A Smaller Metal Beard Build

Since I'm on a little bit of a MetalBeard 'kick' as of late, I was delighted to find this small polybag kit at the local Walmart...

The Master Builder MetalBeard 3 in 1 (30528)

This is a fun little set to tinker around with given  a few spare minutes.    It builds into a fairly cool little crab mech., with alternate builds of a tiny pirate ship or a small motor trike. 

The instructions for the latter two builds are not included in the polybag, but can be found online.

Of the three iterations, I think the little ship is the coolest, and most humorous.

Not quite the Sea Cow, but it will do in a pinch.

I'll probably end up buying two more of this set just to have all three versions for display simultaneously.

A New Project: "Holy Sea Cow !!!"

My son-in-law is a card-carrying AFOL, just like myself.

A couple of weeks ago, he visited my home, carrying a couple of large trash bags containing nearly a ton of LEGO parts, each.

The bags contained two large sets from the first LEGO Movie:  Metalbeard's Sea Cow, and Benny's SPACESHIP!

During a recent move across the U.S.,  the previously-built models had been hastily dismantled and dumped into the bags.  The sets had been reduced to mostly single parts intermixed with a number of random built-up sub-assemblies.

After dumping the bag of parts for the Sea Cow on the work bench, the bigger built sections were placed in a box, while smaller sub-assemblies and piece parts were put into a couple of large compartmented trays which I had hanging around.

This was going to prove quite a challenge piecing this large model back together. Thankfully, he still had the instruction book to go along with the model.

We set to work.

The first parts to be reconstructed were the Metalbeard figure, the Double Decker Couch (this is the very one that graces the header of this blog), and the Micro-Managers included with the set.  All of the associated minifigs were also rounded up and reconstructed where necessary.

That first afternoon, the two of us made a little bit of progress on the ship itself, but it was very slow going.  Finding the necessary parts for each step of the build in that big unsorted mess is quite a daunting task.  Many of the needed parts have been found randomly stuck on the bottom sides of some of the sub-assemblies.

My son-in-law's work schedule prevents him from coming by very often, so I have been going solo on the build over the past couple of weeks.

Again pawing through the massive amount of parts has been the most time-consuming facet of this project.  On several occasions, I had to give up on finding that certain plate or SNOT brick to complete a build step, and ended up raiding my own parts stash to locate a substitute for the needed piece.  On several occasions, I've later found the original parts, usually stuck in an odd place on a sub-assembly.

Anyway, this is quite a fun project.  Progress is being made - slowly but surely.

IDEAS NASA Apollo Saturn V, Part 8 - DONE!

What a gorgeous model!   LEGO really did this one right.  I believe it could arguably be the finest, most true-to-scale set ever produced by the company. 

And it was an extremely enjoyable build.

Nuff sed, here are the pics:

 

IDEAS NASA Apollo Saturn V, Part 7 - Bags 8 Through 11

This weekend, I had a bit more time to close in on completing this most excellent LEGO build.
Parts bag 8 contains the elements necessary for constructing the highly complex internal structure of the 2nd stage booster.  Bags  9 and 10 completed the outer skin, detailing, and engine nozzles.

Here is the 2nd stage mated to the main booster section.....

 

Bag 11 contained the parts to build up the complete 3rd stage.....

 

 

The third stage can now be attached to the reduction shroud atop the 2nd stage....

 

 

This has been an incredibly fun and satisfying build project, in which I've learned a lot of new and innovative SNOT techniques!

Tonight, I will likely tackle parts bag #12, which completes the model.

Cheers....

IDEAS NASA Apollo Saturn V, Part 6 - Parts Bag #7

Following a short hiatus from the Saturn V build, I pulled out Bag 7 last evening to continue onward.

Bag 7 contains all of the parts necessary for completing the internal support structure for the  upper main booster.

As with the lower booster build, this one uses a similar amount of complex bracing and SNOT connectors for later attaching the outer skin components.

It never ceases to amaze me at how the experienced designers are able to select and put the various parts together to make everything line up and fit, at the same time providing a sturdy framework.

The really amazing stuff are those small three or four part sub-assemblies that incorporate clips that eventually snap on to bars or handles in the main framework. When the sub-assemblies are turned a certain direction per the instructions, it is discovered that the outer studs line up perfectly with other parts further down the model.  How do they come up with this stuff?

Anyway, here are some progress pics, including a couple close-ups of the sheer complexity of the internal structure...

Gesundheit !

Today's Brick-built offering is a single frame affair based on an original watercolor cartoon I rendered back sometime in the 80s....

"GESUNDHEIT !!"





And now, a word from The Double Decker Couch....

“ Hi, Folks, Emmet here.   As you can see, SNEEZING can be very serious business!  Not only is it gross and messy, but it disrupts your whole life for a few seconds, making you momentarily forget everything you were thinking about.
In computer terms, a sneeze is very much like executing a RAM reset on your brain!”

“To lessen the effects of a sneeze you feel coming on, here is an important procedure to always remember to follow…”

"Stop...."

"Drop....."

 

"And roll !!"

"And don't forget to always wipe your chin!"

 



Now, here are some close up shots of the brick-built figures in the cartoon...

The 'smart-alek' guy making the comment while apparently oblivious to what happened right next to him....

And the remains of the unfortunate "sneezer"....

Tidy-Bot

 One afternoon on the LEGO building bench, we join Emmet as he enjoys a quick snack.....

And here are the two robots featured in this MOC-toon....

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Another tale.......

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Cake Dreams

Hi, Folks,

This little story features a bit of a nod to Monty Python's Meaning of Life.....

 

 

IDEAS NASA Apollo Saturn V, Part 5 - Bags 4, 5, and 6

Hi, All,

This weekend, I managed to get a bit more work completed on the Saturn V model, working through the 4th through 6th parts bags.
This series of parts completes the first stage booster.

Parts bag 4 mainly covers the building of the round conduits and their associated support structure.
One thing to be careful with here is that there are two different pairs of long assemblies that attach in specific places on the model.

I got all of the strips built and put into place before I realized I had them all 90 degrees apart on the model.  I didn't realize this until it came time to build the long conduit pieces and snap them in place.  When I reached the bottom sections of conduit, I found there was no attachment place, because I had put the support strips in the wrong position.  Ooops.
Of course, this required dismantling a substantial amount of work to put things right.

Pay attention to the illustrations, geek!!!!

Anyway, the goof was successfully corrected, and I could move on to parts bag #5, which has all the pieces to completed the 'corrugated' section of the main body tube. 

This section progressed very quickly, so it was on to parts bag #6, which completes the business end of the rocket. - the 5 mighty engine/nozzle assemblies.  
The last few parts in the bag round out the fins, shrouds, and final sections of the main body.

Here is a pic of the completed first stage: