Even LEGO “trash” can be used in a model

I don’t fully know what’s going on here. I do know that this picture is part of a set called Twisted Tales by Bart Willen. But what caught my eye was the vines on the building.

Most of the vines consist of the “trash” sprue that comes on this part.

If you have the part you know what I mean. There is a sort of triangle ring that holds all 3 leaves together and protects them from bending or breaking quite as much until you build with it. I’ve kept mine for years but never really knew what to do with them until now.

This may not be the first person to do it, but I’ve never seen it before and I like finding new ways to use old parts.

The whole set of pictures has some really great building techniques in them and I recommend reading the story as well.

Newest Mosaic — Emerald City Comicon Logo

So you’ve probably noticed I have been absent for the past week. But as there is a little less than a week till the Emerald City Comicon (ECCC) and two weeks till BricksCascade, I’ve been very, very busy getting ready for both shows stocking up on hundreds of keychains, necklaces, etc.

I also wanted to create something specifically for ECCC. And what better than the ECCC logo?

As always with my mosaics I incorporated a lot of tricks to get just the look I wanted and even invented a few new ones.

If you look at the close ups, you can see parts that are upside-down and sideways

And though it looks like they are just stuck on, the letters do have at least one connection point. Now since this is not glued, the letters also have some double stick tape to make sure they keep in place. Especially as I travel — handy tip, double stick tape is your friend.

Of course I will be bubble wrapping this tightly as well.

For those that are wondering, the mosaic is 2 x 2 ft square. So not on the small side. And it took me about a week to design and build.

I also came up with another Doctor Who design — his ever present sonic screwdriver.

Since they revived the show there have been two variations — a blue one and a green one. Now they of course do look more different than just the tips, but when you are going for one that is only an inch long you can only do so much. For those who can’t make it to either show they are available online at my Folded Fancy Creations Etsy shop.

I find it somewhat ironic that a lightsaber handle is used for the design. Who knows, maybe the Doctor is also a Jedi.

Baby Colby

So you’ve probably been wondering why I’ve been off the radar for the past few days. Well, if you’ve been reading my blog for very long you know that when I have a project, I tend to let everything else slide.

So here’s my latest creation

I have decided to start selling portrait mosaics but in order to do that, I needed a sample to show my skills. This is a picture of my friend Tiffeny’s baby Colby. Its the first time I’ve done a portrait, although my Remembering 9/11 mosaic was my first based off a real picture.

I wanted to make a smaller mosaic than my standard size of 2 feet tall, so I decided to go with 1 foot tall as I felt it was a nice size, but I could still retain the likeness of the image.

Since I know you are always curious about my process I took a picture of the brick paper design I made for this mosaic.

It looks like kind of a mess, but trust me, it makes sense.

What I do is take the original picture, then I use Photoshop and Bricksaic to find the color values. If you are not familiar with Bricksaic it is a freeware program created by Bob Kojima. Bob is also the man behind BrickShirts. Bricksaic is a program to help you design mosaics. It can be helpful, but it doesn’t work fully for my technique. The best part of it though is that you can constrain the image to only the LEGO colors you want to use. So instead of the mosaic having weird colors in random places you only have the colors you want.

Here’s an up close shot so you can kind of see what I’m doing.

The model took my 40 hours or so to make.

Its funny, I never would have thought that I would be able to create something like this a decade ago when I started in the Model Shop. But after so many years, and so many mosaics, it was relatively easy.

I am selling them on my Etsy shop, if you’re interested, but I admit, it’s not cheap.

The Tiniest of Tumblers

Larry Lars has created what has to be the smallest Batman Tumbler I’ve ever seen. Its simply brilliant in its design. All 12 parts of it!

He’s even been kind enough to provide instructions for those of us who desire their own tiny tumbler

Be Brave

I made this about a week ago, but didn’t think to post it on Flickr till last night after I posted it as my Facebook picture. I was surprised to see such a huge response, both on Facebook and Flickr. Brothers Brick even posted it this morning.

What’s really getting a lot of people’s attention are the curls and the bow. Pixar’s Merida is known for her wild frizzy hair and I wanted to capture it as close as I could in a 4 inch figure.

I have to admit though, this technique isn’t new — at least in Miniland building — this has been a technique for creating curly hair for as long as I can remember at the LEGOLAND parks and I have used variations of it many times on several of my Superhero figures like Wonder Woman and for my Wedding Cake Topper Brides.

And of course what is Merida without her bow? I thought about using the new elf long bow from the Hobbit sets, but I realized it would still be too short. So I did the next best thing, I made one out of pearl cotton thread and a bit of copper flex tubing. The quiver might be a tad too short, but it was just to perfect not to use verses trying to design my own.

If you would like your own Miniland Merida either as a figurine or a Christmas ornament, I have them for sale on my Folded Fancy Creations Etsy Shop.

Sorting — What not to do

I don’t know if you’ve seen this video or not. On one hand it looks impressive. And sure, a huge pile of LEGO poured onto the floor and then sorted out is pretty impressive to the uninitiated. A true AFOL however, is not uninitiated. If you have any sort of large collection and if you’ve bought any large quantity of LEGO at one time you’ve done your own fair amount of sorting.

Now lets examine the video. Sure there’s 100 LEGO boxes, but from the looks of it, they are all the same LEGO box. And sure, ripping open all the plastic bags and dumping them on the floor may look dramatic, but its not very effective or logical.

LEGO bricks come in sets of bags in a box. These bags are either sorted by steps (i.e. — 1, 2, 3, etc.) or in size. These sets look to be one of the basic creator brick boxes. So its just basic bricks in different colors and sizes. If they are in fact the same LEGO set, as these seem to be, the more logical thing is to open all the same types of bags. So then instead of going through a huge pile you have a smaller pile but with all the same types of parts.

What is more difficult is when you have to sort an assortment of various sets that have very little in common. Now of course everyone has their own process of how to sort and store their LEGO. I even wrote about sorting a couple of years ago.

I am in fact currently in the process of sorting quite a lot of LEGO. Its not 100 sets, but its probably in the range of at least 30 and up to maybe 50. I’m not sure as I didn’t really count the amount of sets. But these are not the same set and that makes a big difference in how I sort them. In this case, you have to do levels of sorting. Not just one large sort. You can’t even really do that with any sort of practicality, there would just be too many pieces. And, you have to remember, I sort everything by piece and color.

So my first step is to sort into — plates, bricks and “other.” Something like this –

And before you ask, yes those are full and no, that isn’t all the LEGO I have to sort.

Once all the elements are in their pre-sorted state. I go to the next level. The bricks and plates get sorted by size — 1×1, 1×2, etc. Then they get sorted by color and get put away (yay!). The “other” is more complicated. I sort them out into tiles, slopes, minifig accessories, etc. Then I sort them out by size or style, then by color (if needed) and finally they get put away too.

So your sorted elements can look something like this:

I know it sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but when you need to be able to get the exact part you want, exactly when you want it, as you are building, it makes all the work worth it.

Useful Shapes for Cheese Slope Mosaics

Wow, two weeks of no posts. That’s what happens when you go to three conventions in four weeks! It was a little much, but thankfully I have a few weeks to take a breather before the San Diego Comic Con and then a couple more weeks before BrickFair. I’m glad that I’m busy, but it does take a lot out of a person!

Any how, Katie Walker has come up with an awesome how to on cheese slope mosaic techniques.

I may be an expert mosaic maker, but I have nothing on Katie when it comes to cheese slopes!

I like seeing people’s fantastic techniques, but I really like when they share how they do it. That’s why I called my company Model Building Secrets, so that I could share the “secrets” of LEGO building with the world.

Now that I’m back, I plan on posting about Phoenix Comicon, BricksCascade, and BrickWorld and finally what I did back in Florida.

Germany’s LEGO Design Contest Winner

Remember the LEGO Design Challenge I mentioned earlier? Well now we can see what the winner in Germany received.

Brixe63′s son created this entry for the contest.

What’s great about this model is that it shows you don’t have to make the model overly complex for it to be the winner. And that’s a pretty great design for a Christmas tree, whatever the age. I see a future LEGO Master Builder.

BrickFair 2011 and other LEGO Cons

Well, BrickFair 2011 is over and done with. As I am still on the East Coast and in a hotel, I can’t download all my personal photos of BrickFair quite yet –trust me, I have quite a few.

But I did want to at least post my thoughts on the event. This was my first time to this particular event and so far, the farthest East that I’ve gone for a LEGO Convention before. I’ve been to the East Coast before, but not to this particular area.

The thing I like about going to new LEGO Cons is meeting people that you’ve never met before. Now, it’s wonderful to see all your friends of course, in fact LEGO Cons are pretty much the only time I see them in person depending on where they live in relation to me. But I also really love making new friends.

Going to a convention so far from home I didn’t know what to expect. I always have fun at LEGO Cons, you can’t help but not have fun. But you never know what the area will be like, if there are good food accomidations with in walking distance, if a car is needed, or how far from the actual cities or landmarks you will be.

Now that I’ve been to 4 different conventions I’ve learned a few things. LEGO Cons can be expensive, especially when you are so very far from home. When going to a Con expect to spend betwen $800-$1000 for the whole trip minimum — and that doesn’t include the LEGO you buy. That only covers the plane ride or gas for your car, food, and hotel accomidations. If you can share car rides and/or hotel rooms do it, the trip is expensive enough without you having to pay the full price for where you will stay or how you get around.

Bricks by the Bay is the easiest for me to get to, as it is in Northern California and only about an 8-9 hour drive away. I could fly, but with its reltive closeness, I don’t see the need. So for me, I can bring my larger MOCs (My Own Creations) with out too much problems. Depending on where you live the Con may be close or very far away.

BrickWorld is by Chicago, but in the city. It is in fact in Wheeling, Illinos which is 40 minutes north of downtown Chicago. By mistake I flew into the wrong airport, there are two in the area. Fly in to O’Hare if you want to get there. The other one is just too far away any you don’t want to pay the taxi or shuttle fee.

BrickWorld does have resturants within walking distance but they run on the high to expensive side. My best recommendation is either be friends with someone with a car or bring lots of snacks from home so you don’t have to spend all your money on food.

I admit, I prefer to travel on the cheaper side. And even though I like to support the hotel that partners with the LEGO Cons, sometimes the price of the rooms are just too expensive. Its all a matter of convenience versus expense. It is really nice to just go down the elevetor to the convention, but if there is a cheaper alternative nearby and it is within walking distance or I have a car I will probably choose that option.

BrickCon is set at the Seatlle Center right in the heart of downtown. Both food and hotels are within walking distance. The first time I went I drove and stayed near by. Last year I stayed with a friend that lives in the area and rented a car. I was a little farther away, but I could still get around.

Oh, and that is another tip I have for you. If you can, come in on Wednesday to a Con and leave on Monday. I know not everyone can do this, but if you can add a day before and after the actual con, it is easier. Plus if you have any flight delays or unexpected situations pop up, you still have time to get to the Con. Staying an extra day after the Con helps mainly because if you are anything like me, you want to hang out with your friends as long as possible which means late, late nights. That extra day helps you recooperate for all the lost sleep.

I guess I’m lucky in that respect as going to LEGO Cons is part of my job. I don’t go to one now unless I’m a vendor there, because for me, I simply can’t afford it otherwise. And since I own my own business I can take that extra day or two during my trip.

In fact the reason I haven’t posted much since BrickFair ended was that I extended my stay in the area for a few days so I could actually see some of this area. I was in Baltimore yesterday and I’m in D.C. today. Getting the chance to see this nation’s Capitol was an opportunity I wasn’t about to pass up. Plus, now I’ve got much more building ideas to keep for a later date.

BrickFair itself I will cover in a later post, most likely in a day or two when I finally get back home. So for now I’ll sign off.

LEGO Perot Museum of Science and Nature

I’ve been hinting since May with teaser pics and building tips for two months. And now the final model can be revealed.

This is a replica of the Perot Museum of Science and Nature which is currently in construction in Dallas, Texas.

My LEGO version is now on display through August 28th at Dallas CityScape at the current Museum of Science and Nature, 3535 Grand Avenue and 1318 S. 2nd Avenue in Fair Park, Dallas, Texas.

This model is one of the largest I’ve built as a freelance builder. It stands 2 1/2 ft x 2 1/2 ft x 2 1/2 ft and took two months to build.

When I first took on the job it was a deceptively simple project. I mean, it is basically a big cube after all. But what I didn’t anticipate when I first looked at the blueprints and rendered images that I found online was that because of the large glass windows on the one corner of the building I would have to build an entire interior facade with multiple floors and angled walkways.

Now I have to admit, there was some cutting and “cheating” involved in creating these walkways. I was going for more accuracy than LEGO purism for this model. I also used a few minifigs as models so that they could “use” all the walkways.

There was also the problem with a third of the second floor “floating” which I mentioned in Building Bracing 101. Both the walkways and the curved roof were engineering problems I had to solve to make the model work.

As with most of my architectural models I made LEGO “blueprints” for the entire building. This building had 5 floors, half floors with the stairways, a roof, I also had to the corner interiors for where the glass was, as well as the exterior walls for all 4 sides. The blueprints alone took 2 weeks to create!

This was one of the blueprints I used:

Building Tip: LEGO blueprints are an important step that I often employ when building a real building. It takes a lot less time to erase a few lines than build, un-build and then rebuild a model, especially one this big. I also create prototypes for trickier sections that can’t be planned as easily on paper.

Here’s a prototype of the glass roof:

Here’s the final result:
And no, its not easy to add a pattern like the white lines to a double angled section.

For those who are wondering, there is plastic saran wrap on dividing the bottom section and the top section. The plastic wrap helps to keep glue from getting where I don’t want it to go.

I had to make the model in two sections, three if you count the removable angled escalator, because this model had to be able to go through a standard door. At 30 inches wide (2 grey baseplates) the building could not fit unless it was in two sections that could be then turned sideways to get through a door. That is also the reason for the very visible seam on the model. All glued models slightly warp as the glue dries and it is very difficult to not have two separate parts warp at different rates on such a large model. It is a necessary evil when created a glued model.

You can see many, many more photos of my building in all stages of construction on my Flickr photostream set

It was an exhausting (literally) and challenging model to build. In fact, because of all the engineering it was the most difficult building I’ve ever built. I’m not complaining mind you, I love working on big models. Every time I make one it reminds me that I can do it.