Category: LEGO Books (Page 23 of 35)

Great LEGO Sets: A Visual History Book Review

September 21, 2015 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

A few weeks ago, DK sent in one of their upcoming books with Great LEGO Sets: A Visual History. I’ve already done a review of the Micro-Scale Space Cruiser (11910) that’s included with the book which has 256 pages and normally retails for $40.

Great LEGO Sets starts off with a visual timeline of some of the important events and key developments in LEGO set history. If you’re a newer LEGO fan, you probably didn’t know that some of the best LEGO sets came out in the 1980s like Blacktron and Futuron including the Monorail Transport System (6990). A few years after that, M-Tron was released as a new LEGO Space subtheme.

The next chapter gives an in-depth description of how a LEGO set is made. A few LEGO designers also chime in to give some information on the whole development process including Mark John Stafford and Jamie Berard, just to name a few. It’s a very interesting chapter of how a set goes from an idea to being on store shelves.

After that, we get to the meat of the book where it starts going in-depth of some notable sets from LEGO’s history. The sets are divided in chapters by decades starting from the 1950s to 2015. For each set, there’s either a one or two page spread detailing some specifics and why they make it a great set. There is a sub-section called the Guided Tour where it shows some key features of the sets. Another section is called Brick by Brick and … Continue

Blocks Magazine Issue 11 Press Release

August 19, 2015 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

Earlier today, I’ve received the press release for Issue 11 of Blocks magazine which will be available on Thursday, August 20. Check out the details of what Issue 11 will be about below.

The September issue of Blocks is with subscribers now and will be in UK shops on Thursday August 20. This month, the Scooby Doo gang are taking control, with plentiful reviews and an exclusive interview about the new sets.

Elsewhere, we test drive the Ferrari F40 in brick form, meet the guys behind The Brick Show, look at a rare case of some ‘non-LEGO’ LEGO, study the anatomy of Castles through the years, and find out more about the transition of Ninjago from brick to paper form.

What’s more, with an events section that transports you to amazing LEGO exhibitions from both Australia and the USA and plenty more features besides, Issue 11 of Blocks is jam-packed like no other.

To subscribe, find a local stockist or simply find out more just visit www.blocksmag.com

Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

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No Starch Press The LEGO Architect Book Review

August 15, 2015 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

No Starch Press continues to crank out books geared towards LEGO fans and the next one I have for review is The LEGO Architect by Tom Alphin. This book contains 192 pages and retails for $24.95 and it gives you a history lesson about the different architecture styles throughout the world.

Travel through the history of architecture in The LEGO Architect. You’ll learn about styles like Art Deco, Modernism, and High-Tech, and find inspiration in galleries of LEGO models. Then take your turn building 12 models in a variety of styles. Snap together some bricks and learn architecture the fun way!

The LEGO Architect is separated in to different chapters by type of architecture such as Neoclassica, Modernism, Postmodern, etc. Within each chapter, Tom talks about some of the history for that architecture type with examples of real-life buildings that incorporate it.

Of course this is a LEGO book so Tom also shows off different MOCs that uses the style. To take it a step further, Tom also gives you building instructions with a parts list of each type of architecture he talks about in the book.

At the end of the book, there are some tips and ideas of how to build your own buildings from various builders including Adam Reed Tucker who’s known for being involved with the LEGO Architecture theme.

Overall if you’re starting to get into creating buildings and structures, then The LEGO Architect is a good reference guide to help you start building. The instructions given are very helpful to give … Continue

No Starch Press Medieval LEGO Book Review

August 10, 2015 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

The folks over at No Starch Press has sent me a couple of their upcoming books for review. One of these books is called Medieval LEGO by Greyson Beights. The book contains 132 pages and retails for $14.95.

Castles and kings, battles and treaties, famine and plague, intrigue and invasion!

Medieval LEGO takes you through real English history in the middle ages with a unique twist, with every event illustrated by a tiny little LEGO scene. With contributions by medievalists and scholars, this book brings medieval history to life in a fun, kid-friendly way.

Inside, you’ll learn about events like the Battle of Hastings, the chartering of Oxford University, and the signing of the Magna Carta. You’ll witness the infamous Black Death, and the Great Famine, and you’ll read about famous historical figures like Robin Hood, Richard the Lionheart, Geoffrey Chaucer, and William the Conqueror.

Grab your broadsword and turn the page to join the adventure.

The first thing I noticed when I saw the book was that it reminded me of the little children’s storybooks. The small size of it immediately gave me some nostalgia of some of the same sized books when I was a kid but don’t let that fool you. Medieval LEGO is filled with a lot of historical content along with closeups of builds that give a small scene for the event.

The book is separated into three parts which encompasses several date ranges throughout the Middle Ages. Within each chapter are a number of important historical events that happened in … Continue

No Starch Press The Art of LEGO Scale Modeling

August 4, 2015 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 0 Comments

Our friends over at No Starch Press has sent over a press release for their upcoming book, The Art of LEGO Scale Modeling. This new book by Dennis Glaasker and Dennis Bosman takes a look at some real-life vehicles recreated with LEGO by various builders. It doesn’t look like there are instructions on how to build them but there are tips and tricks that describe the design and building process. You can pre-order the book over at No Starch or on Amazon.

The Art of LEGO Scale Modeling
New book showcases fan-built LEGO models of real vehicles

San Francisco, CA (August 4, 2015) — The LEGO scale modeling community brings a miniature world to life with artistry, skill, and patience—a world inhabited by remarkably detailed scale models of real trucks, ships, planes, race cars, and even construction vehicles. Some of these models are so intricate, they’re easy to mistake for the real thing.

In The Art of LEGO Scale Modeling (No Starch Press, $29.95, 204pp., Sept. 2015), authors Dennis Glaasker and Dennis Bosman are our guides to this unique world. These two veteran builders, who have been scale modeling with LEGO since the 1970s, are now releasing a stunning and fascinating new book that belongs on the coffee table in every LEGO-loving household.

For the first time, we’re invited into the world of twenty-four of the most talented LEGO scale modelers, who showcase models like the Tyr Viking, a four-foot-long ship constructed from more than 20,000 LEGO elements; a Caterpillar bulldozer complete with two

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Bricks Culture Magazine Issue #2 Review

July 31, 2015 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 1 Comment

As I mentioned a few days ago, I received a couple of UK-based LEGO magazines and the other one that I got was the second issue of Bricks Culture. If you haven’t heard before, Bricks Culture is a higher end, quarterly magazine that takes a more in-depth look at the different “cultures” that have spawned from the adult LEGO community. The magazine is spearheaded by Mark Guest with various contributors who you may have heard of like Huw from Brickset and Tim Johnson from The New Elementary.

My first impression of taking the magazine out of the packaging is that it’s hefty. It’s made of a heavier stock paper than typical magazines so you get a premium feel when you hold it. Just flipping through, you get this snap from pages which I appreciate since I don’t have many magazines that are comparable to it.

After reading through it, you get a different vibe as from other LEGO magazines. There’s no reviews or tips on how to build something. What you get are stories about different builders and what they’ve done so far to get to where they are at now in their LEGO careers. Some of the people featured in this issue of Bricks Culture include Fairy Bricks, Harley Quin (InkBlot Photo), and Paul Lee, just to name a few.

One of the articles that I enjoyed was the one about the early beginnings of LEGO Space: Building the Future and the challenges Peter Reid and Tim Goddard went through before … Continue

Blocks Magazine Issue #10 Review

July 29, 2015 / Allen "Tormentalous" Tran / 1 Comment

I’ve recently received a couple of LEGO magazines from over in the UK. One of these magazines is from Blocks with their latest issue #10. Some of you may not know this, but I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a couple of members of the Blocks team, Rob and Michelle, at Philly Brick Fest earlier this year. The magazine started late last year but went through a couple of personnel changes in the beginning of this year. From what I’ve been told by Rob is that they have big visions for the magazine and will continue to push out content that you may or may not find online. A little self plug: some photos I took while at PBF in April were used in Issue 9 so that’s pretty cool.

My first impressions from just looking at the table of contents is that it’s jam packed with articles, from reviews, to building techniques, showcases, and editorials. As mentioned before, Issue 10 mostly focuses on the LEGO Batman theme but it’s not overwhelming as there are other themes tossed in to give it some contrast.

One of the articles I enjoyed was the LEGO Inside Tour column by Svein Tore Bidne Bøe and their first-hand experience of the event. As someone who might not have a chance to go to Billund, I do enjoy reading about others’ experiences as everyone has different perspectives.

Again flipping through the magazine, you get a couple columns regarding the LEGO Batman subtheme. One of the columns talks about some of the … Continue