pombe

This is what I read: A marketing survey showed that 10% of LEGO revenue in Germany last year was due to purchases for adult recipients. Did I read that wrong? As for whether or not this is good news (to me)...I think it depends on who these adults are and how TLG defines "AFOL". This could mean more modular sets. This could mean more Architecture sets. This could mean more large Technic sets. This could mean more Star Wars UCS sets. This could mean more licensed sets based on more mature themes (IDEAS). This could mean more sets based on nostalgia from older/retired themes (Benny's Space Squad). Or all/some of the above. What I think we can agree on is that a higher focus on adults would likely mean more sets with a higher price point and more advanced techniques.

@KotZ Thanks for sharing! I can't wait to see more of the season. I figure as more teams get eliminated, they'll have more time to cover the MOCs. I figure the show provided meals for the contestants and they ate when they could fit it in? 15 hours is not a long time for the first challenge. I do admit that I was confused by the father/son team when the father clearly pointed out that their roller coaster wasn't going to work and the son just said to ignore it. And I'm not an expert on power functions, but even I found myself yelling "gear ratios!" at the TV when that one team was having issues with their bumper cars moving too fast.

I've always viewed the different Space Police incarnations as being different precincts in the same Space . SPI had to deal with mostly Blacktron in their area whereas SPIII had to deal mostly with the Black Hole Gang, though they all had the same jurisdiction. Their different colors, uniforms, and vehicles were just a reflection of which precinct the space police were from. I know, this is head-canon type stuff, but it has always made me wish that instead of another Space Police, they would come out with a Space S.W.A.T..

This is a sweet Uziel! Any reason you chose this 'mech? It's not that iconic as far as battlemechs go. I don't really have much critique for you, this is a fantastic MOC. However, what really caught my eyes was... that base. Your hex base had me at hello. It makes me wish that you had an entire board set up with hexes that size and some 'mechs to choose from for a game: lance versus lance, 200 tons per side?

Do I like tiles? Yes Do I like printed tiles? Yes Do I like getting lots of tiles and printed tiles? Yes Is my wallet going to hurt? Yes Will I try to MOC something with the bracelets? Yes, but it probably won't be any good

I love this MOC. This starfighter has great shaping. In terms of advice, let's see... Work on colorblocking. Instead of interspersing the color black freely throughout the MOC, maybe reserve black for just the mechanical parts, like the weapons and thrusters. Then add a third minor color in a cohesive manner, like white, as stripes/decoration. Whatever colors you use, be sure they tie the MOC together and don't end up camouflaging it by breaking up the lines of the starfighter. As for greebling, I practice by making micro MOCs. Doing this forces you to discover ways to insert a lot of detail into tiny MOCs and to create the suggestion of things at a small scale, which is fundamentally what greebling is. If you love spaceships (who doesn't?) build some micro spaceships and you'll learn how to add those types of details at larger scales.

Yes. And even that makes LEGO Star Wars too stale for me. Hence why I want TLG to push it out even further.

I understand the logic behind your question, but implementing it comes with costs. It reduces the breath and diversity of the line, if they must produce a variation of the same iconic ship every year. It discourages double dipping into the same line, since the kid will likely only want one Millenium Falcon which will always occupy a slot in the annual wave (with an x-wing and a TIE of some sort along with an AT-ST and maybe Slave I) and over time the line is more likely to run out of sets s/he wants. It also prevents LEGO from putting out sets that may attract AFOL collectors, such as one of the other 18 pod racers from Episode I that hasn't been produced, the Outrider, or a Mon Calamari cruiser. Overall it contributes to the staleness of the line and fatigue for LEGO Star Wars. I get it, though. It's the same reason why citizens of City have to pay exorbitant taxes to fund all the new police and fire stations they get every year (even the modulars and the winter village have fire stations!). But it comes at the cost of having a postal center, a recycling center, or schools. A compromise could be having the iconic sets every other year (or every three years), so that the rest of the line can be more diverse and the kids don't have to wait so long to see the set they want that they are missing.

This is like asking if you prefer prime rib or rib eye steak. They are both steaks, they are both delicious, and I enjoy them both just fine. However, I would like to have the choice. Also, with Star Wars, there needs to be some sort of minimum time between releases of the same thing. Like...at least five years between Millenium Falcons (any variation) or something. I think that would help keep Star Wars more fresh to me, as opposed to "oh, there's yet another x-wing...yay...". There's an entire universe of fighters and starships, from Z-95 headhunters to T-16 skyhoppers to Carrack class light cruisers to Interdictor class star destroyers, but nope we get Slave I again.

Sorry for the late reply. There's a useful topic on photography that is stickied on the top of this general forum which has a lot of useful advice. Here's a good read that I like which closely resembles what I do when I don't have access to a full studio set up: https://www.pixelz.com/blog/diy-1-build-photo-studio-bootstrapped-budget/

1) Dedicate a lot of space to the hobby. You'll need space to store, space to sort, space to build, and space to display. A nice large table/desk will also help keep your LEGO from becoming dusty/dirty by keeping them off the floor. An enclosed shelf or display case is ideal if you want to keep what you display from becoming dusty. 2) White light. I have a hard time discerning several colors under yellow light, but white light always makes it clear if I am dealing with grey or light bluish grey. 3) If you plan on sharing pictures of your MOCs, a photo set up with good lighting and backdrops. Even if you shoot with your phone camera, a set up with a lot of diffuse lighting and nice seamless backdrops can really make your MOCs stand out.

In this case, TLG committed the cardinal marketing sin of overpromising and underdelivering. This ruins their image and hurts their brand. And whether or not it is truly significant/insignificant is irrelevant: the frustration and anger (no matter how temporary) felt by the customer is very real. If that customer is an AFOL, TLG just lost an evangelist for their brand, which hurts future sales since that customer will stop buying LEGO products as gifts for potential future AFOLs. I'm sorry that some people were burned by this promotion, and I hope that TLG will do everything in their power to resolve the issue to everyone's satisfaction.

Ever since it was mentioned that the next iteration of Heroica would be set in a science fiction setting, I have been watching with great interest (cue Palpatine). I can't currently commit to any testing (sorry), but I figure the testing should be done by players who are already familiar with Heroica 1.0 who can leverage their previous experiences with the new updates. My bricks are still a giant unsorted mess from a recent move, but I have access to my minifigures and their accessories so I couldn't help but do some figbarfing (and character creation) out of excitement for 2.0. Please feel free to use the images (and/or characters) for your tests or as NPCs or whatnot. The images themselves are links, and are public and available on Flickr. Dola Solomon Lieutenant Solomon served in the Awarshi Alliance as a marine during the Jestilair Conflict for three tours, earning medals and promotions for conspicuous bravery under fire. Afterwards, she was unable to settle into a peacetime military career behind a desk so she resigned her post, packed up her kit, and made her way out here to sell her services to the highest bidder. Captain H. Justice Lawful Good has never had a hero more lawfuler or gooder than Captain H. Justice! He'll defeat the forces of evil and bring justice and order to the galaxy, or his first name isn't Captain (really), his middle name isn't Honor, and his last name isn't Justice! Taminy "Seraphim" Wong Resplendent in her shining white battle armor, Taminy Wong is a feared mercenary and bounty hunter. Her armor, combined with her reputation for using her jetpack to soar over the battlefield and swoop in for close range combat acrobatics, have earned her the nickname "Seraphim". Rho Not much is known about the cyborg Rho. Other mercenaries who have worked with him describe his demeanor as "quiet and creepy". However, regarding his combat abilities, they speak highly, detailing his close combat prowess and how he has charged into enemy positions shredding his opponents mercilessly with his right arm and come out victorious, but covered in gore.

Look at it this way: Even the greatest minds in human history have disagreed with each other. From philosophers, to mathematicians, to musicians, to physicists. And that's okay.

I've been meaning to continue Nolana's story, but I've been caught up with a move and now all my bricks are unsorted in giant bins. It'll be a while before I can get going again...

I'd imagine a line of speed champion sized racers (150-200 bricks, I think GARC is a good place to start). Each racer set can be designed to be modular (more on this in a second). Use the iPad app to scan your racer (like Hidden Side, where the app will recognize your racer, including the modular parts) and then you can use your racer in the app against computer opponents. To monetize it further, each racer could start with specific stats, such as acceleration, top speed, brakes, cornering, boost power/nitro, etc., which plays a major role because there are different types of tracks (straight, curvy, etc.) when you play the app's "pro season" mode, where you have to eventually race on all the tracks. Throw in mod pack sets to take advantage of the modular nature of each racer (different engines, boosters, fins, etc.) and monetize the line even further which the app takes into account when scanning the racer that alters the stats of the racer before each race (ie. to take advantage of each track). They can also make the app multiplayer so that friends can race each other using their scanned LEGO racers if they sync their devices somehow.

This is a great classic space spaceship! I especially love the fact that it has a working cargo hold, much like the original sets. I'll just say that your first MOC out of your dark ages is much better than my first MOC post dark ages.

LOL! Thanks for the extremely flattering words. To be fair, however, a lot of the inspiration behind the humor of my stories came from the internal logic of the first LEGO movie (though I upped the ante with more adult themes). I had actually started out thinking I would use the Inspector Gadget formula for AG, where Pombe would be the idiot explorer whose sidekick Eshey would do all the real work, but I got tired of that after the first few weeks. And when @Dannylonglegs had a story in which he included a cameo of Pombe walking around the Axle in his speedos, I just ran with it and never stopped.

Loved this when I saw it on Flickr! Both the vehicle and the terrain are outstanding! Congrats on Rogue Brick and living the dream! Being in Texas also, I’ve been wanting to swing by to support you, but Austin is pretty far away from DFW. Now that I’m moving to California (bricks are already packed away...I’m dreading resorting them all), it seems I’ll never get the chance. This upcoming Brick Fiesta will be my last one (it’s in Austin), maybe I’ll catch you then.

This is exactly what the world needs right now, yesterday, tomorrow, and two weeks from now. More Classic Space!

This is a great little one man fighter! It's sleek and compact, which makes it look like it's built with cost and storage considerations in mind. I can imagine a capital ship with several of these: a wing already flying combat space patrol, and the rest in the docking bay ready to scramble when the enemy appears on the scanners. I do have a few comments: 1) I tend to avoid designs that can shoot itself. I would move the weapons from behind the cockpit to the wings or the nose. 2) I also tend to avoid cockpit designs where the minifigure has to lean way back to fit. Adding a plate or two to the height of the interceptor would allow you to build a much more comfortable cockpit for the pilot. 3) This one is more personal taste, but adding a color stripe for a splash of color would help the MOC pop. I know it's not as realistic as all grey, but LEGO presentation is about catching the eye of the viewer. If it helps, you can stick with more "military" colors, like green or blue.

@rodiziorobs Your words are always too kind. I too miss AG: the MOCs, the stories, and the builders.

LOL. Here's how Sarah was built:

The Crew: Currently... Thanks, Uncle Hombre! Volunteering for the Intergalactic Fire Rescue Service as part of our training for Andromeda Gates 2 is such a great idea! I'm sure we'll get lots of experience from this! That's so true! Rosie, scan the surface to see if there's a fire in trouble who needs rescuing. Scanning the planet surface now. Poshey, we've found something in the middle of the desert. I'm bringing it up on the viewscreen. It looks like... OH GOD!!! THE ROOF! THE ROOF! THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!!! HELP! I'M TRAPPED UNDER THIS ROOF!!! Quick! Set a course! Hmm...the roof is made of timber. Shouldn't we just let the motherf***** burn? Uncle Hombre, hurry! Did we make it in time?! Are you unhurt?! Whew! Thanks for rescuing me, Intergalactic Fire Rescue Service! My name is Sarah, by the way. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be trapped under there. We're just doing our jobs, ma'am. I'm glad you're safe and sound. Yay! Go Team Poshey! All comments and critiques are welcome!

I would love to include instructions whenever I post a MOC. But unfortunately as someone who builds with physical bricks in a very trial and error manner, stopping at each step to document what I did physically into a software program would sap any desire I have to build. And I don't even want to think about what happens when I've built, say, a cockpit and the thruster engines for a spaceship as separate units and figure out that I don't like how they fit together and tear apart huge chunks (without completely dismantling) of both to fit them in a better way, and then I have to go fix my instructions for both. And chances are, especially for larger MOCs, I'll screw up during the building process and forget to include some steps in the software and confuse myself as to why my digital MOC and my physical MOC don't end up exactly the same. I suppose I could take my MOCs apart brick by brick and generate the instructions in reverse. But, in that case, I'd rather just build another MOC with that time and energy.