The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide

244 Pages·2012·34.594 MB·English

by  Allan Bedford

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What’s the difference between a tile and a plate? Of course, the real fun of LEGO building lies in
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Why isn’t it a good idea to stack bricks in columns creating your own models—from choosing the EENO 2 n d E d i T i O n
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to make a wall? How do you build a LEGO mosaic subject to clicking that final brick into place. Learn l lFIC
or build at different scales? You’ll find the answers how in The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide. IA
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Builder’s Guide. ABOUT THE AUTHOR G A l l A n B E d f O R d
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Now in full color, this brand-new edition of a well- Allan Bedford is a lifelong LEGO fan and builder ®®

loved favorite will show you how to: whose most ambitious model is a 5,000-piece BB
replica of Toronto’s famed CN Tower. An avid
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• Construct models that won’t fall apart photographer, Bedford spends his time chronicling
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• Choose the right pieces and substitute when the streets and people of his adopted hometown, ll
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• Build to micro, jumbo, and miniland scale
Includes the Brickopedia, a visual dictionary
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• Make playable board games out of LEGO pieces of nearly 300 of the most commonly used LEGO
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• Create photo mosaics and curved sculptures ss

• Build a miniature space shuttle, a minifig-sized GG
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What the LeGO® COmmunity is sayinG abOut
The Unofficial leGo® BUilder’s GUide
“I owe a great deal to Allan and this book. His writing was excellent in illus-
trating techniques and made the art of LEGO interesting enough for me to
devote an entire career to it.”
—jason poland, winner of the 2006 legoland model builder search
“Brilliant! Bedford guides you step-by-step through the wonderful, limitless
LEGO system. . . . A must-read for every LEGO builder.”
—tim courtney, ldraw.org, co-author of virtual lego
“An excellent resource for both the beginner and the expert LEGO builder.
I recommend it highly.”
—joe meno, editor in chief of brickjournal, co-author of the cult of lego
“This is the book I wished I had as a kid and as an adult returning to the
hobby. It’s a great resource and is going to have a cherished place on my
worktable for the foreseeable future.”
—jacob h. mckee, lego community development manager for north america,
author of getting started with lego trains
“The benchmark on all aspects of the LEGO building hobby. A ‘must-have’ for
those who are just starting to experiment with LEGO and experts looking for
areas to expand.”
—kieth johnson, aerospace engineer, united space alliance
“Makes for a great beginning for any future architects or LEGO hobbyists.
The detailed model instructions . . . inspire you to go further and build any-
thing you can think of.”
—gary istok, lego builder, collector, and historian
“Explains in clear and concise language the things you will need to know to
get started and develop your skills as a LEGO builder. This is a great spring-
board to unleashing the inner Master Model Builder that is in us all!”
—bill vollbrecht, former master builder for legoland california,
owner of www.brickcreations.com
“A clearly written and informative resource, an essential for any aspiring
brickmeister whether adult or kid.”
—john baichtal, wired’s geekdad blogger, co-author of the cult of lego
How many things are waiting to be created?
U N O F F I C I A L
T h e LeG O
®
B u iLd e r ’ s G u i d e
2nd edition
by allan bedford
San Francisco
The Unofficial leGo® BUilder’s GUide, 2nd ediTion. Copyright © 2013 by Allan Bedford.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the
prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher.
Printed in Korea
First printing
16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
ISBN-10: 1-59327-441-6
ISBN-13: 978-1-59327-441-2
Publisher: William Pollock
Production Editor: Serena Yang
Interior Design: Octopod Studios
Photographs and sketches: Allan Bedford
Illustrations: Eric “Blakbird” Albrecht
Developmental Editor: William Pollock
Copyeditor: Alison Law
Compositor: Serena Yang
Proofreader: Ward Webber
For information on book distributors or translations, please contact No Starch Press, Inc. directly:
No Starch Press, Inc.
38 Ringold Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; [email protected]; www.nostarch.com
The Library of Congress has catalogued the first edition as follows:
Bedford, Allan.
The unofficial LEGO builder's guide / Allan Bedford.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-59327-054-2
1. LEGO toys. I. Title.
TS2301.T7B44 2005
688.7'25--dc22
2005013747
No Starch Press and the No Starch Press logo are registered trademarks of No Starch Press, Inc. Other product and
company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than use a trademark
symbol with every occurrence of a trademarked name, we are using the names only in an editorial fashion and to
the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. LEGO, the Brick and Knob
configurations, and the Minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group.
The information in this book is distributed on an “As Is” basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been
taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor No Starch Press, Inc. shall have any liability to any
person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the infor-
mation contained in it.
To my mother and father, and my sister.
Thank you for your brilliant and unwavering love and support.
This book would not be without you.

Brief COnTenTs
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xiii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Chapter 1: The LEGO System: Endless Possibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Chapter 2: Back to Basics: Tips and Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Chapter 3: Minifig Scale: Oh, What a Wonderful Minifig World It Is! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Chapter 4: Miniland Scale: The Whole World in Miniature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Chapter 5: Jumbo Elements: Building Bigger Bricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Chapter 6: Microscale Building: More Than Meets the Eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Chapter 7: Sculptures: The Shape of Things to Build . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Chapter 8: Mosaics: Patterns and Pictures in Bricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Chapter 9: Putting It All Together: Where Ideas Meet Bricks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Chapter 10: Beyond Just Bricks: Other Ways to Enjoy the LEGO Hobby . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
Appendix A: Brickopedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Appendix B: Design Grids: Building Better by Planning Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216