Why I Do This

 

 At Brick Palooza this display was next to me.  Here are some more pictures, I did not have time to do this justice.

This was done by a Dad and his  7-8 year son.  They  told me they only started on it in July of 2024 and the idea and most of the work was done by his son.  The Dad said his main contribution was the underlying structure and some of the cliff work in the very back of the display.  His son was the creative drive behind it as well as building all of the detail that is in it.

So why is this important to me?  They attended Brick Palooza 2023 and unknown to me his son was so impressed with what I had built, he had to try and build something like it.  So they took over 50 pictures of the my MOC to use as inspiration for his design.  He has an Ice Planet with a mine, control rooms, bunk rooms, a small railroad for moving ore and the list goes on.  They searched for a lot Ice Planet Minifigs, plus some Star Wars Minifigs.  

We talked on and off during the show.  His son wanted to know what he can do to add to it.  As my son tells me always, in the real world, what would be there.  So he will look at adding more recreation and dining facilities as well as improving the operational aspects of the display.  They did not get a good look at the back side of mine last year since it was not accessible to the public. So again they took a lot of pictures of the back side as inspiration. 

If I can inspire one person a year to build MOCs from their imagination, then all that I do is well worth my time and effort.

Brick Palooza Recap

 This was a very interesting show.  A one day show on a Saturday in Santa Rosa, CA.  Because of the tear down timing of only 2 hours.  We decided to remove two hangers or two complete slices, which saved six boxes.  This also meant less work on setup and trying to keep things from prying apart at the table seam.

But first you have to get there.

And while it was not that bad coming across the Sierra Nevada, it did slow things down.

By the time we got to Santa Rosa things were getting deep.

The small creek behind the hotel.  While it never got any higher than this, it made transport challenging.  Out of the three roads in to the hotel, two were flooded and closed.  And the road in front of the hotel was reduced to one lane.

Such is life in Northern California during the rainy season.

Typical setup.  The drape covered tables are where the MOCs will be.  The other area on either side is for vendors.

Here is the final setup.  You will notice that it is one slice shorter on each side.  For one day shows, this will probably be the standard going forward.

We did not have time to really go around and look.  Most people setup in the morning since their displays were small.  Here are some of the more interesting ones.

I really like how this dish antenna was done.

More about this one in the next post.

I have a lot of pictures stored up for posts I want to do in the next few weeks.  We will see if life will accommodate me. 

Brick Palooza

 We will be attending Brick Palooza again this year. The event will be in Santa Rosa CA on Saturday, November 23 from 10Am to 5PM.  Here is the information.

Northern California's all LEGO® festival, exhibition, and celebration for children and adult LEGO® fans of all ages!

Exhibits, vendors, demos, activities, art, food, and fun for the whole family!

The 8th Brick Palooza will be taking place on Saturday, November 23rd, 2024 from 10:00AM - 5:00PM (PST) for General Admission and from 9:00AM - 5:00PM (PST) for Early Birds and VIPs. Brick Palooza 2024 will be taking place at 1351 Maple Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 (the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building).

Meet the master builders & artists behind amazing LEGO® creations.

Vendors will be selling all kinds of LEGO® related products. From new and used sets, to vintage and classic. Bulk LEGO® by the pound, individual minifigures, jewelry, t-shirts, and so much more!

You can buy tickets at EventBrite or click here.

Space Outpost SL ONE - Updated Storyline

 Here is the updated over arching story line

In a Galaxy far far away, the great Blacktron empire built this outpost on a small dwarf planet on the Outer Rim to defend their empire from the raiders.  But now they have discovered the powerful CHRYSANTHEMUM STONES that will supply infinite power to the empire.  As the processing facility is prepared for operation, SL ONE is now the most important outpost in the Blacktron Empire.

But……………….The native inhabitants of the planet are not happy with the Blacktron Empire invading their planet and more importantly harvesting the CHRYSANTHEMUM STONES. 

 

 

Once Again Back to the Blog

 

Now that the display season is almost over, I can get back to this.  We did five shows in 10 weeks.  Plus a few trips east for other reasons.  so this blog has been sort of neglected for a while.  But we took a lot of pictures and some video of the journey and we will start detailing this trip now.

One last show this year, Brick Palooza on Nov 21 in Santa Rosa CA (1351 Maple Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building).  It is a one day show, but has lots of MOCs and vendors.  You do not want to miss it.

Brick Palooza - Part 2

 

Here is a link to the Brick Palooza Facebook page.

And a link to a video of our display.

And here are some of the more interesting MOCs at the show.

I was interested in the detailing with the plants in this one.

This and the three pictures that follow show D-Day on Omaha beach.  It was a very impressive display.

This one was very colorful and detailed.

Interesting use of sand green color.

A collection of castle sets.

This was a depiction of the Mad Max world.

I really liked the water simulation.

Pictures of some kitchen ideas for when I detail out the kitchen area of the cafeteria.

A recreation of the bar from Cheers.  I may have to put in a bar when I do the living quarters. 

Yoda and Christmas.

Then there were a group of COS Players there as we see in these pictures.

 

The Omaha Beach MOC was best in show.

 

We were the winners in the Space Category.