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In reply to: Squirrel Apocalypse Collaborative
The plotting and scheming continues, in plain sight:
Squirrels on roller skates! And I’m pretty sure that’s a jar of Nutella up on top of the cabinet, LOL.
Both the floor and the back wall are built studs to the side, which is cool. The squirrels are only dark orange and black, the easiest to get (Picnic in the Park City set) outside of LUGbulk.
In reply to: Threadjacking
If you’re north of the city, ask here if you want someone to take your box with them and we’ll see if we can arrange that.
That means the yankees could get their LUGbulk on AFOL day! Count me in.
#triggered
I was at the Pirates-Yankees game on Wednesday night o_O
In reply to: Threadjacking
>> Can we create a “Pinned Topic” section on the side of the page? for things like Meeting/build challenge threads, threads of importance, ect?. I’m tired of having to come and search for a thread because it has fallen out of the top 12
I second that. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile too, although the best I’d come up is to simply expand the ‘Recently Active Topics’ list to a larger number of topics, say 24. There’s times when a topic can be off the list even though it was active just a few days earlier. We’re a chatty LUG.
The question then, is what gets pinned and what doesn’t. I would think Threadjacking and the Pick a Brick wall threads do. I would also say threads for the upcoming meeting, the upcoming build challenge, and upcoming major events and conventions get pinnned, and then shortly after they’re over, maybe a week, they get removed and replaced. Oh, and the current LUGBulk thread should get pinned. And also the ‘What the heck is Ben doing’ thread, although I may be a little less objective on that one. Otherwise I’m not thinking of anything, although other people might.
In reply to: Squirrel Apocalypse Collaborative
Here we shall plan the Squirrel Apocalypse Collaborative. Thanks to @bengood921 for the title.
So far I only have two squirrels, and three acorns, from the LEGO CITY Picnic in the Park. They’ve already been incorporated into my Kleenex Box Q1 Challenge build, but I’ll probably have to pull them out temporarily for my Home & Garden show MOC. I don’t really buy a lot of sets, BrickLink has been my goto for a lot of parts.
Things are looking good so far in LUGBULK for the squirrels, but not so good for the acorns.
In reply to: Physical Color Palettes
I really should create a new one. Not only do I have a few more colors, like pearl black, I hadn’t even had room for my favorites, the translucents. And now I probably have a better plate color for a background. Not pictured: my cheat sheet printout with the bricklink color names on it. So glad I didn’t have to learn LEGO’s names for LUGBULK.
In reply to: What the heck is Ben doing?
In reply to: It's A Wonderful LEGO
Thanks so much for the shout out! We can hardly believe it. Just hit that magic number last night. Thanks so much to the SteelCity LUG for all of the support! Most of the bricks in the prototype were purchased through the LUGBULK!
In reply to: [THE TWELVE BRICKS OF CHRISTMAS 2]
Mostly I wanted to see if I could get Frost to have the gift-giver delivery all the presents listed every day, rather than just the ones attached to the particular number of the day.
Do we need to use the same colors as the parts in the pic? It’s hard to tell, that looks like it might be a reddish-brown Travis brick, which isn’t a common part, even though we LUGBulked it several years ago. I’m pretty sure I own zero of them. It also looks like that might be a reddish-brown 1×1 round plate with bar extension.
In reply to: What the heck is Rich building?
12/2/2021:
Built two paddock stall facades, 20 studs wide to match a pit lane stall, and only 2 studs deep with an overhanging 4 stud shelf well above the cars. In this way I can plug these on, still have a 3 stud space between the stall and the necessary pit wall.
They’re sturdy enough that I can pull them right off the baseplate and plug them on with little worry.
I’ve also designed them with a 1×8 brick space to display the race team taking up that stall.
I now need 6 of the garage roller door with handle. I know we got this in last year’s LUGBULK, so I know they’re out along us. Who’s got them?
In reply to: Moonbase
In response to Ben’s thoughts:
* If we decide to try Moonbase, it doesn’t have to be directly related to past efforts, mostly because we probably won’t plan to connect to other LUGs any more than we have done so with City/Town efforts over the years. That said, it sure is nice that the Moonbase standard is built with older bricks that most builders already have.
* As far as worrying about the quality of builds… nah. As a quarterly build challenge, or even in a formal display like the SWR space of past years, a number of styles do work, including a more brutalist and simple style in bleys like the regolith below.
* Established Spacers can more easily build larger spaces and the connections in all cardinal directions and even up and down.
* HOWEVER, this trends toward Moon City rather than Moonbase, which opens up many more possibilities than standard Space, enabling every builder we have to try Space.
* I am totally with Ben in that MILS is a major deterrent for ALL collaborative displays, and to the best of my knowledge, only train track and large hillside landscaping has demanded it. I don’t imagine we should require that for a quarterly build challenge.
* We used tan baseplates and DBG rock walls for the SWR George’s Landing series, so there’s no reason we can’t use them for the collab challenge, or even green for an alien planet with existing greenery. We just need builders to pipe up with which 32 x 32 plates (including landing pad plates) that they may have on hand to figure out a standard. I have a few tan AND LBG 32 x 32s hanging around from SWR and LUGBULK that I would be happy to lend for the effort, as I’m not building large scale Space right now.
* I believe that LBG is just a color in this case, as the towers can be Classic Space blue with yellow-black-yellow details, Neo-Classic Space, Unitron, Spyrius, any faction really. If we treat this idea like a Moon City with a small individual commitment like a ground based 16 x 16 space, or an elevated airlock sized passage, this becomes easy for new Spacers.
* This feels like a full display for ourselves instead of one meant for an audience, and so, builders should be encouraged to have fun with the concepts available and only make sure we can grow the display organically with each other based on whoever could be “next door”. That’s kind of how SWR flowed together, and this idea can work the same way. We just need to communicate and intentionally connect as many ideas to each other as possible. That’s how we combat the systemic, artless vibe. Quite simply, interaction between builders in a fun, relaxed flow is what makes it all work.
* Prototypes for larger builds involve what I call archetypes. Leitmotifs? @timf, you may have some better knowledge about the word I’m trying to use. Basically, we can all show different styles and brick combinations that look Spacey, whether it’s sleek and studless, organic, studly, greebly, hoses and pipes, or inspired by any architecture from Star Wars to Star Trek to Aliens to, well, any favorite film that anyone has seen or has interest in, from the 1950s to now. These small, several brick archetypes, like pillars in architecture, can definitely be expanded and repeated in any larger build and adopted by others.
For example, I like stacking wedges and wedge plates so that the notches on the side walls look like vents.* Rovers are awesome. If a builder isn’t interested in a Space building, well, how about a Space garage that connects to one?
* Finally, if we’re considering a type of big, permanent development in the Space theme, that is a whole different ball of wax, considering that multiple Spacers, including myself, already have well developed factions that are worthy of interaction. That is a MUCH larger discussion, and worthy in its own right. Could this become a Moonbase environment? I’d vote for a nexus portal where our existing, differing factions have all been marooned and have to try to work together. Would WhiteTron dislike BlackTron? Would ALL of the Space factions show up based on the figs we have? How cool would it be for every LEGO Space faction to wind up with a Moonbase tower, including our own custom factions?
This is a case where builder variety might be a LOT cooler than trying to expect many standards, kind of like how SWR worked out.
In reply to: 2021 Fall Display – PA Trolley
I recently had two 1×4 brown tiles break at one end. They were from LUGBULK (I think 2019 but may have been 2018). I had ordered 100 so now I have 98 left. 😀
In reply to: 2021 Fall Display – PA Trolley
>> I’m waiting for Ben to come see the displays for himself.
I didn’t come to see them yesterday cause I was too busy spending 9 hours sorting your LUGBulk orders 😛
And Josh told me yesterday that they’re on FB, my mention of Flickr was deliberate.
In reply to: Blogged
Yeah, I was surprised she used that in the article. We’re ok though. LUGBULK exists. People are allowed to know it exists and what it is. The problem, and restriction is over ACTUAL prices. LEGO does not want those shared, ever.
Yeah, in this situation I would expect a lot of people to at least be willing to bring the same stuff they had at BFL. I can only speak for myself though. I currently don’t plan to be part of this one. I don’t see any reason right now to believe that the Covid situation will have improved between now and then. I also won’t have anything built. I took apart the space plants build a month ago when I bailed on BFL. I have been making big progress on organizing and taking inventory around here, so I’d originally hoped to have at least a one-table prototype built for this event, but although progress is excellent, it’s still way slower than I’d hoped, and I definitely wouldn’t make it in time. Since I’m leaving town in two weeks, I’d need it to be done by then, and at this point I’m also assuming that our LUGBulk order is gonna show up any day now and I’ll be spending serious hours sorting, which will be time well spent, but will also take from available building time.
In reply to: Brick Fest Live Pittsburgh 2021 Sept 11-12
>> We had 27 members participate
That got my attention, that’s gotta be a record for the group for participating in anything (other than quarterly meetings and LUGBulk), possibly by a large margin. Sweet!
In reply to: Brick Fest Live Pittsburgh 2021 Sept 11-12
We’re about a month out from the event. We can talk more about this at Q3, but wanted to get a few things rolling before then.
For anyone who can’t make it but wants to display, I thought maybe we could set up North, South, East, and West drop-offs (kind of reverse of what we did for LUGBULK). I’m happy being a drop for the North, but if anyone else is available (from any direction) to load their cars, let me know.
Here’s the doodle for staffing. I did put some overlap between shifts so that there’s coverage during lunch.
https://doodle.com/poll/4cagtqceuvhvdc6t?utm_source=poll&utm_medium=linkAlso, there’s still plenty of table space still available (hint hint @loganc @mrmain18 @amplef0rth @playingwithechoes @jcc117). The theme is Pittsburgh, but anything you want to bring is okay.
In reply to: LUG Ambassador Position
Jim and Krista have both volunteered to serve as the next LUG Ambassador. I thank them for their willingness to volunteer and know that either of them will make a great Ambassador for our LUG. There are two ways to vote: (1) send me a Private Message with the name of your vote or (2) attend the Q3 LUG meeting on August 29 and vote in person. The next Ambassador will be announced at the Q3 meeting.
I had asked each to submit a statement of candidacy, which I now present to the LUG membership. Please review and consider your vote. Feel free to private message either of them with any questions. Please do NOT post any comments regarding the candidates here. Thank you.
JIM:
Hello LUG Members!
I have been thinking a great deal about this opportunity to represent the LUG in the Lego Ambassador Network (LAN). As I see the role, this is the LUG’s opportunity to be represented in the greater Lego community and The Lego Group. To not only fill in the info for the LUG activity and LUG Bulk but to interact more regularly on the LAN and with other LAN members to be able to talk Lego and even influence TLG on current and future regulations they have or may be considering. Further, this is a way for the representative to interact more directly with the LUG membership and bring your concerns on key topics to the LAN, where appropriate.With that said, I wanted to bring myself to candidacy for our LUG LAN position. From a community perspective, I represent myself in the Lego community daily. I read and post on topics across the Lego community and interact with many of the current Lego influencers in the community through chats or private messages. I try to keep up on current information and topics occurring in TLG and interact where appropriate.
I keep a positive environment in my interactions with our LUG, the Lego Community, and TLG representatives. I think any of the members who have worked with me could agree…..hopefully! I am also open to feedback and if you have any for me, feel free to contact me privately! 🙂
I am looking for an opportunity to get more involved with our LUG and TLG. This opportunity seems in line with my current activity, interest, and ability to interact remotely as family time sometimes regulates my in person interaction.
Good luck to all of the candidates. I know any of us will represent our LUG in a very good way!KRISTA:
”Hi everybody! Thank you for considering me for the LUG Ambassador position.I regularly share regularly on the LUG’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as update our Google calendar. I feel that promoting our events on the LAN as the Ambassador is a natural step and look forward to promoting the LUG even further.
I’ve also worked with Tim and the LUGBULK Committee on the LUGBULK spreadsheet and as a spreadsheet nerd, I look forward to doing it again next year. Additionally, I have experience with event management and reporting.
I truly enjoy representing the LUG and it would be my pleasure to serve as your LUG Ambassador if given the opportunity. Thank you!”
In reply to: Brick Fest Live Pittsburgh 2021 Sept 11-12
Is there a way to be able to upload a thumbnail picture of each MOC (similar to the image file for each element in the LUGBULK spreadsheet)? It would be cool to see what each MOC looks like.
Excellent idea @timf! Thanks @rcgrier3406 for filling out the sheet already and taking a stab at the thumbnails. There’s actually a pretty easy way to do this in sheets. If you select Insert -> Image -> Image in Cell, it auto fits the image to the cell size. I’ve resized the rows so it should fit pretty consistently.
In reply to: Brick Fest Live Pittsburgh 2021 Sept 11-12
spreadsheet
Is there a way to be able to upload a thumbnail picture of each MOC (similar to the image file for each element in the LUGBULK spreadsheet)? It would be cool to see what each MOC looks like.
@timf, I tried sticking a couple of “thumbnails” in of my MOC’s just to try it. Not the smoothest, but it worked. When I first did the cut and paste, a full sized image showed up, so I had to downsize each one to thumbnail size by dragging the corners. I also had to adjust the row height to cover each thumbnail. Google spreadsheets is not my forte, so if someone knows how to do this “the right way”, then please do!In reply to: Brick Fest Live Pittsburgh 2021 Sept 11-12
spreadsheet
Is there a way to be able to upload a thumbnail picture of each MOC (similar to the image file for each element in the LUGBULK spreadsheet)? It would be cool to see what each MOC looks like.
In reply to: What the heck is Rich building?
6/14/2021:
Rough week. Filling in for someone’s vacation at work. Lots of work grind. Met with @randomdan to look at our most recent builds and swap ideas and plans. I might buy some parts from him.
So I decided to start fooling around with MILSing a green baseplate as the base for a modular park. I haven’t seen many City/Town displays with a park, and this seems like a low stress way to start building modular City sections. I have collected things from smaller sets over time like a fountain, a picnic bench, a park bench, and one of those newsstand sheds from a LEGO Store build day, so, if I pop in some trees, bushes, and build LBG sidewalks amid the green, that would be a good start.
I want to use a depression onto the base of the green baseplate to save on brick, maybe with a circular dome in the middle. I already know that a two stud MILS thickness around the border of a MILS baseplate is typically all that’s needed for stability.
Not a serious attempt yet, but a decent way to parse bricks out for an easy project I plan to get into after.
While I’m waiting for the money to get after the race car finishing parts, I may decide to start building the next row of baseplates up with the paddock/luxury valet parking spaces. I have ordered some rolling garage door parts in LUGBULK, but none with handles.
I don’t know what I’m going to build this week, but I do have some low stress options at present that will make progress.
In reply to: LUG Ambassador Position
(For everyone’s information)
Overall, the general time commitment is not too onerous. In general, 1-2 hours per week on the LAN, checking messages and interacting in message board threads (although it could be a lot more depending upon one’s desire – there are many message boards and topics so you can dive as deep in as you wish). In addition to that, there are various reports that need to be submitted to Lego – one report each time the LUG participates in an event or holds a meeting; reports requesting the semi-annual LUG Support; etc. It is not burdensome but takes a little gathering and coordination of data. The Ambassador also receives all of the LUGBULK Communication (when it is open, etc.).
Topic: LUG Ambassador Position
As most of you know, I have been serving as the LUG Ambassador for the past 3+ years (after Josh and Matt previously served). After deliberate consideration, I believe it is now time to pass the baton to another LUG member. So this is the formal call for a new LUG Ambassador.
The Ambassador’s main responsibility is to be the communication link between The Lego Group and the various LUGs (and other AFOL groups) globally. This is done primarily online through the LAN website. Managing LUGBULK and submitting reports of LUG events and activities also falls under the Ambassador’s duty. Benefits of serving as Ambassador are getting some inside information on the goings-on at Lego as well as an annual Christmas gift. Matt also got to attend an Ambassador only function in Denmark one year.
Ideally, a new Ambassador would be elected by the Q4 meeting with the goal of taking over the position starting January 1, 2022. I will stay involved to help orient our new Ambassador and I am willing to continue as Committee Chair of our LUGBULK Committee (and continue handling the LUGBULK process for the LUG).
If you are interested in the position, and/or have questions, please either respond here or send me a private message. We can also discuss further at the upcoming Q2 meeting. I have truly enjoyed (and will continue to enjoy until replaced) serving as our LUG Ambassador.
In reply to: Wildlife sets
Oooh, if you see elephants, please let me know. #ElephantsforLugbulk2022.
Oh yeah!!! And Monkeys!
#LUGAnimalBulk2022
