theBrickBlogger.com — Sharing the Passion of the LEGO Hobby!

Brick Breakdown: LEGO Hulk Buster Smash

by Thita (admin) on July 11, 2015

(Written by William)

In this Brick Breakdown series I review official LEGO sets, from the perspective of looking at interesting building techniques we can all learn from. Today we will be looking at the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash set. You can also check out the previously discussed LEGO techniques found in official LEGO sets at the end of this article. 🙂

If you are a fan of Marvel Comics, chances are you know of the Hulk Buster Iron Man suit. Like Batman in the DC Comics universe, Iron Man is just as paranoid of his allies as he is of the villains he fights, so he created the Hulk Buster to protect him from both sides. The Hulk Buster is also prominently featured in the recently released Avengers: Age of Ultron film – which is what this LEGO set is based on. The armor is big, bulky, and looks awesome both in the film and in the LEGO set. In fact, the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash is worth it just for the Hulk Buster itself. If you are planning to get any of the 2015 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes sets, I would recommend this one. Cool factor aside, the question remains; what types of techniques are worth looking at in this set? There are two that I would like to bring your attention to.

➡ ACTION POSE MIXED WITH PLAY FEATURE

One of the main play-features in the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash is that the Hulk is being kept under control by Scarlet Witch and Iron Man is trying to rescue him. Scarlet Witch flying over the Hulk is achieved by attaching her to a clear rod. In the meantime the Iron Man minifig can be attached to a super-jumper, and if you launch him correctly, he should be able to knock off Scarlet Witch. (You can see how all of this works in the video-review below.)

You mostly see LEGO sets in action poses when they are meant for display. For example in the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series sets. In the case of a LEGO Star Wars spaceship, it would be posed in an angle that captures a very intense moment from the film. However in the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash, the posing of Scarlet Witch is taken further by combining it with a play-feature. The rod she is attached to is not just there to make her look like she is flying, but it also facilitates the play-feature of knocking her off. This is achieved by a hinge that is attached to the base of the rod that easily makes her fall over. This is a rare, but very interesting concept, since posing a set for display and play-features are usually considered very different styles of building.

If we study the design, we can understand why all of this works. An action pose that does not move is all about being static – freezing that pose in time. A play-feature is typically all about putting something in motion, which commonly means you have to give up stability. As you can see, they represent opposite concepts. However in this set the small size of Scarlet Witch does help. The less you have to support, the less you need to worry about losing stability. And even if Scarlet Witch falls over, it fits exactly with the action feature. So at least in this set, the lack of stability for the action pose is an asset instead of a problem to overcome. The end result is a design that manages to capture two things at once; there is the floating in midair effect, and the crash and burn from the action. The problem with this technique is that it has a very narrow application. Imagine combining an action pose with play-features in a large LEGO Star Wars set!

➡ FIXED VS. BUILT MOUNTINGS WITH LEGO

Before discussing these options, it would help to explain what I’m referring to. A fixed mounting is typically a single piece that provides a point of connection that is special. An example of this is the ball-joints in the shoulders of the Hulk Buster. It is a 2×2 brick with a ball. A built mounting is anything that provides a special point of connection that is made up of multiple parts. In this set the Hulk Buster’s hips are an example of a built mounting. Because the Hulk Buster includes both techniques, and both use ball-connectors to achieve the same purpose, it is an excellent model to study.

Fixed mountings often have clear range of movement that is easy to figure out, even if you are looking at someone else’s LEGO creation. They are also simpler to build into a LEGO model. Basically using fixed mountings is the most user-friendly method to work with. Built mountings – on the other hand – take a bit more creativity. Which mostly means that you will need to consider structural integrity while creating a mount. And the upside is that you have nearly an unlimited amount of flexibility in how you might want to alter the mounting. Note that in the Hulk Buster each ball-joint is on an axle. This does restrict the legs from doing the splits, and it also gives you the freedom to line the legs up on a horizontal level. In this case, the legs are just a little farther away from the body which makes the legs fit better and gives the suit a little more stability.

➡ APPLYING WHAT YOU LEARN

Up to the point of building the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash, I never considered using an action pose technique for a play-feature. However this set has shown me that there can be times when this is possible. You might consider using this technique for some clever effects. When it comes to mountings, my advice is simple; fixed mountings are best if they do exactly what you want. When that is no longer the case, consider building your own. Keep in mind that having a visually appealing look is just as important as functionality when deciding whether or not to build your own mount.

So what do you think? How do you like the #76031 LEGO Super Heroes Hulk Buster Smash set? Do you have it already? And did you learn from the interesting building techniques used in the sets? Feel free to share your own experiences and tips, or ask questions in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the other reviews in this series:

{ 1 comment }

When music & LEGO combine into a symphony

by Thita (admin) on July 10, 2015

in Featured LEGO Creations

(Written by Geneva – gid617)

The Symphony of Construction is an elaborate telephone game that alternates between LEGO and music as artistic mediums. It’s an experiment in inter-media interpretation started by Paul Vermeesch. One participant will build a LEGO creation, and then another will write a piece of music for that creation, followed by another LEGO creation based upon the piece of music, and so on. The rounds feature some of the best builders within the LEGO fan community, and also some talented composers! 🙂

LEGO and Music - The Symphony of Contruction

LEGO and music are two of my favorite hobbies, so not surprisingly I find the concept to be an awesome one! It is very enjoyable just to listen to the music and try to see how it relates to the piece before, and to the piece after. Many of the LEGO creations also convey a definite emotion, besides being well built and full of neat details. Since each LEGO creation is based on a piece of music, the genre and building style are free to vary along with the moods and styles of the builders – which means that a piece of music based on a rocky pinnacle (After Eden by Paul Vermeesch) can inspire a heroic tale of knighthood! (A Hero’s Tale by Nannan Zhang)

LEGO and Music - The Symphony of Construction by Paul Vermeesch

LEGO and Music - The Symphony of Construction by Nannan Zhang

There have already been three rounds of this singular symphony, and I’d highly recommend that you check them all out at the Symphony of Construction website. Each round takes about four months, which is not surprising as these are high quality builds and also well composed musical pieces. It’s very intriguing to see the progression of thought and emotions from one LEGO creation to the other, and the contrast between the first and the last builds are sometimes quite striking – not unlike a normal game of telephone!

LEGO and Music - The Symphony of Construction Contest

Not too long ago, the Brothers-Brick sponsored a contest based on the same basic idea that underlies the Symphony of Construction – building creations based off inspiring music. Ian Spacek composed a beautiful piece (which you can listen to on the Symphony of Construction website), and entrants were challenged to transform the feelings the music evoked into LEGO bricks. I took a stab at it myself, and had a great time listening to the music and just seeing what seemed to be going on as it progressed. It was also kind of amusing to hear the rest of my family’s thoughts on the piece, as they sometimes got something completely different out of it than what I did. The winner of the contest, Mark Erickson, built this impressive diorama, Climax of Destiny. You can definitely hear it in the music! And you can check out the other entries at the Symphony of Construction Flickr Group.

LEGo and Music - The Symphony of Construction by Mark Erickson

I’ve heard some LEGO fans say that they like to listen to music as they build, and it does sound like a good idea! If you’re ever lacking in inspiration and aren’t sure what to construct next, maybe you should tune in to a favorite composer and see where that leads you! Or do already often listen to music as you build? Have you seen the Symphony of Construction rounds before? Do you like the concept? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

{ 4 comments }

Next Posts Previous Posts

Brick Breakdown: LEGO Hulk Buster Smash

When music & LEGO combine into a symphony

Get new posts by email: