Smartgun Tutorial by Catsy

Brandon Bannerman (Catsy) is both a customizer and fan of the Alien's movies. Thus, it's no surprise that he's put together a tutorial on how to create your own minifig smartgun using BrickArms and LEGO parts.

Pricey? It can be if you don't have the requisite BA parts, but what can you do until Hazel releases his version via United Armory?

You can see the full tutorial on Brandon's Flickr stream.

V&A Steamworks Stovepipe Hats at Bricks by the Bay

Bricks by the Bay is this weekend, and those attending are starting to put up some of what they'll be bringing. V&A Steamworks will be selling stovepipe hats in black and white and some with printed bands as well. They will be selling for $4 USD each, or three hats for $10 USD.

Not going to be in Northern California this weekend? No worries. It sounds like the hats will be available to the general public soon.

(Via V&A Steamworks Flickr stream)

BrickArms Micro D.O.G. Pack at Bricks by the Bay

Dan Siskind just put out a blog post on Brickmania announcing that a new BrickArms pack will be available first to those attending Bricks by the Bay this weekend. The Micro D.O.G. Pack will feature a selection of dark olive green items, a color not previously available.

Not attending Bricks by the Bay? No worries. Brickmania will be selling this online in a few weeks.

You can read more about this on the Brickmania blog.

Black Lodge Customs for Bricks by the Bay Announced

Badger has announced the two Black Lodge Customs figs that he'll be bringing to Bricks by the Bay next weekend. Fans will be able to pick up a redesigned version of the Neo-Tokyo Street Punk and the all new Royal Rifleman. 

You get quite a bit in each package. The Street Punk offers up several BrickArms custom accessories, including four prototypes, for $25 USD, while the new Royal Rifleman at $15 USD gives you an opportunity to score a prototype musket along with other goodies.

Badger makes mention that the Heavy Laser Cannon prototype mold suffered some damage while producing these figs, so the value of these babies just went way up!

The figures will be on sale at the Brickmania booth on Friday and will be first come, first served.

Bricks by the Bay will be the first major AFOL convention of the season and starts next weekend. If you would like to learn more about the event, check out the interview with Bill Ward on the Ka-GO blog (a seriously good AFOL site that Ka.lego has just started).

You can see more about the Black Lodge Customs on Badger's Flickr stream.

Tiny Tactical Restock Today (3/11/11)

Just a reminder that Tiny Tactical is planning on re-stocking their shelves around 2pm PST today (3/11). The BA-G36 upgrades, gas masks, and flame thrower kits should also be available at that time.

Don't forget to visit Tiny Tactical on BrickLink in just a few hours!

Tiny Tactical is Back!

Well they never really went anywhere, but Steve has returned with new custom accessories. First up we have the flamethrower kit that was shown as a prototype back in September 2010. The final product looks great in olive drab green and will hopefully be up on Tiny Tactical before the end of next week.

But wait, there's more. Steve also has upgrade accessories for the BrickArms G36 including a drum magazine, grenade launcher, launcher sight, and folding stock. The only question I have is where can you get BA G36's, as they appear to be sold out at BrickArms.com?!

You can see more pictures on Flickr. You can also check out the Tiny Tactical store on BrickLink.

UPDATE: Badger clarifies in the comments on a few places where you can pick up the G36 (also known as the 'assault carbine'). It can also be found at FireStar Toys.

New Use for BrickForge Bayonettes

Pedro continues to show his inventiveness by find a new use for the BrickForge bayonet. With a quick trim the bayonet can act as an alternate hand allowing your figures to execute a forward thrust. This is a feature exclusive to the BrickForge bayonet because the clip is attached directly, as opposed to the BrickArms number which needs a u-clip (although you could rig up something similar).

This reminds me of the high-end action figures that have multiple hands for different poses.

The custom figure is courtesy of The Knight. The knife, gun, and vest are Hazel Fantasy, and the mohawk and bayonet are BrickForge. You can see more on Pedro's Flickr stream.

Beautiful Combos from Exobrick

Customizer Exobrick continues to astound with the great part combinations from five different custom houses (Si-Dan, Hazel Fantasy, BrickArms, Tiny Tactical, and Planet of Hoth).

The net sum is a perfect blend for an amazing character. You can almost tell the story of this Apocalyptic Samurai just by looking at him.

You can see more of Exobrick's work on his Flickr stream.

Two New Contests - BrickArms and VingnetteBricks

Two new contests have been announced. The first is BrickArms' 'Last Stand' Contest. The challenge is to create a 32x32 (or larger) scene of "a small group making a valiant last struggle against a much larger force". The prize pool is quite nice with accessories in rare colors, prototypes, and printed minifigs all up for grabs. You can see the full details and rules on the BrickArms' forums.

The second contest comes from a site I just found out about! VignetteBricks is hosting a 'Murderous Minifigs' contest. The objective is to create an 8x8 vignette depicting either a classic scene from the game 'Clue', or a riff off of the classic concept. This could really be a lot of fun! The title of 'King of Vigs' is up for grabs...that and some loot, of course. You can see all the details on VignetteBricks.

Quick Hits: New BA Freebies and Series 3 Contest

A couple of quick items before I get to more meatier posts...

BrickArms has announced that February's freebies are (drum roll please)...Jungle Camo. Johnny, tell them what they've won...

Johnny (in his best announcer voice): "Well Cygnet, orders directly from the folks at BrickArms may receive a one of a kind, randomly chosen weapon with jungle camo printing. Direct from Mr. Chapman's solvent inkjet printer, these freebies compliment any BAP collection and will leave the fanboys drooling for more. This offer will only be available in the US, as BrickArms does not ship internationally. Back to you Cygnet!"

Thanks Johnny. In other news, Eurobricks is hosting a Series 3 Collectible Minifigure building contest, quickly becoming a tradition among these fine folks. There are three categories you can enter - 8x8 vignette, interaction vignette, and the 'inappropriate minifigure adult special' (would I make this stuff up...yes, but that's beside the point).  All the rules and regulations can be found on Eurobricks.

That takes care of the bits and bobs of today's news. Now, on with the rest of the show...

What's Better Than One BrickArms MG42?

How about two BrickArms MG42's connected via u-clips? Taylor (Legtayor) combined these to great effect and even included a scope and magazine in the outside LMG slots. I'm certain Mr. Chapman would be happy if this trend caught on.

See this and more of Taylor's creations on his Flickr stream.

BrickArmy's New Custom Minifigures

BrickArmy's been showing off some new custom military minifigures on Flickr recently. This group shot shows off several that combine decals from Roaglaan, Hazel's Amazing Armory Ltd, and BrickArms. 

BrickArmy hopes to have some of these for sale soon. Check out their website in the meantime and see all that they have to offer. They have a custom boonie hat that's really quite nice.

Catsy's Object Lesson

So I try not to make the same mistake twice...Brandon Bannerman (Catsy) has yet another amazing scene he's created this time from the files of the Space Police. It seems that rouge cop Nigel MacGruder is leading the Jovian Fleet to plunder the Sol precinct.

Fantastic use of lighting in this scene, and do I see a new use of the BrickArms Brodie!

It seems Nigel and his gang will go to any lengths to keep order in the gang. That one bloke shot so close to the two men on the floor it seems they spilled their punch...

Check out more of Catsy's creations on his Flickr stream.

Huge FireStar Toys Sale and More

UK based FireStar Toys is currently having a huge sale on hundreds of items on their site. They need to make way for all the fantastic LEGO products and customs slated for 2011, including the Brick Command items we just reviewed!

What's more, since FireStar Toys buys from all the great custom houses around the world, like Amazing Armory Ltd., Si-Dan, BrickArms, Tiny Tactical, and now BrickForge, you can mix and match accessories and not worry about separate shipping and handling fees. Case in point...

You really like the Brick Command Wing Sword but worry how a Bat'leth would fare in a firefight. No worries, just pick up Federation issue phasers from either BrickArms or BrickForge too!

Do you want to expand your Spinjitsu master's arsenal? In addition to the Brick Command stars you could also pick up the BrickForge Sai or any of the Si-Dan Ninja accessories.

As one of my personal heroes, Ron Popeil, is often fond of saying, "but wait, there's more".  Now through the end of January you can use coupon/voucher code 'KV882256' to get an additional 10% off your order at checkout.

So hurry on down to FireStar Toys today. Offers are limited (not really), and operators are standing by (sort of)...

BrickArms Elements of Great Building December Winner

Congratulations to Pvt.Stringer for his winning entry for December's BrickArms Elements of Great Building contest -  Nuclear Reconnaissance. Some great presentation here full capturing the concept of 'snow'. Makes me want to put on my coat just looking at it.

No news on what the next monthly contest will be on the forums, but I'm certain Will and Badger will have something cooked up soon.

You can read more about this creation on the BrickArms forums.

Quick Hits: Custom House News

A couple of tid bits to share on BrickArms, BrickForge, and BrickTW...

BrickArms has announced that their January 2011 freebies will be (drum roll please)...desert cammo! So check your orders this month when you purchase the Modern Combat V2 packs and custom WWII minifigures.

You may have noticed that BrickForge has been updating their store with some new colors and prints on the guitars and hair pieces. You may want to hold off on rushing to order, however. Until Armothe lists an official announcement on the main page, it likely means that more additions are on the way.

Finally, BrickTW has updated their web site and now have a 'photo page' where they share many of their product related shots. Check them both out when you get a chance.

Price Drops at BrickArms

Will Chapman of BrickArms has announced price drops on several items at their store. The items and new prices include the following:

Now $0.25: M6 Rocket, Combat Knife, and Micro SMG

Now $0.50: Combat Shotgun, RPG, and Paintball Marker,

Now $0.75: Sawed-Off Shotgun, Combat PDW, Longslide, M1 Carbine, M1917, M21, Combat LMG, M1A1, Space Magnum, Space Assault, Claymore, and Spy Carbine

Now $1.50: Lewis Gun

With these savings you can take the extra money and buy the Modern Combat Pack V2 or one of their new custom minifigs. Check it all out in the BrickArms store.

Happy New Year and 2011 LEGO Shopping

I want to extend a Happy New Year to everyone in the Minifig Nation! I hope that everyone has both a fun and safe celebration tonight. Thanks to everyone for making 2010 a fantastic year, and hoping that 2011 is even better!

As we approach midnight in many countries, LEGO Shop at Home should begin to offer the new 2011 products including Series 3 Minifigures, Ninjago, and even the new LEGO Harry Potter Diagon Alley, just to name a few. If you still have a little bit of holiday money still burning a hole in your pocket, click over to LEGO Shop at Home today. You can find the link to your country here (US | Canada | UK).

The Ninjago Master Wu key chain offer should be affect in all three countries with orders of a sufficient size ($75USD & CAN | 55 GBP). I received a LEGO 2011 Catalog in the mail yesterday. The catalog mentioned that code 'SW51' needed to be used at checkout to receive the keychain; however, the information on the website does not mention the code. Just be certain that the key chain has been added to your order before finalizing check-out.

Also head on over to BrickArms tomorrow morning as the Modern Combat Pack Version 2 should be available for $16 USD.

Custom Crazy should also be open for business too! I'm expecting other announcements tomorrow, so it could be a busy day.

It looks like we'll have lots of ways to bring in the new year with a bang!

Jolly Roger II Contest at Forbidden Cove

I kinda dropped the ball with the Colossal Castle Contest this year, not announcing the custom minifig categories until late in the game. I plan to rectify that with Forbidden Cove's Jolly Roger II Contest.

There's lot of categories for vignettes and ship building, but BrickArms is sponsoring a custom minifig category for Pirates of the Caribbean. You can see all of the contest categories here.

So hoist the colors mateys and get ta buildin'. You have until March 15th, 2011 to submit your entries.

BrickArms Modern Combat Pack, Version 2

It looks like BrickArms wants to hit the ground running into the new year with a second version of the Modern Combat weapons pack. Retailing for $16 USD the pack will include two items of each of the following products:

• HCSR
• Combat SMG
• Tactical PDW
• PSR
• AC8 (Not pictured in photo)
• Assault Carbine
• Combat PDW

Colors remain a mystery, but you won't have to wait long. This will be available on the BrickArms store January 1st, 2011!