The mobilization of a slew of Minecraft fans will have done the job: Cuusoo is assailed by supporters of the minecraft project, so much so that TLC had to strengthen its network of servers to better support the load generated by the invasion of a horde of players who would like to see materialize Minecraft made of LEGO bricks .....

To be clear, I don't like Minecraft. This game inspires me nothing. But the community is immense, as is often the case with online games which benefit from the fashion effect and from a passing craze that is certainly temporary but remains massive. The forums on the subject are countless and millions of people, often very young, who spend their time in this fun and graphically a little collection. 

But it must be recognized that the minecraft project on Cuusoo is the only one to really take off by dint of spam and harassment on the forums for every player to vote. There are currently more than 4700 supporters of the project. And what is even more surprising, LEGO intervened to give some information on the follow-up to this project obviously very supported by a whole community.

From November 14, 2011, LEGO intervened officially on the project and announced work on its feasibility and on a possible commercial strategy around Minecraft. LEGO designers are in charge of creating some prototypes in order to assess the opportunity to launch licensed products. Because it is indeed a license, and LEGO is in advanced contact with Mojang, an independent publisher based in Stockholm, Sweden, to negotiate a possible trade agreement. This small team of 9 people will probably have no objection to a lucrative business partnership with LEGO. Mojang understands that the fashion effect must be exploited as quickly as possible via an avalanche of derivative products and you can already acquire t-shirts, caps and other goodies bearing the image of the concept on the dedicated shop.

I think LEGO is taking this project very seriously, not because of the core interests of Minecraft, but mostly for the huge community that the game brings together. All these players are as many potential customers for LEGO which will quickly find affinities with the concept developed by Minecraft: Collective play, use of bricks, creativity, etc ....

But could LEGO go even further and acquire Minecraft? I think so. After the LEGO Universe fiasco, TLC has announced that it still wants to continue developing projects in the field of video games through partnerships similar to those concluded with TT Games and Warner Bros. By absorbing Mojang, LEGO would obtain a large community to satisfy in derivative products and above all prevent other competing manufacturers from getting involved ...

Another contest entry wheels of justice organized by FBTB with this Green Lantern Mobile offered by OkayYaraman.

I am divided on this MOC. On the one hand I tell myself that a 5 year old kid could have done the same thing as the general shape is not really elaborate or inventive. On the other hand, this vehicle is well in the spirit of Green Lantern thanks in particular to the choice of trans-green parts. We obtain a kind of simplified and coarse Formula 1 which is only valid for its color and the few phosphorescent parts used.

We knew OkayYaraman more inspired especially with his Transforming Batmobile  who is also running in the competition wheels of justice. I let you make your own opinion on this MOC by going to the flickr gallery by OkayYaraman ...

Another quality MOC competing for theEurobricks LEGO Batman Contest which will have definitely had the merit of awakening a slew of MOCeurs, each more talented than the next ...

It's Patriot720 who sticks to it today with this superb scene in which a crocodile in the pay of Killer Croc doped with amphetamines tumbles into the street to sow terror. Killer Croc sneaks up through a manhole cover as the Bat-signal is already on for Batman to step in and put some order back.
Meanwhile, Two-face and one of his sidekicks are tweaking the plan for their next mischief hidden in the basements of Gotham City ....

Once again, we are entitled to a very successful MOC / Diorama. The crocodile is very well designed and alone deserves attention to the work of Patriot720. As with the LEGOmaniac MOC (Batman Returns), the Art-Deco atmosphere of Gotham City is there with buildings ingeniously constructed, and the sewer / street cutaway view works quite well with the crocodile going through one to exit the other ....

Many details come to decorate this scene: The bats in the sewers, the fire hydrant which spits water, the gargoyles on the buildings, the lamppost in the street and the Bat-signal rather successful too.

In short, an MOC that deserves to be visualized in depth, thanks in particular to the many close-ups visible in patriot720's flickr gallery.

I just received and leafed through this book everyone is talking about: The Cult of LEGO four-handed written by John Baitchal and Joe Meno, publisher of BrickJournal magazine.

It will have cost me 29 € at Amazon to acquire this work from which I expected perhaps a little more than what it has to offer ...

The set of 290 pages is well bound, with a beautiful black cover, lined with a yellow overcover of the most beautiful effect. The inner flyleaves are adorned with the designs of the patent filed by Godtfred Kirk Christiansen on October 24, 1961. 

The content is quite uneven. The photos are often ugly, taken by the MOCeurs themselves with the means at hand, and the texts are more or less interesting depending on whether one is an informed AFOL or a dancing LEGO enthusiast.

Many subjects are discussed with among others the history of the LEGO company, AFOLs, minifigs, LEGO-based comics, different construction scales or even LEGO-based video games.

The text in English can be read and you don't have to be perfectly bilingual to understand. The layout is modern, and the photos just needed better quality for this book to be an essential Christmas present. 

I remain on my hunger as for the form. Basically, nothing to say, the essential is taken seriously.

It's up to you to see if you want to add this book to your LEGO library. It is currently for sale at Amazon for 29.75 €.

A successful scene, which suffers, however, from some unfortunate finishing details like this piece of a different color on the floor in Old Dark Gray or the choice of Gollum's body which I find moderately similar.

The rock is well reproduced with a construction that leaves room for visible studs.

The presentation base is however successful and Bilbo is well represented. The general atmosphere of the scene is respected.

To see more, visit the flickr gallery by Blake's Baericks.