"Guardians of Atlantis" contest on www.legopirate.net

Hi everyone!

As I mentioned it before, I was Lego-busy lately trying to enter my first building contest. This friendly competition intitled "Guardians of Atlantis" is organized by www.legopirate.net (french site & forum). As the most faithful of you may remember, I had managed build a kind of giant Atlantis monster a few weeks ago, and this was the starting point of my planning...
The idea of a giant lobster/crab monster was really appealing to me, although I started to imagine a darker kind of build, mixed with a science-fiction nightmarish vision of a colossal insect... In particular, the mechanical octopuses from Matrix were a strong inspiration in the process.
After a few days and as many building trials, I came to the conclusion I needed more specific brick to complete what I had in mind... Therefore, I had to purchase a Lego set I knew would fit perfectly... Unfortunately, the box I had chosen (Set Atlantis 8056 "Crab Attack") was not available from the Lego stores, and I had to sell a kidney to shop in online and have it delivered to my very door in a few hours...
Once my building complete, I feel really proud of myself, because the model looks like I imagined it (after a few minor tweaking, of course...), and it gives me a welcome little boost in self-confidence, for I now know I am able to build from total scratch!
I hope you'll like the pictures as much as I do!
 

I will sure keep you all posted with the results!

Stay tuned!

Gabriel

PS: To see all the entries, click here

A Red Dragster out of Box 6!

Hi everyone!

You cannot possibly imagine how glad I am to write these words, as I have been working  almost restlessly all week long. But with the week-end came a little building time, during which I managed to create another race car out of the "Wreckage Road" set. I sense the more conscientious of my very numerous readers (more than 1000 since the creation of this blog!) might be bored with me building race cars. What shall I respond? I am sorry, but I really cannot help it, I love putting together big engines and wheels!

Today, I am proud to present a red and black dragster-like car! The origin of the model was my will to use the pillars of the finish line originally included in the set. After a few unsuccessful attempts, it became  clear the best way to insert them in the model was to build the car around them... This was consistent with the thin and long style I wanted anyway! I am pretty happy with the result, specially since the look is a strange mix between retro and concept cars... Hope you will enjoy the pictures!

I think that is pretty much it for this set, and I will be working on a very different project for a contest in the coming days... Of course, I will share pictures of my entry here as well!

Stay tuned!

Gabriel

A Black & White Racer out of Box 6!

Hi everyone!

As the end of the week was closing, I started to think hard about what to build... As the set originally allows to build two race cars, my first plan was to try creating two of my own. The concept of a black and white coloured car was the first to come to mind, so I started building it. The more I was progressing, the more obvious the impossibility to build another car out of the set. So I thought "What the hell?" and gave up the ambition of building it a twin, using the extra bricks to give my one and only extra length/depth/class.

Anyway, I am happy with the final look of it, although I feel some ill-intentioned persons with overcritical aesthetic sense are going to tell mine looks too much like the original... I would plaid guilty, but I would add in my defence the "F1" standard I had in mind is quite common... Hope you'll be happy with the pictures!

After I had fun using a restrictive colour scheme, I have a lot of ideas to create new race cars, some of them involving mixing the different sets I have purchased a few weeks ago... I 'll give this a little bit of thinking and keep you posted!

Stay tuned!

Gabriel

Cracking Box Number 6!

Hi everyone!

As this week started with tons of work looming around but not yet for me to be worried about, I decide to stop by my favourite Lego store on the way home today. I am pretty sure the fact I bought a set will result in more work and less building time (cosmic/karma balance?), but I feel like it is a risk worth taking... Since my Piggy Bank contained a little more than £30, I had a real freedom of choice for my next box. Somehow, this "Wreckage Road" set caught my eye, and I was happy to take it home for I never bought a World Racer box until now.

After opening the box, I was amazed how many bricks I had! Seriously, I know that Star Wars sets are are overpriced, but the comparison with the spaceship I had fun with a couple of weeks ago still hurts... Anyway, I am really happy with my new bricks, as they allow to build two cars, with four mini-figures. I sense I am going to enjoy building race-cars in the coming days!

Oh! Yes! I forgot... You want to see pictures??? Here we go!

Stay tuned for more building!

Gabriel

A compact loader out of box 5!

Hi everyone!

During the last few days, as I was thinking about what I would like to build, I decided I would use the "container" originally present at the back of the model. Indeed, I did not manage to include it in my last build, a wrong I wanted to get right. That is why this grey piece has been at the very centre of my building plan.

Actually, the model I present here is my second attempt, as I had build a very similar one. But I was not really happy with it, as it was looking just like the original red tractor, so I disassembled it and started again from scratch. And here is the one I am proud of! I a truly thrilled with the "loader-like" mechanism, and the way I managed to build the vehicle around it... Anyway, I hope you will enjoy the pictures!

I do not know if I will build anything else with this box, but you sure should stay tuned!

Gabriel

A Speedy Tricyle out of Box 5!

Hi everyone!

The week-end has been quite productive, as I have managed to save time to build a little something out of the red tractor that is my playground lately. The idea I had was to make a thin and speedy-looking vehicle for the little farmer to drive and thus I wanted to part from the very bulky and rural look of the original model.

In the end, I quite managed to achieve this, by using all the curvy parts to smooth the front of the ride. In the meantime, I chose to mimic an engine at the back. Getting rid of one of the big wheels, along with the tilting, was also quite helpful in giving to the finished vehicle a racing shape. Anyway, you will judge by yourself with the following pictures!

I have other ideas to fool around a little with this box, so make sure you stay tuned!

Gabriel

Cracking Box Number 5!

Hi everyone!

I recently managed to escape early from work (this second elevator on the back of the building was definitely a stroke of genius from the architect!) and used this opportunity to stop by my favourite Lego store. After having so much fun with a Star Wars space ship lately, I wanted to go back to earth. So I choose a really good-looking red tractor.

I have to confess I was really attracted by the big wheels, as I believe it is going to be really fun to use them in different building situations. Anyway, I will try to build something else with the bricks during the week end, but in the meantime here are a few pictures of the original model.

Stay tuned!
Gabriel