tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48428307021358906732024-02-23T02:45:37.509-05:00MinilandBricksVisit a theme park, or build your ownBricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.comBlogger708125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-54821545928361830502016-07-22T16:55:00.005-04:002016-07-22T16:55:51.545-04:00Donnie DarkoSeveral years ago Lino Martins made this disturbing minilander of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lino_m/3457973918/">Donnie Darko</a>.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lino_m/3457973918/"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3544/3457973918_72e4162305.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-37841336664097435672015-12-16T12:36:00.002-05:002015-12-16T12:36:18.965-05:00Coastal BreezeLittlehaulic built this amazing <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/littlehaulic/23433454480/in/dateposted/">Coastal Breeze beach house</a>.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/littlehaulic/23433454480/in/dateposted/"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5692/23433454480_f3bee16e9e.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/littlehaulic/23479746060/in/dateposted/"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5694/23479746060_bede607964.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-84427087095178247792015-12-15T14:49:00.005-05:002015-12-15T14:49:59.208-05:00Meet Funky Felix<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/127632387@N03/22400261933/in/pool-christianlegobuilders/">Meet Funky Felix</a> by Roy of Floremheim.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/127632387@N03/22400261933/in/pool-christianlegobuilders/"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/567/22400261933_3c0012b499.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-38671801958093905742015-12-13T11:00:00.002-05:002015-12-13T11:00:47.582-05:00Force AwakensB Mauro is looking forward to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/breadman017/21197529595/">Star Wars 7</a>. These were actually built earlier this year based on characters shown in the trailer.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/breadman017/21197529595/"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5772/21197529595_16afdcea3c.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-62745597767830984742015-12-07T14:59:00.002-05:002015-12-07T14:59:18.573-05:00Move! I got a better idea!<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/7kyubi7/23584189265/">Move! I got a better idea!</a> by Jimmy Fortel.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/7kyubi7/23584189265/"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/763/23584189265_f78b409194.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-18583189244850946372015-12-06T08:12:00.001-05:002015-12-06T08:12:16.202-05:00AC/DC<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/33774513@N08/20387823252/">AC/DC</a> rock on in this MOC by Crises_crs<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/33774513@N08/20387823252/"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/458/20387823252_48d13354a0.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-68952492825905823202015-10-21T16:05:00.002-04:002015-10-21T16:05:36.206-04:00Great Scott!!!! It's Back to the Future DayToday in movie history, October 21, 2015, Marty McFly and Doc Brown arrive in modern day Hill Valley, California, coming from 1985 to save Marty's son. To celebrate, here's some miniland BTTF goodness:<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/legolago/8538411222/">Stephen Sander</a><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/legolago/8538411222/"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8227/8538411222_7f0c665510.jpg" width="500"></a><br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/timo_beil/3083161595">Andreas Sander</a> (hmm, maybe these are the same builder and someone mistook the name?)<br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/timo_beil/3083161595"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3227/3083161595_fb416f4e43.jpg" width="500"></a><br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/madphysicist/22337455336/in/dateposted/">Ralph S</a><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/madphysicist/22337455336/in/dateposted/"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5635/22337455336_8ea95f578f.jpg" width="500"></a><br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/21709835913">Peter Blackert</a><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/21709835913"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/606/21709835913_1f0f9c2549.jpg" width="500"></a><br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/22159062508/"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/738/22159062508_dcc7242202.jpg" width="500"></a><br><br>
<a href=""><img src="" width="500"></a><br><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-42682000397146459762015-10-13T14:06:00.006-04:002015-10-13T14:06:50.026-04:00The hand filled with aces but life plays chessRembrandt Tesla made this incredibly moody scene: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/131314412@N08/21297511845/in/pool-lego/">The hand filled with aces but life plays chess</a>.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/131314412@N08/21297511845/in/pool-lego/"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5721/21297511845_9301020724.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-55419861824893695052015-09-03T14:46:00.001-04:002015-09-03T14:46:18.864-04:00NevermindUmamen built the cover of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/umamen/20694596635/">Nevermind</a>.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/umamen/20694596635/"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/614/20694596635_21241b279e.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-92151926275693787912015-08-28T06:33:00.001-04:002015-08-28T06:33:20.633-04:00Dutch politicsI don't know anything about Dutch politics, but based on Google translate, this <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/paultox/albums/72157656865601590">coalition</a> by Paul Toxopeus seems to be a grouping of local officials.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/paultox/albums/72157656865601590"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3679/13928306553_aa27829225.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-19335454851607556192015-08-27T19:11:00.001-04:002015-08-27T19:11:10.167-04:00They love a man in uniformMatt De Lanoy built these figures for <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepa_quin/20575908878/">Fallout Friday</a>.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepa_quin/20575908878/"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5812/20575908878_80aa648d00.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-21240645347896317932015-08-19T02:44:00.004-04:002015-08-19T02:44:59.181-04:00Where the Wild Things Are<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/maxpointner/20212583920/in/pool-christianlegobuilders/">Where the Wild Things Are</a> by Max Pointner.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/maxpointner/20212583920/in/pool-christianlegobuilders/"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/301/20212583920_479d8e2ec8.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-1677486450249845262015-08-14T14:34:00.001-04:002015-08-14T14:34:56.628-04:00Star Wars: A New Hip<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepa_quin/20370824769/">Star Wars: A New Hip</a> by Matt De Lanoy.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepa_quin/20370824769/"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5753/20370824769_dfee1af51b.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-79599935434738023462015-08-07T17:06:00.003-04:002015-08-07T17:06:28.422-04:00Lawnmower man<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepa_quin/20176080118/">Lawnmower man</a> by Matt De Lanoy.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepa_quin/20176080118/"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/482/20176080118_dc14000d6f.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-35392875879257331872015-08-05T12:59:00.002-04:002015-08-05T12:59:58.621-04:00Venom of The Red LotusI have to admit that I don't know what's going on in Tim Schwalfenberg's <a href="">Venom of The Red Lotus</a>, but it's all kinds of awesome.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/112058573@N02/20042354519/in/pool-christianlegobuilders/"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/485/20042354519_d4c1771fdc.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-10470815659192850462015-07-27T15:49:00.001-04:002015-07-27T15:49:45.986-04:00Comic-ConAthos has been building the population of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/37777874@N06/sets/72157645226087178">Comic-Con</a> for the past three years. If you follow the link to the gallery you can see all of the individual cosplayers.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/37777874@N06/sets/72157645226087178"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/261/19853981790_be7064fb44.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-6008255335737685292015-07-08T15:05:00.002-04:002015-07-08T15:05:34.274-04:00Gallipoli TrenchSomeone (who?) brought this scene of trench warfare in WWI, representing the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kpowers67/19277238899/">Gallipoli campaign</a> to Newcastle BrickFest 2015. This campaign, where Allied forces invaded part of what is modern-day Turkey, is particularly remembered in Australia and New Zealand due to the significant participation of portions of those nations, which were fairly newly separated from the UK at that point.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kpowers67/19277238899/"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/309/19277238899_bae426f94a.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-56502825573925341152015-06-24T16:20:00.005-04:002015-06-24T16:20:56.682-04:00Mini-ConHere are some pictures of the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/toomuchdew/19075551506/in/dateposted/">Mini-Con</a> from BrickWorld.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/toomuchdew/19075551506/in/dateposted/"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/341/19075551506_0c6f011446.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/toomuchdew/19105068771/in/dateposted/"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/260/19105068771_98404c4343.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-42547038366663706042015-04-02T03:05:00.002-04:002015-04-02T03:05:11.792-04:00Hoppy Easter<a href="http://mocpages.com/moc.php/110198">Hoppy Easter</a> by Mariann Asanuma.<br><br>
<a href="http://mocpages.com/moc.php/110198"><img src="http://images.mocpages.com/user_images/2630/1239312702m_SPLASH.jpg" height="500"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-84770851709183301542015-03-30T07:41:00.004-04:002015-03-30T07:41:54.815-04:00Machineel DryadA Plastic Infinity made this intriguing MOC, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/88919111@N04/16620959708/in/photostream/">Machineel Dryad</a>.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/88919111@N04/16620959708/in/photostream/"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7615/16620959708_0431894c06.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-22581751601135908172015-03-19T21:49:00.002-04:002015-03-19T21:49:21.707-04:00Fifth ElementMad Physicist made Bruce Willis' taxi from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/madphysicist/16669537899/">Fifth Element</a>.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/madphysicist/16669537899/"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8737/16669537899_8b0542c8cd.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-10862811519273916422015-03-16T12:28:00.003-04:002015-03-16T12:28:43.532-04:00Steam plow6kyubi6 built this <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/7kyubi7/16626886817/">steam plow</a> at about miniland scale.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/7kyubi7/16626886817/"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7604/16626886817_7312456508.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-44297739186275023722014-12-25T06:00:00.000-05:002014-12-25T06:00:04.104-05:00Christmas with GrandpaLuis Baixinho built <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lbaixinho/15835715279">Christmas with Grandpa</a>.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lbaixinho/15835715279"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7565/15835715279_4e444d7880.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-64237393305633774672014-12-23T04:55:00.000-05:002014-12-23T04:55:18.189-05:00Rapid-fire book reviewDang. I have this stack of books that I've wanted to do nice long reviews on before Christmas, to maybe give some recommendations for gift-giving, but now I find myself just a couple of days away from the 25th. So I'm going to do some short reviews for now, and then in the new year I really promise to go back and do longer takes on each of these.<br>
I'm posting this same post across all of my blogs, btw.<br><Br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.nostarch.com/steampunk"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7484/15466186233_041818ce30.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.nostarch.com/steampunk">Steampunk LEGO</a> by Guy Himber<br>
No starch press, 200 pages, 2015<br>
Guy is certainly one of the preeminant AFOLs in the steampunk genre, and he's gathered together a collection of models by a lot of other great builders. If you don't know, steampunk is kind of the sci-fi of the Victorian era. The neat thing about this book is that rather than just being page after page of photos of LEGO models, this is put together more like a scrapbook made in the late 1800s. The pages have interesting backgrounds that look like parchment, maps, or pages out of old books. The fonts are often flowing script, or look like they were banged out on a manual typewriter. The images are 'attached' with those photo corners you might see in your granparents' photo albums. The pictures are sometimes in full color, but often in black and white or sepia tones. And the text is all by the fictional chronicler reporting back to Queen Victoria. The result is a very enjoyable volume that stands out from some of the other books that highlight great builds, but sometimes become repetitive (particularly if you have already seen them online). The audience here is probably for the older teen or adult with some interest in this genre, but really any interest in great LEGO models presented interestingly. I highly recommend this book.
<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.dk.com/us/9781465414120-lego-play-book/"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7496/15900045097_d072c814a3.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.dk.com/us/9781465414120-lego-play-book/">LEGO Play Book</a> by Daniel Lipkowitz<br>
Dorling Kindserly (DK), 200 pages, 2013<br>
This book brings together eight builders and lets each of them loose for a chapter based on a given theme. Barney Main builds fairy tales, Tim Goddard microscale, Pete Reid and Yvonne Doyle team up to make animals, and so on. Some of the chapters have a story connecting the models, and others are more collections. My son and I got this from the library when it came out (I really thought I'd reviewed it already) and we had so much fun going through it. We renewed the subscription three times because we were reading through a few pages each night at bedtime, just savoring the experience. He's 5, I'm 45, and we both thought it was great. Probably the main message was to encourage kids to be creative. If you have a kid who is in to LEGO, get them this book. You won't regret it.
<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.dk.com/us/9781465414113-lego-minifigure-year-by-year-a-visual-history/"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7528/15900218139_300d9c1d0f.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.dk.com/us/9781465414113-lego-minifigure-year-by-year-a-visual-history/">LEGO Minifigure Year by Year: A Visual History</a> by Gregory Farshtey with Daniel Lipkowitz<br>
Dorling Kindserly (DK), 256 pages, 2013<br>
While DK has put out a few books like the LEGO Play Book just mentioned, they are more known for putting out books that are little more than catalogs - big compendiums of all of the LEGO Star Wars sets, or all of the LEGO Harry Potter sets, or all of the LEGO Batman sets, etc. I'm generally not a fan of these. This book falls in that category. It's kind of a rehash of Standing Small, a book DK put out a few years ago focused on minifigs, or the LEGO Minifigures Character Encyclopedia, though that was exclusively on the Collectible lines. This book is unique in that, rather than grouping all of the castle figs in one place and all of the Star Wars figs in another, it goes through, well, year by year, just like the title says. So you see groups of figs in chronological order. It's not a comprehensive listing like Christoph Bartneck's Unofficial LEGO Minifigure Catalog, so it's not useful as a reference book, but it is kind of fun to page through and see the evolution of the fig from the classic smiley to today's very detailed figs. Probably the best part is the inclusion of some of the prototypes and other precursors to the modern fig. A nice coffee table book, but probably not something you'd sit down and read. An okay gift for the casually interested person, but I'd rather give them the LEGO Play Book to show them what you can do when you're being creative.
<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.nostarch.com/legoneighborhood"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8566/15898825110_acaa9c4954.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.nostarch.com/legoneighborhood">The LEGO Neighborhood Book</a> by Brian Lyles and Jason Lyles<br>
No starch press, 200 pages, 2014<br>
This book focuses on building in the Cafe Corner style. The book is about 10-20% discussion of building style and sources of inspiration, about 30-40% pictures of models by the authors, and about 50% detailed building instructions to make a few large buildings and also some detail features like lampposts and benches. The models are great, and the instructions are really clear. If you like the Cafe Corner sets and want to make more of your own, this is the book for you. Definitely for older teens and adult builders, simply for the scale of the projects involved.
<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/book/?GCOI=60239108034470&"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7532/15898371588_a37ab7967a.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/book/?GCOI=60239108034470&">Brick Shakespeare: The Comedies</a> by John McCann, Monica Sweeney, and Becky Thomas<br>
Skyhorse Publishing, 342 pages, 2014<br>
Okay, here's where reviewing is no fun. I absolutely hated Brick Shakespeare: The Tragedies by these authors, and I'm not much happier with this one either. This book is essentially a collection of four LEGO-illustrated plays - A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, Much Ado about Nothing, and The Taming of the Shrew. These are put together in much the same style as the Brick Bible books by Brendan Powell Smith. It's just that, well, the models and photography aren't very good. As I said when I reviewed the previous book, if this were five years ago I might feel differently, but there are so many high quality LEGO books on the market now that I just can't recommend this. I suppose if you are really into Shakespeare you might want this, but I wouldn't rush out to get it.
<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/book/?GCOI=60239100160340"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8648/15466145653_fd872f7f21.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/book/?GCOI=60239100160340">Brick Fairy Tales</a> by John McCann, Monica Sweeney, and Becky Thomas<br>
Skyhorse Publishing, 264 pages, 2014<br>
This book has LEGO-illustrated versions of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and nine other stories (some longer, some shorter), but my comments are the same as they were for the Brick Shakespeare book. Avoid this.<br>
I should say that I really don't like writing bad reviews. I'd like these to be better, I really would. I don't have anything against the authors, except that I want them to go on line and see what is actually being built out of LEGO these days so they can strive to do better.
<Br><br>
<hr>
There are many other LEGO books I don't have that have come out in the last year, and there's no way to cover them all. Here, though, are some that look particularly interesting to me. As soon as I get them I'll write full reviews.<br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.nostarch.com/beautifullego2"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8612/15463541904_2f353929c0.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.nostarch.com/beautifullego2">Beautiful LEGO 2: Dark</a> by Mike Doyle <br>
No starch press, 340 pages, 2014<br>
I completely loved book 1 and am looking forward to getting book 2. In book 1 Mike was really focused on LEGO as artwork, and he brought together works by others to show just that. For this book he publicly called for people to submit or suggest artistic MOCs with a much darker theme. I've seen many of the creations that were submitted, and I look forward to seeing how they all came together in the book.
<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.nostarch.com/artofthebrick"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7573/16085850305_70abeaa0b0.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.nostarch.com/artofthebrick">Art of the Brick</a> by Nathan Sawaya <br>
No starch press, 248 pages, 2014<br>
We're all familiar with Nathan's creations, and you may have even attended one of his traveling exhibitions that have been in art museums all over the world. This book appears to be the companion piece to the exhibit.
<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.nostarch.com/legodesign"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8676/15466186423_5ed6893d5d.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.nostarch.com/legodesign">Art of LEGO Design</a> by Jordan Schwartz<br>
No starch press, 288 pages, 2014<br>
Jordan was certainly one of the most creative builders around at a very young age. He even got a chance to go to Denmark as a LEGO intern, and I believe he designed a few sets during his internship (I should probably check the details on that). He seems to have dropped out of the hobby for a few years, but he's back with this book that looks at the process of designing MOCs, including interviews with the builders of the work shown.<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/book/?GCOI=60239107172570&"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8635/15898543280_c76e9fc38e.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/book/?GCOI=60239107172570&">Revolution!</a> by Brendan Powell Smith<br>
Skyhorse Publishing, 2014<br>
Okay, I'm recommending this one without ever seeing a page of it. We know Brendan from his decade-long project to illustrate the Bible, but last year he came out with Assasination!, focused on assasinations and attempted assasinations of American presidents. I wasn't only impressed by the illustrations - I expected those based on Brendan's previous work - but also by the writing, which was both informative and engaging. Anyone with any interest in history would enjoy it. So, I suppose this is a complete assumption, but I'm going to guess that Revolution!, a LEGO-illustrated history of the American Revolutionary War, will be similarly enjoyable on multiple levels.
<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://barronseduc.stores.yahoo.net/1438002491.html"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8576/15898567780_5fe7dafc31.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://barronseduc.stores.yahoo.net/1438002491.html">Brick City</a> by Warren Elsmore<br>
Barron's, 256 pages, 2013<br>
I've flipped through this one in the store and it looks really good. This is focused on models of well known buildings and other landmarks from around the world, such as the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, etc., mostly at microscale. Perhaps my only concern is that it's a smaller book, whereas bigger pages would make some of the details easier to see. On the other hand, it's hard to carry a large coffee-table sized book with you, so this is nice too.
<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://barronseduc.stores.yahoo.net/1438004117.html"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7516/16085849495_2a016de557.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://barronseduc.stores.yahoo.net/1438004117.html">Brick Wonders</a> by Warren Elsmore<br>
Barron's, 256 pages, 2014<br>
Again, I've looked through this one and it's on my wish list as well. Whereas Brick City was more about modern structures, this one is broader in scope, with ancient structures such as the Pyramids and Babylon, natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon, and even modern things such as the International Space Station. Again, the models look great and the photography is great as well.
<Br><br>
<hr>
<br><br>
<a href="http://barronseduc.stores.yahoo.net/1438005180.html"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8582/16060051516_e47b1ccaa5.jpg" height="200"></a><br>
<a href="http://barronseduc.stores.yahoo.net/1438005180.html">Brick Flicks</a> by Warren Elsmore<br>
Barron's, 160 pages, 2014<br>
This is another one that I'm listing without ever seeing it. I actually didn't know this one existed until I was getting the links for the other two by Warren. Based on the strengths of those, though, I'm looking forward to getting Brick Flicks. My only concern is that it appears to be 40% shorter than Brick City and Brick Wonders.
Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842830702135890673.post-35664045021290402992014-12-20T12:30:00.001-05:002014-12-20T12:30:05.081-05:00Evening gownBirgburg used a lot of food in this <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/birgburg/14899024872/">evening gown</a>.<br><br>
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/birgburg/14899024872/"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5588/14899024872_e22ffe6712.jpg"></a><br>Bricktaleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13010396251695031167noreply@blogger.com1