tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12982543842229963452024-03-13T17:39:20.008+01:00bricks'n'gearsLEGO wheels and wings.Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.comBlogger171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-66887770923728865912016-01-17T04:11:00.001+01:002016-01-17T04:19:40.094+01:00How (not) to get your dose of bricks<i>I do not intend to restart this blog, in the sense that there will not be any regular new posts. But every if I find something interesting then I may publish it for the benefit of other builders.</i><br />
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If you are like me and like to put your next idea into the form of tangible bricks, then you need to get those bricks from somewhere. Unfortunately the LEGO company considers the sets their primary product, and while they <a href="http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Pick-A-Brick-ByTheme" target="_blank">do sell bricks online</a>, it is not always the best option. <a href="http://www.bricklink.com/" target="_blank">Bricklink</a> (and <a href="http://www.brickowl.com/" target="_blank">BrickOwl</a>) is usually the way to go, but if you intend to buy a lot of bricks, even that is going to be expensive.</div>
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Just recently I have been to Legoland California and I was curious to see how its pick-a-brick wall compares to other options. Before I get there, let me show the other options I knew from before:</div>
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1. LEGO Stores typically have a pick-a-brick wall:</div>
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<li>On the pro side, this can be quite a good deal. In the US, you can fill a large cup (about a pint) for $15.99 + sales tax. My unscientific guess is that it holds at least 400g worth of bricks. There is also a small cup for $7.99 + tax but it holds less than the half of the large one.</li>
<li>On the con side, the selection of bricks is still quite limited. Typically you have 6 rows and around 26 columns which gives you around 150 color-part combinations. What is available is usually a good deal, but you can clearly not expect everything.</li>
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This is how the Pick-a-Brick wall looks like in the LEGO Store Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YoZVM3QrVz8/VpsDgJVLFJI/AAAAAAAFo18/a2BXw79LfI4/s1600/pab-wall-dtd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YoZVM3QrVz8/VpsDgJVLFJI/AAAAAAAFo18/a2BXw79LfI4/s400/pab-wall-dtd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There is even a website dedicated to keeping you up to date with the latest selection. A word of warning: this may or may not be updated regularly.</div>
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<a href="http://wallofbricks.com/">http://wallofbricks.com/</a></div>
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2. Legoland Germany. This is clearly only an option if you live near the city of Ulm or you have a chance to go there. Legoland Germany has by far the best pick-a-brick selection from any store officially affiliated by LEGO. I have to admit that I have not been to Legoland Windsor or Billund recently - if you have info on that, that is appreciated. Pricing is different, last time I checked it was by weight and it was EUR 8.99 per 100g.</div>
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<li>Pro: The best selection amongst offline shops. Probably around 1000 part-color combinations if not more. You still cannot expect all.</li>
<li>Con: slightly more pricey than the LEGO store walls.</li>
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So my question during my California visit today was - how does the brick selection of Legoland California hold up? Since this is a big trip for me I did some online research before. There were some indications that it will not meet my expectations, but still was curious about the truth.</div>
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Well, to summarize: it does not hold up at all. The park itself is pretty similar to Legoland Germany, with one minor difference: the pick-a-brick wall is basically unusable. You can find some bricks and buy them by the weight, but if your goal is to buy bricks, go to the closest LEGO store. You may be able to find some bricks, that are not in a Lego store, but the selection is the same or worse. </div>
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Here is a shot to prove my point:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lhcrM64VKyw/VpsFhTqhejI/AAAAAAAFo2M/x_4ejyMJXgI/s1600/legoland-calif.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lhcrM64VKyw/VpsFhTqhejI/AAAAAAAFo2M/x_4ejyMJXgI/s400/legoland-calif.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lesson learned: if you have seen other Legoland parks, this will be the same. And definitely do not go there for bricks.</div>
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Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-81895956146939321752013-07-11T06:30:00.000+02:002013-07-11T06:30:03.159+02:00Interrupting all transmissionsI have decided to stop posting new entries for a while, possibly forever.<br />
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Starting this year I have tried to keep it running with weekly material about building, cars, planes. There are many things to write about, but it has been increasingly difficult to find the time for it. On the time that I still have is better spent with trying to build something.<br />
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So there will be no new material. But it is worth following the stuff that I build.<br />
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If you are a registered user on Flickr then please make me a contact, I tend not to reject anyone:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/</a><br />
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If you are still using a feed reader after Google Reader has gone out of business, you can subscribe here:<br />
<a href="http://api.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne?id=78106172@N00&lang=en-us&format=rss_200">http://api.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne?id=78106172@N00&lang=en-us&format=rss_200</a><br />
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Happy playing and building!Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-23005818279633208112013-06-22T06:30:00.000+02:002013-06-22T06:30:01.061+02:00Evening NewsWe don't have a charming commentator, but plenty of videos about upcoming evening products. Let's start with Technic, there are already a number of reviews of the 2H sets:<br />
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42008 Service Truck (via Techlug.fr):<br />
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42009 Mobile Crane Mk2 (via Techlug.fr):</div>
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42004 Mini Backhoe (via <a href="http://www.technicbricks.com/2013/06/tbs-techreview-23-42004-mini-backhoe.html" target="_blank">TechnicBRICKs</a>):</div>
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For the fans of the Architecture series there is a largish set. After <a href="http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Sydney-Opera-House-21012" target="_blank">the small</a> version the considerably larger version of the Sydney Opera House is coming (via <a href="http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=83545" target="_blank">Eurobricks</a>):</div>
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Last but not least LEGO has announced that the <a href="http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/CUUSOO" target="_blank">fifth</a> official Cuusoo set is going to be the Curiosity rover:</div>
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Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-51454366085430836462013-06-14T21:45:00.000+02:002013-06-14T21:47:16.589+02:00Not for the average builderI was hesitating a lot if I should write this post, but at the end I have decided to go with it. It is all about existing builds, but I am mostly interested what can be still considered LEGO and what unconventional techniques exist to stretch this definition.<br />
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When someone builds from bricks, the goal is usually to create something that looks good. Most builds never end up in the hands of many other people. There are exhibitions, but even there people are not allowed to touch the models. And there are many which are only shared via photos over the net. The competition is strong, so builders sometimes end up with unexpected solutions. Let us go after some of them.<br />
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One general expectation is that a LEGO model should be built from LEGO bricks. So far so good. But how strong does it have to be? From photos it is impossible to tell if a connection is so weak that it falls apart from the first touch. Most builders try to make the model massive, but since shape is much more apparent on a photo than strength, shape wins in many cases. If someone tries to grab a model at a random point, it may very easily end up like this:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aFgJ7ZQnlc8/Ubtivf3g7hI/AAAAAAABTJ0/gs2n4JOB_4A/s1600/IMG_0446.JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aFgJ7ZQnlc8/Ubtivf3g7hI/AAAAAAABTJ0/gs2n4JOB_4A/s1600/IMG_0446.JPG.jpg" /></a></div>
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According to the unwritten and sometimes written rules the builder is not allowed to physically cut bricks, except a very limited number of special ones like flexible tubes. One is typically also allowed to use stickers though, since this is common practice in many factory models. But stickers sometimes end up in places where not everyone expects them to be. Have you seen a brick like this, for example?<br />
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Or how about this:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42874449@N08/8376457995/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KzWhAqQ5LrY/UYArVTnSjSI/AAAAAAABI4w/yLFHWSJsw0s/s1600/police.jpg" /></a></div>
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I am pretty sure I would have never thought about putting a sticker there. Some models go much further than this though. This Spitfire has its entire camouflage made of stickers:</div>
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Painting bricks is less common, but you can still find a couple of examples. like this other Spitfire from our <a href="http://www.kockak.hu/2013/04/a-spitfire-sztori-i-resz.html" target="_blank">recent post</a>:</div>
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An in an extreme case even the bricks get modified like the windscreen on this truck from INDOMITUS (via <a href="http://kockagyar.blog.hu/2010/11/22/olvaso_epit_ujvilagi_csoros_nyerges" target="_blank">kockagyár</a>):</div>
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The possibilities are endless when the model is built a computer only. CAD programs are sophisticated, but even so they rarely contain crash simulation. <a href="http://www.kockak.hu/2009/05/lego-digital-designer.html" target="_blank">LEGO Digital Designer</a> is able to test if all parts of the model are connected, which is more than nothing, but it is still no guarantee that the model is able to support its own weight in reality. But this is more than what is offered by other LEGO software: most <a href="http://www.kockak.hu/2009/03/ot-dolog-amit-nem-biztos-hogy-tudsz-az_07.html" target="_blank">LDraw</a> editors do not have anything, it is up to the builder to ensure that the model can be actually built.</div>
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Even more, CAD tools typically do not know which parts exist in which colors. Or maybe they exist, but it costs a <a href="http://www.bricklink.com/store.asp?p=doris&itemID=22526874" target="_blank">small fortune</a> because supply is far smaller than demand (via <a href="http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=60093" target="_blank">Eurobricks</a>).</div>
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And if someone has POV-Ray in his hands, can do even more. Do you notice that the yellow color used on this bus has been tweaked a bit to be more similar to the yellow used on the original buses?</div>
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And how about some Photoshop? Who recognizes what is wrong with this Spitfire photo?</div>
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LEGO is always LEGO. But as you can see, there are gray areas.</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-41405823140223847782013-06-09T06:00:00.000+02:002013-06-09T06:00:06.080+02:00A new owner for BricklinkA single news item has for the week: <a href="http://www.bricklink.com/" target="_blank">Bricklink</a> has been sold by the former owner Daniel Jezek's family to Jung-Ju “Jay” Kim. You can read the <a href="http://www.brothers-brick.com/2013/06/06/bricklink-com-sold-will-be-getting-security-upgrade-facelift-news/" target="_blank">full announcement on The Brothers Brick</a>.<br />
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If you consider yourself a LEGO builder, you most likely know what Bricklink is. Otherwise, your first question is: what is it, and why should I care?<br />
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Bricklink is an unofficial marketplace for anything related to LEGO including sets and bricks. If you look at any creation on the net, chances are that it contains a significant amount of bricks purchased via Bricklink.<br />
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Just a two for this week:<br />
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<a href="http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/361642" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WCEZvbIgdxI/UbOJoYgnNlI/AAAAAAABTHE/P65VoPihO_w/s1600/porsche.jpg" /></a></div>
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(via <a href="http://thelegocarblog.com/2013/06/06/son-of-malte/" target="_blank">The Lego Car Blog</a>)</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/8983495653/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SJmQxBnNR0w/UbOJvM52OMI/AAAAAAABTHM/KB02sTzjedE/s1600/bf109.jpg" /></a></div>
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(via <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/" target="_blank">Dieterr89</a>)</div>
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Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-34832569724693715842013-06-01T06:30:00.000+02:002013-06-01T06:30:02.894+02:00Super carsSuper cars have always occupied a prime spot in the Technic lineup (see our history coverage: <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2009/02/history-of-big-technic-cars_02.html" target="_blank">part I</a>, <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2009/05/history-of-big-technic-cars-part-ii_19.html" target="_blank">part II</a>, <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2009/06/history-of-big-technic-cars-part-iii_19.html" target="_blank">part III</a>) No wonder there are many custom creations on the web in this category.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mocpages.com/home.php/74438" target="_blank">Francisco Hartley</a> has built this excellent <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamborghini_Aventador" target="_blank">Lamborghini Aventador</a>. I was not able to find a video about it but the images speak for themselves. In my opinion it is one of the best LEGO Lamborghini builds yet. There are many functions too: <a href="http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/360466" target="_blank">12 cylinders, gearbox, and suspension</a> and others. I am sure we are going to hear more from Francisco in the future. (via <a href="http://thelegocarblog.com/2013/05/21/100-supercar/" target="_blank">The Lego Car blog</a>)<br />
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<a href="http://www.nico71.fr/" target="_blank">Nico71</a> has build a classic <a href="http://www.nico71.fr/awd-rally-car/" target="_blank">rallye car</a>. This one does not follow the classic super car recipe very strictly: it is slightly smaller and does not contain any cylinders or gearbox. It does contain a suspension and a full drivetrain though, driven by PF motors. Everything can be controlled from the remote, making it one of the smallest remote-controllable Technic cars. (via <a href="http://www.techlug.fr/" target="_blank">SETechnic</a>)</div>
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Last but not least a very unique creation from Egor Karshiev: The BOSS. As it can be seen on the video this is a trial track with serious climbing capabilities. Like the rallye car above it can be fully remote controlled too. </div>
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But the real special thing about it is that you will be able to buy one too: this is the winning contestant of the <a href="http://technic.lego.com/en-us/Designers/Blog/Default.aspx?date=3/22/2013" target="_blank">LEGO Design Challenge</a>. As TechnicBRICKs posted, <a href="http://www.technicbricks.com/2013/05/the-boss-is-getting-assembled.html" target="_blank">production has already begun</a>! There is no word on the price yet, but we are looking forward to it.</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-80951261692996285732013-05-25T07:00:00.000+02:002013-05-25T07:00:04.434+02:00The air force of DIetterr89<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It does not happen very often that there is a post about a single person's creations, but it is worth making an exception today.</div>
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As I started to build war planes a while ago, my goal was to find a scale that is the smallest possible, but still gives me enough room to incorporate many interesting details. I have settled at 1:48. This is the scale at which the <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/02/silver-mig-reloaded.html" target="_blank">MiG-15</a> and the <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/03/family-photo.html" target="_blank">Bf-109</a> has been built, and this will be the scale for the next few too. I have never dreamt that it would be worth going smaller.</div>
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But the planes of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/" target="_blank">Dieterr89</a> prove that it is more than worth it. He built an entire air force at 1:70. This is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bf_109" target="_blank">Messerschmitt 109</a>. It represents the shape and colors of the original aircraft as truly as possible:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/8558494727/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g6wiayYV4Y8/UWrxcfYsChI/AAAAAAABIrI/DgQjUWI86vs/s1600/bf109.jpg" /></a></div>
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Its opponent from the Eastern front is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La-5" target="_blank">Lavochkin La-5</a>. This is a truely unique build, you cannot find many Soviet WWII planes built from LEGO. To make it more special, it has a radial engine:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/8558494727/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EknHOmCswyE/UWrxJq11H2I/AAAAAAABIq4/2DiSO-qE1XQ/s1600/la5.jpg" /></a></div>
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In the case of the desert <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ju_87" target="_blank">Ju-87 Stuka</a> it was an extra challenge to build the fixed landing gear and the angled wing:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/8575678640/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E5yK7WJ-LJo/UWrytIkCb3I/AAAAAAABIrw/5DekxD2R9KI/s1600/ju87.jpg" /></a></div>
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Its "attacker" is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire" target="_blank">Spitfire</a>, also in desert camouflage:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/8575678640/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--kZhrKXm0hs/UWryzEaEAOI/AAAAAAABIr4/woQ3ibqrObs/s1600/spitfire.jpg" /></a></div>
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As the war progressed, <a href="http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%E2%80%9351_Mustang" target="_blank">Mustangs</a> started to fly their long range escort missions with jettisonable external tanks:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/8558494733/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7gPhmXCPvoU/UWrxn950Q8I/AAAAAAABIrQ/7glLujnJd_Q/s1600/p51.jpg" /></a></div>
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Its opponent is one of the first jet fighters, a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_262" target="_blank">Messerschmitt Me-262</a>. I think this looks even better than the other ones:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/8558494733/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qi5CfQL8Hb4/UWrxyY2ZS0I/AAAAAAABIrY/W8WOz7_GjTI/s1600/me262.jpg" /></a></div>
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We left two modern planes to the end. This is an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%E2%80%9316_Fighting_Falcon" target="_blank">F-16 Fighting Falcon</a>:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/8629949505/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vClQ1KHUGdA/UWrx5ychM3I/AAAAAAABIrg/R1zjRn4MG5I/s1600/f16.jpg" /></a></div>
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Its pair is a Soviet-build Mikoyan-Gurevich <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiG%E2%80%9329" target="_blank">MiG-29</a>. Notice the nose bending down a bit:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/8644045389/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ta96IqZGapE/UWryBa2bFaI/AAAAAAABIro/pNwTKFIvBvg/s1600/mig29.jpg" /></a></div>
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Excellent collection, let's hope there will be more soon!</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-10744146999489225252013-05-18T07:00:00.000+02:002013-05-18T07:00:02.052+02:00News Saturday<div>
There was so much going on in the past few weeks that for today we transform ourselves into a news portal and give you an update about recent happenings.</div>
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Competitions:</div>
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<li>As in recent years, the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/legomilitaryannualbuildcompetition/discuss/72157633460787554/" target="_blank">Lego Military Build Competition</a> has started. This years categories do not favor aircraft so much as during the past years, but for sure we will see lots of excellent creations. The <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/legomilitaryannualbuildcompetition/discuss/72157633495939246/" target="_blank">first submissions</a> are on the way, the deadline is July 10th.</li>
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LEGO products:</div>
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<li>The Architecture line has a new member, the 21018 United Nations Headquarters. Eurobricks <a href="http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=82326" target="_blank">has already posted a few hi-res images</a>.</li>
<li>TechnicBRICKs has covered the <a href="http://www.technicbricks.com/2013/05/hi-resolution-images-for-2h1013-technic.html" target="_blank">full Technic line up for 2H</a> with the <a href="http://www.technicbricks.com/2013/05/b-models-for-bigger-2h13-sets.html" target="_blank">B models too</a>. The biggest news is the 42008 Service Truck that stands out from the other sets with its color.</li>
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<a href="http://www.technicbricks.com/2013/05/b-models-for-bigger-2h13-sets.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lIckhkvaYKs/UZaSw7OIGkI/AAAAAAABSzM/0pa4TdAAL1c/s1600/42008_A1.jpg" /></a></div>
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MOCs:<br />
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<li>Mad Physicist continues his <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/madphysicist/8725920291/in/photostream" target="_blank">coverage of the eighties</a>, this time he built <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/madphysicist/8748208086/" target="_blank">Knight Ridert</a>.</li>
<li>bobalexander has built this <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29180566@N05/8737369743" target="_blank">classic light blue Porsche 917</a> in Gulf livery (via the <a href="http://thelegocarblog.com/2013/05/14/gulf-porsche-racing/" target="_blank">Lego Car Blog)</a>.</li>
<li>Norton74 is the builder of this <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/71040750@N08/8704793271/in/pool-lego" target="_blank">Scania truck</a>. (via <a href="http://legozz.tumblr.com/post/50222844294/scania-lb-140-ats-truck-by-norton74" target="_blank">legozz</a>)</li>
<li>Sheepo's newest model is a <a href="http://www.sheepo.es/2013/05/caterham-seven.html" target="_blank">Lotus Sevennel</a> (via the <a href="http://thelegocarblog.com/2013/05/14/magnificent-7" target="_blank">Lego Car Blog</a>).</li>
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<a href="http://www.sheepo.es/2013/05/caterham-seven.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eCLPFKJjtq4/UZaS5_NeS3I/AAAAAAABSzU/D_d42154qq4/s1600/CaterhamSeven01.jpg" /></a></div>
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Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-45478006209705016392013-05-11T07:00:00.000+02:002013-05-11T07:00:08.164+02:00Developments in the air force: Supermarine SpitfireBuilding awesome models is cool, but I think it is even cooler to build several awesome models that match each other in scale, let it be about <a href="http://kockageneracio.blogspot.ch/2012/09/v43-es-m62-ldd-verzioi.html" target="_blank">train engines by depi</a>, cars, aircraft or something else. As I rebuilt the <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/02/silver-mig-reloaded.html" target="_blank">MiG-15</a> and finished the <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/03/family-photo.html" target="_blank">Messerschmitts</a> I knew there will be more.<br />
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The new member is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire" target="_blank">Supermarine Spitfire</a> Mark Vb. This was the last version with characteristic three-blade propeller of the early versions.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8721453494/in/photostream" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O1HU0ecl-fM/UYqh8B8JL7I/AAAAAAABJrs/slhcgTngx7E/s1600/IMG_0388_sky.JPG.jpg" /></a></div>
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This is my first plane that uses a camouflage scheme. I think the dark green-dark bluish gray combination fits it quite nicely. It required more thinking than the previous planes as not every brick I needed was available in all the colors. I decided to build the markings from bricks as long as I can, I am quite happy with this one. With a USAF or Soviet plane I would have been in more trouble.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8720329061/in/photostream" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_3BGcML64lM/UYqiNWvUzAI/AAAAAAABJr0/mXRqFxRTI4k/s1600/IMG_0341.JPG.jpg" /></a></div>
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I was not happy with the existing Bf-109s either. As <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8519723060/" target="_blank">Dieterr89 pointed out</a>, the wings were too narrow, especially when compared to the Spitfire. The Spitfire has a larger wing, but not by that much. The other problem was that the front section of the body was too wide. As I built the original version I was already thinking about how else can it be done, but the real inspiration came only while building the Spitfire.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8717641075/in/photostream" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8tihbBCUAaM/UYqicXUP6nI/AAAAAAABJr8/21h2KzJJlJk/s1600/IMG_0347.JPG" /></a></div>
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So I rebuild the Swiss and the Hungarian Bf-109 as well. This was a serious rebuild, only the tail, the nosecone and the landing gear stayed intact. The wing is a bit longer now and the fuselage has been rebuilt completely together with the canopy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8710058592/in/photostream" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MbfoKovKDMg/UYqiwjTUWNI/AAAAAAABJsM/EwT0kJxCqek/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG" /></a></div>
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I am much more content with it now. It looks like recently I need several iterations with all my models. With the Spitfire I am happy as it is, I hope it's going to stay like that.</div>
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Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-81429846939684489382013-05-04T06:30:00.000+02:002013-05-04T06:30:02.980+02:00Behind the Iron CurtainAfter the many <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/04/beyond-hobby.html" target="_blank">tanks</a> and <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/04/the-spitfire-story-part-ii.html" target="_blank">fighters</a> let's see something more peaceful. There is no Iron Curtain for a while, but many of us still remember it. April's <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/lugnuts/discuss/72157633139454176/" target="_blank">heme of the month on LUGNuts</a> was "Behing the Iron Curtain". As my old <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2010/11/east-block-begins-trabant.html" target="_blank">Trabant proves</a> this theme was one of my favorites.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/madphysicist/" target="_blank">Mad Physicist</a> has built a quite recent police car from Moscow. As one of the commenters says "Ugly car in reality, and yours is true replica :)". Well, there is quite a bit of truth in that.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12622904@N03/8668423165/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-czilnx6i6WM/UYLAiTkv2AI/AAAAAAABJac/xCVjoSnwJz8/s1600/lada.jpg" /></a></div>
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This fantasctic Ural motorcycle by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12622904@N03/" target="_blank">Lino M</a> was featured on <a href="http://www.brothers-brick.com/2013/04/21/the-peoples-motorcycle/" target="_blank">Brothers Brick</a> too. I have not seen this in real life a lot. The Soviet flag gives it an extra charm.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12622904@N03/8668423165/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p71opf-lIlE/UYLAi03lCHI/AAAAAAABJak/C2i9dBk5MoY/s1600/ural.jpg" /></a></div>
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This <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIS-110" target="_blank">ZISZ 110</a> from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rabidnovaracer/" target="_blank">rabidnovaracer</a> is pretty cool too. To me this car model represents one of the darkest ages of communism as it was used during the 50s during the most avid terror by the the highest ranked people in the party in several countries.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rabidnovaracer/8675984475/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8VuuiimWz-A/UYLAh70SvfI/AAAAAAABJaQ/Ax3wYMg9PTQ/s1600/zis-110.jpg" /></a></div>
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This is a somewhat friendlier piece, the luxury car from Chechoslovakia with a V8 engine: the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatra_603" target="_blank">Tatra 603</a> from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/" target="_blank">lego911</a>:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/8661392717/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KknODing2WE/UYLAgzYlb5I/AAAAAAABJaM/1vmxnQJbN0s/s1600/tatra.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_rolic/" target="_blank">Rolic</a> has built this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF-2203" target="_blank">Latvia RAF-2203</a> (yes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riga_Autobus_Factory" target="_blank">RAF</a> stands for Riga Autobus Factory in this case). I have seen plenty of these as a kid.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_rolic/8702988534/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iO1J50pwvDM/UYNKV-z12lI/AAAAAAABJdU/jYa3tou2ntY/s1600/latvia.jpg" /></a></div>
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Of course I could not stand not to build something. The <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2010/11/east-block-begins-trabant.html" target="_blank">Trabi</a> has existed for a while, but the LUGNuts challenge made me realize that I did not take any photos yet. Yet another problem to solve was proportions: the old model was simply too flat. Luckily I have found a way to inject two layers of plates to make it taller without a major rebuilt. I am much happier with the result now:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8689162823/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z_bx8Y-AdCE/UYLEVkbI7VI/AAAAAAABJa0/5y5cKqyQQe8/s1600/IMG_0307.JPG" /></a></div>
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I wanted to build something truly new too. As during last month I used up most of my Bricklink budget already, this <a href="http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikarus_260" target="_blank">Ikarus 260</a> was built on the computer only:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0_2hiWTt8MY/UYLEx_ZdLZI/AAAAAAABJa8/X9i0o9BsDUM/s1600/Ikarus_cam2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0_2hiWTt8MY/UYLEx_ZdLZI/AAAAAAABJa8/X9i0o9BsDUM/s1600/Ikarus_cam2.jpg" /></a></div>
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The front is quite similar to some existing Ikarus builds, not too different from the solution of <a href="http://kockagyar.blog.hu/2011/08/08/ikarus_260" target="_blank">ainex</a>. I tried to build the doors, windows and the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8696960604/in/photostream/" target="_blank">rear lights</a> a bit more special. Hope you like it!</div>
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Clicking any of the images above will bring you to more photos.</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-590616979025549922013-04-28T07:00:00.000+02:002013-04-28T07:00:03.259+02:00Beyond the hobbyLEGO is very popular all over the net: if you would like to build, you will find a lot of help: you can get bricks from <a href="http://bricklink.com/" target="_blank">Bricklink</a>, older sets from <a href="http://ebay.com/" target="_blank">Ebay</a>, instructions and inspiration from one of the many community sites.<br />
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But for most of us, this is a hobby to spend our time and money. Well-known builders sometimes create instructions for their creations but frequently <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/madphysicist/" target="_blank">they don't</a>. This is no surprise: many of the models gathering fame are complicated, fragile or contain special pieces.<br />
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An interesting exception is <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/screamingforvengeance/" target="_blank">Daniel Siskind</a>, the man behind <a href="http://www.brickmania.com/" target="_blank">Brickmania</a>. He built his own business to create and sell sets without any official ties to the LEGO Company. Wars that happened for real are a taboo for LEGO's own designers (for understandable reasons) and this is the gap Brickmania tries to fill: the website offers more than 50, mostly military themed sets starting from World War II until armies in recent history.<br />
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The models are built from real LEGO bricks. Since these models are much more special than the ones you can buy in LEGO stores, they are noticeably pricier. For example this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willys_MB" target="_blank">Jeep</a> at $35 is one of the cheapest models. It is part of the 'Durabuilder' series, which in my interpretation means that it will not immediately fall apart if kids take it into their hands.<br />
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<a href="http://www.brickmania.com/jeep-durabuilder-edition/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rdv-vAYTemQ/UXwEyoqaNYI/AAAAAAABI2E/KpM1QhZp7Lw/s1600/bm-jeep.jpg" /></a></div>
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For this the buyer gets an individually packaged set in similar quality, but much more rare, including minifigs and other extras depending on the set.</div>
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Tanks form the bulk of the selection: there are German, American and Soviet vehicles as well, for example the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-34" target="_blank">T-34</a> below. This set is a lot more complex than the Jeep: it includes a fully rotating turret, a driver and the tracking mechanism. It contains 724 bricks and at $345 is noticeably pricier.</div>
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<a href="http://www.brickmania.com/t-34-85-premium-building-kit/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jdI7bUxAJxk/UXwFA9lU27I/AAAAAAABI2U/QEmvMkJPxKE/s1600/bm-t34.jpg" /></a></div>
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Besides tanks there are other types of vehicles. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMC_CCKW" target="_blank">CCKW</a> truck below was widely used by US armed forces during WWII. This is a medium set at $100.</div>
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<a href="http://www.brickmania.com/cckw-deuce-and-a-half-6x6-truck/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8m9TxVBLuvQ/UXwFHjeDJ3I/AAAAAAABI2c/PW7X5y_Lfao/s1600/bm-cckw.jpg" /></a></div>
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There are a few aircraft too, like this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%E2%80%9351_Mustang" target="_blank">P-51 Mustang</a>. Similarly to the Jeep it is also a part of the Durabuilder line. The number of pieces and price at $100 are similar to the CCKW.</div>
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<a href="http://www.brickmania.com/p-51d-mustang-red-tail/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--7t9jvGt3KY/UXwFP0pzUDI/AAAAAAABI2k/tSVSsnS9EHQ/s1600/bm-p51d.jpg" /></a></div>
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There are probably quite a few of readers at this point who think these sets are way too expensive. On one hand this is understandable since LEGO is not the cheapest toy and these models are clearly above the price level of the official ones.</div>
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On the other hand it is also clear that the founder has invested a lot of his time and energy into Brickmania. These models were be designed, instructions printed and individually packaged. They are likely sold in much smaller quantities than official LEGO sets. The most difficult problem is probably to acquire the required bricks in sufficient quantities at a good price. For comparison, buying all bricks for my somewhat smaller sized <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/02/silver-mig-reloaded.html" target="_blank">MiG-15</a> already cost more than $80 and quite a bit of time.</div>
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Overall, I think that if you are into military LEGO sets but would not like to spend time designing and buying parts for your own model, Brickmania is a good alternative.</div>
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(bricksngears.com is not affiliated with Brickmania in any way.)</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-7557990400247118482013-04-20T08:00:00.000+02:002013-04-20T08:00:06.569+02:00The Spitfire story, part IIIn the second part of our Spitfire coverage (<a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/04/the-spitfire-story-part-i.html" target="_blank">part I</a>) we look at models that stand out from the rest.<br />
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In terms of scale, the plane of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64544947@N06/" target="_blank">legoleo</a> is quite similar to others. At first glance the color scheme seems a bit unconventional: instead of using dark green and dark gray seen on many other LEGO Spitfires this aircraft uses a mix of light gray and normal green. It is not the color scheme that puts it above the field though, rather the motor built into the the nose that drives the propeller. We have seen similar things amongst the <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2012/12/the-messerschmitt-story-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Messerschmitt</a> builds too, but this model takes it one step further: instead of hiding the engine inside the body, the builder chose to integrate it in the shape of the body and expose it. Clever.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64544947@N06/5873783181/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hnI7CoiTqjM/UXFYmGM1EPI/AAAAAAABI0I/4Aj0fA7-eiw/s1600/legoleo.jpg" /></a></div>
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Next on our list is <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/brian_fitzsimmons/" target="_blank">Brian Fitzsimmons</a>. This plane has been built virtually only but still looks good. The fuselage and the wings are a bit narrower than on most other builds. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_stripes" target="_blank">invasion stripes</a> make the details more interesting. The three-bladed propeller looks a bit out of style though: the Spitfire versions used during the Normandy campaign had four-bladed propellers.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/brian_fitzsimmons/8208120957/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-39o29VSJUic/UXFYuHdu8UI/AAAAAAABI0Q/rz3ieUVdL1c/s1600/fritz.jpg" /></a></div>
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We have already covered <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/legomonster/" target="_blank">Lego Monster</a> in the <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/04/the-spitfire-story-part-i.html" target="_blank">previous part</a>. As one would expect from a British gentleman he did not stop at building a single Spitfire. This is his second model, built a couple of years later at 1:20 scale. The larger size lead to more details and nicer shapes: in my opinion the wing, the body and the tail all look more nicely shaped and closer to the real Spitfire.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/legomonster/5438684401/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JbOKN8aDCY8/UXFY3f8xyCI/AAAAAAABI0Y/wX8AdKwE4gU/s1600/legomonster.jpg" /></a></div>
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We saved the non plus ultra for last. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirdwig/" target="_blank">thirdwigg</a> has been <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/01/best-of-moc.html" target="_blank">already covered on the blog</a> too, but I think his model is well worth another look. This plane is the largest of all, built at a grandiose 1:12 scale. As one would expect, the larger body makes it possible to have a really nice shape all across the board. But not only the shape is perfect, it is full of working details too, like the adjustable propeller (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jublc1ge1Q" target="_blank">see video</a>). If you are interested in how one decides to build something like this, it is all covered on <a href="http://thirdwigg.com/2012/12/30/spitfire-mk-iia/" target="_blank">his blog</a>. It is also interesting to look at the two work-in-progress photos (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirdwig/7425436574/in/photostream" target="_blank">1</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirdwig/7621544408/" target="_blank">2</a>) that show the plane in half-ready state.</div>
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And what comes next? As you could expect, I am preparing my own version. Not sure exactly when yet, but stay tuned!</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-77091234229238546462013-04-14T07:00:00.000+02:002013-04-14T07:00:08.730+02:00The Spitfire story, part IWe have covered Messerschmitts on the blog earlier (<a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2012/12/the-messerschmitt-story-part-i.html" target="_blank">part I</a>, <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2012/12/the-messerschmitt-story-part-ii.html">part II</a>), let's take a look at the other side, more precisely Britain.<br />
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The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire" target="_blank">Supermarine Spitfire</a> is probably the most well known British fighter from World War II. It was a protagonist of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Britain" target="_blank">Battle of Britain</a> when the Royal Air Force defended British airspace in spite of being in numeric minority. <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1293468/The-unsung-plane-REALLY-won-Battle-Britain.html" target="_blank">According to statistics</a> there were more aerial victories by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hurricane" target="_blank">Hurricane</a> pilots, but still somehow the Spitfire emerged as the symbol of victory. It could have been be due to its slightly better performance, or simply because it is somehow more aesthetically pleasing to look at.<br />
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Hence it is no wonder that numerous LEGO versions have been built over the years. Let's start with the model of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/explodedlego/" target="_blank">Exploded LEGO</a>. This is one of the smallest one I have found on the net. It is less colorful than the others, but still has plenty of interesting details. For example the yellow leading edge of the wings, or the small "flag" on the tail. In spite of its size it even has a retractable <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/explodedlego/6974608135/in/photostream/" target="_blank">retractable landing gear</a>!<br />
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We have introduced <a href="http://www.mocpages.com/home.php/4707" target="_blank">Mattias Martenssonnal</a> (alias <a href="http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=eremms" target="_blank">eremms</a>) already during the <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2012/12/the-messerschmitt-story-part-i.html" target="_blank">Messerschmitt coverage</a>. His model is a bit more colorful, light gray and dark gray gives you the characteristic camouflage pattern of Spitfires. Unlike most others, the insignia are built from bricks rather thank stickers. I think it looks really good.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/39037" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-djvPv0TNAfY/UWmOfGIdmPI/AAAAAAABIpM/f2z2EyXvRkw/s1600/eremms.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stej123/" target="_blank">Stefan Johansson</a> has been missing from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stej123/8566101979/in/photostream" target="_blank">with his Messerschmitt,</a> but he will not be missing from this one. He also uses a dark / light gray combination. (Maybe this is a Scandinavian thing?) The plane is graceful but still has the typical Spitfire contour:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/scott34567/" target="_blank">Scott Peterson</a> has chosen the more typical dark green - dark gray combination. Somewhat unusually though he chose to use the airbrush to reach the perfect color combination. This is a later Spitfire version with four-bladed propeller:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SFfrqQDLbS8/UWmROe7mPjI/AAAAAAABIpc/Z47OFkK3Gzg/s1600/scott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SFfrqQDLbS8/UWmROe7mPjI/AAAAAAABIpc/Z47OFkK3Gzg/s1600/scott.jpg" /></a></div>
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Today's last creation is from <a href="http://www.kockak.hu/2010/04/uss-intrepid-anyahajo_13.html" target="_blank">Lego Monster</a> who should be <a href="http://www.kockak.hu/2010/04/uss-intrepid-anyahajo_13.html" target="_blank">familiar to our readers already</a>. He took his fair share of Spitfire building too. Today we look at the 1:36 scale version that was built a couple of years ago. The plane is built from real dark green and dark gray, which looks pretty nice, just like other details: the yellow part of the wing and the flag.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/legomonster/5439272938/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N_ueFU7RtdM/UWmSW5WLhNI/AAAAAAABIps/TL0X2-czCSg/s1600/legomonster0.jpg" /></a></div>
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To be continued next week!<br />
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<br />Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-28860615727616343502013-04-07T06:00:00.000+02:002013-04-07T06:00:04.074+02:00Cars, CarsThis week's post is more peaceful than the last couple of ones. Peter Blackert alias <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/" target="_blank">lego911</a> is probably the most productive car builder on the net, or at least in <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/lugnuts/" target="_blank">LUGNuts</a>, the best car builder community.<br />
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A while ago he started to build the friends of Lightning McQueen. Although the LEGO Company has an <a href="http://www.brickset.com/browse/themes/?theme=Cars" target="_blank">official product line</a> around the movie Cars, I like these ones built from real bricks a lot more. Take a look at Flo:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/8602400920/in/photostream" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oUnxxzN_oEQ/UWCTxO7NWCI/AAAAAAABIoA/9PtL7aAUcnY/s1600/flo.jpg" /></a></div>
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These are not real photos, but they look good nevertheless. The realistic lighting and the <a href="http://www.povray.org/" target="_blank">POV-Ray</a> treatment makes them quite professional in my opinion. David Hobbscapp is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_E-Type" target="_blank">Jaguar E-Type</a>, built from bricks:</div>
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And this is Finn McMissile in action:</div>
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At last, one of the most recognized characters, the Sheriff:</div>
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It is worth taking a look at <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29987108@N02/" target="_blank">lego911's other photos</a> as well, there are many good ones from Cars and unrelated too.</div>
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Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-28320626206340082262013-03-31T06:30:00.000+02:002013-03-31T06:30:01.643+02:00Family photoI still have pretty ambitious plans to build, but not so much time recently. Until I manage to carve out more, this is a family photo of two of the planes built so far.<br />
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Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-84715398223679097392013-03-24T05:00:00.000+01:002013-03-24T05:00:02.218+01:00Ikarus in all quantitiesAlthough many years old, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikarus_Bus" target="_blank">Ikarus buses</a> are still one of the most recognizable products from Hungary. The <a href="http://klikk.blog.hu/" target="_blank">KLIKK</a> blog has recently published a nice summary of the LEGO versions (<a href="http://klikk.blog.hu/2013/03/12/hazai_buszipar_legobol_192" target="_blank">part 1</a>, <a href="http://klikk.blog.hu/2013/03/16/hazai_buszipar_legobol_452" target="_blank">part 2</a>, <a href="http://klikk.blog.hu/2013/03/19/hazai_buszipar_legobol_990" target="_blank">part 3</a>, <a href="http://klikk.blog.hu/2013/03/23/hazai_buszipar_legobol" target="_blank">part 4</a>). The text is in Hungarian, but the models are international :)<br />
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Although it exist on computer only, my personal favorite is this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ikarus280.jpg" target="_blank">Ikarus 280 articulated bus</a> <a href="http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=510595" target="_blank">created by gabor1980</a> alkotása. It looks simply fantastic:</div>
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<a href="http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=5583126" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q7a6SWJZ7NU/UU4VwjEZzPI/AAAAAAABHr8/lpAnYCC-LOU/s1600/ikarus.png" /></a></div>
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It is worth checking out the other ones too.</div>
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Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-19991423521783079122013-03-16T06:02:00.000+01:002013-03-16T06:02:00.127+01:00I am into LEGO again. What next?I have several friends who have started buying and playing LEGO recently. Assume you are one of them: you have bought a few sets, built them, built the B-Models too and you find it cool. The obvious question is: what next? You can buy more and do the same. Apart from financials, there are other bottlenecks: you will have to store them somewhere. And unless you are one of those <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2012/12/27/lego-investors-profit/1732525/" target="_blank">LEGO Investors</a>, this is going to become a problem.<br />
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So besides buying more, what other options do you have? Let's take a look. Some of the options is biased towards Technic, but I hope non-Technic fans can also get some starting points.<br />
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First, I would recommend watching the hilarious keynote by Hillel Cooperman from BrickCon 2012. It's 25 minutes, but worth it. (Not for your kids though.)<br />
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Ok, now that you have realized where you are on your path, let me show you some pointers. (Just in case you are wondering: AFOL = Adult Fan Of Lego, MOC = My Own Creation.)</div>
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Most importantly I recommend you try to build things yourself. Some of these places may give you inspiration:</div>
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<a href="http://rebrickable.com/" target="_blank">Rebrickable</a>. This is a site for people to share their creations. While it is not necessarily easy to navigate, the best thing about this site is that all creations have building instructions available, so this is a great way to get started. (Yes, some instructions cost money, but many don't.) For many creations you are able to download an LXF file that allows you to investigate a virtual model in <a href="http://ldd.lego.com/" target="_blank">Lego Digital Designer</a>.</div>
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It may be helpful to look at what others have created. There are several sites specializing in this:</div>
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<li>The good old <a href="http://www.brickshelf.com/" target="_blank">Brickshelf</a> is probably the oldest site doing that.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.mocpages.com/" target="_blank">Mocpages</a> is a bit more modern, but has good content too.</li>
<li>Finally, the most vibrant place is certainly Flickr. Yes, I know, Flickr sounds a bid oldschool in todays Web many-dot-o world, but that's how things are. A good way to start is picking an interesting community and browse around. For example <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/lugnuts/" target="_blank">LUGNuts</a> is all about cars, or <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/legomilitary/" target="_blank">this group is mostly about aircraft</a>.</li>
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There are also some really good books around building that may give you more inspiration. My favorites:</div>
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<li>The unoffical <a href="http://nostarch.com/technicbuilder" target="_blank">LEGO Technic Builder's Guide</a> from <a href="http://sariel.pl/" target="_blank">Sariel</a> explains you how to do suspensions, gearboxes and all sorts of LEGO Technic magic.</li>
<li>If you are wondering about non-Technic magic, <a href="http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/KimT/Mixed/Instructions/advbuilding.pdf" target="_blank">The Unofficial LEGO Advanced Building Techniques Guide is a free download</a> that sheds light on some of the magic.</li>
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There are some pretty cool magazines too:</div>
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<li><a href="http://www.hispabrickmagazine.com/" target="_blank">Hispabrick</a> is a free magazine that is available in English, with really good content.</li>
<li><a href="http://railbricks.com/" target="_blank">Railbricks</a> is all about LEGO trains. Premium content too.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.brickjournal.com/" target="_blank">BrickJournal</a> is something you have to pay for. But it's only a few bucks and really worth it.</li>
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<a href="http://www.technicbricks.com/" target="_blank">TechnicBRICKs</a> is a blog you may be interested in. It is mostly about LEGO Company products and specacular Technic creations. On the other hand <a href="http://technicopedia.com/" target="_blank">Technicopedia</a> is the encylopedia of our childhood's favorite Technic sets.</div>
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There are probably 1000 others that I have left out, but I am sure these will get you started.</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-13347970978839897052013-03-09T06:42:00.000+01:002013-03-09T06:42:00.072+01:00It can be built by anyoneI had a plan was to share some of my own creations. In my opinion <a href="http://rebrickable.com/" target="_blank">Rebrickable</a> is a really great site to do this, so I started uploading. Luckily the past few days gave them just enough time do review all the stuff, so here they come.<br />
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First, I have the <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2009/05/mustang-from-bricks_20.html" target="_blank">classic Mustang</a> about which I even made a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWfo5nQtUsM" target="_blank">Youtube video</a> a long ago. I was surprised to find out recently that someone else <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze-F7cMyfwo" target="_blank">has downloaded it to make another one too</a> :)<br />
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<a href="http://rebrickable.com/mocs/dornbi/ford-mustang" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BM-LG5dvfts/UTjsMWlp2JI/AAAAAAABHos/QEJHiam5re0/s1600/mustang.jpg" /></a></div>
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I managed to publish the <a href="http://www.kockak.hu/2013/01/repulok-amilyen-kicsiben-csak-lehet.html" target="_blank">micro MiG-15 and MiG-21</a> too:<br />
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<a href="http://rebrickable.com/mocs/dornbi/mig-15-micro" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8hDaeuq3w8Q/UTjs-9v7CcI/AAAAAAABHo0/R0t82EI1xV4/s1600/mig15.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://rebrickable.com/mocs/dornbi/mig-21-micro" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_B8IQiCrUY8/UToG09uV7NI/AAAAAAABHpE/MmXNd6gnVQQ/s1600/mig21-1-100.jpg" /></a></div>
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Finally I have completed the upload of the MiG-15 too:</div>
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<a href="http://rebrickable.com/mocs/dornbi/mig-15-148" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cYOjOf-Hx3g/UToHFEGaHvI/AAAAAAABHpM/wQoYb0L6hq8/s1600/mig15-1-48.jpg" /></a></div>
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The instructions have been made with Digital Designer so they are not the best of my artistic career, but they contain just enough to build the models.</div>
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Happy building and don't forget to let me know if you build one of them, or you use them in a YouTube video! :)</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-57435980785745004532013-03-02T06:30:00.000+01:002013-03-02T06:30:01.902+01:00Swiss, but not cheeseI may have an affiliation with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8370816345/in/photostream/">Hungary</a>, but I do live in Swizterland. Coincidentally, the Bf-109G has served in both the Hungarian and the Swiss Air Force. Hence, I decided to build a Swiss Air Force Bf-109 as well. The aircraft is almost identical to the previous one except for the color scheme.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8518610677/in/photostream" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JIybU1p4bME/UTET2ITnPWI/AAAAAAABHhk/LuEglle23gw/s1600/IMG_0207.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8518609763/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7X0DAawJa00/UTET8W5MRDI/AAAAAAABHhs/Sb7JdnMO0tY/s1600/IMG_0225.JPG" /></a></div>
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More photos on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8518610677/in/photostream" target="_blank">Flickr</a> as usual. Enoy!</div>
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Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-20588709655192416452013-02-23T06:30:00.000+01:002013-02-23T06:30:01.456+01:00Red arrowValentine's day is just over, so let us take a look at something red. Not so long ago I was lucky enough to build a <a href="http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=9394-1">9394</a> Technic airplane. This model has appeared in the Technic line last year. It is quite special in the lineup: it is only the second largish Technic plane ever, the previous one being the <a href="http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=8855-1">8855</a> that hit the sleves 25 years ago. If that would not be enough, this plane is the first jet ever. Let us have a mini-review.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/bricksngears/Lego9394JetPlane#5845234289994213842" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RyqqiEkGZ44/UR5xzjvPCpI/AAAAAAABG8U/5w39iJLosqc/s1600/IMG_0247.JPG" /></a></div>
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I started the build with high expectations. The first surprise is the sheer size: it does not have so many bricks (around 500) but the final plane is pretty big: it is longer and wider than any of my <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2009/02/history-of-big-technic-cars_02.html">Technic cars</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/bricksngears/Lego9394JetPlane#5845234292295260706" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NPnnMysqGbE/UR5yenJOcJI/AAAAAAABG8c/9ePW_SHjuso/s1600/IMG_0248.JPG" /></a></div>
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I have been looking forward to all the functions. Let us take a look:<br />
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<li>The plane has a variable-sweep wing that can be adjusted by turning the jet exhaust. The whole mechanism occupies the aft part of the fuselage, but that is ok as there is no room needed for a real het engine.</li>
<li>The landing gear is retractable. When extended it has to support the entire weight of the aircraft so it has to be very robust. It has <a href="http://peeron.com/inv/parts/32072">Technic knob wheels</a> that bear the load and a <a href="http://peeron.com/inv/parts/4716">worm gears</a> prevents the wheels from retracting by themselves. Real variable-sweep aircraft do tend to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MiG-23_NTW_1_94.jpg">have different support mechanisms</a> but this is not a serious problem.</li>
<li>The controls also work albeit in only one dimension. This is cool even if it is not as sophisticated as the controls of the <a href="http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=8855-1">8855</a> or <a href="http://www.kockak.hu/2009/02/repulo-csillagmotorral_21.html">my training plane</a> which both can be moved in two dimensions.</li>
<li>The cockpit can also be opened or closed by turning a knob. This looks great as it opens a thick frame around the actual cockpit as well.</li>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/bricksngears/Lego9394JetPlane#5845234843664133250" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O4Q34LjveqU/UR5ynWTm0NI/AAAAAAABG8k/fdElxUOBPbQ/s1600/IMG_0250.JPG" /></a></div>
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All in all I think it is a cool set especially considering its price. At $49.90 it is not too expensive but pretty big (in Europe it's around EUR 40). It contains lots of red panels. I did not try to build anything else from it yet but others have managed pretty good things like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi5TaltV_UQ">this helicopter</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/bricksngears/Lego9394JetPlane" target="_blank">More photos in the Picasaweb album</a>.</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-1932475608090863842013-02-16T06:00:00.000+01:002013-02-16T08:49:46.061+01:00Cool thingsA few cool things from the last few days.<br />
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We now have official information about the new large X-Wing. It will be built from no fewer than 1558 bricks and will hit the stores in the second half of the year. If I would live in the states and <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2012/12/27/lego-investors-profit/1732525/" target="_blank">would like to invest my savings into LEGO sets</a>, I am sure I would stack up a few. I predict there will be demand in years.<br />
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I think this Soyuz spacecraft is way cool. Even if it does not have any bricks. Creation of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/" target="_blank">pasukaru76</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/8472246464/in/photostream" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mMjR0R2k58Q/UR65Rq_3KYI/AAAAAAABG88/1wr9tIsGzK4/s1600/soyuz.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/" target="_blank">Dieter89</a> has built this superb P-51 Mustang. I envy him now. It is a pity that he just missed the great competition (on which I finished <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/lmm/discuss/72157632717723060/" target="_blank">in the runner up category</a> with my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8384629218/" target="_blank">MiGs</a>).</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/75496010@N07/8476318460/in/photostream/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y0hnxyzP708/UR66yan-3fI/AAAAAAABG9E/J9sBtOyJN6E/s1600/p51.png" /></a></div>
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Our mandatory weekly cool microscale build is this. Created by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/truedimensions/">True Dimensions</a>:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/truedimensions/8467588146/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OqjRLlnNSW0/UR67dMrYhLI/AAAAAAABG9M/Vy9ir1qdXhY/s1600/train.jpg" /></a></div>
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I promise I will get back with my own creations. Sooner or later. See you next week!</div>
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Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-64781879278144333692013-02-09T06:30:00.000+01:002013-02-09T06:30:00.955+01:00Silver MiG reloadedAs I started building new aifcraft recently I wanted to choose a scale that fits an entire fleet, not just a single model. Finally I have settled with 1:48 which is smaller than most other similar planes, but still lets me add a considerable amount of detail.<br />
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When the <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2013/01/messerschmitt-uncovered.html">Messerschmidt was ready</a>, it was a no-brainer to start rebuilding my <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/2011/06/silver-mig.html">existing MiG-15</a> in a similar scale. This is how far I got.<br />
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It is quite similar to the original one. The underlying concept is the same: the fuselage is symmetric and the wing joins at a Pythagorean triangle. But this is a total rebuild from the ground up which is visible in some details.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ceXfbvWiMPo/UQYTrdvx05I/AAAAAAABGqM/3poSsRuJ7PI/s1600/IMG_0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ceXfbvWiMPo/UQYTrdvx05I/AAAAAAABGqM/3poSsRuJ7PI/s1600/IMG_0200.JPG" /></a></div>
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I liked the previous variant quite a bit, but I like this one even more. Even though it is smaller in size, I managed to keep almost all characteristic features of the original. As it contains only about 200 bricks it is significantly lighter than its predecessor that contained over 600. The lighter weight means a considerably lighter load on the landing gears and the whole structure bends a lot less and sits more proudly on the runway.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6z0_Pr4zjsc/UQYUCU52gAI/AAAAAAABGqc/z6vCuLg0zBg/s1600/IMG_0199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6z0_Pr4zjsc/UQYUCU52gAI/AAAAAAABGqc/z6vCuLg0zBg/s1600/IMG_0199.JPG" /></a></div>
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You can find <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/tags/mig15/">more photos on Flickr</a> and in the <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/bricksngears/MiG15148">Picasaweb album as well</a>.Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-43308546013803269822013-02-02T06:00:00.000+01:002013-02-02T06:00:08.064+01:00Build like a pro<a href="http://rebrickable.com/">Rebrickable</a> helps you do something that I consider the essence of playing with LEGO: how can I build new things from my bricks? Not everyone is born as a talented builder and not everyone has enough inspiration to build cool new things. The idea behind Rebrickable is simple: LEGO builders share blueprints and building instructions. Quite good ones.<br />
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Recently the 500th MOC has been uploaded to the site: this beautiful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_540K">Mercedes-Benz 540K</a> roadster from <a href="http://sariel.pl/">Sariel</a>. Since this is a remote-controllable car you need two motors as well. The full building instructions can be downloaded from <a href="http://rebrickable.com/mocs/sariel/mercedes-benz-540k-special-roadster">Rebrickable</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/Sariel/MercedesBenz540K/dsc03575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wTQ1AzwqacA/UQVsT8yoC1I/AAAAAAABGnw/dvPCR00dpiw/s1600/mb540k.jpg" /></a></div>
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There are many other great creations, even some Technic ones like this Sunbeam <a href="http://rebrickable.com/mocs/jurgen/sunbeam-corvette">Corvette supercar</a> with pistons, suspension, gearbox as one would expect. The instructions for <a href="http://jurgenstechniccorner.com/">Jurgen Krooshoop</a>'s model <a href="http://rebrickable.com/mocs/jurgen/sunbeam-corvette">can be downloaded from here</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkldoAYq_xw/UQVtGUpfooI/AAAAAAABGn4/N09vgtaP3wI/s1600/Sunbeam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkldoAYq_xw/UQVtGUpfooI/AAAAAAABGn4/N09vgtaP3wI/s1600/Sunbeam.jpg" /></a></div>
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There are planes too. This <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilatus_PC-21">Pilatus PC-21</a> has been covered on <a href="http://www.technicbricks.com/2011/04/week-techvideo-2011-14-pilatus-pc-21.html">TechnicBRICK as well</a>, built by <a href="http://www.khandesign.fr/">Ismaël (Khan) Juhoor</a> (<a href="http://rebrickable.com/mocs/khan/pilatus-pc-21">download link</a>).<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-avpIhnCO9oY/UQVt9pfIBII/AAAAAAABGoE/AdIbrrNMLnE/s1600/PC-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-avpIhnCO9oY/UQVt9pfIBII/AAAAAAABGoE/AdIbrrNMLnE/s1600/PC-21.jpg" /></a></div>
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These models are all very professional, but building them at home will need serious preparations. The part list is usually available, but it is quite likely that you will not have all the parts and have to buy new ones.<br />
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If you would like to simply play, <a href="http://rebrickable.com/designer/PeterisSprogis">Peter Sprogis</a> has uploaded many models that can be built from a single LEGO Creator set, like the <a href="http://brickset.com/detail/?set=4939-1">4939</a>, <a href="http://brickset.com/detail/?set=5867-1">5867</a>, <a href="http://brickset.com/detail/?set=6743-1">6743</a>or <a href="http://brickset.com/detail/?set=6913-1">6913</a>. For example this <a href="http://rebrickable.com/mocs/PeterisSprogis/6743-pick-up">pickup truck</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://mocpages.com/moc.php/313976" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EgQCbOKQl6w/UQWAuuf0G3I/AAAAAAABGog/bPg4YCy3lPc/s1600/pickup.jpg" /></a></div>
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It is worth <a href="http://rebrickable.com/designer/PeterisSprogis">going through the list</a>.</div>
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I think <a href="http://rebrickable.com/">Rebrickable</a> is one of the best things that have happened to LEGO during the recent years. The site itself is not blazingly fast and could be more helpful in discovering new models, but to see the instructions for many cool creations makes it one of the most interesting LEGO sites over the Internet.</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-51432457273278851652013-01-26T17:30:00.000+01:002013-01-26T17:30:01.421+01:00Planes, as small as they can beI hope by now everyone has built his LEGO sets from Christmas. To make January more exciting, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mainman/">Mainman</a> <a href="http://www.kockak.hu/2012/12/epitsunk.html">has organized his own microscale build competition</a> for plane builders. The deadline was last week, it is a good time to look at the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/lmm/discuss/72157632199565292/">best nominees</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31921491@N08/">tbone_tbl</a> was the most productive one, he has built no less than seven planes. My personal favorite is this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AV-8">AV-8 Harrier</a>. All details are in place: the wing is excellent, but I also like the canopy and its surroundings, not to mention the tail section.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31921491@N08/8374330636/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1qbk3lFOg74/UQPYY1JQKtI/AAAAAAABGeE/cdjxHFtrzKI/s1600/av8.jpg" /></a></div>
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The most grandiose plane was built by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnlamarck/">John Lamarck</a>: this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-17">B-17</a> is definitely the biggest in the field - if this makes sense for a microscale aircraft:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnlamarck/8395601087/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l4H3Lpg0QFo/UQPYe4duCRI/AAAAAAABGeM/Fmhq9_PDgFM/s1600/b17.jpg" /></a></div>
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It also has two <a href="http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-51">P-51 Mustangs</a> as escorts:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnlamarck/8395645535/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0hiHGWs94qc/UQPYlD0NHNI/AAAAAAABGeU/8WoBis3E8Ko/s1600/p51.jpg" /></a></div>
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You are probably not surprised to hear that I have built something too. These two projects have been half done for a long time and the competition has finally gave me the final push to finish them. I <a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/search/label/mig-15">already built a MiG-15 at a different scale</a>, but I wanted to build a smaller one too. This is the end result:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8381804760/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r3N0O4h2PAk/UQPZIgnS2qI/AAAAAAABGek/gvibRK7dOe4/s1600/IMG_0177.JPG" /></a></div>
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All in all, I am not 100% happy with it. The overall shape is ok, but I think the final impression is a bit blocky. I am like this MiG-21 a bit more:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dornbach/8384629218/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qriLcE4mLXs/UQPackRlSjI/AAAAAAABGfA/f2bEBHTiV7U/s1600/IMG_0144.JPG" /></a></div>
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This plane is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_produced_aircraft">most produced supersonic aircraft in the world</a>. Compared to this it has hardly any versions built from bricks. I like how this turned out at this scale.</div>
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The field is strong, I am already happy just to be able to participate. It is worth <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/lmm/discuss/72157632199565292/">looking at the others</a> too, there are really good ones.</div>
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And if you would like to have more LEGO reading for the week, I recommend the newest issue of <a href="http://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78&products_id=1072">BrickJournal</a> - the downloadable version is available for $3.95.</div>
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<br />Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1298254384222996345.post-48141214279025195932013-01-19T05:30:00.000+01:002013-01-19T05:30:00.216+01:00Best of MOCWe have seen many excellent builds on the web during the past few weeks, let us take a look at some of them.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bricksngears.com/search/label/lichtblau">_lichtblau_</a> has been covered on the blog earlier. His latest creations are a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42874449@N08/8349093299/in/photostream">black Pontiac</a> with a <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42874449@N08/8376457995/in/photostream">Plymouth highway patrol</a>, they both have an incredible seventies feel. Although both are minifig scale they both have very car-like proportions. The most interesting detail is the front and back of the police car - the fenders built from bricks laying sideways fit this vehicle very well.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42874449@N08/8376460535/in/photostream" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nRoOMKRyEvE/UPcgWDORVaI/AAAAAAABGbc/ZpywljDM5V4/s1600/licht0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://henningb.com/">henningb</a>'s steam train is at least as professional. My favorite detail is the tracks. Now that I see it it seems very straightforward! The smoke built of ice cream is also quite cool.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/350480" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GIt3PJArFHE/UPchlHJbMuI/AAAAAAABGbw/DQNAEUszaK4/s1600/henningb.jpg" /></a></div>
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Let's see something different. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/brickpix/">George G</a> has build Middle Earth, more precisely <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helm's_Deep">Helm's Deep</a>. It is fantastic how the different pieces form a the details together: the Technic bricks, the ones with brick pattern and the rest. I suspect in a factory set we would never see them together like this, yet here they fit together perfectly.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/brickpix/8364510927/in/photostream" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PJgTVS6S-Rk/UPcizX9s4hI/AAAAAAABGb8/A3fhH4bOGMs/s1600/helms_deep.jpg" /></a></div>
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Like this blog, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirdwig/">thirdwigg</a> has high stakes in <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirdwig/sets/72157624923420919/">planes</a> as well as the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirdwig/sets/72157624677825115/">world of Technic</a>. When you put the two worlds together you get this huge <a href="http://www.technicbricks.com/2012/12/week-techvideo-2012-52-112-spitfire.html">Spitfire fighter</a> from the Battle of Britain:<br />
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It is worth watching the video until the end. It has all the features of a real plane except for flying: variable-pitch propellers, 12 pistons, retractable landing gear. Of course it includes full controls as well. It cannot be seen on the video but it has adjustable flaps too. And if that would not be enough it is fully covered and looks like a real plane and not like a skeleton like a typical Technic set.</div>
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If you have your eyes wide open you have probably realized that next week we will cover microscale planes... see you then!</div>
Dornbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04159924591524913956noreply@blogger.com0