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tarotgalSo I went and saw the Legos today. Had a fantastic time! The history nut and fangirl parts of me were especially inspired. I think I'm going to have to give Sweetie in my Strokes series a Lego hobby now just to pacify myself...
Bad news: My camera batteries (I think there's something wrong with them) died 3 pictures in. DAMNIT!!!
Good news: It was a seemless journey there and back. I didn't get lot even once and the longest I had to wait for a metro train was a minute and a half. Very well timed, albeit unintentional. (It's nice to have good luck sometimes, though, isn't it?)
Great news: 4-ft tall model of Minas Tirith!!! Nuff said!
In general- Three floors of Lego exhibits was an overwhelmingly fantastic display.
The top floor was all space stuff and robotics (I'm not all that thrilled with robotics in general, strangely enough so I didn't spend too much time in those rooms) and everything from Star Wars Lego chess to gigantic moonbases to something called the Great Ball Contraption which was an entire room of a lego machine thingy that cycled balls through it like a maze. If you've seen those things where marbles run through tracks and over see-saws and get launched and spring triggers... well, it was like that only with little lego soccer and basketballs and with the structure made out of various lego sets (my favorite part was where the train running around the table dumped the balls out into a pile, those were lifted up onto a pirate ship them blasted out of a canon on the ship (usually) hitting the next section. VERY cool.
Bottom floor was mostly dealer rooms, stores, and old Lego sets on display. Very cool. I have a keychain collection and I could NOT resist buying a Lego Obi-Wan Episode III keychain. Thought since my camera batteries died that that might be a nice way of remembering the event (and it's got the year on it and everything). *pets adorable little Master Obi*
Middle floor was EVERYTHING and then some. There was an enormous town set with 5 foot tall skyscrapers, bridges built over 2 feet deep lakes, every train and vehickle you could imagine, a hotel with a spinning eatery at the top, and a gigantic recreation of the Indianapolis Speedway with at least a thousand little lego people in the stands. Across from that, someone had recreated a WWII ship and it was at least 8 feet long (and though I knew the one Legol person bending forward to help another on with his diving gear was just that... it really looked like the lads were having sex. I swear it!) There was a room of sculptures and mosaics that ASTOUNDED me (4 ft tall Homer Simpson and a 5ft tall recreation of the National Cathedral attached to an even bigger multi-sectioned building). There was a giant Tahj Mahal as well, which even had the reflection of the monument done in the Lego reflecting pool. So cool. Oh, and an enormous doll house all made out of Legos with open rooms and complete scenes in each one with everything from a mickey mouse phone to a computer room to a pool table. There were a number of Washington DC-specific buildings like the Air & Space museum and a mini White House.
The National Trust is a project where buiders create replicas of buildings registered with the National Trust. Most had pictures of the actual places so you could compare- some were absolutely fascinating! Everything from what looked like a yellow German-inspired castle (started with an L... damn I can't remember the name) to Frank Llyod Wright's house.
The Classic Lego room was one of my favorites. Had in it sets from 2004 and before that. I found my second ever Lego set in the 1985 display. In fact, almost all of my childhood sets were either there or shown in pictures in the 1985 and 1986 displays. (My very first was a police car set and they had ones that looked similiar but not mine. My first space vehicle was there in 1986, though, as was a picture of my first castle set).
Castle Rooms- there had to be two because some of the castles were so big. Those were personal favorites of mine as a kid so all the different ones there were great to see. From King Solomon's Tomb in yellow and gold to a sheep sheering station outside of a castle to a 4ftx4ft recreation of a real castle in Wales. ASTOUNDING detail, beauty, and humor as well (I liked the tavern and the torture devices).
And then, of course, were the fannish creations. There was a whole display of scenes from various movies/shows/tales (Kill Bill, The Princess Bride- SQUEEEE!, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Gilligan's Island, Lost in Space, Survivor, The Brady Bunch, Futurama, Kung Fu, Shakespeare, etc.). There were three Stargate sets (I think I got a picture of that before my camera dies). There was tons of Star Wars (of course) but not any directly from the sets (because that wouldn't be creative). There was the scene with Luke beheading himself, one with Obi walking away from Ani at the end of EpIII, and a scene where Vader is using the bathroom and storm troopers were lined up outside waiting to get in. My favorite was a small 'Blue Screen' scene where there was a blue floor and two blue walls and figures dueling in front of it while cameras filmed on the other side. SO clever! But NOTHING could top the gigantic Minas Tirith- even if the levels were, well, level so you couldn't actually walk from one to the next. It had nearly everything from Gandalf on Shadowfax to Denethor in flames falling off the front to Legolas and Aragorn and a little Frodo ready to go off to battle. I must admit I didn't see the Houses of Healing and there was NO Gimli anywhere *pouts* But apart from that it was spectacular! Okay, and only 4 levels, I think. But the point is... Huge creation of Minas Tirith out of Legos! Kick ass!!
*sigh* If I'm still in the area next year I'll have to remember extra batteries when I go again. Grrr. I really wish my camera had worked! I don't know what's wrong with those damn batteries. *pouts* But, yeah, the whole thing was spectacular. Freaking awesome. So incredibly creative and inspirational, like geeky artists. If I had the money to buy bulk sets and specialty pieces I would SO be doing that in a HEARTBEAT! *considers getting her Legos from her storage unit and making an inventory*
Speaking of camera... I really need to update my photoblog *makes note*
Bad news: My camera batteries (I think there's something wrong with them) died 3 pictures in. DAMNIT!!!
Good news: It was a seemless journey there and back. I didn't get lot even once and the longest I had to wait for a metro train was a minute and a half. Very well timed, albeit unintentional. (It's nice to have good luck sometimes, though, isn't it?)
Great news: 4-ft tall model of Minas Tirith!!! Nuff said!
In general- Three floors of Lego exhibits was an overwhelmingly fantastic display.
The top floor was all space stuff and robotics (I'm not all that thrilled with robotics in general, strangely enough so I didn't spend too much time in those rooms) and everything from Star Wars Lego chess to gigantic moonbases to something called the Great Ball Contraption which was an entire room of a lego machine thingy that cycled balls through it like a maze. If you've seen those things where marbles run through tracks and over see-saws and get launched and spring triggers... well, it was like that only with little lego soccer and basketballs and with the structure made out of various lego sets (my favorite part was where the train running around the table dumped the balls out into a pile, those were lifted up onto a pirate ship them blasted out of a canon on the ship (usually) hitting the next section. VERY cool.
Bottom floor was mostly dealer rooms, stores, and old Lego sets on display. Very cool. I have a keychain collection and I could NOT resist buying a Lego Obi-Wan Episode III keychain. Thought since my camera batteries died that that might be a nice way of remembering the event (and it's got the year on it and everything). *pets adorable little Master Obi*
Middle floor was EVERYTHING and then some. There was an enormous town set with 5 foot tall skyscrapers, bridges built over 2 feet deep lakes, every train and vehickle you could imagine, a hotel with a spinning eatery at the top, and a gigantic recreation of the Indianapolis Speedway with at least a thousand little lego people in the stands. Across from that, someone had recreated a WWII ship and it was at least 8 feet long (and though I knew the one Legol person bending forward to help another on with his diving gear was just that... it really looked like the lads were having sex. I swear it!) There was a room of sculptures and mosaics that ASTOUNDED me (4 ft tall Homer Simpson and a 5ft tall recreation of the National Cathedral attached to an even bigger multi-sectioned building). There was a giant Tahj Mahal as well, which even had the reflection of the monument done in the Lego reflecting pool. So cool. Oh, and an enormous doll house all made out of Legos with open rooms and complete scenes in each one with everything from a mickey mouse phone to a computer room to a pool table. There were a number of Washington DC-specific buildings like the Air & Space museum and a mini White House.
The National Trust is a project where buiders create replicas of buildings registered with the National Trust. Most had pictures of the actual places so you could compare- some were absolutely fascinating! Everything from what looked like a yellow German-inspired castle (started with an L... damn I can't remember the name) to Frank Llyod Wright's house.
The Classic Lego room was one of my favorites. Had in it sets from 2004 and before that. I found my second ever Lego set in the 1985 display. In fact, almost all of my childhood sets were either there or shown in pictures in the 1985 and 1986 displays. (My very first was a police car set and they had ones that looked similiar but not mine. My first space vehicle was there in 1986, though, as was a picture of my first castle set).
Castle Rooms- there had to be two because some of the castles were so big. Those were personal favorites of mine as a kid so all the different ones there were great to see. From King Solomon's Tomb in yellow and gold to a sheep sheering station outside of a castle to a 4ftx4ft recreation of a real castle in Wales. ASTOUNDING detail, beauty, and humor as well (I liked the tavern and the torture devices).
And then, of course, were the fannish creations. There was a whole display of scenes from various movies/shows/tales (Kill Bill, The Princess Bride- SQUEEEE!, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Gilligan's Island, Lost in Space, Survivor, The Brady Bunch, Futurama, Kung Fu, Shakespeare, etc.). There were three Stargate sets (I think I got a picture of that before my camera dies). There was tons of Star Wars (of course) but not any directly from the sets (because that wouldn't be creative). There was the scene with Luke beheading himself, one with Obi walking away from Ani at the end of EpIII, and a scene where Vader is using the bathroom and storm troopers were lined up outside waiting to get in. My favorite was a small 'Blue Screen' scene where there was a blue floor and two blue walls and figures dueling in front of it while cameras filmed on the other side. SO clever! But NOTHING could top the gigantic Minas Tirith- even if the levels were, well, level so you couldn't actually walk from one to the next. It had nearly everything from Gandalf on Shadowfax to Denethor in flames falling off the front to Legolas and Aragorn and a little Frodo ready to go off to battle. I must admit I didn't see the Houses of Healing and there was NO Gimli anywhere *pouts* But apart from that it was spectacular! Okay, and only 4 levels, I think. But the point is... Huge creation of Minas Tirith out of Legos! Kick ass!!
*sigh* If I'm still in the area next year I'll have to remember extra batteries when I go again. Grrr. I really wish my camera had worked! I don't know what's wrong with those damn batteries. *pouts* But, yeah, the whole thing was spectacular. Freaking awesome. So incredibly creative and inspirational, like geeky artists. If I had the money to buy bulk sets and specialty pieces I would SO be doing that in a HEARTBEAT! *considers getting her Legos from her storage unit and making an inventory*
Speaking of camera... I really need to update my photoblog *makes note*
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Date: 2005-08-15 06:03 am (UTC)I swear I had intelligent comments (well, fun babble, more likely) before I read that. When did THAT happen? In the books? Has to be in the books...I don't remember any (main character) head rolling besides Boba or Jango, or whatever his name was. I know that I watch them for Ewan, and that I never really latched on to the OT, but I think I'd notice Luke missing a head...I hope I'd notice it, at least...Right? I would. Right?
...I'll be back when I can focus on legos. :)
-c
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Date: 2005-08-15 06:21 am (UTC)But, yes, you're right. It would be pretty noticible for the main character the be going about parts of the movies without a head.
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Date: 2005-08-15 07:04 am (UTC)I've only seen huge Lego (almost wrote Leno) displays at the two Lego stores I've been to. The one it the Mall of America and then last week at Downtown Disney outside Disneyland. It was neat though. The doors to the store were giant red Legos and inside they had a life-size Darth Vader and R2-D2 made of Legos along with a cat, Empire State Building, an airplane, a King Kong, and various other things. Sounds like your trip was a bit bigger though.
Hope you do find and post those pictures you took, I'd like to see them!
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Date: 2005-08-15 07:15 am (UTC)There was a giant Tahj Mahal as well, which even had the reflection of the monument done in Legolas in the Legol reflecting pool.
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Date: 2005-08-15 07:21 am (UTC)I absolutely refuse to admit how MANY times I did that but caught myself and deleted it. Suffice it to say, I'm embarrassed but not surprised I missed one. LOL Thanks :-)
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Date: 2005-08-15 07:27 am (UTC)Oohhh! Like I said a couple days ago, I attempted to get my friends to go see the Legos with me when we were in Downtown Disney at Disneyworld years ago but no one would go with me *pouts* The ones you saw all sound very cool, though! (Love the King Kong idea!) Man, it'd be neat to make those sorts of things!
I SO wish my camera had been working. I got three somewhat crappy pictures up on the Space level and that's it. Nothing really impressive (well, a gigantic moonbase but that's it) like I wanted to. Damn camera batteries! *kicks them across the room* Oh well. I keep telling myself there's always next year, right? *secretly wishes she had the money to actually show in next year's event* I'll definitely get the few pics I did take online (once my batteries recharge) but I'm not promising quality. *pouts*
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Date: 2005-08-15 08:10 am (UTC)~A
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Date: 2005-08-15 08:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-17 07:32 am (UTC)