The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide

A few weeks ago I was invited to do an in-store appearance at Bricks and Blocks in Waterloo, Ontario. If you live in southwestern Ontario and you’ve never been to Bricks and Blocks (in Windsor, Cookstown or Waterloo) then you must make plans to get there. These stores are as close to an official LEGO store as we have in this area. They sell LEGO sets and nothing but LEGO sets. It’s paradise for a LEGO builder of any age.

So how do you stand out in a store filled with LEGO goodies? Well, one way is to build a really tall model. That seems to get their attention. At least it did yesterday when I set up my CN Tower model in the store. In fact, as I was assembling the 3-legged base I turned and looked over my shoulder, astounded to find 10 - 12 people watching me work. This kind of freaked me out, but it really got nerve-wracking as I went to add the top 1/3 of the tower (including the large pod section and the upper portions of the core) and realized that if I dropped it then all these people were going to get more of a show than they’d bargained for. LOL

Thankfully the final assembly went without a hitch. I’d had some practice the first time I built a LEGO version of the famed tower. That was back in late 2003 but that copy ended up only 9 feet tall. This new version, with a completely redesigned pod section, topped out at just over 10 feet tall.

I will be taking more pics of the model and posting those later. As well, I’ll post a more complete write-up about yesterday’s instore. For now, I hope you’ll enjoy this picture. It’s much taller than it is wide (kind of obvious, huh?) so at least on my screen it seems to actually be appearing next to the entry previous to this one. But that works… since that entry was an announcement about the instore. For the record… I’m the shorter one on the left.

Allan

This coming Saturday (July 22nd) I’ll be at the Bricks and Blocks outlet store in Waterloo, Ontario. (Just south of St. Jacob’s).

I’ll be hanging out for the afternoon (12-3), helping the kids with some building projects and displaying a new copy of an old model. Thankfully they’ve got high ceilings there. Can you guess what model it is?

If you’re in the area on the 22nd, please drop by and say hello to Sue and the rest of the gang at Bricks and Blocks… oh, and don’t forget to say hi to me too. Bring your copy of ULBG (or buy one there) and I’ll be more than happy to sign it for you.

Hope to see you there!
Allan B.

As of the fourth printing of the book Figure 3-5 (Chapter 3, page 42) has been updated to correct the part counts in the Bill of Materials for the train station model. The updated image now shows 18 light gray 2x2 tiles rather than just 1. A single light gray 1x1 tile has also been added to the image. If Figure 3-5 in your copy of the book doesn’t show these parts and quantities, please download the updated version from the No Starch Press website.

Regards,
Allan B.

Well…. I can tell you at least one place.

Here’s a picture of Angie from Victoria, British Columbia holding up a copy in a Chapters store.

Thanks for your support Angie!

Remember, if you have a picture of yourself with your copy of The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide I’d love to see it and post it here on my blog. Just look for the link in the top right hand corner of this page to send me an email.

Allan B.

In case you missed my article in The Daily Planet, I’ve reprinted the complete text below.

I’ve always enjoyed great movies. In fact, it was both Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark that influenced me into pursuing filmmaking as a career at one point in my life. While I didn’t end up being the next George Lucas I did retain my love of movies. And way back then, in the days of Star Wars and Raiders there was another block buster movie that left a strong memory with me. It was, of course, the 1978 classic Superman staring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.

So when the trailers began running for Superman Returns I started to get very interested in seeing it. Since it looked like it a flick that might better be enjoyed on the big screen I decided to take in the matinee this afternoon. While going to an actual theater is sort of against my professed love for DVDs and home theater, I think I made the right choice in this case.

This is a huge movie. It’s absolutely brimming with massive sound and visual effects that simply would not have been properly served on my 27 inch TV here at home. For instanace the details are so rich and sharp that when you see a close-up of the ‘S’ on Superman’s chest you can see the fine texture of the materials used to create it.

But let me step back a minute. There’s more to a good movie than just loud explosions and a guy flying super fast through just about every type of material you can think of. There’s a story that needs to be told. Or, in the case of many movies today, there’s no story at all. I’m really happy to report that the long wait for this movie to be made was worth the wait. The story has been carefully crafted and there are few, if any, major problems with plot or pacing.

There’s also the look of the rest of the film; that is those scenes where things aren’t blowing up or falling 50 stories to the ground. There’s the quiet moments where the characters interact and reveal themselves to us and to each other. At every turn director Brian Singer has taken incredible pains to make sure that these aren’t just cardboard cut-outs strutting about in a 2D world. Metropolis really comes alive in this movie… more so I think than in the 1978 film and definitely more so than Gotham does in any of the Batman films. This city and these people feel as real as you can imagine and that’s a tough thing to pull off when the main character is essentially an alien and has powers no mere mortal can ever hope to experience.

It’s this love of character and this comittment to story that allows Singer to pull of what I think is perhaps my favorite ’super hero’ film to date. Yes, I liked Spiderman 2 (not so much part 1) and I really liked the first Batman movie but many (most?) of the other super hero flicks just don’t get me excited enough to sit in a dark (and sweltering) movie theater on a sunny Sunday in July. This one did. And I am glad for it.

Without giving away any of the secrets of the story let me just say that if you’re a fan of the first Christoper Reeve Superman movie, then you must see this new film. There are numerous moments/lines that clearly pay homage to that era of the Superman chronicles. But they aren’t cheesy and they aren’t disrespectful. They are simply there to be enjoyed.

Fly, don’t walk, to a theater near you and catch the man of steel before he leaves the big screen. Yes, I’ll certainly be getting the DVD when it comes out, but it just won’t be the same effect sitting on my worn old couch with my remote in hand. But it’ll still be fun.

Allan