Toa_Of_Justice

On December 5, 2011, my parents and I spent a day at LEGOLAND Florida. I had a great time there, and I thought it would be nice to share my adventure with everyone here. I have so many pictures that I decided to just put them in this gallery rather than posting them all in this topic (which would be very time-consuming and bandwidth-hogging). However, I will link to some individual pictures/sub-galleries for convenience. When I first got in the park, I saw someone dressed up in a highly realistic minifigure costume. I had a photo taken of me doing a Stephen Colbert-style "friend pose" with the colorful character. After that, I went to The Big Shop, and got some unique items there. I also stopped by the Factory Tour, saw a funny video of CGI minifigures messing around in a real LEGO factory, and picked up some common, yet essential bricks at the Pick A Brick store. My last shopping destination was the Minifigure Market, where I built 3 minifigures using mostly Collectible Minifigure parts. See all the merchandise I got in this sub-gallery. Next, I visited Miniland USA. My dad leveraged the photo-taking and video-capturing powers of his iPhone, and here are the results... Miniland Photos YouTube Videos (on my YT channel) After Miniland, we had lunch at Fun Town Pizza Pasta Buffet. Sorry, no pictures, but the food was excellent. We finished eating just in time to catch the Racers 4D movie at the Wells Fargo Fun Town 4D Theater. It was awesome. There was wind and snow (yes, it snowed in central Florida!!! It was indoors though, and I saw no traces after the show was over... ), and the vehicles looked fantastic (a fusion of realistic vehicle parts and LEGO elements, similar in appearance to the vehicles in the Drome Racers video game). Again, there are no photos. I forgot the exact order of the following activities, but here they are anyway. I joined my dad on the Lost Kingdom Adventure ride. The Egyptian theme and the laser guns reminded me of Stargate SG-1. Plenty of classic Adventurers characters appeared on the ride, including Sam Sinister (who was involved in a failed plot with dynamite ), Dr. Kilroy, and Ms. Pippin Reed. Sorry, no photos available. My mom and I went on the Technicycle in the LEGO® TECHNIC™ section of the park. Although I have no photos of this cool-looking ride, I can tell you that the base of it looks like a Power Functions battery box and XL Motor. Each dual-seat passenger holder was made to look like a powered glider built from giant LEGO elements, such as TECHNIC beams, classic dragon wings, 6x6 webbed dishes, and 5.5 diameter 3-bladed propellers. At the Imagination Zone, I wanted to participate in the Racers Build and Test and Hero Factory activities, but an employee told me that Hero Factory wasn't ready yet, so I just built a racer and pitted it against other creations in a downhill drag race. (I made an LXF file of my racer the next day at home.) The Big Test, a live-action show in the LEGO® City section of the park, was very funny to watch. It was about five city-dwellers trying to pass a test to become volunteer firefighters. The actors even interacted with the audience several times, and those unfortunate enough to sit in the first few rows got wet from all the water that was splashed and sprayed around in the spirit of laugh-out-loud comedy. Once again, no photos were taken. Back when LEGOLAND Florida used to be Cypress Gardens (part of it still is--more on that later), they had a water ski show. Since then, pirates took over the show, and it was renamed Pirate’s Cove Live Water Ski Show. It told the story of a brave female named Miranda Valentina (a human dressed in an outfit similar to this minifigure) who, allied with her soldiers (people in 2009 redcoat minifigure costumes sans hats), took back the Brickbeard's Bounty (which appeared to be made of life-size LEGO elements) from pirates (including Brickbeard himself, the only pirate who was in a minifigure costume). There was also a shark named Sawtooth (which looked just like the one in the Brickbeard's Bounty set). Click here for pictures. The last thing we saw at LEGOLAND Florida was Cypress Gardens. Thankfully, the beautiful (yet non-LEGO) botanical gardens were left intact. There is a massive banyan tree there that would look awesome in modular sets if LEGO brought back Forestmen or made an Elves theme. You can see that tree and other cool flora here. Finally, on the way out, I discovered that my minifigure friend was replaced by Preston Stormer 1.0. I saluted him. If you can afford to go to LEGOLAND Florida, I highly recommend it. I really hope to go there again at least once. -Toa Of Justice EDIT: Many of the links in this post rotted (here's why), so I fixed them.

At last, I have real pictures! Click any picture (except the front and back views of the model itself) to enlarge it. Box Front Box Back (the arrows are a little off from where I put them in the Box Designer) Here's the bottom. Notice the landing gear. The pilot poses with her craft. (Note: Although her head is the correct piece in this picture, LEGO originally sent me a different head. Thankfully, I happened to pick up the correct head at LEGOLAND Florida's Minifigure Market, so I don't have to contact Customer Service.) Here's the SXJ on a display stand I made for it. The rear and side flaps can move. (The main wings can also tilt up and down due to being on hinges, but they aren't meant to.) Here is the SXJ in its designated display space on my shelf. I apologize for some of these pictures being a little out of focus. For some reason, this model was very hard to photograph. I'm not sure whether to blame myself or the model. For clearer LDD pictures (and the LXF file), you can check out the first post of this topic. -Toa Of Justice EDIT: I fixed the out-of-focus pictures.

I have set 7242, and the DesignID on that part is 2578. I hope LEGO adds the new part to LDD alongside the old one, since the old one is needed for set 6645. -Toa Of Justice

Guardian Angel is a prototype model of the next generation of Heroes from Hero Factory. Her six plasma-infused wings, which can spread out or fold in, allow her to fly. In addition, they can glow blindingly bright and spit plasma bolts. She carries a double staff that can split into two smaller staves. Each half is tipped with a razor-sharp electrified blade. Quote: "I love to give enemies 'sticker shock'--that is, first I stick them, then I shock them!" Click any image to enlarge it. LXF File 1 (first pose) - LXF File 2 (second pose) - Brickshelf Gallery Want real bricks? This model was made in Design byME mode, so you can buy it for USD $37.59. -Toa Of Justice

I can see the resemblance to Zam's airspeeder, but I didn't necessarily intend it. It was only after I added the front headlights that I was reminded of that ship. I just hope LEGO doesn't think it's too similar, otherwise my model might not go through Design byME. The whole back section is the engine (bley), thrusters (dark bley and trans-red [excluding the roof--that's a brake light]), and exhaust (black). If you've ever played WipEout HD Fury (or at least seen pictures of the ships in that game), you may notice similar engine designs. Thanks for the idea about SNOT. However, I have concerns about it: SNOT could potentially ruin my wing design (the details I worked hard on, such as patterning, headlights, and red/green lights would be lost). I don't know whether appropriate click hinge elements for supporting a SNOT design are available through Design byME. I feel the stacked plates of my current design are more sturdy than SNOT wings would be. My skills with SNOT are limited, and all I think I could do is stack slopes to emulate my wedge shape, which would result in jagged edges. -Toa Of Justice

Bulk 2012 by Toa_Of_Justice - LXF SXJ by Toa_Of_Justice - LXF -Toa Of Justice

I had a feeling that answer was a standard corporate one. I figured that I'd share it anyway though. I'm glad I did too, because thanks to your reply, I now know more about the future of LDD than the customer service reps at LEGO seem to know. I wonder what the replacement modes will be. I wish one of them were tied into Pick A Brick though! Perhaps you should suggest that to your secret informant, along with vynsane's modules ideas. I'm sure LEGO wouldn't mind the additional potential revenue sources, and I'd probably order many things through the Pick A Brick mode. -Toa Of Justice

The Blacktron Transgressor is awesome! I think LEGO should re-do Blacktron, and hire you as one of the designers. I'd probably buy such sets if every store I looked for them in wouldn't already be sold out! -Toa Of Justice

After I sent them my suggestions, I got the following reply from LEGO Customer Service: Bolded text is my emphasis. By the way, she got the date wrong--I sent my e-mail on 11/11/11, not 11/15/11. -Toa Of Justice

I was inspired to build the SXJ based off the racing ships in WipEout HD Fury. I've had this MOC on Brickshelf for a while, but when I read about Design byME closing, I decided to spruce it up and share it with everyone here. I plan to buy this model from Design byME soon, so real photos of the SXJ may come when I get a chance to photograph it. UPDATE - Dec. 10, 2011: Real pictures are now available--go to the post! Originally, I never intended for the letters SXJ to stand for anything, but for those who want to know, SXJ now stands for Supersonic Experimental Joyrider. Click any image to enlarge it. LXF File - Brickshelf Gallery - Brickshelf Gallery (Original Version) Number of Pieces: 143 Design byME Price (USD): $43.29 If anyone has any suggestions to make before I buy this model, please let me know. (UPDATE: I bought my model on November 19, 2011. I'll let everyone know when real pictures are up.) -Toa Of Justice EDIT: After completing for one of my college classes, I figured out how to make a basic flight animation using the techniques in the tutorial (plus some advice from eHow.com). To start the animation, right-click it and select Play from the pop-up menu.EDIT 2: I have made one final change to my model before ordering it--I added retractable landing gear! LXF File I also made this display stand for it. Although I plan to include it in my photos, it won't be visible on the box because I plan to make my ship look like it's flying, and the stand would look awkward. LXF File EDIT 3: Here's a box preview:

I'd say there's a pretty good chance of LEGO employees browsing this board. For one thing, there are at least several LEGO employees that are members here (such as Front and Nabii). In addition, I sent a link to this topic to LEGO Customer Service and asked them to send your suggestions on to the appropriate people. Let's hope for the best, everyone! -Toa Of Justice

Great ideas, vynsane. I've also wanted the ability to make the box optional. The instructions were always optional if I recall correctly. In fact, I remember that LEGO warned that the instructions might be faulty, and encouraged people to not include the instructions (for the sake of saving a tree) unless they really wanted them. I also like your modules idea. Right now, LDD has "starter models" that can be adjusted from basic to complete. I think a similar idea could be applied to your modules. -Toa Of Justice EDIT: I also posted this on Brickset.

I just found out via a comment on Brickset by Mark Stafford (Nabii) that LDD development should continue. Here's what he said: Source: Original article on Brickset -Toa Of Justice

That's all right. Thank you. Again, that's all right. Feel free to express your creativity--that's what LEGO is all about, isn't it? I took inspiration for my MOC from the 2012 HF sets. That might be a good place to start getting ideas. Unfortunately, I am now concerned that LDD may never get that vital Stormer 1.0 helmet...please see this post I recently made. -Toa Of Justice

That is a shame indeed. I agree completely with what you said. However, I recently asked Customer Service about DbM's closing after first seeing a reference to it here (they just got rid of the reference though!), and here's the reply I got... No more LDD updates? Man oh man, I really, really want to see more HRT pieces in LDD...especially if they're going to release all the HF 1.0 helmets next year (I believe they will, given that the 2012 sets use 1.0 helmets)! I want to build a Stormer 2012 to go with my Bulk 2012 LDD MOC! Should I suggest to her that there ought to be some tool in LDD that could automatically export a model's inventory to Pick a Brick? I think that would be especially worthwhile, given the text I bolded. What do you think? -Toa Of Justice

I'd be happy if you did that. Please let me know if you do that so I can put a link to it in my topic. According to BrickLink and LDD Manager, the Villain Cores are available in silver, yes. However, none of the other pieces used in the legs are available in the colors I chose, except the orange feet and black lower leg bones. Me too. I really hope I can do those...whether I can will depend on how much time I have (I'm currently in college) and whether the required 1.0 helmets become available in LDD. -Toa Of Justice

Thanks for all the comments, everyone! I chose Nex's helmet because it fits over the shoulder like the 2012 rounded armor pieces do. I also chose it because it came in orange, which as Kalhiki said, is Bulk's Hero Core color. If LEGO decided to use it, they wouldn't have to produce a new color or a new mold. I wish it were official too. I could put it on LEGO CUUSOO if you want me to. Actually, I think Bulk, Stormer, Stringer, and Nex might be in the Summer 2012 HF lineup--it would make sense since they're the only heroes who haven't been upgraded to the next version yet. I don't know what's coming for sure though. Believe it or not, LEGO did use masks/heads as shoulder parts before--see Maxilos and Takanuva (2008 version). As for Stringer, if his 1.0 helmet becomes available in LDD, I might do him too. I'm looking forward to doing Stormer as well. I hope Bulk's next form will be as good as mine as well. If you open my model in LEGO Digital Designer and press the F7 key on your keyboard, instructions should come up automatically. I should warn you though--the sequence of steps might be rather screwy at times, and not all of the parts exist in real life (such as the orange Villain Cores on Bulk's knees). Of course, if opening my model in LDD isn't convenient for you, I have just created a PDF version (1.66 MB) of the instructions from the LDD-generated HTML file. Shame about that GITD color being discontinued. As for the flames...how does this look? ^click to enlarge^ LXF File -Toa Of Justice

The 'Mamushi' class fighter is awesome! I like everything about it, from the sleek curves down to the tiniest details. I have a couple of minor concerns though: I think the pilot should have a visor on his helmet, and I noticed two stray 1x1 plates underneath the starboard-side module. Keep up the great work, vynsane! -Toa Of Justice

I was recently inspired by the 2012 Hero Factory sets to build a 2012 version of Duncan Bulk. I borrowed a lot of concepts from the "Deluxe" version of Bulk from Bulk and Vapour. I also tried to make use of existing parts in real colors as much as possible, but unfortunately, there are some parts (especially around the legs) that can't be found in current sets. Click any image to enlarge it. And now, I present... Features: Full articulation (13 points, not including the wings, jetpack, and launcher joints) Fully armored (including the back, as the 2012 Breez set seems to have) Moveable wings (made to resemble Bulk's classic armor "wings") Moveable jetpack (on a ball joint; made to resemble "Deluxe" Bulk's jetpack) Twin launchers (not exactly in the new 2012 style, but still keeping with Bulk's trademark two-handed weapon system) Handcuffs (mocked up from parts available in LDD) "Glow-in-the-dark" Hero Core (I know the official sets seem to have plain white Hero Cores, but unless someone knows otherwise, I think they might actually glow in the dark [based on preliminary pictures]. If they don't, then consider this addition to be my own idea.) LXF File - Brickshelf Gallery (when public) I hope you like my MOC. -Toa Of Justice

Awesome, simply awesome! The wet floor gag was hilarious. I wonder though: is that skeleton supposed to be someone in particular, or just some random dead guy? -Toa Of Justice

I've got scans of the newest comic for everyone. Each image is 200 KB or less in file size and 600 pixels wide by 802 to 885 pixels tall. Front Cover Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Back Cover -Toa Of Justice EDIT: I also scanned the Hero Factory puzzle in the magazine if anyone is interested. Each image is less than 200 KB. Page 1 Page 2 Full Spread

Awesome ships, vynsane! The Denublian Sunset and the PLM-T1 "Bakemono" are probably my favorites. Perhaps you should post some of these on LEGO CUUSOO--I'm sure many people (including me) would buy them! -Toa Of Justice

Thanks for the tips. I'll try them next time I get a warning about removed bricks. What I normally do is use the Select Connected tool and lift the connected bricks away from the building surface. If I notice anything left behind, I try to guess what got removed based on those bricks. For example, I recently opened a model with removed bricks, only to discover after lifting most of it away that two TECHNIC axles were removed, since I noticed some floating TECHNIC bushings. I replaced the axles, saved the file, and reopened it without further incident. My technique locates where bricks used to be, and your technique discovers which bricks went AWOL. Together, our techniques should be of great help to the LDD community. -Toa Of Justice

In my experience, Microsoft Word 2007 does not have that functionality. Neither does Microsoft Paint in Windows 7. I understand. How would you suggest a way of allowing LDD builders to fix collisions on their own? I believe simply removing offending elements is just confusing. -Toa Of Justice

Great idea. LDD should also allow Undo to work after saving a file. Currently, saving a file kills the Undo function. (Example: I just finished a huge load of work on a file, then I save it, only to discover that I made a small mistake. I reach for the Undo button, but to no avail... ) Besides the above, I would appreciate it very much if LDD didn't remove "incorrectly placed" parts automatically. Instead, it should highlight the faulty part(s) in a model (perhaps like the Buyability tool does) and give the builder a chance to correct the problem(s). The "UnplaceableBricksDump.lxfml" file is useless for me--it just repeats the same action as in the original faulty file, but also colors all the good parts yellow. Also, how can everyday users be expected to know that's the file they ought to check for "incorrectly placed" parts? It doesn't seem very obvious to me. If I can think of any more suggestions, I'll add them to this post. -Toa Of Justice EDIT: Here's another one: Allow multiple instances, please! Currently, this dialog box comes up every time I try to open another file alongside my current one... Neither suggestion provided by the dialog box is helpful. It used to be that the new model would open up in the same window (if I made any unsaved changes, LDD would ask me to save them before loading the new model). The old behavior was OK for me, but this new behavior is not. If multiple instances aren't feasible, at least bring back the old behavior, please!