Albert Balanza, Author at The Brick Show

LEGO Unveils First Minifigure in a Wheelchair in LEGO City Fun in the Park (60134)

A few days ago, LEGO released what could be its first person with disability minifigure. It was spotted by Promobricks at the Nuremberg, Germany and London toy fairs, photos of which were posted on their blog site and shared with the website. The first ever minifigure on a wheelchair is part of the newest set, LEGO City Fun in the Park (60134) City People Pack, and also includes an ice-cream vendor, cyclist, and picnickers and a host of other minifigs in a new park scene. The said PWD minifig depicts a young, cool guy donning a beanie and a hoodie together with his companion dog.

It caused quite a stir across social media because as we said, it’s a first for a LEGO – and a good one to. The sighting of this new minifigure is significant since the company has been bombarded recently with accusations for its lack of diversity, and stereotyping. LEGO in fact received a barrage of criticism from educators and activists, for releasing an elderly minifig with a wheelchair as part of the Duplo line which caters to toddlers and preschool aged children. According to its critics, the introduction of such figures in a toy system intended for very young kids reinforces the stereotypical image of elderly people as unproductive members of the larger society.

Now with the introduction of its first ever, wheel-chair riding minifigures in LEGO City Fun in the Park (60134), The LEGO Group might receive its needed PR boost. #ToyLikeMe co-founder Rebecca Atkinson, which spearheaded a petition at Change.org, managed to gather 20,000 signatures which lobbied Lego to include people with disabilities minifigures in its sets. This could be a second milestone with regards to the issue of sensitivity and diversity among toy manufacturers, the first being with Mattel’s releasing of new body types for the world’s most famous doll, Barbie.

According to a written statement by Atkinson, “The whole issue came as a bit of a shock to me, because you can get tons of LEGO superhero figures, pretty much any kind you want. And there are disabled superheroes! But I looked it up. They do not have official LEGO Professor X figs or Barbara Gordon/Oracle figs. They don’t even have Stephen Hawking!” Though as the brick company claims, the LEGO system offers endless possibilities in coming up with figures that can be customized by any child to approximate his environment, it is the company’s official acknowledgment that activists were seeking.

The #ToyLikeMe organizers took this as a very positive gesture, and joyfully wrote on their campaign page, “We’ve got genuine tears of joy right now … LEGO has just rocked our brick-built world!”

“It’s pretty momentous, even though it’s just a little toy. It’s about the message behind it, which is far, far bigger than a little one-inch-tall plastic guy.”, Atkinson said.

LEGO will begin to offer this unique minifig through their LEGO City Fun in the Park (60134) City People Pack beginning July of this year. For now, check out this video from Promobricks regarding set 60134 as they spotted this during the Nuremberg Toy Fair. The featured image above is courtesy of Promobricks.

This 65,000-Piece Custom LEGO Concorde Will Amaze You

If you somehow broke your heart with the impressive 120,000-piece model of a sinking Titanic broken in half, which we reported earlier last week, then perhaps you’ll be equally amazed with the incredible details of yet another LEGO masterpiece from Australia’s one and only LEGO Certified Professional, Ryan McNaught. This 65,000-piece, 4 meters long, custom LEGO Concorde model of an Air France Concorde plane will surely impress you as much as the LEGO Titanic MOC. This brick replica even has cutaway details that reveals the entire supersonic plane’s inner working and intricate details. The model went on display at the recently concluded 2016 Brickvention at Melbourne, Australia.

Designed and constructed by certified LEGO master Ryan McNaught and his team at The Brick Man, this replica of what was once the flagship of Air France took 188 hours to complete and is made of 65,000 bricks. From end to end, this custom LEGO Concorde model measures 4 meters. Check out some of these photos so you can have better grasp on the sheer size of this model.

The right side of the replica shows the flawless curves of the plane using intricate layering techniques. McNaught added more realism by installing neat little LED lights for the plane’s engines. The sweeter deal is when you move over to the left side, where a cutaway portion reveals how things work inside this magnificent plane. The details on the passenger seats are very impressive, with McNaught installing 60 or more of them. There’s also provisions for fuel, cargo, and an inclusion of a neat pantry at the plane’s rear galley (wait, is that a croissant?).

You may visit Ryan’s Flickr page to see more of his newest favorite plane, and other cool builds.

Ryan McNaught is the only LEGO Certified Professional in the entire Southern Hemisphere, and is known for building some uniquely Australian creations including the world’s largest LEGO replica of the Sydney Opera House and a Qantas Airbus A380 model. As of to date, there are only 13 LEGO Certified Professionals in the entire world.

This Spectacular 120,000-piece LEGO Titanic MOC Might Break Your Heart

LEGO Certified Professional Ryan McNaught’s 120,000-piece LEGO Titanic MOC as it shows the legendary ship splitting in half, and sinking at the bottom of the ocean after hitting an iceberg is already technically impressive as it is. However, what makes this masterpiece stand out is not just the sheer size of it, but also McNaught’s use of minifigures that evokes empathy even through a toy that was designed for fun and play.

At a technical level, McNaught’s LEGO Titanic MOC is awe-inspiring. He spent around 250 hours building his masterpiece. He also used several light bricks, adding a subtle drama to this scale model. It also shows a degree of engineering ingenuity considering the manner in which the stern was able to be kept up. Most importantly, and perhaps what should not be missed, is the fact that this Titanic was built in proportion to the size of its minifigures.

Jan Dizon of The Tech Times vividly described how the minifigures were arranged to create a powerful emotional image. “Little LEGO men and woman are scattered throughout the ship and even in the water telling their own mini-stories of terror, and fighting for survival as the ship splits in half… there are minifigs hanging on for dear life. Four minifigs are working together to help their friend back up. One poor chap has a pile of ice that fell on top of him,” Jan reported.

While others marvel at the technical aspects of McNaught’s rendition, others were just uncomfortable with it. User comments at lego.gizmodo.com say that it was inappropriate to use minifigs to replicate such a tragedy. Others went as far as predicting that it’s not too soon that someone will come up with a Lego replica of 9/11. Though this is somewhat debatable – we just have to wait and see.

We surmise that it’s up to the person how he or she will look at it, but truth be told, McNaught’s creation will leave an indelible mark on those that will be fortunate enough to see it.

Thanks to LCP Ryan McNaught for sharing these images. For the rest of his amazing LEGO creations, visit his Flickr page.

50,000 LEGO Bricks Used To Build This LEGO Renaissance Center MOC in Detroit

Yes, this might be easily passed for another LEGO City project or another Architect set to dive into, unless we tell you that its made of 50,000 bricks and is 6 feet high. This brick-built replica of the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan is just one of the 10-Detroit areas that will be on permanent display as part of the attractions of LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan. This LEGO Renaissance Center MOC, which took four professionals 300 hours to make, was unveiled before a crowd of LEGO fans and enthusiasts inside the Cobo Center, where the North American Auto Show is taking place.

The miniature RenCen is one of 10 Detroit-area landmarks made of LEGO bricks that will be on permanent display when the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Michigan located at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills opens this spring. “The landmarks were chosen through online voting last year and Detroit’s glass-and-steel Renaissance Center was the top vote-getter”, said Hayley Anderson, general manager for the Michigan LEGOLAND.

Derek Chock, one of the four professional Lego builders who built the model from computerized blueprints shared some details on how this LEGO Renaissance Center MOC were built. “All of it except for the windows are regular LEGOs which you can go to the store and purchase. The reflective windows are pieces of laser-cut mirrored acrylic”. Derek is with U.K-based Merlin Entertainments, which owns and operates the Michigan-based LEGOLAND.

The other Detroit-area landmarks slated to be built entirely from LEGO bricks include:

Spirit of Detroit sculpture

Belle Isle

Motown Museum

Fox Theatre

The Guardian Building in downtown

Comerica Park

Uniroyal Giant Tire

Michigan Central Station

The Heidelberg Project

Watch this short clip from the WCBD News 2 and tell us what you think.

Here’s How To Build Your Own Custom LEGO BB-8

The latest addition to the Star Wars family of droids has already left a mark on the hearts of endearing fans. The non-human but adorable BB-8 droid, with its flair for the dramatic, quickly gained a following among younger generation of Star Wars fans – not to mention a host of toys and other promotional memorabilia.

Since the last quarter of the year, the Net has been riddled with so many iterations of BB-8 either as toy figures, or actual working models, and this maybe the first attempt to create this droid from actual LEGO pieces. Sure, we know that the brick company is quick to catch on to the Star Wars hype. It even has a minifigure of BB-8 on one of its offered set. But it is yet to offer an actual challenge of building the robot itself. So while waiting for LEGO to release such a brick-built version of the newest droid on the block, let’s take a look at this custom LEGO BB-8.

One such fan took on the challenge of marrying his love for the Star Wars franchise and his love for the LEGO brick. Mashable’s Adario Stranger reports, “A Reddit user by the name of “hendrikdejager” recently posted his own LEGO version of the BB-8 droid on the site and it turned out pretty awesome. The mechanics of putting the Lego-made droid together are pretty tedious, which is why the maker posted a demonstrational how-to video (above) on YouTube on Tuesday”. Other than his video, this clever LEGO enthusiast also posted a detailed parts list for anyone else who wants to try their hand at making their own custom LEGO BB-8.

Watch this video and see if you can build one of your own.

This Custom LEGO AT-AT Took 6,000+ Parts and 26 Hours To Build!

If you’re the type that often complains while building LEGO models and sets out of the box, you might want to think again after watching this video. Peter Brookdale that goes by the profile cavegod2009 on Flickr, came up with a custom LEGO AT-AT which took 6,000+ pieces and 26 hours to build. Peter also came up with other amazing customized creations such as the Imperial Tie Fighter, Sandcrawler, Imperial Shuttle, and A-Wing. Based on the retired LEGO AT-AT (75054) model, you can just imagine how massive this project is, considering that LEGO first came up with the idea using only 1,137 pieces!

Charlie from BrickVault took on the challenge of Peter’s design and personally ordered the 6,000 LEGO bricks from BrickLink. Filming himself and a buddy for a total of 4 days, they came up with a time lapse video worth 26 hours of building time. Towards the end of the video, there were some modifications that needed to be done since they had a bit of a challenge in connecting the legs to the main body and making it stand independently. The exceptional attention to detail and smooth finish of this custom LEGO AT-AT owes it to what BrickVault calls as the SNOT Technique making for a smoother appearance. This is not the same thing that you want to sneeze out, but is an acronym for “Studs Not On Top”.

This is one LEGO build that is definitely worth more than a thousand words. Check out BrickVault’s video below and tell us what you think with his amazing feat.

Check Out This Fun Micro-Scale LEGO Disneyland MOC on LEGO Ideas

Nowadays LEGO seems to be into micro-sizing things that it finds worthy of attention. Even with its own theme sets, LEGO will throw in a micro-scale or two – such as the replica of a mini sub in The Lost City of Atlantis, or the Phantom ship in the Star Wars collection. Nick Carlierti, a certified brick fan, pays tribute to his love for theme park fun with his own version of a micro-scale LEGO Disneyland MOC project submitted on LEGO Ideas.

It’s amazing how these micro-scale sets are actually recognizable as the locations they’re trying to copy. With such few LEGO pieces, Nick’s attention to detail is pretty awesome. We hope to see his creation gets the support that it deserves from LEGO. Once it gets the needed 10,000 votes, then it’s up to the toy company to consider it for production. The only difficulty perhaps might be securing the rights to actually produce the set and we won’t find out unless the set gets the thumbs up from the LEGO jury.

For now, check out this cool animation of Nick’s micro-scale LEGO Disneyland MOC. Want it? Support it on LEGO Ideas!

WATCH: This Custom LEGO Cheerios Vending Machine Serves A Bowl of Cereal in the Morning

Having a bright yellow LEGO Cheerios vending machine greet you in the morning may just be exactly what you need to perk up your day, much more if it serves you with a bowl of Cheerios.

This is exactly what Astonishing Studios came up with using LEGO Mindstorms EV3 (31313). From the same creative minds that brought you the quirky custom LEGO McNuggets Vending Machine, the custom LEGO Cheerios Vending Machine works in a similar fashion using the Mindstorm’s electronic pieces. Gizmodo.com writer James Whitbrook adds, “The machine doesn’t just dispense you a nice bowl of milk and cereal—in around 30 seconds, which isn’t half bad—it uses the Mindstorm pieces to also sort currency, as the machine will only accept 2 Euro coins, and nothing else. On top of that, the build itself is very nice, from the Cheerios color scheme to the cutesy little cereal display, and even a little slot that stores your spoons.”

Cereal can be loaded in advance for early days when you simply don’t want to be bothered pouring a bowl of crunchy goodness yourself. Just don’t forget to check the milk and prepare some coins. Watch this cute vending machine’s video courtesy of Astonishing Studios and see if you want one.

These Might Be The Most Customized LEGO Minifigures Ever

The cool thing about LEGO minifigures is that you can interchange and swap them with other minifig components. Consisted of a head-piece, the head itself, upper torso, lower torso, and one accessory, LEGO wants to stay true in its purpose of sparking creativity and variety even with its smallest of playthings, while allowing more room for its fans to be creative. And what better way to express this creativity through these highly customized LEGO minifigures.

Chris Lightfoot of Lincoln, England decided to push the limits of LEGO minifig customization to a whole new level with his unique, customized LEGO minifigures . During the day, he is a 3D printing specialist who develops artificial bones for the medical industry and models for architectural firms. Being a LEGO fan himself, he founded his online hobby store Funky 3D Faces. Lightfoot comments, “Although we do enjoy making bones and buildings we wanted to use the technology we had to make something fun and affordable to the masses.” For just less than US$30, you can have a funky, customized look of ‘your little monster’ and turn him into a little hero. According to their website, you just need to send along two clear photographs, one of the side of your head and one taken face-on. Funky 3D Faces then converts those photos into an “eerily lifelike” 3D head, as described by CNET reporter Amanda Kooser.

The process behind the creation of these 3D printed, customized LEGO minifigures is equally impressive as the outcome itself. “We convert 2 photographs into 3D – then using sophisticated full-color 3D printers, we create eerily life-like 15mm high heads,” Chris explains. The head-making process even includes your choice in hair style and color. The heads are sized to be more or less 15 millimeters. It has a sandstone finish with a hole in the neck that perfectly fits on any Lego minifigure. “This means you can turn yourself into whatever Lego character you want, whether it’s a Stormtrooper or one of the Ghostbusters”, adds Kooser. Tiny as it seems, the production of this 3D figure is somehow lengthy and usually takes up to two weeks. So plan accordingly if you need it for a special occasion or as a gift.

Source: CNET