Super Sorting

Over the last few days I’ve been doing something I’ve been dreading for a while — a super sort. Normally when I get a LEGO set I build it and then I sort it. But mainly I sort the bricks, plates, and common special elements and put them away properly. All of the elements I don’t use quite as much I put in a box to sort later. Well that works for only so long and I haven’t sorted out all these extra parts for a few years so I had boxes and boxes of unsorted elements.

From the picture, the mixed elements don’t look that bad, in fact for some, this may the equivalent of their entire LEGO collection. But I have boxes and boxes remember. This is just a fraction of what I’ve sorted in the past few days.

The main problem with not sorting out all these parts and having them stuck in a box is that I don’t use them at all this way, unless I need that specific part. But then I have to dig through all those parts . . . Its a viscous cycle. The only remedy for this is sorting, but because I haven’t done it in so long, the problem just got bigger.

Now for those who don’t have quite as many LEGO parts, they probably don’t have this problem. In fact they most likely wish they had this problem. 😀

When I worked at LEGOLAND, we didn’t have this problem. LEGO comes presorted. So you all you have to do is go and get what you need. But as a freelance LEGO artist, that doesn’t happen when I buy sets. As building with LEGO is my job, sorting is a necessary evil.

So what is the message behind all this? If you do sort your LEGO to any degree, sort it as you get it. Don’t leave boxes of unsorted LEGO getting dusty in corners. 😉

LEGOLAND Star Wars Days 2010

This weekend is fun and full for me. I was at LEGOLAND yesterday and will be back again today to help out with the SANDlug/LUGOLA display at Star Wars Days.

I added my own contribution of the Dagobah Swamp with a little help from my friend Tiffeny Thompson who brought her X-wing and Yoda hut set along to finish the scene.

One of my favorites was the CubeDudes Jabba’s Palace made by Master Model Builder Joel Baker and friends.

And here’s what Matt Armstrong’s Micro Star Wars scenes looks like all together

There are many more pictures at my Flickr photostream and I’ll be taking more today. But for now I’ve got to go and get to LEGOLAND for the final day of Star Wars Days. 🙂

Star Wars Days at LEGOLAND California

If you are in the San Diego area this weekend you might want to check out LEGOLAND’s Star Wars Days August 7th and 8th.

Activities include: a Star Wars Costume Contest, the 501st Druid Hunt Game, a Building Competition, Jedi Trivia (winners will receive the super collectible White Boba Fett minifig — its only for kids though), and a layout display by my very own LEGO fan group SANDlug.

Here’s what part of the layout looked like last year.

For those of you unable to attend, don’t worry. I’ll be covering it here on my blog. However, if you are planning to attend, I will be on hand at the Fan Display in Miniland. Come by and say hi. 🙂

Ancient Lady’s Museum

Marcos Bessa has created a truly remarkable model. There is so much detail that it can’t even really be appreciated unless you look at the hi-res images.

Even a simple bench is cleverly constructed.

You really must take time to look at all the exhibits. The busts on the second floor really caught my eye and the staircase is a true masterpiece. 🙂

LEGO San Diego Comic Con 2010 Exclusives

The rumor of yesterday’s post is in fact now a fact: Five of Angus Maclane’s fun and funky Star Wars CubeDudes will be this year’s LEGO Comic Con Exclusive. 😀

Not only is there an image of them in the latest issue of Toyfair Magazine, but none other than Angus himself confirmed it on his Facebook page.

This will be the first time LEGO has ever offered a built and guled model, much less a CubeDude model, at Comic Con. Up until now they have all been either set or minifigure exclusives. You can read the entire press release at FBTB.

The CubeDudes will most likely be offered through a raffle ticket process where only those with the “winning” tickets get the chance to purchase the exclusive. This is a pretty standard way of offering low-quantity exclusives at Comic Con. As there are five, it will probably be one per day like last year. The 2009 exclusives were $50 each, pretty steep for three minifigs in a box, but there you are. There were 300 of the daily exclusives last year, no word on the amount made or the price point for this year’s. Also, Angus will be on hand both Friday and Saturday for an hour signing his models.

Preparing for BrickWorld

BrickWorld 2010 is just a few days away. This is my first time to this particular LEGO convention and I am looking forward to seeing all the fantastic models and the even more fantastic people that will be there. At last check, there are 795 registered attendees at this year’s convention! 😯

I am frantically doing all my final preparations for going. Although I will be bringing a few models, mainly my Golden Gate Bridge and a few Miniland Superheros (don’t worry I will showcase them on this blog soon). In past conventions I have brought a lot more models. But as I am flying to this one that limits what I will be bringing.

Not only am I going, but I am also bringing copies of my books, key chains, and many other items to sell. I will be helping out my good friends Tom Erickson and Jackie Ottinger of Bricks and Boards with their vendor table during the convention.

As a result, my suitcase is getting rather full — 😮

I haven’t even packed all of my bridge or other items like clothes yet (you don’t really need them right? 😆 ) I may even have to bring two suitcases at this point.

Hopefully my suitcase will be much lighter on the return trip, of course I don’t know what I will find at the Scratch and Dent sale yet . . .

I really look forward to seeing all my friends and meeting lots of new ones at this convention. Any of you that are going, hopefully we will meet during the convention. 🙂

Depending on internet access, I will try and cover the convention as best as I can on this blog for those of you who can’t make it. Now back to packing. 😉

What to do with all those LEGO Boxes

Buying all that LEGO is great, but then you have lots and lots of LEGO boxes. So what do you do with them? Well I have a solution.

I turned them into notebooks and bookmarks. 🙂

This is what is called upcycling — turning a useless or waste product into a new and better product. Upcycling is even better than recycling because it has less impact on the environment.

If you are interested in ordering one of my upcycled LEGO box items please visit my Folded Fancy Creations shop

Also, as it is Memorial Day weekend I will include an American Flag Keychain to all orders over $10 through June 1st.

LEGO A Love Story — Book Review

Now I normally don’t review books on this blog, but then this is no ordinary book. 😉

When I met Jonathan Bender at BrickCon in 2008 and he said he was writing a book about LEGO I thought it was a pretty interesting idea. He even did a mini interview with me amidst the hustle and bustle that is BrickCon and all I remember thinking after it was over was “I might be mentioned in the book.”

Jonathan was nice enough to send me a copy of the book and I received it a few days before the official release date. For me reading this book was very different than it would be for someone not already inducted into the world of LEGO fans. 90% of the people he mentions are friends, former coworkers and colleagues of mine. Reading this book was like peaking over Jonathan’s shoulder over the year or so that he spent researching the LEGO conventions, LEGO company, and the AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) community as he went from a relative newbie to hobnobbing with Master Model Builders. And seeing the LEGO world through his eyes was interesting.

Like most AFOLs Jonathan had a “Dark Age” — the time period when you stop playing with LEGO as a child and then rediscover the little plastic bricks as a hobby when you are an adult. I never had a Dark Age, being one of a rare few who have played with LEGO continually my entire life. So seeing what it felt like for Jonathan to be embarrassed about purchasing LEGO sets and wondering nervously what people will think about him when they see it as his hobby was a novel (pardon the pun) experience. 🙂

Even with all my knowledge (some have called it encyclopedic) of LEGO, both the product and the company, I learned quite a lot I didn’t know. Of course I never really did “research” on LEGO per se, I’ve just acquired it over time. Of the various travels and meetings Jonathan went on the only thing I haven’t done yet is travel to Denmark itself. That is still an as yet unfulfilled dream of mine.

I am mentioned in the book, in fact there are a whole 4 pages that mention me (pgs 247-250 if you’re interested) and there is an obscure reference to this very blog involving the Castle Advent calendar. I only know that he’s talking about me in the book because he emailed a complaint about the daily posts of each mini set while I was doing them. 😀

So, what do I think of the book? A definite read, for both you and your non-understanding non-LEGO friends and family. This isn’t really written as an information book, but more as one man’s journey to reclaim a piece of his childhood and redefine him as person. He didn’t really go into this project planning on turning into a LEGO fan, but he sure came out of it as one. Seeing what LEGO can do through his eyes might open up your friends and family to better understanding why we do what we do. 😉

LEGO Star Wars Trilogy in 2 minutes

This is a fun and very quick version of Star Wars 4-6 (A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). Need I say more? 😀

Bricks by the Bay Day 2 and 3

Okay, I realize that I’m about a week and a half late with this, but hey, it’s my blog so I guess I can write what I want when I want. So, lets go back in time to April 10th and 11th and pretend that Bricks by the Bay is still happening. 🙂

In some ways Saturday was very similar to Friday, lots of hanging out with lots of old and new LEGO friends. There were also panel discussions where you could learn different LEGO tips, tricks or info.

We’d already spent a nice sum of money on the “scratch and dent” (I made a mistake when I said “ding and dent” earlier). Many of us also ended up spending another nice sum of money on all the vendors that came.

That is one cool thing about going to LEGO conventions. With the vendors, not only do you get to find fun unique stuff like LEGO related T-shirts but you can also sometimes find that certain minifigure or element that you’ve been seeking.

Not only were there vendors selling Brickarms and Brickforge but there were others selling minifigures, bricks, and full LEGO sets. I managed to get a Harry Potter phoenix and a pretty rare horse pony for really decent prices.

I have to say the highlight of the day was Mads Nipper, the Executive Vice President of LEGO, giving the key note address.
He gave us a nice insight in to the company and where its heading in the future. And from what he said, the future of LEGO is looking bright. 😉

Mads not only gave us a nice look into the LEGO company, he brought gifts.

50 ultra-rare Collectable Minifigures. Why are they ultra rare? Well in the manufacturing of process one leg of the minifigs somehow is 1 millimeter shorter than the other one. A difference so slight that you almost can’t notice it unless its pointed out. Normally figures like this would be destroyed. I can hear your gasps from here — why destroy them you might ask? Well you know that whole “only the best is good enough?” LEGO actually means it. That’s why it is really rare when you find any misshapen bricks. I’ve seen a few, but only because when I worked in the Model Shop we work with millions of bricks.

So back to the ultra-rare Minifigs. I was not fortunate enough to get one. They were raffled off, like most of the door prizes are. Some of my friends did get them though and so I have actually held a few in my hands. Now, you might have heard of a “secret” second barcode on the back of the bag that identifies what the figure is. I will say here what I said there, you don’t need it.

When you hold the bag, if you take just a moment or so, you should be able to tell what the figure is if you know anything about LEGO. Each figure has distinctive elements (the Spaceman’s helmet, the Caveman’s club) that you can tell just by feel alone what it is.

Now, back to Bricks by the Bay. The Sunday Public Day was both good and bad. Good because we had such a great attendance, and bad because we didn’t have the space to accommodate everyone.

Some people waited in line for over 2 hours! And because the line was so long we had to shut it down early and turn some people away. It was supremely crowded inside.

All in all it was a wonderful first convention. Yes the space was too small and yes some of the public wasn’t happy, but most of the public were happy and when I asked them if the 2 hour wait was worth it they said “Yes.”

I now return you to the present. 😀