Bill Ward - All - LEGO - Models - Sculpture

Bill Ward - All - LEGO - Models - Sculpture http://bill.wards.net/blosxom Bill Ward's Blog, powered by Blosxom (All - LEGO - Models - Sculpture) en Christmas 2003: Santa Claus Bust http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/2004/04/11#christmas-2003 <p>Initially I wanted to build a complete Santa Claus model, but Christmas came and went and I had only built the head and neck. So I finished this model as a bust.</p>  St. Patrick's Day 2004: Leprechaun http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/2004/04/11#st-patricks-2004 <p>This Leprechaun was built for BayLUG's March 20, 2004 meeting, where we had a St. Patrick's Day contest. You can see pictures of the contest entries in my <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/lego/events/baylug/baylug-2004-03-20.html">meeting pictures</a> page from that meeting.</p>  Pokémon http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/2003/08/15#intro <p>Here are models I built of the characters from the popular Pokémon TV show, mainly during 2000 and 2001. Why Pokémon? At the time, my wife and I were collecting and watching video tapes of the show. It seems like kind of a dumb show if you just see one episode, but if you follow the story in sequence there is a certain logic to it. It's basically a samurai story, and as students of Japanese culture we found it very interesting.</p> <p>In late 2000 my brother-in-law <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.wirefarm.com/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.wirefarm.com/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Jim</a> told me about a <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/08/27/2244229" onMouseOver="window.status='to slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/08/27/2244229'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Slashdot article</a> about a LEGO Desk built by <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Eric Harshbarger</a>. I looked at the sculptures on his site and said to myself, "I could do that" (I must have been a guitar player in a former life...)</p> <p>So I went down to Toys 'R Us and bought several big blue tubs of LEGO. At the time, they were selling <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://guide.lugnet.com/set/3033_1" onMouseOver="window.status='to guide.lugnet.com/set/3033_1'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">set 3033</a> for $20, containing 1200 bricks in the basic colors. My first construction was the Pokeball, shown below with Pikachu. Then I tackled Pikachu himself. That's what started my current association with LEGO, and I haven't stopped yet!</p> <p>Pictures of the <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/lego/events/baylug/baylug-2002-01-05.html">January 2002</a> meeting can be seen on my site. You can also view more pictures of the <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.baylug.org/fests/2001-03/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.baylug.org/fests/2001-03/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">March 2001</a> and <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.baylug.org/fests/2002-01/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.baylug.org/fests/2002-01/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">January 2002</a> meetings on the BayLUG website.</p> <p>For detailed pictures of my Pokémon creatures, see <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/lego/models/sculpture/pokemon/pikachu.html">Pikachu</a>, <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/lego/models/sculpture/pokemon/bulbasaur.html">Bulbasaur</a>, <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/lego/models/sculpture/pokemon/bulbasaur-internals.html">Bulbasaur Internals</a>, and <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/lego/models/sculpture/pokemon/squirtle.html">Squirtle</a>.</p> <p>These three pictures were taken at <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.baylug.org/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.baylug.org/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">BayLUG</a> (Bay Area LEGO User's Group) meetings.</p> <p>Pokémon is a registered trademark of <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.nintendo.com/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.nintendo.com/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Nintendo</a>.</p>  Pikachu http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/2003/08/15#pikachu <p>My first sculpture was Pikachu. I started with his eyes and nose and then worked around to the rest of his head. Then I proceeded down, building upside-down until I reached his bottom. Pikachu is one of the longest-lasting models I've made, being built in late 2000/early 2001, and not being disassembled until early 2004. But don't fear, I made an electronic copy, and could recreate him if I ever want to.</p> <p>Pokémon is a registered trademark of <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.nintendo.com/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.nintendo.com/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Nintendo</a>.</p>  Bulbasaur http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/2003/08/15#bulbasaur <p>After creating Pikachu, I wanted to create another of the Pokémon creatures to keep him company. I chose Bulbasaur for this. The big challenge here was caused by the fact that the bulb shape required him to be an odd number of studs wide. As a result, I could only use 1- and 3-wide bricks down the centerline. This made him rather fragile, especially before the model was completed.</p> <p>Pokémon is a registered trademark of <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.nintendo.com/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.nintendo.com/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Nintendo</a>.</p>  Bulbasaur Internals http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/2003/08/15#bulbasaur-internals <p style="clear:both">I make an electronic copy of the design for all of my major models. Starting at the bottom of his feet and working towards the tip of his bulb, I transfered each brick from the sculpture to a table and recorded it in <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.lm-software.com/mlcad/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.lm-software.com/mlcad/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">MLCAD</a>. At five points during this process ("stages") I stopped to take pictures. This lets you see his internal structures. Here are the pictures from that process:</p> <p>Pokémon is a registered trademark of <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.nintendo.com/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.nintendo.com/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Nintendo</a>.</p>  Squirtle http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/2003/08/15#squirtle <p>My third Pokémon model, Squirtle, was never really completed to my satisfaction. I ran out of blue bricks before finishing his hands, feet, and tail. These pictures show him at various stages in the construction process, which is good if you want to see how his internal structures are designed.</p> <p>Pokémon is a registered trademark of <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.nintendo.com/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.nintendo.com/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">Nintendo</a>.</p>  Maneki Neko http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/2003/01/23#maneki-neko <p>The <i>Maneki Neko</i>, literally "Beckoning Cat," is a good luck charm used widely in Japanese business establishments and homes. It is believed to invite in fortune and good luck to its owner. In Japan, the hand sign to ask someone to come towards you is made with the palm facing down and fingers towards the person, and moving the hand in a scooping sort of motion; it is the direct opposite of the American hand signal for the same thing. The Maneki Neko is carrying a koban (gold coin from the Edo Period). The characters translate to "ten million ryou." (the ryou is an archaic unit of money in Japan)</p> <p>For more information on Maneki Neko, check out these links:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://manekinekoclub.com/" onMouseOver="window.status='to manekinekoclub.com/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">http://manekinekoclub.com/</a></li> <li><a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/maneki-neko.shtml" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.onmarkproductions.com/html/maneki-neko.shtml'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/maneki-neko.shtml</a></li> <li><a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.actioncat.com/luckycat.html" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.actioncat.com/luckycat.html'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">http://www.actioncat.com/luckycat.html</a></li> <li><a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.angelfire.com/wv/firebirdsdomain/manekineko.html" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.angelfire.com/wv/firebirdsdomain/manekineko.html'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">http://www.angelfire.com/wv/firebirdsdomain/manekineko.html</a></li> <li><a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.namaii.com/manekineko/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.namaii.com/manekineko/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">http://www.namaii.com/manekineko/</a></li> </ul>  Teddy Bear http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/2002/02/24#teddybear meta-path: LEGO/Models/Sculpture/Teddy Bear <p>This is my first non-Pokémon sculpture. I have decided to switch to more original designs to avoid possible copyright/trademark infringement, and to make it possible to sell copies of my sculpture. If you are interested in buying a copy of the Teddy Bear (in your choice of colors) or commissioning an original work, please <a href="mailto:bill@wards.net">send me e-mail</a>.</p> <p>I brought this model to the <a href="http://bill.wards.net/blosxom?redirectURL=http://www.brickswest.com/" onMouseOver="window.status='to www.brickswest.com/'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;">BricksWest 2002</a> international LEGO conference at LEGOLAND in Carlsbad, CA in February 2002.</p>  Halloween 2001: Ghost, Pumpkin, and Witch http://bill.wards.net/blosxom/2001/10/28#halloween-2001 <p>Models built for display in my front window for Halloween.</p>