Happy Birthday LEGO!!!

Via Brickset
Did you know its the 80th anniversary of LEGO! I did, I was still working at LEGOLAND for both their 70th and their 75th Birthday so I’ve been keeping track. 😉

So to commemorate this momentous birthday you can get this awesome slice of cake set from LEGO.com or at your local LEGO store with any purchase of $50 (not all that hard to do). From what I understand this is only in the US and Canada.

Also there is an awesome contest running through this month to promote the LEGO VIP Program

Click on the picture for more details.

If you are already a VIP member, then you’ve already been automatically entered. If you are not, then join. Its a great program and since we already buy LEGO, you might as well get points for it. 😀

A trip to any LEGOLAND in the world is nothing to sneeze at! And I know which park I’d like to go to — Denmark! Where would you go?

Wil Weaton signing a model of Wil Weaton…

Although some people are into April Fool’s jokes, I’m not one of them. So I avoid the silliness all together. I did however post this on my Facebook page yesterday. I would have posted it here too, but Iain Heath hadn’t posted it on Flickr yet. 😀

While I was hanging out with the guys of FBTB, SandLUG, and LUGOLA at LEGOLAND California Star Wars Days, Iain and the rest of SeaLUG was at Emerald City Comicon in Seattle.

I will be posting a follow up to Star Wars Days, but until then check this out.

Since Iain is Iain (you have to know him, or at least his models, to understand that one 😉 ) he created a LEGO model of Wil Weaton signing a LEGO model of himself and then he had the actual Wil Weaton sign it. Its so meta, it almost blows my mind! 😀

Here’s a close up of the model

Of course there were other, much larger, models on display. I know Scott Fowler’s MOC certainly deserves its own post. But I’ll be visiting those another day. For now, live long and prosper! — Hey, I had to get a Star Trek reference in there somewhere!

Two weekends — Two LEGO Store Openings

Fresh off the plane from BrickCon — and yes, I know I still haven’t covered it yet (I’m getting there eventually 😉 ) — I went to not one, but two LEGO Store Grand Openings. This may be one of the first times that two LEGO stores have opened so relatively close, geographically speaking, to each other.

I can hear the complaints now, and I’m sorry that California has so many LEGO stores when you might not have any. It’s not like its my idea. For me I’m very grateful that I have so much access to LEGO, it certainly helps my business. 🙂

So, back to the Grand Openings. Two weekends ago the Mission Viejo store opened. Located in Orange County California, its a bit of a drive from my house, but as its very close to several of my LUGOLA friends, I’m up there all the time anyways.

Here’s what the new Mission Viejo Store looks like

I didn’t manage to get a picture of the interior of San Diego, but here’s a shot of the outside. It looks like it might be even bigger than the Mission Viejo one, but I’m not sure.
I really like the giant minifigs on the side 🙂

The main reason I am combining the two grand openings is that they both had the same building event — Giant LEGO Spongebob.

Here’s the 2 foot version

And here’s what he looks like at 8ft with Master Model Builder Steve Gerling standing by

The builds were the same, but they were also completely different. Mission Viejo is an indoor mall, so it was nicely climate controlled and better lit at night. The San Diego Fashion Vally mall is outdoor, so even with umbrellas, and the fact that its October, the mid-day sun was not fun to work in!

The set up was slightly different too as you can see:

Mission Viejo

San Diego
I am really surprised that hardly any LEGO fell in the water fountain that we were using as our backdrop. 😀

I helped construct a good deal of the San Diego one, in fact I started the build, and was on my knees a lot that first day putting all the bricks into place. By Sunday I couldn’t really help much as even with a ladder Spongebob was a little too tall for me. Somehow with both builds I got drafted to build the feet. That may not sound like a lot, but you haven’t seen the picture yet:

That’s me holding the small feet while the big ones are on the table. Fellow SandLUG member Michael Todd, dressed as LEGO’s original mascot, jumped in the picture too. 😉

Not only was Spongebob built, there were quite a few original creations too like this great giraffe

Some of San Diego’s finest, members of our local marines, came to help out too.

I also snapped this awesome Mario and Goomba created by Austin Scott at the San Diego LEGO Store

In addition to all the Spongebob fun, there are the Grand Opening exclusives that everyone always wants to see so here they are —

Mission Viejo Minifigs

Sadly no exclusive torsos in this one, but it does have the exclusive container and the printing on the backs

Mision Viejo Shirt

San Diego Minifigs

There is one exclusive torso — “I Love LEGOLAND” — and all have exclusive printing on back

San Diego Shirt

They were great events to help participate in and both stores have an awesome staff!!!

I look forward to finally being able to go to some of the LEGO store events now that the San Diego one is open and I know I’ll be spending a lot of time at both stores. 🙂

WQYK Guitar

Okay, I know I’ve been off the internet airwaves for a while. I have lots to talk about — BrickCon, LCP Dan Parker’s studio, and the Mission Viejo LEGO store Grand Opening for starters. I’ve just been so busy doing LEGO events that I haven’t had time to write about them. Now that I have a lull in the tide of events I can get back to blogging. But, as I haven’t yet written about all those things I’ll give you a MOC to look at in the interim.

Radio station WQYK held a contest for their listeners — build their name into a LEGO creation for a family 4 pack of LEGOLAND Florida tickets. Naturally Tyler Clites aka Legohaulic would create something spectacular and he was declared the winner! 🙂

The contest simply asked you to build “WQYK” into a Lego creation. I chose to incorporate it into the station’s iconic Guitar. I threw this together in about two days and was informed to day that I won the contest.

Not a bad recreation of their guitar and I love the 3D effects of the logo and the palm trees being raised up. A well deserved win, congrats Tyler! 🙂

LEGO 10223 Kingdoms Joust

Kingdom’s Joust was just unveiled for the first time last night at BrickCon. And yes, it looks just as gorgeous, if not more so, in person as it does in the pictures. 😉

Jousting sets have a special place in my heart because one of my favorite Castle sets, Knight’s Challenge, came out when I was a kid. And yes, I know I’m showing my age. 😀

I’ve always loved Castle theme, Forestmen most of all which debuted the same year — 1988. I also created a Miniland scale Renn Fair when I was at LEGOLAND California with a jousting scene.

This new set, similar in the feel and design of the Medieval Market Village, is elegant and fun all rolled into one! Now all we need is the rest of the castle to go with it. 😉

10223 Kingdoms Joust
Ages 12+. 1,575 pieces.
US $119.99 CA $149.99 DE 119.99 € UK 99.99 £ DK 1099.00 DKK AU 199.99 AUD
Watch the Knights battle it out at the Royal Joust!
It’s the most exciting event on the LEGO Kingdoms calendar! Join the King and Queen at the Royal Joust as the knights on horseback battle it out for the hand of the beautiful Princess. This detailed set recreates all the majesty of a medieval pageant, from the large, 6-roomed castle with linked wall extensions, 2 knights’ weapons tents, royal viewing box, jousting fence and of course 2 magnificent jousting horses. Combine 2 Kingdoms Joust sets for a scene that is truly fit for a King! Includes 9 minifigures: king, queen, princess, lion knight, falcon knight, young squire, nobleman and 2 soldiers.
• Includes 9 minifigures: king, queen, princess,, lion knight, falcon knight, young squire, nobleman and 2 soldiers!
• Knight minifigures include armor decoration, helmet, jousting pole, shield and 2 extra weapons!
• Features castle with 6 detailed rooms with lots of accessorie and 2 knight’s tents with weapon holders!
• Open back for easy access to linked wall extensions!
• Also features royal viewing box with flags and coat of arms!
• Includes 2 knight’s horses with detailed decoration, weapon holder and armored headgear!
• Explore the castle rooms!
• Battle it out for the hand of the princess!
• Combine 2 Kingdoms Joust sets for a scene fit for King!
• Castle measures 20″ (51 cm) wide and 12″ (30 cm) tall!

Available for sale directly through LEGO® beginning
January 2012 via shop.LEGO.com, LEGO® Stores or via phone

I love the lady in the green dress!

So much awesomeness, so little money. Once again my wallet is already hurting from the sets I want to buy next year. 😀

Bride and Groom LEGO Set

Today during my trip to LEGOLAND I found a new set on the shelves. Although not as personalized as the Wedding Cake Toppers I design, this new LEGO set is still fun. 😉

Now at $10 for the set, its a little pricey for the part count — 40 ¢ a piece. But for those looking for a minifig bride and groom, that is exactly what you get.

There isn’t much to the set, but here’s what you get.

I was actually surprised that they included the paper flower arch. I thought it was just a drawing on the box. I would have rather had a LEGO one though. The fabric veil is a little tricky to put in, but it works okay.

The dress torso also has back printing, but unfortunately my picture isn’t the best. I’ll try and take a better one soon.

There is one upside, they include three different colors of the hair — the blond color appears for the first and only (so far) time in this set.

I have to admit that’s why I got the set, the printed white dress and the hair elements. 😀

On a completely different note, there are also LEGO Crocs for kids (no adults unfortunately 😦 )

They are pretty cute. I forgot to look at the price, sorry about that.

So, my guess is that if the Bride and Groom set is showing up at LEGOLAND it will start showing up at all LEGO stores soon. As for the Crocs shoes, who knows.

Darth Vader and Amidala Wedding Cake Topper

The words Darth Vader, flowers, and wedding don’t often come together, but in this instance they make perfect sense. 🙂

On the heels of my earlier Star Wars Wedding Cake Topper, or more accurately because of it, I was asked to create the iconic symbol of the Dark Side Darth Vader and his lovely bride Queen Amidala standing in a field of flowers.

Okay, so Anakin married Amidala before he became Lord Vader, but heck Vader’s cooler than Anakin any day. 😀

I really wish the picture showed Vader better, but I still don’t know how to properly capture a black model. Even with extra lighting, it still mainly looks like a lot of black and you can’t see all the very cool details.

Even so, I can say that I’m much happier with my version versus the official on that is on display at LEGOLAND California

Although I have to admit I didn’t design the Vader helmet, that credit goes to my brother Mike Asanuma who also made the Stormtrooper helmet. He made both quite a while ago, and then challenged me to make the bodies. It just took me a while, and a request from clients, to get around to it. 😉

3,000 Bricks, 46 seconds, One LEGO Face

Check out my friend Master Model Builder Ryan  Ziegelbauer as he builds the face of Sarah Chan winner of the  the Junior Master Model Builder Ultimate Build Off  in January at LEGOLAND California.

If you miss it the first time watch it again to see all the fun extra stuff that travels along Ryan’s desk as he builds. 😀

BrickWorld 2011 Day 1

Hi all, as you know I’m in the windy city of Chicago for BrickWorld 2011. This year, to make it easier to find my bags I used a few of the decals on my suitcases.

I can tell you for certain that no one else had bags like that. 😉

Last night was the opening ceremony. We had a wonderful keynote speaker, Adrian Jones the General Manager of LEGOLAND Florida. He gave a great presentation on all the fun areas of the new park.

Today is official start of all the presentations, workshops, and MOC (my own creations) set-up. As there isn’t to much else to report yet I’m going to sign off for now and I’ll post later. 🙂

LEGO Master Builder Academy

I can’t seem to get it to link properly, but if you click on this:
LEGO Master Builder Academy.

You can check out this cool video about the new LEGO Master Builder Academy.

I’m pretty excited for this program. Its kind of what I’ve been doing and wanting to do all along. The only downside is that its only available in the US for now. Here’s hoping it will be worldwide soon.