The Lego Suicides

We purchased a copy sight unseen a few weeks ago and were very impressed, so thought it especially serendipitous when we got the opportunity to speak to Mr. Bedford. If you'd like to get an idea of what The Unofficial Lego Builder's Guide has inside, there's a nice introduction with samples on Mr. Bedford's blog.

Now, the interview!

Nextbrick: What inspired you to write a book about how to build Lego? Doesn't that imply there's a 'right way' to build?

Allan: My inspiration for the book came partially from the fact that there wasn't one out there already. Let me back up a bit. When I get interested in any new hobby or pastime I usually look for the equivalent of a 'Dummies' style book to get me started. I like getting a good grounding in the lingo, the background and the conventions of anything that interests me. In the case of LEGO building there really wasn't a book on the market that filled this need. So I wrote one. :)

Lots more from Mr. Bedford after the jump.

In terms of is there a 'right way' to build LEGO the answer (at least in my mind) is 'yes' and 'no'. There a few things that are universal... such as overlapping bricks to make stronger walls, or learning how to think in three dimensions to create something like a LEGO sphere. Those things are in the book. They will give people that 'grounding' that I spoke of earlier. But then there are also the interpretive aspect of writing about a subject like this. Interestingly, the original title for the book was "The LEGO Builder's Reference Guide". And it was going to be just that; a textbook-like approach to the subject that would have tried to capture the 'right way' to build things. As I developed the structure and content of the book that framework loosened up a bit. The title changed and so did the 'right way' mentality.

What I ended up writing was more of a 'field guide' to the LEGO system. It became much more about my own feelings and ways of looking at LEGO building than it was about trying to be the one and only definitive text on the subject. In fact, I look forward to other future books about LEGO building. I personally feel this hobby is under represented in terms of the amount of writing that's been done about it. We just now have a quarterly magazine (www.brickjournal.com) whereas other hobbies have dozens and dozens of books and numerous monthly magazines. I think the hobby still has a great deal to be explored and written about. So ULBG is certainly not the one right way to think about the hobby. It's simply one way but hopefully it's a way that some people will find interesting and useful.

Nextbrick: Have you gotten much feedback after the book's release from other builders about new techniques you hadn't considered before?

Allan:I've had great feedback since the book was released but not really a lot from experienced LEGO builders. In fact, most of it has been from parents (and grandparents) writing to either ask a question or to thank me for presenting the information that's contained in ULBG. I've even had two different emails from two different female builders, each in their 50s. I distinctly remember one of the emails as she was utterly thrilled that she finally understood how to build a roof without using any sloped roof bricks!

The reader emails have been genuinely rewarding to me. It seems the book has found the audience I imagined it was meant for. It seems to really be connecting with parents and kids who spend time together building LEGO models. And if that ain't a good thing then I don't know what is. :)

That said, I have had a few emails from adult LEGO builders and it's been almost entirely positive. I haven't had any negative comments to speak of.

Nextbrick: Do you think there's a stigma attached to [being one of the] adult fans of Lego?

Allan: No, not at all. If anything, I think there's a 'cool' factor. When I tell people that I'm an adult LEGO builder their eyes light up and a smile is presented right away. So many people of a very wide range of ages have good LEGO memories that I think they are even a bit envious sometimes that we (the enthusiasts of this hobby) get to build with huge quantities of bricks... much more so than were available to us as kids. Afterall, the difference between playing with something like LEGO as a kid and building seriously with it as an adult is that the adult usually has a bigger allowance to spend on their hobby. :)

Thanks again to Mr. Bedford. We encourage you all to pick up a copy of his book from Amazon. We're almost certain you'll find it useful, no matter what your level of Lego expertise.

What's an orrery? As any fan of The Dark Crystal knows, it's a device with which to impress gelflings. Tom's orrery exists, "to help explain to my children why we have so much light in the summer and not nearly enough in the winter (we live in Alaska). No attempt was made to get relative sizes, distances, or the orbit periods correct. Rather, this model shows the inclination of the earth's axis and why it causes the seasons."

Lego Orrery [Mac]

Problem is, we don't think we'd trust even Lego bricks to stick together indefinitely in our pockets along with our keys. But for just a single memory card we might go for it—especially since they should be super-cheap.

Lego Style Silicone Rubber Memory Card Case [I4U]

Do you know where I could find someone to give me a quote to create a
custom lego kit for my kids?

I am looking for a model of "Rocket" from the new Little Einsteins show
on Disney. Rocket is the red rocket ship that the kids ride on.

Any readers have any suggestions of places where custom models can be commissioned?

Our friend Vic sent us this huge batch of pictures which we have reproduced after the jump. Most of the images appear to be from Toy News, Intl., although we couldn't find them on their site. It also appears that Action-Figure.com has a few blurry shots of the boxed sets.

See over a dozen pictures of all the new sets after the jump!

The Joker

Killer Croc

Mr. Freeze

Two-Face

Two-Face's Henchman

The Penguin

Two-Face's Van

The Batmobile

The Batcave

Batwing

The Bat...craft?

More Heros and Villains

What other retailers have you discovered that offer great deals on Lego?

In that sense, we are fairly pleased at the element selection. While the smaller sets like Uplink and Sentry use a fairly rudiemntary Technic-based connection for the legs, the larger Fire Vulture uses a ratcheted series of blocks that allow for a great variety of poses—perhaps at the expense of versatility. That said, we should be able to find plenty of uses for two-brick joint that rotate on two axes, perhaps even in non-mecha models.

The Exo-Force sets come with heavy weaponry, including missiles and guns and even a flamethrower. (And to Lego's credit, there is not a single dragon-fire element on the Fire Vulture.) In fact, the sets might be the most overtly military designs Lego has ever produced. For the first time, we feel it possible that our dream theme—minifig-scale World War II machinery—might someday be a possibility.

The parts inventory is varied, with many elements we feel will be useful to any budding builder of a 'futuristic' style, although there continue to be some disturbingly large single-use pieces, like the giant turbine on the back of the Fire Vulture. (The turbine is also the first piece we can recall with a dual-color injection mold from Lego.) Fan-built mecha tend to appear much more solid than the Exo-Force models, despite Lego's use of broad multi-angle slopes to imply heft. The remix potential is limited, but as part of a collection of more traditional elements there is much potential in these sets.

You might notice that we didn't opt to use any of the dozens of stickers included with the Exo-Force line. While we find the sticker design to be very much in theme with the anime-influence, we intend to be tearing these down to parts soon. In that sense, we're happy to have the choice of clean or printed bricks, but we can't help but feel a tinge of sadness at Uplink's 2 x 1 plate that serves as a computer. The silk-screened computer plate, once a hallmark of the space themes, is seemingly past its prime.

The larger Exo-Force sets include a 2 x 4 brick with a watch battery-powered LED. (We're not sure yet if the battery is replaceable.) Rubber fiber optic cables can be run from one end of the brick to add a glowing effect, such as the Fire Vulture's flamethrower laser sight. The bricks are cute but seem to have limited use.

Lastly, the minifigs are likely to be controversial. We rather dig the spiky-haired hero minifigs with their two-to-a-head faces, but the robot enemies are extremely awkward-looking and not the least bit menacing. (Not to mention the dissonance of robots piloting other robots.)

Overall, we're happy to gather so many useful parts and to see Lego finally stepping up the weaponry, but we wish the mecha appeared a bit more like giant, hulking robots and less like chassis waiting to be armored. We are also pleasantly surprised to find a minimum of Bionicle elements. The few that do appear add just the right amount of character.

Product Page [PodBrix]