BRICKS issue 18

THE E S SENTIAL GUIDE TO BUILDING , BUYING AND C OLLECTING LEGO® PROD U CTS ISSUE 18

Designing the Yellow Submarine | Winter train reviewed | Creating the Caterham Ultimate gift guide | Secrets of track layouts | Designer concept plane revealed

| Death Star examined | Assembly Square

LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group © 2016 The LEGO Group. All Rights Reserved. Bricks magazine is not an official LEGO product nor affiliated in any way

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WELCOME

ISSUE 18

MARK GUEST EDITOR

Mark is a lifelong LEGO fan with a massive collection of old and new LEGO products

TIM JOHNSON ASSISTANT EDITOR Editor of our sister publication Bricks Culture, Tim is the founder of LEGO parts blog, New Elementary

HUW MILLINGTON CONSULTANT EDITOR The man behind Brickset, the world’s largest LEGO fan website, Huw is at the forefront of the scene

CHRIS PEARCE LICENSED SET SPECIALIST Chris’ lifelong love of LEGO and his dedication to perfection makes him ideal for Bricks

DR DAVE WATFORD FEATURES WRITER Dr Dave is a passionate LEGO collector and builder who founded the blog Gimme LEGO

ADAM WHITE CONTRIBUTOR & GAMES EXPERT Adam has thoroughbred credentials on the LEGO scene, from collecting sets to LEGO video games

LUCY BOUGHTON FEATURES WRITER Lucy is a LEGO expert who is strongly focused on quality and creativity within the community

ELSPETH DE MONTES FEATURES WRITER A prolific builder with a wicked sense of humour, Elspeth is also a contributor to The Brothers Brick

LUKE HUTCHINSON BUILD EXPERT Known within the medieval community for his skill and unique style, Luke shares his hints and tips

JAMES PEGRUM BUILD EXPERT One of the talented builders from Brick to the Past, James loves creating British history models

LEWIS MATTHEWS WRITER & VIDEOGRAPHER We seem to have converted our videographer into a LEGO-loving journalist

RYAN WELLES TECHNIC EXPERT Ryan is a master of all things Technic. There is not an axle or pin he doesn’t know about

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Drew Maughan/Jeremy Williams/Ed Diment/Duncan Titmarsh/Andy Watts/Li Li/Jamie Douglas

DESIGN

Jonathan Coull

PHOTOGRAPHY

Andrew Tipping/Harry Ross

PRODUCTION

Jim Blackstock/Tim Johnson/Lewis Matthews

GETTING AROUND

S

ince the dawn of time, vehicles have been an essential part of the LEGO experience. What town is complete without some cars, trucks and trains to get people about? And so, in this edition of Bricks, we celebrate all things vehicular.

Surely the grooviest way to get about under the sea is in the Yellow Submarine and we have both a set review and an interview with the original fan designer, Kevin Szeto. The previous LEGO Ideas set, the Caterham Seven, is a model we have been following ever since it was just a fan model and this month, we bring you a full report from the amazing launch of the set at Caterham HQ. Vehicles appear in almost every official theme, including LEGO Friends. Back in 2013, designer António Ricardo Silva was tasked with creating a huge plane for the range and in our exclusive interview, he explains the fascinating stages of the design development process, revealing the huge prototype that never made it to shelves.

Trains have been a part of the LEGO offering since the mid-1960s and remain a popular favourite at fan shows to this day. But what’s the best way to create a layout?

Jamie Douglas explains, while Huw Millington reveals ten of the best-ever LEGO trains.

Even the offering from the Winter Village series is a train this year; we fully review it as well as the biggest LEGO Technic set of all time, the Bucket Wheel Excavator. You could describe the Death Star as the biggest vehicle of them all and with the recent re-release causing controversy, Chris Pearce compares both versions. Mechs are another great sci-fi vehicle, so we review an exciting new custom kit that provides you with LEGO-compatible parts to quickly build and customise your own mechs.

If all this talk of vehicles is making you giddy, don’t worry. There’s plenty more to keep you entertained, including a gift guide to help you decide which LEGO products to buy your friends and family, a peek at the 2017 Modular, as well as all of our regular features including looks at MOCs from worlds as varied as Doctor Who and Donald Duck. So buckle in, because I’m sure you will enjoy the ride!

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CONTENTS

ISSUE 18

6 ANNOUNCING ASSEMBLY SQUARE

76 CLOSING IN ON THE CATERHAM

10 BIG IDEAS

80 TINY WONDERS

To mark ten years of Modulars, the LEGO Group release their largest yet Bricks chugs through the great planes, trains and boats on LEGO Ideas

Mattia Zamboni reveals how he created his big book of microscale models

14 A LEGO SUBMARINE

86 MASTERCLASS: UNCLE SCROOGE’S MONEY BIN

Fan designer Kevin Szeto tells Bricks readers the story of his Beatles set

Jacob Westerlund opens his bold model to reveal a wealth of character inside

20 ALL YOU NEED IS LEGO

Lewis Matthews reviews the Yellow Submarine before getting LEGO designer Justin Ramsden’s thoughts on the vessel

90 THE DEATH STAR PLANS

Our resident Star Wars expert has a lot to say about the new Death Star, but how will it match up against its predecessor?

26 GIFT GUIDE

Adam White gives an extensive guide to gift ideas to prepare for the festive rush

98 COLLECTING CLASSIC SPACE: PART 13

36 GAUGING THE TRACK

Railway builder Jamie Douglas joins the Bricks team to give an exclusive guide to building a train layout

42 TRACK TOPPERS

LEGO expert Huw Millington returns with his top ten LEGO trains of all time

46 MASTERCLASS: F-14

Accurate planes may seem formidable to build but James Cherry is willing to share the secrets of his impressive F-14

54 REVIEW: WINTER HOLIDAY TRAIN Mark Guest finds excitement in one of his favourite Winter Village offerings to date

58 CONCEPTUAL CHANGES

LEGO Friends designer Ricardo Silva reveals his unused giant plane concept

64 REVIEW: BUCKET WHEEL EXCAVATOR

Bricks celebrates the launch of the Caterham Super 7 by catching up with both the fan and LEGO designer

Giant spiders invade as this month, Jeremy gives life to the Insectoids

102 TECHNIQUES: JAMES PEGRUM

Stephenson’s Rocket inspires James to share some cylinder techniques

106 TECHNIQUES: MOC RECIPES

Bricks takes to the seas as Li Li teaches us how to create different kinds of ocean

110 GUIDE TO CLASSIC CASTLES: PART 3

1987 saw the release of four novel new sets which introduced the Forestmen

114 CLUB CREATIONS

This month our MOCs of the Month come from Swebrick and Comunidade 0937

118 THEN AND NOW

This month, Doris is not sure that she likes the attention... or the architecture

Ryan Welles finds out that the largest Technic set to date is a bucket of bliss

72 MECHS, THE EASY WAY

A new LEGO-compatible product gives Mark Guest a helping hand with creating cool mechs

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MODULAR SQUARE

The LEGO Group mark ten years of Modular Buildings with their biggest Modular offering yet Words: Lewis Matthews Photography: The LEGO Group

W

ith the Modular Buildings’ ten-year anniversary approaching, rumours started to fly about what the newest addition would be, with many people expecting the biggest Modular yet as a special anniversary celebration. As it happens, what the LEGO Group released is almost a whopping 1300 pieces larger than the previous largest offering of 10224 Town Hall. This makes 10255 Assembly Square the largest Modular release yet (so much so you have an added 16x32 baseplate!)

So where to begin with this immenselydetailed offering? You really are spoilt for choice; the scene is set around a busy square with three buildings that surround a fountain. It’s all rather picturesque. There’s a remarkably familiar cafe, florist and bakery that make up the ground floor, a photography studio, music store and (not one for the squeamish) dental surgery on the first floor and a rooftop terrace, dance studio and beloved Adult Fan of LEGO apartment on the top floor. The whole scene is bursting with energy, detail and intelligent design, which is sure to please the majority of Modular fans out there, and we’re sure will convert a few new fans!

Here’s a closer look at some of the details and references to past Modulars.

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At street level, there’s a cafe (deja vu anyone?), a florist and a bakery

One floor up there’s a photo studio, a music shop and a dentist

At the top, a dance studio, roof terrace and an AFOL’s apartment

10255 Assembly Square has just over 4000 pieces

CLICK HERE

For floor by floor detail

BRICKS 7

MODULAR SQUARE MINIFIGURES If you were looking for a bit of variety to populate your Modular town with, then this set is certain to please. You have the dreaded yet rather pleasant-looking dentist, a music store assistant, a dancer, a barista, a baker, a florist, a LEGO fan and a pram with a baby figure in it. It’s a

“YOU REALLY ARE SPOILT FOR CHOICE HERE”

The dance studio piano is brilliantly designed and the mirror is a great addition. The ballerina skirt is also welcome

Set the street alive with music using the drum set, guitars and saxophone from the music studio

The cafe is beautifully reminiscent of Cafe Corner, with lots of little nods to the original set The facade has a whole host of references to previous sets including yellow and white awnings from 10182 Cafe Corner, sand green to reflect 10185 Green Grocer, the tower roof from Town Hall and many more for you to spot 8 BRICKS

really good range of minifigures, with half of them designed without job-specific attire, meaning they will effortlessly populate your street in whatever way you see fit. In particular, the artist with his moustache stands out as a cool asset and who can deny the appeal of the adorable pram and baby - it’s sure to get more than a few people cooing.

NEW ELEMENTS It’s probably wise to start with the most exciting new elements: the 2x2 and 4x4 macaroni tiles and 2x2 angle corner tiles.

These are going to open up a world of

possibilities for lots of builders and they are a welcome addition to everyone’s parts inventory - we can’t wait to get hold of some! The 2x2 angle corners even appear in four colours and the 1x1 quarter plate comes in three new colours. This, and the addition of a new SNOT brick - a 1x1 brick with a stud on two adjacent sides - is sure to keep any parts enthusiasts happy and ready to spend their cash.

PRICE POINT Which leads to my next point. It may be the biggest Modular on the market but brick by brick, it also represents the

best value for money, at only 4.2 pence per brick. This is astonishing when you consider that the majority of the other Modulars all come in at over 5 pence per brick. This makes the relatively high £169.99 price tag much more attractive.

of potential and will slot brilliantly into any Modular layout, as well as standing on its own as a wonderful display and play set. What a way to celebrate ten years of Modular Buildings.

CONCLUSION

OTHER REFERENCES • The cherries in the bin, as well as the use of green baseplates and a unique LEGO box printed tile, is a nod to the highly-desirable 10182 Cafe Corner • The bakery in blue with the pretzel sign references 10190 Market Street

Looking through the forums, blogs and social media response from the release reveals that the majority of fans are really happy and excited to see this set hit the shelves. We at Bricks are no different, as the set holds a huge amount

• A cool rooftop BBQ and updated baby pram link back to 10185 Green Grocer

The photography studio contains some awesome builds like the old-fashioned camera and infinity curve to get everything picture perfect. Tipping, take note

• You’ll find the kitchen in the apartment and the rooftop door access references 10197 Fire Brigade • The frieze around the roof of the dance studio and the wedding cake are similar to those found in 10211 Grand Emporium • Pet lovers will know that the parrot and Chihuahua, the style of the windows and the sand-blue colour of the music and dance studios link back to 10218 Pet Shop • The tower roof style is built in the same fashion as the tower in 10224 Town Hall

The florist shop contains plenty of flowers and garden tools to set the scene… and a funky, dual-moulded parrot too!

• The vertical wall textures in the music and dance studios have been used before in 10232 Palace Cinema • There are many links to 10243 Parisian Restaurant including white croissants in the bakery, a fold-out sofa (similar to the foldout bed) and the black roof of the centre building • The nougat colour of the dentist office as well as the mirror are links to 10264 Detective’s Office

The rather inviting dental office has a buildable reclining chair and a sink for patients to rinse

• A portrait of a bank manager and transparent green and clear glass in the flower shop are both nods to the most recent Modular, 10251 Brick Bank

The bakery comes equipped with everything you need to make dough, including an oven, countertop and tasty treats. The use of garage doors as windows is a great touch BRICKS 9

BIG IDEAS

This month, Bricks gets moving, as we look at ideas based on transport - planes, trains and boats. Our Ideas seekers Adam White and Drew Maughan pack their bags and get ready to travel

Transport

HOT AIR BALLOON

BY LUCA CASCIOLA

LIGHTHOUSE

BY DOMINIKQN

THE BLUE DOLPHIN

BY SKYWARDBRICK

ideas.lego.com/projects/155494

ideas.lego.com/projects/155330

ideas.lego.com/projects/149857

An area that’s only recently been covered in official sets is the hot air balloon. Unlike many other MOCs, this project goes for an Ultimate Collectors Series approach, with the craft being designed to minifigure scale and constructed with a combination of Technic and System parts. A lot of thought has clearly gone into the design, including the balloon’s colours, which incidentally are the most common colours used with hot air balloons.

Adding to previous lighthouse LEGO sets is this highly detailed rendition, with the unique selling point of having two interconnecting islands instead of a single one. The numerous textures, including the rock formations, the path and the removable roof, always give us something to look at. What we really like about the lighthouse is that it’s not entirely for show: the rear wall opens to reveal a tall spiral staircase leading to the top.

Pirates may be one of the classic LEGO themes but it’s also a theme that has never really evolved beyond its original concept, unlike LEGO Space and Castle. This set still relies on the classic notion of pirates but gives it enough of a twist to edge it out ahead of other pirate-based projects currently on the LEGO Ideas platform. The use of blue elements not only ties nicely to the story behind the set but also makes it look pretty cool as well.

LEGO SEA DUCK BY PUNSMASH ideas.lego.com/projects/154178 With clear inspiration from the Yellow Submarine, this is the iconic aeroplane from the Disney cartoon TaleSpin, which is modelled after a real seaplane. Though there are other similar projects, this one appears to be designed for playability and for minifigures to sit in the cockpit. Who wouldn’t like to have a Baloo minifigure, even dressed as a pilot?

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STINGRAY BY MATTHEWL97 ideas.lego.com/projects/154422

MICRO TRACK

BY STEPHANIX ideas.lego.com/projects/155562 This is for anyone who has always wanted a LEGO train set – or any train set for that matter – but never had the opportunity or the space to own one. This project lets you create your very own microscale rail network, with plenty of features to customise it to your heart’s content. Most impressive about this project has been the proactive approach to including curved sections of track, which was previously thought of as impossible.

SAN FRANCISCO CABLE CAR

BY KEVINSZETO

The titular underwater vehicle from the 1960s TV show, this takes the traditional approach of exposed studs but remains true to the shape of the craft. Stingray was clearly designed for playability: as well as a large cockpit for two minifigures, driving it across the floor makes the rear propeller spin! There are also two spring-loaded projectiles at its disposal for combative fun. Stand by for action!

ideas.lego.com/projects/125350 If you’ve ever visited San Francisco, chances are you’ll have seen the city’s famous cable cars.

Unlike trams, the cable car relies on a unique cable pulley system to get it around. It’s a vehicle not often seen in LEGO sets, plus this project uses LEGO pieces in interesting ways to re-create this iconic mode of transportation with style and panache.

DE HAVILLAND DHC-2 BEAVER

BY SAABFAN ideas.lego.com/projects/131944 The de Havilland DHC-2 light aircraft is lovingly known as the Beaver and just like its namesake, it’s quite at home on the calm lakes of the Canadian wilderness.

This project captures the DHC-2 in a LEGO City-type set and along with the plane, also includes a fun little jetty and a slice of the Canadian forest with a grassy hill and tree. There’s also a pilot minifigure, a hermit, his dog and extra fuel as well as a mail package and a first aid kit.

BRICKS 11

BIG IDEAS HEADING TO DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS ROCKY MOUNTAIN EXPRESS BY PIX027 ideas.lego.com/projects/122904 Despite the LEGO community’s love of trains, there are few released as sets and those that are, are often based on modern type engines. However, this set captures the nostalgia of the steam engine with the Rocky Mountain Express. It can also be retrofitted to include Power Functions.

With year two of LEGO Dimensions content now available, we look at previous LEGO Ideas projects featuring franchises that now appear in the LEGO Multiverse.

THE WIZARD OF OZ In 2014 the The Road to Oz project reached 10,000 supporters and went into LEGO Ideas review. It didn’t make it to retail but the world of Oz was later introduced as a LEGO Dimensions Fun Pack, with a unique Wicked Witch minifigure and Flying Monkey.

PORTAL 2 The Thinking With Portals – Portal 2 Ideas project hit 10k in the CUUSOO days but never made it past review. Chell and GLADOS would join the amazing LEGO Dimensions Portal 2 Level Pack though, the perfect platform for Portal 2 and LEGO to meet.

TUG BOAT BY PIX027 ideas.lego.com/projects/152252 The detail this tug contains is impressive and is achieved with a great use of parts and elements. Better still, it’s a completely original design, making it unique and looking like it would make an interesting build. It’s the perfect example of a well thought-out and presented Ideas project.

DOCTOR WHO Doctor Who is popular on LEGO Ideas and in 2014 the Doctor Who and Companions project was approved, with the set released in 2015. But the Doctor would have his first LEGO adventure through time and space thanks to LEGO Dimensions.

GHOSTBUSTERS In 2013 the Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary project hit 10k and was approved the following year. Ecto1 hit stores in June 2014. As the LEGO Group were working with Sony on the Ideas set, three Ghostbusters LEGO Dimensions sets appeared.

ADVENTURE TIME Earlier this year it was announced that brick-built Adventure Time figures would appear in 2017. But residents of the Land of Ooo make their debut in the new LEGO Dimensions sets. Wave Six includes a Level Pack and Team Pack with more due next year.

RMS TITANIC BY CARLIERTI ideas.lego.com/projects/135695 One of the most famous ships to ever sail was the ill-fated RMS Titanic. In its time, it was an engineering marvel but it proved no match for an iceberg. Its structure and appearance make for a great LEGO set with appeal beyond just LEGO fans.

Although this project has limited playability it would make a great display piece.

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THE GOONIES Despite The Goonies Inferno Ideas project getting 10,000 supporters in 2015, they never made it past the review stage. But they will ride again next year as a LEGO Dimensions Pack. This will include a Sloth minifigure and a brick-built Inferno pirates ship.

We are not suggesting any Ideas projects which failed to pass review did so to appear in LEGO Dimensions. It’s just nice to see the fictional worlds LEGO fans are passionate about can get a second chance thanks to LEGO Dimensions.

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IDEAS YELLOW SUBMARINE

WE ALL LIVE IN A LEGO SUBMARINE

The LEGO Ideas platform can be the maker or breaker of dreams but for Yellow Submarine creator Kevin Szeto, it’s been a dream come true

F

Words: Lewis Matthews Photography: Kevin Szeto

or LEGO fans everywhere, the LEGO Ideas platform produces an exciting chance for you to become actively involved in the LEGO Group by voting for and creating your own ideas for future sets. It’s a wonderful and privileged experience to vote on community ideas and follow them as they make the nerve-wracking attempt to gain 10,000 votes. And it’s even better when an idea you love reaches that stage.

When Kevin Szeto’s Yellow Submarine was announced as successfully making it through the review period, we at Bricks, myself particularly, became very excited.

Surely for the first time, the LEGO Group 14 BRICKS

would officially re-create a real-life band in brick form and who more appropriate to start with than the biggest band the world has ever seen: The Beatles. And how better to celebrate the pop culture icons than with their iconic psychedelic transportation that they used to get to Pepperland in the 1968 fantasy film, Yellow Submarine, as well as featuring in one of the songs of the criticallyacclaimed 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Today Bricks goes on a voyage of its own with Canadian engineer, long-time LEGO lover and creator of the next Ideas set, Kevin Szeto, who shares his experience of what it’s like to create a successful LEGO Ideas set.

BRICKS 15

IDEAS YELLOW SUBMARINE

“THE BEATLES WERE - AND INDEED STILL ARE - IMMENSELY POPULAR AND LOVED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD” “I started as a fan of Space and Castlethemed sets before moving onto Technic but now my favourite sets to collect are Expert Creator and Ideas sets. I love Expert Creator sets because they often showcase ingenious use of parts and building techniques. However, I love Ideas sets because they are unique, one-of-akind creations that touch upon a subject matter which LEGO perhaps otherwise would not produce. So I’m completely over the moon that my design will be an official set. It’s all a little surreal.

“I have always been drawn to the music of The Beatles, especially being a musician and songwriter myself.

The creation of the Yellow Submarine model was really just me showing my affection for the British band. The Yellow Submarine is bright, fun and colourful, which made it a good subject to translate into LEGO form. It is also instantly

16 BRICKS

recognisable by many people, which made it easier to pique interest and garner support. I created the model using LEGO Digital Designer specifically as an Ideas submission and I did it digitally because I didn’t have all the requisite pieces at the time. So as a result, I was unable to build the physical model. Regarding the design of the minifigures, I based my designs on the respective likenesses of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as depicted in the Yellow Submarine poster and album cover. The torsos and faces were custom decals.

Believe it or not, these decals were drawn using nothing but Microsoft Paint. I am sure there are more sophisticated tools for this task but, for me, there is something innately fun about doing things the basic way. Regarding the heads, I chose what I thought were the best hairpieces available in LEGO Digital Designer database for

each Beatle. Note that the sideburns are part of the face decals and that George’s long hair is reflective of him from a slightly later era. I purposely did this to help distinguish him from the other members.

Of the four minifigures, my favourites are definitely Ringo and Paul. Since making the project live, I have acquired the pieces, built the submarine and made a handful of tweaks but supporters voted for the digital renders of the actual model.

“The Yellow Submarine wasn’t my first submission and it won’t be my last. My very first submission to LEGO Ideas was a WALL-E robot from the Disney Pixar movie. Of course, another version went on to become an official Ideas set. My model had only 309 pieces and was about half the size but despite garnering less than 500 supporters, I was still very proud of this creation. It was the first model where I truly went over and above my usual attention to detail and complexity.

Though I have since dismantled it to use the pieces for other projects, I still use the photo of WALL-E as my Ideas avatar and my Facebook profile photo.

Since then, I have put 12 more ideas on the platform but the Yellow Submarine has been the most popular so far.

Kevin’s creation is both fun and a superb homage to the Fab Four Designed with play and display in mind, the interior is accessible

BRICKS 17

IDEAS YELLOW SUBMARINE

Yet again, a demonstration of the importance of the LEGO Ideas platform

The Fab Four in their later, psychedelic phase...

18 BRICKS

“It gained over 100 supporters in the first day and after about three, it made it onto the ‘popular this week’ page. As it gained momentum, it was humbling to see it gaining positive feedback and comments. The momentum was kept up and it received a huge boost once it was featured on the ‘Staff Pick’ page in late July. That, combined with postings and tweets from LEGO Ideas Twitter and Facebook, meant the project kind of just took off on its own. I didn’t even do a last push myself! Between early August and early November when the model finally reached 10,000 supporters, the project stayed in the ‘Popular This Week’ section.

Luckily for me, this exposure was enough to drive the project to 10,000 votes.

During this period, I was spending my time on promoting other projects. It’s a subject matter that people know and love, given the popularity of the Beatles. If anything, I’m delighted to know that so many Beatles fans are also LEGO fans.

“At the time I submitted the project back in May 2015, I told myself that I would be really happy if it reached 1,000 supporters. None of my previouslysubmitted projects got past 500 supporters so I thought if I could double that, then I would have done well. Thanks to the Ideas ‘Weekly Digest’ updates, I was able to monitor and graph the progress of its number of supporters (I’m an engineer, after all). When it hit 10,000 supporters, I was of course ecstatic.

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to reach that milestone! My family, friends, and work colleagues were all very happy for me and I humbly celebrated with dinner at a local sushi restaurant.

“In April, after I hit the end goal of 10,000 supporters, I was contacted by a representative from the LEGO Ideas team and asked some questions regarding my inspiration for the project, the design and build process and my reaction when it hit 10,000 supporters. From then until the week LEGO Ideas made the official announcement, I was just crossing my fingers. June came and LEGO requested a Skype meeting with me, where I met

with a team of project, marketing, design and communications personnel. It was during this meeting that I was given the news that all Ideas candidates long to hear: my project had been selected and I was to be the designer of an official LEGO set! The hardest part was containing my excitement for a couple of days until the official announcement was made. Keeping the news to myself was one of the most difficult things I have had to do; it was so surreal. All I could do was ponder on why my set had been chosen.

The Beatles were, and still are, immensely popular and loved throughout the world.

They are a truly cross-generational, crosscultural phenomenon whose music, ethos and iconography are as relevant today as they were when they produced their

“NONE OF MY PREVIOUSLYSUBMITTED PROJECTS GOT PAST 500 SUPPORTERS” first record. To have them in minifigure form will surely be exciting not just for Beatles fans but LEGO fans too and the Yellow Submarine model is fun, colourful and quirky. It’s a model that will both look beautiful on display and provide a really enjoyable build and play experience.

“The people at the LEGO Group have been wonderful. Working with them and seeing this process unfold has been really positive and fun. After the review period, it has pretty much been handed over to them to develop. We had a Skype meeting where the lead designer showed me early prototypes of the submarine model as well as the minifigures. It was so much fun to see the project’s evolution.

“When it comes to advice I could give to any hopeful candidates, all I can say is choose an idea that is a manageable size and piece count. With the exception of the Apollo 11 project, all the winning submissions thus far have been notably below 1000 pieces. Also, do not be discouraged to submit new projects even if past projects do not garner the support you had hoped for. As I mentioned above, none of the first three projects I submitted went on to gain more than 500 supporters. Learn from the experience and see what can be done to improve your approach. Try a different subject matter, a better presentation or a different approach to your promotion. Lastly, and above all, try to submit projects that are truly meaningful to you. Create things with which you have a real connection or by which you are inspired, rather than something that just happens to be the latest fad. I believe this is what makes your submissions stand out from the crowd. As exemplified by all the projects on LEGO Ideas, imagination is the only limit! To be just one of the many contributors to this platform has been a fun, positive and hugely-rewarding experience. And as for actually reaching 10,000 supporters and having the project chosen as an official LEGO set? It really is a dream come true.”

Keep an eye out in Bricks’ Big Ideas section to see when the official version of Kevin Szeto’s Yellow Submarine will be available in stores.

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YELLOW SUBMARINE

ALL YOU NEED IS BRICKS

T

he first thing I should make clear is that I’m heavily invested in The Beatles and the Yellow Submarine film, so naturally I am one of the fans who has been counting down the days until I could build this model. Despite my own excitement, it quickly became apparent that this is a LEGO model fans either absolutely love or are completely indifferent to. To me, it was no surprise that Kevin Szeto’s Yellow Submarine was approved by the Ideas team because its subject matter holds an appeal that spans continents and generations. However, others held the opinion that it only made it through because of its commercial potential. But regardless of whether the set floats your boat or sinks like a lead ship, let’s dive into the world of Pepperland and see what this set has in store.

THE BOX As expected, the box is the usual Ideas premium quality. The graphics are a wild array of bright patterns set behind the submarine and minifigures, capturing the psychedelic 1960s vibe of the animated ’68 film. On the outside are cartoon stills from the film; on the inside, further images of the characters representing the scene in which they pass back in time and see

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their older selves passing forwards in time via the windows of the sub. A very touching reference indeed.

THE SET LEGO designer Justin Ramsden has done an incredible job of taking Kevin’s concept and translating that into an official LEGO set.

Despite the bizarre shape of the submarine, it is a solid build and the main body feels like it could survive a pretty impressive fall. It certainly isn’t a delicate model. It is full of clever parts usage, such as the use of hot dogs to make the rail around the periscopes, befitting to the theme.

The set is also full of many pieces in new colours, such as the 1x1 quarter tile in white and red, the wrench in red and macaroni tubes in orange and yellow. It’s a set that provides you with plenty of vivid colours and an entertaining build experience. It uses lots of Studs Not On Top techniques and curved bricks to achieve the sleek aesthetic and unusual shapes required.

The garish delights of the submarine continue inside the cockpit, with 14 colourful printed parts to channel your inner hippy. All of the elements are references to the film with two control panels, nine psychedelic circular buttons, pipework and the time travel reader which is stuck at quarter past ten at some point in 1968 (the year of the film’s release).

For someone who has seen the film, these references are

awesome touches in great colours which certainly brighten up and add character to the inside of the vessel. Naturally, inside the submarine isn’t as spacious as it appears in the film but there is enough room to fit the four Beatles minifigures across the ten-studlong and four-stud-wide cockpit. There is also a secret compartment between the rudder and the periscope which can hold all of The Beatles’ props.

Unfortunately, there isn’t enough room for Jeremy Hilary Boob in the cockpit or secret compartment, but a 2x2 jumper tile on the white stand for the ship is provided as a suitable place to display him.

MINIFIGURES This takes me onto the highlight for most: the figures. Included in the

set are John, Paul, George, Ringo and the adorably-poetic nowhere-man, Jeremy Hilary Boob Ph.D., who appears in the latter half of the film. It must be mentioned that the minifigures are as eccentric and flamboyant as you would expect them to be and they are unbelievably-close representations of the cartoon characters within the restrictions of LEGO bricks. All the characters’ torsos have printing on the front and back, as well as double-sided faces that create uncanny likenesses of their cartoon counterparts. John’s and Paul’s trousers are two-toned with each leg being a different colour and John and Ringo both have printed yellow and red stripes down the seams of their trousers, again adding to the detail and emphasis of fun and colour through their characters.

The only one that seems a bit odd is George, who has plain black trousers, a nougat shirt with a green collar and Sabine’s hairpiece from Star Wars Rebels.

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WORDS: Lewis Matthews SET NUMBER: 21306 SET NAME: The Beatles Yellow Submarine PIECE COUNT: 550 pieces PRICE: £49.99 / $59.99 / €59.99

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YELLOW SUBMARINE

Despite the curves, the final model has a solid feel to it

“THE MINIFIGURES ARE ECCENTRIC AND FLAMBOYANT” He may not be the most interesting figure but George was always the quiet one out of the Fab Four anyway.

Each of the Beatles comes with an accessory which references the film. John carries the telescope that he uses in the film; Paul holds a 1x2 tile with ‘LOVE’ printed on it, which can be seen in the opening credits; despite looking like a record, Ringo actually holds a missing hole from his pocket and although it may seem even more bizarre, what George is holding is actually the submarine motor. Then again, nothing really makes much sense in Pepperland and the inclusion of the final minifigure may seem even stranger. Jeremy Hilary Boob is a welcome addition to the four Beatles but he is a little confusing to fans who haven’t seen the film and I can’t help but feel it would have made more sense to leave him out of the set. Something else that would have made sense to me would have been to include Old Fred, who finds The Beatles and brings them to Pepperland, rather

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than the little creature they meet halfway through the film. That being said, he is a well-designed figure made up from a Nexo Knights Scurrier body in nougat, with a printed face which accurately represents his cartoon counterpart.

IT’S NOT ALL LOVE! Despite my love for this set, there are a few aspects worth considering. First is the price point; for the size of the set, it feels a little high. However, this could be due to dual licensing costs from both Apple Corps Ltd and Subafilms Ltd. But when you look at what you get for your money, it’s verging on LEGO Star Wars price tags, which certainly makes it harder for fans who aren’t familiar with the film to justify parting with their hard-earned cash. Which leads me onto my next point: despite this being a set about The Beatles, it is a niche set.

Forget the fact that not everybody is a fan of The Beatles and that not every Beatles fan is a fan of Yellow Submarine, especially as it was during

their psychedelic phase rather than their far more popular early ’60s Beatlemania stage. Considering the controversy around the film, and the way some audiences interpreted it and received it, it’s quite a surprise that the LEGO Group would bring the film into their brand at all. As a result, in my opinion it doesn’t really appeal to the mass LEGO market in the way Doctor Who or The Big Bang Theory have. In addition, unlike other sets it doesn’t seem to have potential past what it is, in that I can’t see the average fan picking it up and taking a huge amount of inspiration to create other things alongside it. I challenge anyone who disagrees to attempt to build a MOC from the world and surrounding seas of Pepperland (send us pictures if you do!) because it is such an abstract, surreal and nonsensical world that it seems beyond comprehension... unless you can prove me wrong. Finally, there are no Blue Meanies, which may be down to piece count but really would have topped the set off. There is even one illustrated on the box, which emphasises the need for one in the set.

CONCLUSION Regardless of anyone’s comments, I still find it difficult to waver from the opinion that this is a lovely set for fans of The Beatles. For LEGO fans it may feel like a sorely-missed opportunity for something else that fits the traditional LEGO mould.

It is interesting when you compare it to the last Ideas set, the Caterham 620R. Even though you may not be a fan of the car, there is no denying that it is a stunning model and it will definitely give off the cool factor if you own and display one. For people who don’t know the story of Yellow Submarine, or people who don’t necessarily engage in the LEGO hobby, this model may not give off that cool effect that challenges the nature of what LEGO building can be, like the Caterham 620R. Instead, it could be left feeling a little

infantile and more like a kid’s toy then a sophisticated building form. However, the set is well designed, solid and does represent its source material well - that certainly cannot be brought into question; I see this as being a must for Yellow Submarine fans. Equally though, I can see this not necessarily appealing to LEGO fans per se. Despite this, I’m off to put my model back in my display case, as regardless of how anyone else feels about a set, you should always buy and build what you enjoy; it just so happens that for me, it’s this movie-accurate Yellow Submarine.

The sub’s interior is suitably psychedelic

Sabine’s hair from Star Wars Rebels makes a comeback

Thanks to The LEGO Group for supplying the set to review. None of the opinions expressed in this review are those of The LEGO Group.

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YELLOW SUBMARINE

JUSTIN RAMSDEN DESIGNER INTERVIEW

H

ow did it feel to get the chance to officially immortalise such a culturally iconic vehicle in your role as a LEGO designer?

I was absolutely over the moon when I was told that I would be working on this LEGO® Ideas project, as it was amazing to be a part of such an iconic LEGO® product release. I watched the film when I was younger and was really inspired by how it oozed so much imagination – comparable to how I view LEGO® elements. I’m also a massive fan of The Beatles, having grown up with their music all my life (and even managing to see Sir Paul McCartney numerous times in concert), so to see them in LEGO® form is a dream come true.

What do you need to take into consideration when creating an official LEGO set from a fan build?

Kevin did a great job with his model but as a LEGO® designer, I had to ensure that the retail version offered an enjoyable and stable building experience.

What new elements and elements in new colours are included?

There are many of our new elements and colours used for the model; two of my favourites are the 2x3 tile in white and the ¼ circle tile in red. As a LEGO® fan, I’ve wanted these elements for ages so I’m pleased to finally have my hands on them!

Do you, as the designer, have a say in what new colours or graphics are created for the set?

As a Product Designer, I have a level of say in the new colours and graphics that are created for the set. I work very closely with movie references and alongside our talented Graphic Designers (in this case, the fantastic Austin Carlson and Thomas 24 BRICKS

Parry), Marketing team, Intellectual Property partner and the fan designer, to make the most exciting set possible.

Are there any secrets or nods to the film which aren't obvious to the casual LEGO fan?

The inclusion of The Beatles ‘souvenirs’ from Pepperland and Jeremy Hillary Boob, Ph.D., are the main nods to the film that the casual LEGO® fan might miss. As for secrets in the model, there are a few ‘Easter eggs’ that fans will enjoy. For instance, the countdown timer reads ‘1968’, the release date of the film and one of the clocks reads ‘thirteen minutes past ten’ - this is actually my birthday (13th October). Furthermore, I tried to hide as many weird and wonderful coloured elements within the model to try to match the tone of the film – this may appear unusual to the casual LEGO® fan!

“KEVIN DID A GREAT JOB ON HIS MODEL” What’s your particular favourite part of the model?

Although I am delighted with the finished model, my favourite parts of the build are the ‘unusual’ hot-dog rail building technique and the ‘hidden’ compartment to store the souvenirs that The Beatles gain throughout their adventure!

Where there any areas that were hard to design or compromises made due to parts, for example?

The original submission model was a fantastic starting point and many of the ideas and details could be directly

used in the final set. However, the most challenging part was to try to get the model to look as movie-accurate as possible, especially when it came to the curvy nature of the submarine. At the same time, I also had to keep Kevin’s original scale and use many of the same elements visible on the outside of the model. Trying to get the two separate yellow elements in the base of the model also proved to be something of a challenge – but that’s part of the fun of the job!

Brightening the lives of sick children through LEGO

FairyBricks Formed by three friends, Julie, Kevin and Martyn who have a love and passion for all things LEGO. So far they have donated LEGO worth over £40,000 to over 50 hospitals and are always looking for more people to get involved”

http://fairybricks.org

GIFT GUIDE With Christmas approaching, it’s the perfect time for unique, interesting and lovable LEGO gifts

I

t’s that time of the year once more; there’s a chill in the air, TV is filled with shows about dancing or singing and we are deciding what to get our loved ones for Christmas while at the same time, secretly hoping they don’t get us a pair of socks. So we’ve donned our festive hats and collected a few great gift ideas for the LEGO lover in your life.

STOCKING! FILLERS

MICROFIGHTERS SERIES 3 LEGO COIN PIGGY BANK Price: £10.99 Availability: LEGO.com Save all your loose change in this brick-built piggy bank, then use what you’ve saved to buy even more LEGO products. It really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Price: £8.99 Availability: LEGO.com These mini versions of iconic Star Wars vehicles are fun to build and even better to collect. Series 3 includes six sets, with each one including a minifigure.

THE SECRET WORLD OF LEGO DVD Price: £12.99 Availability: amzn.to/2e7txJo The highly-acclaimed Channel 4 documentary, which delved behind the scenes of the LEGO world and also followed the creation of this very magazine, is now available on DVD.

LEGO MINIFIGURES & BRICK KEY CHAIN LEGO DC COMICS & MARVEL SUPER HEROES MIGHTY MICROS Price: £8.99 Availability: LEGO.com DC Comics and Marvel’s finest get a mightily-micro makeover, as they pair off and do battle in these funky little LEGO karts. Watch your ankles.

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Price: from £3.99 Availability: LEGO.com Jazz up your keys and take your love of LEGO wherever you go with these LEGO key chains, featuring a whole host of characters and coloured bricks.

LEGO MINIFIGURES SERIES 16 Price: £2.49 each Availability: LEGO.com The LEGO Minifigures are back again, with 16 crazy new characters to collect. There’s also a story in every pack involving the character. These little packs of joy make great stocking fillers.

This month, we take a wider look at the world of LEGO-related products, as we expand our coverage to give you a host of ideas for your festive wishlist or for the LEGO fan in your life

MINI COOPER

TECHNIC PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS Price: £249.99 Availability: LEGO.com This luxury building experience has been hailed by fans as a masterpiece and we believe it delivers the premium experience you deserve this Christmas. One to grace the desk of the dad who has everything.

PIRATES CHESS SET

LEGO SETS

Price: £74.99 Availability: LEGO.com & John Lewis Forever a classic LEGO set, the Mini Cooper is as popular amongst fans now as it was upon its release in 2014. If you haven’t picked it up yet, then this is the perfect time of year to change that.

CATERHAM 7 Price: £69.99 Availability: LEGO.com & John Lewis Celebrate the plucky iconic British kit sports car by building it this Christmas. New techniques and pieces and an incredible finished model make this an essential product for all LEGO fans.

Price: £45.99 Availability: LEGO.com Give the classic game of chess a LEGO twist with this brick-built, Pirate-themed chess board. The Bluecoats take on the Pirates as the chess pieces are transformed into minifigures.

THE BEATLES YELLOW SUBMARINE Price: £49.99 Availability: LEGO.com Join the Fab Four as they travel to Pepperland in their iconic Yellow Submarine, which has been lovingly recreated in this far-out new set from the LEGO Ideas platform.

WALL-E Price: £39.99 Availability: LEGO.com Recreate Disney/Pixar’s faithful recycling robot with LEGO bricks. Originally created by a Pixar employee, it’s a perfect treat for fans of the film.

VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE Price: £69.99 Availability: LEGO.com The groovy Beetle hit the shelves in August and has gained mass appeal outside the traditional LEGO fan base, as well as praise from fans for creating such realistic curves. As a relatively newly-released set, it’s the perfect thing to surprise your LEGO lover with.

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R O F S D L I BIG BU UNGTHE YO RT AT-HEA DISNEY CASTLE

BIG BEN

Price: £289.99 Availability: LEGO.com The ultimate LEGO set for the ultimate Disney fan, featuring incredible details from Walt Disney’s magical history of animated adventures across the decades.

Price: £169.99 Availability: LEGO.com One of London’s most iconic landmarks becomes one of the most intricately-detailed LEGO Creator Expert sets and a great display piece. The only thing missing is the sound of perhaps the most famous chimes in the world.

BATMAN CLASSIC TV SERIES BATCAVE Price: £229.99 Availability: LEGO.com Holy incredible set Batman! Build the classically-camp TV series Batcave, complete with the classic Batmobile and fun minifigures.

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO Price: £149.99 Availability: LEGO.com Bring your architectural creations or re-creations to life. With this amazing set of over 1200 LEGO bricks, you can build whatever you can imagine.

DEATH STAR Price: £399.99 Availability: LEGO.com The new LEGO Death Star is armed and fully operational and even includes a few new details. Perfect for ruling the galaxy.

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GHOSTBUSTERS FIREHOUSE HQ Price: £274.99 Availability: LEGO.com It’s the most iconic firehouse around and it’s also one of the largest LEGO sets ever. Based on the 1980s classic, ’busting this build will make you feel good.

S E I R O S S E ACC LEGO WALL LIGHTS Price: £22.99 each Availability: goo.gl/sccXPn, goo.gl/URb0pg or pricerighthome.com Soothe yourself to sleep with the wall-mountable LEDLite Bricks. They can be set to stay on for 30 minutes and include themed stickers.

LEGO WHAT AM I? Price: £29.99 Availability: LEGO.com The much-loved game of Guess Who? gets a LEGO twist, with a fully-buildable game complete with two sets of minifigures and items to try to guess.

LEGO LEDLITE KEY CHAINS Price: £7.99 - £9.99 Availability: pricerighthome.com These fun oversized keychains each feature super-bright LED lights in their feet, perfect for find that missing LEGO brick that went under the sofa.

LEGO ADVENT CALENDARS Price: from £19.99-£24.99 Availability: LEGO.com Count down to Christmas with a new mini LEGO build or minifigure/minidoll everyday. Choose from LEGO City, LEGO Star Wars or LEGO Friends advents.

LEGO BEDDING SETS

LEGO NINJAGO & NEXO KNIGHTS COSTUMES Price: from £10-£60 Availability: goo.gl/pSF1vE Halloween may be over but that doesn’t mean kids can’t dress up as their favourite Ninjago or Nexo Knights characters this Christmas. Before you ask; no they don’t come in adult sizes.

Price: from £16.99 Availability: goo.gl/RxuCTi or pricerighthome.com Cuddle up for a cosy night’s kip with your favourite LEGO characters including the Nexo Knights, the ninja of Ninjago and even LEGO City Undercover’s Chase McCain.

LEGO STATIONERY RANGE Price: from £6.99 Availability: LEGO.com Expand your creativity beyond the brick and onto the page with LEGOthemed pens, pencils and even a buildable ruler, all fully compatible with LEGO bricks.

OFFICIAL STAR WARS DARTH VADER STORAGE HEAD Price: £22.50 Availability: goo.gl/B9VMeu Keep your loose bricks fully under the control of the empire with a storage tub modelled on Vader’s helmet. Do not underestimate the power of the Dark Bley Side...

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MINIFIGURES.COM Prices: starting from £9.95 Availability: minifigures.com BRICK GRIMES - Take on the walking dead but just stay clear of baseball bats.

MR MELTY - He loves the summer but oddly, gets on better around Christmas TOM BAKER AS DOCTOR WHO - Travel through space and time with the longest-serving Time Lord.

SHORT CIRCUIT - Part-minifigure, part-machine and all types of fun.

CUSTOM CREATIO NS

MINIFIGS.ME

Price: Starting from £11.99 Availability: minifigs.me GAMING COLLECTION - Your favourite gaming characters as custom minifigures.

DOODLEFIGS - Grab the crayons and bring your own doodles to life.

STRANGER THINGS 11 - Go to the Upside Down and discover stranger things.

RIPLEY - She mostly builds at night. Mostly.

LOST BOYS - Proper 1980s vampires.

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FAB BRICKS Price: starting from £5 Availability: fab-bricks.com PERSONALISED BRICKS - Create your custom minifigures and engraved bricks.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG TILES - Gotta Go Faster?

Then sonic-spin into these Sega-inspired tiles.

E K O P S E B GIFTS

BRIK BOOK LAPTOP COVER Price: $49.99 Availability: brikbook.com Ever wanted to jazz up your laptop with LEGO bricks?

Now you can with a stud-encrusted laptop cover. They are available in multiple sizes depending on your laptop and are a great way to stand out in a crowd.

PERSONALISED BRICKTHEMED PRINTS Price: from £8.00 Availability: goo.gl/nUMFFz These stylish art prints riff on the text found on LEGO boxes and can be personalised to include names and ages.

HANDMADE BRICK GREETING CARDS

HANDMADE FUNKY WALL CLOCKS

Price: from £3.99 Availability: thebrickladd.com Show someone you care with these handmade greeting cards, each featuring real LEGO elements for added fun.

Price: £20.00 each Availability: bricksathome.com It’s always LEGO time with this range of designer clocks

by MonkiStuff. Numbers are represented by 2x2 bricks.

HANDMADE MOSAIC FRAMES

UNIKITTY CUSHIONS

Price: from £20.00 Availability: thebrickladd.com A subtle way to inject some colour into your room whilst cleverly showing off your love of the brick.

PERSONALISED NAME PLATES

CUSTOM CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS

Price: from £16.99 Availability: goo.gl/HhuFxA These acrylic plates can be created with any name or wording in a similar style to the typeface of the LEGO logo. House numbers are also available. Now, what LEGO fan wouldn’t want one of these?

KNOTMINIFIGS PARACORD BRACELETS Price: Varies Availability: goo.gl/g5GHnS Transform your favourite minifigures into funky paracord bracelets, bag charms or key chains.

Price: £24.99 each Availability: bricksathome.com Express a range of emotions with these fun Unikitty cushions.

Each double-sided cushion features two of her hilarious facial expressions.

Price: from £4.99 Availability: thebrickladd.com If you’re fed up with the usual tinsel and baubles, then spruce-up your tree with some new LEGO decorations including a stocking, reindeer and Christmas tree. These gifts are unique to Brickladd and the set can be bought for £10.

HANDMADE MINIFIGURE SHELVES Price: From $55.00 (£45 approx) Availability: chroble.com A super-stylish way to display your minifigure collection from Chroble. These handmade shelves are lovingly crafted from treated black walnut hardwood. Three lengths are available; short (fits 5 minifigures), medium (13) or long (25).

PHOTO BRICKS Price: from £3.00 Availability: shop.minifigforlife.com Transform any photo into a fun mini LEGO puzzle. Your most beloved images are printed directly onto LEGO bricks. The perfect gift this year.

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HAND-PAINTED ARTWORK Price: from £28.95 Availability: toysrart.co.uk Brighten your walls with these beautiful LEGO-themed artwork prints by Deborah Cauchi. There is a huge selection available as well as original paintings, cards, mugs and coasters. The perfect way to display your true love for the minifigure!

ARCHITECTURE SKYLINE PRINTS Price: £20.00 Availability: bricksathome.com These fantastic prints by Alex Brooks feature LEGO Architecture building sets placed within real skylines to create a dramatic piece of art that is perfect for a stylish home or office.

CUSTOM MINION

MINIFIGURE DISPLAY FRAMES Price: from £14.50 Availability: framesforbricks.co.uk Display your minifigures with these stylish frames, custom-made to order, with a huge number of different options available.

BRIC-KIT CUSTOMISED PRODUCTS Price: from £5.50 each Availability: bric-kit.com Create your own unique LEGO-themed gifts, from aprons to cushions. Add your own minifigure faces or even your own name.

Price: from £7.99 Availability: thebrickladd.com Take home one of these adorable brick-built minions or get crazy this Christmas with a superhero minion.

These cuties are all are brilliantly designed by the Brickladd, including Hulk, Iron Man and even Batman.

toysrart_

TOYS ‘R’ ART PAINTINGS . PRINTS . GIFTS

Why not treat a Lego lover to the perfect gift, original paintings, prints, mugs and coasters from Star Wars to Superheroes or even commission your own bespoke artwork.

Go on, treat that special someone!

www.toysrart.co.uk toysrart_ad.indd 1

07/11/2016 16:51

HANDMADE DIMENSIONS DISPLAY STANDS Price: from £16.95 Availability: goo.gl/n1OVPO With all those minifigures, gadgets and vehicles to buy, storing your collection of LEGO Dimensions sets can be tricky. But these display stands may be the answer.

LEGO GAMING

LEGO HARRY POTTER COLLECTION PS4 Price: £30.99 Availability: amzn.to/2dOrF2A The wizarding world of Harry Potter gets a HD remastering in plenty of time for Christmas. Play through the entire adventure from the movies for the first time on PS4. Great family fun.

LEGO DIMENSIONS FUN, TEAM, LEVEL AND STORY PACKS Price: from £14.99 - £39.99 Availability: LEGO.com Add a world of new content to your LEGO Dimensions adventure with new characters, levels and Battle Arenas.

LEGO DIMENSIONS STARTER PACK

LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER

Price: RRP £79.99 Availability: LEGO.com Head into the LEGO Multiverse with some of your favourite characters and bring LEGO to Life. This Starter Pack is all you need to get going.

Price: £17.99 Availability: amzn.to/2ekO3RW Join Chase McCain along with the LEGO City PD and experience one of the greatest LEGO Games ever made, exclusively on the Nintendo Wii U.

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LEGO STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS Price: from £34.99 Availability: amzn.to/2e85ABG Relive the return of Star Wars as you replay the adventures of The Force Awakens and learn what happened in all-new stories.

GEEKY LEGO CRAFTS Price: £14.50 Availability: amzn.to/2esnmyF A wall-mounted stag’s head a flaming toast rack; create these unique LEGO builds and more with a geeky twist.

A lot of ideas and fun projects for the discerning fan.

LEGO ANIMATION BOOK Price: £14.50 Availability: amzn.to/2esmM48 Bring your bricks to life with an in-depth guide to help make your own brickflicks.

LEGO BUILD YOUR OWN ADVENTURES (CITY & STAR WARS) Price: £17.99 Availability: amzn.to/2ekKLhq Go on an adventure across LEGO City or in a galaxy, far, far away. Each book contains inspirational models to build and an exclusive mini LEGO set.

365 THINGS TO DO WITH LEGO Price: £16.99 Availability: amzn.to/2dWn83o Hit the timer and build, play games or challenge friends with over 365 things to do with your LEGO bricks. This will certainly keep you busy all year round, with loads of great builds from some of the best fan builders from around the globe.

TINY LEGO WONDERS Price: £17.99 Availability: amzn.to/2esoSRD Create a range of different miniscale LEGO builds with just a handful of bricks but bags of character. With pages crammed full of instructions, this is one that will get the juices flowing.

BEAUTIFUL LEGO VOL 1-3 Price: £21.50 each Availability: goo.gl/0UizEv These three books showcase the amazing designs of fans builders from around the world. Each of the three books covers a different theme, including animals.

LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS BOOK OF KNIGHTS Price: £14.99 Availability: amzn.to/2dSnbtz Brush up of your NEXO powers and learn about the realm of Knighton. Includes a Merlok minifigure.

BOOKS LEGO CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS BOOK Price: £14.50 Availability: amzn.to/2esvGyy Bring a little bit of LEGO fun to your Christmas decorations with instructions on how to make Chris McVeigh’s ace festive ornaments.

LEGO NINJAGO CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA 2016 Price: £14.99 Availability: amzn.to/2eaimuC Learn all about the ninja of Ninjago, their vehicles, enemies and sets in the newly-updated book.

TH E

LEGO STAR WARS SMALL SCENES FROM A BIG GALAXY Price: £16.99 Availability: amzn.to/2esk4eW Finnish photographer Vesa Lehtimäki’s uniquelyatmospheric LEGO images are brought together for the first time. Stunning imagery from one of the scene’s best photographers.

ES SE

THE GIFT OF BRICKS!

Don’t forget both Bricks and Bricks Culture are available as gift subscriptions. It’s the gift that keeps on giving across the year, with new issues delivered directly to your door or digital device.

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GAUGING THE SPACE

RAILWAY LAYOUTS

Not everyone has the luxury – or indeed the bravery – to dedicate a room to a train layout. Fear not; Jamie Douglas is on hand to show you how, regardless of the space you have available Words: Jamie Douglas Photography: Andrew Tipping

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rain expert and creator of the epic Manchester Brickadilly railway model, Jamie Douglas, is here to give Bricks readers a beginner’s guide to building a train layout. From which trains to buy first to how to maximise battery life and even tips on building tunnels, it’s time to listen to our resident conductor and start laying the tracks.

A few weeks ago, the LEGO Group released a new train – 10254 Winter Holiday Train, reviewed on page 54 of this issue – which seems likely to get a whole new generation of fans interested in LEGO trains. Given the potential for increased interest in running a train layout, it’s worth taking the time to explore the options – and the physical implications – of building a layout using LEGO elements.

Although many people who buy the Winter Holiday Train will simply use it to run around their Christmas tree, many will then use the set as the starting point of adding trains to their existing City layout. With LEGO trains, it’s very easy to want to add a bit more track, maybe an extra siding here, an extra train there, another loop perhaps, until before you know it you’re wondering whether you can justify converting the loft space to house your LEGO layout – if you haven’t already done so!

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But let’s backtrack a bit first. Let’s look at the things you need to know when first building a layout into your city. Let’s look at all the things that it doesn’t tell you on the box, and which most people figure out by trial and error. Firstly, let’s look at space.

If it isn’t already apparent, LEGO trains take up a lot of space.

The track gauge (the distance between the rails) is a lot larger than the scale used on most model railways. Those who had a Hornby train set when they were a child will remember being able to fit quite complex layouts into a relatively small space.

Because of the space needed for LEGO trains, you’ll need to think about just how big and complex you want your railway to be, and how much space you can allocate to it.

As the radius of the LEGO curved track is 44 studs (35.2cm), the minimum size of a LEGO railway is 88 x 88 studs (70.4cm) – basically, a circle of track. You’ll want more than that if you don’t just want it to go around your Christmas tree but it’s worth bearing that size in mind because it’s also the width of a standard 180-degree turn of track. Because LEGO track is 8 studs (6.4cm) wide, you may already have worked out that you could put LEGO Modular Buildings back-to-back inside a loop of track 88 studs wide, and still have 8 studs of space left over.

60098 Heavy-Haul Train is one of three City train sets currently available

WHICH TRAIN SHOULD I GET FIRST? This is ultimately a decision for you and you alone, based on factors such as how much you like them, the price of them and perceived value for money.

All three of the City trains currently available (60051 High-Speed Passenger Train, 60052 Cargo Train and 60098 Heavy Haul Train) come with all the Power Functions elements you need, and also show you how it all connects together. The 10254 Winter Holiday Train doesn’t come with the Power Functions elements, but is more detailed than the City trains, which are aimed squarely at children.

The three City trains come with straight track as well as curved track (and Cargo Train also includes points), whereas the 10254 Winter Holiday Train only comes with curved track.

It comes with 16 curved tracks and 12 straight tracks to get you started

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RAILWAY LAYOUTS 60051 High-Speed Passenger Train has 16 curved tracks and 4 straight tracks

“YOU NEED TO GIVE YOUR TRAINS ROOM... LONGER TRAINS WILL OVERHANG” Other track dimensions are worth knowing too. A section of standard straight track is 16 studs (12.8cm) long, and the points (switches) are double that, at 32 studs (25.6cm). If you add a siding using points and a section of curved track, the gap between the two parallel tracks will be 8 studs.

Once you start setting up your new train layout though your city, there are a few things which you’ll need to take into consideration. The first may sound obvious, but it’s worth expanding on – you need to give your trains room! When your trains start running around your track, the tightness of curves on LEGO track will mean that some of the longer trains will either overhang the outside of the track at the front, or will overhang on the inside, or even both. What this means in practice is that you’ll need to leave a gap on both sides of the curved track. If you put a minifigure right on the edge of the curved track, the train will probably knock it over.

Put a building there, and it’s likely that you’ll derail your train.

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Pushing your train around the track before you add buildings will help you to determine how much gap you need to leave clear, but be aware that if you later make or buy a longer train than you’re using at first, it may need more space. As an example, the Winter Holiday Train is quite short, so it won’t have any overhang issues. If however, you were then to get 10219 Maersk Train or 10233 Horizon Express, you’d find that the overhang on those trains is a lot more. Generally though, if you leave a gap of 3 studs, that should be enough.

I’ve known people who build a tunnel, only to find that the train derails inside it because they’ve built it too close to the curved track. This can easily be avoided with a little forethought.

Another issue to consider if you’re building tunnels or bridges is the height of the train, and the physical space it takes up in cross-section – that is, if you cut a slice through it. In railway terminology, the maximum height (and width) of the train is called the ‘loading gauge’. Most LEGO

trains are roughly the same height, so it’s generally quite easy to build your bridge or tunnel a couple of bricks higher, without any issues.

There are one or two exceptions, however. An example of this is the Horizon Express train, which has pantographs on top of it (a pantograph is the extendable metal bit on the top of electric trains, to get power from overhead lines). This pantograph can be raised or lowered, and this can extend the height of the train quite a bit. At a show earlier this year, I was running a 12-car Horizon Express on my layout, and I had just changed the cab over after recharging the batteries.

Unfortunately, I’d forgotten to lower the pantograph on it, which then – at full speed – hit the pedestrian bridge inside my station (which is 2.5m long and fully covered). The speed of the train took out the bridge, causing the Horizon Express to derail and the bridge to collapse onto the tracks, which was then hit by two other trains, right in the middle of my station, where it was hardest to access it. Many, many minifigures died in the resultant pile-up, and it took me about 20 minutes to sort the whole mess out.

Lesson learned: height matters!

This also highlights another issue that you may need to consider – that of

WHAT POWER FUNCTIONS DO I NEED, AND HOW DO I CONNECT IT ALL?

60052 Cargo Train has 8 straight tracks, 20 curved and points

If you own a non-powered train you will need four Power Functions elements: The Remote Control (8879), the IR Receiver (8884), the AAA Battery Box (88000), and the Train Motor (88002).

Connect the Train Motor lead to the IR Receiver and connect the IR Receiver lead to the Battery Box. Put 6xAAA batteries in the Battery Box and 3xAAA in the Remote Control. Make sure that the channel switch on the Remote Control is in the same position as on the IR Receiver (1, 2, 3 or 4). Each channel has two signals: blue and red. Whichever colour you connected the Train Motor lead to on the IR Receiver is the colour dial you use to control it on the Remote Control.

With two on each channel, it’s possible to run eight trains independently of each other using the same controller. When running a lot of trains at shows it’s easiest to use four different controllers, each set to a channel. ‘Colour code’ each one along with the relevant loop of track using coloured tiles. This way you don’t have to remember which channel controls which train; just match the colours of track and controller. You probably won’t need to do this with a home display though.

You might want to use rechargeable batteries (but check they will fit as some are slightly too large for the box) or the Rechargeable Battery Box (8878). However the latter is probably not costeffective to use on a home layout; it costs over three times as much as the normal one and you’d also need to buy the 10V Transformer (8887), which itself isn’t cheap.

Finally, you can also buy Lights (8870) for your trains, and connect them to the IR Receiver in the same way as the Train Motor.

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access. If you decide to build a tunnel into your layout, how will you rescue your train if it derails inside it? Again, a little forethought – and a lift-off tunnel roof – will save you a lot of hassle later.

Tunnels could also cause you problems when trying to control the train. The infrared (IR) signals from the controller will not travel well in a tunnel, so the speed your train enters the tunnel will be the speed it exits it. The sight line for the IR

ARE THERE WAYS TO MAXIMISE THE BATTERY LIFE? The short answer is yes. Knowing the many different factors which affect battery life can help you to maximise it, especially if you decide to build your own trains.

The biggest single factor is friction; your enemy!

It comes from many things, but the main one is the wheels. If they are too far apart, they will bind when going around curves and this will slow your train down and take its toll on the batteries. The type of axle is a factor too. Metal axles create much less friction than the plastic Technic axles, so always try to use the former to reduce friction.

The heavier the train is, the more power the motor will need to pull it. Getting a good weight distribution helps – ideally you want the weight over the train motor, to give the wheels more grip.

Don’t put the motor at the front and all the weight at the back, as the wheels will struggle to grip.

The last significant issue is the length of the train. Not only do long trains have more weight, but the motor will also struggle to pull them around the tight LEGO curved track.

Using two motors will help to overcome the issues of weight and train length, and give more grip but will also add another issue – that you’re powering two motors instead of one. You’d also need to get a Polarity Switch (8869) to ensure that both motors run in the same direction.

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controller is important too. You’ll get to learn through trial and error how far away you can be to control the train, but the one thing that is certain is that you need a fairly clear line of sight between the controller and the IR Receiver.

So with the important things sorted, which will hopefully help avoid any unnecessary crashes, let’s now look at a couple of other considerations. Are you intending to secure your track layout to your baseplates, or are you simply going to lay it on top? Are you even going to have baseplates, or are you just going to place the track on a tablecloth? Unless you have a large number of baseplates, you’ll probably just do the latter. This is actually quite a good option to start with, as it avoids the need for you to connect it all to the base.

Although the straight track is easy to connect to baseplates, the connection points on curved track don’t line up with the studs on a baseplate, so you’ll always end up with very few, if any, connections on the curves. If you decide to put flat tiles on the baseplates underneath the curves, you’ll then need to raise the straight track by one plate too, so that it keeps the same height. This can very quickly get very parts-intensive, and if you decide to go this route, you’ll find yourself running out of tiles and plates very quickly.

If you want to run out of them even more quickly, you could go further and build some ballast for your track. On a real railway, ballast is the crushed stones beneath the track sleepers, which has a number of uses. On a LEGO layout, it serves only to look good, and it cannot be denied that track with ballast looks better than track without. It does, however, use a lot of parts. How many depends on the technique you use – there are a few different techniques – but the one certainty is that you will use far more parts than you think you will. There are also various ways of ballasting curves and points, which are obviously more difficult than straights.

Personally, I don’t ballast my track. This is mainly because I display at shows, and I prefer to have the flexibility of just being

able to lay the track out on baseplates, without it being fixed in any particular place. I also find that most kids who see my layout at shows are only interested in the trains, without being bothered whether the track has ballast or not. Of course, if you have a home layout, these considerations probably won’t apply, and you may decide to go down that route.

So hopefully you now have a good idea of the various options for creating a layout, as well as the different things to take into consideration. The key point with LEGO trains, though, is that the layout can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. It can be as simple as a loop of track laid out on the carpet, to as complicated as a fully ballasted layout with multiple loops and points, going around a fullylaid-out LEGO city.

As this is LEGO, there are even options for taking it further still. It’s entirely possible to change the normal train motor for a different type of motor, or to even go as far as using the Servo Motor as a basis to be able to change the points, should you wish to. Those, however, are discussions for another time.

In the meantime, have fun with your Winter Holiday Train, and have a merry (LEGO) Christmas!

Huw Millington added a tunnel with a live camera feed to his display

WHAT’S THE SMALLEST TRACK I CAN MAKE? Although the smallest looping train layout possible is a circle covering 88x88 studs, it is of course possible to create a ‘back and forth’ layout much narrower than 88 studs, with the proviso that you’d have to keep reversing the train at each end.

This kind of layout would be good if you don’t have the space available for a circle of track, but it is also suitable for a static display, with scenery to complete it. If you want to automate the train going back and forth on such a layout, this is possible using LEGO Mindstorms sensors, although these elements are not cheap.

TRACK SCALE

Jamie’s amazing model, Manchester Brickadilly , is a hit at shows

8x16 STUDS SMALLEST CIRCLE 88 STUDS 32 STUDS SMALLEST CIRCLE RADIUS 88 STUDS

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10 TOP 10 TOP TRAINS

TRACK-TOPPERS Lew Matthews chugs through the extensive range of LEGO trains before turning to expert Huw Millington to select ten seminal LEGO locomotives

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Words: Lewis Matthews and Huw Millington Photography: The LEGO Group

he first LEGO train set was 323 Train, a romantic red and grey push-along locomotive and coach. Two years later, the first train system was released in the form of 11 train, motor and track sets. This was the start of the blue-track 4.5V era, which seems miles away from the Power Functions-based locomotives of today.

The blue-track era lasted between 1966 and 1979 and saw the addition of the 12V train programme before merging into the second era of LEGO trains, known as the Grey Era. If you guessed that it’s called the Grey Era because of the light grey rails and dark grey sleepers, then you clearly know your LEGO trains. This era was held in high esteem due to the introduction of remote control elements, such as remote-controlled uncoupling and remote-controlled signals. By 1991, 9V trains were introduced which overshadowed the previous voltages and gave 15 years of battery life until the age of RC (radio control) and nonelectric tracks approached. Since 2010, the LEGO train system has switched to Power Functions and IR (infrared) receivers but the variation

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in power supply is dwarfed by the variation in trains available. It is no surprise that as the track and power has developed so has the detail, additional components and track furniture available.

So, what are the ten best LEGO trains?

Well to answer such a big question, you need someone who understands the importance of trains to the LEGO Group, who has a large collection of trains and who has access to information on the trains they don’t own. With those qualities in mind, Bricks hands over to our consultant editor Huw Millington, who is the founder and owner of Brickset.

“With so many trains to choose from, and many providing important steps in the LEGO train system, the challenge of choosing my top ten is relatively daunting. But, in no particular order, here are my top ten trains that the LEGO Group has produced.”

10219 MAERSK TRAIN This is the LEGO Group’s third and latest foray into licensing real-life trains, which also continues their long relationship with fellow Danish company Maersk. The 1200 pieces – the most in any train set, I believe – provides a locomotive, two container flats and a container lorry. This is a spectacular model that, to date, has not been surpassed.

180 4.5V TRAIN WITH 5 WAGONS This set from 1972 featured a 4.5V steam locomotive and a generous five wagons, as well as track and a reversing switch/signal: everything needed to kick-start a LEGO train layout.

138 ELECTRONIC TRAIN

A train controlled by a whistle!

In 1969! How cool must that have been. Unfortunately, I did not own it at the time - the closest I got was looking longingly at it in the catalogue.

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10 TOP TRAINS

4558 METROLINER

When the 9V train system arrived in 1991, the initial range of sets was exceptional. The Metroliner high-speed passenger train became the benchmark to which all subsequent trains were compared and even today it remains highly sought-after.

10133 BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE (BNSF) LOCOMOTIVE

The BNSF locomotive was the second licensed set and while it was based on a US prototype unfamiliar to us in the UK, it was still highly desirable, thanks in part to the liberal use of dark green and orange.

4563 LOAD AND HAUL RAILROAD

This is another from the initial range of 9V train sets that’s excellent. Locomotive and wagons are loosely based on real-life designs which can’t be said for many of the freight trains that followed.

7745 HIGH-SPEED CITY EXPRESS PASSENGER TRAIN

In the 1980s, the LEGO Group looked to German railways for inspiration for their designs and as a result, some very realistic train sets were produced, including this high-speed passenger train, loosely based on German ICE trains. It looks crude by today’s standards but was very futuristic for its time.

10173 HOLIDAY TRAIN

This is the set that kickstarted the Winter Village range. It’s a great-looking train embellished with decorations that looks fantastic circling the base of your Christmas tree.

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10020 SANTA FE SUPER CHIEF

In 2002, the LEGO Group took the bold step of producing licensed trains, starting with set 10020. Not only was it a realistic model but it was also a limited edition, at least initially.

The first 9999 came with an individually numbered tile.

10194 EMERALD NIGHT

This model, designed by Jamie Berard, is without doubt the most realistic train LEGO has ever made.

The locomotive and tender are pretty much perfect, although the coach is too short and the set should have contained a few more.

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HIGH FLYER James Cherry blows all expectations away with his mighty 1/15 scale Grumman F-14 Tomcat Words: Lewis Matthews Photography: Andrew Tipping

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MASTERCLASS

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W

ith only a select handful of builders bravely pushing brick-built boundaries, it is always refreshing to see a build that is so uncompromisingly breathtaking that it inadvertently makes you question the purist ethos. Avid fighter plane and scale-building enthusiast James Cherry now joins the ranks of Carl Greatrix and Alexander Jones as a builder who may use unconventional and controversial methods, but you can bet that the end result is nothing short of spectacular.

With the grand reveal of his Grumman F-14 Tomcat, James exclusively takes Bricks readers through his approach to scale building, creating decals and making elegant and subtle curves.

Could you take us through your builder profile and building ethos?

As a child, I always enjoyed LEGO Space before focusing my interest on LEGO Technic. 8860 Car Chassis and 8859 Tractor were my absolute favourites. After a relatively short dark period, the LEGO Star Wars sets

brought me back but again, I ended up tending towards Technic. There is definitely a frustrated engineer in me that Technic really appealed to. Nowadays, if I buy sets, they tend to be the big Technic ones or the Ultimate Collector Series Star Wars sets, though I am also quite fond of many of the Ideas sets too.

In terms of My Own Creations (MOCs), I started building predominantly Technic models featuring rudimentary manual functions but I always became frustrated with them, as they didn’t look realistic enough to me in the end.

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Custom-formed canopy provides cover for the crew

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The detail in James’ F-14 is simply staggering, particularly in the cockpit

I was therefore driven towards creating functional models that also had a scale appearance. I spent many years struggling with that concept, as there were just not enough pieces around to deliver the scale look I was after. That has really changed in the last three to four years with the plethora of curved slopes now available, which meant I was able to achieve accurate shaping of things like aircraft to a level I was comfortable with.

I only really entered the Adult Fan of LEGO community two years ago; my amazing wife Jo convinced me to join Brickish and start sharing some of my models online. Since then, I have not looked back and having met so many amazing people along the way, I owe Jo big-time for pushing me down that path.

In terms of inspiration, seeing the work of Ralph Savelsberg made me realise the possibilities of creating LEGO planes, yet in terms of building style, design and language, Carl Greatrix is certainly the builder I have looked up to most. We share a passion for smooth finishes and detail as well as an approach to shaping models to be stylistically accurate. There are many others out there who have also been influences over the years, many of whom are now part of the newly-formed recognised LEGO User Group, Scale Modellers Association, of which I am a member. As anyone who has seen my models will know, I am certainly no purist.

While I won’t use traditional clone bricks, I am happy to push other boundaries to achieve my personal aims, as you can see with my non-LEGO brand canopy glazing and stickers, for example. I make no secret that I use aluminium lift-arms in areas requiring high strength in the frame structures of some of my models.

Why choose the LEGO medium?

My dad used to ask me that all the time.

He is a scale radio-controlled aircraft builder, and an amazing one at that, and he always questions my choice of medium. Seeing some of my latest models though, I think he understands that the level of fidelity that can now be achieved with Lego is pretty high, although he is fond of reminding me that they don’t fly! I tried many other forms of

modelling but I was not very good at it.

I turned to the LEGO System as it both offered an engineering challenge and didn’t involve messy glue and paints. Plus I find the process of constructing with LEGO bricks therapeutic; like modellers in general, I think you just know when you have found your medium. It also helps that I have a six-year-old boy and being able to share a hobby with him is awesome.

Once I have decided on a rough size, the two other main considerations are usually available wheel options and, in particular on recent models, missile diameters.

The Tomcat carries three different-sized missiles and with the limited round brick options, I had to select the scale that would best suit the construction of all three. My two big jets ended up being 1/15 scale as result of those factors.

Of all scaled models you could create, why planes?

I have made a few other scale models, like my X-Wing and my take on some old Tamiya R/C cars but my real passion has always been military aviation. Up to the age of 18, all I wanted to be was a fighter pilot, so the passion for planes has always been a big part of my life.

What is your process for creating a scale plane?

First thing after deciding on the subject is lots of research: I read books and study photos and scale drawings to help me fully understand how the real plane looks and works. I also make a large-scale Airfix-type kit, normally 1/32 scale, so that I have a 3D model to reference for shaping. This is a critical component for me as the subtleties of compound curves and shaping can’t be appreciated easily from drawings or photos. Next, I print out five-view drawings (side, top, bottom, front, back) to the correct scale and place them around my build space. Then I annotate them with various measurements and the positioning of where the internal Technic frame will go. I find this a critical stage, as the frame needs to end up hidden and not interfere with the external scale look. With a model like the Tomcat, this is very complex as I needed to take into account factors like hollow air intakes (all the way back to the front of the engine fan blades), the swinging wing mechanism and the installation of the speakers and lights. I will keep measuring against my reference photos and drawings, as well as building on top of a scaled plan in order to keep the scale correct. It’s only then that I start to physically build. I don’t use any computer-assisted design software, it is all brick-on-brick trial and error. I am lucky now that I have built up a large parts inventory, so I normally have everything I need to at least test different options before I have to commit to Bricklink orders. First up are the Technic frame and the initial installation of the Power Functions, including how they will need to be linked to the control surfaces. Once this stage is complete, I will then begin to build all the powered components.

“I am always trying new ideas for compound curves - planes are covered in them” What dictates the scale and why?

The ability to build a model with a high level of accuracy and detail is largely responsible for defining the scale.

Too small and the detail, shaping and functionality is just not possible. Too large and the practicalities of strength, space and moving it become an issue. I am always looking to build with smooth transitions rather than stepping bricks and plates and generally, a larger size means this becomes more achievable.

Electronic components live within the Technic airframe

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Technic airframe and System fuselage a perfect combination

So this normally covers the tail area with rudders and elevators or elevons and the wings with flaps, ailerons and spoilers.

With the Tomcat, that also included the swing wing mechanism and how I was going to tackle the under-wing ‘airbags’ that fill the void when the wing is forward.

I actually ended-up making the airbags from dyed LEGO sail material trapped under the surrounding bricks. Then I move on to the various outer panels that create the shaping. This process is the most time consuming and usually involves many, 50 BRICKS

many iterations before they get finalised.

The last build stage is the detail, like undercarriage, missiles, pylons, gear doors and cockpit interior. Finally, the stickers and stencils to finish the model off.

You use lots of printed imagery to aid in the visual accuracy of your F-14. How do you create these?

I use two types of printed media; the larger components are vinyl stickers, the very small stencils and warning symbols are all dry-rub decals. I design all of the

stickers and decals myself using various software programs. My father used to be a sign-writer, so has a vinyl plotter that I use to cut the vinyl stickers. It is pretty indispensable for the type of stickers I create, though if you can create your own files, there are lots of sign companies that could cut them out for you. For the dry rubs, I create a file and then use a local printing company to print them. These are applied by rubbing a pencil on the backing sheet, like the old Letraset or the sheets I remember getting in cereal boxes as a kid.

The resolution of dry rubs is incredible you can create quality letters 1mm tall.

What custom elements have you created for your F-14?

The canopies on all of my planes, not just my F-14, are non-LEGO glazed components. I have tried building brick canopies but they just do not reflect the true scale enough for me. I know the use of non-LEGO parts is divisive but the issues presented with brick-built canopies, like the opaqueness and the compromises needed on the interior detail, don’t meet my scale needs. Sometimes there is an R/C plane kit in the same scale that I am building in with a canopy which I can cut up to use but with the Tomcat, for example, I had to shape my own balsa wood mould and vacuum-form my own glazing to fit the LEGO frame. This was a painstaking process and took weeks to get to the final item you see on the model.

Your F-14 appears on a section of aircraft carrier. Was this planned and how did you design and build it?

I actually intended to build the section of deck to display my F-4J Phantom on but I just didn’t get around to it at the time.

When I was nearing completion of the Tomcat, I decided to take the plunge and it was quite a mammoth plunge at that.

I studied photos and plans of the USS Enterprise’s forward starboard catapult and then built up a structure to support

“[My dad] is a scale R/C aircraft builder and always questions my choice of medium” the top skin so that I could achieve the depth below the Jet Blast Deflector. My favourite part is the Tie Down Points that US carriers have. Arch bricks and Speed Champion wheel rims look pretty accurate.

Not only is your F-14 exciting due to its size, impressive design and detail but it also includes sound and lights.

Are these LEGO modules and if not, how did you design and build them?

This was my first foray into light and sound. I was inspired by people who have been incorporating lights into their builds with great success. Both the sound and afterburner lighting are non-LEGO items though. The model has a two-inch speaker in each tail pipe linked to an F-14A Sound module normally for use in R/C models.

They can be extremely loud and sound very authentic with start-up, shutdown and afterburner stages. The afterburner lights are also an R/C aircraft component and change colour as the afterburner ignites in sync with the sounds. They were relatively straightforward to incorporate, mainly using LEGO elastic bands. They run off a radio-control unit but I am looking into controlling them from an SBrick.

Are there any techniques you found useful during this build?

The key to success with the Tomcat was being able to attach all of the outer panels at the correct orientation so the shaping could be accurately achieved.

The predecessor, the F-4 Phantom, is another stunning piece of work

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Like the Tomcat, the Phantom is covered in compound curves

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CREATING CURVES The aircraft is one big compound curve, which meant that every panel had to be at odd angles to its next-door neighbour. To position them, I used a combination of the now-discontinued flat finger hinges, other hinge plates, hinge bricks and Mixel balljoints. Another technique I use is gradually stepping curved slopes or tiles using part no. 2817 2x2 pinhole plate and twisting each piece relevant to those either side.

This is useful to create longer compound curves. You can see this on the rear inner fuselage of the Tomcat where the engines meet the vertical stabilisers. I am always trying new ideas for creating compound curves - planes are generally covered in them and they are the most challenging shapes to re-create in LEGO bricks and often need off-grid or illegal connections.

Any advice for someone planning their first scale model?

The biggest challenge for me is building the internal frame while trying to consider both the fitment of Power Functions and how the outer shaping will need incorporating. Inevitably there are numerous re-designs needed but it helps hugely to have things planned out 52 BRICKS

as much as possible in advance. If I had to impart one vital bit of advice, it would be to study as much source material as you can in advance and get to know your subject as well as possible from all angles.

I have found from experience that this saves so much time in the long run.

Do you have other projects lined-up?

I might try something completely different in the coming months. I have been thinking about doing a Judge Dredd figure and Lawmaster bike. It won’t be long before I am back to planes; I have a long to-do list that includes the F-8E Crusader, F/A-18E Super Hornet and a Spitfire Mk XIV. But I have very recently decided that my next plane build will be a Sea Harrier FRS.1, the only outstanding question is to what scale. The Harrier is comparably small versus the Tomcat or Phantom, so I may be tempted to go nearer to 1/10 scale to pack in as much detail and as many functions as possible. My models take between six and nine months to complete so I am targeting the Bricktastic show next July for completion.

See more at flic.kr/ps/2YEo4N

Using a combination of carefully-placed flat finger hinges, hinge bricks and Mixel ball-joints, you too can create subtle curvature.

Slightly angling a series of 2x2 with pin hole plates is another tip you can use to create a slick curve.

It may hardly be noticeable but it’s the attention to details that defines James’ abilities.

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REVIEWS

Every month, the Bricks team scours the latest releases in the LEGO world to see which are worth you parting with your hard-earned cash for

Riding the snow train Words: Mark Guest Set number: 10254 Set name: Winter Holiday Train Piece count: 734 pieces Price: £69.99 / $99.99 In 2009 the LEGO Group launched the Creator Expert Winter Village line with 10199 Winter Village Toy Shop, and has built up this theme to create an everexpanding magical winter wonderland scene. Snow-covered bakeries, cottages, post offices and many more festive

buildings populate the magical setting, making the annual release somewhat of a calendar highlight. The announcement of this year’s set was met with great excitement, as not only is 10254 Winter Holiday Train aesthetically pleasing but it is also an unexpected departure from the static settings of the buildings we have seen before. I couldn’t wait to add this to my collection, but would the build experience and final model live up to my expectations?

The level of detail is immense across all four carriages of the train

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MINIFIGURES The set contains five minifigures and although they contain no new parts, they are beautiful and so this not a point that detracts from the excitement of the set.

Included in this line up is a boiler suitwearing driver, three passengers (two children and an adult female) and the fifth is the conductor. As you would expect, all the passengers wear winter clothing with

the best being the woman sporting a rare hairpiece and fur coat torso originally seen in 76010 Batman: The Penguin Face-off. The driver is printed in an all-blue boiler suit and has a red neck tie, but my favourite of all the figures is the conductor. He is accessorised with a tan satchel and the torso is a fairly common grey striped waistcoat with pocket watch but the real appeal lies in his head print. The two-toned grey, mutton chops beard and stern expression are nothing short of delightful, although he looks like he wouldn’t tolerate any fare dodgers. All in all, the figures are the usual high quality City-esque affair, offering little in the way of surprises but providing plenty of storytelling opportunities.

THE MODEL

The build experience of this set is excellent and I didn’t find any areas

The passenger cart is compact, but colourful

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REVIEWS tedious, in fact I spent most my time anticipating the next bag with excitement.

This set is packed with fun details like the selection of tiny presents you get to build, with the robot and fire engine being my highlights. These mini-models generally consist of less than 10 pieces yet resemble iconic gifts. The ingenuity in these is noteworthy, and there is even a nod to Blacktron in the spaceship.

The platform is probably the only area where I would like to see a little more definition of features, as it is a small affair consisting of a bench on a raised 4x8 dark tan plate with a festive lamppost. It’s OK, but when you consider the size of the rest of the set, something more substantial would have been nice. However, this platform can be located at any point along the 58cm loop of track provided and perhaps that is why it has been kept so compact in its design.

The train has visual similarities to Toy Story 7597 Western Train Chase but is more compact and certainly very different when it comes to the build. It is hard to ignore the striking red wheels and gold pipe detailing of the locomotive, all set around the traditional green and black colours of the boiler. Details are found everywhere and look great, from the wreaths around the cab to the lamp positioned under the funnel which is created with an upside-down cone. The four 2x2 circle plates in white do a nice job of replicating billowing smoke out of the top. It could be argued that the cab internals are a little sparse with only just enough room for the one figure, and the large hole in the floor is distracting. This is there to allow for cabling should you wish to motorise the train but if you choose not to, an extra plate to cover it is necessary in my opinion.

The tender attached behind the engine follows the design well and has a hinged sloped plate that can be angled to

56 BRICKS

incorporate and hide the Power Function pieces if necessary. It is compact but my only grumble would be the fragile linking of the two units as, unlike the other wagons, this one uses a hole and pin method of attachment and not the magnetic buffers.

Sitting behind this is the cargo wagon, which on the face of it looks to be a simple affair but certainly holds some magical festive appeal. One half is a space decorated with gold 1x4x1 fence pieces that allow for all the great micro models to be piled up and the other half is a miniature Christmas tree, cleverly designed with SNOT techniques and even has a micro train set circling its trunk. The tree is connected to a cog mechanism below the trailer which results in the tree rotating as the wagon moves. This alone is reason enough to motorise the set!

The last carriage is a passenger cart which, if comparing it to the Toy Story version, seems a little too compact but the beauty of its colouring and the lavish detail cannot be argued with. Inside the carriage are two seats and a table for the passengers to relax, meaning someone is going to be left on the platform. The green saloon doors at either end allow visible access but to place the figures inside, you have to lift the snazzy roof made with curved slopes. In fact the roof is probably the best part of this wagon, as its dark blue colouring creates interesting contrast and the raised middle section with transparent pieces for clerestory windows certainly adds character. The sides are decorated with rare white foliage pieces and transparent pieces for lights, just as the tender is.

“THERE IS EVEN A NOD TO BLACKTRON IN THE SPACESHIP”

CONCLUSION

All in all, this is one

of my favourite Winter Village sets, partly because it’s not just another building but also because it carries an aesthetic charm. All four train sections carry the level of detail we have come to expect and there is plenty of opportunity for play.

The odd gap in the cab floor is for adding Power Functions

The additional instructions in the book show how this set can be motorised and for those of you planning to place this at the bottom of your tree, I would thoroughly recommend this option. In some areas the train was smaller than I expected but this doesn’t detract from it being a great set and in fact, when positioned with the rest of the Winter Village sets, it is actually in the same scale and so it is perhaps unfair to criticise. However if you are fixated on the size issue, additional carriages are easily added. Indeed, in next month’s issue we will show you some inspirational ideas for what you could add to your train in time for Christmas.

The set is worth the money in my opinion, the micro-present designs are great, the figures are cute and the train is spot on, and so the latest addition to Winter Village is a must have.

GET INSPIRED CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW TO ENHANCE THE FESTIVE TRAIN

58cm of track are provided in the set, enough for a full loop

Thanks to The LEGO Group for supplying the set to review. None of the opinions expressed in this review are those of The LEGO Group.

Fun micro-builds like this robot are a highlight of the set

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LEGO FRIENDS PLANE

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CONCEPTUAL CHANGES

It’s a rare opportunity to discover the origins of an official set, so when LEGO ® Friends designer António Ricardo Silva shared the story of how he developed a giant aeroplane concept, Bricks came along for the ride Words: Lewis Matthews Photography: Andrew Tipping

W

hen asked to design a big set, just how big do you go? This was the question facing António Ricardo Silva back in 2013, when he was asked to start working on an airport for the world of LEGO® Friends. By this stage, the theme was developing nicely and so there was now room for the team to push the boundaries a little further.

Ricardo recalls it was the end of the design year (June/July) and his manager had asked him to investigate making a plane for the range, but he wanted it big.

The brief was to find something new, using the existing LEGO City plane as a starting point. With his manager away on holiday, the Portuguese designer was left alone to develop his ideas.

With this brief in mind, he first called upon one of the LEGO element designers and asked him to “pick up some of the elements used for LEGO City and just expand them”, explains Ricardo. “The result was we made them a lot wider and longer so that I could sketch up and concept a little bit around it. The designer looked at me as if to say ‘are you sure you want to do this, because it’s going to be really big and the pieces are already big’. I just thought to myself, ‘let’s give it a try’.”

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LEGO FRIENDS PLANE

As we sit across the table staring at this super-sized initial concept, he explains that they wanted to see what more could be achieved within the LEGO Friends price point. So his manager had asked him to go big, but did they know how big?

And where to start?

“I started visualising from the front of the plane and found myself instantly thinking that this is going to be really huge. However, it was here that we set the scale on the prototype. We didn’t fully realise in the beginning just how big; we just thought we’d try it with these new wider elements.” Using the prototype elements and designing from the front backwards, it started to take shape. The

range and Ricardo wanted to ensure it had a lot of what he describes as “play starters” in it. This means that while it should resemble the transportation vehicle that it represents, in true LEGO Friends style, he wanted to ensure there was capacity for the girls to create stories.

The inclusion of a bathroom, food, drinks and relaxation areas meant that they could interact more and create role-play scenarios; almost a ‘house with wings’ if you like. He thinks this concept could be described as a “dream plane”.

At this point the concept was coming together nicely; the front third of the fuselage was designed and in Ricardo’s words, it was “time to think about the

wings”. He recalls; “This is when we stopped, because we realised it was going to be so huge that if we got the scale right, it was going to be too crazy.

We concluded we would need a new wing element and its span would have been excessive”. To put this into context, this front third was a foot long at least, so the entire plane was going to come in over a metre in length. Therefore, before venturing any further, he decided to wait

“ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO BE REALLY BIG” initial focus was on the space that had been created within the plane for extra details; for example, the cockpit allowed for two spacious seats for the pilots.

This was primarily down to the concept elements being designed four studs wider than the existing six of the LEGO City plane elements, allowing the interior to be ten studs wide. The reason for this size increase, explains Ricardo, was to allow for extra internal details to be added and to increase the number of play functions. With this extra space, he could explore lots of different options and consequently, further ideas began to pop up. For example, the front instantly became a luxury lounge setting that had two rows of reclining seats and allowed a walkway to a bar and a bathroom that even had a hot tub.

This may seem incredibly decadent but the thinking behind it was entirely logical; this was to be a high price point in the

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The prototype fuselage was huge and would have resulted in a metre-long plane

The eventual retail set with smaller plane and an airport

Ricardo got almost all of these concepts into the final interior

The prototype is the kind of aeroplane we’d like to travel on... but never do

upon his manager’s return for feedback.

“I showed the closed plane and they thought we couldn’t continue to develop it because it’s such a large proportion already. I said ‘I agree of course, but would you like to look inside?’ When they opened it, they were surprised and said it looks amazing.”

Ricardo was happy at this response but little did he realise that his excellent work was going to deliver a twist. Ricardo’s manager was so impressed by ideas, the brief became to fit all this great design into a plane the same scale as LEGO City.

So on the one hand his work had ensured there was going to be a LEGO Friends airport set but on the other, he had made the brief harder. “This was a real challenge to try to use the old parts of the LEGO City plane and fit all of the new features inside,” he explains.

We asked if there was ever the temptation to go further with the larger model? He smiles and admits; “There was a time we thought that this could be possible but we would have to reduce the realism. LEGO Friends is based on reality with a slight twist on it. We considered whether we could cheat a bit and perhaps not have the wings, so the set could be a big hull and then you open it like you’re playing in the doll’s house. That could be a way around it but we thought that it was a bit off, as we wouldn’t have anything around it to play with and it wouldn’t deliver the ‘swoosh’ effect. It would just be standing like a doll’s house and you play with the inside but that’s not what we wanted, so we moved onto creating the scaled-down version.”

From these thoughts and discussions came the development of set 41109 Heartlake City Airport, released in 2015.

Taking his design ideas and concepts, Ricardo now built these into the plane we can now see in the final set. Comparing the two planes’ internals, we can see he managed to include most in the final version. As he points out; “You can see I have managed to include two

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LEGO FRIENDS PLANE

Thanks to The LEGO Group for supplying the set to review. None of the opinions expressed in this review are those of The LEGO Group.

Prototype (above and below) features incorporated in the retail set (top three)

seats for the pilots, three luxury reclining chairs in a row, the trolley and a little bathroom with red and green lights.

“There’s even a little kitchen, complete with a working coffee machine. In the back there is also a fridge and a seat for the flight attendant plus an additional luggage compartment.” In fact, the only item Ricardo had to omit was the hot tub, an impressive achievement when you consider the change in size. And we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that set 41109 is still a huge LEGO Friends offering: the plane itself is over 50 centimetres in length, so fans were in no way disappointed. The finished product also comes with an airport lounge façade to give “a taste” of the airport and prvide more playability. Inside

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there is a gift shop, luggage conveyor belt and ticket-checking desk. There are even some secret ‘Easter eggs’ that some designers like to put in. First up is the flight destination sticker that lists all the airports; these were specifically chosen to represent the nationalities of the design team at Billund, with Porto included for Ricardo. The postcard tile in the shop depicts a hooped lighthouse, a little nod to set 41094 Heartlake Lighthouse, and on the in-flight TV screen is a pink and white hot air balloon, hinting at set 41097 Heartlake Hot Air Balloon.

Despite the airport set being over a year old now, it is still one of our favourite LEGO Friends sets and so to hear from the designer how it all came about was an amazing journey.

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT António Ricardo Silva has been working with the LEGO® Group since 2012 and has worked on 19 different released models in that time. His latest offerings are within the LEGO Friends amusement park range; it was his design nous that brought us the concept of a rollercoaster and the bumper cars.

He explains how this was a very exciting concept for the LEGO Friends theme, as it felt so different and allowed the range to expand the existing ‘build age’ demographic a little. “We realised that if we built the amusement park, then it would have a lot of functions and when you add functions, you add technical elements, so it’s going to be a bit more for grown-ups. So you can see that it is 7+.

We realised that this was the moment we had to do this and we were testing it quite regularly and found kids were amazed by it because you had things moving, and that was the trick; they really wanted to see what it does if they did this or that. So when we nailed that we thought, let’s try to find a place where we can expand it, have the rollercoaster and have other things going on, so we created more models. The ones we released are those that tested the best.” When asked about his favourite projects to date, he replies; “The amusement park is something I’m particularly proud of because of all the things happening in the models. However I will always have in my heart the lighthouse. I love that one - it was one of my first and in my heart, is beautiful. You can put it in a shelf and it looks good.”

IF YOU’VE GOT IT, FLAUNT IT

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For maximum impact and a display solution the whole family can be happy with, look no further than Bricks Display cases.

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BUCKET WHEEL EXCAVATOR IN ASSOCIATION WITH

BIG BUCKETFULS OF BLISS The largest Technic set to date is a huge undertaking and leaves a big impression when complete

4

Words: Ryan Welles Photography: Andrew Tipping

2055 Bucket Wheel Excavator is the biggest LEGO Technic set ever produced, not only in its dimensions but also in piece count. There is a physical limit to how big sets can be, considering the flexible qualities of Technic parts and with this set, that limit seems to be nearly reached. But before jumping to that conclusion: what exactly is a bucket wheel excavator?

We all know what an excavator is and by looking at this particular machine, we understand the ‘bucket’ part. However, not everyone will be familiar with this type of monstrous equipment, let alone ever having stood face-to-face with one. This class of machinery is used in mining facilities and is there to perform a continuous rather than continual digging task of removing and transporting material such as rocks and soil into mining trucks. Its length can be as colossal as 80 metres and it can weigh up to 13,000 tonnes. I applaud the experimentation of the Danes to come up with something new in LEGO Technic besides the countless amount of regular excavators and other yellow construction vehicles and there is a charming amount of play value included.

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SET NUMBER: 42055 SET NAME: Bucket Wheel Excavator PIECE COUNT: 3927 RRP: £179.99 / $279.99 / €229.99

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BUCKET WHEEL EXCAVATOR

Gear selector to choose the direction of rotation

“AFTER A FASCINATING BUILD, A GIANT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT OCCUPIES MOST OF THE TABLE” BOX AND CONTENTS This is the biggest box I have ever encountered in the Technic line but that pretty much makes sense with its contents being in excess of 3,900 pieces. It is also a true delight to discover that the box can be opened on either side and this does not require any tearing. Therefore, like last year’s 42043 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3245, the box can be flattened and stored without taking up too much space.

The box contains a flap showing all of the main functions of the excavator. This is a really attractive way of selling the product, because parents will lift the flap to see if this is a suitable building experience for their offspring (or themselves, to be quite honest). Similarly striking is how the LEGO Group now delineate which functions are motorised and which are manual. Oddly, they do not mention how the boom height is adjusted here.

The back of the box is dedicated to the B-model, whose instructions can only be found online. It is called a Mobile Aggregate Processing Plant 66 BRICKS

and is about 88 centimetres in length. It is a machine that can sort the two types of bricks that come with the set to serve as soil or rock. The machine has two motorised conveyor belts and moves on tracks. The white mining truck that comes with the A-model can be kept intact.

Inside the box, we find a hefty 550-page instruction book sealed in plastic with a decent-sized sticker sheet. This marks the first LEGO Technic set that contains an inner white box, familiar to builders of

LEGO Star Wars, containing bags 1 to 3 and the Power Functions battery box. The rest of the well-filled main box contains bags 4 to 8 and the XL Motor. The total amount of bags, excluding the instructions and Power Functions elements, is 32. Of the 3,900 parts, more than 1,800 pins are included, as well as over 140 gears (including gear racks and turntables) and over 270 axles. The amount of Technic lift-arms and beams is just as impressive, numbering over 800. Just so you know where your money goes! It is an impressive parts pack for designing your own LEGO Technic creations.

MINING TRUCK The first three bags contain an assortment of grey bricks used as stones as well as parts to construct a white mining truck.

The huge box has plenty of inspiration and information displayed

The excavator’s eight buckets make short work of moving huge quantities of rock and material from open mines BRICKS 67

BUCKET WHEEL EXCAVATOR

Twin linear actuators move and control the enormous boom

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This features two functions: steering and raising/lifting the open-box bed.

The bed itself is big enough to contain the 112 bricks included as cargo. This truck contains 308 parts and is an utterly charming inclusion, adding much to the play value and serving as an appetiser for the massive build that lies ahead.

BASE OF THE EXCAVATOR Building the base of excavators is usually a rather repetitive task. Although this is not an exception for set 42055, the vast scale of it makes for an enjoying and satisfying endeavour. The four numbered bags contain an impressive quantity of 5x7 Technic beam frames - 53 in fact - adding much to the sturdiness of the lower structure and therefore allowing it to hold all those ‘tonnes’ of LEGO-weight.

The centre of the base is formed by a turntable (of the new bevelled type introduced last year) with an axle going through it that drives the tracks. This is accomplished by a rather straightforward assembly of axles and gears with a double-speed reduction. Like its reallife counterpart, this excavator moves very slowly. Considering the size of the machine, I was a bit surprised to see that only the front axle is actuated. Although smoothly moving the thing on tracks is not much of an issue, it would have made more sense if both axles were linked to the central gear assembly.

The build of the base is concluded with the construction of a central ring of gears.

This ring is comprised of a new type of gear rack in the shape of a quarter-circle with inner 35 teeth (making the total circle 140 teeth). There are a total number of 14 of these racks included in this set.

MAKING TRACKS The third phase of the build focuses on the tracks, comprising two identical elements. To make that happen, three bags are used, one only containing black track pieces. Even though building using only two elements may sound somewhat boring, the construction of these track parts goes surprisingly quickly. A whole row of wedge belt wheels and pins with stop bush are used. Once the 88 black tracks are attached, the base of this massive bucket-wheel excavator

is finished. The sky is the limit, so let’s continue building upwards!

COMMENCING THE UPPER STRUCTURE There are a total number of five bags intended for the base for the upper structure, which is mounted on the central turntable. This is the most interesting part of an already fairly impressive build - so far. After the lowest layer of the upper structure is formed around the turntable, a complex array of gears makes sure all three motorised functions run smoothly and go up to the central gearbox in three parallel vertical axles. Most of this is accomplished with the use of rows of red clutch gears that rotate freely around pins.

The number of gears is impressive and looks very challenging. Also at the bottom of the upper structure, a series of wedge belt wheels is added. These will eventually roll over the arches of new quarter-circle gear racks, even though this is more for support than for making the

a good sense of the majestic size of this set. And most of the complex gearing is hidden from view. I was surprised this set is far more impressive and complex than meets the eye and there is much going on in the lower regions of this mammoth.

THE SMALL CONVEYER BELT Comprised of two bags, the fifth phase gives you all parts for the small conveyor belt which is straightforward to build and is set into motion using one of the vertical axles we built in the previous step.

Also, it includes a distribution system formed with a series of simple Technic beams, ensuring that the soil and rocks transported end up on the right belt.

The most interesting aspect of this smaller conveyor belt is its manual movement. It can be rotated almost half a circle around two of the new arched gear racks and is operated with a knob at the bottom rear of the model. It also includes a rather simple yet effective clutch system operated with a driving ring.

“IT IS AN IMPRESSIVE PARTS PACK FOR DESIGNING YOUR OWN LEGO TECHNIC CREATIONS” upper structure rotate freely and smoothly over the gearracked circle.

Before the upper structure is mounted on the tracked lower section, two parallel linear actuators are fitted.

These are operated manually, which some may feel is a weak part of the design but I honestly don’t think that tilting and lowering the heavy main boom with a motor would have been a good idea. There is too much friction involved and moving things by hand is much more reliable and satisfying.

After the fourth stage of the build, you will slowly see the bucket-wheel excavator take shape. The build is still pretty low at this stage but you get

Material drops to the lower conveyor for off-loading BRICKS 69

BUCKET WHEEL EXCAVATOR

Thanks to The LEGO Group for supplying the set to review. None of the opinions expressed in this review are those of The LEGO Group.

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This allows the smaller conveyor belt to have three positions. It can either be rotated freely, locked or remain stationary regardless of the position of the central structure: a neat feature that enhances the playability of this behemoth even further.

THE BUCKET WHEEL AND LARGE CONVEYOR BELT An impressive number of nine bags form a substantial sub-build that forms the bucket wheel and large conveyor belt. It starts with the bucket wheel, made of two large wheels of four arched gear racks and eight buckets. This bucket is a new version of the small bucket that has been around for almost 25 years.

Kept in place by free-spinning wheels, the big wheel is guided by a bunch of small gears. This assembly also contains a bed made out of angled beams to make sure all soil and rocks scooped up by the buckets actually end up on the conveyor belt. This is a very satisfying assembly that is full of interesting twists and turns.

It was extremely rewarding to place the giant bucket wheel on the construction that holds it. The bucket wheel is turned by the end of the conveyor belt, although I had assumed it would be the other way around. Although this set-up is completely understandable from a design point of view, it comes with a downside.

Because the wheel lacks direct actuation, it becomes rather feeble. It causes a jerky motion and is easily stopped by blockages or when lifting a heavy object.

This is increased by the use of a double pair of white clutch gears near the central gearbox, which come in the next stage of building. To finish off, the large arm pivots around two small turntables that are attached to the chassis.

Additionally, a series of gears is added to create the angle between the arm and the upright chassis. These will be connected to the gearbox that is built in the next stage.

“ I APPLAUD THE EXPERIMENTATION OF THE DANES” XL Motor, battery box and three bags of parts. The weight of the Power Functions provides a suitably-heavy counterweight for the bucket wheel. Building gearboxes can be such fun and the one that comes with this set is no exception. It may not be as complex as in previous Technic iterations but does the job quite well.

Basically, the gearbox makes sure you can combine functions in both directions but not all functions can be combined, for the sake of security or lack of realism.

Joining both parts of the arm is a satisfying undertaking. When the arm is finished, it is mounted on the main construction. The attachment of the arm is surprisingly solid and a simple pair of linear actuators are able to carry and move the entire arm. This is predominantly made possible thanks to the balanced design.

FINISHING TOUCHES Construction of the first-ever LEGO bucket wheel excavator is about to come to an end. The remaining three bags add stuff such as the white cabin which contains two tiny blue seats, side

panels and railings. There is even a ladder that can be manually lifted and lowered.

After what can only be described as a fascinating and in some ways, unusual build, a giant piece of mining equipment occupies most of the table. Throughout this review, I have described the various functions of this massive model; now it is time to put it through its final tests.

There are certainly a lot of fulfilling play features, including the addition of the white mining truck but the main function, the scooping and transportation of bricked dirt, only works well if you give it a hand.

The bucket wheel does not always move in a constant fashion and is jerky. Most of the other motorised functions are sluggish to the extreme, like the real thing but, as I mentioned at first, this merely emphasises the limits of how big a LEGO Technic set can be. Perhaps it stretches the boundaries of what is possible with axles, gears and beams.

This is a remarkably good deal pricewise and an excellent parts pack for beginner LEGO Technic builders with a modest collection. I also applaud that the LEGO Technic team is trying to break new ground by developing sets that are not yet another excavator or racecar. It certainly brings something new to their palette and in terms of size and extremeness, it will be a tough act to follow.

CENTRAL GEARBOX, POWER FUNCTIONS Stage seven of this lengthy construction process comprises a Power Functions

The Bucket Wheel Excavator is a truly impressive model BRICKS 71

MECHA FRAME

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Words: Mark Guest Photography: Andrew Tipping

Entering the challenging world of mech building just got easier with the new Mecha Frame system.

However, is it any good? Mark Guest finds out

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rashing through the landscape with a mechanical thud, the two-legged beast comes to a halt as it surveys its surroundings in search of potential threats.

Heavily armoured and standing tall, the defiant man-made creation dominates the air with a screeching sound of mechanised machinery with every step. Welcome to the fantasy world of mechs, a genre that easily captures the imagination and offers endless diversity in both form and creation.

So popular is this fantasy-based theme, it’s no surprise to discover it’s a frequently-visited subject matter for LEGO builders. The online world is full of some of the most amazing mech creations big and small, offering a complexity that can often seem daunting for the newcomer to even attempt to enter. I know from personal experience that these humanoid forms are tricky to get right, be it aesthetically or structurally. Just where do you begin? This was certainly my perspective a few months ago and previous attempts to replicate my inspiration had reached a level I wouldn’t be willing to share. But help is at hand.

Scouring the internet, I stumbled across the website of the Hero Design Studio, which had developed a system called Mecha Frame. Now don’t get me wrong - I rarely entertain the thought of any third-party products and my initial thoughts were of interest but also, scepticism. However, if I feel something has the potential to enhance my LEGO lifestyle, then I am certainly willing to try and these skeletal frames had my attention. After some consideration, I took the plunge and ordered a frame.

One of the main influences in making this decision was discovering this system had been developed by a group of mech-loving LEGO enthusiasts, which led me to believe they would have a similar mindset to what would be required with this sort of project. The project’s birth had come about as they were trying to recreate Gundam-style models in LEGO form; it felt like we were on the same page. At this point, I was sold and even found myself acquiring one of their mech kits in addition to the frame to see how they stood up to my rigorous testing.

Upon receiving the orders, I set about playing with the core product, the Mecha Frame itself.

The articulated Mecha Frame core product

MECHA FRAME My first impression was good; it was well presented and the frame itself allowed for many different configurations of the limbs, with a minimum of nine points of articulation. The central body had a cavity large enough to slot in a minifigure should you so desire. It also had studs on all sides, which would make placing armour or moving limbs even more flexible. My first step was to keep it basic and create the skeleton in a simple upright humanoid form before proceeding to test the frame. Before forming any sort of plan, I attached a variety of differentsized LEGO elements onto the frame to test clutch powers, as all too often, aftermarket products have very different stud tolerances, resulting in poor clutch and a less enjoyable build experience.

I tried my hardest to make the frame fail but I am pleased to say this had been well thought through and the bricks stayed firmly attached, even when pushing the articulation to its limits. The joints stayed firm and the pieces remained in place - I was happy.

Now confident I had stumbled across a solution that would help me develop my mech skills, I started to build using a definite trial-and-error technique.

I hadn’t set myself any particular style or goal for this project and due to the frame’s well designed construction, I faced arguably too many choices.

However, this did enable me to explore lots of different techniques and ideas, most of which I found were not limited by the frame’s shape. I did stumble across complications around the arm sockets due to the angles though, so I did have to choose my bricks carefully, which led to me being more creative.

Overall, the frame certainly helped develop my own mech style and any limitations within the design actually just led to me pushing my building skills further and creating technique solutions I perhaps wouldn’t have explored. The size, for example, was a good case in point. As I built the body section up, I quickly noticed that the limbs felt a little small

The exoskeleton (left) forms the internal structure of the salvage mech

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in comparison. This was primarily because I had extended the cockpit to house two minfigures, so it could be argued I had overbuilt this section, yet the ability to adapt this frame allowed me to pursue the vision I had started, of an armoured salvage mech.

The amount of connection points on the skeletal frame’s limbs came into play here, as they meant I could extend the body easily whilst maintaining a solid structure. This also led to a small shape change by moving the arms rearwards and essentially, creating a second set of legs.

I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed using this frame and it has inspired me to get more and try different styles using it as the backbone for my future mechs. My final model wasn’t what I initially started out to build and, in fact, ended up being better than I had hoped for, most of which I can attribute to how you end up interacting with the frame. I am now working on building an entire platoon of varied disciplined mechs, as the enjoyable building experience of using this system has inspired me. I think some fans may not be able to see beyond this being an unofficial product but having built with it now for a few months, I feel it’s a enhancement and the perfect entry point to those looking to join the world of mech building.

Next month, we meet the Mecha Frame designer, Hero Lee.

OTHER OPTIONS Beyond the frame, the developers have designed five ready-to-go kits you can purchase. The parts supplied are not LEGO pieces but if you are looking for a quick build, this may be the way you wish to go. Also on their website, there is a gallery for inspiration should you wish to find out more. herodesignstw.com mybuildtoy.com

The New Baseplate.

www.mybuildtoy.com

CATERHAM LAUNCH

CLOSING INON THE

CATERHAM HAM We’ve followed the story since it was just another fan model and now Bricks catches up with the two designers of the official LEGO Caterham 620R Words: Lewis Matthews Photography: Andrew Tipping

R

egardless of whether you’re a car fan, LEGO fan or LEGO car fan, there is an awful lot to get excited over with the new LEGO Ideas Caterham 620R. Bricks has followed this highly-anticipated model since our first issue, where we featured Carl Greatrix’s perfect creations, before revisiting it in issue 11 after it reached 10,000 votes on the LEGO Ideas platform and was successfully put into production. It was with great pride that we stood at the Caterham showroom in Crawley and watched our good friend beam with joy as he, and fellow designer Henrik Andersen of the LEGO Group, in true car showroom style unveiled the LEGO Caterham 620R. Caterham also revealed a real 620R at the same time which had the same livery as the LEGO set and a custom LEGO licence plate. It was a lovely touch and the room reflected it with a cheer.

Henrik was charged with making Carl’s popular model meet the design standards of the LEGO Group.

“I tried to stay away from changing the model too much,” he says, which is more than apparent when you put Carl’s concept alongside the finished 76 BRICKS

model. Despite usually building smaller City cars, it is clear that Henrik made the most of the opportunity to make a more detailed and to-scale model. One of the major differences between the two models is that the official model has lots of new elements which naturally Carl didn’t have access to, including macaroni tube pieces and a whopping 15 new printed parts, such as the Caterham 620R logo printed for the engine cover. “The fact that there’s not a single sticker in this set is a bit ironic, given that I’m known for using a lot of stickers,” says Carl with a huge smile on his face. As with other recent LEGO Ideas sets, there is not a single sticker in sight, which is sure to please many fans, assured that there will be no apprehension of applying a wonky sticker.

One of the nicest touches on the Caterham is its printed brake disks, which unless you display without the wheels, no-one will ever know exist, as they are

otherwise covered. It is a testament to the quality and high level of detail expected from a set designed by Carl, and as Henrik explained, there are a few other features to help you play and display.

“We wanted to acknowledge that this is a kit of a kit car, so in the boot you will find axle stands so you can raise it and ‘work’ on it. The bonnet can be removed to reveal the engine which can be interchanged, you can adjust the wheel arches, remove the seats and remove the wheels to reveal the printed brake disks.”

The collaboration between Carl and Henrik has created a model that wields a formidable use of detail and parts, with pieces being used in ways that challenge the standard LEGO convention.

“When I first saw the prototype, I was blown away by it because if I had known these parts existed, then I would have used them straight away. They would have been my first choice,” says Carl, taking a look at the final model. “I really like how Henrik has managed to round off the roll bar and the exhaust using the new pieces that are available, and even the fenders and nose cone are rounded off more than I ever could. All the shaping of the car works together. There have been

“I TRIED TO STAY AWAY FROM CHANGING THE MODEL TOO MUCH” HENRIK ANDERSEN LEGO DESIGNER

Henrik (left), Carl and the LEGO Caterham in the real thing at the model’s launch BRICKS 77

CATERHAM LAUNCH

CLICK HERE

FOR MORE

Host of opening and removable parts make for a variety of display options

a lot of improvements.” Despite Carl’s praise, it in no way diminishes his own work as by a stroke of luck, the geometry of the nose and bonnet is believed to fit within 0.1mm. When the fact was put to Carl, he merely shrugged it off and claimed; “It was a complete accident, a total fluke. I guess I’ll use that to promote the set at some point.”

Giving your model over to someone else to work on can sometimes feel like you’re giving your child to someone else to raise, and as Carl opens up to us, it seems the process of giving away his model was somewhat daunting.

“I thought I would hate it at first when I saw it; I thought they would make so many changes that I wouldn’t be happy.”

This is understandable considering Henrik worked from Carl’s sketch models and his own Caterham references and then spent over 120 hours developing 78 BRICKS

Carl’s brainchild. However, it is unusual for the original builder to have input on the final model, even when they are as talented as Carl. So how did Carl feel when he saw it for the first time?

“I was pretty anxious about the colour because when I heard what colour was chosen, I was convinced I would have liked the dark green more or it would have looked really nice in blue. When I saw the contrast of the yellow and black, I changed my mind though. It looks stunning.” The final colour choice came from a collaboration between the LEGO Group and Caterham, who chose the best colours to fit the LEGO colour palette.

There is one element of Carl’s model – working steering – which was left out, to the annoyance of many fans who immediately took to forums and social media to vent their frustration. But as Henrik explains, it was a choice made to

enhance the model and allow it to match the LEGO Group’s building standards. “It would be more or less impossible to have steering with the restriction on stability. I would have to sacrifice a lot of structural integrity for steering. Working steering was the point where I really thought this was on the limit between what will be strong enough to release as an official set and what will not.”

Despite Henrik’s veto, when Carl was asked the question of whether or not he would add steering, he couldn’t help but rev his engine. “Yes. Straight away. I know that it will compromise the structural integrity slightly but it’s about what the fans want to do. If they are happy to compromise stability to have the front wheels at an angle, then let’s modify it.” However, as we have learned from designer interviews in past issues of Bricks, the LEGO Group has to make

The four-cylinder cam cover is printed and the engine is interchangeable

The boot contains four axle stands so ‘work’ can be carried out on the car sure that all models are structurally sound enough to stand up to the ultimate test: the playful will of excited fans. Regardless of the Caterham oozing the air of maturity, and being proudly destined to grace the desks and display cupboards of many adults, it must still adhere to the LEGO Group’s play process.

“Creating sound stability, especially around the rear axle, proved to be the most difficult part of making this very complex build,” explains Henrik. Yet it’s only when you build your way through the model that you realise how complex it truly is. The angles of the studs are constantly being reversed, flipped and

No working steering though, as this would have compromised rigidity was allowed them.”

It really is a build full of the twists, turns and surprises that a real Caterham car is designed to deal with. When you build it, which we highly recommend you do, you will be greeted with a premium experience that is matched only by the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The box is dynamic with lots of beautifully-detailed shots of the model which we’re sure non-box-collectors will find impossible to throw away due to its unique presentation. It’s unlike any LEGO product we have seen to date and a lot of credit is due to Carl and Henrik. The difficulty of keeping such an amazing product under wraps for so long is

“WORKING STEERING WAS THE POINT WHERE I REALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS ON THE LIMIT” switched; clever engineering is applied throughout to create smooth angles which seem nigh-on impossible. It even includes elements which will make you question if the LEGO Group have given you the wrong piece, such as two bright pink lipstick pieces. Henrik reveals more about the bizarre inclusion. “One of the most fun parts to build was the exhaust.

It’s a bit tricky to get it to sit and as you can see I ended up using two lipstick elements to hold it together, so there are pink parts in this model.

I wouldn’t be allowed to use Technic pins because the elements would squeeze them too much on either side and cause too much stress but because the lipstick is made of rubber, I

unthinkable and, as Carl explains, it almost became too much to bear.

“It is infuriating having to sit on everything because you just want to tell the world that you have seen it and it looks brilliant but you just have to sit there and be quiet. It made a two-year process feel like it was four or five

because you know what’s coming but no-one else does. It’s nice but not nice.

Now it’s finally been revealed, I can take to social media and tell everyone all about it and the box signings I will be doing. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

By now you’ve probably figured that the Bricks team are fans of this model and we dare you not to fall in love with it as we have. It is a truly beautiful addition to not only the LEGO Ideas collection but also the LEGO car collection. The big question is, what will Carl submit next?

“I probably won’t submit something to Ideas again. It was an enjoyable process but now that I’ve done it, I’m quite happy.

It is a lot of work but we did it for the people who would ask me at shows how they could get one. To me, it’s mission accomplished. I am perfectly happy.”

That’s a shame for us, as we really want one of Carl’s awesome helicopters!

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TINY WONDERS

TINY WONDERS Making detailed microscale models is a challenging process, so to produce a book full of them is no mean feat. Bricks catches up with expert builder and author Mattia Zamboni to see just how it’s done Words: Mark Guest Photography: Mattia Zamboni

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T

he last decade has seen the popularity of LEGO building grow beyond belief, placing it firmly in the pop culture archives as a universally-accepted interest amongst the masses. This has led to a buoyant secondary market of unofficial LEGO-themed products for fans to further fuel their LEGO lifestyles beyond the brick.

There is probably no better testament to this cultural change than the publishing world, where each year we are treated to a broad selection of LEGO-themed books, with seemingly higher quality each year. With this ever-raising bar, it is harder than ever to stand out on the bookshelf, yet the latest No Starch Press release from Mattia Zamboni seems to have done just that.

Tiny LEGO Wonders: Build 40 Surprisingly Realistic MiniModels! is the second book from Mattia, although he has contributed to several other titles and it focuses on building.

Within its 208 pages are detailed, easy-to-follow instructions for 40 different microscale models including a selection of planes, boats, cars and military vehicles.

Pooling the talents of 11 highlyskilled builders from around the world, Mattia has compiled one of the most addictive, keepable books of the year in our opinion. All the models are of a high standard and use easily-available pieces, leaving you with only one dilemma: which to build first.

Taking a break from building these mini-marvels, we caught up with the man himself and find out how this went from concept to reality.

Hi Mattia, tell us how did the book come to be?

Well, I had the idea for this back in 2012 even before I created my first book, The LEGO Build-It Book: Amazing Vehicles.

Everything started when I saw Jarek’s tiny fire brigade (which we included in Tiny LEGO Wonders). I found the detail he was able to pack into such a small scale inspiring and fascinating and I thought it would be cool to create a collection of similar models.

Who is this book aimed at? (Every model seems very ‘buildable’ and it’s good that you wouldn’t have to BrickLink too many parts.)

My goal was to make it appealing to kids and adults. For kids, I wanted to provide cool, tiny models that are fun to play with. It also appeals to adults because I have ensured the models are detailed and use a variety of - sometimes unusual - techniques.

Was there a limit to the number of pieces or building steps per model that you gave the builders?

Not really. The most limiting factor was that we were creating a physical book. Creating building instructions for electronic distribution is one thing – creating them for a printed book is another, because there are way more constraints.

In a book, space is limited and to keep the beginning of each chapter on the same side of the book, the number of instruction pages has to be even. This means sometimes you have to reduce the number of steps or squeeze them on a page and conversely, sometimes you have to expand them to better fill the space so it is aesthetically pleasing.

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“I ENJOYED CREATING EVERY PAGE” I didn’t provide the builders with specifications as I generated the instructions myself and could control the number of steps.

How did you decide which contributors made it in?

The decisions were model- rather than contributor-based. I wanted to include a comprehensive set of cool models from cars to trucks, ships to planes and so on. So I browsed the web and selected the models I liked the most. For models I couldn’t find, I either designed them myself or asked another contributor to.

What was the process for bringing all your contributors, and their work, together?

Once I selected the models from the web, I started to reach out to each of them, asking whether they would agree to have their work featured in my book. Some of them were able to provide the models already in digital form but more than half simply granted me permission to use their models in the book. I then rebuilt them by reverse engineering and created the model on the computer.

What problems occurred when it came to bringing people together from across the world?

Language was a barrier at times and the fact that not everybody had easy or immediate access to email was a challenge. But we made it and I am so glad - the team is so spread out!

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How did you decide what models made it into the book?

Personal taste really, which is certainly influenced by the fact that I am an engineer. This does mean however that I set the bar quite high in order to have the Wonders live up to their name.

Did the contributors do their own printing or supply their own imagery?

No, they didn’t. In fact, none of the pictures in the book (including the dioramas) are real pictures. They have all been computergenerated by creating 3D models (i.e. built with LEGO Digital Designer), using some conversion software first and then running them through self-developed custom software. I decided to do this in order to have good consistency within the book and simply because I love 3D graphics and photography.

Who designed the instructions?

I designed all of the instructions. I must admit that when I decided to do this, I heavily underestimated the job. I assumed that since the models were tiny, the instructions would be easy to generate. Man, I was so wrong! For some of the most complex models it was a real challenge and believe me that successfully fitting the instructions of the A380 in just two pages, or the freighter in four pages, is close to a Guinness World Record.

What models in the book are your creations?

To be honest, I wasn’t initially planning to include my own models but after I failed to find satisfactory models for some chapters, I decided to give it a shot. I had so much fun that by the time the project was complete, I ended-up building six models.

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These were a muscle car, several trains, a helicopter and a rototilt aircraft, all of which were built specifically for the book. I wish I could have built more but I already had enough work in creating the instructions and graphics for the book.

Is there a section of the book you particularly favour?

I enjoyed creating every page of the book but I admit that even if working on the dioramas proved to be one of the most challenging parts, it also provided me with the most satisfaction.

With this book, I decided to raise the bar and try my hand at rendering larger-scale dioramas rather than just creating renders of the stand-alone models. There were a lot of technical issues to overcome, such is the nature of rendering up to 100,000 bricks but eventually, the dioramas became my favourite part.

What are your favourite individual models in the book?

This is a very tough question for me to answer; because I handselected all of the models, I truly love all of them. I must admit that I might have a slight preference for the smaller ones in proportion (like the ships, planes and trains) just because it is even more challenging to make them accurate and recognisable.

Were there any problems that arose during the making of the book that were completely unexpected and unusual?

Well, I personally started using virtual software like LEGO Digital Designer and similar programs several years ago. When I reached-out to the contributors and asked for their models, I assumed that the majority of them would have been able to provide me their work in digital form but this was not always the case. I perhaps underestimated how few of the fans are practising virtual building.

Has the book achieved what you set out to achieve?

My goal was to prove how fun it can be to build in a small scale and how accurate the models can be, even at this tiny size. I am personally pleased with the result. Whether the goal has been achieved, it is up to the readers to say.

What are your top tips for working in microscale?

The best tip I can think of is to be aware as much as possible of all the existing LEGO parts. Building a micro- (or mini-) scale 84 BRICKS

“ALL DECISIONS WERE MODEL-BASED” model doesn’t necessarily require less time than building a bigger one. You sometimes need to invest a lot of time to try all of the possible solutions in order to get the best shape in a specific part of your model. Models are so small that it is crucial to get the most significant traits right.

The standard of build is really consistently high across the book. How many builds were submitted and were there any that didn’t make it that you would like to - or are prepared to - share with us?

I did initially select several models that didn’t make it into the book. I had to drop some of them for several reasons: Firstly, the book was getting too big; secondly, some used unorthodox building techniques and thirdly, I wanted to have a nice variety of models and not, for example, a ton of planes. I had to drop several cars, trucks, planes and military vehicles but some can actually still be seen in the dioramas.

UNCLE SCROOGE’S MONEY BIN This bold model, based on Donald Duck comics, hides a wealth of detail and character Words: Tim Johnson Photography: Andrew Tipping and Jacob Westerlund

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ou can’t miss Jacob Westerlund’s model; being a one-metre high grey cube with a huge yellow dollar sign emblazoned on the side, it really stands out at events. The Bricks team first saw it at Skærbæk Fan Weekend in 2015 and then in Halmstad, Sweden, in 2016, and it seems to be quite a simple build at first sight. Closer inspection proves this is not so; the model contains multiple floors and a vast vault full of golden coins. Welcome to the Money Bin: a twelve-storey skyscraper owned by Uncle Scrooge to store his “three cubic acres” of money.

We caught up with Jacob to discover the secrets hidden within.

Jacob, I think I remember the Money Bin from the opening credits of

DuckTales, the 1980s animated series - is that correct?

That version is different. This one is from the comics, in particular the ones drawn

by Don Rosa. He worked on the comics from the late 1980s to the end of the 2000s but he based all of his drawings on those of Carl Barks, who drew the Money Bin in many different ways to suit the stories. A definitive version of the Money Bin design doesn’t really exist.

Why did you choose to build something from a Donald Duck print comic?

Donald Duck is very big in Scandinavia.

He always has been. We have a lot of the magazines, they come out every week.

It’s funny because Don Rosa is American but he’s not as well known there. So for a lot of his comics, although he writes

them in English, when they subsequently get published, they get translated into Swedish. So a lot of his comics he has never seen published in his own language, possibly only in another language.

What is it about Donald Duck comics that fascinates you?

To me, Uncle Scrooge is the interesting character. Donald Duck is short-tempered but kind, he’s not that complicated, but Uncle Scrooge has this enormous wealth that he made by himself and yet he doesn’t really appreciate money. On a deeper level, he appreciates the ways to make money. I like all Donald Duck comics.

Donald says money doesn’t buy happiness. Scrooge says it does buy LEGO, which is the same thing

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MASTERCLASS

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MASTERCLASS

Money, money everywhere and not a drop to drink.

Scrooge’s sea of money

Floors can be slid out of the Bin for closer inspection 88 BRICKS

However, the Don Rosa ones are something special. Also, Don is a collector himself, he has one of the largest collections of comic books in the world!

Do you think Don Rosa’s habit of collecting comes into his work about the Money Bin? Yes, he does comics about collecting, the value of stuff, the absurdity of buying stuff and then storing it because it’s going to be worth more. There’s a comic where Donald Duck, instead of getting ordinary payments, gets to choose which coins from the Money Bin he wants to take as payment. He chooses really rare coins, but does it so much that the coins get devalued because the only reason they were rare in the first place was because Uncle Scrooge owned them all.

Apart from your love of the comics, why did you choose to build this particular model?

I like to build models

based on something that exists: a picture or drawings for example.

Don Rosa did a comic where the Beagle Boys got their hands on the blueprints to the Money Bin, so Don Rosa actually drew up the plans.

This was perfect for me because all the plans are laid out with dimensions and all the rooms are labelled – the mail room, the toilet, and so on. But the scale of my model is large enough that I could use my imagination to construct specific details.

For example, on the plans in the basement there is the Main Generator, the Extra Generator, the Reserve Extra Generator and the Extra Reserve Extra Generator...

For these, I decided to build a big generator, a smaller generator, a couple of car batteries that are linked and finally I decided to put a pushbike in there, that is just connected to a small generator!

Were there technical challenges building this model?

To have the balance between it looking good, being stable and not costing a

fortune, I decided to build the main frames with 2x4 bricks, so it is two studs thick. I didn’t want to break up the pattern of the 2x4 bricks on the exterior, as it is a very clean look. Then I decided to build the floors sideways using SNOT technique because it would be too expensive to make it with plates and tiles. I also wanted to be able to slide out each floor and have to rest of the floors remain stationary. So I needed all of the floors to slide into the walls, like a chest of drawers. It’s hard to make them stable, yet at the same time, still be able to pull them out to display without stuff falling off.

Did you have any problems when exhibiting it for the first time?

When I built it at home, I had it on the floor. It worked well to see the insides through the hatch on the roof but then

What’s next for you, Jacob?

With a second child on its way, there is not that much time for building for the moment but I am working on a model of the Moomin House. It’s not going to be quite as big though!

Follow Jacob on Flickr at: flic.kr/ps/2DY5VB The Bin is protected by many security devices, like the large cannon

“The president of the Swedish Donald Duck society was pleased with the model” when I got to Skærbæk and placed it on a display table, it was impossible to look down into it, so I had to create a hole in the wall around the back! But it turned out quite well because the hole is down at the same level as the money.

It’s a very stark model, being essentially a giant cube. How have you addressed this?

To make the whole display a bit more interesting, I also built some small scenes around the Bin as well. Like, on one side, the Beagle Boys have blown a hole in the wall and you can see how the money is pouring out.

What sort of responses have you received from the public?

I have had many smiles and laughs when they first see it and recognise it.

Then even more when they walk around it and look inside and can see Uncle Scrooge sitting in his sea of money. One of the visitors we had at an exhibition in Stockholm was the president of the Swedish Donald Duck society and he was pleased with the model.

The Precious Gem Cribs sit a floor above the Billion Bins

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NEW DEATH STAR

THE

DEATH STAR PLANS Giving one of the most popular and iconic LEGO Star Wars sets a face-lift was always going to be a challenge. Chris Pearce takes a close look at what 75159 Death Star has to offer over its long-running predecessor Words: Chris Pearce Photography: Andrew Tipping

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The turbolaser turret has been completely redesigned and is now far more screenaccurate

The power coupling can be deactivated by pulling a lever, just as Obi-Wan does in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope The walls of the trash compactor can be closed and there is a hole in the floor for the Dianoga to poke its head through, which is an improvement over 10188 Death Star

OLD MODEL

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NEW DEATH STAR

The barrels of the twin turbolaser turrets are far stronger than those on the original model but the ability to turn the turrets in unison remains

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The main turbolift is controlled from the droid maintenance bay, which is briefly referred to by C-3PO in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

d from hich is n Hope

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et 75159 Death Star had been the subject of enormous speculation until it was revealed a couple of weeks ago and it seems to have divided opinion among LEGO Star Wars fans since then. The set is obviously very similar to 10188 Death Star, which was retired at the end of 2015 and the price has increased quite significantly, eliciting a great deal of disappointment from owners of the original set and prospective buyers of the new one. However, the exceptional popularity of 10188 Death Star justifies the release of the updated model to some extent and many fans who might otherwise have missed out on the set now have an opportunity to get an even better one.

I think the reasoning behind the re-release

is sound but I am slightly disappointed nevertheless, as I was hoping to see a great deal more innovation. 10188 Death Star was released in 2008 and a huge number of new parts have been introduced since then, very few of which have been used to significantly improve the Death Star for this release. In fact, the two sets are almost indistinguishable at a glance and it is not until you take a closer look that some of the changes can be identified. These alterations are numerous but most are fairly minor. For instance, the flooring is now sturdier and the furnishings are more detailed in certain areas of the model.

The price has also been criticised as it marks a significant increase over the cost of the original set despite the short time since it was retired. This can be partially attributed to inflation and the increased piece count but it is still quite difficult to ignore the fact that a very similar set was available for £274.99

or $399.99 only nine months ago while the updated model is priced at £399.99 or $499.99. I think this offers reasonable value for money in relation to other LEGO Star Wars sets which are currently available but not compared with the original set.

The minifigures, on the other hand, have undergone substantial alterations and are vastly improved in accordance with the advances in printing technology.

Han Solo sports a brand new hair piece, which is far more accurate to the film than the element which was previously used and important characters such as Grand Moff Tarkin have also undergone significant alterations. The range of Astromech Droids is also increased by R3-M3 and the new Death Star Droid included is far more detailed than most previous droids. Moreover, many minor issues with the original set have been resolved but there is further potential which has not been properly explored.

“THIS IS A TERRIFIC SET AND IT IS CERTAINLY WORTHY OF SERIOUS CONSIDERATION” Luke and Leia can swing across the chasm while Stormtroopers shoot at them from the higher platforms

The maintenance bay features a working lift with an improved mechanism over the original set

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NEW DEATH STAR OLD MODEL WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN IMPROVED? 10188 Death Star is an excellent set in my opinion but there is certainly significant room for improvement and I think that the majority of LEGO Star Wars fans would agree that this was not exploited to the fullest extent possible. Some changes have been made but most are relatively minor and it could be argued that the only complete redesign, of the turbolaser turret on the second level, was not entirely necessary.

Perhaps most significantly, 10188 Death Star lacks an outer shell and is therefore not a particularly effective model for display. This does not bother me too much but some fans have suggested that the set could incorporate hull panels akin to 10143 Death Star II from 2003 and I can definitely see the appeal of an idea such as this. A folding shell would allow the model to be displayed as it is seen in the film and it would also be possible to open the panels and reveal the interior for play, although such a design may not be sufficiently sturdy for an official set. Furthermore, much of the interior detail extends beyond the edge of the sphere and this would therefore need to be reduced in order to create room for the hull to enclose the entire model. Armour plating and a higher piece count would also necessitate a significant price increase which might put the set further beyond the reach of some fans.

A more likely alteration could have been made to the edges of the walls. 10188 Death Star suffers slightly as a result of the stepped design around the circumference of the model and the same is true of 75159 Death Star, which I find a little disappointing. I think the bricks and plates which create the stepped appearance could quite easily have been replaced with slopes to form a smoother surface.

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• The detention block includes a cell for Leia and a grate which can be opened to access the garbage chute beneath

“THE MINIFIGURES HAVE UNDERGONE SUBSTANTIAL ALTERATIONS”

The superlaser dish is controlled from the overbridge and you can see Alderaan on a computer display in the new set

• Emperor Palpatine’s throne room is furnished with a rotating throne at the top of a staircase. From there he can look out of a large window, the design of which has been much improved for the new set • The superlaser control room seems almost identical to the design in 10188 Death Star but the new laser is sturdier and also has a broader range of motion

DEATH STAR MINIFIGURES

Darth Vader

Emperor Palpatine

Grand Moff Tarkin

Emperor’s Royal Guard

Imperial Navy Officer

Imperial Officer

Death Star Trooper

Death Star Gunner

Stormtrooper

Death Star Droid

R3-M3 Astromech Droid

Luke Skywalker (disguise)

Han Solo (disguise)

Leia Organa

Luke Skywalker (Tatooine)

Chewbacca

R2-D2 Astromech Droid

Mouse Droid & Probe Droid

C-3PO Protocol Droid

Luke Skywalker (final duel)

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Han Solo

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NEW DEATH STAR This would be much more accurate to the Death Star as it appears in the movie. Unfortunately, this would probably have resulted in a greater number of pieces being used and again, may well have led to a higher price point for the set by the time it eventually reached the marketplace.

The minifigure selection has been significantly improved for 75159 Death Star but I think there is still room for further expansion. Darth Vader famously chokes Admiral Motti using the Force during a conference meeting and this cannot be accurately recreated because Motti is absent from the set, an issue which could easily have been set right.

In addition, I would have liked to see a Moff Jerjerrod minifigure included in the set, alongside some more Imperial troops as it is not currently possible to man the entire battle station with the minifigures included.

Star Wars fans have been looking forward to the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for the whole of this year and it is quite surprising that scenes or characters from the film are not represented in the revised model of the Death Star. We know that the Death Star will have a significant role to play in the movie and the set has been released to coincide with the rest of the Rogue One products, so I think a couple of characters from the new film could have been included along with a room which recreates a moment from the movie. Perhaps one of the slightlyless interesting areas of the model could have been removed in favour of something new, thereby allowing fans to re-enact scenes from three films rather than just two. On the other hand, it is possible that relatively little action will take place on board the Death Star and that there was no source material available for any Rogue One content to be included in 75159 Death Star.

We will have to wait until the movie is released before finding out!

IS THE SET WORTH BUYING? The answer to this question is

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• The hangar bay is overlooked by a small control room and Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1 hangs from the ceiling. This is a small model but there is room to seat the Dark Lord of the Sith inside

OLD MODEL

“10188 DEATH STAR IS AN EXCELLENT SET BUT THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT” dependent on whether or not you own 10188 Death Star. 75159 Death Star is certainly an excellent set and I think it improves upon the original model, which is impressive given the brilliant design of the 2008 edition, although not to the extent that I was hoping. I own 10188 Death Star and am disappointed that relatively few significant alterations have been made for the updated set, particularly since I think some of the possible improvements could have been implemented quite easily.

However, this is an outstanding set for LEGO Star Wars fans who do not

own 10188 Death Star. It is not perfect but offers a huge amount of play value and includes a fantastic selection of minifigures. The price of £399.99 or $499.99 places this set among the most expensive ever released and is particularly shocking when the original cost of £274.99 or $399.99 for 10188 is taken into account. However, inflation and the higher piece count does justify this increase to some extent.

Nevertheless, I think this is a terrific set and it is certainly worthy of serious consideration if the design is new to you and you are a Star Wars fan.

• There is room for seven officers to sit in the Imperial conference chamber and three suitable minifigures appear in this set, a significant improvement over 10188 Death Star where Grand Moff Tarkin was the only officer included

75159 DEATH STAR IN NUMBERS • Scenes from two films in the Star Wars saga are included in the set • 75159 Death Star has a diameter of 42cm, so is 285,714 times smaller than the first Death Star in the film • A total of 23 minifigures and five characters are included in the set, three more than in 10188 Death Star • The central turbolift provides access to four levels and ten rooms • The R3-M3 droid appears on screen for just 3.54 seconds in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope • The Death Star Droid featured is one of 19 Protocol Droid minifigures which have been released since the beginning of the LEGO Star Wars theme • 75159 Death Star contains 213 more pieces than 10188 Death Star

PRICE BREAKDOWN

10188 Death Star Adjusted for inflation 213 extra pieces

Total

75159 Death Star

UK £274.99

£330.96

≈ £21.30

£351.26

£399.99

US $399.99

$447.07

≈ $21.30

$468.37

$499.99

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INSECTOIDS Last month it was aliens in flying saucers; this month, it’s bugs. Insectoids represents the last home-grown Space theme before LEGO Star Wars licenced sets began to appear.

Words: Jeremy Williams Photography: ©The LEGO Group

T

he protagonists of Insectoids are cybernetic colonists called Zotaxians, according to the accompanying adventure book Insectoids Invasion. They have crash-landed on a hostile planet and are forced to live underground, in proximity to alien beasties called Bilgen Bugs.

The Zotaxian colonists adapt their vehicles to mimic the large bugs and collect Voltstones, batteries that provide power to the colony.

13 RT A P

MINIFIGURES The cybernetic minifigures follow on from earlier themes, such as UFO, in printing onto the heads in silver and black, including various mechanical designs. Torsos also bore silver and coloured printing.

Some of the minifigures are decked out in black and dark green, including distinctive transparent green ‘bubble’ helmets; others are in grey and blue with transparent neon green helmets. A couple have leg printing but to my eyes, the overall minifigure design isn’t nearly as striking as their UFO counterparts.

COLOURS AND ELEMENTS The colour scheme of vehicles in the range revolves around blue, grey and black with transparent neon green accents – not the most distinguished colours together but the designs (on the larger sets particularly) make up for this with clear and memorable silhouettes.

In terms of elements, it’s largely the usual story; that the sets make creative 98 BRICKS

use of existing or old elements rather than introducing a slew of new ones. However, the distinctive insectile shape required some special parts, notably the support legs (30211 and 30212), eyes (30208) and wing-tips (30231).

One neat element, the Voltstone crystalline triangular element, is notable because it comes with a heavy sticker that is ferrous, so it can be picked up with magnets. The LEGO Group were really imaginative in using interactive stickers around this time; we’ve already encountered thermal ink printing and now magnetic stickers join the line-up, with excellent results.

The most complex element is the Light and Sound module (71603) that offers

three different sounds and flashing lights within a slender ‘insect tail’ shape. The module appeared in four sets and provided a huge amount of fun (or irritation, depending on your mood).

STANDOUT SETS The range includes several pocket-

6919 Planetary Prowler

money sets, the smallest halfdozen or so of which are fairly nondescript and not particularly insect-like at all. Things warm up a bit with 6817 Beta Buzzer (the smallest set to use the wing-tips) and 2964 Space Spider (the smallest set in the range to use the leg supports) and get more and more interesting as the sets grow in size.

6907 Sonic Stinger is the first set with around 100 pieces and it looks fantastic – a fly with two hemispherical eyes, a proboscis comprised of two needle-thin neon aerials, those wing-tips and legs and of course, the Light and Sound module.

6919 Planetary Prowler is less insect-like in outline but broadly resembles a cricket. The main

6977 Arachnoid Star Base

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LEGO: A SPACE ODYSSEY PART 13

feature is the large pair of wheeled legs with independent suspension, with Technic shock absorbers, as well as a removable power block incorporating a Voltstone and a tiny floating rover.

6969 Celestial Stinger is not particularly insect-like; more a fairly standard spaceship. It’s got some nice features – a couple of detachable shuttles and a pod containing a Voltstone – but compared to the other big sets, it’s not imaginative enough.

6977 Arachnoid Star Base more than makes up for this shortcoming. It’s a big, bulbous spider-shaped vehicle, on large rugged wheels, whose abdomen is built from the quarter-dish pieces so central to the UFO sets last month.

There’s a profusion of legs which either assist in stabilising the vehicle or contain sensors to sweep the terrain. From its transparent green mandibles to the cool control tower that sits alongside it, this 100 BRICKS

6969 Celestial Stinger

is a great-looking set. It divides into two vehicles for even more playability.

THE LEGACY Insectoids has fans but little in the way of a direct following (no ‘Neo-Insectoid’ swarm). However there are plenty of people (such as Lino Martins, see facing page) building space vehicles that are insect-like in form, though whether or not these owe a direct debt to Insectoids isn’t always clear.

While Insectoids isn’t the final LEGO Space theme, it marks a turning point as the LEGO Group began to focus on licensed sets and many see it as the last of the ‘classic’ Space range.

INSECTOIDS CASE STUDY: LINO MARTINS Lino Martins has built a number of alien vehicles based on eerily-accurate models of insects. For example, check out this stag beetle (flic.kr/p/6PffyC/) and its dragonfly dropship (flic.kr/p/6PffgJ)

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BRICKS TECHNIQUE

ROUND AND ROUND WE GO

James Pegrum is inspired by locomotive history to explore three different approaches to creating the difficult shape of cylinders Words and Photography: James Pegrum

W

hen I heard the theme for this issue was trains and planes, I was a tad stumped for ideas, as I haven’t built many of either over the years. I spent the next couple of days thinking it over and decided to build Stephenson’s Rocket, a steam locomotive built in Newcastle in 1829. Part of that research time was spent online looking

at other people’s models for inspirational techniques and it has to be said that there are some excellent builds out there and that the techniques we look at in this article are largely based on other people’s work. I am going to show you a variety of ways of making cylinders, a key feature when it comes to steam engines and consider some of the positives and negatives associated with each technique.

STUDS FACING UP PICS 1-7 - Naturally, for most of us when we look at a LEGO part, we do so with the stud facing upwards and so we’re going to start with a ‘studs up’ technique, using slopes to mimic a cylinder’s circular form. There’s a good number of slopes in the LEGO System and they are referred to by the angle of their slope, the main ones being 45°, 33° and 75°. These all come in an inverted style too, which makes them perfect for this task. As the cylinder of the engine is relatively small, I used one angle only: the 45°. If you wanted to make the cylinder bigger, then the other slopes come in handy. Starting with inverted slopes, I ran these back to back in a row. I then placed three layers of plate connecting the inverted slopes, building up the sides of the cylinder. The last layer consisted of regular slopes run along the top.

POSITIVE: • Simple to build • Easy to make connections to the rest of the model elements NEGATIVE: • Lack of curves on the cylinder • Hiding studs with tiles would mean the creation of an extra layer

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1

2 3

4

5

6

7

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BRICKS TECHNIQUE

8

STUDS NOT ON TOP PIC 8 - Those of you who have read a number of my articles will not be surprised to see this technique, a favourite of mine! This time, I used curved slopes and opted for part 6091, the ‘modified brick 1x2x11/3 with curved top’ (although you can experiment with the many curved slopes available). I joined two of these parts together, forming a roughly semicircular shape. That is the easy part. The next step is joining them together, which can be achieved in many ways but here are two suggestions.

PIC 9 - Firstly you can use SNOT bricks, which are bricks with studs on one, two or four faces. The thinner section with the SNOT bricks forms the core of the cylinder.

PICS 10-11 - The second option, which creates a tighter form as shown in pic 10, is to use some 1x1 plates modified with part 4081b, the ‘clip light’, shown in black in pic 11. The protruding circular section of a clip light is the same thickness as a plate and has a stud connection on both sides, allowing two parts to be connected with the studs facing different ways. The challenge with this technique is to allow room for the unconnected 1x1 square plate section of the clip light to ‘float’ in.

9

POSITIVE: • Curved slopes form rounder circles than regular slopes • Ease of connection using SNOT bricks • Ease of covering up studs NEGATIVE: • Not perfectly round • Clip light connection is more challenging to integrate 10

11

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TECHNIC TREADS

12

13

PICS 12-14 - The last technique uses a Technic element: the link tread. There are a number available, which unhelpfully in BrickLink don’t have any distinction other than the part number. The part that needs to be used for this technique is part 3873, which is about four studs long.

An interesting feature of this part is that it can be fixed to the pins on the underside of a plate or tile. I formed a circle using 13 link treads connected together in a loop and then connected long tiles to the links, making the cylinder.

POSITIVE: • A more realistic cylindrical shape is formed • No studs on show NEGATIVE: • Connections are more complicated • The cylinder is fragile

ALTOGETHER NOW For my final build, I went with the last technique as I wanted a good, rounded cylinder and no studs showing. Using brick, plate and a hinge brick, I made my connections to the rest of the build, which required some delicate work and a number of rebuilds of the cylinders. To make a connection downwards, I had to replace one 1x8 tile I had used to make the cylinder with a 1x6 tile, allowing a brick to fit in (see pic 14). To close the cylinder off at the ends, I fixed a round 4x4 plate using SNOT bricks. Off the round plate, I built the funnel and firebox.

14

The techniques I’ve looked at to make this cylinder aren’t overly complicated and have varying levels of positives and negatives but always remember, simplicity can often do the job. The Rocket was ground-breaking technology when it was built and trains have been developing ever since. Similarly, techniques in LEGO building can be developed, changed and made their own by each builder.

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MOC RECIPES

MAKING WAVES Creating the tranquillity of a calm ocean may require more thought than a blue 32x32 baseplate. But as technique expert Li Li demonstrates, it is well worth the toil

Words: Li Li Photography: Li Li, the LEGO Group and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

W

hile I was on my honeymoon in Hawaii some time ago, I was captivated by the beautiful calm azure sea of the Hawaiian coast. During the whole trip, all I could think about was capturing it in LEGO form. There are many ways to do this; let’s take a look at a few. The easiest way to build large areas of sea is to do it with the 32x32 blue baseplate which was sold alone as set 620. Unfortunately, it is no longer available on its own but fear not: there are some other, far better solutions to this challenge.

BASIC BLUE PLATE/TILE SEA If we get a bit more sophisticated and build our ocean with different shades of blue, the result is much better, as shown to the right. The LEGO Group have a plethora of different shades of blue currently in production including light aqua, bright light blue, medium blue, medium azure, dark azure, blue and dark blue (see gradient to the right, with grey and black for comparison. Sand blue is one that doesn’t fit tonally in this colour gradient, so has been omitted here.)

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BARS

You can use plates or tiles to build your ocean. One guide is that shallow water is lighter in colour than deeper regions. So for a rock in the ocean, start with white or aqua near the rock and build outwards with darker parts, as shown on the previous page.

We can also build sideways with bricks and plates to achieve a more detailed effect, as per the image to the right. It’s cheaper than using tiles, too.

TRANSPARENT LIGHT BLUE SEA To get an even better-looking sea, we can add one more layer to the plate and tile technique. The basic idea shown on the far left is a gradient of blue colour from white to black, just like the previous technique.

As we discussed earlier, there are plenty of colours to choose from. In case you don’t have a large quantity of some of these shades, you can use different shades of grey in this case. The colour won’t be as vibrant but it will work.

On top of this level, we add transparent light blue plates (above right). Make sure that you add them in a random fashion.

That way, the transparent plates will nicely break up the pixellated studs on the bottom and give a smooth gradient.

This second layer will also give you the perception of depth. I’ve tried transparent clear, transparent black and transparent blue plates and tiles but none of these work as well as transparent light blue.

You can use transparent light blue tiles instead of plates too, since they are more common. But plates give you a better end result. However, mixing tiles with plates will give you the most organic look.

The end result is so amazing that the photo, left, just doesn’t do it justice. You really need to see this effect in person to appreciate the interplay of light.

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MOC RECIPES

CHOPPY WATER The sea isn’t always calm - it can get choppy at times. In fact, I got a bit seasick in Hawaii. So to capture that in bricks, we need another technique. This scene from The LEGO Movie, where our heroes are stuck way out to sea, gives us a great hint on how to do this.

We basically need layers and layers of plates or tiles. It’s a bit ‘brute force’ but it definitely works.

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We start out with rows of diagonal plates very close to each other (opposite page).

Make sure that they are not too repetitive or it won’t look natural. In my example, I’ll make the rows narrower to better illustrate this. So consider this to be a microscale ocean; for minifigure-scale, instead of 1x8 plates, you might want to try 1x12 or even wider rows for your ships to sail across.

We gradually build up the waves from our base rows, above and left. Of course you don’t have to use these colours.

Depending on the atmosphere of your MOC, different shades of grey might work equally well too.

In the end, we can sprinkle the sea with 1x1 round plates to smooth out some of the edges. And now it’s up to our tiny little boat to brave this choppy sea.

Fare thee well.

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CLASSIC CASTLE PART 3

Firmly established as a theme, it was now time for Castle to expand its cast of factions beyond the walled domains Words: Mark Guest Photography: Andrew Tipping and The LEGO Group

D

eep in the darkest regions of the forest dwells a bunch of renegades. Unsure whether they where simply just an entity of myth and rumour, we packed our wagons to find out. The year was 1987 and a new tribe had been introduced to the Castle theme - one that in the coming years was going to provide a more diverse take on the range and would certainly expand the kingdom.

The newcomers were called Forestmen, a band of outlaw-looking folk who appeared themed around the Robin Hood genre, attired primarily in green. Their set was one of four new offerings in 1987 but arguably, through the eyes of a slightly plump child, the most exciting.

1987 As mentioned, this year saw only four new releases but within that, there was a great diversity in areas that previously had not really been touched upon. The two smaller sets were waterbound vessels in the form of a two-man boat and a more substantial five-man affair. There was only one set which contained what could be described as classically themed, which consisted of a castle wall and battering ram with 110 BRICKS

the now-familiar knights, and the fourth offering was the Forestmen’s camouflaged outpost. To me, this originality indicated a confidence in the theme which was now starting to branch out beyond those original carts and castle walls and signified a stable longevity for this medieval LEGO world.

THE SETS The smallest set to be released was 6017 King’s Oarsmen. This was a small boat containing two Crusader knights. It was a simple affair, which you would expect from a set costing £2.50 with only 45 pieces. It measured 16 studs long at its longest point, while the hull measured 12 studs long and only four studs wide, so without removing the sail this boat was at capacity with two figures. For me, the interesting part of this set was not just the low price point but the use of weapons as parts. The main image on the packaging depicted one knight using his long-handled axe weapon as an oar or potentially,

1987

The addition of Forestmen was a highlight of 1987 for fans

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CLASSIC CASTLE PART 3 the boat's rudder. The mast of the ship was constructed using a brown lance inserted into a one-stud cylinder brick with four square flag pieces (with clips) attached as sails, a piece we had seen before as the sign for the Guarded Inn. The naming of this set and the fact one crusader sported a cloak and the other, amour breastplate printing, in my mind made me think these guys where some kind of elite force.

6049 Viking Voyager was the second boat in the range and consisted of 99 pieces but even to this day, seems an oddly-named set. There was not a Viking in sight but the design of the boat represented a scaled-down version of a Viking longship. I can only presume

and priced around the £10 mark at the time actually served as another good troop builder, even if already the Black Falcons were becoming considerably outnumbered.

6062 Battering ram was the only set in this wave of releases that offered to bolster to the dwindling Black Falcons ranks (now with red waistbands).

However, the three defending Black Falcon figures were matched in numbers by three Crusaders. We had seen similar sets in previous releases but this one did show some advancement in detail within the range, due to the fact that not only was the wall hinged but it also sported a tower and doorway. The tower made use of the new hexagonal wall pieces that we

“1987 DID PROVIDE SOME SPLENDID DIVERSITY AND SCOPE FOR GROWTH” this was perhaps a vessel used to hunt out Vikings. However, this set had 99 pieces and therefore was larger than 6017, measuring 28 studs at its longest point with the hull being 16 studs long.

This was to accommodate the generous helping of five minifigures, all of which where again Crusader knights. Three carried the crossed-axe crest upon their chests and wore the helmet with chin guard in dark grey. These guys were depicted as the oarsmen for this vessel and used two brown spears each as oars. The figure with the blue and gold lion crest wore a dark grey helmet with neck guard and stood at the end of the boat guarding the treasure chest. The final knight, with armour printing, was a first in the fact that he wore the neck guard helmet, only this time in black. In this colour, this piece had previously been reserved for the Black Falcon knights and hadn’t been seen before on a Crusader.

The boat itself was similar in construction to 6017 but used four red inverted hull pieces attached to a 2x10 plate due to the extra length. This was a great model 112 BRICKS

saw released the previous year and the arched doorway added playability. This also meant that adding this in to your existing modular castle gave you an extra turret and felt less like a low long wall.

The siege weapon included was a brickbuilt battering ram. This construction had a platform across the top for the troops to attack the wall while underneath the ram (which sat level with the platform) could slide forward by four studs to re-enact the battering ram action. In my opinion this wasn’t the most exciting siege weapon to date, despite being the largest of the year with a 236 piece count. The main attraction of the set though was the figure count and wall section that fitted perfectly with 6074 Black Falcon’s fortress.

The biggest set released in this wave was certainly the most exciting in my view.

6066 Camouflaged Outpost was the first Forestmen set we had seen. It contained six minifigures, a horse piece and a very playable structure. The first thing worth mentioning is the variation across the six figures - although all where primarily green, only two where identical. There was an all-green archer with knotted tunic printing and money belt, there where two with red arms but one had a green hat and the other, brown. There was one with black sleeves and then two with blue.

These coloured-sleeved versions all had the same curved neckline print but on each, the print corresponded with the sleeve colour. The set itself was superb and was made up of black and grey pieces to form an almost tree-like tower at one end with a concealed cave entrance at the other. The entire set was covered in green foliage pieces to enhance the fact this hideout was camouflaged. This set was crammed full of play features; not only did the large concealed cave entrance open but also, the black boulder on the

side rotated to reveal another secret entrance. Additionally, the entire structure was hinged so it could open up to access the hidden treasures: a chest full of precious yellow goblets. This, as you can tell, was a great childhood highlight of mine and not only did it capture my Robin Hood fantasies but also, delivered theme expansion and endless playability.

CONCLUSION Despite only providing four new sets, 1987 did provide splendid diversity and scope for growth within the theme; certainly enough to give fans something to stay excited about. The addition of Forestmen into the range was my highlight and left me excited to see what the next year was going to bring. Little did I know the scale of what was to come...

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CLUB CREATIONS

Swebrick A s we have seen before, the Eurobricks role-playing game Guilds of Historica has generated many amazing creations. The latest Club Creation chosen by Swebrick illustrates forests created in microscale.

NAME: EMIL LIDÉ

(A.K.A. FULL PLATE) LUG: SWEBRICK How long have you been a member of the club?

I’ve been a member of Swebrick for almost a year. Having the support and advice of more experienced builders has helped me develop my building technique, so I am really grateful to be part of the community.

What are you best known for?

Probably my axe trees, which are trees with bark built out of axes and droid arms.

I have made quite a number of creations featuring these trees since I developed the technique back in 2015 and they have been generally well received. My bonsai tree, built for a Swebrick competition, has gotten a very positive response.

What is your preferred style of build and why?

My style is pretty organic. I like building nature scenes and as nature is generally not structured, being able to break up patterns in the build becomes important to make things look natural. When building, I generally have an idea in my head of what I want to do but as I build, I will make adjustments by adding or removing certain elements. I think this is an approach that is well suited for landscaping but might not be the best idea if you build something like a house. The reason my builds have tended to focus very much on trees is because I think it is an area of the LEGO system where there is a lot of progress 114 BRICKS

to be made. When I first started building, I found trees to be the most challenging part of my builds. This got me into experimenting, trying to figure out how to make a tree that looked natural.

Tell us a little about Avalonian Countryside.

I have always wanted to build a landscape that would span a larger area of land but due to budget constraints, that was just not possible for me to accomplish in minifigure scale. Having seen many

wonderful small builds from fellow builders, I decided to give microscale building a go. As the name suggests, the build depicts the landscape of Avalonia, which is a fictional country in Guilds of Historica at the Eurobricks forum. I wanted to represent as many aspects of the country as possible without making the build look disjointed. The main feature of the build is arguably the forest, which also took the longest to make as I have never built microscale trees before. I wanted to make the trees similar to each other but

“I’M EXPERIMENTING WITH MICROSCALE TREES AND AM LOOKING TO INCORPORATE MOUNTAINS IN THE BUILD AS WELL”

with small variations in form and colour for the forest to look homogeneous. The nice thing about a forest is that it is not about the individual trees but the forest as a whole. So even if some of the trees don’t look perfect on their own, it is OK as they blend in with the rest of the forest.

When it comes to inspiration for builds, I get a lot of it from the landscape around where I live in southern Sweden which, similar to the build, is a mix of agricultural land and forests. I think this build more than any other has drawn heavily from my surroundings. The build was also an entry for a local exhibition by Swebrick, which was my first time exhibiting.

time, my wife and I had another child, which didn’t leave me with much building time. In the end, it probably took around 20-30 hours’ actual time to build and I had to do some late-night building towards the end to make sure I got it finished in time for the exhibition.

How long did the build take?

It was a five-week period but during that

Does it have any moving parts at all?

No but there are some parts that are

loose. Pretty much the whole stone wall is just a pile of 1x1 tiles and plates with the odd cheese wedge thrown in. It was by far the most frustrating part of the build and it needed to be tended to and receive attention every time I moved the build.

Is there anything on the model you would change and why?

I would switch pretty much all the tree BRICKS 115

CLUB CREATIONS TECHNIQUE TIPS First we put together a trunk with a 6-stem flower on top (part 19119).

For the canopy, we construct little sub-builds that we then hang on the stalks. These are easily constructed from 1x2 plates and a 2x2 plate as shown top right. We need three of these.

Hang these on the three lower stems to form the base of the canopy. We then secure each by attaching another 1x2 plate directly to the upper stems, as shown bottom right of the pictures above. This is done by inserting the stem into the little hole on the centre pin on the underside of the plates. (Be aware that not all 1x2 plates that have a hole in the underside pin.)

Our tree should now look as below left. The next step is to add 1x2 plates to the top of the tree.

trunks around and use dark brown telescope elements instead, I think.

However, possibly not for the white birch trunks with black stripes. The bars that I used are too small and the 1x1 round bricks look a bit clunky. Telescope pieces have a nice gradient to them and are just about the right size for the scale.

Unfortunately, I didn’t think of using them until after I posted the build. I would also add some more colour variance to the path and farm courtyard. When I build in minifigure scale, I usually just build a bottom layer in one colour and then add other colours on top. However, in microscale, the height of one plate is huge and I found that adding extra pieces on top of the dark tan base didn’t look good. By then it was too late to break up the base, so I just had to go with it. I would also consider some kind of barrier 116 BRICKS

between the crops and the lake, as some people thought the crops were reeds.

What is your particular favourite LEGO element and why?

I think this changes over time and that’s the beauty of the LEGO System – there is always some new element to discover that you can get new ideas of how to use.

What are you planning to build next?

I really enjoyed building in microscale and will continue to explore it a bit further.

Right now I’m working on a bigger and more varied landscape in the same scale.

I’m experimenting further with microscale trees which is fun and am looking to incorporate mountains in the build as well.

How and where can people see more of your work?

These are again attached directly to the stems. It looks best if they are placed in a kind of windmill pattern as shown in the middle picture above.

We now have our completed tree, as shown in the picture below, on the left.

You can use this technique to make lots of differently-coloured trees but try making it using different trunks to create more textured forests.

I post most of my builds on the Swebrick and Eurobricks forums but the easiest way is to follow me on Flickr at flic.kr/ps/32gY4y

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CLUB CREATIONS Comunidade 0937 R

icardo Prates is a member of Portuguese LUG Comunidade 0937 who has a rich heritage of creating stunning vehicles but his rendition of the famous domestic Portuguese UMM Alter II jeep impressed the LUG so much, they selected it as this month’s Club Creation.

“MANY STILL USE AND KEEP THESE CARS, WHICH RESULTS IN SOME INTERESTING REACTIONS”

NAME: RICARDO PRATES

(A.K.A. BICZZZ) LUG: COMUNIDADE 0937 How long have you been a member of the club and what creations are you best known for?

I have been a member of my LUG for ten years and was one of the first members, registering a few days after our online forum opened. I would say that some of my most recognisable creations from recent years are the Shelby Cobra, Honda RA272 and hot rod, Gold Dust.

What is your preferred style of build?

My build style is heavily inspired by the old Model Team theme, as I like to build vehicles and machines and this style fits perfectly. It all started with the 5550 Custom Rally Van set, which was my first and only Model Team set. The mixture of Technic and System parts is excellent for creating detailed models with some nice functionalities. Every model I build is to be as realistic and detailed as possible, even when they are my own designs.

What inspired you to build this?

After many years of building cars, I decided the rare Portuguese vehicles needed some love too. The UMM Alter II, although barely known outside Portugal, is one of the most famous ones. They are no 118 BRICKS

longer produced but can still be seen on our roads. Many were used by the military, police and firefighters. Making something recognisable by the audience at our events was also a big motivation for it.

Many prople still use and keep these cars today, which results in some interesting reactions at events.

How long did the build take?

In total, it probably took a month or two but it was not a consecutive build.

I started planning this MOC around September 2014, first with real parts and then in LEGO Digital Designer. Due to a lack of time, I made small advances every now and then, until I finally found some free time and support from my LUG to finish it this summer.

Does it have any moving parts?

It has some functionalities but it was never meant to be motorised. The main one is that every door opens without sacrificing

Every month, we will bring you the best creations from selected recognised LEGO User Groups, as voted for by their members

very simple rear suspension that makes it look better in photos and displays.

any detail and without tricks. There are no noticeable gaps between them and the body and this was accomplished by using panels in key places. For instance, the side pillars are built upside-down to put a 1x1 corner panel in a place where a simple 1x1 brick would jam the door.

Also, the rear door is built with SNOT in order to replicate the door from the original and also uses panels to let it move freely. Besides the doors, it has steering controlled from the steering wheel and

Is there anything you would change?

Originally, it was supposed to be yellow but I couldn’t find some parts in that colour. Some still aren’t even available in white, so I would like to replace them one day. Some details may not be completely accurate, as the real car has many versions and I could not find a good set of photos of this version. A real slick suspension with springs and little more resistance would also be an improvement.

Is there a particular technique that you used that was vital to this build?

Not a particular technique but many details, offsets and angles were created

with hinges, clips, bars and brackets. First I created the shapes, then I used these parts to keep everything in place. The hood is a perfect example; it keeps its angled shape even when opened.

What are you planning to build next?

I’ve already built my next one, the Sherp ATV, which is an awesome Russian allterrain vehicle. Unlike the UMM, this was built in two or three days and is motorised.

How can we see more of your work?

You’ll find more on Comunidade 0937’s online forum and gallery, on Flickr at flic. kr/ps/f9JbU, on Brickshelf at brickshelf. com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=Biczzz and there are also some videos on YouTube at youtube.com/user/Biczzz.

BRICKS 119

THEN ‘CONSTRUCTIVE COMPLIMENTS’

1966 Apparently, this new building was going to be a display of contemporary architecture but Doris wasn’t entirely sure she should accept the wolf whistles as contemporary compliments.

120 BRICKS

N W

BY ELSPETH DE MONTES

2016 As the demolition boss briefed her team before erasing another Brutalist building, Doris realised that this was the perfect moment to attempt her first ‘selfie’.

BRICKS 121

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