Legos, anyone?

[peter]

Was this built by someone here?

What are the chances for getting this as a kit??!?

[Dobber]

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

1 hour ago, peter said:

Was this built by someone here?

What are the chances for getting this as a kit??!?

Chances are low, but that is terribly cool build.

[peter]

16 hours ago, Dobber said:

Yeah, me too!

 

[M'Kyuun]

Chances of that becoming an official LEGO kit are zero so long as the Harmony Gold situation exists. Moreover, it looked to me like some parts were modified. That said, it's absolutely the best LEGO rendition I've seen, just brilliant work. My hat's off to Mr. Chan; I'm humbled by what he's accomplished here.

[M'Kyuun]

On 2/27/2020 at 7:48 PM, Lexomatic said:

Bad news, I won't be attending Bricks Cascade this year. (I like to play tourist when I visit a city for a con, and Portland's not at its best in late February.) Good news, I've started building M'Kyuun's Variable Glaug MOC. I haven't used Stud.io in-depth previously, and I had to contrive how to interpret the not-divided-into-steps model, i.e., flay it layer-by-layer using the "hide" tool as I circulate between my PC and brick supply.

Is there functionality to show the description of an element when you rollover it? That would be faster when elements are partially obscured and ambiguous (is it a bow or inverted bow or slope-with-notch?). EDIT: Yes, but it's not rollover; you have to click the element (which makes it incompatible with "click to hide" mode). The description appears at the bottom of the model pane.

Hey Lexomatic, I'm sorry you didn't make Cascade this year- it was a record breaking show, both for the number of builders (over 500), and spectators (I don't recall the number, but it was the most they've ever had). Lots of amazing MOCs on display, and on a personal level, I had three wonderful encounters with folks who knew what Macross was and recognized my models. One, very surprisingly, was a girl, probably in her early twenties, who bubbled over with enthusiasm for mecha, and visited my stuff twice. There were also two older folks, a man and a lady, not together, who knew my Macross stuff. Such encounters, I've found after doing these shows for about a decade, are rare indeed, and I was pleasantly surprised and happy to share my joy of both LEGO and Macross with them.

One thing of note to those who downloaded the Studio file for the Variable Glaug; the back cannon uses a 1x2 plate with rounded corners and open stud holes (35480) where the cannon attaches to the ball peg. I used 1x1 round plates with an open stud to represent it in LDD and forgot to change it when I updated the build in Studio. Thought I'd let you know.

I also wanted to let folks know that the ball joint of the old maxi-fig hand (part# 3614) is slightly larger than that of the Mixel ball joints, and thus stresses the socket. A couple great guys who build small scale Transformers and use these parts extensively (IXRollOutIX and Starscreamer on YouTube) clued me in to this fact this past weekend at Bricks Cascade, so my thanks to them for the info, and my caveat to all who intend to use these parts in concert with Mixel joints. Going forward,  I intend to store my Variable Glaug with its arms and toes removed to preserve the Mixel sockets.

Edited March 3, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[Tking22]

My CREATOR Fiat 500 is arriving at work today, I'm excited, looks like a really fun little build even though I'm not the biggest fan of the car itself. I think I need to nab a CREATOR VW Bug as well before stock dries up, that little thing looks neat too. 

[M'Kyuun]

The Fiat looks to have been done by Mike Psiaki, AFOL cum LEGO Designer, who also did the VW Bug, the DB-5, the Mustang, and many more. The VW Beetle is a really nice set, definitely recommended.  I doubt I'll get the Fiat, as I'm not really a big fan of the car, either, but if the Stang and Beetle, which I own, are good examples of what to expect, you won't be disappointed.

Correction to my earlier post: Pierre Normandin was the designer for the Expert Creator Fiat. Just wanted to give proper credit.

Edited March 3, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[Tking22]

14 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

The Fiat looks to have been done by Mike Psiaki, AFOL cum LEGO Designer, who also did the VW Bug, the DB-5, the Mustang, and many more. The VW Beetle is a really nice set, definitely recommended.  I doubt I'll get the Fiat, as I'm not really a big fan of the car, either, but if the Stang and Beetle, which I own, are good examples of what to expect, you won't be disappointed.

I actually looked and was going to grab a Beetle this morning, it just looks so cool, I need it. The DB-5 and Mustang were amazing, so that makes me more excited to check this little VW Bug out. 

That said, how do VIP points work? I think I've used them before but I thought I was able to use them at checkout and I cashed all of them in or something, I don't entirely remember. The only way I saw to use VIP points for purchases was to redeem them for one of set amount coupon things, is that how they are used for purchases? It's been so long, I have 7,300 points to use, not a small amount. 

[M'Kyuun]

1 hour ago, Tking22 said:

I actually looked and was going to grab a Beetle this morning, it just looks so cool, I need it. The DB-5 and Mustang were amazing, so that makes me more excited to check this little VW Bug out. 

That said, how do VIP points work? I think I've used them before but I thought I was able to use them at checkout and I cashed all of them in or something, I don't entirely remember. The only way I saw to use VIP points for purchases was to redeem them for one of set amount coupon things, is that how they are used for purchases? It's been so long, I have 7,300 points to use, not a small amount. 

Good question. There's been some contention as to how the new system works, and I'm not altogether sure myself. In the old system, points were awarded whole dollar for point, but they've changed that now to where the points awarded are only a fraction of the dollar amount of the given price, a change I don't particularly like. There are also other awards given as well, in lieu of point matching the price, but I'm not sure what those entail, as the only thing I want are the points to put towards further purchases.  There's more info on their VIP site.

Edited March 3, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[Chronocidal]

I was able to cash in my VIP points on the 89 Batmobile, but it wasn't a direct exchange.  I had to redeem the points as what amounted to gift cards, which worked alright, and I don't think the value changed from before, but there were only specific values of gift card available.  It wasn't a problem for me, since I didn't have enough to get the whole set anyhow with my points, but it was a little awkward.

[Tking22]

56 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

I was able to cash in my VIP points on the 89 Batmobile, but it wasn't a direct exchange.  I had to redeem the points as what amounted to gift cards, which worked alright, and I don't think the value changed from before, but there were only specific values of gift card available.  It wasn't a problem for me, since I didn't have enough to get the whole set anyhow with my points, but it was a little awkward.

This is what I figured, you can only redeem VIP points for set values of gift cards, more or less, to use towards new purchases. It's a bit more restricted then I remember, if I recall in the past you could just cash in your VIP points at checkout and it would just take a chunk off your total and use every point, now you can only turn in VIP points for the pre-set amounts listed in the VIP area M'Kyuun posted above. Not a huge change, but a bit different from what I remember. Also, that Beetle is totally on the way, looks awesome too.

[M'Kyuun]

The old system, exactly as you described, was simple and easy to apply. Moreover, it offered the flexibility of choosing how many of your points you wanted to use on any given purchase, and double VIP points were opportunities definitely worth taking max advantage of. I haven't used the new system yet, although I continue to accrue points. But the gift card system is odd and , as you said, awkward sounding. I'm not sure why they felt they needed to fix something that, from my POV, wasn't broken.

Now every purchase is only worth about half the VIP points, so it takes longer to accrue enough of them for a large purchase, which is what I always use mine for. They paid for half of my UCS Millennium Falcon. Anyway, at least now I know what to expect when I finally do decide to redeem some points on something, so much appreciation for taking the time to let us know, Chronocidal.

[Lexomatic]

On 3/1/2020 at 5:43 PM, peter said:

What are the chances for getting this [DYRL-type Macross] as a kit??!?

Since the model is at least (counting...) 80 studs long, and 20 studs wide just for the fuselage, it's (estimating...) 32,000 cubic modules, with a mix of elements (more estimating...) at least 3,000 parts, most of them in fairly common shapes and colors, so ... it's a $300-plus chance. Theoretically less if you used non-LEGO elements (the sheen of the plastic looks rather Mega Bloks-ish), but I'm not aware of a BrickLink-type secondary marketplace for clone bricks.

On 3/2/2020 at 8:18 PM, M'Kyuun said:

Chances of that becoming an official LEGO kit are zero so long as the Harmony Gold situation exists.

At least in the U.S., and the U.S. is one of TLG's biggest markets. But a Big West-licensed kit made by one of the other manufacturers and sold somewhere else? By way of precedent, there were Mega Bloks-branded Pokémon and Evangelion sets in 2007 (I saw them in a Toys "R" Us in Kobe in 2007).

Edited March 5, 2020 by Lexomatic
Extra adjectives.

[Lexomatic]

Progress report on replicating M'Kyuun's Variable Glaug ... the 3D latticework of this thing is a work of mad genius, with some really clever use of clip-bar connections to secure subsections in one mode or another. But you thought people were unhappy with the structural strength of die-cast swing-arms in the official toys? Try building one from a dozen elements concatenated with click-hinges and ball-joints.  (So, if Overtechnology revolutionized threaded connectors, what did it do in the toy industry?  )

My next project, I think, will be to simplify the design -- same transformational topology, less of an emphasis on replicating the contours of Kawamori's design, hence fewer-part/more-solid subsections. No disrespect to M'Kyuun's original, but the proportion of single-stud connections isn't to my taste.

On 3/2/2020 at 8:51 PM, M'Kyuun said:

wanted to let folks know that the ball joint of the old maxi-fig hand (part# 3614) is slightly larger than that of the Mixel ball joints, and thus stresses the socket.

That's one of the few elements I don't have on-hand, so I've already substituted a 1x1 Technic brick and towball-pin. And there are a couple of swing-arm elements I probably own, but they'd be mixed with my Bionicle/CCBS stash instead of neatly organized in the Technic drawers.

[M'Kyuun]

15 hours ago, Lexomatic said:

Progress report on replicating M'Kyuun's Variable Glaug ... the 3D latticework of this thing is a work of mad genius, with some really clever use of clip-bar connections to secure subsections in one mode or another. But you thought people were unhappy with the structural strength of die-cast swing-arms in the official toys? Try building one from a dozen elements concatenated with click-hinges and ball-joints.  (So, if Overtechnology revolutionized threaded connectors, what did it do in the toy industry?  )

My next project, I think, will be to simplify the design -- same transformational topology, less of an emphasis on replicating the contours of Kawamori's design, hence fewer-part/more-solid subsections. No disrespect to M'Kyuun's original, but the proportion of single-stud connections isn't to my taste.

That's one of the few elements I don't have on-hand, so I've already substituted a 1x1 Technic brick and towball-pin. And there are a couple of swing-arm elements I probably own, but they'd be mixed with my Bionicle/CCBS stash instead of neatly organized in the Technic drawers.

'Preciate the kind words, but 'mad genius' may be a bit too much praise. The VG is my most tenuous build, the result of my trying to balance both form and function. It's not my preferred method, but given space restraints along with a need for numerous moving parts, especially in the middle section between the forward fuselage and the engine bays, I opted for maintaining the movement  within the confined space rather than bulking it up in order to brace it with brackets. While I was at Bricks Cascade, I let a fellow builder transform the Glaug, and he gave me some feedback about weak connections as well, so perhaps I'll go back and see what I can shore up reasonably  without changing the external dimensions or appearance.  To that end, I take no disrespect from an honest critique. Moreover, one of the driving reasons for my posting the Studio file was to see what variations those of you who choose to build your own would make to the design.  I consider it a template- what you do with your own copy is up to you, and I hope you'll share the results here. I'd love to see them. In the end, I may have to borrow some of your innovations, as my talents are meager.

Looking forward to seeing your final design, Lexomatic. Good luck!

 

Edit: Concerning the LEGO SDF-1, there was a Macross precedent, as a VF-1 was submitted to Ideas a few years ago. It reached the requisite 10,000 votes, but was not produced. Most of us in the community believed it to be the licensing issues. LEGO could do an Asian release, and possibly a release in Britain, since the courts have sided with BW over Macross licensing there, but I'm not sure if they'd want to expend the effort for such a limited market. I also submit the question of whether the SDF-1 is recognizable enough to justify making a large model, as Macross is still rather niche outside of Japan.

 

Edited March 5, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[Tking22]

Holy crap, I need it, looks really clever, and far more than I expected, I of course just expected a Mario level layout with a Mario minifig. 

 

[Dobber]

1 hour ago, Tking22 said:

Holy crap, I need it, looks really clever, and far more than I expected, I of course just expected a Mario level layout with a Mario minifig. 

 

Same here, that looks great!

Chris

[M'Kyuun]

That looks more like  a Duplo fig with a few System parts attached to it (the yellow buttons, the ears, and the arms, which I believe, were first used in the Nexo Knights theme).  Not my jam in the least, but good for all the Mario fans out there. The simplistic build and large figures make me think these are going to fall into the 5+ sets, which is nice for the younger Mario fans among us.

While I understand the marketing strategy behind obtaining these popular IPs, I so wish LEGO would resurrect their space lines and maybe do Exo-Force 2, with improved joints. I'm royally fatigued on Star Wars sets, basically on Star Wars period, and would definitely enjoy some homegrown space adventures, with a healthy dose of mecha action thrown in.

[sh9000]

https://toynewsi.com/176-35887

Custom M.A.S.K. vehicles and figures.

[M'Kyuun]

Alex Jones, better known by his online handle Orion Pax, built a beautiful collection of M.A.S.K. vehicles, as well as the Boulder Hill Gas Station, which also, like the toy it's based on, transforms into battle mode. He built these about a decade ago, so I'm surprised they're just now getting coverage. Most of these models are done so well that, at first glance, one would assume them to be the old Kenner toys, and only reveal themselves as LEGO MOCs  upon closer inspection. I can't really give them greater praise than that.

As his nom de guerre suggests, Jones also has a pretty expansive collection of Transformer MOCs, a number of which he revisits for rebuilds or updates as new parts come along. His Transformers are decent, but most suffer in one mode or the other due to their transformable nature. LEGO's not given easily to building a mechanical transforming bot;  I give him props for the effort. Looking through his gallery before posting, it looks like he's done some updated TF builds.  Pax is a big fan of pop culture, especially 80's American, and many of his builds reflect it. Anyway, I'd highly recommend checking out his gallery- it's worth it.

Edited March 18, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[Lexomatic]

LEGO Masters episode 1.6, 11 March 2020, "Need for Speed; Super Bridges".

The remaining six teams play a quick "Pinewood Derby"-like mini-game to gain extra time for the main project, which is seven hours to construct a weight-bearing bridge between two standardized abutments. (Who among us remembers the balsa bridge event of "Science Olympiad"?) Judging criteria are: (1) a flat road surface even with the piers, (2) load-bearing capacity, tested to destruction, and (3) aesthetics. The immunity-granting Golden Brick is back in play.

One team is very smug to reach nearly 500 pounds (which surpasses the producers' expectations and supply of kettlebell weights; they have to improvise by borrowing sand bags(?) from the camera crew), and then two teams attain an astonishing 1000 pounds. Technic sophistication is outmatched by a whole lot of System bricks. Several teams are clearly outside their expertise, with no intuition about the lack of shear strength in tall stacks of bricks. Jamie and Amy explain the "locking together" technique of vertical plates SNOT'd orthogonal to stacks of bricks. The test rig is equipped with a plexi sheet on one side, so the ABS collapse-explosion (and falling steel weights) is directed away from the contestants (and toward the hosts, who are standing at a safe separation).

• https://www.fox.com/lego-masters/
• https://www.fox.com/watch/039922b2ce1fa7698aeb0c6aed2033db/
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/legohaulic/

Edited March 18, 2020 by Lexomatic
s/piers/abutments/. +Golden Brick. +Safety provisions.

[M'Kyuun]

4 minutes ago, Lexomatic said:

LEGO Masters episode 1.6, 11 March 2020, "Need for Speed; Super Bridges".

The remaining six teams play a quick "Pinewood Derby"-like mini-game to gain extra time for the main project, which is seven hours to construct a weight-bearing bridge between two standardized piers. (Who among us remembers the balsa bridge event of "Science Olympiad"?) Judging criteria are: (1) a flat road surface even with the piers, (2) load-bearing capacity, tested to destruction, and (3) aesthetics.

One team is very smug to reach nearly 500 pounds (which surpasses the producers' expectations and supply of kettlebell weights; they have to improvise sand bags(?) borrowed from the TV cameras), and then two attain an astonishing 1000 pounds. Technic sophistication is outmatched by a whole lot of System bricks. Several teams are clearly outside their expertise, with no intuition about the lack of shear strength in tall stacks of bricks. Jamie and Amy explain the "locking together" technique of vertical plates SNOT'd orthogonal to stacks of bricks.

• https://www.fox.com/lego-masters/
• https://www.fox.com/watch/039922b2ce1fa7698aeb0c6aed2033db/
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/legohaulic/

That was an impressive episode, if for no other reason, it defied expectations, including my own, for how much stress something made of LEGO could withstand.

Spoiler

Although I liked the aesthetic of Boone's and Mark's bridge better, theirs was starting to crack under the weight, whereas Tyler's and Amy's was showing no signs of distress, and I think they should have had the vote. Still, for two bridges to hold 1000 lbs is nothing short of amazing.

Tyler and Amy have been consistently good throughout, never really having a weak build, and yet they've only placed first once, IIRC. I think they'll be one of the last teams competing. Christian and Aaron surprised me by having some issues over the last couple of eps, especially the previous city one. Both strike me as very accomplished builders, and I'd put them in my own top 4 (Tyler & Amy, Christian & Aaron, Mark & Boone, and Flynn & Richard). Tonight's ep has them building stuff inspired by an ad lib completed by children, which provides the subject matter for the builds, and then , as I understand it, the kids are also judging the final models. Should be entertaining.

[Tking22]

When the first bridge held 1000 lbs. I was amazed, then the second happened and I was blown away, holy hell. Love this show to death, and agreed, I'd say Tyler and Amy, the LEGO couple, have been the most consistent duo since the first episode, not one bad build, no real issues to speak of, impressive episode after episode, I'm pulling for them to win myself.

Tonight looks fun though, the children's ad lib looks interesting, there's no harsher critics then children, especially when what you're building comes straight from their imagination and direction. Gotta say, during the Mega City build, though sneak peeks and previews already showed it, my heart sank and I let out a very loud NO when the Bromance couple's tower went down, that was really hard to watch, it had actual stories built into each level, and a neat little elevator system, how heart crushing. Worked out in the end though for the most part, multiple teams got saved on that episode with the "twist" half way through. 

[Dobber]

It was an impressive episode and I agree Tyler and Amy should’ve got the Golden brick as Marc and Boone’s bridge was splitting. 
 

I really am enjoying this show. Hope it continues. 
 

Chris

[Tking22]

Pretty fun episode last night.

Spoiler

Tyler and Amy definitely deserved that win, shame they couldn't win the week before and nab that golden brick. Those two are very impressive together, their character work is always so clean and lively, they were in good shape before the twist, and they did a fantastic job after as well, well done. 

Next week appears to finally bring in guest star Terry Crews! I've watched him live-stream some builds a few times, guy is a pretty big LEGO fan, he has a nice building and storage area in his basement. 

[M'Kyuun]

I totally agree with your assessment. I'm rooting for them to win the competition. 

Terry Crews is pretty over the top, but he's a funny guy, and by all accounts, just a really decent human being, so I'm looking forward to all the positive energy he brings to inspire the teams.

Edit: So I just watched the most recent ep of LEGO Masters, and Terry Crews was, IMHO, the most fun celebrity guest thus far. The guy exudes positivity, and his interactions with the teams, and Will, was great. On to the builds: This week's challenge was for each of the four remaining teams to pick two characters out of the Series 19 set of Collectible Minifigs, and then after a determination of good or evil for each set is made, create builds for the assigned heroes/sidekicks or villain/henchmen. Adding to the challenge, each team of good guys is paired with a team with villains, and together they need to build an epic battle scene between their respective lairs. 

Spoiler

I was surprised that Boone and Marc, who had a great idea from the start, and who created one of the two best builds used their Golden Brick. but they mentioned this was the last opportunity to use it, so perhaps that's indeed the case, and the Golden Brick is now in Will's safekeeping until next season, per Will himself.  Anyway, Tyler and Amy, in true form, were judged by Jamie and Amy to have the best build, and I have to agree. They picked the Jungle Explorer Guy and the Mummy Queen figs, who were to be evil for this competition, and built a remarkable Egyptian temple with a giant scorpion with fire coming from its tail doing battle against Aaron and Christian's Programmer Girl hero's mech and her Blacktron Bounty Hunter sidekick. Aaron and Christian were hung up on their characters doing a bake sale, and it just didn't really gel with the characters they chose. Moreover, while they did build a neat HQ for their characters, most of the features were hidden inside out of site, which greatly reduced the impact of their build to the judges. The co-team built battle scene was really well executed, though, with the two forces flying around a giant obelisk doing battle. Marc and Boone chose the Pizza Suit Guy and the bear Costume Guy, who were determined to be evil, and they built a two level lair where the Pizza villain was mass producing pizza minions to reek havoc on the citizenry, blasting them with cheezy goo. Sam and Jessica chose the Shower Guy and the Gardener lady and they also built a two level lair with rubber ducks and a flying bath brush ship cleaning the cheezy goo off the innocent bystanders. Both builds complemented each other, were creative and colorful, and mostly received praise from the judges, although they thought Jessica and Sam's was less polished than they would expect at this point in the competition. In the end, Tyler and Amy and Boone and Marc were t from early on in the show, Aaron and Christian really came out strong, but about halfway through they started to stumble, and t he top two, with Sam and Jessica and Christian and Aaron being the lesser two. Tyler and Amy got the top spot, deservedly, and Aaron and Christian went home. Early on in the show, Aaron and Christian really came out strong with some great builds, and I had them pegged as likely being one of the last two teams. I certainly would have put them ahead of Sam and Jessica, who had a rocky start, whether or not that was staged, and whose technical building prowess was, IMHO, nowhere close to that of Aaron's and Christian's. However, A&C started to stumble around the fourth ep, and though they managed a few good builds here and there, a lot of times I think their stories didn't really mesh with the theme, or their final model just didn't convey it coherently. Alas, they're gone, and now with only three teams left, it's coming down to the wire. My money's still on Tyler and Amy to win.

Spoiler

 

 

Next week's challenge is to build a scene out of Star Wars, and C3PO is the guest host.

Edited March 26, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[Tking22]

I understand these aren't what a lot of people were hoping for or expecting, but I am so in for this whole line, it all looks pretty fun. I've gotta wonder if Lego is making a mistake not doing at least a few more traditional sets with mini figures though, I see a lot of fans wanted something more along those lines.

 

Edited April 7, 2020 by Tking22

[Lexomatic]

19 hours ago, Tking22 said:

I've gotta wonder if Lego is making a mistake not doing at least a few more traditional sets with mini figures though, I see a lot of fans wanted something more along those lines.

AFOLs, like any other fandom, can lack patience, perspective and empathy -- an attitude of "somebody might want this, but not me, therefore TLG is doing it wrong". It's been noted that the ongoing Minecraft theme started with several micros before adding minifig-scale sets.

Judging by vocal complaints, it seems there exist fans who want nothing but minifigs -- not surprising, given the continuing success of Collectible Minifigures and, more generally, Funko Pops and the entire "character goods" market sector in Japan. Even more generally, I sense an attitude of "my favorite IP hasn't ascended to the pinnacle of public respect unless it gets a LEGO theme and a live-action movie", which explains all the Ideas submissions for video games and movies.

I wonder if anyone's ever run a survey of how AFOLs prioritize their desires -- The design of sets? New part-shapes? New part-colors? Parts-packs? Minifigs?

[M'Kyuun]

This AFOL prefers sets built to minifig scale, and though I like minifigs and all the variety of decos and accessories we've gotten with them over the years, I'm not a die-hard minifig fan akin to the folks who become deeply entrenched in customization. I'm not an army builder, either. My preference for LEGO, if a new mold is concerned, is for elements that will expand the utility of System building. In particular, as a mecha builder, I'm always craving new joints that improve upon the capabilities of what's already available. But beyond that, as large as the current palette is, there's always room for more wedge shapes, rounded bricks/plates, etc. Moreover, there are a lot of parts that have yet to be made in common colors, and that's always a point of frustration with LEGO. My friend Luke, also an AFOL, and I agree that every non-color-locked  part should be made in red, yellow, blue, black, white, light grey, and dark grey as a bare minimum, and if LEGO doesn't want to put them in sets, then make them available either on Pick-a-Brick or create their own store on Bricklink to provide that option to LEGO fans. It'd make a lot of people happy, methinks.

Coming back to the minifig, as a fan of articulation, I find the minifig to be a bit of an anachronism; it's adorable and fun, but also very limited by today's standards in terms of articulation, and I wish LEGO would make a midi-fig that shares the head and basic torso shape, but has fully articulated shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and possibly ankles, and stands about 2-2.5 inches tall, with more natural proportions than the minifig. It's something I've been wanting for years, but I imagine I'm in the minority, as the minifig has become sacrosanct among LEGO fans, and the company itself. But having bought a few of the MegaBloks Collector series sets, the figs they put in those are fantastic, as they're just a hair taller than the minifig, but other than ankles, fully articulated, including waist rotation. Those guys are a blast to pose, and it just makes the ache for something better than the minifig greater.

[M'Kyuun]

Just watched last night's LEGOMasters. The subject was Star Wars this week, starting off with a droid build for the first half, and a scene build for the second.

Spoiler

This was the first ep where the final models were all done so well that it was honestly difficult to pick among them. I agree with the judges' choice for droid; Tyler and Amy's had a lot of personality, although they were having difficulties and I was wondering if they'd get them sorted before demo time. Fortunately, they did, and they took top spot in that part of the competition, which gave them first pick of scene for the second half. They chose the Battle of Hoth, Marc and Boone chose the Battle of Endor, and Sam and Jessica chose the Battle of Crait. With only 8 hours to build, all three teams delivered good models that were very evocative of their chosen scenes. Marc and Boone got the top spot, and surprisingly, for the first time, Tyler and Amy came in last place. However, they were given a Hail Mary, and will be back next week for the season finale. 

I was pretty bummed when Tyler and Amy came in last, as they've been my number one pick to win from the beginning, so it was unsettling to see them come in last, and I'm sure far more so for them, as it was the first time they've been that vulnerable. So, I'm glad they got to stay, as it'll make next week's finale more exciting with three teams once again squaring off for the prize. Kudos, also in this ep to Sam and Jessica, who really created a cool looking dynamic scene for their Battle of Crait. Sam was was losing heart, and Jessica proved to be a great partner, propping him up and staying positive throughout the scene challenge. This was their best episode, and although I favor Tyler and Amy, it was nice to see them get some validation from the judges.

 

[Dobber]

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

Just watched last night's LEGOMasters. The subject was Star Wars this week, starting off with a droid build for the first half, and a scene build for the second.

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This was the first ep where the final models were all done so well that it was honestly difficult to pick among them. I agree with the judges' choice for droid; Tyler and Amy's had a lot of personality, although they were having difficulties and I was wondering if they'd get them sorted before demo time. Fortunately, they did, and they took top spot in that part of the competition, which gave them first pick of scene for the second half. They chose the Battle of Hoth, Marc and Boone chose the Battle of Endor, and Sam and Jessica chose the Battle of Crait. With only 8 hours to build, all three teams delivered good models that were very evocative of their chosen scenes. Marc and Boone got the top spot, and surprisingly, for the first time, Tyler and Amy came in last place. However, they were given a Hail Mary, and will be back next week for the season finale. 

I was pretty bummed when Tyler and Amy came in last, as they've been my number one pick to win from the beginning, so it was unsettling to see them come in last, and I'm sure far more so for them, as it was the first time they've been that vulnerable. So, I'm glad they got to stay, as it'll make next week's finale more exciting with three teams once again squaring off for the prize. Kudos, also in this ep to Sam and Jessica, who really created a cool looking dynamic scene for their Battle of Crait. Sam was was losing heart, and Jessica proved to be a great partner, propping him up and staying positive throughout the scene challenge. This was their best episode, and although I favor Tyler and Amy, it was nice to see them get some validation from the judges.

 

Good summary and I agree. It was so hard to pick between the 3. Honestly, IMO, Sam and Jessica are the weakest team left. They’ve squeaked through several times. While nice to get validation, true, it would kind of stink to loose to a team that isn’t as consistent as the others. Curious to see who wins!

Chris

[M'Kyuun]

Yeah,  I don't think Sam and Jessica are bad builders, per se, but they lack the polish that both Boone and Marc and Tyler and Amy both bring to the table consistently with nearly every project. My money's still on Tyler and Amy. They've been the most consistent team throughout, with last night's ep being their first time in the bottom, and their build was really good. Anyway, looking forward to the finale. I'll be cheering for Team Clites.

[Bolt]

It's really an ancient technique 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/apr/14/like-lego-rare-photo-reveals-stonehenge-construction-technique-stones

[M'Kyuun]

I've been aware of those Lego-like 'studs' on the standing stones for years, but it's still neat to see it recognized so analogously in the article.  Honestly, I'm surprised it hasn't been pointed out before, as the basic LEGO brick design has been around since 1949, based on the British Kiddicraft bricks from the mid-40s, invented by Hilary Fisher Page. Perhaps Page got his inspiration from Stonehenge. The design was borrowed and later bought by LEGO in Denmark, and now this article brings it full circle.