Lego CUUSOO Fall 2013 Review: Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary!

Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Cuusoo Project: Group

Lego just announced the results for the next CUUSOO set. The Lego Review board has approved a Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary set. The other proposals that were looked at included the Female Minifigures set, Poptropica, FTL Spaceships, the Road to Oz, ATLAS mini model, Ghostbusters, and Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary. Lego made a good choice and chose the better of the two Ghostbusters sets. Too bad it sounds like they will not be making the handsome headquarters building. Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore are back in action.

Ghostbusters Cuusoo Project: Ecto-1

Lego specifically mentions the Minifigures and the Ecto-1 for this upcoming set. With a tentative release date of 2014, but no exact month. This is great complimentary set to the recent Back to the Future set. Read more about the Ghostbuster here: http://everydaybricks.com/lego-ghostbusters-cuusoo-project/

Check out the full Lego CUUSOO Fall 2013 Review for all the details. Make sure to watch the whole video as their are some  updates on pending projects at the end.

http://youtu.be/_QT5zu1x65Q

This Iron Man, Mark VII Armor is a posable Lego Figure

mmccooey's Iron Man Mark VII Armor Lego Figure

The Iron Man Mark VII Armor is instantly recognizable. With a good contrast between red and gold this armor is one of the popular. Flickr user Mmccoey has designed a fully posable figure of Iron Man with Lego. There are over 50 points of articulation, if you count all the movable pieces of armor and the individual fingers. The size of this figure and all of its features match up with most of the non-Lego action figures. This thing has missile launchers, wrist mounted lasers, anti-personnel missiles, air-to-ground missiles, flares, and propulsion jets. This figure also features 6 yellow Lego light bricks (in the photos here they have been manipulated in Photoshop to be blue). Whew!

mmccooey's Iron Man Mark VII Armor Lego Figure Big

Mmccooey and GlenBricker have also teamed up to propose a Lego CUUSOO project for the Mark VII Armor. Make sure to check it out for more details. — http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/32157

mmccooey's Iron Man Mark VII Armor Lego Figure Details

Check out this Iron Man Mark VII Armor over on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/82525087@N04/8286297226/

Happy Lego Lunar New Year

ryouta22's Lego Happy Lunar New Year

Happy Lunar New Year. The year of the Horse is ready to begin. Flickr user Ryoutachan22 posted this super cute collection of the 12 Zodiac signs. Believe it or not, these were built by a 7 year old. Which, puts my own building skills to shame. These cute animals are a great example of how much variety you can achieve with only one shape (sphere).

Can you can match up the Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Bird, Dog, and Boar with their Lego representation?

Check out your Zodiac over on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98718001@N02/9307838262/

The King’s Castle Keep — Lego CUUSOO Project by durazno33

Lego CUUSOO The Kings Castle Keep

Lego is very good at designing a very particular Castle. The recent Lego Kings Castle (70404) is a good example. They usually contain a massive gate house, two wall towers (bastions) and usually one big tower. The design is always extremely modular, with movable walls, and reconfigurable layouts. The only problem is that Lego has made this castle many many times. Once you own one or two they start to blend together and get boring.

Durazno33 has proposed a CUUSOO project called “The King’s Castle Keep.” Which sets out to fix the lack of variety in Lego castles. A three level keep meant to compliment your Castle collection. Featuring a throne room, treasury, kitchen and dungeon. The design would be able to open up from the sides, but still look great from all angles. It even includes an obligatory catapult.

Lego CUUSOO The Kings Castle Keep OpenLego CUUSOO The Kings Castle Keep Treasure

Check out all the details over on CUUSOO: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/49537

Lego Batman and Robin, Joker’s Funhouse / Gotham Park. Fully Animated MOC.

Brickbaron's Lego Batman and Robin, Joker's Funhouse

Batman and Joker go together like peanut butter and jam. No other hero / villain duo are as famous or an entertaining. It seems that in every version of Batman (the Comics, original TV show, the Tim Burton films, the Animated Series, the various video games or the recent Christopher Nolan film trilogy) these two eventually have an all out showdown. Usually involving some sort of abandoned theme park or funhouse. Lego has released their own version of the funhouse with “The Dynamic Duo Funhouse Escape (6957).” As awesome as that set is, one has to wonder what it would be like if money was not an issue. For instance, Brickbaron created “Lego Batman and Robin, Joker’s Funhouse” as a tribute to several Batman video games. This giant automaton funhouse is so much fun. This is Lego at its best.

Joker’s Funhouse is a fully animatronic and extremely well lit MOC. Make sure to check out this YouTube video:

http://youtu.be/95gUCiT_-A8

There are three levels built into Joker’s Funhouse, and each one contains a story. On the left side is the entrance to “Gotham Park.” At one time this little seaside park would have been a blast, but has since rundown and has been taken over by Joker and his goons. The entrance to the park features an intense fight with Batman, 2 goons, Killer Croc, and the Scarecrow. There are many hidden features, such as Robin up on the roof ready to surprise some bad guys.

Brickbaron's Lego Batman and Robin. Joker's Funhouse, Goons

The whole scene is topped off with a dilapidated roller coaster. Which leads over to the right side of the pier, where a spinning ride has been taken over by Joker and the Penguin. Here Batman and Robin are in a desperate fight for their lives as an army of armed penguins is closing in. The simple spinning mechanism add a lot to the energy of the funhouse.

Brickbaron's Lego Batman and Robin, Joker's Funhouse, GamesBrickbaron's Lego Batman and Robin, Joker's Funhouse, Ride

The interior of the Gotham Park is by far the most deadly. Robin is in a fight for his life against Poisen Ivy and her carnivorous plants. While Harley Quinn is holding Commissioner Gordon hostage over a boiling pot of Lego. Which is not distracting Two Face from torturing an innocent girl with explosives. The Riddler seems to be hosting some sort of decoding game show, while Catwoman is off in the corner stealing diamonds. The whole time this is going on, Batman is fighting a giant robotic version of the Joker in the center. Whew. Even more impressive is that everything is animated with technic and lit with fancy dramatic lighting.

Brickbaron's Lego Batman and Robin, Joker's Funhouse, Two Face

Gotham Park is a masterpiece MOC. It perfectly captures the mood and feeling of a funhouse thats been taken over by the Joker. Brickbaron spent some two months working on this creation. And has since been bringing it around to various Lego conventions. Joker’s Funhouse made its debut at Brickcon 2013 in Seattle.

Brickbaron's Lego Batman and Robin, Joker's Funhouse, Gotham Park

Make sure to check out all the photos over on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/14964802@N07/10989059253/

Erebor by Blake Baer and Jack Bittner. 80,000 Lego pieces strong.

Blake Baer and Jack Bittner's Lego Erebor. The Hobbit.

“Far over the Misty Mountains cold,
To dungeons deep and caverns old,
We must away, ere break of day,
To seek our pale enchanted gold.

The pines were roaring on the heights,
The wind was moaning in the night,
The fire was red, it flaming spread,
The trees like torches blazed with light.

The bells were ringing in the dale,
And men looked up with faces pale.
The dragon’s ire, more fierce than fire,
Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon.
The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.
They fled the hall to dying fall
Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.”

The Hobbit — J.R.R. Tolkien

Blake Baer and Jack Bittner set out to create their largest Lego creation. The result is the super impressive Erebor. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. This massive Lego MOC is centered around a huge mountain and contains the main entrance into the dwarven city, a human city, a working windmill, and more details then you can imagine. A total of 6 months went into this build, and 80,000 Lego pieces. With no dragon, this Lonely Mountain sure is looking very peaceful.

http://youtu.be/iiYI-5_08Hg

The sheer size of Erebor is hard to capture with just a few photographs. Luckily, a video has been made to show off a lot of the features. A build this size needs a video.

Blake Baer and Jack Bittner's Lego Erebor. The Hobbit. Overview.

Here an overhead perspective shows just how large the exterior of this build is. A huge river, three different roads, and a plethora of flora can all be seen from above. It feels like you are bird flying over everything.

The tiny details give so much personality. From a tiny bird nest perched near the river, to an overcrowded market place. There is so much to look at. By taking these photos from a lower angle it allows the viewer to be drawn into the scene.

Blake Baer and Jack Bittner's Lego Erebor. The Hobbit. 02Blake Baer and Jack Bittner's Lego Erebor. The Hobbit. 04

Blake Baer and Jack Bittner's Lego Erebor. The Hobbit. 01Blake Baer and Jack Bittner's Lego Erebor. The Hobbit. 05

Erebor has some amazing stats:

  • 80,000+ Lego pieces.
  • 16, 32×32, baseplates in a 4×4 pattern.
  • 56 inches tall at the peak.
  • Modular, breaks away into 11 separate sections.
  • 400+ hours of work.

Blake Baer and Jack Bittner's Lego Erebor. The Hobbit. 03

One interesting thing about these massive builds is what goes into creating the illusion of a solid MOC. Usually Erebor will be shown in person with its back to the wall, so the hidden support structure will never be seen. This massive mountain is a technicolor hollow shell with many supports and miscellaneous pieces holding up the exterior walls. Amazing.

Blake Baer and Jack Bittner's Lego Erebor. The Hobbit. Backside.

Check out many many more photos, or read the full story about Erebor over on MOCPages: http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/375137

There is also a Flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/baericks/sets/72157638097215594/

HispaBrick 018 – Kaneda’s Bike, Miniland Building, Mindstorms & More!

Hispabrick 018 Lego Magazine

It’s time for another issue of HispaBrick. Issue 018 is available for download now. This is easily one of the best Lego Magazines out there. Even better, it is free. There is no excuse for not checking it out.

HispaBrick 018 features some great articles about, Kaneda’s Bike (Akira), Miniland Figure Building, Mindstorms, Legostar Galactica, Game of Thrones, Technic, and LDD. Plus many reviews and interviews. The 101 page magazine keeps getting better.

Hispabrick 018 Lego Magazine Pages

Download the English version here: http://www.hispabrickmagazine.com/en/content/english-hispabrick-magazine-018

The Spanish (Español) version here: http://www.hispabrickmagazine.com/content/hispabrick-magazine-018-0

Jud & Fancy May, An H-Wing Alphabet Starfighter

BrickJunky's Alphabet Fighter H-Wing Fancy May

The Star Wars style Alphabet Fighter (X-wing, Y-wing) and Lego are a perfect match. From Bricks to Bothans recently posted a call for entries in an Alphabet Fighter tournament. This contest is a head-to-head tournament to see which starfighters are the last ones standing. Here BrickJunky has created an H-Wing nicknamed “Fancy May” which is piloted by Jud and his astromech R9D9. The printed Gungan Sub bricks have been put to a good use. It also looks like there is some sort of Space Cat stowing away.

“Jud rebuilt this H-Wing from the pipes up and named her “Fancy May”. He retro fitted her with two high speed repulsor cannons on the front flanks, as well as a pivoting double barrel on her belly. In the rear his copilot astromech R9-D9 helps control the underbelly cannon, as well as keeping all systems running efficiently. The long wings raise and lower for take off and landing, while using the powerful under thrusters to maintain vertical lift.”

BrickJunky's Alphabet Fighter H-Wing Fancy May Side

“The H-Wing ‘Fancy May’ getting some work done to her by Jud. She might need constant upkeep, but she has never let him down in action! Her wings fold during landing, originally to get more fighters into a hanger bay. Now she is one of the only H-Wings of her kind left. “Good ol’ girl” Jud always says. Just like Fancy, R9-D9 has seen some modifications by Jud. After losing his astromech body in a gun battle, R9 was fitted with a more simpler style of coverings. The H-Wing has retractable landing gear and the double barrel repulser cannon on her underbelly.”

BrickJunky's Alphabet Fighter H-Wing Fancy May Minifig

Check out Jud and “Fancy May” over on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/66334317@N04/11039464953/

FBTB's 2013 MOC Alphabet Fighters Tournament

The “FBTB 2013 Moc Madness Tournament Announcement: Alphabet Fighters!” has recently been closed. With all 64 entries filled. It looks like this H-Wing will be in good company.

Skywalker Family Fun / Lego Thanksgiving by DigiNik13

DigiNik13's Skywalker Family Fun Lego Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of those times where the whole family comes together. It doesn’t matter if they are on the Light side or the Dark side. Or if they are part of a Rebel Alliance or a great Empire. It’s a time to set aside differences and get together, and eat way too much food. “Skywalker Family Fun – Dad is about to cut the turkey.” Is a great photo vignette from DigiNik13.

Check out the Skywalker Family Fun on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/flipimages/11070999946/