Reviews

[Book Review] Beautiful LEGO

Posted by StevePoulsen on September 24, 2013
Posted in: Lego Books, Lego News, Reviews.

Beautiful LEGO Cover page

I got my Review Copy of Mike Doyle’s Beautiful LEGO in the mail yesterday, And it is just that BEAUTIFUL. Before I even opened it up I was impressed, the cover is A thick Paper Doubled over on-itself, with full color pictures, and a Glossy cover. When i overcame my jubilation I opened the book up on the kitchen table. My 2 boys sensing something LEGO in the house came in shortly there after and flipped pages with me. A few yelps of excitement later my Wife Joined us, and we all spent some good time thumbing the pages, with mixes of excitement at the beauty, and displeasure that we ourselves had never created anything that beautiful. The family consensus was that this is the best coffee table book ever!

The book alternates between sections devoted to an individual builder and those devoted to a specific theme, or building style. The builder sections are like most of the Book large full color photographs of impressive LEGO works of art, with a well thought out interview of the builder that is both serious, and just lighthearted enough to keep it lively and charming, in perfect sync with the rest of the book.

So now your wondering should you buy one too? Yes Definitely, If your An AFOL like me, the book is invaluable, not for any new technique or building skill it might teach, because that is not it’s goal. But A tool to explain what an AFOL is and what we do. Case in Point, I took the book to work with me today, It was great so see my coworkers fight over a chance to look it over and decide if I could have built anything in the book (Maybe was the consensus). But what really made it worth while was the ease at which I could show of some of the builders and their creations that make me proud to be an AFOL.

For the casual observer of the LEGO community, again it’s a great book, to peruse and see what is possible in a simple Ink and Paper Format.

If your looking to pick it up, you can do so From No Starch Press, or Amazon.com

[Review] The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder’s Guide

Posted by StevePoulsen on October 31, 2012
Posted in: Books, Lego Books, Reviews. Tagged: , , , .

Those who build with LEGO Technic will recognize the name Pawel “Sariel” Kmiec. Sariel, is a prolific Technic builder, whose creations range from innovative techniques to completed realistic builds which impress even the most jaded Technic fan. For a long Time now Sariel has been documenting his builds on his website (Sariel.pl), Now Sariel has taken the genius behind those creations and put it in book form so that everyone can learn from a master and improve their own Technic builds.

The Book “The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder’s Guide” takes Technic building to a whole new level. Sariel begins the book with a simple but necessary physics lesson covering topics the basics of Speed, Torque, and Power then quickly moving to mechanical topics like turning radius, weight distribution and center of gravity. Then the best part, Chapter 8, “Custom Mechanical Solutions” covers stepper motors, Scotch Yokes, and oldham Couplings, and even a recreation of da Vinci’s Leaf Spring Catapult. It’s a veritable treasure trove of engineering knowledge.

But what if you’ve got those mastered, Don’t Fret, There’s More, with chapters covering the modeling process, deciding on form over function and how to scale your model.

The information is presented in a logical flow, that makes it easy to understand. Printed in Full color, the diagrams are easy to understand and fun to look at. I can not recommend it enough, Go Go now and buy yourself a copy!

You can order your copy directly from no-starch press, or if you prefer Amazon.com