A Practical Use of Lego in Space!

https://notallnewsisbad.com/scientists-3d-print-lego-bricks-made-out-of-meteorite-dust/

Makes sense to me!

Lego Harry Potter Game from the Loft

Rummaging around in the loft and I came across this little gem I had completely forgotten about. I think I originally just got it from a charity shop as a cheap source of Lego pieces and forgot about it, saving it for a rainy day or rather a Corona-virus Lock-down! First of all it has a nice Harry Potter Hogwarts feel to it but secondly it has an innovative playing surface, completely smooth and shiny on one side which allows flat Lego pieces to slide around on it as the "maze" changes. In this way it reminds me of one of my favourite kids games Labyrinth! (see below, complete with original "Harry Potter game box-lid"): 

A close up of the game itself, there are sixteen sliding pieces contained within the walls of Hogwarts. Four teams compete to grab four items and make it back home to win (see below, the only hassle I see  are the relatively fiddly pieces to a cumbersome fat-fingered adult hand):  

It literally is another "game in a box" almost like Bob Cordery's 'Portable Wargame in a Pizza Box' game! 

Bionacles - Robot Warfare: Fathers versus Sons, Men versus Boys ... "There will be Tears!"

Bionicles are fun to assemble - albeit rather tricky to balance in an upright position. There are two types "shooters" and "brawlers" [hand-to-hand specialists] .. shooters possessing ranged fire and a little hand-to-hand skill. Both move the same rate (see below, the lower squat models having a distinct advantage over their lanky cousins):

From the yellow bin of robotic parts an intimidating battle-line is formed (see below, I like to think "Spartan Red - with a funny Green dude to the left" [aka "The Dad's Team] looking imposing and imperial):

They faced a motley crew of haphazard designs that had escaped various research facilities and experimental weirdos no combat unit would want to use (see below, lanky shooters and claw armed crushers ["the Kid's Team"] looking unconventional and liking black paint jobs):

Both sides advanced fearlessly (see below, note the professional close grouped formation from the Dad's Team, with a lone gun man out left, contrasted with the "zig-zag" jumble from the kids):

Things start to go awry for the Dad's Team as a long range shot is deadly accurate and a Spartan goes down. Never under estimate the ability of a small child to throw a "six" with the accuracy of a sniper (see below, "man [bot!] down", early days "Don't Panic" as Corporal Jones and the Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy reassuringly says):

Oouch! They are good at this shooting lark. Another Spartan falls. The Spartans are down to two shooters and one last "claw" (see below, OK start to worry a little bit 3:5 odds and more rounds incoming expected any second):

Carnage as the Spartan "claw" de-claws and kills his opponent, that's the spirit! 3:4 are slightly better odds for the Dads Team (see below, the Green Dude has taken a hit but is still standing, but two nasty "black claws" are exploiting an open flank):

The Green Dude is mercilessly targeted and losses limb after limb, like the Black Knight in Monty Python's Holy Grail, but is still fighting (see below, the art here was keeping him in the game by balancing him on one leg (see below, I just hope the centre of gravity is not compromised by an extra dust particle settling on one side):

Carnage "Take II", I am not sure who is still standing, but there seems to be more Spartan body parts lying on the floor. Not a good sign (see below, I think the last Red Spartan bows out being unable to stand of it own accord, the symmetry of the enemy hits coming on one side did for it - good grouping by The Kids):

Left unopposed the "Black Leader" heads towards the "take-out coffee cup top" button which represents a game "kill switch" (see below, no mercy and no quarter is shown in this battle-bot tournament):

"Game Over!" A devastating win for the Kids (see below, ever more the impressive because the Dads thought they had it in the bag - over confidence breeds hubris when you are facing a fearless seven year old!):

The Re-Match (see below, The Dad's were keen for revenge and to right past historical wrongs - it was also fast approaching bed-time so things had to be done fast):

This time more mutual carnage (see below, The Dads had improved their battle algorithms, but to no overall avail as the Kids triumphed once more):

A "black shooter" this time calls time and trips the "kill switch" (see below, the untold hidden story here is a mid-battle substitution when the seven year old called on his twelve year old brother for help, this would be genius "Ender" [see Ender's Game] employed tactical skill combined with good dice rolling to be The Dad's undoing):

Two - Nil. Battle won and war over. Congratulations to the winner (and bed) and commiserations and another beer for the losers!

Airfix Lego Planes Flypast

I know they are kind of big (1/48+ scale) but they do make me smile (see below):

All for the kids (of course). The Me-109 and Spitfire £4.99 each from a Charity Shop. The Spitfire was a replacement for an earlier one that "got lost". The BAE Hawk Trainer (the plabe in black at the back) was £2 from a "car  boot sale". Mega bargain.

Note: From the same "car boot sale" I restrained myself from acquiring seven 1/1000 WW2 IJN Yamato Battleships .. part of me still thinks it was an 'opportunity lost' rather that a 'sensible head' on for once. Maybe it was the fact I could not sneak them into the house without the rest of the family "seeing me"!

Painting Tray

A variety of toys on table (see below):

• Fairey Battle (mostly made and with it's base coat of paint)
• Renaissance Crossbowmen (Painted and Based)
• Mounted Renaissance Harquebusiers (slight bit of basing work to be done)
• Chaos Space Marines (Primes, Washed and in the throes of an experimental Gold and Red colour scheme)
• Five Mini Plaster Cast Lego Star Wars Figures (say no more)

They are cluttering up the bathroom shelf at the moment so I need to get a move on ;)

Er, Lego Spiderman and Wonder Woman?

I know, I know, it has to be seen to be believed, "How Far From Austerlitz?" as Alistair Horne would or could have said! (see below):

I picked these up at a Lego exhibition while on holiday and they were by far the cheapest items in the museum shop! Originally they came as white (blank) plaster-casts about 9cm by 4cm and my kids chose the characters which I had to paint free hand. Thank goodness for Google image search!

Ahem, I also have five tiny Star Wars ones to paint yet (Darth Vader, Luke, Princess Leia, Storm Trooper, Chewbacca .. watch this space), for the kids of course ;)

Note: No moving parts, so only a matter of time before they are chipped or smashed, despite the Satin Gloss varnish protection!

Lego: Star Wars and Lego City builds

One of my "summer projects" was to sort out my eldest son's Lego collection (he has lots, but they are in pieces and it is all over the place) so we could finally find the right pieces when we needed them. Several wargaming "hobby boxes" and plenty of empty "ice-cream cartons" were conscripted into the task. The project was also to try and prove the point that you can make tons more 'stuff' than just what comes with the instructions on the side of each box.

The result, after a few tears after I was accused of taking over his collection (to be fair I probably did until I told off by the wife), was an interesting series of different 'things' (see below):

The "how to do it" instructions came from an App (search for "Lego Instructions" and you should see a free app or two).

Note: I still had to adapt the instructions to fit with the parts I had to hand, which I think is a valuable life skill to learn. Another point to note though, was that despite having a collection which I thought of as "considerable" there were several parts I could not lay my hands on. In my day (of twos, fours and eight blockers) that would have been unheard of, you might run out of them but you would have had some of them (perhaps not in the right colour)!. Anyway I think James May would have been proud of me and in the end my son thanked me.

:) 

Lego Castle

During the Easter break I was left alone as my wife took the children to meet the grand parents. I was given many domestic chores but also the freedom of the house once again. Perhaps the first time in eight years. This meant "things" put down in one place did not wander away. Which included the kids Lego. Mysteriously I was drawn to my youngest son's collection that had been handed down to him. Inevitably, in my time "between chores" I casually experimented and "built a castle" I was quite ''proud of". Naturally my son's 1/32d scale Airfix figures were the first choice for the defenders (see below):

Quatro large blocks iced with a top battlement layer of Duplo, giving excellent firing positions. The "gates" were heavy duty Quatro and remained firmly closed. However the orange inner gates could be raised from inside in a 'marvelous feat of engineering' which defines the everlasting appeal of Lego across the ages (see below):

What became of my Maginot Line fortress guarded by Airfix warriors? (see below):

On their return only my children saw the the finished product (and briefly at that) as my youngest son (aged three at the time) did what all three year old's who have seen the "Hulk" in "The Avengers", would do! 

Yes, It lasted but seconds however it apparently took my wife over twenty minutes to clean up afterwards! She was not too impressed at my feat of engineering!

The Coolest Present (IMHO) my 8 Year Old Son Got this Xmas!

And he made it all by himself before Daddy got a chance to help him, but I did put the decals on for him at the end :)

The only trouble being the Spitfire is that it is currently "missing its propeller" which is residing somewhere in my son's bedroom, hidden among the vast quantity of the lesser Star Wars Lego!