Category: LEGO Books (Page 18 of 36)

The LEGO Animation Book: Make Your Own LEGO Movies! Review

October 10, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 1 Comment

Have you ever wanted to learn how to start making LEGO animation videos but don’t know where to start? David Pagano from Paganomation and David Pickett from Brick 101 will be releasing a new book from No Starch Press called The LEGO Animation Book: Make Your Own LEGO Movies! This book will give you an introduction on how to bring your builds to life with stop-motion animation.

The book is separated into easy-to-follow chapters for the different steps of production. The first chapter gives you some of the basics of brickfilming like what kind of equipment is needed, how to set up the scene, and so on. The book will elaborate more with their own dedicated chapters as you go.

The next chapter solely talks about how to animate a LEGO minifigure. One of the main subjects for LEGO stop-motion videos is the minifigure and here the authors teach you how to make it seem like it’s moving. The chapter also gives you tips on how to animate facial expressions as well as giving the minifigure some movement so it actually covers a lot for just how to animate a minifigure.

In the middle of the book, the authors also give you the full instructions and parts list on how to build the PaganoPuppet which is the one shown on the front cover of the book. The rest of the chapters go into more depth on various subject matters like creating your set, the ideal equipment to use for LEGO stop-motion videos, how to convey your … Continue

365 Things To Do With LEGO Bricks Book Review

October 6, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 2 Comments

DK’s newest book called 365 Things To Do With LEGO Bricks has just been released and I’ve received a copy a few weeks ago but now just have time to review it. Unlike other DK LEGO books where they focus on a particular theme, this book takes a look at different ways you can use LEGO bricks.

When you first pick up the book, you’ll notice the red activity selector and timer on the bottom right. When you press the question mark, you get a random number from 1 to 365 which represents the corresponding activity in the book. The yellow countdown button lets you set the time in 30 second intrements. The blue button is the stopwatch to time your activities. The green button is the start/stop button for the stopwatch. One thing to note is that the timer cannot be removed but it is inserted in a gatefold cover so you can have it available while reading through the book.

The first few pages gives you all the activities which are broken down into various categories. Futher along, there’s a spread asking what you feel like doing and it gives examples of some of the activities that are available in the book. If this is the very first time you’ve picked up a LEGO brick, there’s a couple of pages to give you some basic terminology of the bricks.

There are a ton of activites that are suggested in the book ranging from simple ones like mixing up your minifigures to create an unique … Continue

Bricks Issue 16 Press Release

September 10, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

The folks over at Bricks has sent over the press release for their latest issue of the magazine.

Raising the standard

Bricks issue 16 scales the castle walls, wonders at the world of steam punk and how to accessorise the VW beetle and camper.

Be they fantastical or historical, castles have long been of interest in the LEGO world. That is probably why they continue play a prominent role in the ever growing portfolio of LEGO products. We have seen everything from pink sparkling homes for princesses to haunted vampire retreats, classic fortresses and even futuristic castles mounted on caterpillar tracks. We have been spoilt for choice, with every taste catered for.

71040 The Disney Castle is the latest offering, and arguably the most iconic of all castles. Bricks delves inside these magical walls to discover all the secrets and nods to the Disney franchise. Every room and brick is explored to discover how this mammoth set captures all that is wonderful in the world of Disney.

Lucy Boughton catches up with our favourite dragon, Miku, for the concluding part of the Elves dragon search which includes a dangerous encounter at Ragna’s Shadow castle, will she make it back safely! There’s a visit to the Mad Hatter’s house a detailed exposé of Michael Kalkwarfs modular castle system before James Pegrum illustrates how to build circular towers.

This month we also look at the highly fantastical genre of Steampunk. We speak with expert builder Rod Gillies as he talks us through this Victorian-inspired alternate universe. We meet

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The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book Review

August 18, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 1 Comment

A few days ago, I received a new review copy of The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book: 15 Designs to Spread Holiday Cheer by Chris McVeigh from No Starch Press. If Chris’ name sounds familiar, he’s a pretty popular builder and photographer in the LEGO community. The book contain 220 pages and retails for $19.95 and will be available at the end of September.

The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book consists of 15 different builds ranging from simple builds like the wreath variety to more involved ones like the computer and camera. They are grouped into three categories such as Christmas Classics, Geometric Designs, and Fun Stuff which are your non-traditional holiday ornaments. The instructions are broken down in a very simple way, similar to what LEGO does with their instructions. At the beginning of each build, there’s a parts list, including the official parts ID number, to let you know which parts are need to create it and of course, you can substitute the colors to your liking. If you’re not familar with the numbers, you’re probably wondering what they are as it is not explained anywhere in the book. Words are very scarce since there really is no need for them.

One thing that I really appreciate about the instructions for this book as compared to other third-party instruction books is that the ones in this one are large and easy to see as compared to the small instructions with a number of pieces squeezed into that step.

Overall, The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book is a … Continue

LEGO Pop-Up Book Pre-Order on Amazon

August 5, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 1 Comment

If you didn’t know, Scholastic will be releasing a new, first-ever LEGO Pop-Up book by Matthew Reinhart which takes you through the LEGO Universe in a fun and interesting way. With the help of LEGO designers such as Matthew Ashton, Mark Stafford, Jamie Berard, and Simon Lucas, just to name a few, the book has lots of facts that you can read through by opening and pulling tabs, turning wheels, and such. Earlier today, Matthew Ashton also tweeted out some images of the book and there’s also a preview video as well which you can check out below.

LEGO Pop-Up will be available on September 27 and you can pre-order your copy over on Amazon. It is a little pricey with it retailing for $29.99 for 10 pages but it may be worth checking out especially if kids are into these kinds of books.

The first ever LEGO(R) pop-up book! Matthew Reinhart creates another spectacular pop-up book, this time telling the LEGO(R) story with equal amounts facts, fun, and adventure! Packed with a variety of features- pop-ups, pull tabs, turning wheels and more, this “fun-formative” book will be a delight for both LEGO(R) and pop-up fans alike.

Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

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Blocks Issue 21 Press Release

July 6, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

Blocks has sent over their press release for Issue 21 of the magazine.

Secrets from the LEGO Architect in Blocks magazine

Have you ever wondered about the designers behind the LEGO sets you buy? Blocks Issue 21, on sale now, has an interview with Adam Reed Tucker – the man behind LEGO Architecture. Here is a sample of the conversation he had with Blocks magazine, that had to be left out because we didn’t have the space…

Adam Reed Tucker is living the dream of many – if not most – LEGO fans. Many know that he has designed sets with the LEGO Group and tours exhibitions of his skyscrapers, but as well as that he has been a speaker for LEGO Education, worked on a DK book and contributed to the Master Builder Academy. It’s all in a day’s work for a LEGO Certified Professional.

But one surprising thing about this LCP is the controversial methods he will employ when necessary. He prefers to be a purist – but is willing to bend that rule when he needs to. 100% purist builders should not read any further.

‘The one area I am not a purist in,’ Adam tells Blocks, ‘is that, if it is absolutely necessary, I will cut pieces. There were times when I needed a 1×11 plate for the rollercoaster. There is nothing that I can do. I cannot take a 1×3 and a 1×8, because I can’t splice them. I could glue them, but I’ll just take a 12 and snip a

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Blocks Issue 21 Press Release

June 25, 2016 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

Issue 21 of Blocks magazine is now with subscribers and on shelves across the UK.

This month, we’re deconstructing the Architecture range to find out what makes those iconic buildings tick, including exclusive interviews with two of the biggest names on the scene – Adam Reed Tucker and Rocco Buttliere.

Elsewhere, MOD Squad member Alec Hole takes a comprehensive look at the new CITY Police range, before giving us his own spin on expanding 60130 Prison Island, while Daniel Konstanski examines LEGO jails through the ages.

There’s much more besides, as we take you behind the scenes on our front covers and introduce you to some ingenious methods for creating roofs from build specialist Simon Pickard. It’s all topped off with a journey into interior design, with detailed instructions for a pair of inspired living room and kitchen builds.

You can get your copy now in the UK, and why not subscribe to get future copies early and enter monthly free prize draws? See www.blocksmag.com for more details.

Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

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