the enigma that is badger

I did ask Will specifically about that possibility, but he made it clear nothing on the front page, official or fan MOC, has ever featured that item. As that addresses the matter, probably best if we stick to discussion about purism and its role in the community from here on out.

Thanks! Really, while I might be willing to use custom items and the occasional clone accessory, I completely appreciate the challenge and fun some builders give themselves in only working with official LEGO product. Like you said, this is a hobby for the vast majority of us, so we should all feel free to build how we like and respect the building choices of others, whatever they might be. Double-checked with Will on this, and I can confirm there's never been a fig like your describing on the BrickArms front page. Still, I've certainly see many others using that accessory on figs that also are equipped with BrickArms accessories, so no doubt you could have seen something like that elsewhere online. Like I said before, Will has a tremendous respect for LEGO, and as such, you'll only ever see LEGO brand building products on the BrickArms website (apart from the exceptions I mentioned above).

Sorry about that; I meant to post a reply in this thread when it was still hotly active, but my non-LEGO left kicked into high gear several weeks back, and I'm only digging out from under it now! I'll ask Will about it, but I don't recall the fig you're describing. It may have been an MOC of a BrickArms fan Will was spotlighting or a picture of a figure at a convention. I'll certainly look into it, but when it comes to official BrickArms promotional material, Will only uses official LEGO accessories (aside from the exceptions of the Oxford M1 and Minifigworld stand) Like some have already said in this thread, some builders make a distinction between custom accessory vendors and clone brands in that custom accessories are solely meant to compliment the LEGO brand, not replace it. Like yourself, I'm happy to sample products from a variety of brands in the search of useful accessories for my minifigs, but for many builders, a clone brand that competes with LEGO for retail shelf space is strictly verboten, especially when it comes to the actual bricks. Quality more than brand loyalty keeps me away from clones, but I can understand the philosophy behind that thinking, just as I can understand why some don't use anything that isn't LEGO in their building. Like this thread shows, the various levels of orthodoxy when it comes to building are interesting to explore, and so long as you clearly and politely explain your building philosophy ("I use custom accessories, but not clone brands." "I only use LEGO." "I use anything I like!"), it's been my experience that most in the community will respect those guidelines you've set for yourself.

I suppose my "purism" ship sailed years and years ago. I use and/or have samples of custom accessories from pretty much every vendor is and ever was, and I'm more than happy to use accessories from any source that matches the quality and feel of LEGO. That said, when it comes to sets, I ONLY collect LEGO. I'll pick up the random set of another company here and there to see what the quality is like, but every time, it just shows me that when it comes to bricks, LEGO just can't be beat for quality and consistency. Aside from the Sluban/Oxford M1 Helmet, NOTHING on the BrickArms website is clone brand. I realize this might seem strange to some, but you'll be hard pressed to find someone who respects and loves the LEGO brand more than Will Chapman, particularly in the quality of their production and product. It's also the reason why you'll never see anything from BrickArms that has a stud; to Will, that's solely LEGO property and all BrickArms exists to do is to compliment a brand Will has loved all his life and give builders the chance to enhance their LEGO building with custom accessories they'd never see from LEGO and never, ever replace it. I believe you might be thinking of a few of the Megabloks and Stikfas products that are featured on the Brickforge website.

Very close: it's a prototype Will cut during the development of what eventually became the BrickArms Damien Blade. Will produced a few different prototypes based on that concept, but based on the feedback received on them, it was clear folks were most interested in the Damien Blade (smaller blade, more detailed cross guard).

Fabuland up against the Redwall! Nice work, particularly on the lengthened torso and shield decaling. You're almost right as well. That was the first design of what ultimately became the Damien Blade. Here are all three prototype versions: From left to right: V1, V2 (design used for the Damien Blade), and the V3. Eventually, it became clear fans, particularly Castle builders, liked the V2 for both size and detailing. The "longsword" concept was later revisited with the BrickArms Claymore. I do still like the V1, but I'm not aware of any future plans for that particular design given the Damien Blade has proven to be a true fan favorite!

I'll be there Sat and Sunday as well! Man, LEGO truly loves the Chicagoland area. For those counting at home, this makes FIVE storefronts!: - Michigan Ave - Woodfield Mall - Discovery Center - Northbrook Mall - Orland Park All within an area of less than 60 miles!

Very cool work! Very, close to the inspiration, and fits the fig as well as the overall aesthetic quite nicely! Not to get off-topic from your great work here, but unfortunately, like I said at Brickfair, neither Will nor Ian are into fantasy at all, so a Buster Sword-type accessory in all likelihood won't be something you'll see from BrickArms. Now a Gunblade, THAT'S a different story, as you well know!

The two aren't mutually exclusive; Will has gained some incredible skills at CAD design over the past few years, and updating a prototype design for inclusion in a production mold, baring any major changes that would require another round of prototyping, is often only a matter of a few minutes! Once he gets word from his molder that a new production mold can be cut and there are enough designs to fill out a balanced mold (based on color and theme), he takes a tiny bit of time, spruces some things up based on fan feedback and his own thoughts about the accessories and submits the CAD designs to be cut! The reason why you see so many prototypes and new projects from Will: he just loves designing them! BrickArms is a business, but custom accessory design is also Will's hobby and true passion. Whenever he has some very rare free time, there's nothing he loves more than working on some new project. Designing and prototyping represents a fairly small cost and time commitment, so Will is free to experiment with all sorts of wild projects free from the commitments of time and cost associated with production molds. That's the reason why Will is so public with his prototypes and designs. To him, it's like sharing an MOC! There's also the fact fan feedback truly drives a many of the designs in terms of updating them to better suit builder needs as well as choosing those items that will be best suited for mass production. If you're particularly interested in seeing something in a future wave of BrickArms accessories, your best bet is to post in the appropriate thread of the Tales from the Garage forum of the BrickArms Forums.

Will is certainly aware there's an exceptionally high level of interest from fans in seeing more waves of new accessories of BrickArms. However, please keep the following in mind: - Developing a new production mold represents an incredible amount of time and financial investment. Filling a new production mold with finalized designs, ensuring that mold is up to Will's high standards, and running that mold to produce the accessories is a process that can take several months to complete. - Will's molder, who cuts the steel production molds, is often busy with other projects, meaning new BrickArms molds can be delayed. - Adding new items to the BrickArms line-up also requires an incredible amount of work for Will in terms of website updates as well as stock management. - Will just made the largest update in BrickArms history (14 brand new items) only a few short months ago (April) - Each new wave of accessories means a TREMENDOUS amount of work for Will and his family to pack and ship the incredible response from fans. Spacing out new releases eases the burden of processing all these orders. While I can't comment on when new waves of accessories will be added to the site, I can say that big things are afoot behind the scenes at BrickArms to ensure that future additions to the site are more easily integrated into the BA line-up. Moreover, the continued success of BrickArms has shown that there is enough interest to support multiple waves of accessories. Bottom line: Will's method of designing, prototyping, using on the highest-quality US production, and hand sorting and shipping every order that arrives does mean that there is a longer time between new waves of accessories, but considering how much fans seem to appreciate the quality and craftsmanship of all BrickArms products, I'd say it's worth the wait!

Correct! Bear in mind that for Brickfair, a major focus of the convention was Post-Apoc. As such, Will focused his designing in the months before on accessories appropriate to that theme (the the awesome exception of the Claymore sword). Will is still a huge fan of WWII and does have some neat ideas for future accessories in that theme. When I have news, I'll post it here!

Well, two things: - BrickArms uses only high quality ABS plastic in the production of all prototypes and production items. This is the exact same type of plastic used by LEGO in the production of their bricks. - Some of the accessories pictured above were produced by using ground-up LEGO bricks as the source of plastic. In those cases, that is the EXACT plastic LEGO uses! I think photography might be part of the issue, but I can tell you Will Chapman, the individual who designs and produces all the BrickArms accessories, prides himself on their quality and makes use of only the highest quality materials in their construction. The includes color-matched, high quality ABS plastic that makes BrickArms accessories compliment LEGO products seamlessly. Do bear in mind these are prototypes of designs Will is currently testing, and they were produced using aluminum molds Will cut himself in his garage using his CNC machine. If and when these designs see mass production, they'll be producing using solid steel molds which will result in much, much smoother, sleek items. These prototypes are solely meant for design testing and to start to share new directions Will has for BrickArms with the community. Hope that explains things a bit more clearly! Hard to say right now, but I can say that Will got a tremendously positive response from the tan prototypes he had on display at BrickFair and that was not lost on him at all. Like other BrickArms accessories show, Will's molder can do some amazing things when it comes to color-matching, so tan colored BrickArms accessories are most likely possible. We'll have to see what Will has in store for the future!

Some great new BrickArms prototypes that were unveiled at Brickfair: Claymore Sword: Combat PDW: Apoc SMG: Chainblade (as attached to the BA Heavy Scifi Rifle prototype and separate): High Caliber Sniper Rifle: Will also made some nice updates to the AC8 based on fan feedback: What do you guys think? Items you'd like to see one day added to the BrickArms line-up?

One thing I forgot to say: the store event Friday night was run absolutely beautifully. Two years ago at Brickworld, the store event was something similar to a riot. The system used at Brickfair this year (random ticket # and color, random drawings for order of entry, limited number of damaged sets per person) was fair, kept the store from getting too packed, and ensured there was at least some good stuff to go around. The fact the store employees brought out more damaged sets throughout the night was also deeply appreciated as it ensured fans who weren't in the first few groups still got to pick from a few nice things. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I hope this kind of system is what we see at future conventions. And that's from the guy who was the last number of the last color

In regards to the accessories you're discussing, you can read more about that issue here (the forums come back online. Will needs to do some maintenance, and he needs a bit of a rest after Brickfair. They'll be back as soon as possible). That was completely out of Will's hands, and if he could continue to offer them, he would. That said, Will is aware of the gaps discontinuing this items has created in the BA line-up and does have some very cool plans to fill them. However, as for the M47 Shotgun without the scope, Will created that item simply by cutting the scope off of a Tactical M47 Shotgun accessory. That took time, and due to the ever increasing demand and interest in BrickArms, Will no longer had the spare time to trim scopes to create that non-tactical version. That said, removing that scope is an easily accomplished mod and requires on a sharp blade or precision clippers and a few minutes of your time. It's a great start to trying your hand at weapons modification!

I definitely had a great time. This was my first Brickfair, and it was an interesting blend of the large convention nature of Brickworld and the more intimate AFOL-centered BrickCon. I certainly enjoyed it, although I think the plan of moving to a larger venue that's more geared towards larger public events is definitely a good one considering how crowded things got in the hallways and smaller rooms of the Sheraton. That would be Will's wife! The entire Chapman clan was in DC for Brickfair with using using the con as a great way to also take the family on a nice DC vacation. The thing with the coins was probably just her way of being nice to you and to keep from having to deal with coinage behind the booth. That stuff is just a pain to work with when you're trying to count up orders and get folks change as fast as possible! Still, when dealing with ANY vendor at a LEGO con, paper money is preferable to trying to pay for something you'd like with a handful of loose change you've liberated from the fountain in the lobby . . . not that were any quarters left in there after I made my rounds to get Metro fare

Haven't chimed in yet here, but I'm hoping on my flight in a few hours to hit DC! I'm spending all day tomorrow playing tour guide (spent a few years living in the District few years back and always love showing folks around), but after that, it's all LEGO all the time! This is my first time at Brickfair, and after Brickworld and BrickCon, it'll be neat to experience another convention. Each con always has its unique charms, and I've heard great things about Brickfair. I also have some neat news for folks into custom accessories who are attending Brickfair. See here

After the incredible response Will and I got based on the Cyborg Infiltrator fig that was developed for Brickworld, we had to do another one for BrickFair! Here's what we cooked up: the Resistance Trooper: I thought a foe for the Cyborg Infiltrator of Brickworld 2009 would be nice! Only 100 were made and come with all the accessories pictured: - Figure itself - Black Baseball Cap - Black Aviator Helmet - Trans-Clear Visor - Dark Bley Neck Bracket - Dark Bley 1x1 Clip - 4 Black M67 Frag Grenades - Black Bipod - Bronze Ammo Clip - Black AC8 Assault Rifle (Updated Version) - *TOP SECRET* - *TOP SECRET* Cost = $25

I'm not sneaky; I simply share what information I can when I can. Do I have information about BrickArms that's not publicly know? Yes. Will I talk about this information? No, no until Will makes it clear he's ready to have something made public. Do Will and I try to keep things fun by giving fans sneak peaks at future items and occasionally hinting at future plans for BrickArms? Yes, very much so! I think the vast majority of folks appreciate the time and effort that goes into mass producing custom accessories of the high quality of BrickArms products. True, the process is time consuming and requires a good deal of resources, but the prototyping, testing and feedback Will gets from fans about future BrickArms products ensure accessories that builders will enjoy, and Will designing his own accessories and making use of the highest quality US production means complete control over the final products. As always, when I can share info, I do so freely!

No, those are just someone's MOCs. Not to say that accessories that pull from the same inspiration might be something that Will might consider for future BrickArms accessories, but nothing pictured on the Brickshelf account is officially BrickArms.

50% more minifig parts (body parts and headwear) 50% more minifig accessories for the upper and lower part Bricks? What are these "bricks" of which you speak?

Nice work on both! I really like the build on the jetpack, and while I'll probably flip it around to the back, that's definitely something I'll "use as inspiration" next time I'm putting one together

Thanks for kind words, guys, but as Hinckley said, there are much newer threads that regard BrickArms than this one, and posting in one of those or starting a new one, perhaps sharing a custom fig or two that uses the BrickArms products in your collection, would have been a better bet. A few things to keep in mind: - BrickArms has only been in operation for a little over three years, while other vendors have been operating for a longer period of time. This obviously means they've had more time to produce more accessories. However, as BrickArms continues to expand, you can look forward to many, many new BrickArms accessories to come. - Will designs and prototypes all BrickArms accessories himself (aside from the M1 Helmet which I'll discuss below). Designing, prototyping, testing, and then getting community feedback on a new design has been a tremendous way to ensure Will has complete control over the design of a future BrickArms accessory and guide its development in a way that the community will appreciate. For instance, the reworking of the "Buzzgun" concept into a scifi rifle that could have many different accessories attached to it was primarily driven by fan feedback and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. However, the above process can and does take a good deal of time, especially when you're also running an online business and spending much of the day processing orders and making trips to the post office to ensure orders are shipped out and received promptly. Not to mention that Will also needs to attend to the needs of his family! This means that Will often finds it hard to find the time to work on designs, although considering how much he does truly love designing new accessories, he fits in as much as he can. Brickforge, on the other hand, rather than designing the accessories themselves, submits sketches and/or sculpted clay mock-ups of accessories to a CAD professional who takes those ideas and translates them into the CAD design. This obviously saves them the time and effort of having to design their own accessories but also means they have less control over the final design of the accessory. While it would save Will a lot of time to have someone else design BrickArms accessories for him, that would entail giving up a degree of control over their design that he just isn't willing to do. - Will uses only 100% American production for the milling of production molds and the production of the accessories from those mold. Again, this gives Will a high degree of control over the production and overall quality of BrickArms accessories at the price of higher production costs. Will is very proud of the fact he supports local US businesses, especially in a field where much of the production has gone overseas. However, using on the highest-quality US production and ABS plastic mean that each mold is a very significant financial investment for Will, and he's only able to produce new molds when BrickArms is in a position when such an investment is right for the company. Alternatively, like many companies, Brickforge has all their molds produced and injected in Hong Kong. This means their production costs are much, much cheaper, meaning each new mold is much less of a financial investment. The sacrifice is that they are much less directly involved with the production processes. Ultimately, Will prides himself on the craftsmanship and detail that he puts in all of his products, and by using more expensive production techniques and maintaining production in the United States, he can personally ensure that the quality builders have come to expect from BrickArms is always part of new accessories. The drawback is that this means it can take some time for new production accessories to be added to the line-up. However, if you're willing to be patient, chances are you'll love what Will has in store for the future, and you can definitely expect new and great things from BrickArms in the coming years. The above is correct. Some time after BrickArms began selling, Will found a source for the Oxford/Sluban M1 Helmet, and as that piece met Will's extremely high standards for plastic quality, detail, and compatibility, he began selling them on the BrickArms website. Unfortunately, his supplier is no longer able to provide those helmets, and as such, Will has had to remove them from the BrickArms line-up. However, Will has considered designing and producing his own custom M1 helmet. The issue is that headgear requires more complicated and much more expensive molds to produce, not to mention the fact that designing headgear is something new to Will. Still, adding an M1 helmet to the BrickArms line-up that's designs and produced by himself is something Will does still hope to do, and should there be any news about it, I'll certainly share it here! Hope that addresses everything!

Just a quick bump to let everyone know Will has now re-opened the BrickArms shopping cart and has added a great new addition to the BrickArms line-up thanks to the BrickArms-Minifigworld collaboration: the Minifigworld Minifig Stand! As it wasn't something Will designed or produced, I really gave it a thorough test when I first held one in my hand at Brickworld. I have to say, I was really impressed! The ABS quality is top-notch, the studs on the top of the base give a nice solid grip, and the base of the stand lets you snap it onto builds with ease! It's also a great way to display your prized figs. Also now available: BrickArms chrome accessories in both packs and as individual items from Toywiz, a US official BA reseller! Click on the chrome BrickArms Damien to go to the Toywiz Chrome BrickArms page:

Like aayla-secura said, neither Will nor myself can comment when new BrickArms accessories will be released for the reasons detailed here. Also, no BrickArms accessories have been displayed in the prototype phase and then not been released for 2 years. There's one or two from Brickworld last year that have yet to see mass production, but that's it and only just reached a year. As is detailed above, mass producing custom ABS accessories with the detailing and quality of BrickArms products takes time, and Will doesn't want his fans to have to settle for anything less than the highest level of detail and playability he can offer. All this said, I'll take that bet. Will wouldn't call a wave of releases First Wave 2009 without a good reason, you know?