The world of LEGO trains can be rather frustrating for the adult hobbyist. Here’s a quick primer for those who are interested in getting into this part of the LEGO hobby. (This is adapted from a comment I made on Facebook in response to someone who was just getting into LEGO trains in 2014.)
Bill Ward
Brickpile YouTube Channel – Brickworld 2011 Videos
I’ve started a new YouTube channel for Bill Ward’s Brickpile. I’ll be adding videos from LEGO events, and maybe even some original content, tours of my MOCs, etc. So far I’ve just published two videos, which form a 2-part walk-through of Brickworld from 2011:
BrickCon 2014
As I’ve done every year since 2008, I went to this year’s BrickCon LEGO convention in Seattle. But this year my trip to BrickCon was a part of an extended vacation which included my trip to the LEGO Fan Weekend 2014, Skærbæk Denmark.
LEGO Fan Weekend 2014, Skærbæk Denmark
As I mentioned in my last post, I attended the 10th and final LEGO Fan Weekend in Skærbæk, Denmark, on September 26-28. I say “final” because it is the last time that it is being run by the LEGO company, but the local LEGO fans will be taking over running it as of next year, so the event will continue. However it was my first time there and I had a great time!
Going to Billund!
I’m going to Denmark tomorrow! Flying from San Francisco to Frankfurt, then on to Billund, for my first-ever visit to Denmark and LEGO HQ! I’m going to the annual Fan Weekend in Skærbæk Friday through Sunday, then visiting Billund on Monday, and on to Copenhagen and Hamburg before flying out of Frankfurt on Thursday.
Set Review: 21009 Exo-Suit
In 1978, LEGO introduced the first Classic Space sets. I was 7 years old and totally thrilled. Now LEGO has returned at long last to that theme with the new 21109 Exo-Suit set from LEGO IDEAS.
Like us on Facebook
I’ve set up a Facebook Page for BBTB, so if you’re more into Facebook than blog reading these days, you can find me on there.
“LEGO didn’t make those specialized parts when I was a kid”
Have you ever been talking about LEGO with someone who said “LEGO didn’t make those specialized parts when I was a kid”? It happens all the time at shows. Whenever we have a BayLUG exhibit at a model train show or museum or Maker Faire, or on the public day at Bricks by the Bay or other conventions, there are always adults coming through who look at the clever uses of parts in our MOCs and make a comment like this.
Set review: 21108 Ghostbusters
One of the most exciting sets from LEGO of late is the 21108 “ECTO-1” car from the movie Ghostbusters. This is the first LEGO IDEAS set that I’ve purchased (21109 Exo-Suit, which I’m even more excited about, is being shipped to me as I write this).
Bricks by the Bay 2014
Our annual LEGO convention here in the bay area, Bricks by the Bay, just happened! I was so busy organizing it that I’m afraid I never got around to posting a blurb on my blog about it – hope you heard about it through other means and were there! It was a huge event, expanding to add a second ballroom, and adding an extra day (Thursday) for a new workshop program. We almost doubled last year’s attendance on the public day (about 4500 vs 2500 last year) though our convention attendance was down.
Trip Report: Brickworld 2014
I went to Chicago a couple of weeks ago to attend the Brickworld LEGO convention, one of the largest such events in the world. As you probably know I am the president of Bricks by the Bay, our local convention here in the San Francisco bay area, and it’s good to get out and visit other conventions to network, pick up new ideas for our event, and just see what the rest of the AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) world is doing. This was my third Brickworld; I had gone in 2009 and 2011.
Back Online
You may have noticed this site has been down a lot lately.
Advent 2013
December is here, and it’s time for another round of LEGO Advent Calendars. This year we have three calendars: Friends (set# 41016), City (60024), and Star Wars (75023). This was the year the Star Wars calendar was based on Clone Wars, which I wasn’t very familiar with. As usual, each post was originally a separate blog entry, starting with Day 1, and continuing with a daily post about that day’s advent models. However, to clean up the site, I’ve condensed all those daily posts to a single post per year. Here’s the 2013 edition.
Slides for BrickCon “Brick Geometry” Presentation
The slides from my Brick Geometry Presentation from BrickCon 2013 (PDF) are now available online.
Colors and Sorting
I’ve been recently going through my LEGO collection adjusting some of the organization with respect to color. With all the new colors from the Friends sets coming in, I’ve been really at a loss to find an organization system that is consistent and clear, both while sorting and while looking for parts, and takes into account the vast differences in available parts across the color pallette.
Bricks by the Bay 2013
The 2013 edition of the Bricks by the Bay LEGO convention has come and gone. A fabulous time was had by all, as far as I can tell anyway. Here’s a report of my experiences both running and attending the convention…
Last chance for Bricks by the Bay convention registration
I just posted this on the Bricks by the Bay site: “The Bricks by the Bay 2013 convention is almost here! I’m so excited – and busy!”
Set up my room at last!
I moved this past March from Mountain View, CA to El Cerrito (just north of Berkeley). In the process, I had to consolidate my bedroom and my LEGO studio into one room. That’s fine, as the new room is plenty big enough, but there was a small disaster during the move that prevented me from finishing setting up the room until just now.
Bricks by the Bay is 75% sold out
We just posted an announcement on the BBTB blog that Bricks by the Bay 2013 is 75% sold out.
Love, Legalized
Yesterday the Supreme Court overturned California’s Proposition 8 and the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). I created this simple rainbow heart sculpture design to celebrate justice being done at last.
BrickLink under new ownership
The online aftermarket LEGO store BrickLink has new owners! For years this online marketplace has been the best place for buying and selling LEGO parts.
Flickr Changes
Have you seen the latest stupid decision from Yahoo? They’ve not only completely redesigned the Flickr user interface, they’re phasing out the Flickr Pro account system. According to this article from Mashable, they’ve stopped selling Pro accounts, and they’ve taken away almost all the advantages that Pro account holders have had. In fact, it would seem that Pro accounts now have a smaller maximum file size than free ones (50MB vs 200MB, 90 seconds vs 3 minutes for video)!
Kermit Dumpty
My Kermit model fell off the table Friday evening at Maker Faire. It took me only two hours to put him back together!