My daughter has sculpted our likenesses as LEGO Brickheadz.
The LEGO Brickheadz Brick Me kit is fairly awesome. My 11 year-old spent an hour or so on each of these, and was excited to point out she put a cool surfer logo on my hat.
Amazon currently has these 708 piece sets for $24, which is below list price.
LEGO BrickHeadz Go Brick Me 41597 Building Kit (708 Piece) via Amazon Read the rest
One of the great things about YouTube is the vicarious pleasure of watching someone do something satisfying that you may not have time or inclination to do yourself. Case in point: this cool speed build of a LEGO ship in a bottle. Read the rest
From The Brick Wall:
"My father cooks breakfast every Saturday and Sunday- it is 104 times a year! He deserved this present."
40-year-old Raji Afife Azar ran a LEGO theft and fencing operation in Portland, Oregon. Aided by the Fred Meyer market's Retail Theft Unit, Portland PD put a stop to this brick bandit.
Via the Portland PD's statement on the arrest:
Read the restThis investigation began in early 2018 when Fred Meyer's Organized Retail Theft Unit Investigators learned Azar was the leader of a fencing operation that involved the theft and sale of merchandise from multiple stores in the Portland metropolitan area. During the investigation, the Fred Meyer's Organized Retail Theft Unit worked with the Northwest Organized Retail Crime Alliance and learned Azar had solicited multiple people to steal from various business throughout the area.
During this investigation, undercover investigators were contacted by Azar on multiple occasions. The undercover investigators posed as theft suspects that would sell stolen merchandise to Azar at a fraction of the manufacturer's retail suggested price. On Thursday, April 26, 2018, Azar requested undercover investigators, who he believed were theft suspects, sell him approximately $13,000 in stolen merchandise. The undercover investigators met Azar in the 10300 block of Southeast Washington Street with the supposed stolen merchandise. After Azar purchased the stolen merchandise from undercover officers, he was taken into custody without incident.
Once Azar was taken into custody, a search warrant was served at his family's residence in the 2000 block of Southeast 102nd Avenue. During a search of the residence, investigators located a large quantity of stolen Legos and other stolen merchandise (photograph provided with press release). Investigators with the Fred Meyer's Organized Retail Theft Unit estimate the recovered stolen value of the Legos and other toys taken from Portland area Fred Meyer stores to be approximately $50,000 -- this estimate does not include merchandise that was recovered at the residence that came from other retail stores.
While light on rocks, you can certainly lift a box with Luke and the Force at LEGO Yoda's Hut. Read the rest
Missing my favorite Doctor, the War Doctor, this set is remains amazing and a must have.
Lovely and fairly accurate, these "not-a-minifig" fit just fine on my my Lego brick mug. My daughter likes building, I just like collecting mini-figs.
I understand there are a few new Doctors, but I stopped watching after the War Doctor.
Doctor Who Eleven Doctors Micro-Figure Set by Underground Toy via Amazon Read the rest
This LEGO Camper Van is far more accessible than the VW branded one.
Growing up in Southern California instilled a love of all things camper van in me. My daughter loves our VW Westy so much that she cried when I suggested selling the ol' bus last year.
There were peals of joy when she saw this kit!
LEGO Creator Sunshine Surfer Van 31079 Building Kit (379 Piece) via Amazon Read the rest
LEGO invited YouTuber Andrew Huang to make a song using only instruments he constructed from the colorful plastic bricks. Some very creative instruments were the result. Read the rest
Back in 2016, LEGO aficionado Hugh Scandrett wasn't able to get his Addams Family mansion replica into review as an official box set because it used 7,000 pieces, which were 4,000 too many according to rules at LEGO Ideas.
His new build uses almost 3,000 pieces and qualifies to be voted for in the crowdsourced portion of the competition. (You might remember seeing the LEGO ship in a bottle that recently won.)
Scandrett's new build is also equally as incredible, with many of the same details as the first.
Here's a top-down look at the mansion's interior on the first level:
And here's the Addams Family as creepy and kooky mini figs:
There are lots more photos of this build over at LEGO Ideas. While you're there, cast your vote for it. It needs 10K votes to get into review and, as of this writing, it's got 4133.
This LEGO Space Shuttle kit is pretty awesome!
My daughter really loved the LEGO Women of Nasa set, so this $29 Space Shuttle was a no-brainer.
285 pieces and several recommendations for things to build other than a Space Shuttle.
LEGO says you are go with throttle up.
LEGO Creator Space Shuttle Explorer 31066 Building Kit (285 Piece) via Amazon
Image via Amazon Read the rest
LEGO is releasing a number of 60th anniversary sets. The Robot and Spaceman from the Fun Future kit are already making waves.
Sets in the multi-piece LEGO style of old, rather than the single purpose build-a-thing sets, get a lot less playtime here, with my daughter. These 60th anniversary sets, however, have sucked her in.
186 pieces in a small box, with limited instructions? That is a lot of fun!
LEGO Classic Fun Future 10402 Building Kit (186 Piece) via Amazon
Image via Amazon Read the rest
Bootie Mashup's Adrian Roberts is traveling in Hong Kong right now and came across these amusing knockoff LEGO products at the Temple Street Night Market.
Click on the images below to look at them closer.
photos by Adrian Roberts Read the rest
Microfluidic systems that move and mix tiny amounts of liquids are used in laboratories for biotechnology, chemistry, and even the development of inkjet technology. Frequently, microfluidic devices are integrated into a single "lab on a chip" but fabricating such systems can be costly and time-consuming. Now, MIT researchers are using customized LEGO bricks to make a modular microfluidics platform. Their prototype system "could be used to manipulate biological fluids and perform tasks such as sorting cells, filtering fluids, and encapsulating molecules in individual droplets." From MIT:
Read the restTo demonstrate modularity, (mechanical engineering grad student Crystal) Owens built a prototype onto a standard LEGO baseplate consisting of several bricks, each designed to perform a different operation as fluid is pumped through. In addition to making the fluid mixer and droplet generator, she also outfitted a LEGO brick with a light sensor, precisely positioning the sensor to measure light as fluid passed through a channel at the same location.
Owens says the hardest part of the project was figuring out how to connect the bricks together, without fluid leaking out. While LEGO bricks are designed to snap securely in place, there is nevertheless a small gap between bricks, measuring between 100 and 500 microns. To seal this gap, Owens fabricated a small O-ring around each inlet and outlet in a brick.
“The O-ring fits into a small circle milled into the brick surface. It’s designed to stick out a certain amount, so when another brick is placed beside it, it compresses and creates a reliable fluid seal between the bricks.
New York-based artist Shari Austrian of Etsy shop Little Brick Lane has been creating miniature homes since she was six years old. Her first one was constructed out of Play-Doh. Now, she uses LEGO bricks to make incredible replicas of people's homes.
Apartment Therapy interviewed Austrian, who shares this about her inspiration:
My now 7 year old twins, Emilia and Julian, reintroduced me to the world of LEGO just as we were having our new home built in 2015. I was fascinated by the design and construction of our home. My husband, Jonathan, our twins, and I were all so excited to move and I thought building a LEGO model of our home would be a special present for our family and a celebration of our new life.
Her LEGO homes don't come cheap though. A replica of a 2000 sq. foot house is $2500. Prices go up from there.
But, for that, you not only get the exterior but detailed interior rooms too. In fact, when you order, Austrian suggests you provide photographs of your home and a complete set of its architectural plans. Also, she writes that she only uses " brand new, brand name" LEGO bricks.
Once she has your payment and materials, it will take her about 8-10 weeks to complete your LEGO home.
(Hello Giggles), images via Little Brick Lane Read the rest
Over at The Official Action Figure Therapy store, they've got all kinds of customized minifigs for sale including this "Calm Bearded Tree Enthusiast Painter Dude." It's like a hilarious exercise in describing Bob Ross and LEGO, without actually using those words.
Also see: the "Hairy Canadian Fast Healing Angry Claw Man In Wife Beater," the "Scary Kid Loving Sewer Clown With Balloon," and the "Terminally Ill Contraband Manufacturing Underwear Science Teacher."
Thanks, Howard! Read the rest
Flybrix kits allow you to turn a variety of Lego builds into little copter-drones that you can fly with an app or a Bluetooth joystick. Read the rest
My daughter loves building LEGO Star Wars anything, so Yoda's Starfighter is just fine by her. At 262 pieces, this is a perfect short afternoon project for a 10 year-old.
I wanted the Yoda minifig.
LEGO Star Wars Yoda's Jedi Starfighter via Amazon Read the rest
