Life in a Glasshouse

Bit of a busy weekend, but I was beginning to notice that my 'to blog' bookmarks folder was starting to hit double digits, so I have to clear house. Still haven't dismantled and sorted the Delian, so no actually work yet so far on my Astropolis theme idea. I have however been writing aimless columns of text in my sketchbook trying to come up with some backstory. I was happy because I was able to include the 'legends' of my past faction sort of as an unclear past - almost like the epic poetry of the real Greek archaic period. I think that was a vital part, because the character of that old backstory has been with me for a long, long, long time, and I feel that he at least deserves some tribute/mention as I move on. Recent film I've seen: Children of Men. I believe Nick posted a review on review'd when it first came out, and I've wanted to see it for a long time but only got to recently. Damn, that was good. It seems that there are fewer and fewer 'classic' films these days, i.e.: those that will outlive their release period; but this is definitely classic, the almost optimistically depressing feeling left in you is quite amazing. Now, I will try and run through as many of those bookmarked creations as possible:

First up is a Battlestar themed microspace cruiser, the Colonial One. Simple techniques and a little messy and unruly in areas, but startlingly accurate. It is kind of nice when you find some one's creation online, who you've never seen before, and it's simple yet wonderful. When I go on building streaks during vacations I feel that each model gets progressively more over complicated until I hit a breaking point and can't satisfyingly finish the model I'm working on. It's most noticeable in the fact that each one gets progressively bigger and bigger. Back on topic, System-man's Colonial One is simple, small, but accurate and effective.

Next up is some stuff by brickshelf user Xulm. I caught wind first of his Formula A hover car, and then a few days later added his odd looking microscale to the list. The hover car is neat because it takes a very simple existing idea and spaceyfies it. Everything in the model flows nicely, the colour blocking is great, and the details look proper. It's another thing to add to my 'try this' list, which is now overwhelmingly longer then my 'done this' list. His microscale certainly made me think for a minute or two, he definitely takes a different view on the future and all of his models feature flat featureless 'shields', and then the other side springs up like a city. I find something interesting and realistic about this approach, the shield seems to block radiation and other energies - as told by his interesting looking Illustration. Of course, then one of the microscale ships appears to not be for space, but underwater! This left me completely confused, and I decided to stop trying and just enjoy the aesthetics. Though, admittedly, his ramming frigate Illustration is great.

Moving right along, I featured brickshelf user Towel's Wolfen last time, and since then his similarly built Arwing caught my eye. Now the design of the Arwing as a ship itself is a little more simple and robust then the Wolfen, so that taken in you notice that Towel's Awring is also a little more simpler and robust. The colour is a little less on the numerous side, but blocked just as well. I think this is an interesting model for its clunky shaping, which is usually met with disappointment, here it seems to work out.

Jerac made a little microscale ship inspired by Mike Yoder's work. The building seems to make it look much smaller than it really is, I suppose a combination of the studless nature and the clearly defined shape (which can sometimes be lost in larger models). I like the use of trans-yellow for the bridge, creates a subtle and streamlined look, less obnoxious. The blocky engine section is also pretty cool, looks like a mass of machinery barely holding itself together. Plus, teeth/spikes = luv.

As a side note, seeing as the last halfish part of this post was written over a week later then the beginning, I recently was able to get myself a dvd copy of Fritz Lang's Metropolis. I've been looking for one for a few years now, finally watched it last night - wow. You have to take certain things for what they are, and understand the times they were made in, but it was beautiful.

Secret House Against The World

I'm about to lock horns and engage in mortal combat with a mighty beast, the sorting beast who is well amongst many a builder. I've been putting off this battle for what seems like ages simply because I'm a terrible procrastinator. All I want to do is build, which I do manage to do but it tends to get a bit frustrating at times. Example? All I require is a simple light grey 1x3 wedge slope. Simple, no? Now, with everything sorted this would take about two seconds or more commonly a simple and quick 'vulture-ing' procedure to remove the part from another Moc. In my current un-sorted state, this process usually begins and then concludes with the discovery of the elusive piece under my foot and a wasted twenty minutes. If things continue at this rate, I'm going to need a team of professional Sherpa's and a flock of specially trained part-sniffing mountain goats just to find a single 48x48 baseboard.

This week in the building community further evidence has surfaced that suggests Nnenn is not actually human, but some kind of freaky building robot from the near-distant future. Not just one excellent new Moc, but several excellent new Mocs have emerged in the last week or so.
My favourite would have to be the Hazulukoth Flying Carnivorous Earwig. Those shapely wings are simply gorgeous, it's those tan blocks of colour that make 'em great. I think the single thruster fits into the design neatly but I'm not a fan of it. When I imagine the whole thing in flight the single thruster makes me think that the whole craft would be rather unstable at best. Oh yeah and the kill-tally detail, I'm in love with the kill tally detail. Very cool stuff.
Next off the Nnenn assembly line we have the Jula mobile defense platform. I can't remember exactly if the Soviets had any spider tanks in Red Alert, if they did, they looked just like this. The whole thing reminds me of a soldier drone from the first Starship Troopers movie. Excellent use of those Alpha team canopies, nice armour too. There's only one thing that bugs me, the lack of an eye. In my opinion, soulless metallic killing machines just aren't complete without some-kind of evil glowing HAL-esque eye-of-death.
We also have the very funky looking X-wing Evolution and its partner the extremely groovy and unconventional Padarion fighter. The squadron markings on the wings look absolutely stunning and I really like that Swan neck cockpit design. No doubt, by the time you have finished this paragraph kind reader, there will already be a dozen new Nnenn Mocs posted. So keep your eyes peeled!
One cannot fail to enjoy Arpy's little yellow bubble car that makes life better. Oh yeah, that it does in spades. It's such a simple and effective design, perfect for mass application on any Moonbase layout. I always like seeing bubble domes in Mocs, they always manage to look good. The boosters are in the same style as the rest of the craft and fit in well but one cannot help feel that they look slightly tacked on and last minute.
In the blue corner we have Big X's aka Danny Rice's Sharkbot, weighing in at a meaty eight grams and packing quite a nasty bite. Some fancy footwork present in the foot design, why the claws are unnecessarily capped off with mini-fig hand remains a closely guarded secret. In the red corner Rodney Bistline's Space Squid. Hailing from the depths of some dark moon crater Space Squid is the master of the infamous sucker punch and head-clamp techniques. Also well known for excellent use of those weird grey technic tube bits that only ever seem to find use as starship greebs. It'll be a tough match but my money's on the Sharkbot, it's just those teeth for the win you understand.

Onto the Odysseus WIP by B-shelf user b3rl1go, as some of you might know I've been watching this thing with intense interest over the last few months. Good to see continued effort on this thing which is inching its way towards what will be quite a glorious end result. I admire that lovely big neon-green eyeball, is it the main bridge and control centre for this Moc or is it simply the business end of a giant laser? And what exactly is this Moc, some kind of Alien Mothership or a deadly super-weapon belonging to a nefarious James Bond villain? I'm intrigued by this Moc and its super weird design. And curious about the strength of its skeletal frame-work, I imagine that the middle collum would support its fair share but obviously it’s not going to support everything. Makes me wonder just how heavy this Moc is all up.

I guess it's time to get back to sorting, Winamp silently humming away in the background, I've got the radio as a back-up, I'm going to do it. I shall conquer the sorting beast today! Well maybe not now there's something interesting on Tv in just a few minutes. Maybe tomorrow, maybe..

Warm Lonely Planet

I've also been absorbed in my own tasty slice of retro-nostalgia gaming goodness. Three years ago I was promised that a bunch of ex-rental N64 games would go on sale in "just a week or two from now". And just last week, they did! Zelda Ocarina of Time and Vigilante V8 for me. What's not to love, Ocarina of Time one the best games ever made and Vigilante V8 which is an automotive destruction derby where various over the top 70's stereotypes battle to the death. Awesome.

A follow up from my last post of sorts, in the last few days there seems to have been a mini-revival of the Sea Monkeys in which some new creations have emerged from the depths belonging to none other than Felix Greco and Joe Meno. So go and check them out already, the Stingray Forsaken and an assorted bunch of Sea Monkey goodness. The armoured crab mecha is my favourite of the bunch. It's packing a nicely built crustacean exo-skeleton and some very tasty looking spindly crab legs. The new look evil sea-monkey battle-suits are pretty nice too. I'm looking forward to seeing some new sea monkey Mocs and hopefully adding one or two of my own into the mix.
Also in the cards this week we have a little Steampunky-ish floatplane, the Spyglass Reconnaissance Craft by Scotty. Very cool, a little sketchy in places but still very cool none the less. There's some nice boat usage in this one, the Indian canoes as pontoons and the rowboat for the nose. Nice! Not really a fan of the engines though, they just kinda sit there supported by sticks with only a thin bit of hose connecting them to the body. Speaking of Steam-Aviation, on Flickr this week I saw a really cool new propeller design but unfortunately I’ve lost the link. Basically a ship’s wheel with clips on the pegs, and on those clips wedge plates are stuck and angled. Anyone know what I’m rambling on about? There’s plenty of uses for a big propellor design like that, I reckon by fitting in a few more blades it would make a really nice jet turbine. While we’re on the subject on Steampunk flyers check out Darktide's Stirling-Flyer which is really quite cool because of its unique backwards design and nifty cockpit design and also Jerrac's Flying Machine which boasts an agreeable and tasty engine design combined with a pair of very lovely looking floaty wings.

On the spacey side of things we have a fun new concept from Tim Gould, ships shrunken down and turned into ride-on variants ideal for placement outside the local corner shop or old-school coin arcade. Presenting the ride-on Viper, Don Escargot and White Base. There's a lot of potential in this idea, Mini ride-on Serenity anyone? Or how bout a Mini Cowboy Bebop Swordfish ridden by none other than the legendary dog walker and bounty hunter, Spike Speigal?
Andrew Lee's Space Limo is not getting the attention that is deserves, probably because of the photography which is a little dark but advert your gaze past it and feast your eyes on one very sexy hover Limo. This particular Limo boasts a lovely organic flowing shape topped off by cool Matrix-ish hover pods with slick tubing that runs down the sides and leads into a nice beefy greebeled engine. Oh yeah, and look at that lovely interior, in my big book of moccing criteria that means bonus points. And when you're done looking at that be sure to check out the rest of Andrew's hover cars.
I'm not normally one for over exaggeration and hyperbole so you'll have to trust me when I say that Nannan Z's Voidfighter is absolutely magnificent. At first I didn't even realise it was Lego, it's so sleek, smooth and pleasing to the eye, all the individual components just flow so well. It's also got some nice sticker usage going on. But just don't go looking at the belly, keep your eyes focused on the topside. Actually I take that back, the belly does look pretty nice compared to the bellies of a lot of moc's out there today. It's the wing undersides that look a bit ugly but that can't really be helped, a nice underside mid-section that has got it where it counts.

Lastly, a cute little number by Nelson Yrizarry that goes by the name of 'Catching the Elusive Drumstick.' Dream on you crazy dreamer-fig, one day you'll catch your dreams.. one day.. someday..

Wandering past the mirrors gaze

You might remember the battle to the death between me and my computer? Well three weeks ago my motherboard, hard-drive and modem decided to sign a group suicide pact and explode in unison with a tremendous bang. The parts took ages to arrive but just last week they managed to show up. Sure the bill's a bit steep but it's great to start a fresh with a computer that doesn't overheat every five minutes. Everything backed up except three years of accumulated bookmarks, bugger..

Anywho just yesterday I finally got around to picking up one of the new Aquaraiders sets, the 7770 Deep Sea Treasure Hunter in this case. (And Josh Pyke’s new album Memories and Dust, yay for me!) Anywho It’s a nice little cheap set with a sharp lookin’ mini-fig, the sets not perfect but there’s defiantly some handy pieces such as yellow technic half brushings, black wedges and robot arms for example. Looking at all the sets in the line I’m not really impressed, the old school clunky 97 Aquaraiders could totally quick the arses of these newbie Aquaraiders any day in my honest personal opinion. All though I must admit Tiger Shark Attack looks allright, I might scrape up some funds from in-between the couch cushions and grab myself a copy. I like that little turret dealy a little bit too much me thinks.
It’s funny, it felt almost nostalgic to hold the box in my hands because it’s been so long since I last bought a set. Years ago I used to spend every penny on tons and tons of new sets every year and then came the bley invasion and I lost interest in new sets all of a sudden. Last year all I bought was two small Exo-Force sets and one creator set, Bricklink suddenly became the sole provider for all my Lego needs.

I thought I'd do something different for a change, this old crusty nineties Aquazone lover has always had a nostalgic soft spot for underwater stuff. So from the past few years here’s some of my favourite undersea Mocs.
Let’s start the party with one of the main staples of Aquatic moccing, the Sea Monkeys of course! Who or what are the Seamonkey's you may ask? The Seamonkeys are a fan created subtheme centered in the Aquazone world. Sea Monkeys are normally LoM Aliens with big flippy floppy tails commuting about the place in organic ships shaped like undersea critters. Be sure to check out the Attack Crab, Lionfish Command Vehicle and the Hammerhead fast attack vehicle. I really like the Lionfish as I just love the sheer organic-ness of the design and the unique parts usage.

On the more realistic side of undersea exploration we have Little Davey’s Abyss inspired ROV Explorer Research Sub. The Abyss is a great movie by the way, be sure to check it out if you haven’t already. The attention to detail is great, my favourite bit would have to be the manoeuvring prop mounted on the arm. I love the detail in the boom mounted spotlights, how a visible bit of cable runs from the sub to the spot-light. Nice! If there’s one thing it needs though is a few more spotlights and a better design for those grabber arms.

Next up on the agenda some brick built undersea wildlife. Fishing boats, snorkelers and deep sea divers beware, Quint and the Orca aint going to be around to protect you! PepaQuin’s Opee Sea Killer is brilliant, what’s not to love about this bloated and aggrivated oversized piece of tuna? Just look at all those fabulous rows of sharp white teeth with bonus lethal Alien-esque spring-loaded tongue. The bright yellow eyes are simple yet extremely effective.
Also in the undersea wildlife category we have a nice Giant squid by Little Davey. Simple construction techniques used to good effect and that beak looks pretty darn cute.

Something I’ve always wanted to try my hand at is a cramped and aging Undersea utilitarian outpost of sorts. Doctor Device beat me to it and produced his own vision of such an installation. Sure you may look at it and call it boring and featureless but in reality, what’s an underwater base going to look like? It’s not like all the pretty decorative things and bright paintjobs are going to be useful yet alone seen in the murky depths anyway. Sure the big colourful bases associated with Aquazone are pretty awesome in their own right but it’s this kinda base that I prefer. I particularly like the defence turrets and the tank storage rooms, it’s also apparent that in this particular vision of a utilitarian undersea future that hats and hair have been outlawed.
Check out this Jellyfish vehicle from builder Azumu, or if you wish to be technical about the name ‘the underwater type inquiry machine’ hmmmm.. It’s a kind of a weird Jellyfish shaped exploration rig that can split up into two halves, one half is a cool hovering transparent can type thing with a large spotlight and inclosed pilot. I’m not sure what the other half is so I’ll let you work that out for yourself. This thing is built using some pretty nice techniques and there’s no denying the fact that it’s strangely awesome.

I know I’ve missed quite a few good ones, life without all those bookmarks is hard you know!