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I’d like to announce the Castle contest for Brickworld this year.
Fling Things!
There are two basic machines of war that can be used to fling the brick
missiles: catapults and trebuchets. (Catapults use torsion skeins for power and
trebuchets use a counterweight.) For the purposes of this contest, entries do
not need to meet a strict definition of those medieval war machines. For that
matter, entries don’t even have to be “Castle” themed. Entries can be built to
look like actual war machines used in the middle ages, but they don’t have to
be. An entry could be Classic Space, Indiana Jones or even bare-bones-Technic
themed.
There will be a standard brick “missile” to fling. The missile is a
simple stack of 2X4 bricks in two layers: two 2X4 bricks side-by-side with
another pair of side-by-side 2X4 bricks on top of that that are turned 90° from
the first layer.
We do have some basic rules:
1. No size limit.
2. Use
only LEGO brand pieces.
3. There will be a “firing” line (probably tape on the
floor). The line will represent a vertical plane, and your Flinger has to start
entirely behind the line; not just the part that touches the floor.
4. The
Flinger has to use some kind of swinging arm to fling the missile (no pingpong
ball gun style direct-drive firing).
5. You can use anything LEGO to power your
Flinger. LEGO rubber bands, NXT motors, LEGO spring parts and counterweights
are all fair game. Just remember that your Flinger can be human triggered,
but not human powered. (You can’t smash your hand down on a lever to make it
fling.)
6. You can enter more than 1 MOC, but you can only win 1 award.
7. You
and your MOC have to be present at BrickWorld to be
entered.
If there is some loophole that I have carelessly overlooked, and
someone tries to exploit it, they can still Fling Things, but they will be
ineligible for winning an award.
-----
We’ll start the contest with the
Distance Competition first. Everyone who wants to try for Furthest Distance
gets 3 attempts. The whole group will get one turn. Then after everyone has
gone once, we’ll start a second round (like jumping or throwing events at a
track meet, for those who are familiar with that). While others are flinging,
you may make modifications to your entry to adjust it however you see fit.
After the Distance part is done, we’ll do the Accuracy Competition. You may use
the same MOC as an entry into both the Distance and Accuracy parts of the
contest, or you may enter separate MOC’s into the two parts of the contest.
We’ll use the same turn taking method for flinging at the target as in the
Distance Competition.
Above all, remember—flinging LEGO bricks is FUN
whether you win or lose!
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Let me take a moment to answer some
questions that people will probably ask
Q: Can I secure my entry onto a
baseplate to stabilize it when I launch stuff?
A: Sure. The baseplate would
just be considered a piece of the entry.
Q: Can I be uncreatively lame and
enter an actual LEGO set that flings things?
A: Well, uh... you know what—yes.
If you can get an actual LEGO set to fling the missiles farther and/or more
accurately than the MOC’s of the other contestants, then more power to ya.
Q:
Can I make the missile out of stacks of 2X4 plates that take up the same volume
as the bricks?
A: No.
Q: Can I put tiles on the top of the brick missile to
make it more aerodynamic?
A: No.
Q: Can I use the 2X4 bricks with the
magnets in them to make the missile heavier?
A: No.
Q: Can I use a LEGO rock
instead of the brick missile, since it looks cooler and more realistic?
A: No.
Q: Can I—
A: NO DUDE, Freakin’ NO!
See you there, oh and make it snappy...I’ve given you less that a month!
David Gregory
BrickWorld Castle Coordinator
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