the enigma that is badger

I'll add my voice to the "love the hair and torso, don't care for the new face design" crowd. Frankly, I'm getting tired of different lines of TLC product using such different aesthetics. I've always loved the interchangable nature of LEGO parts, including the minifig elements, and these new more detailed face designs frankly to match well at all with what TLC has previously released. Ultimately, I personally feel the character design should be adapted to the LEGO aesthetic, not the other way around. badger

I wholeheartedly agree - The Joker of "The Batman" easily ranks with Caeser Romero's version of the character as one of the absolute worst and suffers even more by comparison with the BTAS Mark Hamil-VO interpretation of the Joker which was one of the best. I also recall hearing the TLC was basing their Batman line entire on the comics but can't recall the source. Still, given we've seen "Elseworlds" (ie out of mainstream DC continuity) elements of the Batman character incorporated into the sets (i.e. The Dark Knight Returns-inspired Bat-Tank), there's always a chance TLC could use some very broad concepts from the upcoming film for a set or two. badger

Glad to hear you like it and that Will can count on an order or two from you! I'll be sure and pass on your kudos to Will, the man who truly deserves all the accolades that you guys have heaped on this prototype. Like I've said, I'm just the messenger, but it's always a treat to bring news this good! badger

Update for this item: Will has now posted pics of a prototype! Daryl Hannah, watch your back! badger

Actually, that last prototype actually IS grey. :-) Will uses his home CNC to produce these prototypes, so he makes use of any extra ABS plastic he has around. In this case, the source was most likely left-over dark-grey sprues after the weapons were removed. Taking junk plastic and turning it into fantastic prototypes - now THAT'S recycling! badger

A few images of prototypes of the Brickarms bipod I thought I'd share with everyone: Just look how versatile this new accessory is! Will also is currently developing a monopod as well for those of you hungry for fixed gun placements and two-handed gripping *All pictures are by Will Chapman* badger

At home: The Great Silence a rather odd and somewhat depressing "spaghetti western" which co-stars Klaus Kinski. Still, you don't see too many snowbound westerns, and the cold, desolate atmosphere really added something to the film. In a theater: Blade Runner: The Final Cut, an absolutely amazing experience. I've always been a BR fan, but seeing this beautifully restored version on a big screen truly took my breath away. badger

As I'm quite far from adhering to what most consider a strictly "purist" ideology (it'd be kind of hard to be a good spokesman for Brickarms if I did!), I personally see nothing wrong with using TLC-elements from the Scala line in MOCs so long as they fit the work being created. badger

Another day, another great new mock-up from Brickarms! In honor of the 25th anniversary of the iconic, groundbreaking science-fiction film Blade Runner as well as its recent re-release of the film in theaters as Blade Runner: The Final Cut, Brickarms is proud to announce a new item inspired by the pistol used in the film by Rick Deckard (as played by Harrison Ford) to hunt down fugitive replicants: the Brickarms PKD2019. Built around a Steyr Mannlicher .222 Model SL rifle with extensive modifications, the PKD2019 is truly a powerful sidearm, as is demonstrated several times in the film as Deckard "retires" various replicants. The evocative design of this pistol, which features two separate barrels, simultaneously evokes both a nostalgic sense of pure noir and a feeling of unease at the all-too-near dystopian future its gruff, utilitarian design implies. A moody shoot from the film of Deckard hunting his replicant prey with his trusty sidearm: The Brickarms PKD2019 will be released as part of Mold #3, although a release date for this mold has yet to be determined. Stayed tuned to this forum for further updates as they're made available! *A note about reference material* - There are alot of pictures of recreations made by fans of the pistol featured in Blade Runner floating around the interweb, ranging from the accurate to the . . .well, less than accurate. In looking for source material on which to base the Brickarms PKD2019, Will went straight to the source: clear, detailed pictures of the original "hero" prop that was actually used during the filming of Blade Runner (as can be seen here). These pictures were taken at Worldcon 2006, the first time the hero prop has ever been made viewable by the general public, so please keep in mind that any other versions you see of this pistols online are fan-made recreations, not the original pistol as is seen in the film and thus not 100% accurate to the design featured in the film. badger

Thanks for the welcome, but that exceptionally annoying internet craze has nothing to do with my screename. It's a holdover from my days spent as a videostore clerk during which the owner thought I resembled the character "Badger" from the film Better off Dead. Here's my namesake taking in some informative reading material: badger

All current plans for future Brickarms accessories that I'm aware of are for weapons dating only as far back as WWII, the same time frame as the accessories currently available. Will has been asked about these item in the past, and while he hasn't said they'll never be produced, his (and his son Ian's) eyes are still very much fixed on historical weaponry of the WWII era and forward. However, I can assure you that Will isn't about to let the Brickarms line-up become stagnant; Mold #3 is currently planned to take Brickarms some exciting new directions, particularly involving sci-fi weaponry. badger

From the thread on the Brickarms Forums about these pictures, a post from Will Chapman about the pricing of the bipod: Hope this at least partially answers your question! badger

Ah, yes - sorry about that. My apologies to you, Steve! badger

Will is most definitely the hands. What that man can do with CAD software and his home CNC never ceases to amaze me. As far as "ears" go, Will definitely tries to keep up on threads on various forums about his work, but based on how busy he is with all things Brickarms, I do my best to report back to him the reaction online to Brickarms prototypes. So if you really like a design, let your voice be heard because I can guarantee it makes it back to the head honcho himself! Will's certainly the "brain" since he calls all of the shots in terms of future items, but the ultimate authority is Will's son, Ian. Every since Brickarms product has to have his seal of approval before it goes into production, and if a particular weapon doesn't catch his fancy at all, there's little chance it'll end up as a Brickarms accessory. This concludes your antatomy of Brickarms lecture! William

No worries at all! I just don't want Will to see this thread and think I'm willing to let a little bit of his thunder slide my way ;-) badger

As incendiary as both sides (the school and FOX's reporting) have been in this debacle, it strikes me more as an issue of framing more than anything else. Schools all over the world have issues with "sharing" involving popular toys, and most find a way to handle it in a way that doesn't seem to mandate a particular political ideology. If there was an issue with sharing certain popular LEGO bricks, the teacher(s) could have easily told the class they had to incorporate them into their city design such that everyone was using them equally (ie everyone contributes the building of a city airport that uses the popular bricks). This way each student could feel as if they had "used" the brick in a model they had helped build. The students could then make use of the less in-demand items for their own personal creations. In regards to building size and height restrictions, I'm surprised the faculty don't appreciate children more often than not simply reflect the world around them in their play. I've seen some particularly funny (and embarrasing to their parents) videos in child development courses were children play out some very personal conversations and/or interactions they've seen between adults. The importance of observation in how children learn about their place in the world and to act in it cannot be overemphasized. Given that this school is in Seattle, which features residential homes of all sizes, apartment building, and skyscrapers, is it any surprise children would build housing of different sizes? If the teacher wanted to use their creations as a way to illustrate we all live in different places but it's not where we live but how we treat other people that's more important in determining if we're a "good" person or not to counterbalance what they perceive to be the indoctrination of materialism, that's perfectly fine, but to force the students' to only build homes within certain sizes is frankly ridiculous and clearly limiting the expression of their students' imaginations. Of course, FOX News, bastion of level-headed reporting that it is, doesn't make these points but instead presents us with the equivalent of someone pointing at the school and yelling "Commies! Dirty Commies! Hippies! All of them, hippies!" which adds precisely nothing to the discourse and only seeks to inflame matters. They did to begin with? badger

Thanks for the welcome and kudos for Brickarms! Just a small bit of clarification - these aren't my weapons per se (although I do own alot of them ;-)), but rather are the sole product of the creativity and design skill of Will Chapman, the creator and owner of the Brickarms business. Will's given me the honor of spreading the "Brickarms word", and I'm happy to bring it to Eurobricks, but as much as I'd love to take credit for designing these great accessories, it's all his doing! Thanks again! badger

I don't make 'em; I just tell folks about 'em! :-) Seriously, I have nothing to do with the actual designing of these items aside from giving Will Chapman (the owner, proprietor, and all around head honcho of Brickarms) feedback on his designs and "beta-testing" prototype accessories on occassion. I'll pass on your kudos to Will! badger

It's been in-development for some time now, but Will has just released some fantastic mock-up shots of a new Brickarms bipod that may soon see production: Click each picture for a larger view: Keep in mind that these aren't prototypes Will has made on his CNC but instead are digital mock-ups he created using his newly-created bipod design. Aside from being designed to suit both modern and more classic weaponry, the attachment point for this bipod design has the same dimensions as the minifig hand giving it the ability to fit onto any weapon that features a minifig grip point on its barrel. The result: an extremely versatile and stylish accessory that can be used even with brick-built weapons. Enjoy! badger

The laws in mainland China in regards to copyright are quite similar to those found elsewhere. However, the enforcement of said laws tends to be more lax, and corruption is a serious issue. The US government and several business groups (the MPAA in particular) have strongly pushed the PRC to work harder to decrease piracy of intellectual property within their borders. badger

Well, I'll admit it's much more likely they mean Nightwing but there technically is a DC character named Nighthawk. Still, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense for him to be in a Batman game (unless there's an Old West stage . . . ). I'm stoked for Man-Bat. In terms of a figure, I can easily picture a "Wolfman"-style molded head with brown bat wings attached via one of the neck bracket pieces in brown. However, Vader makes a good point about the figs that appear in-game not subsequently showing up in sets (Taun Tauns, TLC, do you hear me? Taun Tauns!) badger

Hmm, interesting. I thought TLC had taken those "Enlighten" folks to task a few years back? Ah well, I have to give these bootleggers points for determination. Then again, considering what was said at the party congress, the CCP may finally start cracking down on such enterprises. badger

Glad to see there's so much interest in these prototypes! In regards to a few questions that have popped-up: Yes, these accessories were indeed inspired by weaponry featured in the HALO videogame series, but their specific design is original work by Will Chapman. As many HALO fans have pointed out, several details of these weapons are different in these prototypes are markedly different from what appears in the games. Firstly, this is to respect Bungie's copyright of those designs and to provide Brickarms patron with original, distinctive accessories that are versatile beyond HALO-specific MOCs. Second, the process of making a minifig accessory requires a certain design aesthetic to be applied to the weapon resulting in a very stylized caricature of the original weapon scaled to the minifig. Indeed these are picture of prototypes made on Will's home CNC machine! This set-up allows him to produce prototypes of designs quickly and cost-effectively and gives him the chance to test out how new designs will work "in minifig hand" ;-) These accessories are currently scheduled to be released as part of Mold 3 which is still currently in development. However, Will has posted pictures of a prototype of another Mold 3 accessory: the M1 Garand. A release date still hasn't been set for the release of Mold 3, but I'll let you all know as soon as I can announce it! No worries, that's certainly your choice to make. Still, in regards to quality, Will easily matches (and in my opinion, surpases on occasion) the quality of TLC accessories. Will has also striven to maintain an aesthetic that closely matches that of TLC such that Brickarms accessories look natural in your minifigs' hands. Just leaves more Brickarms for the rest of us! badger

Greetings all, Long-time lurker of these forums who's long appreciated the great news and sense of community that's a hallmark of the Eurobricks forums. I've been an active member of FBTB, the MCN, and now the Brickarms Forums for some time, and based on my connection with the Brickarms business, Will Chapman has honored me with the position of "Official Brickarms Spokesman" (i.e. "The Mouth of Brickarms" - catchy, no? *sweet* ). I hope to keep everybody on these forum up to date on the latest goings on at Brickarms, particularly as new products are being developed. I know there's been alot of interest in the new HALO-inspired items Will recently unveiled, but I can assure you that even more great accessories are planned for Mold #3 of Brickarms accessories which is currently in development (I just recieved some new designs from Will to look over today!). I'm also here to answer any questions anyone might have about Brickarms, so please feel free to PM me with any questions you might have. However, please keep in mind that neither Will nor myself are able to comment on many future plans specifically unless such information has already been announced. The Brickarms FAQ on the Brickarms Forums is also a great start in terms of learning more about what goes into selecting what weapons are given the "Brickarms touch". Really looking forward to being part of this community! badger