BrickJournal #77

Issue 77 • January 2023

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LEGO® Photography Returns!

Scott Murphy: Toying with Light

Techniques, Storytelling Tips and Lighting Tricks

LEGO Minifigures Meet Nature

INSTRUCTIONS AND MORE! 1

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Issue 77 • January 2023

Contents From the Editor....................................................2

Photography Introduction..........................................................3 How to Get Started in Toy Photography........................................4

People A Photographer’s Story: Arvin Coloma....................................................8 A Photographer’s Story: Sarah Bastien’s Photo Album..................14 A Photographer’s Story: Alicia Costalago Meruelo..........................18 A Photographer’s Story: Richard Henry................................................23

Building Minifigs in Motion...........................................28 Toying with Light.............................................30 Putting a Little Bounce in Your Shots!....36 Ready, Set Action!

Minifigure Posing.........................................38 Photo Gallery.....................................................43 Dean Gofnung: Camera Builder..............................................48 BrickNerd Instructions: Polaroid Camera...........................................50 Building Peacock MOCs................................58 Minifigure Customization 101: Happy Birthday!............................................62

Community Bantha Bricks: Lee Goldman’s Jedi Vector Fighter.......68 Last Word.............................................................79 Classic AFOLs.....................................................80

From the Editor: Hi!

January 2023 • Issue 77 Publisher John Morrow Editor in Chief Joe Meno Guest Editor Shelly Corbett Assistant to Shelly Corbett Teddi Deppner BrickNerd and Assistant Editor Dave Schefcik Photography Editor Geoff Gray Proofreader John Morrow Japanese Bureau Editor Nathan Bryan West Coast Editors Ashley Glennon Bantha Bricks Correspondent Steven Smyth Contributors: Sarah Bastien, Jared Burks, Arvin Coloma, Stephanie DeFranco, Dean Gofnung, Lee Goldman, Richard Henry, Chellie Hyre, Janee Landroth, Tomas Lasek, Tomas Macro_lego, Alicia Costalag Meruelo, Scott Murphy, Brick Panda, Seth Peacock, Sabrina Perry, Rennerbricks, Steven Smyth, Michal Szymel, Julia Vasquez, Geoff Vlcek, WeeLegoMan, Weng Hong Ong, and Greg Hyland.

Many thanks to the websites who have served as mirrors for BrickJournal: www.LUGNET.com www.Brickshelf.com www.peeron.com www.brickmodder.net www.rustyclank.com About the Cover: Shelly Corbett presents a photo of some mice on a boat ride.

About the Contents: Brick Panda presents a beautiful day for exploring with a Tallneck from Horizon.

In what has become an annual tradition, BrickJournal devotes an issue to those who do photos of LEGO minifigures and creations. It might sound like a rather niche niche, but it turns out that minifigure photography is about the most accessible way to start with LEGO. All you need is a minifigure, a camera (which you have in your phone most likely), and an idea. A wonderful story can be shown in photos using a small set or even just a minifigure— the opportunities are only limited by your imagination.

There’s also a couple of builds spotlighted and instructions to build a Polaroid camera for yourself—film not included.

So take a look and get inspired—have fun!

Joe Meno P.S. Have ideas or comments? Drop me a line at brickjournal@gmail.com. I’m open to suggestions and comments and will do my best to reply.

P.P.S... Yes, BrickJournal has a website — www.brickjournal.com! Twitter? Yep, there too — http://twitter.com/brickjournal. Facebook? Yup — http://www.facebook.com/group. php?gid=58728699914&ref=mf.

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Glossary AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) AFFOL (Adult Female Fan of LEGO) TFFOL (Teen Female Fan of LEGO) NLSO (Non-LEGO Significant Other) MOC (My Own Creation) TLG (The LEGO Group) BURP (Big Ugly Rock Piece) LURP (Little Ugly Rock Piece) POOP (Pieces­—that can be or should be made—Of Other Pieces)

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SNOT (Studs Not on Top) LUG (LEGO Users Group) LTC (LEGO Train Club) MECHA (a large armored robot on legs, typically controlled by a pilot seated inside) MECH (a large piloted combat robot) DARK AGES (usually teen years, when you drift away from building) STUDS OUT (building where the studs on bricks face the viewer)

BrickJournalTM issue 76, November 2022 (ISSN 1941-2347) is published bi-monthly by TwoMorrows Publishing, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614, USA. Phone: (919) 449-0344. Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BrickJournal, c/o TwoMorrows, 10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614.

Joe Meno, Editor. John Morrow, Publisher. BrickJournal Editorial Offices: 6701 Coachman Drive, Springfield, VA 22152, USA. E-mail: admin@brickjournal.com.

Send subscription funds to TwoMorrows, NOT to the editorial offices. Six-issue subscriptions: $73 US, $111 Elsewhere, $29 Digital Only, and can be purchased at www.twomorrows.com. LEGO ®, TECHNIC, MINDSTORMS, Belville, Scala, BIONICLE, ExoForce, Mars Mission, World City, and other LEGO theme lines are trademarks of the LEGO Group of companies. Star Wars TM & © Lucasfilm. All articles, photos, and art © BrickJournal Media, LLC, TwoMorrows Publishing and the respective writers, photographers, and artists. All rights reserved. All trademarked items are the property of their respective owners and licensees. Printed in China. FIRST PRINTING.

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BrickJournal and its staff would like to thank the LDraw community for the software it makes available to the community, which we use for making all of the instructions and renderings in this magazine. We would especially like to thank Kevin Clague for his continued upgrades of the LPub tool that is a part of the LDraw suite. For more information, please visit http://www.ldraw.org.

Welcome to issue #77 of BrickJournal. I’m pleased to be back as guest editor of another issue devoted to Legography. I love photographing LEGO minifigures!

And nothing gives me greater pleasure than sharing this love with you. Once again, I invited some of my extremely talented friends to share their stories, pulling back the curtain to reveal how they create their magic.

Photography

I’m often asked where I get my ideas. It’s important to note that each artist is different in what inspires them.

For me personally, it’s always a combination of personal experience combined with external influences. Once you get into a creative flow, the ideas seem to come from everywhere. But what happens if you’re not already creatively active? That’s when it helps to see examples from other creative people.

Within this issue you will find amazing photographers who create images captured in the beauty of nature, and others who build elaborate indoor studios to photograph in. These inspiring creatives use anything from professional camera set-ups to iPhones to capture their visions. They show by example that equipment or size of LEGO collection is never the stumbling block to creating phenomenal images.

We hope you enjoy these articles as well as the gallery of Legographers who all share where their ideas come from.

Maybe you too will be inspired to join us in this fun corner of the LEGO Universe!

It’s always a thrill and pleasure to share the art of Legography with the BrickJournal community. Thank you for reading!

Shelly Corbett Founder, Toy Photographers Blog and Podcast ToyPhotographers.com ShellyCorbett.com Workshops: https://shellycorbett.com/workshops/

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Photography

How to Get Started in Toy Photography Article and Photography

by Sabrina Perry Instagram: @theperryadventures

As you flip through the pages of this Brickjournal issue, you may be in awe of the photography and toy photographers featured. You may ask yourself, “How? How did they do that?” And next you may wonder, “How do I do that?”

Believe me, I ask myself those same questions on a daily basis. I’ll be scrolling through Instagram wondering, “How do I compete with that?”

Well, I am sorry but I don’t have the answers to these big questions. All I have to share with you is my journey, and what I did to become a toy photographer.

Hopefully my path, my trials, and my triumphs will help you on your toy photography journey.

I started taking toy photos in 2016 but didn’t consider myself a toy photographer until 2021. I started small, with one simple idea: To recreate moments from my life from the moment I met my husband to our wedding day, as a Christmas gift using two LEGO minifigures and my cell phone. I had read an article on BoredPanda about Andrew Whyte and his 365 LEGOGRAPHY Project and thought to myself, “I can do that. All he does is bring his Minifig around and snaps shots on his cell phone.”

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The minute I snapped a photo of the two minifigures in the hallway at the college where I met my husband, I was hooked. It was addicting.

I started carrying the minifigures around with me everywhere. Whenever I saw something cool, I would take the toys out and snap a photo with my phone.

They weren’t good photographs. Honestly, some of them are really bad. The angles were all wrong, I didn’t take a lot of time to compose them, and sometimes the wrong thing is in focus. It didn’t matter that I only had two figures, and it didn’t matter what gear I had. What mattered was the experience—and more importantly, my husband loved the gift.

After the project was over, I kept going. I recreated a scene from Dirty Dancing. I used a piece of tape to help hold one of the figures in the air. Looking back, the photo isn’t great either, but at the time to me it was one of the best photographs I’d ever taken. I was excited that I figured out a way to make it look like one of the figures was flying.

Over the next three years, I took toy photos sporadically. Some photos are better than others.

However, my investment in the hobby had increased. Once you discover toy photography, it seems there is no going back. I wanted to be a better toy photographer, so naturally I googled ‘toy photography.’ I started following toy photographers on Instagram, and reading articles on toyphotographers. com, listening to their podcast and following @brickcentral on Instagram because they both featured the best of the best. I was learning how to be a toy photographer. I was obsessed.

I copied their ideas, I copied my favorite scenes in movies, and TV. I copied everything.

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But, I never felt like I was good enough. I kept comparing myself to everyone else. I felt like an imposter.

In 2020, my New Year’s resolution was to challenge myself with a 365.

I would take 15 minutes of my day to do something I love as a way to recenter myself. I would post one toy photo a day starting January 1st. Little did I know that only a few months later, my toy photography would be filled with surgical masks and minifigures separated by a ruler 6cm apart. It became a way for me to deal with the stress of a global pandemic. I didn’t know that I would reach 1000 followers on Instagram or what else 2021 would bring. All I knew was that I wanted to take one toy photo a day for myself.

Spoiler alert: I finished the 365. It is the only time in my life I actually completed a New Year’s resolution.

Now, the 365 didn’t magically make me a better photographer. However, it did change me. It allowed me to hone my skills on a daily basis. I tried, failed, and succeeded every day to take one toy photograph. After doing the 365, I finally felt confident enough in my skills to interact with the other photographers on the internet.

You see, because of the pandemic, ToyPhotographers.com was going to hold a virtual toy photographers meet-up. It was my chance to meet the photographers I listen to on the podcast, follow on Instagram, and quietly obsess with from the safety of my own home. I was scared and nervous, but signed up anyway.

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The virtual meet-up changed my toy photography. It changed my mindset. I was no longer someone following these people on the internet in the background. I became a friend. A participant. That podcast I was listening to every month?

I co-hosted it. Those monthly challenges I was participating in?

I helped run them. Helping other photographers grow into better versions of themselves made me a better version of myself. I even made it to an issue of BrickJournal featuring toy photographers (look, here I am!).

I put myself out there, and instead of disappointment and ridicule, all I found was friendship, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging.

You can see more of Sabrina’s Instagram work by scanning this QR code!

I know I haven’t really given you any tips on how to become a toy photographer. But my tips are hidden in the story. The first is to just start small. Grab one minifigure (or maybe two), place them anywhere, and snap one photo. It’s amazing how many stories you can tell just with one figure and your cell phone.

Second, I was never an imposter. Just because you copy someone or something, doesn’t make you any less of an artist. I learned so many things from attempting to recreate movie scenes. It is about the process. It’s learning about how to light a scene just like Steven Spielberg. It’s about realizing that while you will never be any of the other toy photographers you admire, you can learn what makes your photography unique, and what type of toy photographer you are. You only compete with yourself.

Third, come find us on the internet. You’ll find people in this community who are very forthcoming with how they got the shot. You’ll find plenty of resources with actual

tips, you’ll find podcasts interviewing toy photographers on their origins and their process, and many people just like you—people who love photography and who still love to create stories and worlds with their toys.

The last thing I will leave you with is, that you are a toy photographer. Or if you haven’t gotten out there to take pictures yet, then know you have the potential to become one.

Don’t worry so much about what gear to use, what toys to buy, or where to go to get the best shot. Just go out there and try anything and everything. If there’s a photographer you admire, study their work, break it down, and try it for yourself. If you only have one minifigure, that doesn’t matter—just get out there and have fun.

Places to Find Friends And Resources: www.Toyphotographers.com www.Stuckinplastic.com www.Brickcentral.net

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People

I’ll start with a bit of background. I’m a graphic designer and photographer originally from the Philippines and now based in Melbourne, Australia, where I’ve been for the past two decades with my wife and kids. My favorite photographic genres are portraiture, street, and toy photography. Yes, I believe toy photography should be its own genre.

I began ‘toying’ with toy photography around 2012 when working from home. A few times while putting toys away, I found myself doing impromptu photo shoots—with toys! Since then, I’m never without a couple of LEGO Stormtrooper Minifigures in my pocket, ready for a scene.

Toys are the best subjects, because unlike live models (humans and furry types), they do as they’re told, they’re always on time, and they never complain! Kidding aside, it keeps my creative juices flowing and is a good exercise to improve photography skills and techniques. Evoking emotions and storytelling in small plastic objects are a great motivation.

I run the Toy Shutterbugs blog where I regularly feature fellow toy photographers sharing their insights, views, and tutorials on toy photography. All toys are welcome!

The incredible toy photography community is another major reason I enjoy this hobby. Connected by a common interest, it’s a very supportive and creative bunch of people from across the globe. I’ve certainly made friends at an international level.

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas Portrait of a Shy Bot.

A Photographer’s Story:

Arvin Coloma

Article and Photography by Arvin Coloma Instagram: @nirvana Website: www.toyshutterbugs.com

“The best ideas come when you rid your mind of all thoughts.”

— Haresh Sippy I treat ideas as presents—both out-of-the-blue and externally prompted ones.

Out-of-the-blue ideas are those that spontaneously pop into your mind. These ideas may come about when I’ve just woken up, or in the middle of mundane tasks, or running house errands. If I can’t shoot immediately, I make a mental note or jot it down for future reference. It’s like being able to pluck ideas out of the ether.

Externally prompted ideas are those brought about by recent or present experiences. From newly watched movies, or recently heard music/lyrics, or sunlight coming through a window—these are elements that can fuel inspiration and inspire new ideas.

Some ideas are prompted by photo contest themes.

The contest brief and how I translate it into photos is a great way to practice creative visualization. During the lockdowns when I was only able to shoot at home, BrickCentral hosted a photo contest with the theme “shot at home.” I was able to create a few well-received images, and even won the competition.

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The Beach.

Image Making Process My creative process varies depending on how the idea for the images came about.

It’s the street photographer in me that aims to build an image based on available light at a location. As street photos are situational—reliant on light and how it affects the immediate location—it requires quick thinking and familiarity with the camera. The scene is already set up for the photographer and may or may not include additional elements like people (or in this case, minifigures).

An example is when there’s sunlight coming through the windows and lighting certain areas of the house. I grab a minifigure (or action figure), adapt to the scene, and shoot.

I love the immediacy of creating an image knowing that the light will soon fade or change direction. It helps me think quickly and use the camera properly to achieve my vision.

Since these images are captured as seen through the lens, there’s very little post-processing involved. Depending on how well the elements within the frame work together, the final image may be taken “straight out of camera” and then shared to the community.

Hope.

Raft Ahoy!

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Sometimes an idea requires meticulous execution. In those cases, I set up scenes based on a sketch or mental note. Most of the time the final image is already in my head, and it’s just a matter of getting everything to work together—subjects, background, and lighting.

Conversations.

Minimal Editing Being a graphic designer and an enthusiast photographer, I’m familiar with various image editing software. Since I have the Adobe Creative Cloud for design work, my go-to combo for image editing is Lightroom and Photoshop. I also use Snapseed on my mobile phone for quick edits prior to sharing on social channels.

Despite using editing software regularly, I’m still intent on shooting and getting everything right in-camera. Most of the time, my edits are very minimal—removing unwanted background elements, enhancing details, and everyone’s least favorite: cleaning up dust from minifigures!

I limit image editing and post-processing unless I’m doing a composite of complex images—for instance, creating a scene full of Spartan Warriors using only one minifigure.

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Spartans x Light Bulb.

Let’s Talk Gear and Avoiding GAS A while ago, I was given a Canon SLR film camera by a former workmate, and I fell in love with the Canon system. I’ve since stuck with the brand, going through a few camera bodies and different lenses. My current Canon gear includes an EOS 6D full frame body and a range of lenses, including a Lensbaby.

With the advent of mirrorless cameras, I’ve recently delved into the world of Fujifilm. Being an APS-C (crop sensor) system, the camera bodies are smaller and more compact compared to DSLRs. I enjoy using them for portability (lighter weight even with lenses attached) and flexibility (weather sealed and flip screens).

Presently, my favorite set-up is a Fujifilm X-T3 body and some lenses. I’ve also been shooting toys using an advanced compact camera, the Fujifilm X100V with a fixed 23mm lens. Limiting myself to a single focal length has made me enjoy the basics of photography again—thinking about the framing, angles, and such before taking the shot.

Occasionally, I use my Apple iPhone SE to shoot when none of my cameras are handy.

Natural light is my favorite. But if I want to control the lighting, I use reflectors, pocket torches, and small LED lamps, including Lume Cubes. With the ability to adjust

How we roll!

the intensity of the light, as well as add accessories like color gels and grids, these are among my favorite gear.

I’m also currently learning off-camera flash/speed lights.

And if the shoot requires it, I use studio strobes with light modifiers like soft boxes and grids.

Photography technology changes so fast that it’s hard (and expensive) to keep up. I plead guilty to gear acquisition syndrome (GAS) and often remind myself to concentrate on the photography, not the equipment! I’m currently deciding on which system to adapt and stick with longer term—for my sanity and my wallet’s sake!

Location, Location, Location For toy photography, I enjoy both indoor and outdoor locations.

But I favor shooting outdoors, probably due to my street photography inclination and love of natural light. Whenever there’s a holiday trip coming up, my family prompts me to bring subjects along (as if I need reminding). The real problem is picking which ones to take!

I look forward to the community meet-ups to catch up with fellow toy photographers and make a day out of it.

Aside from shooting outdoors, there’s heaps of toys to share around and photograph!

Recently, though, I do more indoor set-ups. This is mainly due to life and work ‘getting in the way’, allowing me to shoot only in the evenings. Another reason is that some scenes benefit from enclosed areas to avoid figures being blown over or knocked down, as I rarely use wires to hold things in place. I enjoy the chaotic group scenes, mostly involving Stormtroopers in their minifigure version.

The Explorer.

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House Party.

Secret Weapons I’m never without Blu-Tack (reusable putty). Minifigures are so easy to set-up with it and a cinch to clean off as well.

Also, a make-up brush is a must-have tool to get rid of dust that clings onto anything plastic. I don’t want to do a lot of editing involving dust. I rarely use wires, but keep them handy just in case. A few pieces of foam core make handy reflectors. There’s also the important arsenal of LEGO accessories ranging from mugs to bicycles.

Shooting With Intent and for Fun Although it’s easy to get carried away by social media likes, memes and fads, I make it a point to shoot for myself. It’s hard to please everyone and you should not make that your aim.

Show Off Fail.

I believe my audience enjoys much the same things that I do. When I create images with the intent of storytelling, or self-expression, or just plain fun, I know there are viewers like myself who will appreciate the output.

They may not always comment, but there are those who do, and I value each one. I relish the ones who say they were touched by an emotion, or virtually laughed at the dad jokes, or were awed by the image.

Influences My list of influences will probably not fit here, but I certainly have some favorite toy photographers.

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I can’t not mention Tanaka Tatsuya, whose exemplary work using miniature scale figures just boggles the mind. His consistency and frequency of image making is

Boba’s Prize.

incredible. I have attempted my own versions of some of Tanaka’s work, but using minifigures instead.

Brian McCarty is another favorite. His collection of works in the book Art-Toys pre-dates Instagram, but they are the coolest toy photographs. His work just exemplifies everything in toy photography that technically excels and entertains. There’s also his work on the War Toys Project which is such great advocacy, showing that photography (even of toys) can spread relevant messages.

Reflections and Advice If asked what to tell my younger self when he started toy photography, I would say, “Get to know your camera and shoot lots of photos of what you love!”

Getting to know your tools will help hone your craft, with less worrying about the equipment and more focus on the creative aspects of photography. After shooting to your heart’s content and mastering the camera, then you can begin to work on your art.

It’s the same advice I would offer to new hobbyists just starting this fun journey.

You can see more of Arvin’s work by scanning this QR code.

Travel in 2020.

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People

A Photographer’s Story:

Sarah Bastien’s Photo Album Article and Photography by Sarah Bastien Instagram: @sarouxbastoux Facebook: Saroux Bastoux Lego

My name is Sarah. I’m a 36-year-old mother, and I live in Clermont-Ferrand in France.

As a kid, I loved taking pictures. I took my grandmother’s old camera to photograph objects, landscapes, and also my family. I never really stopped taking pictures throughout my life.

It was in 2014 that I started LEGO photography after attending an exhibition near my home. It was my first, and I immediately fell back into childhood. From there, the passion returned, and I started collecting some coins and some figures with my husband because he too had caught the toy virus.

This was the subject of my very first photo—a photo of my husband and I that I took for fun. He liked it a lot and so I continued.

What I like about LEGO photography is telling a story.

Make the toys interact with our daily life. It’s as if our world is a big dollhouse and the minifigures live in it.

But I also like to leave with a bag on my back to go and photograph them outside.

Photography is a passion that requires a minimum of equipment to create. I have a Nikon DSLR with three lenses. I most often use the Nikkor 35mm because it is the most complete for what I do.

I often start from a minifig or an everyday object to find an idea. I ask myself questions: “How to stage such a figure?

How would figures interact with this object if it came to life in my world?“ For the most part, ideas come to me as a result of a situation I have already experienced.

yed a role My daughter has often pla enjoy a you e hop I ns. in my inspiratio ind beh ries sto the of r descriptive tou . tos these pho my For example, it is thanks to photo. this ed gin ima I t daughter tha ring du , old rs yea 1.5 s wa When she h wit a meal, she started playing —she her p sto ’t ldn cou I s. pea her ght cau I was laughing so much. from self my t tec myself trying to pro I t tha so ch mu so this “attack”— minifig put myself in the place of a Pea the got I So er. cov for running e aus Pod Costume Girl figure bec to nod t fec I thought it was the per ” tle. recreate this “epic bat

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tural light as take advantage of na to try I : es en Sc e lighting. A light Behind Th metimes use accent so I t bu en , ble ssi po much as plete satisfaction wh stand gives me com le tab at jus th s ad ial an nt se on box s. My es t to the shadow area I need to give a boos ed me a lot for this lp he at th d ywhere an xible wires. accompany me ever le glue pods) and fle ab us (re x tafi pa : . I also have two composition miniatures in motion y m ld ho to e m e, and a modular They allow r photos from abov fo d po For tri c ssi cla A tripods: nd or in the water. photos on the grou r fo o) ot ph e th e. (in en tripod e for my sc find a coherent plac the rest, I just try to os, I shoot with the ground on my phot ck ba e l th of r blu a deep, I take severa To keep And if my scene is re. tu er er th ap ge to ble ssi em po th widest rimpose areas of focus. I supe t ren ffe di th wi e). os phot g techniqu wards (focus stackin via Photoshop after d without toys by o without scenery an ot ph l e ra ut ne a e I also tak is allows me to eras y lens in manual. Th m of s cu fo n. e th tio g uc in od keep post-pr ds, tape, patafix) in all the artifices (threa

r so I looked fo niverse, and u f el O v . ar ld M or e w r love th America in ou At home we —a shield raph Captain ld og ie ot sh h p is h to es m co a an idea ic er lf...

Captain Am protect himse course, with , but also to ch as ck su ta fe at li to ay d im of every s ie ar that allows h e, ag v e d lf from th tion was on protect himse example. Once this reflec e, or m ’s at y. Wh , for tap was read a, a water leak a ll re er b d n m u u it ic utting a fantast e ak m ld the idea of p ou shield w ink?

I’m sure this don’t you th

inspiration came to me For the photo of the fairground, the through the door of my the day this record player walked d diverting it into an gine house. Indeed, I immediately ima came up with the I that r attraction. It was some time late when I saw a on acti attr s” Cup idea of using it as a “Tea “cups” I first intended to disc spinning on it. To make my as I wanted to put two use barrels (LEGO part 64951). But inventive. Luckily I had characters in each cup, I had to be these cupcake cases on hand.

I love the Hidden Side set 70419 “Wrecked Shrimp Boat” and I wanted to take a photo with the boat—but not as it is—by hijacking an everyday obje ct. My idea was to photograph it in my sink, so for mor e realism, the diverted object had to float. I immediately thought of a tin can and I found it funny to use a sard ine tin, which brings an additional link to my story.

You can see more of Sarah’s Instagram work by scannign this QR code.

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Here, the idea is simple: a ro bot having a arrives on va good time. H cation, puts d e own his suitca sunglasses an se, takes his d a cocktail, be fore lying dow sun—what w n to enjoy the e all do. But I had the idea of wooden sun lo reproducing a unger by asse mbling set 10 Tree. Indeed, 281, the Bonsa I have entirely i used the piec which host th es of the boar is superb crea d tion. For the re sunglasses, I cord, to get used pieces of x-ray that I sl glasses from ipped under pack 41597 “G the o Brick Me”.

I often start fro m a minifig or an everyday objec t to find an ide a.

s o. When kid ired this phot sp I in en r h te h w g d n my dau ere! A go everywh Once again, e w ey th at , th g n li so t craw So much e! er h w ! y that age star e? er ic ere, I mean ev itor and police... the pol say everywh is on th m d use y obliged to I had never are constantl a good idea… ow. I put it in the ’s at h T ! ea n Here’s an id ries 11, until the rest. gure from se daughter do y m t le d policeman fi an om ro g e livin middle of th

I’m a big fan of Disney, so I regularly try to photog raph this univ erse while bringing that little bit of magic that makes us dream so muc h. For Aladdin, I wan ted to make hi m fly like on his magic carpet, but I wanted him to use an object from my house. I im mediately thou ght of a book since fo r me, reading allows me to travel, to escape—a little personal nod .

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People

Lavender Fields.

A Photographer’s Story:

Alicia Costalago Meruelo Article and Photography

by Alicia Costalago Meruelo Instagram: @taskera_photography

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Allow me to introduce myself. I’m a Spanish engineer currently living and working in Germany. I’ve always been interested in arts and crafts and I have been collecting and building LEGO for years. I love to travel and take photographs of my trips. But with the birth of my son and the beginning of the pandemic happening together, I was kept stuck at home.

I started my toy photography journey in 2021. During the lockdown I was searching for an escape when I found toy photography on Instagram. I started building landscapes and scenes on a small table in my house and posted those pictures online. Slowly, I fell in love with the hobby and started learning everything I could about it, from building dioramas and creating MOCs to photography and post-processing.

My pictures usually represent outdoor scenes and figures in nature. There are moments of peace and wonder, including both magical and mundane moments. I use fairytales, books, and movies as references. Fantasy is always the best inspiration for my photography, even if what ends up in the picture does not look magical. The Lavender Fields photograph started out as an interpretation of a scene in the movie Big Fish, where the main character gives her beloved a field of daffodils (her favorite flower) in front of her house. I imagined what a special thing it would be when you grow old, to take care of such a wonderful present and be reminded of that love every morning.

Occasionally I also build rooms and buildings out of LEGO bricks, or use some from standard sets, to play with the light from windows and lamps. An example of this is the Florist working on a table next to the window, which was inspired by the video game Life is Strange True Colors. The flower shop owner happily continues preparing bouquets, forgetting that she has prepared enough already.

Every photograph starts with a minifigure, the main character of a story. I picture what kind of environment the figure is in and what sort of story is happening.

What is the figure doing, and why? Or perhaps, where is it going? At this point, sometimes I sketch the outline of the photograph on paper, but most of the time I create the image in my head, composing the scene and thinking about what it needs.

Then, I prepare to build. I choose what colors will be in the composition. Sometimes color choices are just to be harmonic, like in the lavender fields, but sometimes it is to make something stand out, like the red shirt of the sleeping fisherman. I also plan where and what type of light there will be and where it will come from.

The Florist.

Ice Warrior.

Next I prepare the diorama. It is most often created in the moment on top of the table, using rocks and branches, fake plants, sand, gravel, or fake snow. I’ve gathered these materials over time, mostly from parks and the street. But some, like the fake snow, are bought.

Once the diorama is ready, I start adding animals (nearly all my pictures include at least one animal) and small details.

For the forest I have created a semi-permanent diorama.

It has a polystyrene base with sand and coffee and fake grass from train model dioramas. There are branches stuck into it to imitate the trees, and I use plastic plants on top of them to create foliage and interesting shadows.

I then add the LEGO pieces (if needed) and the minifigures and start moving things around, this time in front of the camera. I use a Canon RP with a 24105mm lens on a tripod for most of my pictures. Once the posing and the position of all the things are in the right place on the screen, I add the lighting, which can be as important as the minifigure in the photograph.

The set-up for the Princess and the Frog... ...and the resulting shot.

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I have two larger LED panels positioned above the table, and several small LED panels that I use frequently. One of the big panels shining from above the figure represents the sun, while the other usually

highlights the background. I also use a large window on top when I can, as a giant softbox to illuminate the whole area. Occasionally I use tiny LEDs to illuminate small bricks and such, like LEGO streetlamps, torches, or a dragon’s fire. Recently I also started playing with a flash and exploring the different opportunities that it provides, especially for windows and light beams.

Most of the effects are done in-camera. I use black and white cardboards to bounce or block light to the image.

Wires and blue tack can make things appear to fly or to stay in difficult positions. I use a face mister for mist and fog effects. Once I take an image that I like on the screen, I import it into Lightroom. From there it is a matter of playing with the sliders to achieve the look and feel I’m after. I usually increase the contrast and vibrance and decrease the texture and the clarity, but each photograph is different. Occasionally, I also edit the images in Photoshop, especially if there are wires to remove or if I want to add special effects, like the petals falling in Olaf’s first Spring.

Olaf.

At the end of the day, I want my photographs to create emotions in the viewer: excitement, peace, or just a chuckle—like the joy of Olaf as he sees Spring for the first time, the tranquility of a bike ride through the forest, or the confusion of the zombie that has just lost his new balloon along with his arm. I want to show a fleeting moment of a story, to make the people wonder what will happen next. Who will win the fight—the dragon, or the knight? Will the shark get the swimmer?

Will the frog actually transform into a prince, or will the princess turn into a frog?

Cycling through the forest.

You can see more of Alicia’s work on her Instagram account by scanning this QR code!

Zombie Circus.

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Shark!

Serenade.

Jane Goodall.

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With each picture I try something new or try to do something better. The online photography challenges from communities like Stuck in Plastic, BrickCentral or Toy Photographers are great for this, as they usually take me out of my comfort zone. This is the place where I learn the most. It is a very slow process, a lot of work, and often frustrating. Sometimes a new idea works and sometimes it does not, but it is not magic, and with enough effort, anyone can do it. To me, the important thing is to continue producing pictures that make me happy and carry me to other worlds.

People

A Photographer’s Story:

Richard Henry Article and Photography

by Richard Henry Instagram: @tongwars

The Empire is on the march.

Hello there! I’m Richard Henry, aka @tongwars on Instagram. Born in England, my family emigrated to Australia when I was ten years old. I live on the New South Wales Central Coast which is about an hour north of Sydney. I’m 44 years old, married, and dad to four beautiful girls. I’m a Registered Nurse working in a busy hospital and toy photography has been my hobby for the past four-anda-half years.

I was introduced to toy photography in late 2017 by a workmate after we watched The Last Jedi trailer. He told me of his friend Jay Heywood (please checkout @budfutu on Instagram) who is a fellow massive Star Wars fan who builds and photographs his own scenes. Jay’s work is toy photography perfection, in my view. I was instantly inspired to see whether I could create similar style shots, but using Star Wars LEGO. At the time I only owned a small amount of Star Wars LEGO, but as you can imagine my collection has grown quite a bit over the past four years. I was instantly hooked!

Attracted to Toy Photography by Star Wars I started toy photography in late 2017. I’ve always had a creative side, but never really had an outlet to focus on. As a child of the ’80s, I grew up with the original Star Wars trilogy and was drawn back to Star Wars in the early ’90s with Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy. I’ve remained a massive fan since, especially of Star Wars fan art paintings.

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LEGO photography gave me that creative outlet that I didn’t know I needed. It’s such a flexible pastime.

I can do it anytime there’s an opportunity, day or night, indoors or outdoors. It has to be said I’m also a big fan of the community. It’s a privilege to be a part of such a positive worldwide family that gives so much support to its members.

The Ideas Are in the Toys

Building a Setting The above photo is the result of making a diorama with the materials shown at the right, and the lighting and effects equipment below. The diorama, seen below right, is lit and set up for a photo test. The resulting photo is at the bottom.

Ideas come from many different places, but it usually starts with the toy itself. The reason why I focus on Star Wars LEGO is because it allows me to shoot both minifigures and the iconic vehicles. When I see a figure or vehicle, I always look at it from a photography perspective. My LEGO rule is if I can’t photograph it in multiple scenes, I won’t buy it.

Inspiration can also come from other forms and mediums including movies, TV shows, fan art, the toy photography community, or my own imagination.

Ideas can even come from random inanimate objects. I’ve had ideas born from house bricks, pavers, old engine parts, and internal electric components. I’m always on the lookout for props I can use in shots. The key to these is scale and proportion. The props need to help sell the illusion of the ‘toys to life’ scenario that I am trying to create. I don’t want anything disproportionate that draws you away from the story and breaks the illusion. Natural environment elements can be tricky.

For example, proportionately sized tree branches make perfect tree trunks. If you’ve seen my page, you’ll notice I use uniquely shaped firewood that doubles as cliff tops quite a lot.

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I don’t have a preference between indoor and outdoor shots. They’re both equal to me. The location is dictated by the idea. I’m fortunate to live close to many different types of environments that are toy photography-friendly. As I’m sure you can see from my page, I do like to use a location close to my home that gives amazing sunsets and water reflections. I’m also fortunate to own a large shed at my house which

Snowspeeder on a run.

allows me to have a dedicated indoor space to create. This is where my indoor shots are created. I’ve adjusted the layout so that I can build indoor dioramas that can be lit both artificially and naturally. It’s a great space and I’m very lucky to have it.

From Idea to Finished Photo Taking an idea and turning it into a photo depends on what I have in mind. For indoor settings I’ll build a diorama first out of whatever object has inspired me, and then I’ll add a minifigure or vehicle that suits the scene. Next I take a quick shot with my phone. If it looks like it’ll work, then I’ll go ahead and fill the scene and light it. I’d usually spend no more than two hours on this. This is often done late at night in my shed.

Once I have the image I like, I’ll edit and post, usually within an hour of finishing the shoot.

The hidden Rebel.

But if it’s an outdoor shot idea, then I have to factor in when I’ll be able to get it done. Time is my biggest hurdle with toy photography. My spare time is limited at best, particularly when it comes to shooting at an outdoor location. If I know the window of opportunity won’t come for a while, then I’ll shelve that idea until the chance presents itself.

I take photos with my iPhone 12 Pro Max. I really like that I can shoot, edit and post all on the one device. The process is generally pretty quick, which suits my busy lifestyle.

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When it comes to tools, it’s pretty simple. My lights are Manfrotto, of which I have three. I’m a big fan of Atmosphere Aerosol and I also use canned air from time to time to create particle movement. Other items include things like baking flour for snow. I’ll use a tea light on occasion. I don’t use wires, but I do rely heavily on Perspex stands in shots that contain a flying vehicle.

Boba Fett with his ship.

I use a number of different iPhone apps for editing, depending on the shot. My standard editing apps are Afterlight for basic colour and tone adjustments. I use Retouch to remove any unwanted items like the stands holding up my flying vehicles. I may use other apps depending on the shot. If I’m using an image ‘stacking’ technique seen in shots such as my invasion series that feature multiple AT-ATs, my go-to app is called Photoleap. For additional effects such as planets, engine glows, etc., I usually use either LensFX or AlienSky. I’ll also add my watermark.

I’ll then do a final edit in Instagram before posting. Given that Instagram is the social media platform I use, using their native editor gives the shot the final touch to best suit the app it will be seen on.

Motivations and Audience Response

Waiting for Imperials.

When it comes to my photography, it’s simply a case of hoping that people like what I’ve made.

Hopefully I’m creating something that is as unique as possible and nice to look at. You can’t make every shot epic looking. I don’t put pressure on myself that every new post has to be better than the previous, but I do have a standard that I like to at least maintain.

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive during the time that I’ve been doing this. It’s impossible to single out a specific memorable moment. Any feedback is great. For me, I’m lucky to cross multiple communities as feedback comes from LEGO fans, Star Wars fans and toy photography fans. I’ve displayed my work at some conventions over the past year, which has also been very rewarding. There’s a big difference in seeing face-to-face reactions as opposed to online feedback, both of which are incredible.

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From an Instagram perspective, it’s great to get a follow from the top accounts.

While a large following is great, I think it’s more rewarding to get a follow from my peers who I consider to be the very best in the genre. Some of these guys and girls are beyond talented and truly inspiring. For them to consider my work worthy of a follow is a very satisfying feeling.

Imperial inspection.

Creative Influences & Best Advice There are so many talented toy photographers out there, but if I had to really single someone out, it would be Jay Heywood (@budfutu on IG). His work was my first exposure to toy photography. Everything about his shots are perfect to me—from scale, tone, posing, and his obvious talent at diorama building.

They look very authentically Star Wars to me. I try to keep my shots as a LEGO equivalent to his work. I’m essentially envious of anyone that can use a DSLR! My early shots are certainly novice compared to what I have learned to implement these days. The learning curve is all part of the journey. I wouldn’t change anything, but I’ve learned not to get too focused on the social media aspect. I no longer feel the self-created pressures that I’m sure most of us have experienced.

I’d encourage new photographers not to get caught up on that side of things too much. Enjoy the art itself more than the tool that provides its exposure.

Most of all, don’t worry about needing high-end equipment! You don’t need a fancy camera and lighting. Start small. Keep everything in proportion. Sell the story. Don’t worry about Instagram likes and follows. That all comes with time.

More than anything else, enjoy it!

A Jedi watches.

You can see more of Richard’s work on Instagram by scanning this QR code.

Building

Minifigs in Motion Article and Photography

by Shelly Corbett

Tools of the trade.

I’m here to show you how to get your minifigures off the ground. Your minifigure will be walking, running and even flying before you know it with these simple tricks involving wire, miscellaneous LEGO parts, and common household objects. When you master the art of toys in motion, your figures will come to life.

Transparent bricks are used to help stabilize minifigures.

As you’ve probably already figured out, minifigures only stand on their own in a few simple positions. When you start placing your figures in nature, keeping them standing can either be an exercise in patience or incredibly frustrating—or both. Once I watched a cute little BB8 roll over a cliff, never to be seen again (by me) because it wasn’t properly secured with tac.

Tac / Poster Putty / Adhesive Dots

Tac or the equivalent is your first line of defense when it comes to keeping your toys in the proper position. A small ball of tac placed on one or both feet of a minifigure can keep it in place on most dry, hard surfaces. When I’m able to anchor one foot down, it gives me the ability to angle the figure forward. And when I push the other foot back, I create a feeling of forward movement. These subtle adjustments are the difference between a static looking figure and one living a full and active life! And don’t forget to position the arms in opposite directions from the legs for even more believability.

Technic Pins / Light Saber Hilts / Custom Stakes

The final photo.

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Okay, now that you’ve mastered tac, what happens if you’re outdoors and the surface you’re working on is either soft or wet? Moss, sand, dirt, snow, and ice all need a solution other than something sticky. This is where having a few Technic pins comes in handy. You can push these into porous material and then attach your minifigure.

Using any ridged LEGO part or material that can be pushed into sand, dirt, or moss, gives you the ability to pose your minifigure on a variety of

The set-up photo.

The final photo after editing out the stand.

Making a stand with LEGO parts.

terrains. I’ve seen t-pins used in sewing; toothpicks and brass tubing cut to usable lengths all work. This a great place to get creative with whatever you have on hand.

Wire / Bamboo Skewers / Transparent Clear Bar

Now that you’ve mastered keeping your minifigures in place, what about making them hover over the ground? Superman, Spider-Man and the beloved classic space astronauts just wouldn’t be the same without being able to float or fly. Skateboarders and BMX bikers are rarely on the ground, so why not get them in the air too?

For this technique, you can use ridged or flexible supports. Three methods I use frequently are 20ga bailing wire (or floral wire), bamboo skewers, or a 1x12 transparent bar (LEGO part #99784). Having a few posing studs on hand to use in conjunction with the trans clear bar will give you additional posing options.

For the wire and the bamboo skewer method, you will need help attaching these to the figure. I use a wad of tac or a spot of hot glue. I know what you’re thinking… hot glue? Yes, it works great and can be removed without damaging decorations on most minifigures. I would advise keeping it out of interior minifigure spaces (such as inside the foot or leg) unless you have a thin metal pick to remove it. Tac works wonderfully and removes easily, but you will need to keep it away from soft goods like capes.

When you start adding wires and additional supports, many photographers choose to edit these out of the image using photo-editing software. While some clean-up is often needed, you can really minimize the time spent editing with a few easy tricks. Carefully choosing a camera angle so the wires don’t show as much is a great technique. You can also use accessories and props to hide wires. I tend to rely on the blur created by my lenses to minimize my post-production work. I encourage you to try different methods to see what works best for you.

The set-up photo.

Making a stand with a bamboo skewer.

Time for You to Get Creative

Now that you have a foundation of supporting your minifigure, it’s time to get creative. Try combining different techniques, like the posing angle with the transparent clear bar, to find your own style. You can even bring out your clear bricks and use them to support a land speeder or boats in water. I like to combine the posing stud with accessories so I can place them at interesting angles.

Once you start capturing your minifigures in flight, I can almost guarantee you’re not going to want to stop. It’s super addictive. I’ve found that releasing my figures from gravity has also allowed me to tell even more creative stories.

And now I look forward to seeing what creative stories you will tell when you incorporate these simple techniques into your toy photography!

The final photo after editing out the stand.

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Building

Coming soon to a theatre near you: Kermit the Frog in No Time for Flies.

Toying with Light!

Article and Photography by Scott Murphy Instagram and Twitter: @toyingwithlight www.toyingwithlight.com 30

We’re living in a golden age of photography. It’s never been easier to take a picture and share it with the world. With over six billion smartphone users worldwide, most of us carry imaging technology in our pockets that we didn’t dream of even ten years ago. Along with the latest cameras, lenses, and software available to us, it’s truly an exciting time for photographers.

On Instagram alone, over a thousand pictures are uploaded each and every second of the day. And yet, some pictures still stand out from others. How? Why? With LEGO photography, where we can often control almost every aspect of the scene, I believe that investing time and energy in the creative process can help make that difference.

Let me share my approach, which I’ve adopted from photographer Ming Thein. He teaches that there are four things to consider in making an image that ‘works’: • The Idea • Light • Subject Isolation • Composition

The Idea It all begins with the idea. Before I pick up the camera, I aim to have my concept or story clear in my mind, along with a pretty good sense of what the final result will look like.

But where do ideas come from? Some of the best advice I’ve read was Stephen King’s memoir On Writing. This may sound unlikely, until you remember that the word photography come from Greek and literally means “writing with light.” And what advice did I find applicable to me as a photographer?

King said that when creating a story, the situation comes first, and the characters come next. Once these are clear in mind, the story itself can begin to unfold. And the most interesting situations can usually be expressed as a what-if question. For example, what if Quentin Tarantino directed a Muppets movie?

Or, what if machines were alive?

A mother’s love is like nothing else in the galaxy.

Creative work is at its best when the imagination is having fun. Shoot the things you enjoy, bringing them to life in LEGO form with your own personality and experience.

As for me, I enjoy books, music, movies, and Gen X pop culture, and you will see this reflected in much of my work.

Henson 25:17 The path of the righteous Muppet is beset on all sides by hilarity and the laughter of humankind.

“Now, I wanna dance, I wanna win. I want that trophy, so dance good.”

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Or, look to the various LEGO photography communities online: Stuck in Plastic, toyphotographers.com, BrickCentral, and many others. They offer weekly/monthly themed challenges that will push your creative and technical boundaries. For example, this picture would never had existed but for a Stuck in Plastic challenge: Diorama.

These communities are a rich source of inspiration and support—if you’re not involved in one yet, I highly recommend it!

“Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the wind in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.”

—Mark Twain

Light Light is the language of photography. The most ordinary subject can be made interesting with dramatic lighting. As entire books and courses are devoted to the subject, though, we won’t be doing a deep dive here today.

Lighting choices are very personal. I like soft shadows, with smooth transitions from light to dark, so I place a relatively large light source close to the subject. To do this, I’ve added an accessory soft box to my LED and place it just out of frame when I compose my shot. To further soften the light, I place blank recipe cards on either side to bounce light and provide fill on the subject. Finally, I’ll sometimes add a background light to help with subject isolation (which we’ll cover in the next section).

This is a typical set-up for me:

“This will be a day long remembered.”

Instead I’ll describe how I choose to light my LEGO photography, and why. Firstly, I’ve set up a table-top mini-studio in a windowless basement nook—this way, the only light on the scene is that which I create. I use a continuous LED light source, which in combination with my camera’s live view, allows to me to adjust my light positioning and shaping in real time. While a flash or strobe would be brighter, my camera is tripod mounted and I am not trying to capture fast motion, so I am not concerned about 32 the resulting slow shutter speeds.

Litrapro LED with soft box, positioned with a Platypod gooseneck arm mounted on a Platypod Ultra tripod base.

Subject Isolation Without a clear subject, a photo will either be confusing and/or boring. I usually shoot minifigures interacting together and/or with the surroundings, and I consciously work to make them stand out from the scene. This helps draw viewers’ eyes and get my work noticed.

Luminance Contrast The difference in brightness between your subject and the rest of the frame. For example, a medium or dark subject against a bright background. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, a silhouette.

As photographers, we can take advantage of how our eyes and the mammalian part of our brains work. We’re wired to notice things that break pattern: the predator hiding in the grass or forest, the shape or color that doesn’t belong, that flash of movement that spells danger. The more different a subject is from the area immediately behind or around it, the more it will stand out.

In photography, we call this subject isolation, and there are five common techniques to achieve it:

Colour With either tonal contrast (a light colour like yellow against black) or contrast between the colours (like red and blue, on opposite sides of the colour wheel).

Big Brother is Watching You.

Depth of Field The zone within the photo that appears sharp and in focus.

By shooting at a wide lens aperture (small f/number) and focusing on the subject, we can blur the foreground and background.

“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.”

– John Lennon

You can see more of Scott’s Instagram work by scanning this QR code.

You know it’s fall when chipmunks start grabbing their nuts!

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Texture Items with a lot of surface detail stand out well against smooth backgrounds, and vice versa.

Motion Blur Either a moving subject, or a still subject with a moving background.

Holiday shopping in the Empire.

Benny feels the need. The need for speed.

Composition With composition, we’re aiming to show the subject matter so that it not only looks good, but also helps to emphasize the subject, support the story, and keep the audience’s attention.

Once again, I often follow Stephen King’s advice in On Writing: “Your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story.” I do this for two reasons: one, I like a minimalist aesthetic; and two, it’s practical for me as I shoot almost daily, and it saves time on set-up and takedown.

There are a number of “rules” of composition, but I’ll focus here on the one that I find the most useful: the rule of thirds.

The rule of thirds is loosely based on the golden ratio and the Fibonacci sequence (represented to the right as a spiral).

Used for centuries by artists, architects, and musicians, the so-called divine proportion achieves balance and beauty. It can be found in the natural world, the human body, and in famous works of art.

As a photographer, I almost always use the rule of thirds, which breaks an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have four gridlines and nine pieces. Think tic-tac-toe.

The Golden Ratio.

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To use the rule, use the gridlines to position important photo elements. Each gridline intersection is known as a “power” point, and is useful for placing the most important points of interest such as a subject’s eyes. When shooting a couple, you can use both vertical lines to place them symmetrically. Placing the horizon near one of the horizontal lines can help balance the frame.

If your camera has the option, I highly recommend using a crop mask (I use 1x1 since I show my pictures square) and grid overlay in live view—what you see in these examples are exactly what I see when I frame my photos in camera.

That feeling when you’re coming off duty.

Conclusion This is the way.

What a time to be a LEGO photographer! So many new sets and amazing minifigures, such accessible camera technology, and such a rich and supportive worldwide community.

The cheapest effective way to quickly improve our photography is to focus more on the creative process and less on the equipment itself. For my style of shooting, I’ve found The Four Things to be a useful guide. To recap: • The Idea: Find your inspiration in the things you enjoy, and bring them to life through LEGO. Join a toy photography community and participate in themed challenges— the creativity is infectious!

• Light: Soft light is very flattering for LEGO and is achieved by having a large effective light source. Bounce cards are super cheap and surprisingly effective!

• Subject Isolation: Use one or more of the techniques to help your subjects stand out and get noticed.

• Composition: Use the rule of thirds to help position the most important elements within the frame.

Depending on your style, some of this advice may help you and some may not. If nothing else, I hope you’re encouraged to think—to really think—about how you shoot. The more you do it, the easier it gets, and then you’ll find what works best for you.

Have fun!

35

Building

Putting a Little Bounce in Your Shots!

Article and Photography

by Teddi Deppner, Blogger & Creative-at-Large Using Indirect Light

Personally, I love to shoot outdoors. The rich color palette of natural settings makes for beautiful soft backgrounds where my figures can stand out. But sunlight is usually too strong to use directly. This problem often drives me into the shadows of buildings or trees (or even my own body) to take my photos.

Chasing Away Shadows

Areas with indirect sunlight only have light coming from one direction, leaving half my figure in shadow.

Sometimes dramatic shadows work for the mood of a shot, but most of the time they aren’t what I want.

How can I bring the shadowed part of this photo into the light?

The Answer: A Bounce Card

This tool can be as simple as a piece of white cardstock. In fact, I keep in my kit three bounce card options: a white card, a yellow-orange card, and a piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil.

Choose a size that fits your kit. Use the color of card that produces the warm or neutral light you want. Beware of the aluminum card: it will bounce a harsher, brighter light, so it’s most useful when you have less light available to work with.

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LEGO figures offer a unique challenge in the world of toy photography. The smooth plastic surface—especially on important focal points like a figure’s face—can be highly reflective.

A powerful technique for overcoming this issue is the use of indirect light, often through a simple tool called a bounce card.

A bounce card is used to bring indirect light to a subject and eliminate reflections.

The next most important part of my bounce kit is the alligator-style clip that holds the bounce card in place where I want it to be. The clip is large enough that it performs as a “stand” for the card.

Using the white bounce card, I was able to bring the lighting up on the shadowed side of my figure. Note that it still avoids the harsh stripe of reflected light on the face.

Save Time Editing

Managing your light while shooting also minimizes time spent later in post-production. These photos are “straight out of camera”, other than cropping so they would be as similar as possible for comparison purposes. I might finetune a few details with some edits in Adobe Lightroom, but this result is almost perfect as it is.

Outdoor and indoor use

Bounce cards are useful both indoors and out. Studio lights can be harsh and using a bounce card does the same trick of creating indirect light and eliminating the reflections. Another handy trick is the black or negative bounce card, because sometimes indoor light is too bright even after bouncing it. Indoors, use an overhead light to simulate the sun and then bounce indirect light from the side(s) as needed.

One last thought: you can even wear a white shirt and be the bounce card!

37

Building

Spider-Man swings into action. TM & © Marvel Characters, Inc.

Ready, Set, Action!

Minifigure Posing Article and Photography by Chellie Hyre Instagram:@littleplanetchell Flickr Gallery: www.flickr.com/photos/ littleplanetchell/ LEGO minifigures sometimes get a bad rap when it comes to posing. With only seven points of articulation (neck, shoulders, wrists, and hips), it’s true that they are less “bendy” than many other toy figures. I believe their inherent blockiness and simplicity is actually part of a minifigure’s charm. But that doesn’t mean they have to look stiff and lifeless in photographs. So how do you increase the “posability” of LEGO minifigs and make them more interesting?

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Posing Basics Just like in portrait photography, the general rule is “if it bends, bend it”. Try these basic tips for posing minifigures: • Move their legs and arms—even if they are standing, having the legs slightly apart adds interest.

• When walking or running, it will usually look less awkward if the arms and legs are positioned in opposite directions (e.g., when the right leg is moving forward, the right arm is moving backward).

• Turn their heads (and hair or helmets!)—they don’t always have to look straight ahead.

• Bend their body slightly forward or backwards.

• Give them something to hold—a map, a book, a mug, or another accessory that will complement their story.

One challenge with minifigs is keeping them balanced once you get them into a specific pose. Use “tac” (reusable mounting putty), sticks, wire, or other support pieces to help temporarily anchor them. Once your figures are posed, pay attention to the angle you use to photograph them. It’s generally better to avoid straight-on front or straight-on side views. Get low to make the figure look larger in the frame. Take some time to see how everything looks in-camera, as even slight changes can make a huge difference and add more interest.

Intentional posing was used here to help create an action-filled ice hockey game. The hockey sticks served as supports, positioned to keep the offbalanced figures stable for the photo.

Disjointed One way to get more poses with a minifig is to take them apart (gasp!). Not to worry, as long as you are careful, arms and legs can be easily removed and reassembled.

Toy photographers have gotten very creative with posing disjointed minifigs, using hot glue or tac to temporarily hold arms and legs in a different position. It is often possible to position disarticulated figures to make it less obvious that they are in pieces, especially with the legs.

Arms are a little more challenging; for example, posing a figure with its arms wide open may mean that there is an open shoulder joint visible in the photo. Sometimes this works, depending on the story being told, but it can be a bit disconcerting to see an exposed joint in an image.

Sensei Wu’s legs were disarticulated and then held in place with “tac” for this image.

You can see more of Chellie’s work by scanning this QR code!

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Let’s Get CRAZY Guy Himber (Crazy Bricks, crazybricks.bigcartel.com) developed an ingenious way to bring even more options for LEGO minifigs with “Crazy Arms” and “Crazy Legs.”

These are custom parts that easily and perfectly replace normal LEGO minifig arms and legs and open up so many options for minifigure action posing. They come in lots of colors to coordinate with your favorite figures. And they are an absolute game changer for minifigure photography.

To assemble Crazy Arms, first remove the regular arms from the torso.

Separate the torso and legs and insert the Crazy Arms brackets into the leg posts. Re-attach the torso to the legs. Attach the Crazy Arms to the torso; the ring portion of the brackets will hold the Crazy Arms in place. Add hands (from the regular arms or new ones).

Dinosaurs love leaf piles too (standard Crazy Arms).

Painter with prototype akimbo Crazy Arms.

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Crazy Arms are available in a variety of sets with different straight and bent arm positions, including standard, javelin, victory, and akimbo. Crazy Arms allow your minifigures to do so many things more naturally, like holding bows, lightsabers, magic wands and accessories; wielding spears and other objects overhead; balancing with both arms out; and much more. Using two arms from different sets provides even more combinations for creative arm positions. And because they fit perfectly where the regular LEGO arms were, there are no open shoulder joints to try to hide.

Evil wizard with Crazy Arms (akimbo and victory).

Crazy Legs come in two sets, and each set contains three different fixed leg poses. The tactical set includes “sniper”, “step up”, and “high kick” legs. The super set has “super”, “flight”, and “kneeling” legs.

The six Crazy Legs poses.

To use them, you just remove the regular legs and insert the Crazy Legs. And although they work great for all of the “named” poses, don’t let those names limit you! Let the ideas flow… they can climb, jump, ski, skateboard, ride a horse, or whatever else you can think of. Oh, and bonus, you can use Crazy Arms and Crazy Legs together!

Skier with Crazy Legs (step up).

Cyclops explorer with Crazy Legs (kneeling).

Leo in training, with Crazy Legs (super) and Crazy Arms (javelin).

With Crazy Legs (high kick), minifigs can look like they are actually riding a horse.

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Both Crazy Legs (sniper) and Crazy Arms (standard and javelin) were used to create this pose of the mockingjay with her bow.

Figure skater with Crazy Legs (high kick) and two different Crazy Arms (straight and victory).

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As you can see, despite having fewer articulation points than many other toys, minifigure poses don’t have to be limited or boring. Using some posing tricks can add instant interest. Disarticulating limbs or adding Crazy Arms and Crazy Legs can take minifig posing to the next level and really bring their stories to life. Try it on your next adventure, let your imagination soar, and get those minifigs moving!

Building

Photo Gallery Online, there are many, many photographers who use minifigures and LEGO to tell stories and show their skills. Here’s a spotlight on a few photographers selected by Shelly Corbett!

Janee Landroth Instagram: @enaje_images Toys take on their own lifeforce in front of the camera. It’s during this playtime and by asking myself questions that I find the most ideas.

“How can I use this egg carton in a photo? Can I make that material look like water? Does this sparkle if I add light?” The answer is almost always “yes!” and that is exciting.

Tomek Lasek Instagram: @tomekskog Toy photography is a completely different way of seeing your surroundings.

Stones, moss, or just a break in the sidewalk are possible set-ups for LEGO shots. Seen through the lens, even the most ordinary place can become a wonderland.

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Rennerbricks Instagram: @Rennerbricks I imagine a story as if a minifigure is alive in the world of LEGO. Then I build with LEGO bricks and think about lighting. I get a lot of inspiration from watching movies and observing people in the city. It’s a lot of fun to express it in pictures!

Tomas Saran Instagram: @MACRO_LEGO I enjoy it most when I combine LEGO with natural elements such as sand, wood, water, moss, etc. I really like the contrast, how the plastic toy stands out in nature. My biggest source of ideas are science-fiction movies. When a movie scene amazes me, I try to create a similar feeling with LEGO photography.

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Stephanie DeFranco Instagram: @sdphoto_bricks As someone new to the toy community, I’ve found much joy in creating stories in the macro side of life. It can take great patience and experimentation to capture the exact story I’m trying to convey.

My ideas often combine characters from movies or TV and mix it with personal experiences. Toy photography helps me step out of real life and opens a new world full of storytelling!

Weng Hong Instagram: @bricknbrock When I was a kid, I imagined that my LEGO figures had a life of their own.

Now I’ve discovered photography as a way to actually bring them to life. I get ideas from movie scenes and fan art, but I also study the work of others in the photography community. After a long week of studying and school activities, shooting a new LEGO photo brings me a crazy amount of peace.

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Júlia Vázquez Instagram: @lady_brick I like making people believe that a small toy made of plastic is alive. I find inspiration in everyday life, and enjoy recreating comic situations to make people smile. Details are important, and I’ll draw a sketch and collect the things I need to prepare the scene. I don’t like being the center of attention, but sometimes it’s inevitable to draw curious bystanders, especially if I’m lying on the ground to take the perfect photo.

Michal Szymel Instagram: @minifiguresadventures

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When I go through my LEGO bricks, ideas come to my mind. But I get inspiration from everything around me—a nice background, some scene in a movie, or real life. It can take time to show everything in the photo the way you want, but the final result is a great payoff. If you have a vivid imagination, you’ll never run out of new ideas for your shots. Sky’s the limit here!

Robert Trevis-Smith Instagram: @weeLEGOman Combining my two favourite hobbies, photography and LEGO, is so much fun! The different expressions of minifigures are hilarious and make for a much more interesting image. I take a lot of inspiration from the LEGO communities on Instagram and Flickr and we all bounce ideas off each other. If my photos get a laugh, I’m happy!

BrickPanda Instagram: @brickpanda82 The intersection of minifigures, photography, and Photoshop makes this the perfect hobby for me. I’m not really a photographer, and I don’t have professional equipment. But my favorite part is retouching photos, adjusting colors, and adding effects and backgrounds in Photoshop. I get most of my inspiration from movies, fun LEGO sets, and video games.

47

Building

Dean’s camcorder.

Dean Gofnung:

Camera Building Article by Dean Gofnung Photography by Dean Gofnung & Geoff Vlcek

Dean Gofnung is a student who is also a filmmaker and a LEGO builder. He’s been building all of his life and combined his love of building with his other interests, to make a replica of a camcorder. Before building MOCs, though, he started as a toddler with Duplo bricks and progressed to his favorite themes: Adventurers, Ideas, and Jack Stone—he’s the only person he knows who is a fan of Jack Stone.

He began building MOCs during the pandemic. Inspired by other builders, Dean wanted to start making his own models and become a better builder! The inspirations behind his build are his fascination with cameras and his drive to build better. The camera that the MOC is based on is a vintage Hi8 tape camcorder. Dean’s dad found it at his grandfather’s house, so he gave it to Dean since he knew how much Dean loves cameras. Dean had an idea to make a camera in LEGO, but this time, he knew he found the camera to replicate!

Building a MOC can take days to weeks depending on the complexity and size of the model. Dean starts building, not knowing exactly what the MOC will look like completed. He will have a rough idea of what he wants, but his ideas can change anytime. For instance, the camera he built has a Hi8 tape door. He wanted to add the camera’s door opening mechanism but couldn’t find a way to build it. He tried different mechanisms until he found one that he was happy with. Having a rough idea of what to build, Dean starts building until he feels finished with the model.

He loves completing his MOCs—when he builds a MOC,

he makes sure that he is satisfied with how it came out.

Completing a MOC means he’s happy with the finished product. In this case, it took Dean a few weeks to build the camera, as he worked on it after school. He definitely went to bed late those few weeks!

The camera has turned out to be his hardest build. He tried to make the model sturdy and strong, but he didn’t want to sacrifice the details in the MOC for strength. A few parts of the build (the lens and the tape door) were done multiple times. Dean tries to use as little ‘illegal’ building techniques as possible, so he has to find ways to make things work ‘legally.’

Dean builds because it brings him great joy and he loves making his own custom models. He just wants to create a model, bring it to a convention or post it online and show people what he can do. He can’t describe the feeling he gets when he is building, displaying, or thinking about a MOC! His next project is a large scale version of a Polaroid camera , which will have a feature where if you press the shutter button, part of a picture comes out. The model is going to be massive, and it allowed him to make his first BrickOwl purchase. The Polaroid camera will use a SPIKE robotics brick to power it, and will be his third camera MOC.

The Hi8 tape was made by using tires and a LEGO rubber band.

As for building advice, Dean offers this: “Make what you want. MOCs are called My Own Creations for a reason. As with any art form, MOC building is an expression of yourself! In addition, don’t compare yourself to other builders.

If you do, it might make you feel bad about what you have built. Be proud of what you have to offer!”

Dean would like to thank his family for always being there for him, and allowing him to do the things he loves. “I also want to thank Geoff Vlcek, since he is the reason why BrickJournal discovered me! Finally, thanks to Liam Wright for helping me become a more serious builder, and to Joe Meno for featuring me in BrickJournal!”

A look at the model and the subject.

The model on display at Bricks by the Bay.

Dean also has a LEGO Ideas page: https://ideas.lego. com/profile/6005dda4-08c644ca-b3ec-cc9dbeea95a9/ entries?query=&sort=top You can also go to his Ideas gallery by scanning the VR code!

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Parts List

(Parts can be ordered through Bricklink.com by searching by part number and color)

Qty Part 1 4274.dat 5 2431.dat 6 2653.dat 1 2780.dat

Color Blue Black Black Black

3 2 10 1 1 2 6 5

3004.dat 3005.dat 3023.dat 3024.dat 3032.dat 3039.dat 3040b.dat 3045.dat

Black Black Black Black Black Black Black Black

5 2

3069b.dat 3245c.dat

Black Black

6 1

3623.dat 3700.dat

Black Black

2

4733.dat

Black

1 8 1

6636.dat 11212.dat 15571.dat

Black Black Black

1

18674.dat

Black

Design and Instructions by the BrickNerd Team

1

49098.dat

Black

1

60478.dat

Black

Few things are more iconic than the classic Polaroid camera—there’s just something magical in taking a photo and being able to hold it in your hand a few moments later.

2 1

63864.dat Black 72206p01.datBlack

3 5

78329.dat 85861.dat

Black Black

1 2 5 4 1 1 1 2 1

85975.dat 87079.dat 3023.dat 3024.dat 3069b.dat 3070b.dat 3622.dat 3623.dat 3700.dat

Black Black Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan

1

6636.dat

Tan

Polaroid® Camera

To pay tribute to this icon of photography, and to follow up on our Vintage Camera instructions from last year, the BrickNerd team designed a small replica Polaroid camera for you to build at home. It is scaled to the 6x6 tile that is doubling as the instant film that made Polaroid cameras so captivating. The tile slides right into the thin opening on the front, so we can’t wait to see custom printed ones hanging on fridges and pinned to bulletin boards!

We even snuck in some interesting techniques to align the colorful strip across the camera’s body. It was such fun to design, and we hope you’ll enjoy building this little model just as much as this little trip down memory lane!

BrickNerd is your place for all things LEGO and the LEGO fan community. Spearheaded by Dave Schefcik and some of the best LEGO builders in the world, the site’s mission is to showcase the best of the AFOL community by highlighting builds, interviews and in-depth articles. BrickJournal is proud to continue its partnership with 50 BrickNerd.

Description Technic Pin 1/2 Tile 1 x 4 with Groove Brick 1 x 4 with Groove Technic Pin with Friction and Slots Brick 1 x 2 Brick 1 x 1 Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 1 Plate 4 x 6 Slope Brick 45 2 x 2 Slope Brick 45 2 x 1 Slope Brick 45 2 x 2 Double Convex Tile 1 x 2 with Groove Brick 1 x 2 x 2 without Understud Plate 1 x 3 Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Hole Brick 1 x 1 with Studs on Four Sides Tile 1 x 6 Plate 3 x 3 Slope Brick 45 1 x 2 Triple with Bottom Stud Holder Plate 2 x 2 Round with 1 Centre Stud Wheel Rim 11 x 18 Side with Tyre Widener Plate 1 x 2 with Handle on End Tile 1 x 3 Wheel 11 x 24 with Integral Rubber Black Tyre Plate 1 x 5 Plate 1 x 1 Round with Open Stud Minifig Hat Fez Tile 2 x 4 with Groove Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 1 Tile 1 x 2 with Groove Tile 1 x 1 with Groove Brick 1 x 3 Plate 1 x 3 Technic Brick 1 x 2 with Hole Tile 1 x 6 Tan

You can go to the BrickNerd website by typing: https://bricknerd.com/ on your browser or by scanning this QR code!

Qty Part 1 32828.dat 1 54200.dat 1 60032.dat

Color Tan Tan Tan

6 1

60477.dat 61409.dat

Tan Tan

1 1 1 7 1

63864.dat 79389.dat 3001.dat 3023.dat 11458.dat

Tan Tan Red Red Red

1

98138.dat

Red

1

60601.dat

Trans

Description Plate 1 x 1 Round with Bar Slope Brick 31 1 x 1 x 0.667 Window 1 x 2 x 2 Plane with Single Hole Top and Bottom for Glass Slope Brick 18 4 x 1 Slope Brick 18 2 x 1 x 0.667 Grille Tile 1 x 3 Bracket 1 x 1 - 2 x 1 Down Brick 2 x 4 Plate 1 x 2 Plate 1 x 2 with Offset Peghole Tile 1 x 1 Round with Groove Clear Glass for Window 1 x 2 x 2 without Sill

Qty Part Color 3 3070bp0l.dat White 2 1

3622.dat 10202.dat

2

6541.dat

2

22885.dat

2

24201.dat

1

63868.dat

2 2 1

99781.dat 4070.dat 6231.dat

1

22484.dat

Description Tile 1 x 1 with Rainbow Stripes Pattern White Brick 1 x 3 White Tile 6 x 6 with Groove and Underside Studs Lit Bluish Grey Technic Brick 1 x 1 with Hole Lt Bluish Grey Brick 1 x 2 x 1.667 with Studs on 1 Side Lt Bluish Grey Slope Brick Curved 2 x 1 Inverted Lt Bluish Grey Plate 1 x 2 with Clip Horizontal on End (Thick C-Clip) Lt Bluish Grey Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Down Dk Bluish Grey Brick 1 x 1 with Headlight Dk Bluish Grey Panel 1 x 1 x 1 Corner with Rounded Corners Dk Bluish Grey Bar 2L with Ball Joint-8

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55

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Building

Article and Photography by Seth Peacock.

Instagram: @obsessionist_seth You can see Seth’s Instagram gallery by scanning this QR code!

One of the outstanding MOCs that was shown at BrickFair Virginia and online was a rendition of a peacock. Titled the Automaton Peacock, the builder is Seth Peacock. He spoke with BrickJournal about building peacocks and other builds!

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Building Peacock MOCs

BrickJournal: Hi Seth! What do you do?

Seth Peacock: I work in Research & Development for a paper packaging company. Most of my time is either in the laboratory or wrangling spreadsheets and databases.

How long have you been building?

Since my first birthday, when I got a Duplo set.

What got you into building as an adult?

I never had a Dark Age. I discovered the online LEGO community in middle school, and once I realized I could just keep building forever, I knew I couldn’t stop.

I checked MOCpages and BZPower daily, along with a whole list of LEGO blogs. (Editor’s Note: MOCpages was a creation-sharing site and BZPower is an online forum for Bionicle fans.) It was a pretty smooth transition from a TFOL nervously sending my creations to internet “strangers” through the BZPower convention circuit, to an AFOL who could afford to attend some of those conventions in person.

What’s your favorite theme?

Bionicle, for sure. The narrative and distinctive aesthetic gave me a lot to obsess over as a kid. Nowadays, the MOCing community has evolved beyond the actual Bionicle mythos and pieces to become a nexus of great character builds with a focus on creative parts use.

Honorable mention to LEGO Lord of the Rings for being the first licensed IP I was really invested in to get the LEGO treatment.

What inspired you to start building MOCs? I’ve never been able to not build MOCs! Even as a kid, I asked for sets based on what cool MOCing parts I saw, instead of how cool the actual set was. My parents tell the story of when I received the set 8549 Tarakava for Christmas. I was young, so my dad and granddaddy helped build it. They were so proud when it was finished, and went to get a camera to take pictures—but by the time they returned, I had already taken it apart and started trying to make something new.

Some of Seth’s peacocks.

What are the inspirations behind your build?

I’ve built a few other peacocks before. Part of it is just because it’s my family name, but mostly because they’re a fascinating challenge to build with LEGO. I’m more of an engineer than an artist, and it’s nice to have a subject where most of the challenge is “How can I replicate X feature in bricks?” rather than “How can I make X feature appealing?” Of course every build requires both structural and aesthetic choices, but I’m more confident in the former. Peacock feathers fan out in a way that’s hard to mimic in bricks, with a lot of small angles. In real life they can overlap near the center and spread out at the edge, but in LEGO if they’re thin enough to fold over one another, they’re probably too thin to support themselves. Even if you can find a stable structure, does it look good? The detail needs to be compact near the center of the tail but still transition smoothly to the outer edges of the tail; all while incorporating the iconic “eye” patterns. It’s a balancing act, and each peacock pose calls for entirely different methods.

All that to say—I’ve wanted to build a larger-scale peacock with tail feathers featuring repeated Bionicle elements for years. Last summer I got a bulk bag of “11302 - Hero Factory Weapon Accessory - Flame/Lightning Bolt with Axle Hole” as an impulse buy with a BrickLink order. I found out that the thin tips of that element could fit into a variety of otherwise useless slots on Technic pieces, including the slots on the axle holes of 11302 itself. That inspired me to build the Wirebird as a Bio-Cup 2021 entry, but I kept thinking that I could make something more fully realized with the technique. In 2022, I grabbed as many golden elements as I could on random BrickLink orders and LUGbulk. Once I had a tablescrap feather built, using the side of 11302 wedged into the slots of a 3L pin to get the V-shape needed for the feathers, I started building in earnest. The golden Technic chain links convinced me to go with a more automaton look, which would let the feathers and wings be a little less dense while still looking believable. I also transitioned from making it standing, with tail fanned, to the mid-flight pose. This pose is a more interesting 3-D composition (something on my mind since I wanted to bring it to BrickFair Virginia), but also sets it apart from my previous standing or sitting peacocks, and gave me a chance to experiment with outstretched wings.

The Wirebird.

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What is your building process like, and how long does it take to make a MOC? The Automaton Peacock took maybe a dozen afternoons of tinkering, spread out through a few weeks, and interrupted by work trips. That’s just the earnest, goal-driven building, though. The builds I get really excited about tend to be more ambitious than my collection can support, so they’re stuck as either works-in-progress (WIPs) or vague ideas for years while I wait for opportunities to collect the relevant parts. I’ve never used digital building to plan a MOC. I like having a mental plan and then iterating through prototypes with physical bricks. I think builders are more creative with their part usage when they have a lot of random pieces at their fingertips. With larger creations, building physically also keeps me accountable to the real-life stability of the connections and structures.

A consequence of this method is that I end up acquiring a lot of pieces that are useful during some stage of the build, but end up not getting used. For the Automaton Peacock, I collected enough parts to build a full 13-feather tail fan before transitioning to the flying pose, with only three feathers. A Le-Koro Treehouse creation left me with hundreds of extra Bionicle torsos that are taking up space in a closet.

I swear I’ll use them someday!

What was the hardest build you have done?

EVA-KOPAKA.

A Le-Koro treehouse.

That’d be EVA-KOPAKA. It’s a version of the Bionicle character Kopaka imagined as an Evangelion unit, as an entry to Bio-Cup 2021. It’s not my most polished creation, but it was built at a large scale, in ten days, using only parts I had available at the time—no BrickLink. I realized a few days into the entry period that continuing to build at the scale of my WIP head would be overkill, but I couldn’t stop myself. It was a very self-indulgent idea, and the challenge of making it free-standing and poseable was too alluring.

Tell us about your peacocks. Are there any other parts of your build that you want to focus on?

The tail was the impetus for the build. The 3L blue pins are only in the blue connectors for 1/2 stud, but it’s more stable than you’d think. For about four segments, they can be self-supporting. In the final build, however, there’s a discrete light bley axel as support under each feather.

Playing with part connections.

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More peacocks, including the Starry Night peacock.

The automaton peacock in progress.

Making curves out of long strands of rounded 1x2 plates is one of my favorite techniques, and I used it in both the Automaton Peacock’s wings and head, and the tail of my Starry Night peacock. It feels like cheating, but it’s such a versatile technique that I can’t help myself!

Why do you build? Do you build because you want to make a replica of something? Or just want to create? Or something else entirely?

Most of the ideas I have are just me wanting to make fan art of something I love, but most of what I actually finish just comes from messing around with parts and following wherever the pretty shapes lead me.

What other projects are you working on?

I’ve been sporadically working on 600% scale Bionicle Tahu for at least five years. I want it to be a scaled-up version of the original 2001 set, but with the working gear functions and joints. At that scale, just acquiring the parts isn’t really feasible for my budget right now. That’s my white whale MOC. Maybe I’ll buckle down and actually build it this decade.

What advice would you give to beginning builders?

This is a hobby. You don’t have to publish fully-formed MOCs constantly if you just enjoy messing around with parts, and it’s okay to have a huge collection of WIPs and tablescraps. Plus, every weird little thing you put together is creating a mental library of techniques that you can pull from when you’re building with a deadline or a concrete goal.

If you’re looking to impress non-AFOLs, though: build big, build something recognizable, and motorize it. Some of what I consider my weakest creations have gotten a lot of attention at conventions just because people love pointing out stuff they recognize.

Details of the automaton peacock.

Building

Let me get this out of the way quickly—no, I have not made Frosty the Snowman. For any one old enough to recall the 1969 TV special and know this character with his magic top hat, perhaps another time.

Minifigure Customization 101:

Happy Birthday!

Article and Photography

by Jared Burks

Hu Tao with a ghost.

Character turnaround. TM & © miHoYo.

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Um, no.

Today, I have made a custom figure for my daughter as a birthday present. She enjoys playing Genshin Impact and has a favorite character; even though she doesn’t have this character, it is still her favorite. Therefore, I set off to make her a custom LEGO based version of the character Hu Tao! For those that don’t know, Genshin Impact is an action role-playing game developed and published by miHoYo, and it has been released across multiple platforms including Microsoft Windows, PS4/5, iOS, and Android. It is typically referred to as a GATCHA game, meaning it can be free to play, but to get the best items and characters you have to pay (notice my daughter doesn’t actually have the character). Anyway, Genshin Impact follows the deeds of the mysterious “Traveler” through the fantasy world of Teyvat. Teyvat is home to seven distinct nations, each of which is described by a different element and a different archon/god. The Traveler is searching for his/her twin sibling, as you get to choose if they are male or female. I can go on and on about the game, but the long and short of it is that the Traveler’s exploits take them to a city called Liyue.

Different game plots introduce the character Hu Tao to the player and she is obtainable through specific wish banners, but has not been available to this point in my daughter’s play. Hu Tao is the 77th Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, features a Pyro Vision (connection to the powerful element), and fights with a polearm. Typically, she is best equipment with the Staff of Homa (https://genshin-impact.fandom.com/wiki/ Staff_of_Homa). There is an immense bit of background on Hu Tao as with all characters in the game. To learn more, please visit: https://genshin-impact. fandom.com/wiki/Hu_Tao/Lore

As for the custom LEGO-based version of Hu Tao, there are certain required elements and additional bonus elements. I went after the critical ones first and will continue to chase the others as time permits.

As you can see from the character study of Hu Tao, she is a character with a unique hair style and hat. These are critically important, and use of any “official” LEGO element to portray Hu Tao would be limited, as the hair must be unionized to the hat. So this was part #1 to find, create, or modify. Part #2 is the staff of Homa, her ideal weapon—actually almost every polearm-based character’s ideal weapon. As far as the non-critical, it would be a waist cape to emulate the tails of her jacket. I place less emphasis on these, as due to the LEGO proportions, she will have substantially less leg showing because of the way LEGO legs are scaled. What this translates to is it is less notable if missing, and now I wonder why I shared this bit beyond basic design. I will circle back shortly.

Hu Tao’s hat hair combo is challenging and critical because there are many small details, from the flowers on the side to the delicate projecting hair bangs. These convey her character, and as such are key elements to her design, and will likely be fragile. Many of these elements may need to be reduced to properly create the part. It is terrible when I create a figure, and five minutes after it is created it, it’s damaged because I pushed the envelope of scale, so I had to critically think through how to manage this part of her design. While I do have some skills at designing parts in 3-D programs like Fusion 360, and I am attempting to learn Blender, this part would take me ages to create from the ground up. So I started looking for statues that others may have created that I could use as starting points. I found three different versions that were free and many for sale (several were the same model being sold by multiple people and at many price points, so please be careful). I found one listed on Thingiverse, but it was too low resolution for what I wanted. I found one in Blender, which looked amazing; however, details were way too small and I would lose so much. The third version I found was on a random website that led back to Thingiverse and is missing the character’s face; luckily I didn’t need that part.

As I didn’t know if this was going to work, I started with the last two, even though the details were fragile on the Blender version, and started reworking them using Meshmixer. Meshmixer is a dated program that is no longer supported, but still has some great options to alter and edit mesh files (STLs) so that they can be adapted to other purposes. So I twisted, warped, scaled, and modified the two designs, and ultimately decided on the one that was originally designed for a chubby style of statue, as opposed to the more direct game play figure, because it complemented the LEGO scale more. This design was created by Epsilonaughty (https://www.thingiverse.com/ epsilonaughty/designs). Epsilonaughty designed this figure off of Poofybird’s work (https://www.thingiverse.com/poofybirddesign/designs), which is where the face that is missing in the image above could be found. By using this chubby style, the smaller fragile parts were already a bit thicker and minimized the amount of systematically adjust needed. So perfection solution found, now I had to continue the modification to get it to fit on a LEGO head.

Hu Tao with the staff of Homa.

Another look at Hu Tao’s hair.

Some 3-D models of the character found online.

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Editing the hair.

The image on the left is the original inspiration, as you can see there are many adjustments in scale and proportion in the starting part and the ending part. As you can see in the pink space, some artifacts were created that didn’t affect the part, and I didn’t spend tons of time repairing them. The flower and stem are preserved as is the detail on the hat card. Some of the length was sacrificed, as were the angles in the long hair pieces, to help avoid unbalancing the figure— and even with these adjustments, the hair is still quite heavy. All that is left is to 3-D print the part in resin.

The staff of Homa...

...and its minifigure rendition.

The next bit is to recreate the Staff of Homa, Hu Tao’s primary weapon. This weapon has many tiny details, and this would be another challenge, just like the flowers on the side of the hat.

This was easier, as I had to scale the staff to the size of the LEGO spear and keep the thickness consistent with the shaft so that the figure could hold the staff.

This meant I had to add and alter the main staff shaft.

Now off to the 3-D printer, I am using an Epax X-1 4k with a 28-micron pixel and I printed with a 30-micron layer height to achieve a nearly cubic three-dimensional voxel (3-D pixel). Once printed, I had to start painting.

Testing part fit and look.

Painting the headpiece.

Painting is the next step for these custom elements. This will require some masking and forethought to the painting process. To make this simple and not to have to overly mask portions, I started by painting the hair brown. I did not mask any other part of the hair/ hat. There was overspray on the hat, but I ignored it at this point. After spraying the hair brown and letting it dry overnight, I masked out the hair using the clean line where it joined the hat—this was an easy area to tape out and made for a very clean line. After masking the hair, I used black vinyl dye to spray the hat the correct color. From here I used brushes and paint to paint the flowers and front and rear hat medallion. These details were large enough that they were easily painted by hand.

More views of the minifigure.

Painting the staff.

The Staff of Homa was much easier to paint than the hat/hair. I started by using a black Sharpie to color the shaft of the staff black. I chose the Sharpie for this as it is hard wearing and won’t chip. I then brush painted the flaming points and gold regions of the staff with a paint brush. I don’t have the final shots of this process, as I covered the beginning where I attempted masking, but then changed midway.

Now that I have the parts painted, it is time to test fit them on a LEGO figure.

Final fitting of parts.

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Now that the parts are complete, it is time to circle back to the base figure design. Using vector art, I created the design using the character study above.

Geeky Ink Studios printed the figure for me and it turned out magnificently.

The printed figure.

Now that I have the figure and the parts, it is time to assemble the entire thing together and give it a bit of a display stand and case to hold the figure. I had a small acrylic case that I used to hold the display base, and I decided to have the base appear to float, so I used black bricks to have it blend into the base. Given that she is circled in flames in much of the inspirational art, I used the LEGO flames to recreate this effect, to give the display a bit of punch.

Final results.

You can see Jared’s webpage by going to http://www.fineclonier.com/ or scanning this QR code!

I unveiled the figure to my daughter, who was insanely happy with it. She had quite the Hu Tao-iest birthday event ever. I much enjoy being able to recreate custom figures for my friends and family, to see how they light up when I give them to them. It lets me share the hobby I enjoy so much with so many. I hope you enjoyed the figure and the process. Let me know if you have any questions.

Come back next issue for more Minifigure Customization!

Don’t miss Jared’s two books Minifigure Customization: Populate Your World! and its sequel Minifigure Customization: Why Live In The Box? (available at twomorrows.com).

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lee goldman jedi vector 68

Lee Goldman’s

Jedi Vector Fighter

Article by Steven Smyth, Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars Photography by Lee Goldman Galactic greetings! I’m Steven Smyth from Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars. Since the community’s founding in 2016, on an almost daily basis, I have witnessed amazing and creative Star Wars builds in the best Star Wars themed building brick group on Facebook. Lee Goldman is one such creative builder and recently shared this custom build of a Jedi Vector starfighter from the Star Wars High Republic era. You may remember Lee from a previous BrickJournal issue, #74 in July 2022, where we talked about his Sith Fury-class Interceptor from Star Wars: The Old Republic.

His amazing ability to transfer a Star Wars craft design into a LEGO medium is a topic we wanted to revisit!

Steven Smyth: How’s it going, Lee? I know you have quite a following with the members of the Bantha Bricks Facebook group and I know people in the community and beyond in other online discussions have been amazed by your many awesome Star Wars brick builds—but for the uninitiated, please introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do.

Lee Goldman: My name is Lee Goldman and I have a business that focuses on educational snorkeling tours in places throughout the tropical Pacific. I started this business after many years working for travel companies that hired me to design and lead adventure tours throughout the Indo-West Pacific. I have a Master’s degree in marine biology and my family and I moved to Las Vegas in 2019 after living 20 years in the Philippines, Palau and Guam. I come from a family of engineers and although I did not follow their paths in life, I certainly got my love of building from them.

If you would be so kind, please refresh us on why you love Star Wars so much and why you choose the LEGO brick as your medium to express yourself?

In 1977, I was that wide-eyed, nine-year-old kid believing he just saw sci-fi fantasy perfection. To this day, I do not

Data File: Jedi Vector Fighters Jedi Vectors were a model of starfighter used exclusively by the Jedi Order during the High Republic Era. Designed to be a physical extension of the Jedi’s connection to the Force, the Vector was a sleek and streamlined vessel that emphasized performance and maneuverability. Renowned for its speed, it was a highly-precise craft that demanded extreme concentration from its pilot. Further cementing itself as the premier ship of the Jedi Order, the Vector’s weapons systems could only be activated with the use of a lightsaber as a key. This prevented non-Force-sensitives from using the ships and ensured deadly force could only be used in carefully considered situations.S Source: Star Wars Wookieepedia

think much has changed! Star Wars is a philosophy to me. It is my childhood story that brings up only good things even to this day. To some degree, LEGO is like that too. I grew up with LEGO and building takes me to a comfortable place.

Even more so, I love that LEGO can be a complicated and complex puzzle to be solved: “Here is the ship, now recreate it using plastic parts of various shapes and sizes and that fit together in specific ways.” Very challenging and very fun! Marrying Star Wars with LEGO was genius and something I jumped on the moment I saw set 4483!

I love that you designed and built a LEGO version of the Jedi Vector starfighter. What inspired you to build this particular ship?

I fell in love with this design the moment I saw it. I love ships that, even subtlety, resemble animals and nature.

The hard part in the beginning was finding enough images. It took me several months before I could make a go at it, and I am still not sure I did an accurate job on the rear section.

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The top of the Vigil.

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The Jedi Vector starfighters have a very interesting back story regarding only being usable by Force-sensitive pilots and activated by a lightsaber. Was this something you looked at when deciding you wanted to build it?

That is such a cool concept. It is so sleek and efficient, just like the Jedi, it made perfect sense to me that the ship would be a natural and fluid extension of the Jedi pilot. I particularly love the swarming maneuvers.

Can you tell us a bit about the construction, and any special techniques you used?

It is a mostly Technic brick frame with tiles. The ship itself does not have a lot of ‘meat’ to it, but it does have some fun angles. The wings are Technic brick, but to capture that angle, I made a collar that fits over the edge and slides into place. It is held in place using 1x4 swivel plates. The rear wings are brick-built and held in place with a series of 1x2 hinge brick bases and top plates. The front nose section is SNOT (Studs Not On Top) and 1x4 swivel plates to get the panel angles.

What are your favorite design elements you used for the creation of the Jedi Vector starfighter?

I love modified 2x2 triangular tiles. They create interesting patterns, and in the case of the Vector, it was these tiles that drove the color choice. I really wanted to have that perimeter lining on the main body as well as the wing patterns, so the color choice was immediately restricted to what was available for the 2x2 triangular tiles. The 1x4 hinge swivel plates are also an important part that allowed me to achieve the angles I wanted.

What references did you use to help you build this ship?

As many images as I could find, which amounted to just a handful. Once I had the overall shape, it was not that hard to fill in or extrapolate the angles or sections I did not get from the images I had.

Did you freestyle build the Jedi Vector starfighter, or did you use a computer design program to lay it out first?

I designed the Jedi Vector entirely on Stud.io prior to building it.

To see more amazing builds, cool contests and giveaways, and family-friendly discussion about everything Star Wars brick, check out the Bantha Bricks: Fans of LEGO Star Wars Facebook group at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/starwarsLEGOgroup or banthabricks.com or scan the QR code here!

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I always like to ask builders of custom sets a certain question that may inspire a reader and future MOC builder to push the envelope of their skills to achieve their dream. Were there any moments on this build where you felt like, “Aww, man, I’m stuck!” If so, how did you overcome those obstacles?

Yes, and it happens with every build. Designing LEGO is like solving and building a puzzle. Of course, always taking a break helps with coming back at it with a fresh perspective. I also tend to spend a bit of time scrolling through available parts to see if there is something that provides a better fit, or something I missed. One important resource I do not give enough credit to is the community of fellow builders that are always there to offer help.

What would be your advice to anyone looking to build a Star Wars ship on their own—especially an obscure starfighter with little to no reference material?

Research as much as possible. If I only have a few images, I either sketch on paper or build sections in Stud.io that are not well revealed in the images. It is important to be flexible, with that flexibility ranging from accepting second or third color choices to re-designing entire sections as new images come out. Designing custom LEGO, especially obscure starfighters like these, is like art and writing—they are not ever really finished, so much as abandoned.

Are you a fan of the High Republic stories? If so, what particular part of the High Republic multimedia project is your favorite?

Yes, the comics for the images, but admittedly I like the novels and short stories more.

Do you have instructions available for people to follow along and build the amazing things you design? If you do, how would our readers go about finding these?

I have instructions for all my designs, and I do plan to offer them in the future. If folks have any questions, of course, please send me a message or email me.

What can we expect to see from you in the future, designwise?

Speaking of obscure starfighters, I just finished a 2000+ piece StarViper Class from the Star Wars: Destiny game and I am almost ready to attempt the D5 Mantis from The Old Republic. I am a bit intimidated by that beast.

Any final ideas or thoughts you would like to add?

Thanks again for the opportunity to show my work. I really appreciate it. If folks want to see me, please visit my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swbrickdesigns/

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LEGO® photography with Toy Photographers Blog founder SHELLY CORBETT, and photographers ASTRID HEYLAND, NATASJA VOS, and MARCO ZANCONI offer their favorite tips and tricks to make your creations look great!

Plus, STEVEN SMYTH’s Star Wars builds, instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

LEGO® brick-built Edwards Island by DALE HARRIS of HarrisBricks! The hot rods of PAUL SLUITERS! Rocket to outer space with SCOTT BOWMAN and JOE CHAMBERS’ Space Shuttle Discovery set! Plus, Star Wars builds with STEVEN SMYTH of Bantha Bricks, BrickNerd, step-by-step building instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS!

Starship builders NICK TROTTA and ATTILA GALLIK, TIM GODDARD’s space builds which have been featured online and showcased in the book LEGO Space: Building the Future, STEVEN SMYTH’s intricate Star Wars builds, “AFOLs” by Greg Hyland, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL #68

ALICE FINCH’s art/architectural models, the WOMEN’S BRICK INITIATIVE and the BRICK ALLIANCE (bringing more builders to the community), the WOMEN OF PHILIPPINES LUG (LEGO Users Group) and their creations, STEVEN SMYTH’s intricate Star Wars builds, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions

by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL #67

Get an introduction to TOM GERARDIN’s LEGO best friends Billy and Charlie, tour Disneyland Paris’ Sleeping Beauty Castle in bricks with DARIO DEL FRATES, and visit more theme parks LEGO-style with BILL VOLLBRECHT! Plus: “AFOLs” by GREG HYLAND, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, and more!!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL #66

BRICKJOURNAL #65

BRICKJOURNAL #64

BRICKJOURNAL #63

BRICKJOURNAL #62

YUANSHENG HE’s breathtaking LEGO® brick art photography, the many models of TOM FROST, and the intricate Star Wars builds of Bantha Brick’s STEVEN SMYTH! Plus: “Bricks in the Middle”

by KEVIN HINKLE and MATTHEW KAY, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

BrickJournal celebrates the holidays with acclaimed brick sculptor ZIO CHAO, takes a offbeat look at Christmas with our minifigure customizer/columnist JARED K. BURKS, and decks the halls with the holiday creations of KOEN ZWANENBURG! Plus: “AFOLs” by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and more!

Classic LEGO themes re-imagined! PIET NIEDERHAUSEN’s creations based on the Classic Yellow Castle, CHRIS GIDDENS (originator of Neo-Classic Space theme), and tour the Masterpiece Gallery at Denmark’s LEGO House! Plus: “Bricks in the Middle” by HINKLE and KAY, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS!

UNDERSEA LEGO BUILDING! RYAN VAN DUZOR’s Coral Reef, the many creations of COLIN HEMMEN’s Brickiverse, plus a look at JOHN KLAPHEKE’s scenes from the Indiana Jones movies! Also: “AFOLs”

by GREG HYLAND, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art with TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

LEGO TRAINS! CALE LEIPHART’s Blue Comet, GLENN HOLLAND introduces us to the L-Gauge Modular Building Standard, a look at PennLUG’s Train Roundhouse, and many other train-related surprises!

Plus a “Bricks in the Middle” comic by KEVIN HINKLE, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL #61

BRICKJOURNAL #60

BRICKJOURNAL #59

BRICKJOURNAL #58

LEGO FIGURE BUILDING! JAE WON LEE’s historical and legendary characters, EERO OKKONEN’s stunning mythic figures, ANDREA (“Norton74”) LATTANZIO’s new ultra-realistic builds (including classic food stands and gas stations), “AFOLs”

by GREG HYLAND, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

MYSTERIOUS, SPOOKY LEGO BUILDING! FLYNN DeMARCO’s motorized Treasure of the Snake Queen, Laika’s MISSING LINK

by HOLLY WEBSTER, STACY STERLING’s HAUNTED MANSION, “AFOLs” by GREG HYLAND, “You Can Build It” instructions

by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art with TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

STAR WARSTM THEMED BUILDERS! Travel to a galaxy far, far away with JACOB NEIL CARPENTER’S DEATH STAR, the galactic work of MIRI DUDAS, and the LEGO® Star Wars-inspired photography of JAMES PHILIPPART! Plus “You Can Build It” instructions, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art with TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

LEGO WARBIRDS, PAST AND PRESENT! JEFF CHERRY’S WWII and modern fighters (P-51 Mustang and F-14 Tomcat), RALPH SAVELSBURG’S BrickJournal exclusive X-plane, MICHAEL BROWN’S F-14 Tomcat “Vandy One”, step-by-step LEGO instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art with TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL #56

LIFE-SIZE LEGO and what it takes to build them (besides a ton of LEGO brick)! HELEN SHAM’s sculptures of giant everyday items, MAGNUS LAUGHLO’s GI Joe®-inspired models, military builds by ERIC ONG, plus “Bricks In The Middle” comic by KEVIN HINKLE, “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, Minifig Customization by JARED K. BURKS, & more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL #55

BRICKJOURNAL #54

BRICKJOURNAL #53

BRICKJOURNAL #57

MICROSCALE LEGO BUILDING! Tour WAYNE TYLER’S National Mall (Washington, DC) layout, skyscrapers from ROCCO BUTTLIERE, BLAKE FOSTER’s Ugly Duckling spaceship, step-by-step “You Can Build It” LEGO instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL #52

LEGO HEADS & TAILS: FELIX JAENSCH’s remarkable LEGO sculptures, from realistic animals to the human skull and amazing face masks! BRYAN BENSON’s detailed Kermorvan Lighthouse and how he built it from LEGO bricks. A spectacular Winter layout by DAVE SCHEFCIK! Plus: Minifigure customizing, step-by-step instructions, BrickNerd, & more!

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: HSINWEI CHI and his revolutionary LEGO animals and giant robots! We also declassify other top LEGO builders’ creations, including MICHAEL BROWN’s Technic-scale F-18 Hornet!

Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

TYLER CLITES and SEAN MAYO show you LEGO hacks to twink and juice your creations! Also, see big bad game-inspired models by BARON VON BRUNK, and Pokemon-inspired models by LI LI! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

Russian builder TIMOFEY TKACHEV, plus what it takes to become a LEGO Certified Professional (an elite group of builders officially recognized by LEGO), with New York’s SEAN KENNEY and Australian RYAN McNAUGHT! Also: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL #51

STEAMPUNK, with builder GUY HIMBER! PAUL HETHERINGTON talks about his cover model “Unchain My Heart,” ROD GILLIES’ latest Steampunk work, and a look at the creations of other top Steampunk builders! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $8.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

BRICKJOURNAL #45

BRICKJOURNAL #49

BRICKJOURNAL #48

BRICKJOURNAL #47

BRICKJOURNAL #46

40th ANNIVERSARY OF LEGO TECHNIC! GEOFF GRAY explores Technic history, JOE MENO interviews former LEGO Set Designer SØREN HOLM about the classic Technic Space Shuttle, MICHAEL BROWN shows off his Technic-scale AH-64, and more! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

THE WORLD OF LEGO MECHA! Learn the secrets and tricks of building mechs with some of the best mecca builders in the world! Interviews with BENJAMIN CHEH, KELVIN LOW, LU SIM, FREDDY TAM, DAVID LIU, and SAM CHEUNG! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

LEGO GOES UNDERSEA! Builder MITSURU NIKAIDO shows us his undersea creatures and organic builds! Then jump aboard MARCELLO DeCICCO’s minifigure-scale warships! And see amazing architectural creations by PEDRO NASCIMENTO! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, & more!

LEGO TRAINS! Spotlight on train builder CALE LEIPHART, a look at the train layouts and models from the PENNSYLVANIA LEGO Users Group (PENNLug), BRICK MODEL RAILROADER (a new LEGO Train fan website that launched this year), and more locomotive action! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

BRICKJOURNAL #44

BRICKJOURNAL #43

BRICKJOURNAL #42

BRICKJOURNAL #41

FEMALE LEGO BUILDERS! US Architectural builder ANURADHA PEHRSON, British Microscale builder FERNANDA RIMINI, US Bionicle builder BREANN SLEDGE, and Norwegian Town builder BIRGITTE JONSGARD discuss their work and inspirations! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more!

THEME PARK ISSUE! ERIK JONES’ custom LEGO version of Cinderella Castle, STÉPHANE DELY’s Disneyland Paris Sleeping Beauty Castle, and JOHN RUDY’s brick-built versions of your favorite theme park rides! Plus: Step-by step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons and more!

LEGO GAMING! IMAGINE RIGNEY’s Bioshock builds, NICK JENSEN’s characters and props from HALO and other video games, and GamerLUG member SIMON LIU builds LEGO versions of video game characters, spaceships and more! Plus: “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd’s DIY Fan Art, Minifigure Customization with JARED K. BURKS, MINDSTORMS robotics and more!

LEGO EDUCATION! See how schools and AFOLs build with the new WeDo, FIRST LEGO LEAGUE’s 2016 season explored (with national competitions at LEGOLand California), and robotics builders the Seshan Brothers take LEGO MINDSTORMS to the next level! Plus: Minifigure customizing from JARED K. BURKS’, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, & more!

OUT OF THIS WORLD LEGO! Spacethemed LEGO creations of LIA CHAN, 2001: A Space Odyssey’s Orion space plane

by NICK DEAN, and Pre-Classic Space builder CHRIS GIDDENS! Plus: Orbit the LEGO community with JARED K. BURKS’ minifigure customizing, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

BRICKJOURNAL #40

BRICKJOURNAL #39

BRICKJOURNAL #38

BRICKJOURNAL #37

BRICKJOURNAL #36

LEGO MECHA! Build giant robots and mechs with BENJAMIN CHEH MING HANN and KELVIN LOW, and SETH HIGGINS shows us his amazing transforming LEGO robots! And even cyborgs love Minifig Customization by JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, DIY Fan Art by BrickNerd TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons, and more!

LEGO DINOSAURS! Builder WILLIAM PUGH discusses building prehistoric creatures, a LEGO Jurassic World by DIEGO MAXIMINO PRIETO ALVAREZ, and dino bones by MATT SAILORS! Plus: Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions

by CHRISTOPHER DECK, DIY Fan Art

by BrickNerd TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons, and more!

LEGO COOL CARS AND HOT RODS! LEGO car builders STEPHAN SANDER, JORDANIAN FIRAS ABU-JABER, and ANDREA LATTANZIO! Plus: Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, AFOLs by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, step-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd Pop Art

by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

STAR WARS! Amazing custom ships by ERIC DRUON, incredible galactic layouts by builder AC PIN, a look at the many droid creations built by LEGO fans—truly, the LEGO Force has awakened! Plus JARED K. BURKS on minifigure customizing, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

MICROSCALE BUILDING! JUSTIN McMILLAN’s micro house, a look at the MICROSCALE Standard by TwinLUG, and featuring some of the best microscopic LEGO work from around the world, plus JARED K. BURKS’ minifigure customizing, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

BRICKJOURNAL #35

BRICKJOURNAL #34

BRICKJOURNAL #33

BRICKJOURNAL #32

BRICKJOURNAL #31

HISTORY IN LEGO BRICKS! LEGO pro RYAN McNAUGHT on his LEGO Pompeii and other projects, military builder DAN SISKIND on his BrickMania creations, and LASSE VESTERGARD about his historical building, JARED K. BURKS on minifigure customizing, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

TOMMY WILLIAMSON on the making of his YouTube sensation BATMAN VS SUPERMAN, BRANDON GRIFFITH’S COMICBRICKS PROJECT recreates iconic comic book covers out of LEGO, JARED BURKS and his custom Agents of SHIELD minifigs, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art, MINDSTORMS robotics lessons by DAMIEN KEE, and more!

LEGO ROBOTS! A talk with MINDSTORMS EV3 builders MARC-ANDRE BAZERGUI and ANDY MILLUZZI, designer LEE MAGPILI, CHRIS GIDDENS with his amazing robot sculptures, plus Minifigure Customization by JARED BURKS, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, other looks at MINDSTORMS building, and more!

LEGO ARTISTRY with builder/photographer CHRIS McVEIGH; mosaic builders BRIAN KORTE, DAVE WARE and DAVE SHADDIX; and sculptors SEAN KENNEY (about his nature models) and ED DIMENT (about a full-size bus stop built with LEGO bricks)!

Plus Minifigure Customization by JARED K. BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, MINDSTORMS building, and more!

Building LEGO bricks WITH character, with IAIN HEATH and TOMMY WILLIAMSON, Manga-inspired creations of MIKE DUNG, sculptures by Taiwanese Brick Artist YO YO CHEN, Minifigure Customization by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS building, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

BRICKJOURNAL #30

BRICKJOURNAL #29

BRICKJOURNAL #28

BRICKJOURNAL #27

BRICKJOURNAL #26

LEGO ARCHITECTURE with JONATHAN LOPES, a microscale model of Copenhagen

by ULRIK HANSEN, and a look at the LEGO MUSEUM being constructed in Denmark! Plus Minifigure Customization

by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, MINDSTORMS building with DAMIEN KEE, and more!

Technic hot rod builder PAUL BORATKO and editor JOE MENO diagram instructions on adding functions to your models, shop-talk with LEGO Technic designers, and more surprises to keep your creations moving at top speed! Plus Minifigure Customization by JARED BURKS, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, BrickNerd DIY Fan Art by TOMMY WILLIAMSON, and more!

Learn what went into the making of The LEGO Movie and other brickfilms with moviemaker DAVID PAGANO, chat with brickfilmers The Brotherhood Workshop, sit in on a talk with the makers of LEGO: A Brickumentary, a look at MINDSTORMS building, minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, & more!

GUY HIMBER takes you to the IRON BUILDER CONTEST, which showcases the top LEGO® builders in the world! Cover by LEGO magazine and comic artist PAUL LEE, amazing custom models by LINO MARTINS, TYLER CLITES, BRUCE LOWELL, COLE BLAQ and others, minifigure customization

by JARED BURKS, step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, & more!

CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL with builders SEAN and STEPHANIE MAYO (known online as Siercon and Coral), other custom animal models from BrickJournal editor JOE MENO, LEGO DINOSAURS with WILL PUGH, plus more minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, AFOLs by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, step-bystep “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and more!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

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(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $3.00 (Digital Edition) $2.99

TwoMorrows TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 USA 919-449-0344 E-mail:

BRICKJOURNAL #25

BRICKJOURNAL #24

BRICKJOURNAL #23

BRICKJOURNAL #22

MEDIEVAL CASTLE BUILDING! Top LEGO® Castle builders present their creations, including BOB CARNEY’s amazingly detailed model of Neuschwanstein Castle, plus others, along with articles on building and detailing castles of your own! Also: JARED BURKS on minifigure customization, AFOLs by cartoonist GREG HYLAND, stepby-step “You Can Build It” instructions by CHRISTOPHER DECK, and more!

LEGO TRAINS! Builder CALE LEIPHART shows how to get started building trains and train layouts, with instructions on building microscale trains by editor JOE MENO, building layouts with the members of the Pennsylvania LEGO Users Group (PennLUG), fan-built LEGO monorails minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, microscale building by CHRISTOPHER DECK, “You Can Build It”, and more!

STAR WARS issue, with custom creations from a long time ago and far, far away!

JACOB CARPENTER’s Imperial Star Destroyer, MARK KELSO’s Invisible Hand, interview with SIMON MACDONALD about building Star Wars costume props with LEGO elements, history of the LEGO X-Wing, plus our regular features on minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, “You Can Build It” instructions, and more!

LEGO PLANE BUILDING! Top builder RALPH SAVELSBERG takes off with his custom LEGO fighter models, there’s a squadron of articles on Sky-Fi planes by FRADEL GONZALES and COLE MARTIN, find instructions to build a Sky-Fi plane, plus our regular feature on minifigure customization by JARED BURKS, AFOLs by GREG HYLAND, other step-by-step “You Can Build It” instructions, and more!

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LEGO®, the Minifigure, and the Brick and Knob configurations are trademarks of the LEGO Group of Companies. BrickJournal is not affiliated with The LEGO Group. All characters shown are TM & © their respective owners.

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Last Word And it’s another issue completed.

With events now coming back, it’s been a lot of fun meeting friends old and new. There’s been plenty of new things showing up on display too, and it’s been exciting seeing these builds show up, from small crabs to cityscapes taller than me!

Overseas, there are fun things brewing also—and we have gotten a glimpse of European and Asian builders here in the magazine recently, and will see more in upcoming issues.

Next issue (at right) is for Spring—with flowers, and some other surprises! Til then... ...build on!

That Joe Meno Guy

I don’t who’s more afraid—me or the bionicrab! Photo by Marshall Stoneman.

Classics

80

AFOLs

In RetroFan #25

(should you decide to accept it...)

In RETROFAN #25 meet Mission: Impossible’s LYNDA DAY GEORGE in an exclusive interview! And celebrate RAMBO’s 50th birthday with his creator, novelist DAVID MORRELL! Plus: TV faves WKRP IN CINCINNATI and SPACE: 1999, Fleisher’s and Filmation’s SUPERMAN CARTOONS, commercial jingles, JERRY LEWIS and BOB HOPE comic books, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY. SHIPS FEBRUARY 2023!

RETROFAN #26

The saga of Saturday morning’s Super Friends, Part One! Plus: A history of MR. T, TV’s AVENGERS (Steed and Mrs. Peel), Daktari’s CHERYL MILLER, Mexican movie monsters, John and Yoko’s nation of Nutopia, ELIZABETH SHEPHERD (the actress who almost played Emma Peel), and more! With ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, MARK VOGER, & MICHAEL EURY. SHIPS APRIL 2023!

(84-page magazines) $10.95 • (Digital Editions) $4.99

RETROFAN #20

RETROFAN #21

RETROFAN #22

RETROFAN #23

RETROFAN #24

MAD’s maddest artist, SERGIO ARAGONÉS, is profiled! Plus: TV’s Route 66 and an interview with star GEORGE MAHARIS, MOE HOWARD’s final years, singer B. J. THOMAS in one of his final interviews, LONE RANGER cartoons, G.I. JOE, and more! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Meet JULIE NEWMAR, the purr-fect Catwoman! Plus: ASTRO BOY, TARZAN Saturday morning cartoons, the true history of PEBBLES CEREAL, TV’s THE UNTOUCHABLES and SEARCH, the MONKEEMOBILE, SOVIET EXPO ’77, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns

by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Surf’s up as SIXTIES BEACH MOVIES make a RetroFan splash! Plus: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, ZORRO’s Saturday morning cartoon, TV’s THE WILD, WILD WEST, CARtoons and other drag-mags, VALSPEAK, and more fun, fab features!

Like, totally! Featuring columns by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Meet the stars behind the Black Lagoon: RICOU BROWNING, BEN CHAPMAN, JULIE ADAMS, and LORI NELSON! Plus SHADOW CHASERS, featuring show creator KENNETH JOHNSON. Also: THE BEATLES’ YELLOW SUBMARINE, FLASH GORDON cartoons, TV’s cult classic THE PRISONER and kid’s show ZOOM, COLORFORMS, M&Ms, and more fun, fab features! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

Interviews with Lost in Space’s ANGELA CARTWRIGHT and BILL MUMY, and Land of the Lost’s WESLEY EURE! Revisit Leave It to Beaver with JERRY MATHERS, TONY DOW, and KEN OSMOND! Plus: UNDERDOG, Rankin-Bass’ stop-motion classic THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, Christmas gifts you didn’t want, the CABBAGE PATCH KIDS fad, and more!

Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

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(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

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RETROFAN #15

RETROFAN #16

RETROFAN #17

RETROFAN #18

RETROFAN #19

Sixties teen idol RICKY NELSON remembered by his son MATTHEW NELSON, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., rural sitcom purge, EVEL KNIEVEL toys, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Saturday morning’s Super 7, The Muppet Show, behind-the-scenes photos of Sixties movies, an interview with The Sound of Music’s heartthrob-turnedbad guy DANIEL “Rolf” TRUHITTE, and more fun, fab features!

An exclusive interview with Logan’s Run star MICHAEL YORK, plus Logan’s Run novelist WILLIAM F. NOLAN and vehicle customizer DEAN JEFFRIES. Plus: the Marvel Super Heroes cartoons of 1966, H. R. Pufnstuf, Leave It to Beaver’s SUE “Miss Landers” RANDALL, WOLFMAN JACK, drive-in theaters, My Weekly Reader, DAVID MANDEL’s super collection of comic book art, and more!

Dark Shadows’ Angelique, LARA PARKER, sinks her fangs into an exclusive interview.

Plus: Rankin-Bass’ Mad Monster Party, Aurora Monster model kits, a chat with Aurora painter JAMES BAMA, George of the Jungle, The Haunting, Jawsmania, Drak Pack, TV dads’ jobs, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns by FARINO, MANGELS, MURRAY, SAAVEDRA, SHAW, and MICHAEL EURY.

Our BARBARA EDEN interview will keep you forever dreaming of Jeannie! Plus: The Invaders, the BILLIE JEAN KING/BOBBY RIGGS tennis battle of the sexes, HANNABARBERA’s Saturday morning super-heroes of the Sixties, THE MONSTER TIMES fanzine, and more fun, fab features! Featuring ERNEST FARINO, ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW!, and MICHAEL EURY.

Interview with Bond Girl and Hammer Films actress CAROLINE MUNRO! Plus: WACKY PACKAGES, COURAGEOUS CAT AND MINUTE MOUSE, FILMATION’S GHOSTBUSTERS vs. the REAL GHOSTBUSTERS, Bandai’s rare PRO WRESTLER ERASERS, behind the scenes of Sixties movies, WATERGATE at Fifty, Go-Go Dancing, a visit to the Red Skelton Museum, and more fun, fab features!

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $9.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99

Go to www.twomorrows.com to preview and order, including RetroFan #1-14!

New from TwoMorrows!

ALTER EGO #182

BACK ISSUE #142

BACK ISSUE #143

BACK ISSUE #144

An FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America) special, behind a breathtaking JERRY ORDWAY cover! Features on Uncle Marvel and the Fawcett Family by P.C. HAMERLINCK, ACG artist KENNETH LANDAU (Commander Battle and The Atomic Sub), and writer LEE GOLDSMITH (Golden Age Green Lantern, Flash, and others). Plus Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt by MICHAEL T. GILBERT, and more!

SUPER ISSUE! Superboy’s Bronze Age adventures, and interviews with GERARD CHRISTOPHER and STACY HAIDUK of the Superboy live-action TV series. Plus: Super Goof, Super Richie (Rich), Super-Dagwood, Super Mario Bros., Frank Thorne’s Far Out Green Super Cool, NICK MEGLIN and JACK DAVIS’ Superfan, and more! Featuring a Superboy and Krypto cover by DAVE COCKRUM! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

A special tribute issue to NEAL ADAMS (1941–2022), celebrating his Bronze Age DC Comics contributions! In-depth Batman and Superman interviews, ‘Green Lantern/Green Arrow’—Fifty Years Later, Neal Adams—Under the Radar, Continuity Associates, a ‘Rough Stuff’ pencil art gallery, Power Records, and more! Re-presenting Adams’ iconic cover art to BATMAN #227.

(Plus: See ALTER EGO #181!)

BRONZE AGE SAVAGE LANDS, starring Ka-Zar in the 1970s! Plus: Turok—Dinosaur Hunter, DON GLUT’s Dagar and Tragg, Annihilus and the Negative Zone, Planet of Vampires, Pat Mills’s Flesh (from 2000AD), and WALTER SIMONSON and MIKE MIGNOLA’s Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure. With CONWAY, GULACY, HAMA, NICIEZA, SEARS, THOMAS, and more! JOHN BUSCEMA cover!

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COMIC BOOK CREATOR #30

KIRBY COLLECTOR #86

KIRBY COLLECTOR #87

RETROFAN #27

Canadian comic book artist, illustrator, and graphic novelist MICHAEL CHO in a careerspanning interview and art gallery, a 1974 look at JACK ADLER and the DC Comics production department’s process of reprinting Golden Age material, color newspaper tabloid THE FUNNY PAGES examined in depth by its editor RON BARRETT, plus CBC’s usual columns and features, including HEMBECK! Edited by JON B. COOKE.

VISUAL COMPARISONS! Analysis of unused vs. known Kirby covers and art, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH on his stylizations in Captain America’s Bicentennial Battles, Kirby’s incorporation of real-life images in his work, WILL MURRAY’s conversations with top pros just after Jack’s passing, unused Mister Miracle cover inked

by WALTER SIMONSON, and more! Edited

by JOHN MORROW.

LAW & ORDER! Kirby’s lawmen from the Newsboy Legion’s Jim Harper and “Terrible” Turpin, to Western gunfighters, and even future policemen like OMAC and Captain Victory! Also: how a Marvel cop led to the creation of Funky Flashman!

Justice Traps The Guilty and Headline Comics! Plus MARK EVANIER moderating 2022’s Kirby Tribute Panel (with Sin City’s FRANK MILLER). MACHLAN cover inks.

Interview with Captain Kangaroo BOB KEESHAN, The ROCKFORD FILES, teen monster movies, the Kung Fu and BRUCE LEE crazes, JACK KIRBY’s comedy comics, DON DRYSDALE’s TV drop-ins, outrageous toys, Challenge of the Super Friends, and more fun, fab features! Featuring columns

by ANDY MANGELS, WILL MURRAY, SCOTT SAAVEDRA, SCOTT SHAW, and MARK VOGER! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Spring 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships Spring 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Summer 2023

(84-page FULL-COLOR magazine) $10.95 (Digital Edition) $4.99 • Ships June 2023

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Explores when America went wild in the ’60s for All Things British! MOVIES (A Hard Day’s Night, Having a Wild Weekend), TV (The Ed Sullivan Show), COLLECTIBLES (toys, games, trading cards, lunch boxes), COMICS (real-life Brits in DC and Marvel Universes) MUSIC (features interviews with members of the BEATLES, the ROLLING STONES, THE WHO, HERMAN’S HERMITS, the YARDBIRDS, the ANIMALS, the HOLLIES), & more! By MARK VOGER. (192-page COLOR HARDCOVER) $43.95 (Digital Edition) $15.99 ISBN 978-1-60549-115-8 • Now shipping!

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ALTER EGO #181

Special NEAL ADAMS ISSUE, featuring indepth interviews with Neal by HOWARD CHAYKIN, BRYAN STROUD, and RICHARD ARNDT. Also: a “lost” ADAMS BRAVE & THE BOLD COVER with Batman and Green Arrow, and unseen Adams art and artifacts.

Plus FCA (Fawcett Collectors of America), MICHAEL T. GILBERT in Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt, and more! Edited by ROY THOMAS. (Plus: See BACK ISSUE #143!)