Train Layout... My row houses "run" from the above pic, has been "retired" to my own layout (Bricton) and I have started a new layout, and of course, after that has been displayed a few times, it also will be "retired" to my own layout.
(Note - this will be displayed sometime in Nov.)
- The Drive In Theatre - This idea, was totally pinched from Paul Jansen - aka Brickbuy. Built to hide my laptop to play BrickFilms and AFOL clips. (status - close to completion, still needs the sound system boxes, some tiles on the road way in, and the rest of the surrounding tile fence so it is completely enclosed.)
- The Silver Brick Diner - small fifties looking diner with tons of chrome. (close to completion)
- Version Two of the Carousel - This time, not only does it revolve, (complete) but the horses will move up and down as well, that is, if I dont screw it up. (concept) No pic, although you can catch part of it in a lake pic.
- Wind Gennys - 3 running off of micro motors (complete)
- The Kissing (Covered) Bridge - (complete, unless I tile the ramp, which I probably wont, since I dont have stud hatred)
- Lake with Walking Bridge (needs figs and more landscaping to be complete)
- Public Park - Tree, sandbox, jungle jim, slide, monkey bars, swings, etc. (started) No pic - location... to the left of this lake.
- Grave-yard - Small, fenced in. (status - complete, unless I manage a back wall fence)
Still to come... a few plates of buildings and other restaurants. (various planning and building stages)
Currently I am in the progress of a number of Lego projects... (status)
Dollhouse refurbishing - (this project leaves my possession in 2 days - will have a post with pics to recount the history of this project from start to finish in the near future)
The Log Cabin - (which is the same scale as my "dollhouse" 1/4 complete)
The Pink Planet Moonbase - (first floor and corridors complete)
Space - another ship based on the cover of Wonder Stories - (1/3 complete)
Yet another Mosaic - (concept stage)
3 new Lug Bricks - (half complete)
GBC - Well, this project has been much longer than I had intended, and in the process, balls have been launched, rolled and kicked into every room of the main floor. After a few not too serious ball flying injuries, strange grinding noises, a frying motor mishap and annoying ball jamming resulting in very profane responses from me. (I finally have, thanks to Chris' help, not just one, but two ball pumps working with some fairly reliable results, which means I can finally get to the fun part of my GBC.)
Bricton Projects - Rebuild of the Fire Station (complete), Hospital (progress) and Police Station (concept) Airport (nearly complete) Arena building (concept), interior... will have exchangeable "playing fields", hockey, soccer, and basketball (complete)
Wizard of Oz - original display has been dismantled to build Version Two (hopefully will be complete to display at the Hobby Show in Nov.)
OLBA(?) - moved to todays posting to include updates.
So this entry takes a weird web turn... Im going blog about be blogged, because I just find it so fricking weird!
First of all, a few days ago a friend says "Hey, did you see that Steve Witt posted a link to your space moc in his blog"... well knowing that Steve has been AWOL the last few weeks (due to being under the weather, and in Denmark) I had not check his blog... so I check it out, and see the link, and think to myself... hey thats pretty cool. http://www.ilenn.com/blogs/stevewitt/archives/2006/05/steves_friday_f_2.html
Anyhow, few days later (tonight), I googled myself, because one, yes - Im a loser, and two, I wanted to see if this blog was hitting the list yet.
I started to think about how weird the web is. I mean, all these forums and wikicrap, and this blogging and linking and hits etc, OH MY!!! Its a bit mind blowing... considering just how this seems to makes my part of the world just so small. In a good way of course.
Anyhow, I thought it was cool enough to give it 5 mins of thought... so yes, Virgina... I just blogged about being blogged. Weird eh?
Sort of creepy seeing your own head slowly rise from the over grown grass.... this would make a pretty cool Halloween display... a couple of hands... and some upturned turf... presto... all the kids would run away in screams!!!!
Lego Mosaics....
I really enjoy making Lego Mosaics, mainly because I find both the "Mosaic" and "Sculpture" closest in line with my first passion, art.
I was thinking about posting my most recent to Lugnet, but frankly, I just couldnt wrap my head around it... its just another Mosaic in a long line of Mosaics created by me, or by others.
So instead I decided to post here, with an abridged history of my mosaics...
My first attempt at a Lego Mosaic was a studs out version of a "photo fantasy" pic I had created ages ago.
Then, I was working on a large scaled Lego Brick, that has a micro world hidden inside, so I tried a studs up, with plates and bricks version of the Lego Logo. I had to use a bit of creative licence with the Logo to get it to read well enough in the small scale.
Then I went thru a whole stage of creating "Stained Glass" mosaics... studs up, bricks only... 15 of them (one stud deep) depicting the provincial flowers and 6 (2 studs deep) depicting the different countries flags that make up my children's heritage. The provincial flowers all still need some work, and one day I might actually accomplish that.
Somewhere along there, I started creating mosaics of the Lug logos of groups I am a member of, or participated with... (have a few more planned for that "Stack of Bricks")
Most recently I completed 2 other mosaics.... 21 is a very basic looking studs out version of Eric Harshbarger's version of "Square Dissection". A Large square divided into 21 smaller sized squares. My version includes the following 19 embedded words (in order of appearance) ...enlightening, patience, justice, us, goal, art, time, sex, if, do, is, action, success, choice, love, fear, freedom, direction, expression.
And just last month I finished my trans tile mosaic of (once again, the) Lego Logo plus Brickshelf, Legofan, BrickFest, JLUG, and Lugnet favicons or icons.
Anyhow..... Fast forward to this week... I was playing with some one by twos, and decided to make another mosaic. Calum took a photo of me not too long ago, and I decided I would try using the overlapping one by two method, since it's a method I have not yet done. Anyhow, like many of the other mosaics, I underestimated the amount I would need to "finish"... I don't want to purchase more one by twos in red black, grey or white, because I know that its something that I will accumulate by default (by buying more tubs and sets).
So maybe one day I will add more rows to this current one, but for now, Im calling it "done".
Think someone should tell them that that's a duplo brick???
Nah, ignorance is bliss.
This wasted 3 seconds of my day... which then sent me on a wild search of Lego Moments that do not seem to be AFOL related, at least not obviously to me... wasted minutes count rising.
Of coure, the first that came to mind, is the White Stripes Lego video, the Volvo commercial and the new Lego Shaped Eggo waffles... MMMM waffles... oh yes... back to the cake... we have seen lots of AFOLs make cake toppers or cakes out of Lego, but I certainly wouldn't want to eat them... Of course, this one...
YUMMY!
So yes Virginia, you can apparently you can have it, and eat it too, if you have minifigs build if for you!
Don't forget... you will need some music for the ceremony...
Of course, if you are getting hitched... you will need a camera... And apparently... these two guys can whip you one up, in no time, unfortunately, the pic process does take a bit of time... oh the good ol'days of pinhole cams.
Of course, once the honeymoon is over, and your pics are developed, you are going to have to have a second computer in the house... (otherwise, divorce will happen way before the 7 year itch)
So, once again, we can go with the Lego inspired...
I fired up Windows Movie Maker today for the first time, just to see what I was getting myself into... and threw together this little narcissistic Lego promo clip for Janey "Red Brick". Warning 12 MB ... http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/bccook/Misc/jrbpromo.wmv
Few fun pics from the past year...
The Red Brick Scandel....
So my friend Chris is working on some project... and posts to Lugnet... and right in the middle of the post, I see this... and I quote
"DO NOT show Janey this picture. Its important. DONT!!!"
So like any good red bricked Canadian, I went on protest... and responded with .... OMG, How could you???? The carnage, the horror, the sick and twisted reality of it.... oh it burns, it burns!!!! Chris, I am ashamed to know you willingly did that to a sacred RED brick!!!! I mean, yeah, you can tease, stir the pot and be a total (censored), but come one, what did I ever do to you??? I have no shame, I need to tell you, that hurts, that really hurts bad! I’m cut to the core. I think you should hang your head in shame... brick modification is one thing, I am willing to over look that for the cause (after all, now that I understand it, DCC is pretty darn cool) BUT!!!!!!! Red Brick modification is just WRONG!!!! Shaking my fists and picketing/boycotting/protesting all things Magno. Chris retorts with...
"OK, you have forced my hand. I had no intention of showing these pictures to help protect the innocent. this is what YOU saw..... http://www.thepyroguys.com/000_0001.JPG this is the BIGGER picture. http://www.thepyroguys.com/Image002.jpg THERE!!! Happy. NOW you see why you could not ever see these. Distention in the ranks? YOUR OWN figs were part of the horror.
Well I couldn't let the fun stop there... so I recreated his "work shop" and posted this...
No, not happy at all! At first, I was in total shock... I couldn’t believe my eye, my OWN figs, total SCABS!!!! I was crushed when I looked at your second photo... In fact, for a minute or two, I was even happy that you hid the real truth from me.
You know, I was about to give up the hobby, I thought, if I can’t even trust a Janey Fig, then who could I trust??? Then as pure luck would have it, I went to check my email... and wow, the shock continued! Now normally I wouldn’t open mail from an anonymous sender, but this time, the subject line was too much to resist “Red Brick Mod, the Real Truth”. The letter states that these pictures were taken just moments before the second pic you posted. Apparently, you cleared the scene of any evidence that could incriminate the real guilty party.
Yes, I saw the Janey figs... in the middle of a mod... but I noticed a few other things, such as the fact that they were CHAINED to the brick... and in the very corner, I could see something that looked like a WHIP!!!
Well honesty, my faith was restored, there was no dissension in the ranks, just some cleaver deception! Obviously my figs only modded under pure duress! This left only one question in my mind. Who could be so evil to make my Figs do something so totally against their character??? Sadly I was not left to wonder very long, because a few moments later, low and behold, another pic, in my inbox... this one, sadly shows just who was SO evil.
Chris, I’m saddened to say, I recognised that Fig immediately... dark hair, thick moustache, blue jeans and serious 5 o’clock shadow. Yes, I have no doubts, it can be no other, but YOU!!!
So while I appreciate you trying to “protect the innocent”, truly my Figs were innocent, and sadly, I can clearly see, your Fig, not so much!!! Oh sure, you can try to debate this back and forth... but pictures speak louder than words.
Janey “The truth will set you free, Red Brick”
From Nov 2005
Toronto Hobby Show - November 4th, 5th, 6th - International Centre
Well another extended weekend (I was gone from the 3rd to the 7th) spent in Toronto has kept me away from my family, blog, and other online activities... It was a pleasure seeing some friends I haven't seen for months, and a pleasure meeting new friends.
Recap of the weekend, as best as I can recall...
Early Thursday afternoon, while bombing into Toronto with my tunes blaring, Constable "Strongbad" clocked me going 31 km over the speed limit. I didn't try to fight it, I was clearly rushing and wasn't paying attention to my speed at all. Frankly I deserved the ticket, and he was kind enough to knock it down by 10 km. I wouldn't have minded at all, aside from the extended delay, if I had not have had already spent quality time with Constable "Strongbad" in the past. I'm not a fan of suits, that's not a surprise to anyone that knows at all, but I do have a healthy respect for our police force, even the OPP. I have no issue with doing the time, for the crime... candidly that was not the issue the first time Constable A-S pulled his BS with me, so years later apparently I am holding on to a little deep seated resentment. Anyhow, getting pulled over is always a bit of an adrenaline rush for me... so to chill out, I pulled over and took some pics of the wind farm building built. It's a beauty to behold. After snapping a few shots... I got back on the road and headed, once again for Hog Town.
I eventually arrived, booked a room and bombed over to the Centre. I would love to say that all things went without a hitch, but basically after a bit of a song and dance the tickets were acquired, clearly this would not be the first song and dance routine of the weekend. Frankly, I am not willing to dwell on those pointless issues because in the long run many of those bits of superfluous minutia really didn't end up making much of a difference. Besides its easy to be psyched when you are about to share a weekend with ppl that not only embrace your shared hobby, but understand it as well.
After that, the rest of the weekend is a blur... Tables arrive, people milled about, smack and laugher was shared, builders came and went... text messages and phone calls fly... BTW YOU SUCK!!! Lego by the totes, boxes and car loads arrive.... and by Friday evening most of the group had arrived displayed this awesome collection of creativity. By the end of the weekend our display covered the gamut, including but not limited to; an awesome moonbase with working monorail, detailed architectural homes on a beach front, impressive space ships from scifi movies, perpetually moving great ball contraptions, outstanding art pieces including sculptures of macrofigs, animals, globe and cartoon characters, fantastic vehicles and heavy equipment/firetruck, an outstanding amusement park ride, precise train layout buildings, beautiful mosaics and even a few very interesting MOCs made on the fly from the free-build box. Yes the creations were remarkable, but by far, for me... it is all about the people.
A group of people from very distinctively different lifestyles thrown together over one shared interest... It is not just about building with Lego, (and yes, I know how hokey this sounds) but building lasting friendships. Long after I forget just what exactly what was displayed or how tired I am from hauling, or spending time on site, I will remember the truly touching and silly moments that make these events fun and worth the effort. - people I have never met saying "Janey Red Brick??? We spoke via email...." - the "Snowgasm" (best 2.50 I ever spent) - the convos about questionably shaped aeroplane engines (wow, TMI) - falling to the ground off a table without style (man I have a huge bruise to show for that effort) - watching builders you respect gazing at your own work (huge smile) - paying no attention to the man behind the gold curtain (wow, what a WoO moment) - dancing like a very untalented ballerina and aeroplane rides (what amazing kids!) - bowling for dollars.... errr I mean bowling for Sponge Bob (wow, who knew the sphere would die?) - heading to the moon, but ending up on mars (can you say "wigged out?") - the discovery that not everyone finds him sexy (who knew?) - the banter, the fun bullshit and the well laid smack (I'm loud?) - the breaking and/or rebuilding of others mocs (oops, sorry!) - connecting with someone that see the world pretty similar to your own views (inconceivable) - having people you can truly count on (thank you) - the genuine smiles and the unbridled laughter (this is what makes me return) Yeah.... Whatever... Meh!
I love this pic of Chris contemplating the worm to 24... and all the plastic dust created.
Deb and her niece checking out my contribution to the Hobby Show.
Dave and Allan having a moment... god, sometimes these pics scare me.
While being a horrible pic of myself, the moment is worth sharing.
Thanks to all the Ontario builders that came out, (the lugless, the rtlers, the parlugmenters, the splitluggers and the jluggers) They spent their time, money and effort to make it just what it was.... an amazing collaboration of time well wasted.
(Note - To see the rest of my pictures from the week, go to my Brickshelf Gallery here Click on a thumbnail to see a larger version of the pic.)
Thanks guys, 100% appreciation.... Until next time.
Apparently both you and I have too much spare time.
I am "importing" my Lego related posts from my personal blog right now, which will explain why there are a few dated with todays date.
Every once and a while someone builds a MOC that blows my mind....
THIS was the case, when I first saw this pinball machine... it is so frigging cool and built by only two builders.
Gerrit Bronsveld and Martijn Boogaarts from the Netherlands.
It so awesome! Of course, just the amount of work and effort is impressive, not to mention, 13 rcx, a crap load of motors, and sensors and all the other gory detail here, but can you beat the fact that it was displayed and played by over 400 kids at LegoWorld??? Too cool!
There is a great article here, which explains this MOC in much greater detail, and has more pictures to boot.
