Real Full-Size Livable LEGO House

According to this BBC Article, TV host James May is looking for volunteers to help him build a new house in Surrey - made entirely out of Lego bricks.

As part of his BBC series James May's Toy Stories, he plans to build a two-storey house in the middle of the Denbies Wine Estate, in Dorking. More than three million Lego bricks have been delivered to the site.

May will host a building day next Saturday, when members of the public can help him with the project. The house will be life-size with a staircase, toilet and shower, and May said once it was completed he intended to live in it for a few days. He said although the house would be temporary, there had still been various "planning hoops" to leap through.

"I've got a man working on a flushing Lego lavatory. We think it's possible. Things like power supply, sanitation and plumbing coming into the house are as they could be for a real building... everything within my Lego house must as far as possible be Lego," he said.

May said although he already had thousands of Lego bricks, he could not be sure there would be enough. "So if people do have bricks that aren't being used that they would be happy to donate to a very worthy pioneering Lego cause, then we'll be happy to take them off your hands."

First of all how do you get used to living in a place called "Dorking"? Then how do you get code authorities to signoff on a structure constructed entirely from combustible petrochemicals? I'm pretty sure Lego bricks don't have the kind of UV stabilizers that would allow them to remain outdoors for any length of time. But this would definitely be fun to build!

Lego Goes Urban - Streetcar

Well you knew it had to happen sooner or later on this blog. And since there are no petition drives in the land of Lego, our pretend-city is getting a streetcar!


Our old friend Akos Kostyan in Hungary built this on special request. BKV, or "Budapest Transport Limited" company wanted a LEGO model of their new streetcar (which they call a "tram"). They actually approached LEGO Hungary to have one built but LH turned down the offer. Akos told BKV it would be impossibe to model this tram in LEGO bricks but decided to give it a try. "I decided to concentrate on the shape, so I used non-transparent "windows". A lot of thinking went into the pantograph design but the biggest challenge was building the drivers cabin. I still have to figure out a coupling system for the tram, right now the cars are not connected, so the tram can only be used as a static model. It has two 9V train motors and the cars are on wheels, so otherwise the tram could probably run on train tracks without problems."

Here's the real thing he modelled it after. Excellent work Akos! Too bad he's so far across the pond, or I'd pack up my Legos and a few brewskies and stop by to play.

Cincinnati LEGO Store

Hover for controls, click to enlarge.

You heard it here first, now the new Cincinnati Lego Store is open at Kenwood Towne Centre, and it is fabulous.

Boxed sets line the left and right walls floor to ceiling. A row of portals runs down each aisle at kid-eye level. Inside each is a completed LEGO kit with an appropriate backdrop and accessories, forming a action scene.

Their selection is vast. From simple sets with few pieces for little kids, to 1000+ piece sets for ages 16 and up, costing over a hundred dollars. Most of the Cafe' Corner sets featured here on CityKin are stocked, and the Green Grocer set is on permanent display in one of the large dioramas.

In the middle of the store are display kiosks of some of their really complicated Star Wars models, and of course there's a play table next to a huge vat of bricks for kids of all ages to play with during their visit.

108 bins of both common and specialized parts cover the rear wall. Nearby dispensers provide "Pick a Brick" cups in roughly quart and pint sizes. Mix and match at will, and buy whatever you can fit into the cup for one low price.

Sales associates are extremely helpful, attentive, but not pushy, and knowledgable. They were clearly recruited for their love of all things LEGO, and then trained very well. I'm not somebody who usually likes retail excursions, but I loved shopping here.

A "Shop and Ship" touchscreen PC kiosk near the middle of the store allows you to order off the LEGO website, just like you could do at home, with one key difference. If whatever you want isn't immediately in stock, a staff member punches in a code, and it's shipped to you for free.

Sometimes I wish I could be a kid again. At this store, that wish almost comes true.

Lego Pride

It's tough to find LGBT Lego, but this model, entitled "Rainbow Warriors" actually got the colors in the proper order, and shows impressive detail right down to the lavender flight suits.

Even Lego neighborhoods support diversity, flying the flag to support their LGBT brothers and sisters. This scene almost looks like downtown Northside. All of us here at CityKin want to wish Porkopolis' LGBT community a happy and successful festival and parade, "Squealin' with Pride in '09".

Team Lego marches in the San Diego Pride Parade.

Lego Goes Urban - City Scenes

The Cafe Corner standard has a lot of folks building their dreams in Lego form, and many of them are getting together to assemble them into Lego communities. There's a metaphor in here somewhere...
(Click pics for larger view)




Fire at the Lego Hotel...

Lego Goes Urban - Market Street Set

Sorry for the lengthy hiatus in posts. I always seem to get behind at work during deer season. And many thanks to Mike for posting Lego Cafe Corner in my absence.

The Market Street set is another home-run from the folks at Lego. Models in this series are being produced at roughly similar scales to permit assembly into an urban neighborhoods. Now Lego afficianados have the option to build solo or join forces with others and start to build bigger developments.

Lego Goes Urban - Obama Inauguration

See the 56th Presidential Inauguration Made Completely Out of Lego!

The fine folks at LegoLand California are modeling the historic scene depicting President-elect Barack Obama taking the Presidential oath of office on the steps of the Capitol. President-elect Obama and his wife Michelle, and daughters Sasha & Malia, along with Vice President-elect Joseph Biden are replicated as mini-figures in LEGO brick. Hundreds of LEGOLAND mini-figures have been “invited” to witness the inauguration. Bush-41 snoozes on the main dais with wife Barbara (in her signature hairdo and pearls). There are even some celebrities in the crowd!

More than one-thousand mini-figures have been created out of thousands of LEGObricks to be a part of the festivities. Mini-figures include President-elect Obama and his family, Vice President-elect Joseph Biden and Jill Biden, President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Lynn Cheney along with former President George Bush Sr. and Barbara Bush. Other mini-figures depicting ceremony participants include: Senator Dianne Feinstein, Dr. Rick Warren, Aretha Franklin, John Williams and performers Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo-Ma, Gabriela Montero, Anthony McGill, the Unites States Marine Band, the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus. Park guests can also find Oprah Winfrey in the crowd witnessing this momentous event as well as read fun facts about past inaugurations such as "who gave the shortest and longest inauguration address" and "which inauguration was the first to be televised." The historic scene is on display from Friday, Jan.16 through Memorial Day Weekend.

Click any picture for a larger view, or get some background from the builder here by clicking the video in upper right.

A toast and blessing to our new president and his quintessentially-urban first family from all of us here at CityKin.

Cincinnati Bricks

Cincinnati Bricks is a 5-year old Internet sales company specializing in Lego sets and parts. Their "pick-a-brick" vastly exceeds what's up for sale at the LEGO store.

Above is a picture of their model of the Cincinnati Observatory, which is currently on display at The LEGO Store in Kenwood.

Visual Lingual Legos

In case you don't visit our neighbor, she has also had ongoing lego postings:

Visual lingual lego postings.

Lego Advent

This is a calendar with a little perforated doors in the cardboard. Your kid opens one door every day for 24 days, and inside are small Lego assemblies, like an evergreen tree, a sled, a boy with snowballs, a snowman. Great alternative to the traditional chocolates or candy canes:
 

Lego Torture

More "enhanced interrogation" lego here.

Triple Homicide

One downtown parent and her infant son are dead, while another downtown parent mourns her murdered daughter. It truly is an unthinkable tragedy. Parents know what that means. You literally can't imagine the death of your baby because it's just too painful. Trying to imagine another parent's grief is almost as bad.

Now begins the investigative and legal processes which will try to somehow balance this senselessness and set things aright again. We've had a lot of fun using LEGO as a playful proxy for how we would remake our world if imagination were all that mattered. Here's another more serious exploration along that same line.

For some inexplicable reason this design for a LEGO electric chair was rejected. Probably because it didn't include a Joe Deters mini-figure.





Click any pic for larger view. Click HERE for assembly animation.

I remain philosophically opposed to the death penalty. But it sure is difficult to stay committed to that principle when someone shoots a 3 year old and a 9 month old in the head. When it comes time for that particular criminal to receive justice, I'm going to have something (anything) better to do than to protest that execution.

FLW Lego

The first two Frank Lloyd Wright lego buildings are now available:
 

Related, see FLW on What's My Line

Lego Goes Urban - What Others are Doing

It turns out there a lot of creative people using Lego to bring tangible form to their urban imaginings. They seem to be coalescing around the Cafe Corner form factor and design standard. Here is a selection:

From Brickshelf Gallery, "The Coke Building"

From Akos Kostyan in Hungary, "Variable House"

LegoWiz gives us an "Art Deco Cinema"

Olly in Germany brings us the "New Yorker Building"

And from PJMoyers Brickshelf Gallery, another hometown favorite especially for Griff.

Lego Goes Urban - Light Rail

Now that our pretend city has its very own streetcar to circulate people within, they need more rail transportation to connect with other Lego neighborhoods. And since they don't have to worry about asking permission from voters, politicians or taxpayers, the addition of a light rail system is certain.

They have, however, received several bids in response to their RFQ (Request for Quotation). Please review them below and submit your purchase recommendation, along with rationale and justification for same, in the comments.

RFIs (Requests for Information) may also be submitted via comments, and will be responded to within 24 hours up until 18Feb2009.

1st Responsive Bidder - MTS

2nd Responsive Bidder - TGV












3rd Responsive Bidder - TriMet

Chic Lego Bikes

- buy this bike here

I don't ride bikes much. I used to. I used to ride all around running errands, and going to meetings. But my bike got stolen a few times, I never was good at repairing them, and then came kids... And with the kids it was lots more time consuming, and more equipment needed, kids seats, helmets, u-locks, baskets. It takes a lot of equipment to haul an adult and 2 kids around on a bike in the city, and I would just assume walk if I can.

But my wife has been very adventurous with the bikes, taking both kids out numerous times on pretty long treks through the city. Our 8 year old is pretty competent and seems to know how to ride safely around city streets. Next year our daughter will learn, and then maybe I'll start adventuring out again with the family.

But please check out Cycle Chic seems dedicated to snapping awsome photos of stylish young people on their bikes (style over speed, yeah). Their latest post notes that Lego now has a bike/skate shop.

ps: sorry I missed the Super-Bad Bike Show

Also enjoy my shaky video of a quick ride thru Washington Park in 2007. The lap after that short film, we crashed on top of each other, partially because I had a hand on a camera and not a brake. Bad dad.

Lego Goes Urban - Cafe Corner Set

Mark never posted this Lego set, but I thought it was so good, that it needed to be posted. It's better than a lot of real construction we see around here. -Mike


This is how a building should command a street corner...like it belongs to both of them.

UPDATE UPDATE:
Here is a picture from Amazon website showing several of these sets added together to make a taller and more substantial building:

The reviews on Amazon for this particular set are extremely positive.

2 yr anniversary

This blog started two years ago with four January posts. Kind of inauspicious.

I am happy with the direction of the blog, and only hope to have more original writing, especially focusing on some individual families, and how they are coping with urban Cincinnati. I think as people get more comfortable with putting themselves out there for the public (like on Facebook), they will be more comfortable with their photos and stories online. I know that I am getting more comfortable, but it has taken a while for some of us stuck in our old ways.

I like blogs that have several posts a day. To that end, I am very happy to have some co-bloggers to keep things moving here, and I also like that we keep things pretty positive despite our differences. If you want anti-everything and divisiveness, then you have plenty of options elsewhere.

If I'm reading the Google Analytics report right, we steadily get 150 individual viewers a day and about 2,500 a month. Sometimes we will get close to 300 viewers in a day. For example the inaugural Lego posting got tons of views. (good job Mark). Once in a blue moon, we will have a post that gets tons of visits. This happened when I had the Huckabee Christmas card juxtaposed to the Obama Christmas card a year ago, and some with easily googleable titles continue to get daily hits like Graphs, Pie Charts and the Economy. But those are not the direction I want to go. I am more interested in the local, urban, Cincy family stuff, and will try to keep focused in that direction.

Thank you for visiting, and please comment. ...Or email if you want to co-blog.

Kenwood Lego Store Opening Next Week

Check here for hours etc...

Lego Goes Urban - Green Grocer Set

(Click Pic for Larger View)

I always found it challenging to create an ornamented building with Legos. New specially themed kits are available to construct buildings that could easily feel at home in OTR!

You construct each story as a stand-alone project and then stack them. They're easy to unstack to play with the furnishings inside.

The first floor has refrigerated shelves, doors that open, and food cartons. Pass the mailbox complete with letters and there’s a stairway to the apartment above. Large windows on the sides make the detail easy to see.

Upstairs curtains adorn the windows, and a fireplace commands the living room. A banister graces the stairs, while a rear fire escape folds down for even more realism. Another banister ascends to the 3rd floor which has a grandfather clock and a radiator. A rooftop balcony with seats, umbrella and a grill round out the perfect urban lifestyle.

This set is recommended for ages 16+, due to the sheer volume of parts and the intricacy of assembly. It'll also set you back about a hundred and a half, so it's not for the faint of heart. But the fun and daydreams are more than worth it.