He is in his superhero period, and more particularly Batman, and he presents a new MOC very successful both technically and creatively in the dark universe of the vigilante of Gotham City.

Legomaniac was inspired here by the 1992 film Batman Returns starring Michael Keaton (Batman / Bruce Wayne), Danny DeVito (Penguin / Oswald Cobblepot) and Michelle Pfeiffer (Catwoman / Selina Kyle).

The result is up to the task, with this recreation of Tim Burton's snowy Gotham City and its disturbing but so surreal atmosphere.

Small parenthesis, my favorite Batman obviously remains the Batman from 1989 with a Michael Keaton in a state of grace in what will remain in my eyes his best role, a Jack Nicholson at the top of the cabotinerie and a vaporous and sublime Kim Basinger. All on a high-flying Prince soundtrack and in a crazy, dark atmosphere, but so special that it sticks to the image we had as a kid in Gotham City. And this MOC brings me back to that movie followed by Batman Returns. 

On the MOC itself, nothing to say, it is the paw of Legomaniac found there. A maximum of details, a snow very well reproduced on the sidewalks of Gotham, a convoluted layout which obviously poses problems of shooting, but a skilfully distributed lighting and a Penguin perched on his duck, quite simply brilliant.

I forgot, if you are looking for Catwoman, she is present, but discreet as usual.

To see more, know all the details of the creation of this MOC and discover it from every angle, go to the dedicated topic at BrickpirateOn legomaniac blog or on his flickr gallery.

The X-Wing remains without a doubt the most fan-replicated ship and Mike "Psiaki" takes it even further with this achievement.

However, I do not share the usual ambient enthusiasm, inevitable as soon as some little-known MOCeurs lay a realization, concerning the realism of this MOC. If it has the merit of being well built and using interesting techniques, some details are far from the original models used in the films of the Star Wars saga. The cockpit for example is not really alike, even if the nose of the device is one of the most ingenious among the many MOCs that I have seen of this device so far.

But as the American AFOLs say in their comments of Psiaki's flickr gallery, this MOC is "stunning", "cool", "so accurate, so thing, so thing" ..... So I leave you to make up your own mind by going to admire it from every angle.

While we are all hoping to get a UCS Tumbler in this new 2012 LEGO Superheroes range, here I bring you a creation from 2007: The Technic Tumbler by Mike Loh.

I am not a Technic specialist and I would be careful not to judge the relevance of using parts from this range for this Tumbler. What matters to me here is that the MOCeur tried to proceed in a methodical and documented manner to arrive at this rather convincing result.

The overall proportions of the machine are respected to the letter and this construction work spread over a year and a half is bearing fruit. Mike loh explains having gathered the sets, trucks and Formula 1, allowing him to obtain the parts necessary for this MOC, and to have gathered more than 1000 photos and videos of the original Tumbler to obtain a substantial documentation allowing him to reproduce the machine in the best conditions. He even got his hands on schematic blueprints of the Tumbler from the Batman Begins movie so he could coordinate the scale of this MOC with the original model. both front and rear suspensions work, and the engine is a V8.

This Tumbler would perhaps be the only set that would push me to buy Technic, not being a fan of the usual trucks, excavators and other backhoe loaders, or supercars of all kinds ....

To see more go to the MOCpages gallery by Mike loh. 

Let's go to a thorny question that divides LEGO collectors: Do you absolutely have to keep the boxes of your LEGOs? Should you fill your cupboards with these boxes or put them for recycling? Should they be folded, cut or protected while waiting for the sets concerned to increase in value over the years?

The answer to these questions depends on your intentions. Or not.

Many AFOLs buy their sets, assemble them once, possibly display them in their bedroom or living room, then dismantle them, often under family pressure, so that the parts go to their bulk destined for MOCs.
Others store their sets without even touching them, telling themselves that because they don't have the space to display them, there's no point in putting them together. And they will probably never put them together.
Throwing away the packaging is seen by some as an almost militant act: By breaking the speculative aspect of the set, they try to convince themselves to be real AFOLs who use LEGO for their primary function: Play.
Each situation is unique, and there is no objective argument in favor of preserving or not the boxes.

There are still some indicators that should change the minds of those who throw away the boxes of their sets without regret. 

What does a set consist of: A box, an instruction booklet, minifigs and loose parts.
In order of value we can therefore consider that the minifigs are the most important component of the set. The pieces would come in second.
But this reasoning overlooks an important fact: The pieces are only plastic bricks which, when combined, make up the set itself. The identity of the set is ultimately determined by its box which presents the content in its final form. And collectors are demanding: A plastic bag with loose parts, a few minifigs and a paper printout of an instruction booklet from its pdf format will never have the same value as an original box, even open and damaged , an original booklet and all the plastic, brick and minifig elements.

This is especially true for licensed sets or very old sets. Star Wars fans get carried away as soon as the franchise logo appears. They are willing to spend insane amounts of money to collect anything that can bear the Star Wars endorsement. And LEGOs are no exception. A set from the Star Wars range sold with its original packaging will see its price double, or even triple in some cases, compared to the same set sold in bulk, without box or original instructions. These same boxes and other instruction booklets also retail on bricklink, where the price per kilo of cardboard is exceptionally high ...

Finally, the part of the set which remains the easiest to assemble and which costs the least per kilo are the parts themselves .... The minifigs are also affordable, with notable exceptions like the Boba Fett from 10123 Cloud City for example. , and the rarest object over the years effectively becomes the box. And it becomes scarce over the years: Cardboard is a material that is difficult to resist to numerous manipulations, humidity, moving ...

This same box which takes up too much space today will undoubtedly allow you to get the most out of your collection if one day you decide to sell it to the highest bidder, for whatever reason. Paying the rental of a storage box to accumulate your empty packaging could even pay off over the years.

In the worst case, you will sell them to all those specialists in flea markets and other garage sales who scour the villages, accumulate complete sets in bulk bought for a few euros from sellers who have no idea of ​​the potential value of these LEGO, purchase boxes and instruction booklets separately at bricklink and resell it as a complete set on eBay for a more than substantial profit.

 The next time you want to get rid of a set box, don't throw it away, sell it. You will be surprised at the number of interested buyers .....

It is Variety who announced it in an article published on November 11, 2011: Warner Bros plans to launch a film mixing plastic bricks, minifigs and very real actors for 2014.

This is the company Animal Logic (Happy Feet) who would be in charge of the visual effects of the film, and the funding for the project is underway.

According to Variety, the project has been in the works since 2008, when Warner Bros. started to think with LEGO about a family comedy project. Screenwriters Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman will be on hand, as will producers Dan Lin (Lin Pictures) and Roy Lee (Vertigo Entertainment). Director Chris McKay (Robot Chicken) could also be on the project alongside Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs).

No details are circulating about the content of the film, except that it should mix real actors and digital animation. Casting is expected to begin in January 2012. And so much can happen between now and 2014 that it's best to avoid speculating.

One thing is certain, the partnership between LEGO and Warner Bros. should bring the LEGO universe even more to the big and small screen in the years to come.