Mark your Calendars: Brick Mania Limburg 2015

In the weekend of the 29th and 30th of August, BeLUG is hosting is second (of 5!!) Brick Mania convention this year.

Located in Helchteren (in between Heusden-Zolder and Genk) at the Don Bosco school, this is the second edition of the convention, and to get an idea of last year, here is the picture report I made back then.

So if you are looking for a good day out on the last weekend of the school vacation, it is definitly worth your time!

More information on the BeLUG website over at www.belug.be

Classic Lego Build: 6885 Crater Crawler

Hailing from 1988 in what has become known as the `Futuron` theme, comes the classic set we are rebuilding today, the Crater Crawler.

This space truck included one of the black suited astronauts of the second generation, in what in popular lore will evolve into the `bad guys` of Blacktron.

The build starts on a base of two seperate `base elements`, as the truck can swivel in the middle.

After connecting these together as seen above, we continue with the build up of the large bay at the back of the truck, by using large elements and then lying them flat down.

Using an early sort of SNOT, this is then laid down onto the back half of the truck.  In the meantime, we build up the railings of the front part as well.

The clear blue parts are then added to the top, but unfortunatly on one of them age has taken it`s toll and it got warped somehow.

In this bay is a small drone located, a quick build really, but with a cool printed plate at it`s front.

This little drone controls a small flyer like vessel, for investigating the depths of craters and such.

Placing it into the bay, the small set is now completed. 

I`m personally not to wild about the whole thing, it has a nice minifig and a cool printed 1x2 tile, but that is about it what this set did for me.  Though 25 odd years ago, I`m sure I played with it in my back then spacefleet :-)

Building the Nova Corps

In today`s build, I`m tackling one of the Guardians of the Galaxy sets I picked up at the end of january this year. 

Together with the Knowhere set which I did already back in february and the Milano who is coming up one of these weeks, set 76019, Starblaster Showdown, was one of the 3 sets in the movie tied sets (okay, 5 if you count the SDCC set and the Rocket polybag).

The smallest of the wave, it contains 182 pieces divided over 2 polybags, a booklet and a stickersheet, which will build us a Kree vessel, a Nova corps vessel and give us a Star-Lord in his pre-ravager outfit.

The first bag already gives us the Nova Corp policeman.  This is not the superhero Nova (who btw can ge found in the Daily Buggle set, but he wasn`t in the movie) but one of the galactic law enforcers that the movie is filled with.  I especially like the helmet on the figure.

The bag also contains the main vessel of the set, one of the Nova Corps small vessels that we see form the net to hold back Ronan in the movie, and we start this build with a blue canopy underpiece as the basis.

Controls are added as the sides are build up.

On the underside, two flick missile launchers are added to give the vessel some firepower.

The engine part also doubles as the `crown` to which the wings are all added.

Alternating large and small wing fans are then added to the backside of the vessel, as said being connected to the engine piece.

If you want it displayed `as it is` from the box, you will be needing to fold up the underside wingfins, but in open position it is swooshable ;-)

The second bag, which will provide the parts for the Kree fighter, also contains a Kree pilot as well as Star-Lord.  I love the minifigure of our hero, as he uses a helmet with hair sculpt, and one where you can put the loose hairpiece element on.

The organic ore looking vessel of the Kree is based on dark grey plate with a small boat hull piece as the central part to build upon.

Using a rock piece for the backside, we then bulk out the bodywork of the vessel.

Fins and the canopy are added, and the little fighter plane is completed.

The set:

The traditional add on pieces:

Now, I LOVE the Nova Corps fighter plane and the `good guy` minifigures, but I`m not all that impressed with the Kree fighter plane.  It surely is difficult to recreate it`s organic look in Lego, granted, but still I`m not to wild about the design and the overal look of the little vessel.  There is one of those as well in the Milano, but the good guy ships, actually just as in the movies, stand out far better with their elegant lines and sleek colourscheme.

Nevertheless, a good set from a fantastic (unexpected) blockbuster movie from Marvel, better than the Knowhere set for sure.

Tune in back next thursday for a fresh report of a boxed set build, where I`ll ba taking on the Scarlet Speedster!

Hillary Clinton action figure

In general, I`m not a gambling man.  But on some rare occassions, I dare taking a small risk.

And that is exactly what I did with this Kickstarter campaign...

Over here in Belgium, it doesn`t really matter who wins the presidential elections in the United States, but when I saw this for a limited run action figure, I took the plunge and pledged for one.

The Hillary Clinton figure is well, a bit comical in style and execution, but I figured that should she actually win the elections, this toy could become a nice trading token.

If not, well, at least they weren`t to expensive...

Terra Nova review

See, I`m going strong in my backlog, I finally watched a 4 year old series now...

Terra Nova, to the uninitiated, is perhaps best described as the love child of Jurassic Park and Avatar, it even shares Stephen Lang with the last one.

In 2149, Earth is dying as it`s resources are running out, and to try and save humanity, colonists are send out.  Or better said, send back.  Because thanks to a one directional timerift, they can be transported back 85 million years into the past, to the age of the dinosaur.

The Shannon family is one such family of colonists that leave the future behind on the 10th Pilgrimmage, and find themselves in a flourishing colony led by commander Nathaniel Taylor.  But soon they learn that not everything is peace and quiet, as during the 6th pilgrimmage a group of dissidents came along.  Known as the Sixers, they are there employed by a corporation from the future to overtake Taylor and set up for strip mining the past to bring wealth to the future.

In orde to make this possible, Taylor`s son, also working for this conglomerate, is working on a way to reverse the time portal, to be able to allow travel in both directions.  Though he eventually manages to do this, the colonists fight off the invaders and secure their new home, but then a new mystery opens as an 18th century ship bow is found in an area called the Badlands...

... and we will never know what comes next as the series got cancelled after it`s initial 13 episode run.  Yes, even Steven Spielberg himself produced series are not axing immune, but it is safe to assume that series two would involve at least another portal.

It wasn`t in all a bad series, though the special effects at times showed their limited budget.  However, in my opinion it came just a bit to soon.  2010 / 2011 where bad years for sci-fi, as the genre was falling back then (Destiny anyone?) in popularity, something which has only recently been on the rise again and mostly thanks to superhero shows and to an extent Doctor Who.  But in those years, if you weren`t a walking dead guy, you where not in the high ratings.

And I loved Jason O`Mara as police officer Jim Shannon, he had a sort of `vibe` going that reminded of the young Mel Gibson in his Mad Max and Lethal Weapon days.

Dune: House Corrino review

Compassion and revenge are two sides of the same coin.
Necessity dictates which way that coin falls.
(Duke Paulus Artreides)

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson brings us the magnificent final chapter in the unforgettable saga of the events leading up to Frank Herbert`s immortal Dune...

In this final volume, events are focussed mainly around the Emperor Shaddam IV, who is trying to create an artificial spice with the help of the Tleilaxu.  Should he succeed, he becomes the most powerful man ever to have graced the galaxy as he will have control over the full universe like an iron vice.

But the so-called amal holds flaws and the emperor is trying to cover this up and look the other way, even when two Heighliner accidents occur.

On the other side, Leto Atreides has taken the steps to ensure justice.  He has decided to help his longtime friend Rhombur Vernius to retake his homeplanet of Ix and reinstall their noble reign there.  And his concubine Jessica is going to have their baby during this political crisis times.

In the meantime on Arakkis, the Fremen are setting events in motion to free the world from Harkonnen`s tyranny...

A very capturing book, whom as trade paperback numbers a `modest` 670 pages (about double of the normal little pocket sized novels), the tale chronicles the events taking place the final year before the Dune story takes place, and setting the pieces on the checkerboard for what will be happening there.

Definitly a trilogy that is recommanded reading if you like the universe Herbert created for us, as it grants a lot of insight in the motivations of some characters even more then the book and novel did from the original!

Today`s Haul at the Auctioneer

Another great calling day, as I managed to take along a few boxes of goodies for no money at all.

I really love this place, the audience is barely `toy minded` allowing me to snatch along whole boxes of stuff every fortnight for a few euro, giving me good material to trade around for my own collection of Lego.

The first `win` this week was this ancient Faller slotcar track, whom i am going to clean up, test and then trade in trackpieces, for 3.60 including the 20% auctioneer commission.  I`m hoping on a return in value of around 20 euro in bricks on this.

The second lot, which I snagged for 7.20 including commission, comprimised of 3 boxes.  The one with the large dolls are all going to a mate of mine`s grandma, who`s hobby is knitting doll clothes and redressing them, so she can just have all of them.

The second one was one I aimed for, willing to go to 10 for that box alone, but they didn`t split it up so I even made a better deal actually.  It contained apart from a lot of junk toys and cars which I put aside for my sister in laws boys, a couple of Masters of the Universe, Marvel and Action Man figures.

The third box that I got with this set was a heap of Mattel Shelly dolls, 10 in total in a great condition and some furniture pieces.  Not only are they from the 1994 series... but also from the 1976 series!!!!

This lot I hope should yield me a value of around 50 in bricks, so for spending 10.50 euro in total, this gives me some great barganing chips!

Lego Classic Build 6956: M-Tron Stellar Recon Voyager

I admit, I`m a sucker for the `industrial` Neo Space subthemes, being M-Tron, Ice Planet 2002 and, in a lesser extent, Spyrius.

There is just something about those vessels and color schemes I keep going back to, and even though it are only the actual spaceships that intrest me, I`m tackling the largest ship of the M-Tron range today.

Okay, `large`... released in 1990 and counting 221 parts, it`s not that big of a set to current day standards at all, but 3 decennia ago she was the biggest of the magnet equipped miner range, only outdone by a base and a wheeled vehicle.

The set comes with two M-Tron spaceminer minifigs in their strong red black white livery.

The first thing we are building in the small car that will be housed (or rather, attached) in the nose of the vessel for survey scouting.

This vessel comes with one of the magnet elements, which will allow it to connect to the frontside of the vessel.

It`s a rather simplistic little piece of equipement, generally being a slope and the magnet on a plate with wheels.

The second subitem for the vessel is the tools container, which will be stored in the back of the ship by means of a crane.  I really like the printed pieces on this one.

But then we can start building the ship itself, starting out by laying down a `skeleton` grid upon which we will expand the bodywork.

Plates are then used to cover the whole bottom.

The landing gear consists of black engines to support the vessel on the ground, like Ice Planet usually did with white ones.

The magnet for the car is placed in the front, as the outlines of the cockpit and the support for the bulky backside are put together.

Trans parts then make up the canopy and some detailing.  This is one of the strong points of the range, as the yellowish greenish transparant parts really contrast well with the red and black, making it stand out strongly.  On the sides, two small containers, again with magnets and printed front pieces, are added.

The wing assembly is then added to the top of the loading bay to give the vessel is wideness.

The crane can go extract and retract in the backside, storing the container we build at the beginning in between the wings.

And here we have the vessel in all it`s completed and deployed glory:

As well as in `al aboard` modus:

Another great looking vessel for the collection, this vessel really shines out with the transparent parts, though she does have `a fat butt`. 

But in all honesty, this isn`t my favorite of the M-Tron line, but that will be a build for another time!