TGping

I have a BA majoring in Sequential Art. Which really affects the way my portfolio looks. About half of it is comic pages. After the workshop I'll see about showing what exactly is in my portfolio.

I also made it to the workshop in Denmark! Whoo! As for my portfolio, I didn't include any LEGO mocs at all. Mostly concept art and comic pages. However, I included in my CV that LEGO is one of my hobbies. I'll be seeing some of you in person :D

Hope you don't mind my asking, but when did you get that response? I still haven't even recieved a rejection letter yet. I did notice the new details on their ad... it seems they are emphasizing drawing a lot more than the last ad.

How about the Model Team Whirl and Wheel super truck? You know the black and red rig with matching copter? I forget the set #. Ah! here it is http://www.peeron.com/inv/sets/5590-1 This is one of my favooite lego play styles. Swooshing and rolling was always fun.

Just lookin out for ya ;) You might just be the anomoly though, nah, I was probably too late in getting that 4th option set up :D

First of all, I'm thrilled by all of the well thought out replies and discussion. Everyone makes a great point. Sorry if it sounded like I had a personal beef against minifigs :) But I find things more interesting if I allow commentary true to myself seep through. Right this moment I cant reply to every post, but I need to address a couple right now: Vexoruan- thanks for pointing out that when I started building LEGO the minifig started playing an integral role in lego sets, for sure they added to my adventures. I don't think I'd be asking these questions if that hadn't happened :D I'd like to point out that I dont have an extensive LEGO collection, I've always had to limit my LEGO/toy spending to include only those that are my absolute favorites of whatever I'm collecting. So when a couple of posts revealed that minifigs help add character to super large brick collections, I was enlightened :) Which leads into this- Recently I finally bought the Crystal King set from the PM theme. I was looking forward to acquiring it for some time, months before and after release. I finally got it, I enjoy it very much, but couldn't help think that if the minifig were sacrificed(or at least that silly backpack) then the budget could have allowed for a better monster. Maybe some knees or a proper back... although the back is still a sight better than some Exo-Force mechs(which I love). I know that's what MOCing/modding is for. But I still appreciate it when sets don't need modding to be better. I guess getting rid of the minifig in this instance would eliminate the conflict between monster and minifig, in this instance its an easy sacrifice(partly because I got themining mech as well). And I do like the creator/designer sets of Dinosaurs and Dragons :D but it helps that dinos and dragons can fight each other without the help of minifigs :D Again, thanks for sharing.

JimButcher, Thanks for the indepth reply :) I do agree with the playability, The figures really do add to that, without them there wouldn't be too much except swooshing. After reading your post I am reminded of the Toa Terrain Crawler, I forget how many minifigs it had, but it seemed like there were too many, if thats possible. When all attached or packed in the vehicle gets crowded. Is there a point at which there are too many minifigs? A lot of the times rather than have that extra fig(I mean in addition to what would normally be there) I would like more thought put into the set itself. There are instances that I'd rather sacrifice an extra minifig to get a better vehicle/playset. You did mention that if a sets minifigs aren;t interesting you'd dock points, does that go more for the quality of the fig or quantity of the figs?

Minifig collecting has become so popular I feel its starting to overshadow the LEGO sets they come with. Now, growing up with lego in the 80s and 90s, I may be biased towards lego sets that focus on vehicles/playsets rather than minifigs. I've noticed that sometimes the reviews here factor in minifigs more than the actual set, how can something so small bring the rating of a set down from a 9 to a 7(10 being the best)? I feel that too much value is placed on minifigs nowadays. And why does the amount of figs make or break a set? I mean, reasonably, ok if I get 3 figs in a set instead of 4 I'm not going to dock the score I give a set by a whole point. My position: Minifigs are OK, I like the vehicles/playsets more. If a tie fighter only comes with one pilot, I'll be more than fine. I guess I want to know when minifig fever happened? I'm sure people disagree, and I'd especially like to read why you like minifigs so much and why they are so important.

This is a nice aesthetic update, but I would have loved to see you take the robo-guardian concept further and make it your own. For instance, keep the fact it has wheel/treads and a disengaging cockpit. And base your design on that rather than keeping the initial shape. Maybe think about what spyrius is all about: Spying! And what do spies do? Sabatoge, intelligence gathering. In what way does this vehicle help with those goals? Does it serve a nother purpose? I hope this starts some healthy discussion :)

I am definitely interested in joining the RA. I have a collection of old and new LEGO and access to photoshop and a decent photography setup :) I'm always up for learning more :D

Prateek- It sure is KimT- Yeah, the combo mechs are the best part of the line. Although there are some nice sigle models like Golden Guardian/Supernova. hopefully the next couple of reviews bring EF back for a little while longer That combo is one of the cooler ones. charlieboy- Nice mod to the combo set :D What is that windscreen from? Yeah too bad it doesnt get as much interest, but at least TLG is at least including lego mecha in other lines... for now its enough to keep me going

The Exo-Force series is well known for its combo models, some of them harder to acquire pieces for than others(100$ Magnalink?). This set only needs two of the most common 15$ sets of 2008: Chameleon Hunter 8114 and Assualt Tiger 8113. However, then you need to scour brickshelf for instructions HERE , Not my scans or anything, but very helpful :) I actually waited 2 years to build this thing and has since become a mainstay for my EF collection. Onwards! Name: Assualt Tiger Alpha Piece Count: ? I mixed up my pieces long ago :/ Price: MSRP 30$... now, you can still find some deals online :D Set #: not applicable Minifigs: well, 2 technically, but only one is used. The Pics! Sorry no in build pics, the instructions should be clear enough. This is the ATA with back wings down. It looks neat, like a cape made out of beetle wings. Here you can clearly see firespear weapon and claw of doom. Neat silhouette. Back wings extended, very dramatic. Each wing is on its own ball-joint. Despite the wings using the Assualt Tigers shins, ATA still has very bulky lower legs, which I greatly appreciate. Others may appreciate that the shins are a little slimmer, for instance the legs can close flush to each other :) Claw of Doom! Very similar to Chameleon Hunter's claw, but the arm itself uses more joints. No more fixed elbows, worth the price of admission alone Flamespear... I think... you can see the instructions call for using just 2 fingers and 1 thumb. For the review's sake I stuck with this setup. I WILL moc my own arm and sword. I feel the super extended arm and awkwardly long spear are a little subpar, however with all the left over pieces you can easily manage something more favorable. Cockpit is much more elaborate than the original Assualt Tiger. But I warn you there are stability issues because the wings and arms are so big. I would mod that. Which is fine, these are LEGO. At least there's SOMETHING to look at, albiet mostly structural stuff. Here, you can see there are cockpit holes... I dont mind them. notice the ball-joint wings. Do you SEE that absurdly long arm!? One more for the road! The comparison shot between the ATA and the AT. The head height for the AT is a bit taller than the ATA, but the ATA has wings and jointed arms. Score: after comparing the original to the combo, I much prefer the upgrade to the original. So whatever score you give the Assualt Tiger add +2! Really I cant stand fixed elbows when we've been treated to jointed ones for so long. The 'wing cape' also adds a ton of character and play vlaue. ATA can unveil itself before it strikes! Seriously the positives of jointed elbows, color scheme, and wing cape far outweigh the negative of the long arm+spear. Is it worth the price? I think so, at least its one of the more affordable combo mechs... looks at Magnalink. Out of all of the Combo mechs, this is one of the more thought out models. Especially compared to the first and second year combos... But that leads into my next couple of reviews. Let me know what ya think! Feedback always appreciated.

That looks great, you managed the wing shape very well. I love that it is minifig scale, I was wondering can the windscreen cover the pilot? And do you know about how many pieces this took?

Yeah, and I get why lego is against military themed things. I also see where some people might be put off by the overall shape, But I dunno, the shape just strikes a chord with me, and after all these years its still one of my fave sets. I also have the Fast Flyers set, but dont forget about this Red Bird Rig I just want something a little more affordable :D

Black Rabbit- I'm glad I could shed some new light on it for you :) It looks even better in hand, if it can be believed :D Prateek- The only airplane set I can see this taking a backseat to is the jet from the MachII Red Bird Rig, which I havent seen in person. Still, I totally agree with you! Lightningtiger- I've been hoping TLG group would do another 14.99-19.99 priced jet, but no dice so far. For the mechanic I can see a ladder adding a point or two for playability :) if only... maybe we'll get lucky with the next medium size jet TLG makes :) Til then I may MOC a truck and trailer to transport this bad boy, and I'll be sure to add in a ladder HaHa.