spacefan6901

If you look at the video in your link at about the 0:44 mark in the frontal view as the chest turbine spins up, the head looks like the blueprint to me... Apart from things like the cockpit and some scenes like the ShatterDome control room, I think everything in the movie is JUST TOO BIG to do at minifig scale. I mean an entire Jaeger would be 300 studs tall... I keep having visions of an entire micro-scale ShatterDome base, but I know I'm not a good enough builder at this point to pull it off. Maybe someday after the DVD comes out (so I can look more closely) I will think about it some more.

Is that a mutant with 2 heads I see? (Looks like CMF Cyclops heads?) Never thought of that before...

I'd probably not even notice. Mine are all confined in plastic storage boxes, except for the ones which are still sealed in unbuilt set boxes. Although I do have a bunch of castle figs in the same box as some weapons, have to keep a closer watch on that box. (Reminds self to build 50-brick high wall around building area, with a moat on the inside full of LEGO sharks and crocodiles. Just in case I want to take some out.)

"What's that Lassie?" "Timmy & Becky are in the old mine?" "He is SOOOOO grounded!"

I'm positive I've seen a "galaxy girl" pink ADU squad someplace some months back, possibly it was by one of the LEGO designers, I can't remember or seem to find it at present. Was always thinking of making a mecha squad based on "Power Dolls" for my batch of them, but I have a long list of other things want to work on before that. Anyhoo I have ordered the Bug Obliterator and 2x Space Swarmers, that should arrive before New Year's. Will have to wait for another sale to get the rest, although maybe I'll head to the LEGO Store for a Star Slicer as I think it is a retailer exclusive here in USA (was going to go soon to go pick up a Hobbit Barrel Escape for same reason).

"In 2072, a crack pest control firm was put out of business for excessive cruelty to insects. Still wanted by the Space Police, they promptly fled Earth. If you have a bug problem - if no one else can help - and if you can find them - Maybe you can hire - The GS Team!" (Since I haven't heard if there is some kind of "official" storyline, thought I'd make up my own. Although I think I may have badly dated myself if anyone gets the reference!)

Not quite "history" but falling somewhere closer to legend: the Trojan War? There are no clear "good guys" or "bad guys" as it was the gods on Olympus manipulating everyone. (Of course there should be no mention of anything that could be construed as "religion" so gods are probably out - maybe it is magical curse or something?) File off the serial numbers of why the war started (make something up! or not! I'm sure given two factions kids can come up with their own reasons!), and you've got an ancient city being besieged. Ships and horses and seige engines, raids on trenches / camps, etc. Lots of potential for individual "heroes" from each side, just change the names of the characters from the Illiad. Then they can have the "heroes" fight duels with each other while the battle rages around them.

I think I had some bricks & plates from back in the early 1980's that had so much clucth, I used teeth on them! Then I got older (and more fearful of damaging teeth) and used sewing pins and needles to force the tips into the cracks to be able to push them in enough to be able to pry them apart. This did leave small marks on the edges where I forced the pin tips in. (I wonder if my old stuff I recently got back from my grandmother's house after almost 20 years will all be suffering from this?)

I just kept plugging away and added some more screenshots to my Flikr. Think I'm on to something, but the collison detection in LDD is preventing me from placing the last parts, even though I am fairly sure it would work in physical form. One day I will have to get my bricks out of storage and try it out. I think I might try some kind of small slopes to fill in the gaps in the sides though. Thanks for that idea.

Well I could use some suggestions on how to hold this (specifically the angled sides) together with hinges or technic or something? It is an attempt at a truncated cone shape for a minifig-scale space capsule. So I need it to remain mostly open inside so I can fit some crew members. (The last 3 pictures are LDD screenshots for my latest idea for it. That is what I could use advice on. Surely many have used that technique before, but it is a new one for me.) https://secure.flick...ith/8173462335/ Thank you for any part ot technique suggestions. -spacefan6901

The closest thing I can think of to that is Gary Istok's Unnofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide. It is a 2800 page reference available as a download from some Bricklink shops: United States http://www.bricklink...sp?p=legobanker Netherlands http://www.bricklink...e.asp?p=vissern It can be found under the Book, Other category in those shops. It is however 688 MB in size so it make take a while to download it once you buy it (was originally designed to fit on a CD, but grew too large). PS: Having seen there is now a reply while I was typing this, be aware that Lego Historian IS Gary Istok!

Edited original post to deeplink picture. (First time I've tried to deeplink, so hopefully it works OK.) Comments welcome please. Rest of pictures at link below: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/spacefan6901/

My 3rd and 4th castle-type buildings since returning from my LEGO Dark Age. (Not that I ever actually had much castle before my Dark Age anyway.) I realize I still have a lot to learn / re-learn, but I feel I have made some real progress since the ones I posted last year. (The gatehouse was actually quite fun to build, since I just started with the front doors without a real plan and just started building.) It also helps that I have a decent collection of windows & doors now. The lighting where I took the pictures is not very good, but I had no other place to work. Rest of pictures at Flickr link below: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/spacefan6901/ 100_0282 by spacefan6901, on Flickr

I saw that in the April Store Calendar, and in the fine print on back is no mention of a hard limit, except for possibly the interpretation of "a" large PaB cup as being singular. Although I'm sure that is basically up to each store manager on duty I guess... but let's not get TOO greedy, and plan on leaving some for others as well :) (It's rare that I ever get more than 2 large cups in one trip anyway. Since I never know exactly what will be on the PaB wall (the closest stores near me are not set up on Brickbuildr site and I'd submit an initial inventory but not sure exactly how), it is always a secondary reason for a visit if I am going there anyway.)

I've seen a couple people make versions of Mercury capsules, but as they only hold 1 person it is a whole 'nother thing to try to build a capsule shape a lot bigger than that... at this point I'm just glad I have made something that size in the shape of a hollow cone. I've only just started building again after my 20-year Dark Age; this is actually only my 2nd space MOC project since then so I am still learning how to build with all the new elements that have come out. I do however have a prototype capsule built with slope bricks that is of a shape about halfway between an Apollo lander and a proper capsule; it is the same size as the new version and holds 4 crew, but it looked too squarish and blocky to me. Also, had no hatch so crew was permanently sealed in :0 Now to stop derailing your thread; that is a good design and when I supported it on Cuusoo I indicated I would be willing to purchase multiple sets due to the modular nature so you could build a bigger outpost.

As a 20-year member of the National Space Society, I would gladly support this as some sort of more "realistic" space theme. Now I need to get back to work on my minifig-scale space capsule inspired by modern capsule designs like Dragon and Orion... don't think I will be able to fit more than 4 crew in it as minifigs can't be crammed in as tight as actual humans. I have the exterior shape built except for figuring out how to make the nose such that it helps hold the angled bulkhead panels together... whole thing is sort of too fragile at this stage to bother with the interior yet. Once that finally done, service module? Capsules - everything that's old is new again!

As a follow-up to my previous post, as an experiment I just tried the "169 2x4 in a large cup" technique from the youtube video, and it puts way more stress on the cup than I am comfortable with, but then again my cups have to survive a 40-90 mile return trip home without breaking open and spilling all over the place. I did manage to modify it a bit to fit 139 2x4 and still manage to close the lid securely without having to use tape.

I've gotten PaB cups before, but usually only made half-hearted efforts to pack properly. Today I went to a LEGO store I had not visited before (90 miles each way), and since it was so empty & quiet in the store I decided to try better this time. I ended up with 112 2x4 bricks, 11 2x3 bricks, and 182 1x1 bricks (used to fill in gaps) in a large cup being careful to not to put any strain on the container. Probably could have done a few more 2x4 and less of the others if I'd wanted to risk it. Besides, I had brought 3 more cups to refill! Mostly loaded up on 1x2 1x3 and 1x4 bricks without bothering to stack at all for the other 3 cups. Some 2x4 plates and 2x2 slopes as well. All in all, will make a nice contribution to my stash of castle parts as most were gray, black, or brown parts.

Just an update, it's now crossed 5000 votes ! (In other news, LEGO has assigned somebody to start work on a concept model for BTTF DeLorean Car, and it only has 5500 votes! So perhaps now is time for the idea creator to send over some more feedback to LEGO about which building to make first, etc.) http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/1787

I must say I'm really impressed with these; I missed most of Castle in the 1980's (I had a large amount of Classic Space instead); I think my entire collection consisted of just 6 sets: 6077 Knight's Procession; 6083 Knight's Tournament; 6010 Supply Wagon; 6061 Siege Tower; 6074 Black Falcon's Fortress; and 6077 Forestmen's River Fortress. So I never had the experience of having modular castle sets that could be assembled into one larger structure. I do have a half-built large keep MOC on a 48x48 baseplate https://secure.flickr.com/photos/spacefan6901/ but I think that's mostly just compensation for never having had a big castle when I was younger. (Had to stop work for losing my space where I was building with Lego; but not exactly sure where it was going for the upper part anyway.) Maybe I should try building some smaller MOCs similar to these; they are certainly inspirational!

I've got an unopened Emerald Night stored away in case I decide to get into LEGO trains. (I had a middling-size HO scale electric train layout about 25 years ago.) I don't currently have the space to really set up a train layout these days but I'm tempted to put away a few in case someday I do have the space. On the other hand, where I live is only 40 minutes drive from the site of the Woodstock Festival (Bethel NY - they had to relocate from Woodstock NY late in the planning) so there are certainly those around here with a fondness for the hippie days and there are probably a few of those actual vans still spotted every so often. I think I'm leaning slightly towards the Van, but I am thinking I'd kick myself if the Maersk goes out of production before I could get one - double VIP points after this round will be October or so and that seems a long way off...

I am in the process of narrowing down my list for my visit next month to LEGO Store, as there will be double VIP points March 1 - 15 in the US. I am probably going to pick up a 10197 Fire Brigade and a 10231 Shuttle Expedition, but for a 3rd set I wanted to try something different for me so: 10220 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van OR 10219 Maersk Train ? Both are the same price $119.99 in the US from LEGO. They are nearly the same in parts count as well (Van = 1332 and Train = 1234). I've never built either a large-scale model like the Van or ever built a LEGO train. So either one would be a new building experience for me. Any feedback from anybody who has built one or both of these sets would be appreciated.

1) Male 2) 43 (keep down the noise ya whippersnappers!) 3) I was 6 years old, and it was set 540 Swiss Villa 4) I would have to say Space, especially Classic Space when I was a child 5) I was an extremely detail-oriented and procedure-oriented child, and LEGO just seemed to keep me endlessly interested by the possibilities of all the different combinations of parts as I built my visions of moonbases and spaceships. At present it is mostly nostalgia I suppose as I'm only 2 years out of my Dark Age and barely building at all.

Possibly slightly off on a tangent here, but the one thing that bugs me about LEGO these days is that need for an "official story." When I was a kid I'm sure I would have had no problem coming up for a reason for dinos to be in modern times all on my own. Does TLG think kids have all become unimaginative drones these days or what? For me the "vagueness" or non-existence of some grown-ups telling kids how to play with their LEGO the "right way" seems to me a good thing.

As an AFOL I'd like the saloon as the first building as I think it offers the most chances for playability... however I voted for the sheriff's office + jail as that also would have high playability and might be easier to get past LEGO review and might actually sell better to non-AFOLs. However as Cuusoo voting is only open to those 13+ years old I don't understand the possible objection from LEGO... clearly this set would not be marketed for 6 year olds... (Has anyone ever seen an Old West movie without a saloon in it? Where will the brawls break out, where will the strangers go when they get to town, where will the sheriff go when he wants to get the town gossip? The role of the saloon in an old Western is to be a basically neutral meeting place where all sorts of characters can encounter each other. The barkeep can serve milk and the card game can be "Go Fish" in the LEGO version for all I care, but no Old West town would be without a saloon.)