Lego Batman DC Super Heroes Unite

This is the Lego movie that is also featured in the second Lego batman videogame, you know, the one we all push the triangle to get to the next level swiftly.

Name? I`m Superman and he is Batman.
Is that a first or a second name?
Errrrm... it`s a one name thing, like Madonna...

The above shard of dialogue is part of the typical humour you get in these Lego movies, making them funny viewing experiences.  The story has Batman reluctantly team up with Superman in order to thwart the newest scheme of Lex Luthor and the Joker to put themselves in the White House.

This they want to achieve by using Jokergas to sway the votes and rig the elections, while using Batman`s stash of kryptonite to overcome the Man of Steel.  Along the road to this goal, they have to quell an uprising in Arhkam and the League is formed together, meaning you get every popular hero and villain featured at least shortly during the movie.

It`s an enjoyable flick like I said, and one to definitly watch with the kids someday, you never know if a small Dark Crusader comes out of it ;-)

Rivendell Display MOC

Okay, success, I managed to get my third display for the Tolkien franchise done this year, and in time for FACTS.

Now, I like building these kind of things, to grab an existing set or sets that go together (like my Lake-Town), and build up a display base around it.

For the Council of Elrond set, and the videogame Elrond fig, I grouped them under Rivendell (to be sure it fitted on the brick to be printed), and went for a look from the Lord of the Rings videogame.  The terrace where the Council takes place, near a cliffside, and with a waterfall and stream bridged by small, borderless bridges.

I think it turned out quit alright...

Lego Build: 70753 Ninjago Lava Falls

Today`s set build is one of the smaller, but intresting Ninjago sets for a fantasy MOCcer for me.  No flashy car or plain parts, but some natural formation and good minifigs.

Hailing from the range that came out the beginning of the year, it takes the heroes to battle Lord Anacondrai and his minions.

This small set comes with two minifigures: Cole and one of the serpent lord minions, a figure I really dig with the chest tattoos and the cool snakeskull headpiece.

We start the build by providing the core `base`, a combination of orange and red plates to show the lava this fight is taking place over.

Rising from this hot stuff, are rocks upon which we will be hanging the walkway later on.  As you see, a nice selection of sloped bricks in this one.

Once we reach the raised area and levelled it, we are building the mechanic to create the falling walkway playfeature.

By pulling this red rod, the walkway will fall down and drop unsuspecting victims into the lavastream.

Dark red curved plates are then added to the top, another great sort of elements in this little box.

Some final details, like the totemleg build from a skeleton, are then added to hold Cole`s special weapon.

And the set stands completed

Of course, there are some additional parts for your bitsbox as well.

I like this little set, actually, I think both of the smaller sets from the beginning of the year are more then worth it for the useful elements in them.  And the fact they often show up in Kruidvat at a strong discount, makes it all the better ;-)

Dark Matter

Usually, I watch series in one go, when I have the full season.  But sometimes, one catches my attention and I`m waiting week after week for the next episode.

And Dark Matter was such a series.

When the crew of a vessel the Raza wake up, their memory wiped away, the story begins for 13 episodes in which gradually every member of the 6 man crew pieces together it`s past.  Apart from a girl named `5`, in order of awakening from stasis, they all are wanted fugitives, ranging from a terrorist to an exiled empire heir...

The series has a feel a bit mixed between Blake`s 7 and Andromeda Ascendant, the former for the way the story builds (and wait for that conclusion, bet you hadn`t seen it coming), the later for the `stylisation` of the series.

It is a great show, which expands beyond the comic mini-series it was based on (basically, they went past the comics after two episodes), and just yesterday it has been announced the series was renewed for a second season!

Legend of the Seeker season 2

What if Xena had been a boy?  Well, you probably will end up with a series like this.  oh wait, it does exist, it`s called Hercules.  Oh well, never mind, you get the point.

Based (albeit loosely) on The Sword of Truth fantasy novels by Terry Goodking, Legend of the Seeker was a two season running show, though it did went in a `Firefly` phase afterwards as fans wanted it to return, but the studio kept it`s leg stiff.

This second season is based off the Stone of Tears book from the series, as our Seeker, Richard, starts on a quest to shut down the breach between the current day world and the underworld, something he was unknowingly responsible for in season one.

His fellowship is joined by his enemy of the first season, Cara, and takes them along strange friends / enemies with the Sisters of Light.  Though they do succeed in their mission, the sad thing is that as the series was cancelled after the second season, we never get to see the overarching storyline resolve, nor now how the cliffhanger turns out (well, unless you read the books ofc).

On the storyline front, this wasn`t a bad show at all, and one I discovered through a friend of mine, David, quite a while ago.  I just didn`t get round to s2 just yet until the past week.

But the main drawback is the fact it`s like the opening.  It`s on a production level of Xena and Hercules years ago, budget and all, and this results in, let`s put this politely`, not really A level actors and special effects.  At times, it even feels (and looks) like it was made in some backyard.

But it is intresting enough at least to pick up the book series at least...

A small trip to the Lego Store

I went to the Lego store this morning to obtain the City advent calendar for the kid this year, a Halloween set and fill some of my PAB cups...

But unfortunatly they didn`t have the Halloween sets (yet), so I`m mail ordering them before they run out like with the B-day cake earlier this year.

On the other hand, I did receive some fantastic news and great customer service

I ordered a small SW set past sunday for the poster... but they forgot the poster at S&H, so I asked the store personel if it was best to just ring Lego.  Instead, they just gave me my poster along.

And I can OFICIALLY confirm that Lego Dimensions WILL be available through both S&H and the Lego Stores, so no need there to run to a local video game (and much extra points that way ;-) ).

Sidonia no Kishi season 2

Following the highly awesomeness of the first season, SnK season 2 starts with just as epic a soundtrack as Angela`s opener from the first season, so that couldn`t be a bad thing now could it?

Well, actually, it is...

While the animation still uses the pretty and soft on the eyes style of drawing that set the first season out from most other mecha / sci-fi shows, the story is just not as strong. 

Sure, the struggle of the last remaining humans (or whatever we should call ourselves as we evolved into a cloned, three gender society) againstb the alien Gauna is still the background of it all, we now also get introduced to a Guardian / Gauna developped hybrid (the `prisoner` from the first year), called a Chimera, and the use of Gauna tech to battle them.

However, the Gauna are evolving faster then the humans can devellop in new weapons, and this results in an uphill battle, time and time again saved by Nagate, on the border of beconing repitive.  Sure, in Gundam series, the main hero saves the day, but at least there you have the `other guys` doing heroic things and saving the day once in a while.  Here, the others tend to fail time and again and Nagate rides in, solves it, move on to the problem of the week after.

It does have some nice twists in the series, like how Commander Kobayashi has a double agenda, causing her to take out the ancients Council for one, or how Kunato is setting machinations in motion, but overal, the series can`t stand in the footsteps of it`s first year.

Mind you, considering it had some very big shoes to fill, this might not be all that odd, and it is still an enjoyable show to watch, but I didn`t manage to sit through a hooked 12 episode marathon like I could with year 1.

Let`s await when (it seems to have been confirmed at least) season 3 hits, and how it goes from there...

Final WiP The Burrow

And so it comes to the point that the second new display I have been building for FACTS and Brick Mania Antwerp nears completion.

Which is The Burrow set from Harry Potter, one of the definitly nicer looking ones, and sort of the family project.

As in the GF had the idea, the Smurf donated his Burrow set (sans figures) and the Ford Anglia from the train set, and I well, financed and build everything else from my collection and through BrickLink.

The build is as good as completed now, I only need to put the car back in it`s place, and take some better pictures with the lightbox when the Rivendell set is also 100% completed, and then I`m perfectly on schedule for the final 2 shows I`ll be attending in 2015.

I added some mud for the pig to `play` in next to his pen, and add raised areas on the base to add some depth to it.

The Burrow is lovated near a small stream, which I represented by a small meander of that stream.

In front of the house I put a tree, which lends itselfs greatly to use some of the Friends animals in it.  Considering the certain `cuteness` the Harry Potter series has compared to Lord of the Rings, this fits nicely.

Talking Friends animals, I also added some of the small rabbits in the high grass.

To `border` the back of the plate, I planted some corn, in the same style of a GoH build I did last year.

The field in front of the house is flowered up a bit to break the monotone green and beige.

So the Burrow is, like the Elrond build, now 99% completed, so I HOPE to have the final miniscule details on both of them done this week, and then put them aside until packing day arrives.

And take a break from building displays for a few weeks now... before we can hit the full plans for 2016 hehe...

Lego Classic Build: 6115 Shark Scout

One of the smaller sets I obtained when I took over a part of my mate`s collection, is this small set from the Aquazone range.

While the range wasn`t immensely popular, the story of Lego and underwater settings remain fickle to say the least, considering the newest City range.

Numbering 21 pieces and a Minifigure, this 1995 release is a small set, a current day polybag as you will.

The build starts on 2x4 plates, on which handlebars are added with blue cones.

By connecting these plates with a 2x6, the cones touch each other, looking like they are interconnected themselves .

The nicely printed front end is then added to this little underwater scooter.

The rotor connected is added, as are the steering handles.

A transorange rotor makes up the engine, while small black minifig fins are added as navigational fins.

And then this little set stands completed, ready to terrorize the underwaters...

To be honest, I`m in the camp of `not being into` the underwater themes, and I don`t feel any inner love radiating out for this little set either.  But heck, parts are parts for the collection :-)