greg3

Thanks for the comments... I use the "Comic Life" app to add the speech etc to the images. A new version (Comic Life 3) has been released but I still use the original. It's a pretty easy to use app and I have it on my phone, ipad and laptop. Hope that helps.

Hi I hope this is the right place for this!! This is the first of a series of stories designed to make use of the various different LEGO themes by tying them into the life of my small town/village of Ballabreek. The subject of my first story is the Ultra Agent theme (I've tried to avoid relying to heavily on the "official" backstory and instead aim to make up my own). Most of the photos were taken in my layout so apologies in advance for the dodgy lighting shadows etc!! So here is Part 1... image by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Thanks for looking, comments are always welcome!! Cheers! (Part 2 coming soon!)

This week's update leads in to a comic type story which will get it's own topic. My eventual aim is to try and link Ballabreek to as many other themes as I can and story telling seems the best way to do that!! Each story will have it's own topic while this one will remains as a sort of "official overview" of the town's real life everyday activities. Anyway, the story behind this image is that Balabreek's small police force (who usually have little to do other than to deal with speeding drivers and petty crime) have been called upon to apprehend a suspect on behalf of a major government agency... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Unfortunately, the arrest does not go smoothly!! To find out more check out part 1 of "Ultra Agents: The Gathering Storm" here http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=105728 Thanks for looking, comments are always welcome. I hope to continue the story and add more throughout the year!!

Excellent looking building!! I really like the contrast between the grey stone ground floor and white(ish!) first floor. It really looks like an old converted farm building/cottage. My favourite bit though is all the produce (especially the sack of eggs and the milk churn design!) Super work - looking forward to seeing more!!

That is a very cool layout!! The airport fits in perfectly and I love the attention to detail you've gone for! Excellent work all round (I just wish that I had that much space!!)

Hi As seen in my latest town update, this the newest addition to my lego town's emergency services. It's a remotely piloted drone designed to help rescue swimmers in trouble by dropping floatation aids and marking their location/guiding rescuers to the location. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Here you can see its 4 propellers. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Side view - here you can see the life rings, searchlights and landing skids. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Without the rescue rings... I wanted to use the lego life rings but the studs do get in the way!! I might replace them with 2x2 round plates instead just for appearance. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr How I imagine the rings being deployed... The red dish at the bottom "retracts" long enough to allow a ring to drop. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Loosely based on the real life PARS lifeguard drone which was developed in Iran and which is due to go into service in several countries this year. The real life drone has 10 propellers and a maximum range of 7km. It's equiped with searchlights and a thermal camera allowing it to quickly locate casualties. It can then drop up to 3 life rings to keep the victims afloat until help arrives. The drones are designed to be used from land to cover busy beaches and swimming areas but may eventually be used on large ships to deal with man overboard situations. Reference http://www.rtsideas.com/ I threw the model together in an hour or so, so I might tweak the design a bit. Anyway, thanks for looking - comments always welcome!

Amazing!! At first (and second!!) glance it looks real!! Excellent work!!

Hi The idea for this week's update came from seeing the local lifeboat out on a training exercise last week and wondering if Ballabreek's emergency services are similarly prepared (especially as due to "restructuring" (or being disassembled and put in a box to save space) the Lego Coastguard now leave the responsibility for inshore rescue to the local emergency services). So with the best way to find out being to put them through their paces, I came up with a training scenario in which an explosion on the pumping station has caused a fire and blown 2 workers into the sea (1 of them with serious burns). This will allow the police, fire and ambulance to practice working together and try out some of their new kit. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr First the fire brigade use their new boat to bring the fire under control... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The flames are created by burners remotely controlled by the fire chief back on shore.. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The police beach patrol use their jet ski to rescue the casualties and return them to shore. They also use a cutting edge rescue drone to drop flotation aids to the men as they await rescue. The drone was a last minute addition to the scene after I saw an online news article on a real life version. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Casualty's eye view Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The drone operator alongside it's designer, the head of Octan Industries' "Technology for Autonomous Cybernetic Operations" division. He hopes that a successful test today will allow him to develop his big ideas for future semi and totally autonomous air, land and sea units for rescue and law enforcement. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Finally the "injured" man is flown to a nearby burns unit for specialist treatment. The helicopter is another new addition, able to land in small spaces and carry 2 casualties. (Well it will eventually have 2 stretchers but I only had 1 cockpit part and didn't like the official version's open air stretcher!!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The excercise was considered a success, although the police force has decided that they need a bigger vessel and are hoping to soon acquire a hovercraft!! However, the star of the show was definitely the rescue drone and talks are now underway to allow Ballabreek to try out some more of Octan Industries' technology. As always, thanks for taking the time to check out my pics and comments are always welcome. (I might create a separate topic with some close ups and info on the drone tomorrow)

I never collected the toys either but watched the cartoons - these figures are all instantly recognisable!! Excellent work!!

Excellent looking minifIgs (and one of my favourite childhood films!!) I have to admit that Ming the Merciless was my first thought when I saw that CMF. Your versions of the other characters are instantly recognizable too. In fact you could say that... "Gordon's Alive"!!!! Looking forward to seeing more.... War Rocket Ajax maybe?

That is brilliant!! Easily one of my favourite MOCs for some time. I love the whole multi -level design and the attention to detail. I especially like the underground road/parking. Can't wait to see what you come up with next!! Excellent work.

Following on from the last update... The gun uncovered by the construction workers was soon identified by its serial numbers as being a Lewis gun from a WW1 aircraft!! While this meant that it was no longer a criminal matter, it did raise concerns that there may be more ordnance and possibly even human remains at the site so members of the local archaeology group were called in to help investigate!! First the area was surveyed with metal detectors. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Finds were identified and sorted Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr After a bit of research, the aircraft was identified as Sopwith Camel B10226 which crashed on the edge of the village (near the mine) while on a training flight in Feb 1918. The pilot was dragged from the burning wreckage by mine workers and although badly injured is believed to have survived (although further records have been lost). The following day, the remains of the aircraft that hadn't been taken as souvenirs by the locals, were dumped on the mine's spoil heap and buried. During the 1960's the spoil heaps were levelled when the road was widened, leaving the wreckage in its present location. This has left the archaeologists very keen to uncover as much as they can (with the help of the construction workers) in the few days they have been given before work needs to resume on the site. One key part they wanted to find was the engine. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Carefully lifted out, it seemed to be very well preserved! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr By the end of the dig they'd uncovered not just the engine but 3 Lewis guns, an ammunition drum, dials from the cockpit and the pilot's control column... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Some armour plate, the top of the fuel tank and a section of the port wing. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Placed together as they would have been Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr How it might have looked before the crash!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The armour plate and unusual weapon mix has the archaeologists excited as it points to the aircraft as having been a rare varient known as the T.F-1 (only 3 are believed to have been made) so the parts are taken away to the local museum for further investigation and the site is returned to the construction company. You can find out more about the T.F-1 in my post about my MODed 10226 here http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=105088 The idea for his update came not only from the desire to link my 10226 Sopworth Camel to Ballabreek but from a memorial I found while out walking near a local village (on which the history of Ballabreek is loosely based). The memorial commemorates a wartime aircrash (in this case from WW2) in which 7 airmen (6 Canadians and 1 British) were killed along with a 3 yr old boy whose house was hit by debris. Anyway, as always, thanks for looking.... Comments are welcome.

I'm not normally interested in larger scale models, but made an exception for the Sopwith Camel (10226) - and just in time too as it went out of stock the very next day!! I have to say it's definitely one of my favourite Lego models of recent times. It looks amazing and is even swoosh-able!! After getting it, I decided to find out more about the original aircraft and it's variants and here's the first (and easiest to make!) the TF-1 (armoured trench fighter). Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr In early 1918, Sopwith were looking into developing an aircraft for attacking ground targets. The normal Camel and other aircraft designed for air combat tendered to suffer heavy casualties when used in this role so Sopworth began by modifying a standard Camel to improve its effectiveness and survivability. First, it's armament was changed from 2 forward firing Vickers guns to 3 Lewis guns. 2 of which were mounted inside the cockpit pointing down through the floor at a 45 degree angle (the idea being that the plane could fly low and fast over the target strafing it as it went). The 3rd gun was fitted on top of the wing using an Admiralty mount (which had been developed by the Navy for use on ship launched Camels). This allowed the weapon to be tilted to fire upward if needed and also allowed it to be reloaded as it could be tipped back through the wing cutout and then reached from the cockpit. The aircraft was also given armour plating along its underside to cover the engine, cockpit and fuel tank. The downward pointing guns and armour. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Top mounted Lewis gun and Admiralty mount - might try and improve the mount design at a later date as the gun only just barely fits through the wing cutout. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr At least 2 TF1s were made and sent to France for testing in Feb/March 1918 but it quickly became apparent that they had serious flaws. The armour severely reduced performance and the downward facing guns were impossible to aim with any accuracy (despite experiments with periscope and mirror arrangements) The TF-1 never went into operational use but the lessons learnt were used in the design of a dedicated ground attack aircraft - the Sopwith Salamander. Thanks for looking - comments are always welcome.

Nice caravan but it's the forced perspective buildings that I like the most here - really well done and effective!! Excellent work!!

That's nicely done... The ground floor certainly says "pub" to me (even the colour scheme seems very public house ish!! Personally I'm not sure about the full length windows on the first floor (above the pub entrance) think they might look better being the same as the other windows. Apart from that I think it's great... Thanks for sharing!!

This week, work began on improving access to the mine by constructing a new, wider entrance. First the local logging company cleared the area of vegetation Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr As the loggers leave, a work crew arrive to begin clearing and levelling the soil and grass bank (the removed material will be used to landscape to area behind the mine - yes I'm that short of green plates!!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr All seems to be going well until a sharp eyed worker spots something sticking out of the digger bucket. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Thinking it's just a piece of old pipe he pulls it out only to discover.... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr It's a machine gun!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The police are called and work is halted until a full investigation can be carried out!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr So what exactly have they uncovered? Are there more weapons hidden beneath Ballabreek? Watch this space to find out!! Comments (and speculation!) are always welcomed.... Thanks for looking!

You should be pleased with this, it's great!! I really like the contrast between the colourful ground floor and plain first floor and the interior is nicely detailed too. Excellent work!!

Nice builds!! I agree about the shop signs, they look perfect!! Thanks for sharing!

Clever idea and excellent design!! All the little details are spot on and I especially like the protruding section with the shield decorations on and the interior detailing. Nice work!!

I'm in!! (My first ever event!!) Would be coming on my own though so if anyone wants someone to share a room with me let me know!!

This week I've tried to integrate some of the latest Arctic sets into a town layout in a plausible way. The result.... The Polaris Exhibition!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr In my "Lego-verse", Polaris is the name of a company which has been awarded the right to explore a previously unexplored region of the Arctic which has become accessible due to the shrinking ice cap. One thing that sets Polaris apart from other companies in the region, is that they try to combine locating and exploiting natural mineral resources with protecting and recording the fragile natural environment. A big part of this involves a range of educational projects aimed at sharing their work with the wider community... One such project is their travelling exhibition which this weekend is visiting Ballabreek. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The aim of the exhibition is to give the public hands-on experience of Polaris' work. As well as being able to talk to real life polar explorers and scientists, exhibits and activities include... A life sized model of a polar bear which highlights the work being done by Polaris scientists to track and monitor their population and movements in order to better protect them. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr A typical weather balloon, not only used to record climate conditions but also cosmic radiation levels and the effects of pollution. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr At the heart of Polaris' work is the aim of finding new mineral deposits that can be used to develop more efficient and powerful batteries and other devices that will eventually make renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and wave power more economical. Large drills such as this are used to get to these deposits which lie under previously unknown islands which in turn are covered in thick layers of ice. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Inside the covered area is a web-learning zone where people can watch live webcam feeds and find out about the work of Polaris. There are also scheduled web chats and Q&As with Polaris employees currently working in the Arctic. Another area allows people to see examples of the minerals being found, scientists are on hand to explain the importance of these discoveries. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr There is also a small dispay charting the history of Arctic exploration in this region. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Many of the activities are geared towards children, an especially popular one is the "Icebreaker challenge" where a remote controlled model ship has to be guided safely through an "ice field". An actual ship's captain is on hand to offer advice!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr A future captain maybe? Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Anyway, I hope people have enjoyed this update - I really enjoyed putting it all together (and finally having a use for my spare brick separators!!) And who knows, we may learn more about the work of Polaris later in the year, as at least one of the workers from the local mine has signed up to join the next expedition in the Spring!! Thanks for looking - comments are always welcome.

Excellent looking boozer!! The "gents" looks brilliant! (I presume they don't have many female customers?) Nice work!

I love these!! They bring back many happy memories of owning the originals as a kid. Your updates are spot on... Modern but still instantly recognizable (I like the auto service truck especially) Looking forward to more!!

Brilliant!! For me Lego has always been about seeing something cool in a magazine, comic, on TV etc and trying to recreate it - I dd it as a kid and I still do it now and this is just the sort of obscure thing I'd build!! Thanks for sharing!!

Very cool!! I like the car theme decor.... Very clever!!