Brickfest 2008

[jeriendhal]

Hi, I'm Royce, and I'm a Lego-holic.

Hi, Royce.

When I was a kid I had one of those general building sets you used to be able to buy, plus two of the old school kits, one for the rescue helicopter, the other for a police boat. They were so old they didn't have articulated minifigs, just those wierd looking guys with the faceless yellow heads that were stiffer than Han Solo in carbonite.

Then, a few years ago, when I both disposable income and an interest in the new Star Wars series of Lego sets, I started buying them. A lot of them. First it was just Luke's landspeeder. Then I started moving onto the hard stuff. An X-wing. The double set with Darth Vader's tie fighter and a Y-Wing, an Imperial Shuttle. Then... then one day I got a pay bonus and blew it on the Millenium Falcon. Sob.

It's okay, Royce, go on.

I'm nearly forty and I'm still playing with little kids toys. I want to save up $300 and buy the Star Destroyer or the Death Star. Maybe even get the Indiana Jones sets. I can't stop trying to get 100% on LEGO Star Wars, the Complete Saga. I know it's wrong, but.... but they didn't have sets this neat when I was a kid.

Everyone here felt the same way you did, Royce. None of us could afford all the bricks we wanted when we were kids.

So you'll help me find a way to stop?

Shit no, are you kidding us? We'll just show how to spend even more money. Check these designs out.



Here are some photos from Brickfest 2008, held down in Vienna, VA this weekend, where adults can pretend what they're doing is actually sensible.

Yes this is made entirely of Legos. But it is supported by brass pins at the connection points.



I believe this one won a prize.



Head Detail



A big red ship. It was at least a meter long I think.



Interior detail.



The Nebacunez... the Nebawha... That funny hover ship from The Matrix.



I've no idea what the inspriration for that Chinese arch is. And yes, that's the Jetson's apartment building back there.



RECOGNIZER!



Cyber Cerebus.



There's more, including a nice Mindstorms version of WALL-E, but I haven't uploaded the photos yet.

Comments

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Hello, my name is Kippur, and I'm a Lego-holic. I've been buying and building sets since the early eighties. I collected most of the second generation Blacktron and have been buying them fairly steadily over the past twenty five years. I wish I could have blown three hundred dollars on the Millennium Falcon. The worst day of my life was when the cat knocked my shelf with Legos on them onto the ground, mixing up all the different sets and losing pieces.

I have been buying the Star Wars and castle sets recently.

And those pictures are awesome.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

The whole show was awesome. It was completely packed with Lego geeks, to the point that I had park a half mile from the hotel where it was being held and catch a shuttle bus.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

I had to go down the street to play with the neighbor boy's Legos (and Hot Wheels). They were not considered "girls' toys" in our family.

Sigh.

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Royce, get back to your foxes. Now [g].

[sunlizzard.livejournal.com]

No, no, no, wait! I wanna see the WALL*E first...!

Hee!

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

As soon as I'm able. Trasferring photos from the camera's chip to the little micro-laptop (which is the only thing we have that's got a proper port for it) is a pain.

[moonshadowed.livejournal.com]

That is not the only port we have to use with that chip. Of course, you didn't bother to ask your wife (even tho I still maintain the uterus is NOT a location device for all that is missing or unknown.)

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Behave [g].

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Working on it! Rolas finally will get to pound somebody for his various indignities...

[mmegaera.livejournal.com]

Excellent. Looking forward to it.

[sabledrake.livejournal.com]

LEGO is pure awesome. We were glad when the kid was old enough to get into them, thus giving us a plausible excuse!

-- C.