Revival Project Digital Emergency Update

I am very sad to say that unfortunately the next post for 'Revival Project Digital' has been greatly postponed due to an error that occurred whilst I was building. I had finished the drawers to the left of the fire temple, redesigned the walkways either side, and had finished the area which sits on the drawers that creates a bridge over the temple and connects the drawers. Whilst I was saving what I had done, my computer switched itself off in the middle of the save which has caused everything I had built to be deleted meaning I now have to start again from scratch. Luckily I took down measurements for the drawer so that shouldn't be too tricky to rebuild, however certain things that I redesigned probably won't be the same as they were but I will try my best to make them the same. If anyone knows a way of recovering what I had build, please let me know ASAP by commenting on this post. I had placed roughly 6000 bricks so I am sure you can understand the urgency and how much time and effort I had placed into this build.

Lego Masters Nate and Steve interview

I am very glad to say that I managed to secure an interview with Nate and Steve, the winners of the Channel Four programme 'Lego Masters'. They were both at the Lego Discovery Centre in Manchester at the Trafford Centre to judge a kid vs grownups competition and gave me some time to ask them questions. During the interview, I only wrote detailed notes of what they said so the following is paraphrased (I could not write everything they said and I did not have the means to record it) but the overall answers are the same.

Congratulations on winning 'Lego Masters', what is life like now that you have become very well known in the Lego community?

Nate: Well, we haven't really seen much of the Lego community.
Steve: It's nice to be recognised and to see people be excited about what we have built and it's good to try and inspire people. We very much look forward to taking the final build over to Denmark.

I know your backstory dealt with anxiety, how did you overcome this in the pressures of the build room?

Steve: For the process of having cameras in-front of me, I didn't think of it as being 2 million people watching me on the other side and because of the experience, I have grown in confidence because of all the good feedback we have been getting. It has really helped me with anxiety and we were both  nervous at the first audition.

How did you manage to find anything in the build room?

Nate: Everything was sorted, it's just trying to find the drawer.
Steve: In the final days we could sort out the drawers so that it was organised to us.

Which part of being on 'Lego Masters' was your favourite?

Nate: Meeting everyone. Behind the scenes we met a few different Lego designers and Matthew
Steve: You can't really get the opportunity for the VP of design to look at what you have built and to know he is looking at your build.

Besides from what we saw on 'Lego Masters', what else have you built?

Steve: I have a Flickr page and I've done a few brick animations. We did a challenge where we took our six favourite sets and built them micro scale.

How many sets do you have or do you mainly build your own creations?

Nate: Hundreds of sets
Steve: I have many sets and every mixel but I prefer building my own creations

What is it like to have your work displayed in the Lego house in Denmark?

Nate: It's just fantastic, we saw the AFOL opening and it's just incredible
Steve: It's really something you can't buy and it's a real privilege to have our work displayed with legends'.

Have you learnt anything from this experience?

Nate: To take more pride in our work and this has given us more evidence to show that what we build is good
Steve: It helped me battle my anxiety and showed that anyone can have a go at building and build something good. We didn't think we would get on the show let alone win it.

And finally, what message would you like to give to those reading this post?

Steve: Probably the same as how we ended the show. You don't know what you can build so throw away the instructions, also, even though Lego is seen as a children's toy, adults can use it too.

During the interview, I also asked about both final builds being displayed in the Lego house and if the original plans were for only the winner's build to be displayed there. Nate and Steve answered by saying no one knew about the builds being displayed in the Lego house until the final and that Matthew Ashton really did change the plans so that both final builds could be displayed there.

If you wish to see Steve's wonderful Lego photos which include pictures of his time on Lego Masters, you can see his Flickr profile at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/138645704@N05/

If you somehow have not seen Channel Four's 'Lego Masters' or are behind on the series, it is available for catch up at: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/lego-masters
I believe that it is worth watching. It is even worth watching if you know who wins.

Revival Project Digital: Post 1

A while ago, I released a Revival Project update post which announced that as well as continuing the project in reality, I would also be creating as much of the project as possible on Lego Digital Designer. I said that through doing this, I can let you see my plans for the project before I am able to fulfil them in reality. I am glad to say that one section of the project is pretty much complete set-wise. As you can see in the above image, I have completed the fire temple and just behind it, I have built the 'Samurai X Cave Chaos' set. The white walls at the sides are eventually going to look like the drawers I have on either side of these sets. Anything that you notice is missing, such as the dragon or any vehicles, will hopefully be included 'in action' later in the project. I have had to re-design a couple of features in these sets as the software would not let me include them. These features are barely noticeable, the most noticeable will be the centre piece in the giant skull. As this piece wasn't included, I had to include a couple of extra pieces which looked similar to the missing one. The other difference is that the software would not let me place the sliding bases which the main temple build sits on so I replaced these with various arches underneath and added lots of baseplates on top. I will be redesigning the two small builds which lie either side of the fire temple because it is crucial that they are not horizontal as they are now. It looks best if they are diagonal but I want to include as much base plate as possible so I will possibly try and curve each side if I can.

This is a sky view of the sets. I apologise for one half of the centre cave bit being slightly further away for the other half, I found it very tricky to add the halves and I tried to make them as equal as possible. I will add minifigures to the project once I have built more of the project, this way it will look better and as though everything is linked together. The drawers on either side will have more detail than they currently have, I will be working on them next.

This is a diagonal view from behind the fire temple and looking towards the left of the cave towards the skull. In reality, the skull would be sloped further down but because of my re-design, it will not allow me to tilt the skull any further. Also, there is usually a small red motorbike in this section but I haven't been able to include it because the software will not let me place things such as tires on studs.

This is a diagonal view from behind the fire temple and looking towards the right of the cave towards where a mechanical suit (mech) is usually stored. I have been amazed with the amount of detail I have been able to place into what I have built so far. As you can see, I have managed to include the two overlapping swords above the fire temple door and even the scorpion which is on the roof of the cave. I haven't included the mech in this area of the digital project because I can imagine that it would be very tricky to include it in such a small space, plus the pieces are not at all co-operative when placing them on a diagonal base plate.

This is a view from behind the cave and fire temple. I am going to add a back wall behind these sets to fully create the project and to give you the best prediction possible for how it should all turn out in reality. As you can see,, I have tried to include everything possible from these sets as to the left of the image, on the back wall of the cave you can see an item on there which can be placed onto the mech. I have even been able to slant the roof of the fire temple which is something I wasn't expecting I could do.

This is a view of the area from afar. To the left will eventually be a forest and to the right will be the main city area and further ahead of the temple will be the fun fair. I will be putting as much detail into the water as possible and I will be creating either a stepping stone feature from the temple or have a variety of bridges leading across the river. I will also be placing walls just behind the temple on either side to add more of an environment to the area and to cut off the cave from the rest of the city. To the left where the skull is, I will be trying to include a hidden door for the motorbike and for the ninja to go through  and to the right will just be a normal cliff face style wall. If you have any thoughts on what I should include or how I should redesign the side bits or build the walls, please let me know in the comments below. I hope you have enjoyed this post and my other posts so far, I am still working on my next set review, I will hopefully have finished it before the end of the month. If you want me to do a specific post next then please let me know.

Lego Masters: Episode 4 - Final

The final episode of Lego Masters has now aired and the winners have been granted the title of Lego Masters and been given a very large Lego trophy. I found the episode to be funny, tense, and it portrayed the magic of Lego in spectacular fashion. I found Dara O Briain to be very funny and the most helpful celebrity guest judge of the series. Melvin Odoom, the presenter, did not make as many jokes as he has done which was unfortunate, however the programme seemed much less cheesy and much more serious because of it which, I suppose, is not a bad thing given that this episode was the final. Overall, the episode was not the funniest but was the best in the way it was done. For a more in depth analysis of the episode (which I recommend to those who don't mind spoilers) please keep reading.

I found it very good that for the first round, the judges were roughly seven year old kids. This was an amazing idea because it meant the teams had to build for an entirely different audience than they were used to and they had to fit in all of the imagination and creativity into their builds to recreate the story which the child told. I found the initial introduction comments of the children to seem very scripted which I didn't like, however when it came to them talking about what the teams had built, it was very real and I especially loved it when the programme showed the third child play with what had been built. I also found the reactions to the stories to seem scripted because of how over exaggerated they were, however I can see the benefit of these reactions because it adds an extra level of bizarrity to the stories and highlights particularly challenging aspects. It was also very good that the kids talked about specific things they would be looking for in the builds.

I was not particularly happy with the episode showing arguments between the team members because it really lowered the tone, however I can also see benefit to this as it says 'look, it's the final, the pressure is on much more than it has been'.

I found Matthew Ashton's comments on the builds to be very good and constructive as he said what was good and bad, plus picked on small details in the builds. I also liked how he interacted with the kid judges.

One thing I haven't been too pleased about through the series is the amount of reused footage. This episode was much better and didn't reuse too much at once, plus I thought it was a very good choice to not use any footage of the final builds until halfway through the final episode. I really liked it when the episode recapped on what the final two teams had built through the season and I am glad that this was recapped twice, once before they started the final build and again before the completed final build was shown. I liked the zoomed in shots of all of the builds and I liked that even through the final build, worries were still being discussed and the teams were still being questioned on what they were doing. I also liked that it was mentioned how long it took to figure out how to do the typewriter mechanism.

Throughout the episode, the music was wonderful as it perfectly captured the moment it was used in and held onto the magic that Lego can produce. I found it to be a shame that visitors to the museum couldn't act as judges for the final builds but Dara seemed to be a perfect judge. Through my reviews of the series, I have often said at least one of the judges weren't so great in their role but for this episode, all featured judges (the kids, Dara, and Matthew) were amazing. Dara really surprised me in his judging role because of how good he was. He talked about the benefits of Lego when it came to world building, he picked on small details and said why they were good, and he commented on the overall appearance of certain things such as how realistic the scrap paper and pens were. He also mentioned the challenging aspects of both final builds. When it came to the final discussion between Dara and Matthew, Dara was very funny and seemed to make more comments and do more judging.

I really liked that both teams' builds are to be featured in the Lego museum in Denmark, not just the winners and I really liked the message Nate and Steve gave at the end of the episode. I was very impressed with this episode and to me, it neared perfection. I really hope that there is a season two as it is sad to think that this season is over. I would recommend this programme if you have not yet seen it. If you have missed the programme you can catch up at:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/catchup

Lego Masters: Episode 3 - Nature

Episode 3 of Lego Masters has now aired, it was based around nature, and I cannot wait for the finale! As usual, there are bits I liked and unfortunately bits I wasn't so fond on, but nothing is perfect. I was very pleased with how many consistencies this episode held with the last, for example, both episodes included an initial 'warm up' task that included twists. I found this episode to be much funnier than the previous two and once again, the final builds were astounding. If you wish to read my in depth review, potentially containing spoilers, please continue reading.

I found the re-cap of the last episode which was used at the start of this episode very useful. Even though I knew what happened, I still appreciated a quick summary of who went out, the models built, and who was still in the competition. I was not, however, fond of how many bits were reshown throughout the programme and I am not on about them showing repeats from last week or the week before. A perfect example of them re-using bits is how often you saw the contestant Jessica break a mushroom. This clip is shown three times and the first two were very close together which makes the programme seem repetitive and when it becomes too repetitive, it enters boring territory.

I liked that the contestants shared their thoughts on how it could go for them this week and I was glad to see that the episode kept the 'warm up' build from the last episode. I like the 'warm up' builds because they keep the episode interesting and Melvin Odoom, the presenter, is very funny when he decides to announce a twist. He was especially funny this week when announcing what they should build next as his decision seemed spontaneous and bizarre, just what Lego should be.

Unfortunately, I was still left with the question of how they find anything in the build room, but I suppose they might have been told roughly where things were.

I am glad that close up shots of the builds are still being used frequently and I am glad to see Guy and Abraham ask for help. Due to how young they are, this is expected and I have been surprised that this hasn't been shown in previous episodes. Their plan for the final build was also how I would have expected as it was mainly coloured drawings with a couple of measurements in studs.

I found that there were some very funny moments in the programme. Funny moments included Melvin saying 'I can see you Nate and Steve' when telling everyone to put their bricks down, Jessica and Faolan discussing that they naturally suck, and Matthew Ashton saying 'we don't want to be scaring off the locals'. I also found it funny how Nicholas and Kobar seem to be obsessed with building giant orange things in a short space of time. For these reasons, I would say that this has been the funniest episode of Lego Masters to date.

I am very surprised with how much I learnt during this episode! I enjoyed hearing Steve explain how the mechanics of the turtle shell worked, and I am especially glad that S.N.O.T (Studs Not On Top) and M.O.Cs (My Own Creations) was explained as I have never known what they meant until seeing the episode. I also really love it when the programme explains the values of Lego. In the first episode, the programme made the point of Lego being loved by all ages, in the second it made the point that it helps with anxiety and helps you cope with things, and this week it has made the point of family and how it can be used to bond (which it touched on last week).

I think that Matthew's talks with Melvin are done well with not tons of detail being used but without them being brushed over. They give the viewer all of the information they need in a short, fun, amount of time.

I found it very good that when Bill Bailey was introduced, he said what he was looking for as this made it seem like he contributed much more than past guest judges such as Richard Osman, and I also found it good that Sean Kenney was on the programme as he is very experienced and very good at building Lego animals. I liked his explanations of how building animals was challenging because, to me, they don't seem to be when you see them.

The last minute of building was perfectly done as showing one of the contestants running, plus the dramatic music, combined with things breaking, all created the suspense and tension needed for a bit like that.

I found the feedback to be very good this episode, at times I thought it harsh, however it was constructive. I found Nate and Steve's build to be remarkable! I would say that their final build this episode has to be the best of the series so far, a reason for this is that I also thought that there was a real pencil in the turtles mouth until they pointed out that it wasn't. I liked how philosophical the Cambridge student's build was.

I found it very surprised that the last kid pair was voted out and as a result, I think that this episode's vote off could be the most emotional for the whole series. The music and the comments, plus the tears, all made it very sad to watch, however, when there is a group hug at the end, a real sense of family is put forwards which is really sweet.

I am really looking forward to the finale next week which may star comedian Dara O' Briain, however he was not shown in the trailer for next weeks episode... Perhaps he is to be a not-so-secret secret guest judge? Well, if he is in it or not, I am looking forward to see the episode! Lego Masters will air on Thursday at 8:00PM on Channel Four.

Revival Project - Update

Yesterday, I downloaded Lego Digital Designer which means that hopefully, Revival Project will not be as slow as I originally thought. For those who haven't seen, the first Revival Project post showed images of my bedroom with my collection half built and Lego all over the floor. The point of the project is to see how a good Lego city could be created in a realistic setting and not in a warehouse or on a huge table. I have very nearly finished rebuilding and once I place everything where it goes, I will do the second proper post.

Now that I have downloaded Lego Digital Designer, I will be able to show you my plans for the project without having any of the sets or pieces I will need to complete it. At the moment, I am unfamiliar with the Designer and I don't know if I can show all of my plans at once, or if it will have to be an area at a time, or if I will only be able to show the small area a particular building, for example the fire temple, is in.

Once I am used to the Designer, I will do a review of it and I will show you images of what I have done so far. I apologise for how short this post is but it was just an update on how the project is going. I will post a review of the third episode of Lego Masters on Friday before 5PM, I hope you are enjoying the posts.

Lego Masters: Episode 2 - Movement

The second episode of Lego Masters has aired and it focussed around the theme of movement. I found this episode to be so much better than the first episode! The final builds were very impressive, much more impressive than those in the first episode, the episode was less cheesy, there were more shots of the final builds, and I wasn't left with any questions which distracted me from the programme! The only criticisms I have are that it seemed pointless to have Richard Osman as a judge because he barely spoke and when he did, the comment wasn't on anything hugely specific about the build, it was just on a very obscure detail such as the lack of parking spaces. Also, at some points in the programme, the tone seemed a bit dull and too serious for a programme about building Lego which, in my mind, should seem really fun and quirky in places.

I felt that the mechanical engineer and fluid dynamics specialist Dr Shini Somara made more of a contribution than the first episodes specialist judge. She unfortunately didn't pick out and talk about specific things, however, she did say when very clever mechanics were used in builds. I felt that Matthew Ashton also made more of a contribution as it showed him walking around making notes and commenting on his worries about particular things that the teams were doing.

I am glad that I now understand why they haven't properly introduced the teams all at once. During the first episode, I wondered why this was and not knowing lowered the programme for me. Now, it makes sense because it seems like they are talking about the background for a particular pair when it seems relevant to, for example when Faolan and Jessica had to improvise, it then discussed their  background of being very organised.

I am very pleased that the two builds that they had to do were separate and that during the first, the twist of having to build a hybrid of what they were building plus something else was thrown in. This meant the programme was made to be more entertaining and that more focus could be placed on the final builds.

I am looking forwards to the next episode of Lego Masters which will be shown next Thursday at 8.00pm on Channel Four and will feature Bill Bailey as a Celebrity guest judge. The theme will be nature.

Lego News!!! UCS Millennium Falcon revealed!

The news is here! Lego have finally revealed what their largest set to date is after teasing us for so long as to it's size. The set, for non Star Wars fans, is 'The Millennium Falcon' which is an iconic spaceship featured in the Star Wars films. Lego have previously made three proper versions of this ship, one was also an Ultimate Collector Series (UCS) set.

The set is HUGE (measurements and scale to person will be featured later) and includes seven minifigures plus three small animal builds and BB-8, a small droid. The minifigures are Han Solo (Classic), Chewbacca (Classic), Leia (Classic), C3-PO (Classic), Han Solo (The Force Awakens), Finn (The Force Awakens), and Rey (The Force Awakens). Two of the animals are Porgs, and the other one is a Mynock. I really like how this set looks. When I heard that the set might be a UCS Millennium Falcon, I was not that happy because of how many Falcons had been released in the past and, in my opinion, the old UCS Falcon could have been much better than it was as it seemed a bit bland. This set however, this set looks phenomenally accurate to how the Falcon looks in the films and I like how they have included a satellite dish which you can use instead of the radar dish to make the falcon the same as in 'The Force Awakens'. The set truly looks like an improvement on the old UCS model which is good because when the newest Death Star was released, it was practically identical to the old one and there were worries about this happening to a new Falcon set.

In the most recent teaser for the set, Lego said that the box would not fit in the classic yellow Lego bag and would have to be put on wheels! From looking at the box, you can see why. The box is a very large cube. The images on the box which show the interior all look very good and the locations in the ship all look remarkably detailed. The two criticisms I currently have of the set are that it looks like there is going to be lots of stickers, and the other criticism is that it doesn't look like all of the rooms are accessible for the minifigures. By this, I mean the minifigures can't 'walk' through from one room into the next as the builds for each room look very contained and cut off from other rooms, but with this we will just have to wait and see.

As said before, the set is huge! You can see in the image above how it scales to a person. Unfortunately, the size means that it will be very hard to store the set. The set includes 7541 pieces in total, is 21cm high, 84cm long, and 56cm wide. I am concerned about the size because it raises the question of storage, however because of the size, I think that the price of £649.99 ($799.99) isn't overpriced. As the new Death Star (75159) costs £409.99 ($499.99), this set looks like a bargain in comparison. The new Death Star was basically a re-release of the old set which cost £274.99 (I don't know how much in dollars) with very minor changes. This new Falcon looks amazing in comparison and only costs just over £200 more to buy. It doesn't come with as many minifigures but the detail and size seems to make up for it. This would definitely be a set I would buy if I had the space and the money to do so! I would recommend it to all Star Wars fans and collectors, despite age (I had a non-Lego Falcon when I was younger and loved it). I would not recommend it to those who are new to Lego and those who are not filled with patience as this looks like it could be a challenging and time consuming build. The set will be available for purchase from Lego stores on the 1st of October.