, the Creator Expert team, we actually sit right with the regular Creator theme in one team so we interact with them quite a bit. The Friends Theme has roller coaster now yeah it's been pretty cool for the Expert team. Maybe one day we could do something like that. The release of the Caterham set, does that influence a potential release over another car in Expert series? While we won't do a Caterham, I'll tell you that, it doesn't make any changes to our plans. What we're trying to work out that we don't do cars that are too similar, so we kind of try to work together with them (LEGO Ideas) to make sure that we're not overlapping too much on the cars that we do. But it is a bit of a delicate relationship between us and ideas, what products can we do and what products are getting suggested on their site. There's quite some overlap in potential sets? Yes. Actually, the Saturn 5 rocket I've been proposing that as a Lego set five years and no one is listening to me. And then when I saw it on on Ideas I was like oh please, let it go through. I was actually really frustrated when I saw it go through because I thought that means they've already chosen the designer and they've started development on it. So what I did, is we have a digital system where we have all our models. And so I thought, okay, well let's see if they did anything good and when I looked in there to see if I could find it and there was nothing. So I immediately called up the project and I said; who's doing that model? I want to be part of it. We don't have anyone yet. So that was really cool to get to be involved in it. What was your role in the development of the Saturn? Myself and Carl (Merriam) were the two designers working on that model together. We started with the fan design and then we just turning that into something of an official LEGO set. Actually the first thing that we did was we build it that size to show how look at how cool this is so big. We actually changed the diameter of the original submission. They started to base their model on a section that covers the lunar lander and the diameter of the rocket was actually way too big for that. So we actually scaled down the main diameter, but we also found a way to build it so it's really round. So we didn't stay very true to the original model, which we don't talk a lot about. Essentially we just said we're going to make the model we want and we'll do your idea of a one meter tall Saturn V. But still I think the lunar lander and the little details are quite similar. The way that I see LEGO Ideas is that it's it's just an idea, it's just to say, to me the idea is a 1 meter tall Saturn 5 rocket built of LEGO. The specific details of how they built the engine it's not important. We do that however we find it's best to do. That's my view of it. Some people see it differently. And what do you think the reason was for not listening to you when you proposed the Saturn V? I didn't have any data to back it up. So it's just my opinion of saying this thing is cool. So in that sense I actually really appreciate LEGO Ideas that someone could say, hey this is cool and a lot of other people agree with you. And do you think it would have made a difference if you would have built a sample rocket to show them, like here's what we can do. I don't think so. I wish you could come in and see our office it's just full of so many cool models. We can go there now *laughs* Another question which may be hard to answer but it's been asked like it's been a while since there's been a Creator Expert Train, not counting the Holiday Train. Can you shed a light? You won't say yes or no but I mean; people seem to like the Expert Trains. The problem we the trains is that people don't like them that much. When we make our product line for the year we can only do four, maybe sometimes five, products in that year and then we look at what are going to be the most popular things. That's what we want to do. And every time we've done a train we always hear that people are really excited. But then every train that we've made will never perform as well as the other models that we make. And so it seems like there are two explanations. Either trains aren't as popular as people say they are or we just haven't been able to figure out how to make the right train. I think that it's more the second one that we haven't figured it out. I think the challenge with trains is that they're very kind of regional. There's very few world famous trains. Whereas with cars, everyone knows the Volkswagen Beetle and probably everyone has even driven one. But when you talk about trains; if you're from France you want a TGV. If you're from Denmark you want the Danish train. If you're from the US you want probably the Santa Fe. It's hard to pick what is the one that will have that universal appeal. We can definitely make a train. We can make a train that will be popular in France. We can make a train that will be popular in the US. We struggled to find what is an icon of a train that has universal appeal. And surprisingly the Winter Village train, that one has been quite a hit. So I think we can learn from that to figure out how could we do a train in the future. Do you think it could be option 3 that people won't buy a train because they think; well I don't have a train set. I don't have the tracks, so it's useless to me? That could be an option yeah. Generally when someone's buying an Expert model they've already bought a lot of other LEGO. So if they're buying an Expert train they probably already have tracks from other City trains that they bought. But it's a fair comment to say. I mean to your point, our holiday train, it does include track. And I think from my personal opinion the Winter Holiday Train is something you will buy because you collect the Winter Village sets. We will buy it. Not because we like trains that much or we want the tracks. So the thing is figuring out how can you get people, other than train fans, to get excited about this and that's what works at the Winter Holiday Train. You get everyone that's into the Winter Holiday sets and into trains, so maybe some train people will buy it. And everyone that's buying the Winter Holiday sets they will also be interested in that. So maybe we need a Modular Building with a train. Train Station maybe? *laughs* Some questions about miscellaneous themes that aren't released anymore or aren't released at all. I'm referring to, for example, Classic Space or Western themes, castles stuff like that. There are loads of things that aren't in current themes which could be released in Creator Expert. Do you consider making a castle or some Classic Space set in Expert? We definitely considered it. And it's similar to trains. For example, the Modular Buildings are actually part of the idea that they appeal to castle fans even though it's not a castle. It's a great way to get a lot of the parts that you would need to build a castle. Maybe more so with the older ones than with the newer ones where it got a little bit more wild with the colors, but I definitely wouldn't rule out Classic LEGO Themes. One of the questions that we have though with those is like with Classic Space is, was it so popular because there was no Star Wars? I mean when that was released there was no LEGO Star Wars. So that was the best LEGO spaceship that you could have. But now you could have the UCS Snow Speeder. So then how can we sell a classic spaceship. Will it live on nostalgia alone?Actually we begun some research to try to figure out just how powerful LEGO nostalgia is. There's some hesitation to just put a lot of faith in that, but it's not out of the question. So basically the Star Wars theme is one of the reasons that we don't have another space theme? Probably, we don't know exactly. It's not it's not 100 percent the reason that we don't do it in Creator Expert. There's other reasons as well, but having Star Wars is a reason that we don't necessarily do a second full space line line like that. And again that may change. There haven't been much Western's themes...at all. We used to have some sets, but aren't Western themes popular? I don't know about any of the market research on Western themes uhmm we'll see, I don't know...laughs. I love the old western theme actually. You know the LEGO Ideas projects made by Marshall Banana? Yeah the LEGO Western modular. I was looking at that and thinking, yes please do that. Like with the Saturn V. Please do that. I think it's the difficulty with something like that, of course they're really amazing models and they would definitely be really cool. But how do those fit in when we have the regular Modular Building line. If we introduce something like that, are we taking people away from the regular Modular Buildings. We can't just assume that when we introduce a product then people don't replace something else you know like, okay, now there's a new space theme. Now I don't need Star Wars anymore, so now all of a sudden Star Wars is nonexistent because I want to buy this new space theme. It's about striking the right balance of, we can only produce so many LEGO sets. And people only have room in their houses for so much LEGO. So when we think about making stuff for the AFOLs then it's just as much about are we giving them the elements, the bricks, in order to do what they want to do, instead of just give you exactly every model what you want just because we can only produce so many models. But we can we can make a dinosaur tale in blue. And I don't know what people are going to do with that but that's easy. You know we could make a whole car out of the weird Azure Blue color and then people can take that and they can build something really amazing with it. So for me I'm much more interested in trying to get fun and exciting elements into people's hands than just to make every single cool idea because there's an infinite number of cool ideas. you can see that on LEGO Ideas. there are so many cool projects but we will never be able to make all of them. Makes sense. Good explanation and I think you maybe right that classic feeling or that nostalgia is more of a feeling. Do you have any idea, like Bennys spaceship, did it sell well? Well I don't know the sales performance of this set. I'm really excited about the Saturn V combined with Benny's spaceship we're starting to see some real nostalgia for kind of this thing. I guess it's like the space race of the 1960s kind of nostalgia for that first journey into space. And I think that could mean a lot for LEGO in terms of what we make for products. Nowadays you hear more and more news about going to Mars in 10 or 20 years or so. Is that something that LEGO is looking into as well? Like maybe we can do Mars exploration? I shouldn't say anything about that. We're paying attention to a lot of things. How long have you been working for LEGO? In August I have been here for five years and I started on the Creator line in 2009. For the 2015 year I made the Ferrari F40 for Creator Expert and so from then until now I've been kind working half time on each and now I'm a full time only working on Creator Expert. Of course I did the Saturn V for Ideas and stuff like that. Interesting you bring up the Ferrari F40. One thing I noticed was it has different type of instruction booklet, outlining the parts you need to put on the model. I haven't seen that in the UCS Snow Speeder. Is that something that will be standard in newer instructions? I may be wrong on this but I believe we've implemented that for all Creator Expert products. Maybe not the Winter Village sets but I think all the others we now do, we outline the bricks in the right colors and that was an idea that the building construction team had when we were doing the Ferrari, because there was so much of the same color, they wanted to think of a way to highlight the parts. So did it work? Yeah because as you start building and then you don't notice it. And after a couple of pages you think; something's different. I didn't know what, so I was looking and thinking, they are outlining the parts! It's great! So I think you should do that for other sets as well. Some personal questions. How many sets have you designed? Somewhere around 20. What's your favorite? I'm really proud of the Saturn V rocket. But there's also a jet that I made for Creator. I think that's still my favorite because I love airplanes so much. Ok, thanks for your time.

It's 1964. Vietnam is starting. Martin Luther King receives the Nobel Peace Prize the year Nelson Mandela is jailed. Sony introduces the Video Cassette Recorder, and the computer mouse is invented. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor marry for the first time. The Beatles are riding high in international charts, but I want you to put I Get Around by the Beach Boys on your internal gramophone, grab your shorts and the keys to your Bug, and head on over to Californ-eye-ay coz' we are going surfin'! Apparently. The VW Beetle, or Volkswagen Type I, was already over 25 years old in 1964. It was conceived in Germany in 1938, but let's gloss over that part of its history; production didn't pick up until 1945. Over the car's 65 year production span, an astonishing 21 million were built; it is unsurprising therefore that the Beetle was named in 1999's Car of the Century competition as the fourth most influential car of the 20th century (after the Citroen DS? Really?) and that may explain its inclusion as the logical LEGO follow-up to 2014's 10242 Mini Cooper, which came second in that competition. Review: 10252 Volkswagen Beetle This is not The LEGO Co.'s first VW Beetle set. Believe it or not, it's not even the second - many of you will remember the largely studded 10187 from 2008. To find the first, we have to go all the way back to the first year of LEGO mass-produced toys - 1958 - when an ambiguously numbered die-cast metal 260 VW Beetle was available; several iterations of the Beetle featured in the early days of LEGO metal cars, including one from 1964, but I believe 10187 was the first to be built in LEGO bricks. This latest offering joins the Mini in the recently introduced LEGO Creator Expert range. It's a very different bucket of worms to the last Beetle, making use of curves and angles rather than its predecessor's studs-up sculpture, and ascends to the mainstream another peripheral colour: Dark Azure. Set Information Name: Volkswagen Beetle Number: 10252 Theme: CREATOR Expert Release: 2016 Parts: 1167 Figures: N/A Price: EUR €89.99 - 104.99 | GB £69.99 | US $99.99 | AU $149.99 | CA $129.99 | DKK 799.00 Links ... LEGO Shop ... Brickset ... Bricklink The Box Click for a larger full-frontal image The minimalist Creator Expert packaging shares more in common with the Exclusives sets than the main CREATOR range, but it's smart and allows the set picture to dominate. Here a surf-equipped Beetle drives itself (hilarity ensues) down a sandy track. The set manages to stand out even against the similarly-coloured sea; the choice of surf theme for the set really dictates the box art. I wonder whether the set's colour scheme was decided by the reference image, or whether the artist hunted around for a suitable image. If the latter, they found one, and it's displayed on the right hand side: Click for a larger image Judging by the roof rack, I think the set designer must have used this image for inspiration. It also affects the set's historical accuracy: the real-life Beetle here is a pre-1965 model, given the smaller window apertures. On the back of the box, the sentient car parks itself among the dunes, and leans its surfboard against a conveniently-placed inset of the set features: Click for a larger image I love that. The board even casts a shadow on the inset! The insets show off the set's salient features well, though the main image is rather similar to the box front and I would have shown the car's rear off here. The box measures H 279 x W 478 x D 72 mm (11" x 19" x 3" approx) and weighs 1352 g (3 lb). It is tape-sealed . On the underside is the Volkswagen licensing information, interestingly in the official VW typeface. As is customary for CREATOR sets, the set inventory is displayed on the box top. The Instructions Now, I was under the impression that The LEGO Company had listened to the whinges of its die-hard fan-base, and endeavoured to wrap the instructions and sticker sheets of the more expensive sets to prevent bad things happening. Not so here. My instructions were loose and crumpled in the box. I hope that is just because I have an early promotional copy of the set, and that this doesn't represent a policy change. The single, perfect-bound volume has a cover similar to the box front. There are no technical or historical tidbits, unlike the LEGO Ideas or Architecture sets; I'd like to have seen a bit of information about the Beetle, but not if it would inflate the price of the set. The instruction steps are clear, with part call-outs, and a handy yellow line to show you where new bits are added. This doesn't help when you miss an entire step, as I did! The only other problem I encountered was trying to identify the colour of a 1x1 round stud which looked either white or grey (but probably meant to be flat silver). Sticker Sheet Mercifully, my sticker sheet was only crumpled but not damaged by its journey loose in the box. There stickers are handily numbered, though not unfortunately in the order you apply them. There's a lot of redundancy here, so you can get away with applying as few as 12 of the 24 decals: stickers 13 - 16 are duplicated, and the instructions suggest only applying one of each. You can choose which country's registration to use, though I was delighted to find that there are tiles enough to allow you apply all of them, and change the registration plate to enable a James Bond escape or something. The countries represented are USA, Australia (I think, assuming 'QLD' is Queensland), the UK, and (West) Germany. The Parts The parts are divided into three modules, of 3, 2, and 3 polybags each, as shown here, and the tyres were loose in the box. My first task was to confirm the colour - having not read the official LEGO blurb, I did what I always do when confronted with an unfamiliar colour, which is compare it to a part in a known set. Most of our LEGO is packed away, but fortunately the kids came to the rescue. So Duplo confirms this blue is Dark Azure. The three modules' parts are laid out below. Click each frame for a close-up It's great to see such a large choice of parts in a relatively rare colour, previously found mostly on minifigs and Duplo, or, more recently, in Basic Bricks sets. Prior to this Beetle there were no plates available in Dark Azure. Whether this means there'll be an abundance of regular sets in this colour remains to be seen; I had high hopes for Bright Green after the CITY recycling sets a few years ago but nothing came of that. Unlike, say, Dark Green or Dark Red, I can't see that there'll be much demand for Dark Azure amongst MOCers, though it might make a nice base colour for a re-imagined Classic Space. Otherwise, there are a load of handy SNOT bricks and plates of various kinds, and a few parts of interest: The dark azure corner brick is a new part, ID 24599, and I think would be described as Brick, Round Corner 5x5. Its curvature matches that of the Brick, Modified 1 x 2 x 1 1/3 but it is only three plates high. The 24246 heel-print tile is new this year in a few Mixels sets, and only in white; 23443 bar holder with handle is new, and listed on Bricklink but not yet appearing in any sets. New to me are the 1 x 1 x 3 brick, though it's been around since 2014 and quite common, the Technic axle 3 yellow, and the Ring pull tile, which I can see being very useful. The Round 1x1 tile with gauge featured of course in the Mini and several other sets. The clippy plate is shown only because of the mold difference: both types occur in this set (or my copy, at least) - they are I believe Bricklink types b and d. Then of course there's the new VW print tile. The tile is light bluish grey with a slightly reflective 'negative' print; I would rather have seen a shiny VW 'positive' print on a darker tile, buy hey. There are two spares in this set and I can see these being useful for CITY cars. Finally, there's the vaunted 'updated windshield design': I didn't even notice this until I read the blurb when writing the review: hence the stickers are already on! The mold is a stud less deep, but still quite sturdy; this design would have been quite handy for the Mini whose older design windscreen is also shown here. The Build The build starts with the chassis and is largely pedestrian until towards the end of module one, where SNOT begins to be applied in more detail and things quite suddenly get exciting. In the interest of brevity, I will not describe the build process in detail here, but it is shown in detail on my flickr; I will instead show a few interesting techniques. This is the back end of the car, late in module 1: A large chunk of tan and bley plates and bricks has been inserted, studs facing to the rear, with male and female clips pointing upwards. It's not until module 3 that you find out what the clips are for - they attach the rear window and engine cover. Behind that, a light bley 2x2 SNOT plate tessellates perfectly with a dark bley 1x1 SNOT brick with two 1x1 bley plates: these hold the tail lights; this technique is used in a few places in the set. Interesting SNOT abounds (*thinks of children* ). Here the rear (centre) and front (right) seat uprights are made; the rear one makes use of a stack of headlight bricks alternating studs right/studs up to make a stud reverser that is exactly 3 plates wide; when combined with the left and right halves, this makes 20 plate-heights or exactly 8 brick widths - so the seat rear fits neatly in the gap. I'll remember that technique! The front seats use 1x1 bricks with studs on two sides; these seats are slightly wider than 4 bricks each as they don't need to fit into a confined space - see here (you can also see where I missed a step - the bley plates either side of the rear seat should be a brick higher ). The entire front end of the car is initially attached only via the front axle, and at a half-stud offset: This is then corrected with the judicious application of jumper plates. You'll be able to see more when we look at the underside later. More delightful SNOT-work builds the front wings, including a repeat of the tessellation I pointed out earlier: The small construction I have removed here contains a SNOT plate that is used to correct the sideways-facing studs shown in the picture. I love that sort of thing! You can also see how the headlights are attached, with a technique similar to the Mini's. You'll be able to see more when we come to the features, or check my flickr. The Finished Car I've chosen the German plates for my car, partly because it's a German car, and partly because I put the British number plate stickers on badly. Plus I built it left-hand drive before thinking about it (you can very easily convert it). It does also mean that I can point out The Significance Of The WOB. The bonnet boot luggage compartment cover (from now on, it's 'luggage cover' and 'engine cover', mkay?) has popped open in the above picture, which happens all too easily. Here it is from the reverse angle with the cover closed: The designer has gone to extraordinary lengths to recreate the challenging curves of this iconic vehicle. Look at the nearside headlight: below it is a SNOT-mounted 1x2 cheese wedge; above it a regularly-placed 1x1 cheese next to a 1x3 bow; the contour these form almost perfectly matches the curve of the new 5x5 cover piece forming the wing. The entire wing then marries reasonably neatly to the luggage cover, itself a two-part design attempting to recreate the curves of the real thing. Conscious as I am that the stuff on the roof distracts from the car itself, I removed it: You can see a bit more clearly how the wing curves of the 5x5 corner bricks matches the 1x1 modified bricks at medial ends of both front and rear wings. Strangely, without the roof stuff, the wheels and wings themselves start to look a little too chunky to my eye, but we'll do a formal comparison shortly. Note the use of the new bar with handle parts to mount the door mirrors. From this view, the problem with the car's windscreen is becoming increasingly apparent. There's something I just don't like about it, but it's hard to put my finger on what. Here's a comparison shot of a '64 Beetle: Image from photogallery.classiccars.com It's not a perfect comparator. The wings are indeed a little too chunky on the LEGO version, but that's not the problem with the screen; '64 Beetles had flat screens with an arch shape, which the dark bley tile above the screen fails to recreate convincingly. Let's look at it in more detail from the side: Image from lehnan.hol.es The rake of the windscreen is too steep. It's a small difference, and it ought to be subtle, but combined with the relative loss of curvature of the front end of the roof, it has a dramatic effect making the windscreen look more like a Citroen 2CV than a Beetle. However, aside from the chunky wings and steep windscreen, the overall shape is otherwise remarkably good. Let's move rearward, where things start to get better again. The wonderful curves continue towards the engine compartment: You can see how the tapered door pillar gives gradient to the side of the car, and the 4x4 corner slope helps to smooth the lines from the wider sides to the narrower rear. This part sits, incidentally, on one of these, which defines the slope of the rear window. The engine cover uses a SNOTty construction to achieve a half-plate step, giving the (faint) illusion of a lateral curve. The curves of the rear wings are a little fussier than the front ones, but they still create nice effect even if they are not quite as flared as the real thing: Image from foundonthestreet.net The LEGO version uses grille tiles to depict the iconic air-cooled engine intakes; the effect is not entirely successful, and I wonder if they might have been better off using these (or even these, if they were still available). I do like the rear lights; I'm tempted to replace the deeper of the two bley 1x1 plates under the amber light with a body-coloured one (there are spares in the set!). Front-on, the gap between the luggage cover and bodywork starts to show, but this is the only angle from which it's noticeable. The windscreen, again, looks odd, but the wing curves look great. The tyres are possibly a little too wide. This view isn't quite so forgiving of the rear, which looks better from oblique angles, but I still think the rear is the car's best side. Note the bumpers, made with modern curved pieces, with a hinge to help at the rear; they are nice (but they're crying out for some chrome). I'm conscious at this point that I'm being quite critical. Take a look at this shot from above: Look at the apex of the luggage cover at the front, and follow the ovoid line of the bodywork backwards, round to the side, and in again at the rear, and then back again; then look again at the curves of the wings, especially at the front; then compare to the schematic: It is a remarkable feat to get anything near to the shape of this delightfully contoured car in LEGO. And back down to earth, quite literally: The underside is remarkable for one point, which I alluded to earlier: the axles are not threaded through the chassis as you might expect, but attached almost independently until the structure is built around it. You can also see how the front end of the chassis sits at a half-stud offset, I think in order to accommodate the spare wheel. Features Now let's have a look in a bit more detail. We saw this earlier, but here's another look at the elaborate work going in to get the wings looking as smooth as possible. It's not the most elegant solution, perhaps, and not perfect, but reasonable. Behind the wheel you can see some studs facing outwards - these are from two inverted brackets that form the walls of the luggage compartment; the studs don't connect to anything. Talking of which ... ... here it is, and looking roomier than in real life. The black bit with the VW badge is the fuel tank. The spare wheel just sits there; it rattles around a bit. Being the same size as the Mini spare wheel, it's also too small when compared to the main tyres! Some fiddly jumper plates go to make the door attachment, but the result is smooth and surprisingly sturdy, if a little unsightly. The seat construction is gorgeous, and I like the telephone door handles. The gauge behind the steering wheel is the sole instrument on the dashboard. No radio? I've removed part of the roof to give a better view of the interior. Again, the seat construction is highly effective; it's not obvious here but they are mounted on jumpers to give a brick-wide gap between in which sits the handbrake. Towards the front is a gearstick, made simply from a classic space aerial, but which sits on a semicircular curved brick representing the transmission tunnel ... ... and which continues to the rear: Both front and rear seats flip forward; behind the rear seat is a luggage shelf - true to life - in which the Picnic Rug is stowed. Note further clever SNOT supporting the door pillars. I alluded to this earlier, but here is how the rear window and engine cover are fixed: The upward-pointing male clips hold the window; the two flat silver (these are the ones that caused me trouble in the build) 1x1 studs prevent the window collapsing in. It looks fiddly, but it comes together easily and is remarkably durable. And here's what's in the rear: This is a simple but reasonable facsimile of the VW aircooled engine of the original Beetle. It looks like it might be a rotary engine but it's actually a flat 4; the larger wheel looks like it might be the fan, but it's actually the fan pulley - the fan being in the round black thing behind. In case you wanted to know! I think the LEGO version works really well. Finally, there's the window-dressing: A cool-box containing two green bottles and a green can with a ring-pull top, nicely made with simple but clever SNOT, and a surfboard that looks a little thrown together - I think it would be possible to make it without the white protrusions at the tip and the tail, but it's a minor thing. You might also just be able to make out the lip of a white 1x1 tile in the exact centre of the board - why they didn't use a plate here, I don't know. It all fits snugly on the roof rack, the box via one stud, the board by being wedged between the edges and those black rubber cheating-pieces: Comparison to 10242 Mini Cooper I don't have the 2008 Beetle, and anyway this set's immediate ancestor (and main competitor) is 2014's Mini Cooper. How do they compare? Next to the clean Mini, the Beetle's lines do look a little fussy. The Mini also highlights another minor complaint about the Beetle - the lack of chrome (or metallic silver, at least); though I understand that the Beetle would require a lot of silver parts or it would appear mismatched. The front end of the Mini is so good that meaningful comparison is lost; the Beetle is, after all, a much more difficult shape to render in LEGO. This really isn't a fair comparison! Everything about that Mini is spot on - probably the only thing about it I would change is the tinted windows. So how do they sit together on the shelf? Pretty well, actually, though the scale is off, and the Mini is noticeably larger than it ought it be compared to the Beetle (I estimate it would need to be 3 studs narrower to be at the correct scale). But who cares about that when they look so good! If you had to choose, which would you buy? The Mini, despite slightly fewer pieces, is more expensive, though only just - this may be a licensing issue. The Beetle is a more interesting build, even if the end result isn't quite so good. Here is how I would sum up this comparison: people might say of the Beetle, 'Wow, that blue LEGO car looks like a Beetle!' But they would say of the Mini, 'you know, that Mini model is actually made of LEGO!' But is that a good thing? Maybe it's all down to the Battle of the Picnics: Conclusion This has been a really difficult set to review. Inspired in no small way by the joy that is the Mini, I was eagerly anticipating this set, and really wanted to love it. I like it, but do I love it? I'm not so sure. The parts selection is interesting and useful, and largely in an unusual colour. The build is fun and instructive. The way those curves are achieved is delightful ... but it's just not quite accurate enough. I've been spoiled by the Mini's near-perfection, and this is a much more difficult and less forgiving original, so it's understandable - but disappointing all the same. Design 7 It's just not quite a Beetle, though it's close. Parts 8 A useful selection and unusual colour. More chrome or silver would be welcome. And what's with the crumpled instructions, TLG? Build 9 Fun, engaging, and instructive. Features 7 Opening compartments, doors, folding seats, picnic stuff, but this is a display set, really, and the cool box and surfboard are actually a bit of a distraction. Give me chrome instead! Value 9 At under £70 this is really good value - in the UK, at least. Overall 80% My Score 7/10 Do I like it? Yes. Do I love it? No. Would I buy it (if I didn't already have it)? Oh yes. Do I want to see more classic vehicles? Absolutely. I just wish they'd tilted that windscreen ... Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the review. Comments welcome. Rufus Resources 1. VW Beetle on Wikipedia 2. VW air-cooled engine My flickr album

To be honest, I find the Creator 3:1 sets from the past couple of years to be among the best there have been in the theme. Even the smallest sets, such as this one from 2018, seems to check most marks: Good parts for the price, innovative models and the main model even looks good on a shelf! Release year: 2018 Theme: Creator 3:1 Price: 4 USD or 4 Euro range. Number of parts: 68 Build time: Roughly 5 minutes per model. This review is a stark contrast to the one of 'Helicopter Adventure' from yesterday. LEGO makes great sets in this theme, and I want to point out both the good and the bad. Here are a couple of closeups of the Turkey. Interactive building instructions here: https://brickhub.org/i/116 And the Koala With building instructions here: https://brickhub.org/i/115 'Greetings Feline' has building instruction s right here: https://brickhub.org/i/118 In fact. There are even more alternates - you can find them by searching for the set number: https://brickhub.org/i/search.php?q=30542

Hi everybody This is my latest creation, a special Christmas edition of my MOC modular building, "Brick Square Post Office". Hope you like it. Twas the night before Christmas... ... and all the kids at Brick Square were getting excited, building snowmen and putting up the Christmas tree. The children had been busy writing their lists for Santa. They handed their letters to the postman, who was loading up his van ready for the last mail run of the day. He set off in to the snowy night with his precious cargo, but by now the snow was falling thickly. Then there was trouble! The post van hit a snow drift much bigger than usual. Stranded in the snow, the quick thinking Postman grabbed his phone and telephoned ahead. Meanwhile back at Brick Square everything was silent and the children were feeling anxious. It was getting late and the Postman should have returned by now. Just then a friendly whistle sounded in the distance and the air was suddenly filled with the sweet smell of steam It was Santa. He had ditched his reindeer and sleigh and instead opted for good old fashioned steam power, courtesy of The Old Workhorse Traction Engine. Don’t forget The Old Workhorse is on LEGO Ideas. https://lego.build/2vRfVGL Please spare a couple of minutes to give it your support if you’d like to see it made as a real LEGO set. Anyway, shameless self-promotion out of the way, lets continue the story ... The Old Workhorse arrived at Brick Square carrying Santa himself and all the presents for the children. And just in case you wondered what happened to the Postman. Don’t worry, he made it back home in time for Christmas Day! THE END! I hope that you've enjoyed reading this and looking at the pictures. I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone on Eurobricks a very happy Christmas, and all the best for 2019.

Custom design alternate MOC model made using pieces from official LEGO sets. Let's start off with the 31074 Rocket Rally set. More to come!

Hi everyone You may have seen my MOC modular buildings on here recently, The Queen Bricktoria and Brick Square Post Office. For my new project I've decided to build something completely different. This is also my first ever entry as a Lego Ideas project. "A roaring fire and a full head of steam, the old traction engine is ready for work!" I have created a scene set some time during the early 20th century. Farmers are working in the fields with their steam traction engine, affectionately known as "The Old Workhorse". The model includes a detailed mini fig scale traction engine, a wagon and various other accessories and mini builds. THE TRACTION ENGINE The main feature of the model is the traction engine itself. I've used a classic green and red livery with polished brass lining and details. There are several interesting parts used to create this engine including paint roller handles and mini fig syringes used to create the piping around the boiler and inside the cab. A system of cogs ensures that the flywheel spins around as the traction engine is pushed forward. A detailed cab interior includes steering wheel, controls and a firebox door that can be opened and closed to reveal the burning fire inside. The front wheel axle can be pivoted left and right. THE WAGON I've also included a wagon/trailer that can be coupled to the back of the traction engine and used to carry the various accessories included with the model. The sides of the wagon can be dropped down to provide loading access for the mini figs. There is space at the front of the wagon to hold tools and mini fig accessories. MINIFIGURES & OTHER ACCESSORIES Included with the model are 2 mini figs, a dog, a rat and several mini builds including tree stumps, logs and rocks. These are all designed to be carried and towed in the wagon. THE FINISHED MODEL The overall model contains 480 pieces. Here is a shot of The Old Workhorse, steaming past the buildings in my MOC modular street. LEGO IDEAS As mentioned earlier this is my first entry as a Lego Ideas project. If you like what you see then I really would be so grateful if you could please support my project on Lego Ideas, and help The Old Workhorse to gather steam. https://ideas.lego.com/projects/2a2ec583-9836-4868-8dc7-6b3bb0a2fe80 Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and I hope you like the model. Feel free to let me know what you think. If you'd like to see more pictures, there are many more on my Flickr page. Edit: I've added a new brick built version of the model on page 2 of this topic.

This was one of my first large-scale MOCs, that came before the Orient Express Thriller or Winterfield Academy were even conceived! (back in 2014) I had watched the miniseries for "The Shining", and I've always been enamored with National Park lodges. So, the product was The Glacier Falls Lodge, the official lodge for Brickler Mountain National Park! A perfect getaway destination/luxury hotel catering to any minifig's vacation needs! This MOC went through at least six different iterations, before finally being pared down to a (very) downsized version fit for LEGO Ideas. At its prime, though, the Lodge contained an enormous lobby, full dining room and kitchen, and several guest rooms upstairs, with two bathrooms per floor (kind of in the style of Chico Hot Springs in Montana). The first iteration was built in 2014, during that summer we had a major fire that caused us to evacuate. This hotel was thrown in a box and taken with us in a car at night fleeing to Seattle. Later, when the fire season was over and we returned, the hotel sat on the desk for several months without being worked on. The Second Iteration had a change to the tower, it was more octagonal and separated from the roof. And I used the Town Hall Skylights for the Lobby. The Third Iteration sadly has no pictures, as my computer had crashed and we lost them. But it was pretty ugly. I had the idea to try and make octagonal towers on either side of the main doors, with the idea not turning out very well. That iteration was fragile, and fell apart easily. The Fourth Iteration was a HUGE model, with an upgraded, fancier porch and a sign out front! This was also when I made it into more of a Victorian style hotel, with a large wrap around porch, and the two towers on either side. These were half-octagonal towers, which made it a lot easier to stay together. (I had actually figured out how to build them, and gotten the pieces for it). The roof was a major challenge, but we made it work! This iteration also had an enormous, well thought out and beautifully built dining room, as well as a large kitchen with three to four walk in freezers! The Fifth Iteration was downsized in terms of length to make it fit through the door, lol! The basic hotel structure remained the same, however, with the exception of a large rearranging of the rooms inside. This was the first project that I submitted to LEGO Ideas, before having to downsize it again for it to be accepted. This was by far the best iteration of the six, and the only one we have interior pictures of. 5th Iteration furniture and Grand Fireplace 5th Iteration First Floor Porch Detail Lobby Facing the Dining Room Lobby picture 2 Piano Music Room Lobby Picture 3 The cool part was that the interior walls of the 5th Iteration were removable! 1st/2nd floors This was also the first iteration to have major interior decorating and fancy chandeliers! The 6th and Final Iteration of this MOC kept most of the basic structure, subtracting much of the width, in order to make the 3000 piece LEGO Ideas limit. This unfortunately was at the cost of sacrificing the entirety of the interior minus several pieces of furniture. This iteration currently, sadly does not exist anymore. It was torn down and the pieces used for Winterfield Academy (pictured below) However the 6th Iteration is still up on LEGO Ideas right now, and currently has 2036 Supporters! If you would like to give your support as well, I'll include the link here. We would really appreciate any support given! :) https://ideas.lego.com/projects/66655f37-9622-4836-a2cb-797e916f4e2b Anyways, that's the whole story on the MOC! This was by far (not counting my disastrous attempt at a county courthouse when I was 15) my first successful MOC that I thought looked relatively decent! Please tell me what you think, anything you like about it, etc., in your replies! I'll finish with a couple shots from last December and our promotional Winter Photoshoot! :) Thanks for reading! :)

It seems that Creator is stepping their game a lot, not only Expert range but "normal" range seems to be every year better and better(Hello year 2017, I look at you ) .When city fails and their only budget is police, fire department or research teams, creator is going to save the day for minifigs(And buyers). What I like to see is police cruiser in 8-10 stud wide range and also in 1:16 scale or bigger to chase down these great creator cars!Also I like to see sedan, combi, muscle type of vehicle in normal creator range. Thanks for read

Every Christmas I build extra building in my Winter Village. For this time it is church. Enjoy and Merry Christmas.

Old Fishing Store – Modular creator Building The Story My story for this modular building was that the Old Fishing Store is based upon a Sea Front village Theme. I liked the old Fishing villages so I built this one on Lego Digital Designer (LDD). I really believe that this model could have a lot of genuine interest to fans of Modular an creator sets. This is the first of a series of modular creator buildings that I will be making. Summary The building consists of roughly 2160 parts and three floors: the main store, office, and lookout. I used the colors brown and sand green that gives it a realistic feeling. Four Mini-figures could be added such as a two fisherman, the store keeper, one captain. And a lot of details. It includes: Mini fish, crab, flicking hook, starfish, snow owl, sea gulls Barrels, I subited this MOC also by Lego Ideas. https://ideas.lego.com/projects/124448

I encountered this issue when building my 31079 Sunshine Surfer Van. I can't slide out the hinged function without taking off the roof, seen by the 1x4 tile with studs that prevents this. Swap the two indicated pieces. This will allow you to have an extra play function.

TLDR: Super-detailed fully-modularized Creator-scale 16-wide MOC build of epic multiple-championship-winning early-90s IMSA GTP prototype. 1007 pieces (including 4 round-plates-with-strings, 6 pneumatic tubes, 1 hose, and 8 “non-Lego” custom parts). 1/15 scale: 17 stud wide (ish), 40 stud long, 22 stud wheelbase October 2nd, 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the IMSA GTP championship’s last race. This is the car that won. –––––– The mid-1980's were a boom time for American sports car racing. The IMSA GTP series was thick with manufacturers and strong privateer teams running Porsche, Jaguar, BMW, Chevrolet, Buick, Ford, Mazda, Acura, Nissan, and Toyota power integrated into myriad different chassis designs. Swelling budgets and fierce competitiveness forced materials and electronics technologies to evolve at a rapid pace. Dan Gurney and his All American Racers team had been on a learning curve with sports cars which really started heating up with the beastly GTO-class Toyota Celica. Their foray into big-league prototypes came first with an adaptation of a Group C based Toyota 88C and then the team's own 962-inspired HF89. These all helped to forge reliable power from Toyota’s 2.1 liter twin-cam 4cyl and teach many valuable lessons in designing and building a robust and competitive car. The MkIII debuted in 1991, entering into arguably the most competitive of GTP's seasons. The now-mighty little Toyota engine was connected to a compact carbon-fiber space-capsule wrapped in an achingly-simple shape which hid massive aero tricks. Dominance quickly followed with 21 victories in 27 races entered over three seasons. The glory of the series wasn't to last. By 1993, a global recession and conflicting technical regulations thinned the field such that at the end of the GTP era, Dan’s team was effectively left battling itself. For what it’s worth, I don’t believe this is the “car that killed GTP”… Successful racing series don’t die because a team or a car dominate, that’s what heads-up rulemakers govern and what motivated competitors rise to challenge. These guys were just the last ones standing as top-tier sports-car racing collapsed worldwide. ______ The exterior build posed a few challenges, mostly in capturing the layered smoothness of the nose and weaving slopes together to form the severe cutaway area aft of the front wheels. One of the things which has made me reluctant to work at this scale in Lego is the lack of an elegant solution for the heavily-curving windscreens and rear cowls found on prototypes. I wanted to capture the smooth simplicity of the MkIII’s shape without doing complex arrays of slope parts for the glass and engine cover so these surfaces are done as single-piece sheet elements designed to lock into the Lego framework (much like the recent minifig camping tent or Forma fish... anyone remember the City windsurfer?). These few non-TLG exterior parts plus the handmade BBS wheel centers are why strict Lego-only purists should probably think of this a “hybrid scale model”… Pull off the bodywork, though, and it’s 100% TLG. The MkIII's chassis has layers of very clever engineering done with a beautiful aesthetic of carbon fiber, kevlar, bare exotic metals, spindly gray-painted suspension arms, and amazing red-anodized fixing points throughout. It’s very purposeful but also very cohesive and elegant. This translates into an opportunity for some excellent Lego part and color usage. My primary goal for this model was to render a study of the engineering under the skin and to capture the modularity of prototypes as much as possible. There’s the core monocoque tub and a separate drivetrain, with further modules for the ducted side pods, doors, front splitter, bodywork, wing, etc. Hung off the chassis at all four corners is a suspension of bars and clips locating #90202 Technic wheel hubs. The driveline build captures the MkIII’s key features: the semi-structural and heavily-turbocharged Toyota 503E engine, the big red anodized mounting plates, the tall trapezoidal magnesium bellhousing which serves as the oil tank and rear suspension rocker-arm mounting structure, and the long load-bearing plates for the rear wing. This rear half of the model is mounted to the tub as in the full-scale car: plates at the top and base of the engine plus struts locating the central suspension structure. Despite all this modularity, the model builds up to be very solid. The cockpit is complete too; the seat, steering wheel, digital dash, switch panel, giant boost knob and handy “hardwood” shift-knob are all tucked in there. Other details inside include the bulkhead-mounted electronic engine-management modules and the front suspension's lower trailing-arm mounting. More photos up at Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/prototyp/ As always, thanks for looking and thanks for the inspiration, Prototyp ______ References and inspiration Malte Dorowski : for just how detailed and accurate this scale can be. Sir.Manperson : detailed Creator-scale car builds, and particularly his bars n clips suspension. Senator Chinchilla : engine builds, in particular his technique of wrapping hoses as turbos. Want to read more about the MkIII? Here are interviews with the MkIII’s design team by Mulsanne Mike (with some photos from my visit to AAR): http://www.mulsannescorner.com/ToyotaEagleMkIII.html Essential reading "Prototypes" J.A. Martin & Ken Wells "GTP Race Cars" J.A. Martin & Michael Fuller

Hello guys ! Here is my Oil refinery, which I have completed recently . It is a mini version of Atmospheric distillation unit, which is a primary process in oil production. Everything is made as close to reality as possible with and opportunity for addition of more units and making even larger plant . There was a local competition celebrating 55 years from oil production in Bulgaria and I sent some photos of my creation. Last week I was contacted from the organizers and they asked if they could buy the set from me and store it at their museum. I have never considered selling a set or creation before and feel a bit confused. Can you advice me what kind of price I could want for it ? https://myalbum.com/album/sTEPkCBPCtBq

Hi everybody! I've decided to start sharing a few ideas and tips for building some of my own creations - starting with this minifig-scale drinking fountain. Why not have a go?! Uses less than 30 pcs.... https://flic.kr/s/aHsmqDoDnP (click this link, not the pic, for full instruction pics)

Moved to main BSTF forum

Hello All, This is an attempt to model a cool, nostalgic car from Eastern Germany, the last model of the Trabant factory in Zwickau. I have created this model as a birthday gift to my best friend who used to drive us around in a car like this in his early twenties. If you like this MOC, you can suppport it on the Lego Ideas site - thanks! https://ideas.lego.com/projects/a4bbe629-6520-44f3-ba50-318457e26255 Lego Trabant Universal 1.1 by Dan Falussy, on Flickr Backview by Dan Falussy, on Flickr Openall by Dan Falussy, on Flickr Interior by Dan Falussy, on Flickr

Is it just me, or, now that I'm getting ready to set up my Winter Village stuff, does the Friends Snow Resort line look like they're only a few alterations (and a bit of stripping out the pink) away from fitting in nicely alongside the Winter Village sets? This is more pertinent to the Chalet and Ice Rink sets than the Ski Lift and Off-Roader. What does everyone think? EDIT: And the Hot Chocolate Van! I completely forgot the Van . . which is more of a take it or leave it set for Winter Village applications, depending on what time period you picture your Village in (and how much you like hit chocolate).

Hello Just want to present to you my new MOC Lakeside Cottage Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Are your minifigs stressed by modern life and tired of being locked in a box or displayed in a window? Here's the solution! Looking over a fantastic emerald green lake, this cottage is perfect for a simple weekend or for a long relaxing vacation for your minifigs. Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr It has all the modern stuff, while still disguised perfectly into nature, being covered with wooden planks. Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Developed on two floors, it has a roof completely and easily removable, to increase the chances to play. Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr On the ground floor there's a modern kitchen with many cabinets, a cooktop, a desk and stools. Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr There's a sitting room with a leather sofa, a crystal table, a chimney (that goes up to the first floor too), a flat TV with stereo, an armchair, a bookshelf and big windows that look onto the lake. Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr On the first floor, reachable through the stairs, you can find a bedroom with a chest of drawers and a wardrobe, a hallway with small furniture, a big bathroom with a sink, a WC and a big shower for two. Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Outside you can find a barbecue, a wooden pier with beach chairs, a canoe, a spot for horses and an american letter box. Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr You can enjoy a fish grill, spend a relaxed afternoon enjoying nature and the lake on your cribs, go out on a boat for a fishing afternoon, play with your dog, send and receive mail o and from friends (and bills!), go out for a ride in the woods, together with animals like the hedgehog and the swift that just made its nest on a tree. Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr Lakeside Cottage by Cristiano Grassi, su Flickr I've just added this MOC on LEGO Ideas because I think that if I found it on the shelves of the shops I would definitely buy it. If you want this is the link to give your support to this project and why not, leave your feedback. Hope someone would help me promoting this idea because I'm not so much expert in this. Thank you for feedback. Cristiano

So, does anyone else think that there may be a new, Chima/Nexo Knights-like, Pirates-based theme on the horizon? Because there's a lot of evidence to back the theory. Since Nexo Knights got canned, it's logical to expect that something's going to replace it, in the same way as Nexo Knights replaced Chima, and Chima was supposed to replace Ninjago (but, as we all know, that didn't work). And next year is the 40th anniversary of Pirates - what better way to celebrate it than with brand new Pirates stuff? And Lego has to know that people would love a genuine Pirates theme. I'm sure they learned from their mistake with Nexo Knights; personally, I really liked the high-tech thematic, but I know lots of people didn't, meaning that they're most likely going to breathe new life into classic Pirates if this does happen. Plus. there's the two Pirates-themed sets that have come up in the Creator lineup for Summer 2018, including the lovely rollercoaster. It's entirely possible that Lego is trying a bit of subtle cross-promotion. There's also the point of Overwatch sets coming next year; I feel like the similar aesthetics of Overwatch and Nexo Knights might have been a factor in NK getting canned. So it makes sense that the next original IP should be something that doesn't match any of the currently existing outside themes. Harry Potter will corner the market on Castle, and Star Wars continues to dominate Space. And, of course, City is, always has been, and will always be, City. And who's to say where Ninjago and Overwatch will end up going? (Seriously, Ninjago has done some weird stuff.) Pirates is the only one that's open, and they've already done Pirates in Ninjago, and I'm pretty certain there's nothing pirate-related in Overwatch. Finally, and this one might be a bit tenuous, I admit; Ninjago City Docks. They have released a massive set that is a dockyard. And, of course, there's no point in a dockyard without ships - and if there is a new Pirates theme, there absolutely HAS to be at least a couple of ships. The existence of the Docks, as a Ninjago Movie set, is admittedly confusing, given how late it is - but it makes more sense if you consider it as being a literal bridge between Ninjago, the most successful in-house property in the history of Lego, and this hypothetical new Pirates theme. I'm sure Lego expects kids to think of docking the inevitable large pirate ship at the Docks, and subsequently pressure their parents into getting two large sets for them. So, thoughts, everyone?

So I'm wondering if it's possible to squeeze the Creator Pirate Rollercoaster into my village somewhere. Whether or not I can will probably decide whether or not I get it. Which brings me to the question; are there any ways people who already have the set have discovered to make it more ergonomical? Modding it to incorporate other things around, under or over it? So that it takes up less space? Please advise!

My latest modular is a 24-wide Victorian building with a Bookstore on the first floor and apartment on the upper floors. Detail of the storefront: Detail of the upper floors: Bookstore interior: Upstairs interiors: Thanks for looking!

i suprised myself with a new version, with opening bonnet (hood) and boot (trunk), and of course doors, as per prev models roof can be hard top or soft top and fits 2 mini fig in front and one in back, 2 at a push if roof is down, comments thoughts welcome, is a work in progress as would like to enhance the engine/roof etc etc