christmas buildup

The Rambling Brick’s Advent-ure #10

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Ten days into Advent and here at the Rambling Brick, we continue our investigation of ways that the LEGO® sets have been used to specifically celebrate the Christmas Holiday season, in light of this being the 20th anniversary of the first LEGO Advent Calendar.

The Christmas Build Ups: 40222 and 40253

Today, I thought we would take a quick look at the Christmas Build Up sets – 40222 and 40235, seen in 2016 and 2017 respectively.  Both sets have a range of about 250 elements, and were available as gifts with purchase from shop.lego.com and LEGO Brand Retail stores of their respective years.

These sets involved a series of Advent builds (24 in total), but unlike the standard Advent Calendars, the expectation is that each day’s model would be dismantled before attempting to construct the new one.  Most of the elements are readily available. 

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Building up: day 24

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For the last 23 days we have been putting models together and pulling them apart. Some have been related to Christmas, some to winter, and some totally out of left field.

I have really enjoyed it, but there is one conspicuous element in this set which I have not seen before, and not yet used: the Ehite Croissant. I expect that now that it is Christmas Eve, all will be revealed!

You’d better watch out,

You’d better not cry,

You’d better not pout,

I’m telling you why Continue reading →

The Christmas build up keeps building up: day 15 (bonus content)

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‘So let you light so shine before men…’

So there is our cryptic clue, which Facebook may have spoiled for you. But there are many more examples of today’s build from recent year’s sets!

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Day 5 Christmas build up

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This year, I have noticed a number of blogs aiming to make their advent posts spoiler free.

While I have not done this until now, I can see the virtue in this, given that in Australia we are so far ahead of the rest of the world. Eight in the morning here is still six o’clock last night on the west coast of the USA, so I shall aim to minimise spoilers until you jump past the break.

So today, I shall give you this cryptic clue:

Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel.

It’s not that cryptic, but might help you guess the nature of today’s micro scale marvel

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Moving Along with the Christmas Build Up

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FullSizeRender 37.jpgDuring the holidays, people like to move around to catch up with their friends and family.  They may use boats (day 1); airplanes (day 7); Trains (day 16) or some form of road based vehicular transport, which is how I interpret today’s build.

Using round 1×1 plats as wheels, a transparent cheese slope and plate for the windows, you know you are really moving with this one!

 

Play Well

 

Building Up While Scaling Down

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This is the third green and black steam train produced by the LEGO Group as part of a set over the last few years. Each has a different scale:

The first is  Emerald Express(31015), a creator three in one set from 2014. With six wheels and a green and red, almost Christmas like colour scheme, you may be forgiven for thinking it was intended to be a prototype for the holiday train.  One of the alternative builds is for a carriage in similar livery.

Our next train to consider is the Holiday train from 2016. This minifigure scale train is  transporting a Christmas tree that spins as the train moves.

Based on the color scheme, I presume that our micro build of the day is a micro scale version of the Emerald Express. Rather than a coal filled tender however, it appears to be transporting a couple of Christmas trees. Once again reminding us of the Holiday train.

This is a fantastic micro representation of a couple of trains presented in other scales in recent years. It’s simplicity is refreshing and you exactly what is supposed to be… which, after some of the brick built animals, is a little refreshing.

Play well!

Building Up a Solid Concept in Creature Construction

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Today we have another brick built creature. I am going to make the call, and declare it a cat …or a brushtail possum. But I don’t think it really matters. If there is one thing that the Christmas buildup 40222 has reminded me, it is that there is a need to use your imagination  when building with bricks. Lego city and minifigure scale is all very well when you have your creatures, pets and animals predefined with an independent mold, but to put things together from scratch, and to interpret what others have built takes a little imagination. Through the creatures that we have brick built with this set, we have seen a number of different techniques for building animal faces, years, posture, legs and tails.  I love the way that the eyes position here makes you think the cat(possum?) has a great big grin on its face!

Play well.

Building up with Tablescrap

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Day 13: Tiny Robot

Just a small robot.  NOT a Tiny Robot™®.

This is a small build of fourteen pieces, particularly those which may be considered spare after a major build – table scrap.

Four offset plates, two SNOT bricks and  a selection of small plates and tiles, it looks like the latest toy, waiting to be wrapped and tucked under the tree.

Not the most stable of the builds to dates, but it reminds us that a few interesting pieces can go together for an interesting build.

Three out of five Arbitrary Praise Units.

 

Play Well.