Davey

Sweet. I am so all over that. More LEGO in the kitchen is never a bad thing. -Dave ToT-LUG

Welcome! This is a great community with a lot of great people. I'm sure you'll have a blast here. -Dave ToT-LUG

This poll clearly indicates that most of us are either perfectionists or totally OCD. -Dave ToT-LUG

Most (if not all) of our buildings will be lit in some way or another. And most will be using some type of LED. I even managed to find an 'all LEGO' solution. I've also got a bunch of Glow In the Dark stuff from work that I will be bringing. I'm thinking of filling my train car hoppers with Glow In the Dark pellets and we have an idea for a special 'night scene' on the layout. I wanted to do some LifeLites stuff...but finances wouldn't allow. I needed to save money for other LEGO purchases. Can't wait for BW!!!!! -Dave ToT-LUG

Mae - 'Singularity' Rise Against - 'The Sufferer & The Witness' Acceptance - 'Phantoms' Rise Against - 'Siren Song of the Counter Culture' Mike Doughty - 'Rockity Roll' Something Corporate - 'Live in Ventura' The Donnas - 'Bitchin' AFI - 'Sing the Sorrow' NFG - 'Coming Home' Anti-Flag - 'For Blood and Empire' Good stuff to listen to while building... -Dave ToT-LUG

I think I first heard of EB on TBB a couple of years back (maybe 2007?). Of course it as now taken me two years to actually get over here and start posting. In the short time I've been here I have found that this is a great community with a lot of fun people. I also see a lot more threads I actually want to read on this site versus other AFoL sites. -Dave ToT-LUG

You've got her on the hook...now reel her in. A Cafe Corner build and a Green Grocer and she'll be an AFoL in no time. I also notice that a lot of NLSO's (non-LEGO Significant Other) see LEGO as a opportunity for parent-child bonding time and I think that is awesome! My mom used to sit and build with me when I was a kid. She has never become an AFoL, but she tells me that playing LEGO with me as a child is one of her fondest memories. Dad on the other hand...might become an AFoL yet as he has an interest in the Star Wars stuff. Anyway, glad to see she is supportive and even potential interested in building with you! I think if LEGO did more fantasy themes, we would bring in more female fans. Castle could definitely be expanded and the Medieval Market is a good start. That's probably another one to show her. Good luck! -Dave ToT-LUG

I love the little Post Office! Has that nice neo-Classic Town feel to it. Yellow and red always look nice together. You definitely have a good start on your Town setup. Keep posting pics! -Dave ToT-LUG

Great work...you've really got a lot of detail in microscale. Looking forward to your other creations. I'll get to work on some stuff when I return from Brickworld 2009. -Dave ToT-LUG

I really like the fact that this is 'brick built' versus a custom piece. You have managed to capture the look and scale of the cave troll quite well! This would be a stellar addition to any LotR layout or diorama. Oh, and nice use of the Goblin and House Elf heads. :thumbup: -Dave ToT-LUG

Welcome! Enjoy your stay. This is a great community with a lot of fun people. I am sure that you will have a good time here. -Dave ToT-LUG

I haven't priced it lately. I should take a look again as I've always wanted to take the train out there. The bigger issue might be vacation time for my wife. I've got 16 days/yr, but she only gets 11 days/yr. We're using about 5 for Brickworld and one more for a wedding the following week. So that leaves her with 5 days. Probably still enough to take the train, but I have to see if she's cool with not having any leftover vacay around the holidays. I'll keep you posted though. The train would be epic! -Dave ToT-LUG

This is sweet. I miss the 'action sports' or 'extreme sports' or 'whatever it was called' line that LEGO did awhile back. I missed out on most of those sets sadly. I need to build a skate-park for my layout. -Dave ToT-LUG

Aww...but you're just so much fun to play with. Wait a minute...that didn't quite come out how I intended. Oh who am I kidding...of course it did. -Dave ToT-LUG

Definitely keep us posted! It's nice to see that, overall, most NLSO (non-LEGO Significant Others) are supportive of the LEGO hobby. I've found it interesting that over the past 3-4 years, the hobby seems to be gaining legitimacy among the non-LEGO masses. A lot of that may stem from the recent mass acceptance of 'geek culture' and the trend of what I call 'geek chique'. All over the world more and more people (especially celebs) are doting on their closet geeky pleasures (WoW, LEGO, Star Trek, Video Games, etc.). It's fun to see that so many people house an 'inner-geek'. I'm just incredibly lucky that I married someone as geeky as me. -Dave ToT-LUG

Interesting and nice custom work. I've never read the books and never seen the movie. Although...after watching a preview of 'New Moon', my wife and I are now thinking we might have to give the series a try. I'm hesitant...yet intrigued at the same time. -Dave ToT-LUG

Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like I'll take a look at the first year Exo-Force sets and try the rubber band idea. I only need it to be on for about 1-2 hours at a time and would like to avoid any external power source if possible. Thanks again for the ideas! -Dave ToT-LUG

Okay...so I need some help. I need a way to keep the Exo-Force Light Brick lit continuously for the Brickworld World of Lights display. I saw the Brickmodder's switch mod for that brick...but I don't really want to modify the brick itself. I'd like to find a way to build a brick-built switch or holder for the light brick that forces it to stay lit all the time. Something where you wedge it in place and a stud or something actuates the switch on the brick. Has anyone ever tried this? If so...do you have pictures of your setup? Any help would be greatly appreciated and would save me a lot of work wiring MOC's up. Thanks, Dave ToT-LUG

I'm sure my lovely wife will chime in here at some point, but I guess I would say that Stacy is totally cool with my LEGO habit. In fact, she's just as bonkers about it as I am. She's even let me go so far as to convert the basement to a 'LEGO Lair'. A couple of months ago, the collection started spilling into the rest of the house...and she fully encouraged that. Now the Death Star Playset sits in our family room. We turned one guest room into a reading room and most of my LEGO Star Wars stuff is up in that room on shelves and what-not. We may build in different themes, but we still manage to get along when working down in 'The Lair'. To avoid the inevitable 'you stole my piece' arguments we have an agreement. If we run out of a specific piece for a MOC we are working on...we agree that the person needing the piece can go order it at Bricklink at any time...provided there are funds in the bank account. Basically...Stacy is awesome. The nice thing for us is that this is really one of our main hobbies, so when we buy LEGO...it's not just for one person. It benefits both of us. I'm lucky though and probably a fairly rare case. Although Stacy is really trying to work hard to get more females involved in LEGO. If you're going to be at Brickworld, send your wife or significant other over to the ToT-LUG layout and Stacy will be happy to convince them of why building with LEGO bricks is one of the coolest and most rockin' hobbies out there. I got me my 1x5...and she's good! -Dave ToT-LUG

Wow. This is really cool. You Bionicle guys and gals sure know how to build a spine-snapping mech. :thumbup: Great work! I'm gonna have to check out Bionicle stuff more often. -Dave ToT-LUG

Sorry if I misled anyone to think there was a danger of LUGNET shuutting down. That is most certainly not the case. However, it costs money to run a website and to use server space. With minimal (or no) new memberships, I could see the owners looking at the cost versus use and deciding to get out. Gerry is a heck of a guy and has really done a great job keeping the site up. However, at some point if new memberships and/or advertising aren't helping to offset costs...then I can see him shutting it down (and I really wouldn't blame him). Agreed...I don't think LUGNET is the current state is going to rise like a phoenix from the ashes and become an AFOL superpower. The short answer is...Yes. To elaborate...I think all three of these ideas are potential options. And frankly...probably good ones...especially the last two. I'd actually love to see Brickshelf, LUGNET, and some (yet to be named) other entity merge. With a little reconstructive surgery, a site like that could emerge as a real force in the AFOL world. Especially if the site contains an archive of some sort containing old information from LUGNET. Possibly a Wiki or something like that which is user editable and can be easily searched? As with everything internet or community related...it takes a leader/champion to make it happen. I don't have the web-technical knowledge to put something like that together. But I can assist with adding content, writing articles, and coming up with ideas if someone is tech-savy enough to want to take that portion on. I'd love to lead an effort to try and bring the community together more...but I'd certainly need lots of help. -Dave ToT-LUG

This is very interesting. I like the idea of posing minfigs for vignettes. It really adds something to the MOC. Now, I'm curious as to how you made his head bow. Great work though. -Dave ToT-LUG EDIT: And I just noticed the modified tubing arms. Tricky!

Thanks for the link to Bruce's blog post on LUGNET, SlyOwl. It sounds like many on here are thinking similar thoughts when it comes to LUGNET. As the summary points, I think we are all in agreement that... 1) The LUGNET interface is outdated and cumbersome compared to other forums. 2) The cost factor on LUGNET for basic login functionality may be driving some away. 3) Public spats and flame wars on LUGNET have contributed to people leaving that community. 4) There is a wealth of information on LUGNET that should be preserved. 5) Development of 'theme specific' sites coupled with the above points may have lured people away from LUGNET. 6) The LEGO community is expanding at a nuclear pace. So, based on these summary points...where do we go from here? I personally do not want to see LUGNET go away, mainly for the selfish reason that I have my whole collection inventoried there using their set inventory. In addition, the FAQ's and a lot of the old information on LEGO is quite useful to newbies who are willing to search it. I'll pose the question...is there a way to absorb LUGNET into another site? Could we take the information on LUGNET and create a Wiki of some sort that is part of EB or another fan site? Is it time to resurrect LEGOfan.com and absorb all of the LUGNET information into that? Are there other ideas? I think it all comes down to what Gerry wants to do with LUGNET. I think the attitude right now from him is to keep it running smoothly, but with no real changes. I may be wrong on this. I agree that this is a topic that has been on the minds of AFoL's for awhile now. It was discussed at the evening pre-Brickworld parties last year. It was discussed in the Train Roundtable. It was discussed at dinners, in line for the LEGO in-store event, and during the public expo. It's be hashed and re-hashed over e-mail and by phone for a long time. So far...I have heard a lot of fantastic ideas...but nobody has really been able to agree on a direction. Perhaps the sticking point is that LUGNET is a privately run site and it is up to the owners what they want to do. We could certainly approach them as a group if the community can agree on a direction. I think the community could drive the direction of LUGNET. We've certainly been able to influence its 'slow burn' by not showing up. Well, I've rambled enough. Let the discussion continue... -Dave ToT-LUG

Manga: Mainly Shojo Manga such as Vampire Night, Otomen, Honey Hunt, and Honey & Clover. Graphic Novels: 'Bone' by Jeff Smith. The Courtney Crumrin Series Webcomics: Glomshire Knights The Mercurials Fabuland Houswives -Dave ToT-LUG

The 'fragmetation' of the AFOL community is a topic that both Stacy and I have been giving a lot of thought to the past couple of months. It does indeed seem that Eurobricks is rapidly replacing LUGNET as the place for AFOL's to gather. These days were lucky to see ten or fifteen posts on LUGNET in a given day. I do notice that the NXT and Technic crew seem to still use LUGNET. The Train faction uses it a little, but I see more and more people posting either here or Trains-N-Town.com. The sheer lack of activity forced me to come over here and finally register. I'm not saying that's a bad thing...but I am sad to see LUGNET starting to do what appears to be a 'slow burn'. I think what really keeps people from jumping on LUGNET is the format and the member fee. In order to stay logged in so you do not have to authenticate your post, you must pay the $15 registration. Now...I was more than happy to pay that fee. I feel that the use I get from LUGNET easily justifies that fee. Others may not feel the same way. So be it. The format also is an 'older' format and is not as flashy as Eurobricks. Does this matter? Maybe...I guess I like both and I think both have their place. One very important point regarding LUGNET is that there is a TON of historic AFoL related information on that site. It is a virtual treasure trove of information from the past. I highly recommend heading over there and searching the archives sometime. There are some really good FAQs that...sadly...are not updated anymore but still have some good information and links. The Train FAQ was one of my favorites for a long time. Sadly...it hasn't been updated in years. I guess all this babble is saying we can't lose the information that is on LUGNET. Somehow it has to be preserved. I'd like to informally chat about this at Brickworld with anyone who is interested. Hopefully we can corral Hinckley and CopMike and talk with them about it as well. I'd like to see the community come together more. Fragmentation is never good and we can do so much more together. -Dave ToT-LUG