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Custom LEGO printed tiles by Print-A-Brick

There is a LEGO customizer I recently discovered who makes some really nice custom printed tiles, so I thought to share their info with you as well. Currently they are only printing wood-grain patterned LEGO tiles, but they are planning to add more designs to their store, and you can also ask them to make custom designs. 🙂

LEGO Printing by Print-A-Brick

Print-A-Brick is run by Dan Kees from California. Here is what he says about his project of printing LEGO tiles: “I have been a printer for most of my life, and a LEGO enthusiast even longer. Combining the two was only a matter of time. We use digital printing to create high quality graphics on just about any LEGO piece. Please take a look at our custom selections and feel free to contact us if you have a specific project you’d like us to consider. We are always looking for new ideas for custom printed bricks. We currently have wood-grain tiles, but we hope to expand our styles very soon.”

Custom LEGO Printed Tiles by Print-A-Brick

Here are some samples of Print-A-Brick’s current selection of printed LEGO tiles. As can see, they come in many different designs and colors and they are available 1×2, 1×4, 1×6 and 1×8 tile sizes. And as I have mentioned, you can also ask for other sizes and designs.

Custom Printed LEGO Tiles with Wood-Grain Pattern by Print-A-Brick

Also, Print-A-Brick’s prices are very reasonable. You can get bundles of four printed LEGO tiles from $2-$5, depending on the tile size. If you would like to check out all the different designs or would like to place an order, you can visit their BrickLink store here: Print-A-Brick BrickLink Store (photo by Carlmerriam)

LEGO Truck with Printed Tiles by Carlmerriam

Another LEGO customizer who makes printed LEGO tiles with a wood-grain pattern is CitizenBrick (we have talked about them before here: Custom LEGO Printing by CitizenBrick). They also have a very nice selection with somewhat higher prices. So, if you like, check them out both, and then get the tiles you need!

Wood-Grain LEGO Tiles by CitizenBrick

LEGO also has some tiles with a wood-grain pattern, but most are stickered. There are a couple of them however with a printed design; a 1×4 reddish brown tile that appeared in two of the LEGO Lord of the Rings sets, the #10228 LEGO Monster Fighters Haunted House, and one of the LEGO Lone Ranger sets. This one you can get on BrickLink for about 25 cents each. The other one is a 1×6 tile in either tan or yellow, but it has only appeared in three sets and have been retired 10 years ago. You can still get them on BrickLink, but prices are high at about $2 each.

LEGO Wood-Grain Tiles

Anyhow, if you would like to enhance your LEGO creation with a nice wood floor or wooden fence, you do have some options. Let me know what you think! 😉

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

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Brick Breakdown: LEGO Disney Princess sets

(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 two of the LEGO Disney Princess sets; #41051 LEGO Merida’s Highland Games and #41052 LEGO Ariel’s Magic Kiss. You can also check out the previously discussed LEGO techniques found in official LEGO sets at the end of this article. So let’s begin! 🙂

LEGO Disney Princess Review

Normally I like to talk about each LEGO set individually, however because these two LEGO Disney Princess sets use very similar building techniques but in different ways, they make excellent contrasting points on the same topic. So I figured I would put the two reviews together to get a more well-rounded look at some building techniques in these cute LEGO Disney Princess sets.

LEGO Disney Princess Sets Review

As far as the price of the two LEGO Disney Princess sets, they are only separated by $10, which allows a bit larger size and more detail for the #41052 LEGO Disney Princess Ariel’s Magical Kiss set. However it is not enough to make a major difference stylistically in how the two sets were put together. So pucker up and prepare for cookies in the face! 🙄

CREATING CONTEXT WITH LEGO

What we have in both of these LEGO Disney Princess sets is a well-known scene. Building a scene with LEGO requires a bit of context to help viewers understand what’s going on. For instance, if you have a skier but no snow, it’s a bit harder to put yourself into that scene. So let’s see what types of things are common to both of these LEGO Disney Princess sets – and where they differ – in presenting context.

#41051 LEGO Disney Princess

The major contextual element is always about where the event is taking place. In both of the LEGO Disney Princess sets we will find elements of a natural setting; each has a tree and a small landscape (one with a stream, while the other with a frog on a rock). Both of the sets also provide a location; a roughly castle-like structure where the mini-dolls spend their time.

#41052 LEGO Disney Princess

What differs in these two LEGO Disney Princess sets is what’s going on in the scene (which is often defined by who is present). In the #41051 Merida’s Highland Games Merida is alone, while in the #41052 Disney Princess set Ariel is with Prince Eric. So for Merida, the context is all about defining her character; she has outdoor skills and is more rough-and-tumble given the bow and arrow, plus the cookie-catapult.

#41051 LEGO Disney Princess Setting

Ariel’s set, on the other hand, is about creating a moment between two characters. When you are setting a scene between characters you need context for them to fit into. Therefore in this set you have a rowboat for two, a bench that can seat two, and dinner for two. In fact, the only singular activity in Ariel’s set is the spyglass on the tower, however there’s no reason Ariel and Eric can’t take turns.

#41052 LEGO Disney Princess Setting

So when you are designing your own LEGO models and need to provide context consider these two points: First, where is it located? This will give you an idea for how to decorate the setting. Second, who is in the model? Which will help you set the scene for your characters. The end result of paying attention to these details is a LEGO creation that can tell a story at a glance.

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING WITH LEGO

You may notice that both of these LEGO Disney Princess sets use those large quarter cylinder walls. What is different is how the are applied in the model. Merida’s is not used for a sustainable build, while Ariel’s is.

#41051 LEGO Disney Princess Details

In general, large LEGO wall pieces don’t come across as being the most stable elements; they are thin and don’t have a lot of connection-points. This means that when we use them and want to build them up higher, we will need to build some support structures around them, otherwise we will run into stability issues.

#41052 LEGO Disney Princess Details

Ariel’s set has a play-area up top and there is a possibility to continue building higher. Merida’s – on the other hand – leaves an open air section with no support, but she gets to use the interior space for a table.

APPLYING WHAT YOU LEARN

Context is your friend when creating any type of LEGO display. As LEGO builders, our job is one part building and one part story-telling. We could find peace in just snapping pieces together, but most of the time we’re trying to build “something”. Even abstract art conveys a feeling or idea. This is where the use of context allows us to show what is going on in our LEGO creation.

Sustainable building is not something you always have to worry about, however if you plan to build large scale settings, it should be your number one concern. If you don’t spot the weak areas right at the beginning you’re going to have to do a lot of work later to compensate for it. Most of the time sustainability issues arise from a lack of sufficient support from below. Having a good foundation will spell the difference between a sturdy and tall tower and a moderately high and flimsy wall.

Shop LEGO Disney Princess Sets

So what do you think? How do you like The LEGO Disney Princess sets and the techniques we discussed here? Do you pay attention to the context of your LEGO creations and building in a sustainable way? Feel free to share your own experiences, tips or ask questions in the comment section below! 😉

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

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