So I have my MOCs...well, some of them:-) Doing part of a heliport, so I have my old helicopters and a refueling point.
Will also be bringing some construction stuff for a building zone...a skyscraper and stuff will be there.
There's going to be a lot of stuff, so it'll be a lot of fun!
Pictures coming
...
Friday, February 2, 2007
Building? I'm supposed to be doing THAT?
You know, there's nothing like getting wrapped in work - I just did some more layouts to BrickJournal (yes it's STILL going on)
But I can tell you that the following will be in it:
• Event reports from all over- Germany, Italy and the US...and a couple others too
• Interviews with some women builders
• Instructions on some nifty models (hey, I did one:-)!)
• Some more interviews
It's at 82 pages, and there are still some articles left to lay out (including one by Gary Istok)...and a surprise too!
But I can tell you that the following will be in it:
• Event reports from all over- Germany, Italy and the US...and a couple others too
• Interviews with some women builders
• Instructions on some nifty models (hey, I did one:-)!)
• Some more interviews
It's at 82 pages, and there are still some articles left to lay out (including one by Gary Istok)...and a surprise too!
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Getting prepared for a display....
So I gotta get ready for a local display (Morehead Planetarium, Chapel Hill, NC) and have to buid some stuff. Pile this into working on BrickJournal and some other stuff, and you get a pretty busy Joe!
The display is LEGOPalooza, and will have some displays from the local builders - and it's a lot of fun! I'll be bringing an NXT set to respond to sound (so kids can confuse it by clapping their hands) and assorted MOCs to show - some are sets (the Mobile Crane and the Construction Crane) and some are custom (helicopters and other vehicles)
There will also be Harry Potter stuff, Batman stuff, and Castle stuff...so it's goingto be a pretty nice layout. There will be pics taken of course, so watch this space this weekend!
So I'm busy busy busy!
The display is LEGOPalooza, and will have some displays from the local builders - and it's a lot of fun! I'll be bringing an NXT set to respond to sound (so kids can confuse it by clapping their hands) and assorted MOCs to show - some are sets (the Mobile Crane and the Construction Crane) and some are custom (helicopters and other vehicles)
There will also be Harry Potter stuff, Batman stuff, and Castle stuff...so it's goingto be a pretty nice layout. There will be pics taken of course, so watch this space this weekend!
So I'm busy busy busy!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Neat item that dropped in my lap...
So I got a package today, and it was a box of Batman LEGO comics.
Really.
These are for an event that I will be at this weekend in Chapel Hill, NC. Steve Witt mailed them out for distribution.
This comic is a promotional (and is 16 pages), and hasn't been seen around, so far as I know...anyone know of these?
And anyone want one? Drop me a note if you do - I'll send out 1 of them to the first ten that respond - send to admin@brickjournal.com, subject: Batman!
Thanks Steve!
Really.
These are for an event that I will be at this weekend in Chapel Hill, NC. Steve Witt mailed them out for distribution.
This comic is a promotional (and is 16 pages), and hasn't been seen around, so far as I know...anyone know of these?
And anyone want one? Drop me a note if you do - I'll send out 1 of them to the first ten that respond - send to admin@brickjournal.com, subject: Batman!
Thanks Steve!
The European Bureau
With the formation of a European Bureau (thank you Melody), there have been a lot of new things that have been brought to my attention.
We now are getting reports on many more clubs and many more events - and it's exciting to see how vibrant the community is overseas. And there are going to be more builder spotlights from people who are 'under the radar' - these builders may only show at displays and only be seen on Brickshelf.
There's so much that hasn't been shown yet in the community - and it's really fun to explore what is out there. And the European community has been very happy to become an active part of BrickJournal.
On that note, I also should point out that I am beginning a layout staff - I have three people interested in helping out, and I would like to thank them: Bill Jacob, Didier Enjary, and Camille Goureau-Suignard. Thanks for stepping up to assist!
Is there more out there?
You bet there is - we just gotta look!
We now are getting reports on many more clubs and many more events - and it's exciting to see how vibrant the community is overseas. And there are going to be more builder spotlights from people who are 'under the radar' - these builders may only show at displays and only be seen on Brickshelf.
There's so much that hasn't been shown yet in the community - and it's really fun to explore what is out there. And the European community has been very happy to become an active part of BrickJournal.
On that note, I also should point out that I am beginning a layout staff - I have three people interested in helping out, and I would like to thank them: Bill Jacob, Didier Enjary, and Camille Goureau-Suignard. Thanks for stepping up to assist!
Is there more out there?
You bet there is - we just gotta look!
So I built something!
Sometimes it's good just to build something to get it out of your system....
It's the Seasprite - a fast search and retrieval vehicle for Alpha Team Mission Deep Sea. It was designed as a response to the OGEL and Sea Monkey threat - a vehicle had to be developed that was fast and maneuverable.
The Seasprite has caterpillar drive motors that can be independently pivoted, allowing for high speed and tight turns.it's also quiet, so the stealthiness of the craft is very high.
Building notes:
Took me three hours of building to make the Seasprite, and I'm very happy with the shape. Sleek is hard to do, but it worked out pretty well this time. The engines worked out well, and building the wings in front was a nice challenge.
The cockpit is a little spare (needs work), but I think I will rework this after I get done with work to make it a military version.
You can see more pics here.
It's nice to know I can build still:-)
It's the Seasprite - a fast search and retrieval vehicle for Alpha Team Mission Deep Sea. It was designed as a response to the OGEL and Sea Monkey threat - a vehicle had to be developed that was fast and maneuverable.
The Seasprite has caterpillar drive motors that can be independently pivoted, allowing for high speed and tight turns.it's also quiet, so the stealthiness of the craft is very high.
Building notes:
Took me three hours of building to make the Seasprite, and I'm very happy with the shape. Sleek is hard to do, but it worked out pretty well this time. The engines worked out well, and building the wings in front was a nice challenge.
The cockpit is a little spare (needs work), but I think I will rework this after I get done with work to make it a military version.
You can see more pics here.
It's nice to know I can build still:-)
Monday, January 29, 2007
How big is the community?
So that is a question floating on LUGNET, and there have been some interesting responses.
I don't know the size, but I can give some thoughts -
There are approximately 3000 members of LUGNET presently, and that is a growing number.
There are approximately 70,000 downloads of BrickJournal for each issue.
BZPower has about 30,000 registered users.
Conventions draw from 100 - 400 registered attendees, while public attendance is 10 times that number.
There's a lot more information that is out there, but I'm just using these for examples.
What does this mean?
The community has a lot of potential for growth. There are many people who find this hobby interesting enough to look at and even pay for displays. The trick is finding people who are interested in building. And those people are out there.
There a LOT of AFOLs that still don't know about clubs and other builders. And there are the other avenues of finding builders - FIRST LEGO League is a good example. These are middle-schoolers who use MINDSTORM sets to take on challenges - the World Festival is an amazing event where people allover meet!
The bigger question is does the community want to grow, and how this would be managed.
My position is that yes, the community should grow. It needs to provide opportunities to let things grow, by providing information on clubs and events (including showing how to do events).
The community should be looking at other places to outreach also - there are other conventions, such as science-fiction conventions (that's where House of Bricks began) and local events - cultural festivals, for example. Much of this already happening, and this is good - and this lays down a ground work for the community to grow.
Do I see a convention that woudl have 1000 attendees? I do, but it would take around 5 years to reach that number. It would also require the help of the LEGO Group on a scale not seen before. Such a convention would be a longer event also, with some really neat possibilities for seminars and activities.
The danger presently is believing that 'we' are the community. The community is a lot bigger, but lurking.
I don't know the size, but I can give some thoughts -
There are approximately 3000 members of LUGNET presently, and that is a growing number.
There are approximately 70,000 downloads of BrickJournal for each issue.
BZPower has about 30,000 registered users.
Conventions draw from 100 - 400 registered attendees, while public attendance is 10 times that number.
There's a lot more information that is out there, but I'm just using these for examples.
What does this mean?
The community has a lot of potential for growth. There are many people who find this hobby interesting enough to look at and even pay for displays. The trick is finding people who are interested in building. And those people are out there.
There a LOT of AFOLs that still don't know about clubs and other builders. And there are the other avenues of finding builders - FIRST LEGO League is a good example. These are middle-schoolers who use MINDSTORM sets to take on challenges - the World Festival is an amazing event where people allover meet!
The bigger question is does the community want to grow, and how this would be managed.
My position is that yes, the community should grow. It needs to provide opportunities to let things grow, by providing information on clubs and events (including showing how to do events).
The community should be looking at other places to outreach also - there are other conventions, such as science-fiction conventions (that's where House of Bricks began) and local events - cultural festivals, for example. Much of this already happening, and this is good - and this lays down a ground work for the community to grow.
Do I see a convention that woudl have 1000 attendees? I do, but it would take around 5 years to reach that number. It would also require the help of the LEGO Group on a scale not seen before. Such a convention would be a longer event also, with some really neat possibilities for seminars and activities.
The danger presently is believing that 'we' are the community. The community is a lot bigger, but lurking.
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