creator

Scaling it Up 4×4 Part 1: 31040 Desert Racers

ramblingbrick Lego, Review , , ,

One of the great things about LEGO is the way in which the same model can be built in different scales: some times, equivalent models in different scales are available simultaneously.  This is the case with the sub-minifig scale 31040:Desert Racers and Jack Stone Scale (I’m not afraid to go there…) 31037:Adventure Vehicles.  Each of these is a 3-in-1 Creator Set.

While travelling along this path, I thought we might have a look at forced perspective, as a way to give images the impression of greater depth.

 

Let’s Start Small

Lets start today by looking at 31040 Desert Racers: this set has 65 parts, costs $AU 9.95 and is a 3 in 1 creator set.  The presented models include a 4 x 4;  a dune buggy  and what appears to be a quad bike.

The thing I love about building at sub minifig scale is that pieces take on brand new roles: here the short ladder becomes a roof rack; the motorbike handlebar becomes a bullbar and the round tile with a hole in the middle becomes a spare type, strapped on the back of the vehicle.  The build takes around 5-10 minutes and measures 4 studs wide, around 4.5 bricks high and  6-7 studs long.

triptic vehicle1

Continue reading →

Free and Exclusive: When too many things happen in the one week (Lego Creator App and Poe’s X-Wing Polybag)

ramblingbrick Lego, Review , , , , , , , ,

Polybag Fever

So, last monday the word began to spread around the inter webs:Lego (TM) Starwars (TM) Poe’s X-Wing Fighter(TM), free but only if you buy this month’s K-Zone.

IMG_9246
We hardly ever see these in the wild in Australia – more often in the confined ecosystems of Videogame pre-order bonuses or lego Shop@home bonuses

For those without tweenage children, K-Zone is a magazine aimed primarily at boys aged 6-10, containing equal parts toy advertisements, movie ads (some veiled as toy advertisements), video games (some based on toys, some with toys based on them) and comics (based on the subjects of TV series, movies, or the toys derived from said licencees).  It effectively retails for 6 dollars (cover price $5.99) and sits at the end of supermarket checkout isles, ready to trap unsuspecting mothers in a frenzy of uncontrollable pleading. I wish it was around at the time I was a boy.  My mother is glad that it wasn’t.

Continue reading →

The truth about cats and dogs:

ramblingbrick Lego, Review , , , ,

What I learned about SNOT from Furry Animals (31021)

IMG_7389One of my favourite sets of the last few years is the creator set 31021: Furry Animals.

The ‘Hero model’ is a cat and mouse, and the secondary (and tertiary?)models are a rabbit and a small dog.  This set contains a few new(to me) ‘SNOT blocks’ and so provides an opportunity to follow on from my recent post about the SNOT techniques used in the Ocean Explorer (31045).  For those wondering, the term SNOT used in the lego context refers to Studs Not (only) on top. So… focussing on techniques used where the directions of the studs is running at right angle to the primary direction of construction.

Once again, I am suspicious that some of the lego designers are trying to tuck little lessons for advanced building techniques into these small sets.  I am now actively exploring my creator sets for hidden lessons, to adapt for my own creations. Why don’t you join me…

Continue reading →