Details: This version of Luxo Jr (we swear, this is really a much-beloved Pixar character) may be one of the most complex "simple" objects we've ever seen. The high amount of detail shown here was made possible by using various parts with clips the size of minifig hands and bars that fit inside of those clips. They're not as well-known as the standard LEGO bricks, but they've been becoming increasingly common over the past several decades. By the 80's, we were seeing those sorts of parts used not just for minifig accessories, but in Space robots and in various lamp models. LEGO didn't really make this into much of a standard "system" until the past 10 years or so - the unexpected popularity of the lightsaber element made it practical to think of these as elements you can build with and not just decorative accessories. Suddenly, what started as a coincidence of common measurements has become a real system you can build realistic models out of.
Details: The birds are angry. The pigs don't stand a chance. Particularly if the other birds are also built out with studs facing every direction. The eyebrows are actually adjustable (the joys of mounting a 1x2 tile on top of small plate), but the really angry look captured here seems to capture the feel of the popular game surprisingly well.
Details: Last year, we covered a brickfilm that was assembled as a music video for the song 8-bit Trip by rymdreglage. Now we can see a little bit behind the scenes thanks to these new photos on their website.
Details: NeXTSTORM is back with more NXT-based animatronic videos. We've previously featured his Pirates and Paradisa themed videos, and this time he turns his attention to the Space theme. The big twist? Figuratively, the use of cameras on a platform controlled by NXT motors. Literally, the whole middle of this thing is spinning. Once again, you need to watch the whole video to get the full effect. The "Found At" link above also contains a summary with a decent listing of what was used to make the magic happen.
Details: This clever little animation is a fun way to get a feel for the various challenges in this year's FIRST LEGO LEAGUE competition. Although LEGO® Robotics kits (either the original Mindstorms kit with the RCX or the LEGO® MINDSTORMS NXT), this animation shows minifigs solving the challenge with vehicles you might find in any LEGO® town. The theme of this year's contest is "Power Puzzle", so most of the tasks for the robot to do have a power-saving or power-generating theme. FIRST and LEGO have been teaming up for these tournaments for several years now with the goal of getting kids (of roughly junior-high age) into robotics. While most of the kids choose to navigate the challenges using dead reckoning, they do get hands-on experience with programming and learn a few things about constructing a sturdy robot chassis. In any given year, there are a few teams that rise above the pack, trying out more complex robotics ideas out and solving all of the challenges in that year's contest. You should be able to find out if there is an open tournament in your area at http://www.firstlegoleague.org/Calendar.aspx?pid=210 , but most of the local level tournaments have already passed.
This version of Luxo Jr
(we swear, this is really a much-beloved Pixar character) may be one of the most complex "simple" objects we've ever seen. The high amount of detail shown here was made possible by using various parts with clips the size of minifig hands and bars that fit inside of those clips. They're not as well-known as the standard LEGO bricks, but they've been becoming increasingly common over the past several decades. By the 80's, we were seeing those sorts of parts used not just for minifig accessories, but in Space robots and in various lamp models. LEGO didn't really make this into much of a standard "system" until the past 10 years or so - the unexpected popularity of the lightsaber element made it practical to think of these as elements you can build with and not just decorative accessories. Suddenly, what started as a coincidence of common measurements has become a real system you can build realistic models out of.
. The pigs don't stand a chance. Particularly if the other birds are also built out with studs facing every direction. The eyebrows are actually adjustable (the joys of mounting a 1x2 tile on top of small plate), but the really angry look captured here seems to capture the feel of the popular game surprisingly well. 
), this animation shows minifigs solving the challenge with vehicles you might find in any LEGO® town.
