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I’ve been thinking of my dear old friends at SCLUG often lately! It’s been years now but I still miss our collective builds. If you’re wondering what happened to me, wonder no more! I’m still in Colorado, living the dream. Should have tenure in a few months. But the bigger news is that I’m nearing the end of my first COMMISSIONED build! Do you remember that building I did a few years ago? The Prez’s office at Colorado State (where I work, remember) saw it and wanted me a big build like the one they did over at CU Boulder (https://www.colorado.edu/alumni/heritage-center/exhibitions/hit-bricks). After gently explaining that that build took several years (and many tens of thousands of dollars I assume), I talked them into paying for a 3×4 baseplate build of our original building, Old Main. It burned in the 1970s in a still-unsolved arson. You can see some pics and a video attached (of the building and the build, not the arson). It’s been really challenging to have to plan out stuff so I don’t go over my parts budget. I sure wish I was in Pittsburgh so I could order from Matt’s and Josh’s store and get same-day pickup! What a convenience!
Anywho, I miss you all and our wonderful builds. Judging from the forums (fora?) it looks like the group is thriving!
BTW, the pic doesn’t include the huge minifig scene–still buying all the parts for that.
Oh, it won’t let me upload the video (too big a file). Here’s a pic of the original building for comparison.
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeutiful! I assume a full interior to, yeah?
I’d like to see the video still-maybe a private YouTube vid or something?
Congrats on your first commission, of many, assuming you enjoyed it. Always good to hear what you’re up to.
I assume a full interior to, yeah?
Heck naw. Says no in the contract. No one would see it bc it’ll be behind plexi anyway.
I’d like to see the video still-maybe a private YouTube vid or something?
Great idea: https://youtu.be/On9m3D4ULeM
Doug, what a great commission and build! Congrats! We miss you here also. I was in Colorado back in early August for vacation but not anywhere near CSU.
Great build Doug! Good to hear from you. I see you used the light flesh color, perfect choice, but not easy to come by.
Great build Doug! Good to hear from you. I see you used the light flesh color, perfect choice, but not easy to come by.
It’s medium dark flesh (Lego calls it Medium Nougat). I was shocked that they have just about every basic element in that color! I had to go and look at another building in an obscure corner of campus that they said had the same color of brick. There are shockingly few color photos of the building for something that burned in 1970!
@Rich: yes, some period (late 1880s) and some contemporary!
I didn’t even know we were calling him “Old Doug”…!
But seriously, great to hear from you, Professor Cloud! Come visit some time, why don’cha?
After gently explaining that that build took several years (and many tens of thousands of dollars I assume)
lulz. Sounds like the folks that wanted a 5′ tall elephant sculpture to put outside their building.
Sounds like the folks that wanted a 5′ tall elephant sculpture to put outside their building.
So I just read the elephant forum and it made me laugh and miss you all even more. When they asked me to do a commissioned build here, I didn’t know what price to offer. So I called Jessica Rigney (Imagine’s former manager and current mother) and asked what they charged for a build. She gave me numbers that, um, surprised me (and the admin who were asking me!). Imagine had done a 3×3 baseplate build for the alumni center that I used for comparison. She warned me “don’t give away your time; don’t underestimate how much the parts will cost.” Oh, gosh, am I glad I listened! They had sticker shock but came around. And the cost ended up being pretty much right (text me 4192715057 and I’ll give you the final price if you like). Point being: if they don’t get sticker shock, the number probably isn’t right. People just don’t know how f’ing much this stuff costs. AND she warned me never ever to take a commission with Kragling. I didn’t know that you need special ventilation equipment to even use it. It’s a whole other skill. It’s also a volume thing: someone who does commissions for a living has the infrastructure. Someone like me has to develop a whole new set of skills and spreadsheets and stuff. Maybe not Josh, given his spreadsheet skills.
I’d love to visit. It’s a little tough right now because I’m budgeting for a year-long sabbatical (at half pay). If I’m in Pittsburgh, and can give notice, maybe folks’d like to get together? It’d probably be December…
. She warned me “don’t give away your time; don’t underestimate how much the parts will cost.”
Excellent advice!
So what’s @dc221803 been up to lately?? Was thinking about your Ikea build when working on a recent build of my own.
@randomdan You tricked me. I thought this was an update from Doug himself. Hopefully reviving this thread will pull him out of hiding (i.e. enjoying the beautiful life in Colorado). 🙂
Ok ok you flushed me out. I’m hiking the Colorado Trail (taking a rest day in Fairplay CO). I hope to try to finish all 485 miles before I run out of time but it’s iffy bc I only have 32 days. Got married last year. Got tenure. Working on a book about human rights discourse. (I actually wrote an anecdote about the LUG in there!!!) Been getting serious about backpacking. Did just under 800 on the AT last year (got knocked off by injury). Hoping to make another attempt in next few years. As for Lego, I’ve spent about five years working on a mega castle. Will try to upload pic…
Alas my phone can’t do it and I’m hundreds of miles from my computer. Josh, I sent you some pics by text, could you post those?
Sorry let me say that properly for this forum: @joshhall, I sent you some pics a while ago of the Lego work I done and now it needs posted but I can’t because I’m on trail. Can you post it so yinz can admire Castle Eveningland?
Wow you’ve been busy! Congratulations both for getting married and for getting tenure! COVID also inspired my wife and I to get more serious about hiking (only day trips though).
Can’t wait to see Castle Eveningland! (With a name like that I expect skeletons & ghosts galore!)
*randomly rotated, apparently haha!
Wow! Looks fantastic! Love the grape walker/wine making detail. The vines hanging off the bridges are a nice touch too. I concur that this is, truly, a mega castle!
Got married last year. Got tenure. Working on a book about human rights discourse. (I actually wrote an anecdote about the LUG in there!!!)
@dc221803 All awesome! Congratulations on everything! Glad to hear you are doing well. The castle looks sweet as well.
Now we need to get an update from @hannah133 yes? 😀
>> I hope to try to finish all 485 miles before I run out of time but it’s iffy bc I only have 32 days.
Yeah, I did the recreational math on that, that’s a lot of miles per day, and if you miss a couple days, you’re not gonna just make it up somewhere. Let us know how it works out. 485 miles is about the distance from Pittsburgh to Chicago.
>> As for Lego, I’ve spent about five years working on a mega castle.
Sweet, I’m always up for checking out a big castle. And I wasn’t disappointed, it was definitely worth the extra effort of downloading it to my desktop and opening it there so I wouldn’t have to view it upside-down. Has it made it out to a public display? Are there interiors like there were for the blue castle?
I’m a little uncomfortable calling it a ‘mega castle’ though, if it’s less than seven feet six inches in height. I’m gonna go with ‘acceptably large castle’ instead.
It’s good to see that you’re still Legoing. Every now and then at conventions I meet somebody who’s either a DENLUG or COWLUG member, and I ask them if they know you and if you’ve been active, and I’ve gotten very little useful information.
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