I had already told you about this MOCeur which has invented and above all baptized its own scale for its MOCs, the "Moodland Scale", a scale similar to that used in the Minilands of LEGOLand parks.

I had particularly appreciated his General Grievous and his Speeder Bike with a Scout Trooper and even if his latest creations (see his flickr gallery) did not thrill me, I am still stunned by the ingenuity deployed to offer these characters based on judiciously used pieces.
The resemblance to their cinematographic models is obvious, despite a certain element of surprise at first glance.

M <0> <0> DSWIM puts the cover back with a teaser of his next creation which this time seems to me on the right track .... The ARF Trooper is simply excellent, and the AT-RT which we see one of the legs should be impressive considering given the work already done and the final scale of the machine .....

If you want to follow the evolution of this creation, add M <0> <0> DSWIM to your contacts on flickr or put his gallery favorite...

It is one of the machines that has been the subject of countless MOCs over the years and its status as a symbol of the Star Wars universe is undoubtedly for something ...

This time it's Rusty, inspired by Marshall Banana's MOC which we had been able to admire the dewback a few months ago, which sticks to it.

His X-Wing is successful, the cockpit is original and Rusty did not choose the easy way by avoiding the classic LEGO part usually devoted to this use. The nose of the machine is a bit thin for my taste (or the cheese slopes do this to me ...) but fits well into the whole. The rear is particularly successful and the engines are of a simplicity which does not affect the final rendering, very coherent.

The presentation support, although bulky, is ingenious, it does not distort the overall presentation of the vessel and is an integral part of the MOC.

Other views, including a close-up of the cockpit, are available at the flickr gallery de Rusty (aka magikstef).

One remark, however, intended for all talented MOCeurs: Don't neglect the staging of your photos. A checkered tablecloth, poor lighting, or a blurry photo can mess up your work and a lot of fans will miss out on your MOC because the shots or presentation don't measure up.
No need to start designing a photo studio if you don't want to or can't afford it: A simple white sheet and daylight will be enough to showcase your work for the enjoyment of the whole community.

This is in light of an interesting article by Kevin Peachey that appeared in the Business section of the BBC website that the observation is obvious: We have not finished seeing series of minifigs and other characters in bags of all kinds.

The basic premise is simple: households are suffering the crisis, children love to collect toys and manufacturers are eager to meet this demand by multiplying products at low cost and with a strong connotation. collection.

In Great Britain and for the first nine months of 2011, LEGO wins the prize for the best-selling toy (In total financial value) with its minifigs (Minifigure Series) to collect in sachets.
This success necessarily whets the appetite of competitors.

Playmobil (Figure Series) et MegaBrands (MegaBloks Marvel Character Building Series) responded quickly to LEGO by also offering series of collectable characters, sold blind and in bags that take all the codes of the LEGO range: Opaque plastic creating curiosity and surprise among the youngest, different color for each series, mention of the series concerned on the bag with a sufficiently explicit visual to make the purchaser understand that he will have to invest his pocket money to complete his collection of figurines ....

A little hypocrisy does not hurt, David Buxbaum, the marketing director of LEGO explains about the opaque and identical bags for the whole series concerned that this choice was made to reduce production costs. Different packaging for each minifigure would have been too expensive.
It is obvious that this is true industrially, but the main reason for this choice probably lies more on the concept of surprise and repetitive purchase to complete a range .... 

Analysts are clear: These cheap toys are selling more and more because they bring, besides the appearance collection, immediate playability and represent an obvious exchange value in schoolyards.

I posted a few days ago an article on Brick Heroes in which I mentioned the possibility that the Superheroes Marvel and DC range is also available in the form of minifigs in sachets.
These statistics and this article confirm this idea and I do not exclude that the Star Wars range may also be affected in the long term.
While no one expected it, it is already taking a turn with the launch in 2012 of the Planet series, about which we already know that two waves of 3 sets are planned.

Georges Lucas will surely see no objection to collecting even more royalties from stormtroopers, rebels, droids and Jedi in sachets ...

Many have tried it, but few have faithfully reproduced the now famous Droideka or Destroyer Droid.

LEGO has already offered three versions of this Droideka (minifig scale): A first version appeared in 2002 in sets 7163 Republic Gunship et 7203 Jedi Defense. A second version was delivered in 2007 in the set 7662 Trade Federation MTT . Finally, a third version is included in the 2011 set 7877 Naboo Starfighter. We will also think of the set 8002 Droid Destroyer of the Technic range released in 2000.

True Dimensions offers here a very elaborate version of this battle droid which has the ability to retract in the form of a ball like those seen in theEpisode I: The Phantom Menace when Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi must confront them when they arrive on the ship of the Federation of Commerce.

Purists will rebel against the use of certain parts from the Bionicle range, but after all, it's also LEGO ....

Are you inspired? You want to see your creation published in the next edition of the magazine BrickJournal ? So run fast on this page to know the details of the operation launched by Joe Meno, the publisher and editor-in-chief of this benchmark magazine in the LEGO universe.

To summarize in French the rules of this operation, you just need to make a diorama, a MOC, a thumbnail or whatever you want as long as your creation is based on the Superheroes theme. The best photos will be published and a prize is provided for the winners.

The best scene will be given a full page in the next edition of the magazine which will devote a lot of space to this new LEGO Superheroes range, and its creator will be offered the two exclusive Batman and Green Lantern minifigs distributed at Comic Con in San Diego in July 2011.

Other prizes such as works The LEGO Ideas Book et LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia will also be distributed. Entries must be sent by email to admin@brickjournal.com before November 25, 2011.

Legomaniac, if you read me, it is high time to take action .....