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! Continue reading “LEGO Fan Weekend 2014, Skærbæk Denmark”

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.

But am I flying home? Not quite yet! I’m going directly from Frankfurt to Seattle (with a stop in Houston) and attending BrickCon. It’s going to be an exciting vacation and I’m really looking forward to it. Watch this space for photos and stories from my trip.

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.

I guess that this isn’t the first new Classic Space set recently… or even this year! That honor could arguably go to the 70816 Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, Spaceship! from The LEGO Movie, which I also have enjoyed building. But since that was technically a movie themed set, I’m giving it to this one. First Classic Space set in decades!!

Continue reading “Set Review: 21009 Exo-Suit”

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. I’ve started sharing my blog posts on Facebook and also a few other LEGO-related things I come across. Go check it out and Like, comment, share, etc. if you enjoy what you see.

“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. Continue reading ““LEGO didn’t make those specialized parts when I was a kid””

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). For those who haven’t heard of LEGO IDEAS, it’s LEGO’s crowdsourcing platform, enabling fans to design sets and put them up for votes. It started off as CUUSOO, originally only in Japan but later expanded to the whole world. This set was designed by Brent Waller and submitted to CUUSOO in March of 2013. It got 10,000 votes and was turned into a LEGO set. There is a blurb in the back of the instruction book that tells the story. Continue reading “Set review: 21108 Ghostbusters”

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.

I’d like to announce the dates for next year’s convention, but we don’t have a firm commitment on the dates yet. The most likely dates are July 16-19, but we can’t be sure until we have a contract from the hotel. The theme for next year will be “Monsters” and we will be also making a special effort to highlight models with lighting effects similar to what they do at Brickworld in Chicago and BrickFair back east, shutting off the convention center lights for a few hours in the evening to let people enjoy the lit-up MOCs (My Own Creations). So start planning your monsters, especially ones with light-up effects!

I didn’t take photos at the convention, but here are some links to galleries that others have posted:

If you have some to add, post a link in the comments.

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. Continue reading “Trip Report: Brickworld 2014”

Back Online

You may have noticed this site has been down a lot lately.

The machine that hosted the Brickpile, along with BayLUG and Bricks by the Bay, along with some other personal domains that I and some friends owned, was hacked back in January, and then we got another site up briefly and it too was almost immediately compromised. But now this is the third try, this time hosted on Amazon EC3. Wish me luck.

Speaking of Bricks by the Bay, we’re ramping things up for the convention this year and I’m really excited about it. Come down to Santa Clara in August and spend a weekend immersing yourself in LEGO fan culture! The convention is Thursday through Sunday, August 7-10, 2014, with a Public Exhibition on Sunday. I’m putting the final touches on the registration system for this year now, and we’ll have it open shortly. Check out the Bricks by the Bay website for more information and I hope to see you there!

P.S.: I’m also going to be at Brickworld in Chicago this year, and later in the year BrickCon in Seattle. If you’re going to be there, look for me.