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Index
Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide, 2nd Edition
WHAT THE LEGO® COMMUNITY IS SAYING ABOUT THE UNOFFICIAL LEGO® BUILDER’S GUIDE
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The LEGO System: Endless Possibilities
A Brick Vocabulary
Sizing Up the Elements
The Stud
The Tube
The Brick
Using Various Brick Sizes
The Plate
Using Various Plate Sizes
The Slope
Specialized Elements
Arch Pieces
Tiles and Panels
Cylinders and Cones
Cylinder Plates
Baseplates
Decorative Elements
Precision, Geometry, and Color
Why Precision Manufacturing Matters
Fun with LEGO Geometry
The Colors
For the Color Challenged
Review: The LEGO System
2. Back to Basics: Tips and Techniques
Decisions, Decisions: The Best Ways to Connect Bricks
Stacking
Overlapping
Staggering
Building Walls
Connecting Walls
Straight Bricks Can Make Round Walls
Bracing: Unseen but Not Forgotten
Bracing = Beams + Columns
Beams
How Not to Build a Beam
The Right Way to Build a Beam
Columns
The Simple Post
The Compound Post
The Chimney Pattern
The Keyhole Pattern
The Hybrid Column
How to Separate Pieces
Review: Basic Building Principles
1. Build big but think small.
2. Pick the right bond pattern.
3. Minifig Scale: Oh, What a Wonderful Minifig World It Is!
Scale: It’s All Relative
Creating a Minifig-Scale Building
Building Two Versions of the Train Station
Bill of Materials: The Parts You’ll Need to Make This Model
Step by Step: Train Station Construction Details
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9
Step 10
Step 11
Submodel: The Train Station Roof
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Substitution: When Other Parts Will Do
Substitute Walls
Substitute Arches
Substitute Windows
Substitute Roofs
Review: Building Techniques and Alternatives
4. Miniland Scale: The Whole World in Miniature
Miniland Scale: Bigger but Still Small
Creating a Basic Miniland Figure
The Best Bits: Useful Pieces for Miniland Figures
A Basic Miniland Figure
Creating Characters with Personality
Heads and Hats
Shirts and Skirts
Lots of Legs
Arms and Accessories
On the Run: Making Miniland Figures Come to Life
Miniland Buildings
Building Facades
Street Life: A Simple Downtown Scene in Miniland Scale
The People in Your Neighborhood
Building the Buildings
Behind the Scenes
Propping Up the Facade
Review: Miniland Scale, Big Possibilities
5. Jumbo Elements: Building Bigger Bricks
How to Scale Up
Building the Walls of the Jumbo Brick
Other Parts, Same Technique: More Ways to Make Jumbo Bricks
1×2 Plate: Building Instructions for the Jumbo Version
2×2 45-Degree Slope: Building Instructions for the Jumbo Version
Building with Jumbo Bricks
The Best Solutions from the Simplest Plans
Other Scales: Which Ones Work and Why
Approximation
Review: Jumbo Bricks Are Just the Beginning
6. Microscale Building: More Than Meets the Eye
Getting Started: Ignore the Details
Translating Ideas into Bricks
Reviewing the Technique
Replacing Full-Size Parts with Microscale Stand-Ins
Microscale Wheels
Microscale Windows
Instructions for Building a Microscale House
Review: Things to Build in Microscale
7. Sculptures: The Shape of Things to Build
Spheres: Round and Round They Go
Dividing the Building Process in Two
Sculpting Other Subjects: The Sphinx
Choosing an Identifying Characteristic
Building the Head
Techniques for Building Special Features
The Nose
The Ears
The Paws
The Headdress
Building the Foundation Last
Review: Sculptures Are in the Eye of the Builder
8. Mosaics: Patterns and Pictures in Bricks
What You Need to Make a Studs-Out Mosaic
Geometric Patterns
Creating Photo Mosaics
Print and Trace
Pixelating an Image Using a Computer
Designing a Studs-Up Mosaic
Design Grids for Studs-Up Mosaics
Mosaics on Edge
Review: Mosaics of All Sizes and Shapes
9. Putting It All Together: Where Ideas Meet Bricks
How to Think Like a Model Designer
Limit Your Scope
Pick Your Subject
Work from the Bottom Up
Let Reality Guide Your Design Decisions
Structural Decisions: Let the Real Thing Tell You How to Build
Look at Your Model from the Side
Pick a Scale
Color Concerns
Elements of Design
Shape
Color
Proportion
Repetition
Building the Triton Step by Step
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9
Something Wrong? Redesigning Doesn’t Mean You’ve Failed
You’re Done. What Now?
Review: You’re the Model Designer
10. Beyond Just Bricks: Other Ways to Enjoy the LEGO Hobby
Creating Your Own Building Instructions
Step-by-Step Pictures
Computer-Generated Instructions
Fun LEGO Games
LEGO Checkers or Chess
Connect-Across
Setting Up to Play Connect-Across
The Basic Rules
Playing the Game
Winning the Game
Review: Enjoying Every Aspect of LEGO
A. Brickopedia
How the Brickopedia Works
B. Design Grids: Building Better by Planning Ahead
Downloading the Grids
About the Grids
Design Grid #1
Design Grid #2
Design Grid #3
Design Grid #4
Using the Grids Effectively
Colorize Your Ideas
Description and Date for Future Reference
Drawing on Design Grid #1
Drawing on Design Grid #2
Drawing on Design Grid #3
Drawing on Design Grid #4
Review: From Grids to Bricks
Index
About the Author
Colophon
C. A Note from the Illustrator
D. Updates
Copyright
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