We take a break from nostalgia today as we return to turn to look at the Powered Up system. We now have three motors that we are able to use with the powered up system. The train motor, the ‘m’ motor ( the same motor supplied with the new Batmobile, and the WeDo 2.0 system) and finally the Servo motor which comes with LEGO Boost.
Month: September 2018
Community Catchup: Ryde Brick Fair
Knock knock.
Who’s there?
LEGO®!
LEGO who?
LEGO to the Ryde Brick Fair!
The LEGO master builders of Sydney (SydLUG) are throwing open their LEGO lairs to show justwhat is possible when you don’t follow the instructions! Get up close and inspired with some of Australia’s greatest Lego masterpieces before diving into the brick pit to create your own – the only limit is your imagination.
Fun for ages 4-99, come for the World’s favourite brick but stay for the jumping castle, LEGO RC car racing, cake stall, BBQ and more. Surprise appearances by your beloved characters throughout theday. Everything WILL be awesome. Everything will be cool (if you are part of the team).
Tickets: $5 per person on the day or book online and save with family ticket for $15.
https://www.trybooking.com/401419
Gates open 10am-4pm on Sunday 16th September 2018
Funds raised go to the Ryde East Public School.
And while we are talking about Fan Shows, a little bird tells me that there might be some discounted tickets for Brickvention (in Melbourne, January 2019) going on sale tomorrow afternoon…
Minifigure 40: LEGO® Town [Advertisement Archive]
Forty years ago, we saw the change in LEGO® sets: the arrival of the minifigure. Now we had articulated figures to bring our models to life: no need to remove the torso for our figures to sit down. As part of #minfigure40 I received access to a large number of media assets: today, I would like to look at some of the features of the advertisements in the LEGO Town/City series, one of the few themes to have been continuously available in some form or another for forty years! The majority of these advertisements were placed in comics, or magazines featuring comic strip anthologies, and puzzles and kid’s news. They have been published in multiple markets – ands languages. I have attempted to translate them as well as an online translation engine will allow.
The art style is typically similar to that seen in contemporary catalogs: certainly I suspect the early advertisements were shot at a similar time to the catalogs for that year.
1978: The Minifigure Arrives in Classic Town
AntMan Building Contest Winners Announced
Recently, the Rambling Brick held a contest to win The Ant-Man and the Wasp set, Quantum Realm Explorers.
The Brief was to build a MOC that would exploit AntMan’s ability to shrink or grow – so either build a microscale model, where a Minifigure could look like a giant, or one where the minifigure represented a shrunken AntMan. There is a prize of 76109 Quantum Realm Explorers for the winners in each category. Entrants were required to use a minifigure, but it was not necessary to use an actual AntMan Minifigure in entries.
Entries were open for roughly six weeks, and were accepted from around the world. A panel of judges was assembled from my network – a mixture of builders and community supporters. They were asked to nominate their three favourite MOCs in each category. (Three points for 1st; One point for 3rd). The builders of the MOCs were not identified to the judges at the time of judging.
Without further ado – here are the entries. Continue reading
Minifigure40: Trains [Advertisement Archive]
As part of the recent Minifigure40 campaign, LEGO have sent out a collection of old print advertisements for a number of themes, from the 1970’s through to the early 2000’s. These advertisements come from a variety of sources, including comic books and magazines from the period. Not all of these were presented in English.
Today I thought we might check out some of the advertisements from the 1980 to 1997. During this time, we have some 4.5V and 12V trains, and ultimately see the introduction of the enduring (and endearing) 9V train system.
Introducing the New 12 Volt Train System
In 1980, we saw the introduction of the new 12 Volt train system: offering electrified central rails, batteries were unnecessary. The system also introduced a system of switches that would allow remote control of points/switches as well as boom gates and trains.
Minifig40 III: Printing Our Minifigure Elements and Putting Them together.
Today we continue our 40th Birthday Exploration of the Minifigure’s journey: We have previously looked at the structural prototyping and moulds used for our minifigures. Today, we will take a special look into the LEGO Factory at Kladno, in the Czech Republic, The LEGO Group have sent The Rambling Brick (and other fan media organisations) some fantastic photos, taken by Jan Branc, as well as a video demonstrating some of the processes that our minifigures go through in the Kladno Factory, located in the Czech Republic.
Let us look at torsos, arms and hands; heads and, finally, the legs.