Nausicaa

[Andrew]

Not a bad movie, but it inspired one of my lego creations of late.  The pic below is one shot, a larger version of which and another angle can be found linked at the bottom.

I think I am going to start recreating things or scenes from b-movies.  The "torpedoes" crashing into the bad guy's control room in "Starcrash" is a must.



A full size of that (109K):
NausicaaF02.jpg

Another angle (99k):
NausicaaF07.jpg

[Gerry]

That is awesome!

Coincidentally I just got through watching "Knights of the Round Table in Lego" (from the MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL DVD) 50 times in a row with my kids.  For some reason my 2-year old thinks it's the funniest thing ever created.

[Mofo Rising]

Must be coincidence city.  I'm currently reading the four paperback Nausicaas (Perfect collection).  Finished the first, now on to the rest.

Of course, I'll have to wait until I can get a copy of the movie to watch it.  I was going to buy a copy off eBay, but I don't trust the vendors' shipping prices.  I did see the WARRIORS OF THE WIND version, like twelve years ago.  Reading the graphic novels is strange because they keep spawning deja vu type memories from that movie.  A phenomenon I've noticed for most things I enjoyed as a kid but haven't seen or read since.

Have you seen SPIRITED AWAY?  It's more in the TOTORO vein, rather than NAUSICAA or MONONOKE.  Still seriously demented though.  One of my favorite movies of last year.

P.S. Nice legos.  I assume you've seen the webpage of the guy who made that Enterprise model?

[Andrew]

> Have you seen SPIRITED AWAY?  It's more in the TOTORO vein,
> rather than NAUSICAA or MONONOKE.  Still seriously demented
> though.  One of my favorite movies of last year.
>
> P.S. Nice legos.  I assume you've seen the webpage of the guy
> who made that Enterprise model?

I had the luck of seeing "Spirited Away" in the theater, twice.  I am looking forward to its DVD release in April.  That is a must.  Not quite the movie that "Princess Mononoke" was for me, but very close.

You mean the Enterprise for TNG?  I have seen that one.  By far the most impressive Lego I have seen was an AT-AT.   It was done, as the best the builder could to scale.  In fact, here is that page:

http://www.suave.net/~dave/atat.cgi

Some people also made a really good model of the Columbia lately:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=26609

[akiratubo]

Nausicaa is simply fantastic.  Nice lego model.

[JohnL]

>Some people also made a really good model of the Columbia lately:

Several years ago, my local Kmart had a Lego display and there was a 3 foot model of the shuttle, complete with fuel tank, booster rockets, all standing on a mobile lauch pad. That was probably the most detailed :Lego model I've ever seen. I have Polaroids of it. They also had a cartoon type bear, but that was probably put together by pros as it wasn't really part of the display. It dwarfed my grandmother!

[Squishy]

Vaguely related story: I ducked into a small hobby/book store in Tokyo one afternoon and was confronted by a life-size R2-D2 made out of Legos. It came with sound effects. LOUD sound effects. REPEATING sound effects. I was cute for all of three seconds before the chirps and whistles were driving me--and everyone else who entered the store--nuts. Kinda doubt the little bastard's there anymore...

"Nausicaa" rocks. "Warriors of the Wind," however, is a nightmare if you've seen the original. People have looked at it and said, "That wasn't so bad. Why are you sobbing and projectile vomiting?" I tell them: "This is like someone took "Gone With The Wind" and replaced the vocal soundtrack with excerpts from "Droids."

DIsney got raked over the coals internally and externally for their marketing of "Spirited Away," and that's perfectly understandable: "Spirited Away" had a kickass trailer and the best reviews of almost any film that year--but only got limited release. On the other hand, major disasters "Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever" and "Swept Away," which could be smelled for miles away like the rotting corpses they were, still got full release to a screaming, fleeing public.

And then there's "Treasure Planet."

I appreciate Disney trying to do right by these films in releasing them in the US at all, and doing a decent job of dubbing them--it's much more commendable than the hatchet job they're performing on the HK action flicks under their control--but if they ever get another opportunity from Studio Ghibli, they'd do well to have more faith in it.

Daaaaayaaaamn, that ol' lady's got a big ol' crazy head.

[Squishy]

Correction: "IT was cute for all of three seconds..." I was never cute, what with all the fangs and flailing tendrils and acid-spitting.  Hssssssssss!

[raj]

Pros?!
They've got professional Lego builders?  Damn, all that time I wasted in school, when I could have dropped out in the first grade and gone on to a career as a professional Lego builder.

[Funk, E.]

COOL! Another full grown adult that loves LEGOS. I become less strange every day

 8-D

Does anyone have the URL for the Enterprise one? I've been wanting to build one of those for a while.

[Andrew]

Blame my wife for getting me back into Legos.  I certainly do (not that it means I am angry about it).

Here is the Enterprise:
http://homepage.mac.com/happywaffle/misc/PhotoAlbum27.html

I will definitely show off my currect project, once it is ready.  Waiting on some parts to come in from Bricklink and that could be up to 2 weeks.  So far, so good though.  I spent about 2 hours the other night figuring out how to build a turret that looked right for the model.

[Funk, E.]

Let's hear it for understanding wives... hip hip hazaa!

[JohnL]

>They've got professional Lego builders?

Well, I believe it was a contest, guess the numer of bricks used and win a prize, so they would have gotten someone with a lot of experience to do it, possibly someone from the Lego company themselves.

[Flangepart]

I've been able to real the collected manga of Nausicca. Loved the visuals of "W. of the W.", but i know it ain't the way it was made originaly. Dang, i wish i could afford the orig. DVD!
Niiiice legos, Andrew. I love those things. They make good homes/mazes for small rodents, too.
As for the Big E...it was the "D", not the "A'. I still prefer the Enterprise A.

[Andrew]

> >They've got professional Lego builders?
>
> Well, I believe it was a contest, guess the numer of bricks
> used and win a prize, so they would have gotten someone with
> a lot of experience to do it, possibly someone from the Lego
> company themselves.

I am pretty sure that the fellow who did the AT-AT is one of the "master builders" for Lego.  They do have "Brickfest" every year too.  Not quite the event that Games Workshop's "Games Day" is, but usually some pretty cool stuff shows up.

Pictures from the 2002 event:
http://www.brickfest.com/archives2002.htm

Pictures from the 2001 event:
http://www.brickfest.com/archives2001.html

My current project is looking really good.  I am actually thinking about keeping it together until Brickfest this year.  If I am still in country, that would be a neat place to show it.  Plus, just to see other people who recognize the model's origins.  If only the rest of the parts would get here.