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Ladies and Gentlemen! Children of All Ages! Step right up! Enter the World of
Brickling Brothers International Traveling Circus!
Last month, I finished my latest theme train/playset. Inspired by a Duplo
giraffe that I found in a mixed parts bin, I began building the train last
February after NELUG’s show in Hartford, CT. Parts of
the train were previewed in March at our Wilmington, MA show, and the final
train made its debut appearance at Brick Blast last month in Vermont.
Parts for this MOC came from several different countries, and it was primarily
built to travel as part of our train shows, thus the International Traveling
part of the name.
Taking the train one bit at a time:
The
Locomotive
Brickling Brother’s circus required a long train to haul the troupe and
equipment. Long trains require powerful locomotives, so I decided to go with a
steamer with at least six driver wheels. I wanted to build a steamer, with
working drivers, without using Big Ben wheels, which provided the main
challenge. The solution that I came up with was to use large wagon wheels,
which were the correct size. The problem with the wagon wheels is that the hubs
accept pins, not axles, which made it difficult to make them spin. The solution
was to add a shaft, which pushes against the wheel spokes, connected to gears
within the locomotive. The gears are driven by a technic motor which is
connected to the train motor at the front of the locomotive.
The wheels float a single plate above the track to alleviate binding in the
curves. The resulting 2-6-2, while not based on any sort of prototype, works
very well, and looks nice while running. The only problem I’ve seen is that the
drivers don’t like to spin in reverse.
The
Tender
I wanted a large tender to go along with the large locomotive. Early on, I
decided that the full train would have an alternating red/yellow color scheme,
to keep the cars bright and festive. The tender is loosely based on photos of
tenders that I found with prototypical 2-6-2 locomotives. The Brickling
Brothers decal was applied to help break up the yellow wall affect, as well as
to name the circus.
The Wagon Cars
Band
& Giraffe
Monkey & Snakes
Birds & Magic The wagon cars were actually the first cars built for this MOC.
Every circus needs a parade from the train to the Big Top, and circus wagons
provide the color and excitement needed to lure in the crowds. I did a lot of
web surfing looking at various vintage circus wagons, and I did my best to give
a feeling of the mixture of bright colors, elaborate carving, and exotic feeling
of the real things. Since I’m a six-wide builder, this wasn’t easy to do, as
each wagon had to stay within the boundary of four studs wide.
As for the wagon cars themselves, they are basic flatbeds, with
ramps that can be lowered for loading and unloading of the wagons. Chains are
used to hold the wagons in place during transport.
Next up are the
Livestock Cars. The next two cars house the horses that are used to pull the
wagons, as well as the Ringmaster and Magician’s horses. Each car holds four
horses, as well as a feeding bin with hay. The cars each come with a shovel and
broom for cleaning the stalls, and each can be
completely opened to allow the horses to be removed.
Following the Livestock cars are the
Flatcars These are just basic flatcars used to carry cargo. The first car
carries two folding bleachers, while the second carries a folding bleacher and
cannon (for the Human Cannon).
The Big Top
The next two cars carry the supports and canvas for the Big Top tent. The first
car, strategically stacked, is a simple
drop
bed which holds all of the supports. The second car,
a
simple boxcar holds the canvas. The door of the boxcar is based on a design I
found on Brickshelf, which, in turn, was based on a design by Chris Masi, so, in
a sense, I just brought it back home to NELUG. The top of the boxcar is
removable, allowing the canvas pieces to be placed inside.
Passenger Cars
Two passenger cars carry the Brickling Brother’s troupe. Both the
yellow and
red
car are built the same. Each is built on a drop bed frame. Each car holds
eight passengers, with storage beneath for items such as horse saddles,
barbells, and other miscellaneous equipment (including 2x3 plates to help
minifigs stand on carpet). Like the boxcar, the
top
is removable to allow access to the minifigs.
Finally, the train is finished out with a simple
Clown Caboose. This car is where Brickling’s clowns travel. Since clowns are
not particular about their traveling arrangements, there is no interior to this
car. The top is removable, and the clowns are tossed inside. This does have
the advantage of being able to stuff a large number of clowns into a small
space, however.
To give a sense of the length,
here is a patched together shot of the full train.
Once the train reaches a town, and is unloaded, the wagons and troupe
parade through town, inspiring patrons to attend the evening show.
Six wagons make up the bulk of the parade:
The
magician’s wagon, driven by the Magician’s assistant. The rear of the wagon
can be
opened by removing the back fence piece, allowing the magician to store his
equipment.
The
Band Wagon provides the parade’s music. Like the Magician’s wagon, the rear
can be
opened to provide storage for instruments and headgear.
The
Snake Wagon, can also be
opened, allowing the slithering serpents escape.
The
Exotic Bird Wagon, has been nicknamed “The Joker Wagon”, thanks to the color
scheme.
The
Giraffe Wagon, which is what inspired this entire project, uses some SNOT work
in order to enclose the giraffe, who turned out to be three wide at the base,
making it difficult to fit into a four wide wagon.
The
Monkey Wagon holds a single caged monkey, with storage space for bananas.
Once the parade has finished, it’s time to set up the Big Top. The simplest
piece of the Big Top is the
entrance. Pieces for the entrance are stored beneath one of the passenger
cars. Next come the
bleachers, which, when
unfolded provide comfortable seating for patrons. Finally, the tent itself is
set up. The tent is made up of several
pieces which, when assembled, create a structure of
Supports and Canvas. The canvas pieces are hung from the supports, creating
the Big Top.
Several acts are featured during the show. The participants include the
Ringmaster,
the
Bearded Lady and Strongman,
the
Magician and his Assistant, and
The
Human Cannonball.
The Human Cannonball was a fun mini project. At technic belt stretched across
the front of the cannon allows a minifig to actually be fired from the cannon.
When loaded, a ladder pieces holds the minifig’s feet in place. When the ladder is
pulled, the minifig flies from the cannon, much to the delight of the children.
The main acts are supported by
Clowns,
the
Brickling Brothers Band, and
the
Drivers who act as support staff. There are also Engineer and Coalman figs for
the train, but they regretfully did not show up for the photo session (I later
found them in a box from the last train show).
The
Full Show
This was a fun build, and it’s a fun set to play with, even in between train
shows. The best part for me is that it can be displayed as a train, a parade,
or a circus. At the last show we even set up part of the big top while the
train itself traveled the layout.
And to answer the big question: Where is the elephant?
The only elephants I own are from the Adventurer’s sets, and they are huge.
They are about 7-wide at the feet, and wider with the ears. They are also very
tall, scaling to about the size of Jumbo the elephant, who, I believe, was the
largest circus elephant ever. So, to answer the question, there is no elephant
because they are just too big. If I ever get a Duplo elephant, I may add an
elephant car.
As always, comments are appreciated.
-Elroy
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NELUG has been invited by the Middlebury, Vermont,
Chamber of Commerce to participate in Brick Blast 2007. The event takes place
this weekend, July 14th and 15th at the Middlebury American Legion.
Information about the event can be found here:
http://www.midvermont.com/events/brickblast/
NELUG members will be displaying our train layout, moonbase modules, MOCs, and
robotics demonstrations. The public is also invited to participate by bringing
MOCs and moonbase modules of their own. The Chamber will also be hosting
building competitions throughout the day.
Questions about the event can be directed to the Middlebury Chamber of Commerce
via the webpage above.
-Elroy
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Over the weekend, members of NELUG re-enacted the first
battle of the American Revolution. This was the second game for our second Year
of BrikWars. Our goal is to have at least six games by the end of the year.
The original scenario rules are
here.
Basically, the goal of the British team was to march from one end of the board
to the other. The goal of the Colonial team was to inflict as many British
casualties as possible.
This was our first attempt at using the 2005 squad rules, and was our first game
that was based on an actual event.
Dave brought along some raised baseplates, which made for an interesting board
setup. Not only did the British have to make it to the end of the road, they had
to weave through a narrow canyon to do it.
After the board was set up, troops were distributed in even numbers. 40 Brits
against 40 Colonials. A quick dice-off put Joe and I in charge of the British,
with Shaun, Dave, and Dan in control of the Colonials.
The game started quickly, with the proud ranks of British infantry marching past
Buckman’s Tavern, only to have one of Dan’s Colonials leap out from behind a
shed, taking a pot-shot at the British Officer. The Colonial then ran around the
front of the shed, only to be confronted by the entire British army. Picture Han
Solo running around the corner into a regiment of Storm Troopers.
The British squad, armed with muskets and bayonets, quickly stuck multiple
pointy things into the Colonial. I think it was at this point that the Colonials
realized how much damage a British squad could do. It was also at this point
that the British realized that if the Colonials didn’t form squads, it was going
to take a long time to pick them all off one by one.
Moving past the tavern and into the canyon, the British squads were forced to
narrow their formation, going in one squad at a time. The Colonials, all named
Tony, used this bottle-neck to rain fire down on the British. The British
returned fire, causing a couple of the Colonials to turn and flee.
Sensing that his troops were beginning to panic, the Colonial Officer moved up
to bolster his troops spirits. For the next few turns the pass filled with
blood, gore, and carnage.
Seeing that they were blocked at the pass, two British squads at the back of the
army formation left the road, flanking either side of the pass. Both squads
moved relatively unopposed until about midway down the board, when they were
attacked by rabid Colonials with pitchforks, sabers, and axes. One Colonial,
hidden in ambush behind the tavern, took an unfortunate shot from behind, caused
by a British squad in the middle of the board.
A few more turns of bloody combat ensued, until the Colonial blockade finally
began to break down. As the last Colonial in the pass fell, it was up to Dan’s
men to make their last stand. Armed with flintlock pistols, they charged the
British troops in a valiant effort to make a dent. One man did manage to kill
the British Officer, only to be kicked in the head by that Officer’s horse.
In the end, the British prevailed by killing all of the Colonials, though they
lost almost half their men doing it.
Overall, I thought the game was a success. The British acted like British, and
the Colonials acted like Minutemen would have. The moral rules seemed to work
well.
I think the reinforcement rules would have given the Colonials a more even
chance, but the game lasted about 20 turns, so they didn’t do too badly.
I think I left before the kill scores were added up, but due to the British only
getting 1d8th of a point for each kill, I have a feeling the scores were pretty
close.
Shaun Sullivan has photos of the game
here.
-Elroy
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Subject:
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NELUG to Disaply at GTE in Hartford, CT
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.org.us.nelug, lugnet.events, lugnet.loc.us.ct, lugnet.loc.us.ma, lugnet.loc.us.me, lugnet.loc.us.nh, lugnet.loc.us.ri, lugnet.loc.us.vt, lugnet.town, lugnet.trains
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Followup-To:
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lugnet.org.us.nelug
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Date:
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Thu, 1 Feb 2007 15:31:26 GMT
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Viewed:
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24074 times
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NELUG will be displaying at the
Great Train Expo in Hartford, CT
this weekend.
This layout will be a smaller than our usual layout, but will still provide
plenty of fun for the show. Please feel free to drop by and introduce yourself
if you are in the area.
Show hours are 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 3rd and 4th. Admission is
$7.00, good for both days.
-Elroy
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On November 18th and 19th, NELUG put on a wonderful
display at The Great Train Expo in Wilmington, MA.
Our layout continues to grow, and this display was no exception. We filled a
13’ x 26’ layout with everything from water to carnival rides. Our city
section, full of skyscrapers and traffic, was a bit smaller than usual. This,
however, allowed us to expand our carnival section, allowing more space between
the many rides that were displayed. We were also able to expand our train yard,
giving us more room to display the trains members have been creating, including
several New England road names.
Being close to Thanksgiving, we included a Thanksgiving Day parade which seemed
to be enjoyed by the crowd. Not far away was a new river section, which made
it’s debut at our last show earlier this summer. The addition of a Duplo shark
was a big hit.
On the opposite side of the river, our town/residential area was well laid out,
allowing minifig residents plenty of room for backyard picnics and romping on
the playground.
One new addition to the layout was a small subway module. Without much more
room to go up with the skyscrapers, we needed to start going down to the
underground. The addition of the subway brought our total number of running
train loops to five, along with a monorail running between the city and the
carnival.
Photos of the event can be found at the
NELUG website.
-Elroy
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Hello all,
NELUG is planning to get together this coming Thursday May 5th.
We will meet at about 6:00 PM at the LEGO store in the Burlington Mall in
Burlington Massachusetts, and we will head out for dinner at the Macarroni Grill
at about 7:30 PM.
Come join us and bring your MOCs for all to see!
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Hey All!
I was just curious about how many Moonbase builders out there might be
relatively close to me. Are there other Moonbases in or nearby New England?
The reason I ask is that although I plan to join in any Moonbase display at
BrickFest, I would also like to know what the possibilities are of local
displays as well. Anyhoo, how about a psuedo-roll-call of New England area
Moonbase builders:
1. Hendo, Greenfield, MA; 1 Module, Plans for 2-4 more.
Any others?
FUT: .org.us.nelug, just to keep it tidy.
-H.
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Actually, I've been meaning to ask (and this seems like an appropriate time):
I live fairly close to the MA/RI boarder. Are there any people in the area
who'd like to get together sometime? I wouldn't mind trying that at some
point. I like the (Boston-area)NELUG meetings, it's just difficult for me to
make them.
Evil Wayne
______________________________________________
"There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
http://www.geocities.com/legomaniac70
In lugnet.org.us.nelug, Eric Kingsley writes:
> In lugnet.org.us.nelug, Eric Joslin writes:
> > In lugnet.org.us.nelug, John P. Henderson writes:
>
> >
> > Seriously, I know you'd be in for a long drive, but I hope you can make it out
> > for a meeting at some point. And if you can find someone closer to your area,
> > set up a NELUG meeting out there! Maybe you can make us drive out to you. :D
>
> I would just like to throw in my 2 cents and say that I would be real excited
> if folks wanted to have NELUG meetings in other parts of New England. We have
> a very well established group in the Greater Boston Area that keeps our general
> meeting attendance at a consistant 15 to 20 people with special events
> occasionally drawing even more.
>
> That said, we started out with meetings of 4 or 5 which at the time I thought
> was unbelievable!!! Now I am disappointed if we have less than 10 people for
> most functions. (Although some events like Brikwars are pretty specialized so
> head count tends to be lower at those events).
>
> I guess what I am trying to say is that if there are 3 or 4 people in an area
> outside of the Greater Boston area don't feel shy about having a meeting. I
> personally couldn't travel very far very often for a meeting but every once in
> a while a change of scenery would be nice. Also there are things like Train
> Shows in other parts of New England that I would love NELUG to participate in
> but without a local contingent to organize the display it makes it nearly
> impossible to pull off. Right now I know there are Greenberg shows in Hartford
> and Providence along with the Wilmington MA shows that we currently do.
>
> I would definitly make it for a day at one of these shows and make sure the
> NELUG tables were available along with some of my MOC's. I just can't commit
> to all 3 days when the commute is so long.
>
>
> Either way we love having new faces at our Waltham meetings so if you can't get
> a group going elsewhere and you can make the trek then we would love to see
> you.
>
>
> Eric Kingsley
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In lugnet.org.us.nelug, Eric Joslin writes:
> In lugnet.org.us.nelug, John P. Henderson writes:
>
> Seriously, I know you'd be in for a long drive, but I hope you can make it out
> for a meeting at some point. And if you can find someone closer to your area,
> set up a NELUG meeting out there! Maybe you can make us drive out to you. :D
I would just like to throw in my 2 cents and say that I would be real excited
if folks wanted to have NELUG meetings in other parts of New England. We have
a very well established group in the Greater Boston Area that keeps our general
meeting attendance at a consistant 15 to 20 people with special events
occasionally drawing even more.
That said, we started out with meetings of 4 or 5 which at the time I thought
was unbelievable!!! Now I am disappointed if we have less than 10 people for
most functions. (Although some events like Brikwars are pretty specialized so
head count tends to be lower at those events).
I guess what I am trying to say is that if there are 3 or 4 people in an area
outside of the Greater Boston area don't feel shy about having a meeting. I
personally couldn't travel very far very often for a meeting but every once in
a while a change of scenery would be nice. Also there are things like Train
Shows in other parts of New England that I would love NELUG to participate in
but without a local contingent to organize the display it makes it nearly
impossible to pull off. Right now I know there are Greenberg shows in Hartford
and Providence along with the Wilmington MA shows that we currently do.
I would definitly make it for a day at one of these shows and make sure the
NELUG tables were available along with some of my MOC's. I just can't commit
to all 3 days when the commute is so long.
Either way we love having new faces at our Waltham meetings so if you can't get
a group going elsewhere and you can make the trek then we would love to see
you.
Eric Kingsley
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