Danger Mouse and Penfold by Louise Dade
LL-497 by Pete Reid
LL-109 by James Shields
Spitfire by Ed Diment

The Great Western LEGO Show showcases amazing models built by LEGO fans in the UK.  Every year, members of the Brickish Association bring their stunning creations to Swindon and visitors from all over the UK come to be inspired.

12 October, 2012 - 17:59

The official STEAM museum video of the event

I know I said the previous post would be the last for this year, but the official video of the event has just been put on YouTube. I know you'd like to see it...

 

Submitted by Huw on 12 October, 2012 - 17:59
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10 October, 2012 - 08:07

2012 wrap-up

Crew Of HMS STEAM, 2012
Photo by bluemoose

Here's a photo taken at the end of Sunday afternoon showing all of the exhibitors around the mosaic. It takes a lot of us to put on such a great show! I am 5th from the right.

You can find more photos from the show in the STEAM 2012 group on flickr and in Richard Selby's set on flickr.  Also, there was a small piece in the Swindon Advertiser.

If you've taken pictures and put them online, please post a link on our Facebook page.

That's all from me for this year. I can't wait to do it all again next year! See you then!

 

Submitted by Huw on 10 October, 2012 - 08:07
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9 October, 2012 - 09:10

Video of the event

Here's a short video made by Infinite8 productions of some of the exhibits:

 

Submitted by Huw on 9 October, 2012 - 09:10
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9 October, 2012 - 09:04

The completed mosaic

2013 mosaic

What a weekend! Very tiring but great fun. The event was very busy on both days and I think we may have broken attendance records, so thank you to everyone that came -- I hope you had a great time.

Thank you also to everyone that helped with the mosaic. The 384th baseplate was completed at about 4pm on Sunday afternoon. The picture on the right was taken from the balcony, then mangled and stretched in Photoshop to return it to a rectangle. Can you find the part that you made?

The answer to the competition question, the name of the fifth 'Friend', was Emma.

You can see more news and photos from the event on our Facebook page which, I'm sorry to say, I didn't know existed, otherwise I would have told you about it before the event!

 

Submitted by Huw on 9 October, 2012 - 09:04
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6 October, 2012 - 09:50

Live video now streaming from STEAM 2012

We are now streaming live video from the show using the Ustream video service.

Ustream Logo

Click here to see whatäs happening!

Submitted by admin on 6 October, 2012 - 09:50
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4 October, 2012 - 18:17

Colchester town theatre, by James Pegrum

Colchester town theatre

The first model I blogged about four weeks ago was James Pegrum's Temple of Claudius so it seems fitting that the last one I'll be writing about is James' companion model, Colchester Town Theatre.

In Roman times, the town theatre was situated to the north east of the Temple of Claudius. For some reason, Colchester had two.  This particular one could seat 3,000 people and was used for gladiatorial shows as well as plays.  Very little of it remains today, so the model is based on a similar one from the period that has partially survived, in Orange, France.

James says, "Following the death of her husband and a terrible event at the hands of the Romans, Boudicca, the recent Queen of the Iceni, raises an army and attacks Colchester. The event is followed by the sacking of London and St Albans before the Romans crush Boudicca and her army." 

"My models focus on Colchester and the area near the Temple of Claudius, including the town theatre and the area of housing between the Temple and the river Colne."

Together, James' models will make an impressive display.

That just about concludes my blogging before the event. Tomorrow I'll be packing the car and heading off to the STEAM museum with my contribution to the GWLTC train layout. But, stay tuned, because we hope to bring you news during the event and next week we'll post a couple of articles to wrap things up.

See you there!

 

Submitted by Huw on 4 October, 2012 - 18:17
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3 October, 2012 - 19:17

The World of Gerry Anderson will be on display at GWLS

The worlds of gerry anderson small.jpg

The Worlds of Gerry Anderson will be represented in LEGO form at the show this year.  If you remember Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet, Terrahawks and UFO, you'll enjoy reminiscing over some of the most iconic vehicles and sets from the shows reproduced in loving detail made entirely from LEGO. 

It's the idea of Gary Davis, who's been a big Thunderbirds fan since he was a child. Gary's collaborated with other Brickish Association members who will each contribute their own models to the display. The Marineville model I wrote about a few weeks ago will be a part of it.

Stand by for action!

 

Submitted by Huw on 3 October, 2012 - 19:17
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3 October, 2012 - 18:08

Win £100 to spend in the Dorling Kindersley online store!

Dorling Kindersley has kindly donated £100 to spend in their online store on the books of your choice and we're giving you the chance to win it!

All you have to do is buy your tickets online and you'll automatically be entered into the prize draw. Queues can be long in the mornings of the show so advance booking is highly advisable. We hope this little incentive will encourage you to do so! Don't worry if you've already bought them, you're already entered.

While on the subject of prizes, you'll also have the opportunity to win a Creator Seaside House simply by completing our visitor survey at the end of your visit, so be sure to tell us what you think to be in with a chance to win this great set.

Submitted by Huw on 3 October, 2012 - 18:08
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3 October, 2012 - 12:26

Container ship that's been two years in the making

Untitled

After two years of designing and building, Tom Groombridge's model of a Maersk container ship is finally complete and will be shown for the first time at GWLS. The model is based on official set 10155 Maersk Line Container Ship but this one is over 3 metres long and contains over 25,000 pieces!

Tom used the Lego Digital Designer to design the ship, which he wanted to build to 'minifig scale'. After researching real container ships he realised that it would need to be about 400 studs long. He started with three 10155 sets and any parts that he didn't already have, he ordered from Bricklink, the unofficial LEGO marketplace, and has had parts arrive from all over the world.

"It took me nearly a year to just design how the ship was going to look. I knew that it was going to be a big job as the design used over 10,000 parts." said Tom. When he started building it he hit a major problem. "Basically, it kept falling apart! I realised that it was going to need a lot more pieces to make it strong enough to move and take to exhibitions. It's taken a lot longer and used loads more parts than I first thought it would."

This is an ongoing project for Tom as he plans to built a working Harbour for his ship to dock at. He is hoping to have working cranes to load and unload the containers. We look forward to seeing that at a future GWLS show!

Submitted by Huw on 3 October, 2012 - 12:26
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2 October, 2012 - 19:45

Cool models and LEGO shops are not all that'll be at GWLS...

LEGO Presentations at STEAM

Once again some of the great builders from The Brickish Association will be giving presentations about various aspects of the LEGO hobby. The sessions will take place on the Station Platform, which is just before you enter the large display hall.

The schedule below will run on both Saturday and Sunday, so you won't miss out whichever day you visit:

11:00 - Building the Olympic Stadiums, by Warren Elsmore
This summer Warren was asked to help celebrate the Games by building the Olympic Park in time for the Opening Ceremony. Find out how he undertook such a daunting task.

11:30 - Designing & Building Steam Locomotives, by Andrew Harvey
Learn how to create detailed models of real steam engines

12:00 - Themed Builds, by Robert Clarkson
How to create your own new models that fit within the current LEGO themes

2:00 - Building my Home Town, by Skegga Thorn
Learn how Skegga recreated the notable buildings of High Wycombe for her minifig scale model 'High Brickham'

2:30 - Neo-Classic Space, by Jeremy Williams
How LEGO's first Space range from the 1970s and '80s inspired a modern fan theme

3:00 - Emergency vehicles in the Brick, by Ralph Savelsberg
Designing and building realistic scale models of British emergency vehicles

3:30 - Train Stations, by David Tabner
The inspiration, design and evolution of East Brickley and Brickgate stations, part of the SLTC train layout

We hope you have an opportunity to see one or more of them, they are usually very entertaining and suitable for everyone, young and old.

Submitted by Martin on 2 October, 2012 - 19:45
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