F.D.N.Y. Ambulance LEGO Ideas Project Review

Overview
This project is an ambulance designed by ugthepug and based on the New York Fire Department's ambulances. This particular ambulance seems to be based on a Type I Ambulance. For those who may not be familiar with the different types of ambulances, a Type I vehicle is a ambulance that is assembled on the chassis of a pickup trucks, and is thus usually a little bit larger and more robust.

Appeals of this Project
One of the largest appeals this project has for me is that it looks like an actual ambulance that would be driving around (at least in the United States), which is an aspect that I believe The LEGO Group has been missing for a long time. The shape and the proportions of the ambulance, from the front bumper all the way to the rear bumper, are just right. The different widths, from 6 and 7 studs wide at the cab, to 8 studs wide at the rear compartment bring great proportion to the vehicle and are scaled well. Not only do they create a realistic looking proportion in this build, but it also allows the paramedics to both sit in the cab next to each other, which is something I greatly appreciate considering that is lacking in many LEGO sets.

The ambulance has many great details on the outside from the red on the bottom half with the yellow and white stripe, transitioning to the white on the top half, to the colors and locations of the lights, and even the siren speaker. I really like how the brick-build doors look, both in the rear, on the passenger's side, and the cab doors. Sometimes molded doors can look like they are forced into a particular build, but these brick-built doors blend in like they are supposed to be there.

It is hard to see the interior in some of these pictures, but from what I can see, it includes many details, including a gurney oxygen, a computer, and drawers for the medical supplies. In a real ambulance, space is critical, and each item must be carefully considered before it is placed inside the vehicle. So too, it appears ugthepug has done with the details in this LEGO ambulance.

Areas for Improvement
There is one thing I would change with this build, and that is the stickering on this ambulance is too specific in my opinion. Although the New York Fire Department is a great fire department, and one that is worthy of this recognition, I believe the market for something this specific is too small. If it were stickered in a more generic manner, I believe this would appeal to a much larger audience.

Conclusion
I am really impressed with the attention to detail and scale in this model, and although I would make the stickering more generic, there is nothing else that I would change about this ambulance, and I believe it has a good chance to pass the Official LEGO Ideas Review if it reaches 10,000 supporters. To see more pictures and offer your support you can click here to visit this project on LEGO Ideas.

Photos used and review completed with the permission of ugthepug.

Brick Haul: Pick-A-Brick

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit a LEGO Store and see how many pieces I could fit in a Pick-A-Brick cup. (Unfortunately, this only happens about once a year because the closest LEGO Store is some distance from where I live.) This time, I was able to get about 1.55 pounds (703 grams) of LEGOs into one Pick-A-Brick cup (subtracting the mass of the cup it ends up being about 1.41 pounds or 640 grams).

Pick-A-Brick Cup on Scale

How do I get so much into one Pick-A-Brick cup? It all starts with patience. I take the time to fill up as much of the volume of the cup as possible with plastic. This takes about an hour to an hour and a half, but it is a fun challenge for me to try and maximize the number of LEGO pieces I can squeeze in there. (When I say squeeze, I really mean squeeze. Do you see all of the cellophane packing tape on the cup? that is there because I have cracked cups multiple times with my method of cramming in as many LEGO pieces as possible.) Here is the method I normally use:

According to the staff at the nearest LEGO Store, the lid does not have to snap shut, it only has to touch the rim of the cup. I start by filling up the bottom of the cup with small pieces, being careful not to cover the top of the anti-stud (this is very important), but still making sure that I maximize that space.

Small Pieces at the Bottom of the Cup

Next I create a 6x6 stud core that goes from the bottom of the cup (the top of the anti-stud) to the underside of the lid. At the top of this core is a 4x4 stud section that will fill up the space on the underside of the stud molded into the lid. (Note: placing tiles or other smooth pieces on the top will allow you to get a few more pieces into what would have been wasted space.) Then I create four identical side pieces that follow the outward slope of the cup, being skinnier at the base and gradually getting thicker towards the top.

 

Layout of How I Pack the Cup

 Finally, I wedge all five assemblies in tightly (thus the need for the reinforcement provided by the tape) and fill the empty spaces in the corners with small pieces. Then I put the lid on, making sure the lid still touches the rim of the cup, and ask a LEGO Store employee to tape it. And there you have it, a fully packed Pick-A-Brick cup!

Cup Fully Packed

After sorting all of the pieces out, it really gives some perspective on how many pieces one can cram into one Pick-A-Brick cup if one really tries. You cannot see it very well from the top view, but if all of the pieces were just packed loosely, they would take up about 2 full large Pick-A-Brick cups (the extra cups in the picture are just ones on hand that I use for sorting).

 

Sorted LEGO Pieces from One Pick-A-Brick Cup

  Do you have a method you usually use when you fill a Pick-A-Bick cup? Leave a comment below.

LEGO Factory Playset LEGO Ideas Project Review

Overview
This project gives a little bit of insight into the process of making the LEGO sets we all know and love. Designed by KovJonas99, this is a LEGO Factory based off of LEGO Headquarters in Billund, Denmark, although slightly simplified due to being built on a much smaller scale. The building is divided into three areas each showing a different aspect of what The LEGO Group (TLG) does. These are: the Welcome Center (customer service), the Design Office (product design), and the Factory (product manufacturing).

Appeals of this Project
This LEGO Factory Playset appeals to me in many ways. First of all, it is very aesthetically appealing from the exterior. The use of the light bluish and dark bluish gray along with the tan as the primary colors brings a realistic feel to the building, there are different colors inserted to emphasize detailing around the windows, and the green grass brightens up the scene a bit. I really like the layout of the building, how it is not just rectangular, but places more emphasis on the center as it protrudes forward slightly, and the little details on the roof and outside (the Danish flag, LEGO sign, bike racks, bricks, and silos) make it very believable that this really is the factory at LEGO Headquarters. I appreciate how this structure was designed so the roof can be removed from each building, allowing for easy playability and how each section of the factory can be separated into its own vignette.

Moving inside the building there is a welcome center with a smiling LEGO employee ready to welcome you to the LEGO factory and show you around. First we take a trip to the designer's office and see a couple of LEGO designers hard at work imagining and building a future LEGO set. There is really nice detail in this room, from the geometry of the walls to the drawers that are full of LEGO pieces for the designers to use, to the table, chair and potted plant. Yet, even with all of this detail the room is not overcrowded, but has a sense of openness to it.

Traveling to the other side of the factory, we have the opportunity to see an injection molding machine in action. For those who may not be familiar with how LEGO pieces are made, let me give you a brief overview. Little plastic pellets start out in a hopper, travel through the machine as they melt due to heat and increasing pressure, and then are injected into a mold that has the reverse shape of the LEGO piece. After the plastic has cooled, it is then ejected from the mold and collected to be packaged into LEGO sets. In the factory portion, we see an injection molding machine that captures the details pertaining to many of these aspects very well, from the hopper to a mold that actually moves.

Areas for Improvement
There is really only one thing that I think I would add (and this only comes after thinking long and hard!). That is to include some sort of cart, maybe 2495c01 or a brick-built cart to move the crates of LEGO pieces around after they are full. Otherwise, this is an extremely well designed and presented project that I think deserves to be an official LEGO set.

Conclusion
From the first glance to a much closer inspection this is a very solid project that would make a great addition for any fan of LEGO no matter how young or old. I believe this project has a very good chance to pass the Official LEGO Ideas Review process and become a set if it reaches 10,000 supporters. To see more pictures and offer your support, you can click here to visit this project on LEGO Ideas.

Photos used and review completed with the permission of KovJonas99.

Chick-fil-A LEGO Ideas Project Review

Overview
This project is a LEGO version of a Chick-fil-A restaurant by ImSpanky. Chick-fil-A is a fast food chain started by S. Truett Cathy in 1946 when he opened the Dwarf Grill, the restaurant that gave birth to the chicken sandwich, eventually leading to the founding of Chick-fil-A. Now, Chick-fil-A restaurants can be found in 42 states, Washington D.C. and on LEGO Ideas with this great project.

Appeals of this Project
This LEGO model of a Chick-fil-A standalone restaurant is a very realistic representation of many current Chick-fil-A restaurants. From the red roof to the often (but not always) tan walls, to the large windows, it brings back many memories of going to eat with family and friends. The exterior of this restaurant is very nicely detailed, with the checkered patterns in the sidewalk, and a similar checkerboard pattern above the windows at the front of the building. I really appreciate that this building was not just laid out in a rectangular pattern, but it has the small indentation on the front corner, adding a little bit of personality to the design.

The interior of this Chick-fil-A is also well thought out and has some nice details that are easy to overlook at first. The checkerboard floor brings the colors of the building together nicely, and creates a smooth transition from the exterior sidewalks, where a similar pattern is used, to the interior of the building, inviting the local minifigures to walk right in. The red counter adds some color to liven the place up some, and the wall between the eating area and the counter is a nice detail that is easy to overlook. The inclusion of the menu boards behind the counter adds a bit of genuineness to that section of the restaurant, giving the feel that the minifigures can choose from any number of Chick-fil-A classic options. In general, this project is very simple, yet still includes a sufficient number of details to accurately portray the atmosphere of a standalone Chick-fil-A restaurant.

Areas for Improvement
Overall, this is a good project, but there are a few minor changes that I would make. First, there are a couple of gaps in the tile between the chairs that should be filled, and the pattern is not fluid throughout the whole building as it seems to become slightly irregular in the eating area. Second, I would make add some chicken sandwiches using a similar building technique to that used for the sandwich in LEGO set 75903. Finally, I would add one or two of the famous Chick-fil-A cows either using assembly 64452pb02c01 or piece 98373pb01 on a minifigure in a white with black spots version.

Conclusion
I really like the accurate representation of this LEGO Chick-fil-A restaurant, but believe there are a few areas where some improvement can be made. With these improvements, this would make a wonderful set if it reaches 10,000 supporters and passes the Official LEGO Ideas Review. To see more pictures and offer your support you can click here to visit this project on LEGO Ideas.

Photos used and review completed with the permission of ImSpanky.

LEGO Pueblo LEGO Ideas Project Review

Overview
This project has long been one of my favorite projects on LEGO Ideas. Created by giorgiochronas, Lego Pueblo seeks to fill the void of a Western theme that has vacant for quite some time (not counting the short lived Lone Ranger sets). This pueblo "is a fictional Pueblo set somewhere in Arizona/New Mexico" and "pays a tribute to the civilizations of North America as a whole" according to the project page.

Appeals of this Project
Lego Pueblo has numerous appeals, from the aesthetics of the set, to the pieces used in a build like this, or the versatility of the design, among many others. The use of the dark orange bricks really gives this a very nice visual appeal, and there are bits of tan, dark tan, reddish brown, black, and green mixed in beautifully. In addition to the fantastic use of colors, there are many useful, and hard to get, pieces that used throughout this build from the numerous dark orange pieces to the bricks with the masonry profile to the ingot bars, or the dark tan chicken or a number of other valuable pieces.

Growing up, I enjoyed not only getting and building LEGO sets, but also looking at the backs of the boxes with the alternative builds that used to be shown, so I appreciate the 4in1 design of this project. The four options are: The Craft (main build), The Bridge (alternative build), The Patio (alternative build), The Tower (alternative build). For the purpose of this review, I am only going to focus on The Craft and The Bridge for the sake of length, but I highly recommend checking out the Lego Pueblo project page in order to see the other two builds.

The Craft is a magnificent build with many aspects of a typical Pueblo dwelling. The Native Americans of the Pueblos were predominately farmers, although they did do some hunting and fishing. In the Craft build, there are sunflowers, a typical plant cultivated by the Pueblo Indians (another typical plant was corn), a chicken (traditionally Pueblo Indians raised turkeys, but LEGO does not make a turkey at this time), a fishing net hanging on the side of the structure with a crab and some fish, and ladders to get to the second story doors (the ladders would be pulled up when enemies came to prevent them from easily entering the Pueblo dwellings). Going inside the Craft, there are a large number of details that show the time giorgiochronas took to make sure this build was not only interesting, but also historically accurate. Some of these details include a weaver, potter, storage room and dwelling room.

Looking at the alternative build The Bridge, there are again, many great details that show the effort giorgiochronas took to be as accurate as possible to the Pueblo culture. There is an horno (oven) used for baking, cotton that will later be used by the weaver shown in the Craft interior, the doors are again on the second story (except for the kitchen which is not a dwelling, so ground doors do not matter as much). Additionally, there are many alternative arrangements as shown in this video by giorgiochronas. Finally, with the four different building options there are a large number of possibilities for you to create your own Pueblo village with multiple sets.

Areas for Improvement
I have had the opportunity to watch this project change over time from the original submission to what is now a re-submission, although the two projects are hardly the same. Everything that I would have changed from the first submission has been modified and improved in the re-submission, and despite my efforts, I cannot find anything that sticks out to me as an area for improvement. This is one of a very few projects on LEGO Ideas that I think could pass the Official LEGO Ideas Review and become as set as is without any modifications.

Conclusion
From top to bottom, from the Craft to the Tower and everything in between, this is a very strong project. I am convinced the Lego Pueblo would pass the Official LEGO Review and make a fantastic set if it reaches 10,000 supporters. To see more pictures and offer your support, you can click here to visit this project on LEGO Ideas.

Photos used and review completed with the permission of giorgiochronas.

MOC: Frontier Trading Post

Frontier Trading Post MOC

One of the things I enjoy is the outdoors, and another is history, especially North American history. Combining these interests with LEGO pieces, can lead to some really fun builds. This particular MOC is a frontier trading post along the western frontier of North America sometime during the 18th centaury.

 

There are members of the local Native American Indian tribe coming in with their fresh furs to trade with the frontier settlers. As they are walking in, the keen eyes of these Native Americans catches the motion of a large grizzly bear as it rears up to attack one of the young frontier children at the edge of the forest, and they swiftly start to run to the young boy's rescue. The attacking bear has also been spotted by the lookout on the trading post wall, and he has dispatched some of the frontiersmen who are running out of the trading post to help their Native American friends. Moving deeper into the forest, there is a frontiersman who is hunting a couple of brick-build turkeys that will taste delicious for dinner.






Attacking Bear and Frontiersman Turkey Hunting

Coming through the trading post doors several frontier women are talking while their children play. Another frontiersman is running out in order to rescue the young boy from the bear, but will he be able to get there in time? Up on the lookout platform someone has left a hide on the stretching frame before it is tanned. Looking at the water well, it looks like someone has managed to fall in, or at least get their head stuck in the well, but I wonder if anyone will notice with all of the excitement outside.

Trading Post Interior

Walking into the store part of the trading post, there is a frontiersman chowing down on a fresh turkey drumstick, while his wife looks over some of the merchandise on the shelves. Some of the items in the trading post store include a barrel of delicious apples, a pile of silky furs, powder horns, cast iron cookware, jars of preserves, canisters of flour, and other items that might be useful on the frontier.

Trading Post Store

Looking at the layout from a birds perspective, can you spot the bird in this picture?

Frontier Trading Post Plan Layout