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LEGO CUUSOO project: LEGO Steampunk

by Thita (admin) on February 15, 2013

LEGO Steampunk was all the rage a few years ago. I remember LEGO blogs and picture-sharing sites were full of LEGO steampunk creations; fantastic, rustic looking machines with gold highlights and steamy engines, operated by bespectacled minifigures in top-hats. 😀

Since then the LEGO Steampunk fad had died down some, but there are still great steampunk creations from dedicated steampunk fans that I run across from time to time. One of these is this LEGO Steampunk project on CUUSOO called The Adventures of SteamRod.

This LEGO project is created by a group of LEGO fans calling themselves Team Jigsaw. They felt that while LEGO has dabbled with Steampunk vehicles and minifigures in the past, there has never been a set or theme that has fully embraced the elegance and beauty of the genre. Out of nostalgia, they also wished to see the return of the legendary Johnny Thunder and his crew from yesteryear’s LEGO Adventurers theme. 😛

The Adventures of SteamRod is set in an alternate future where steam-powered technology never fell out of use, this CUUSOO project proposes an exciting set packed full of detailed vehicles and minifigures designed as a one-off tribute to Steampunk and LEGO Adventurers characters. This is a large set with seven unique minifigures included!

The LEGO CUUSOO Steampunk project includes the centerpiece SteamRod train, constructed from over 1,500 pieces and using many interesting building-techniques to achieve a classic steampunk look. The SteamRod also features hidden flick-fire missiles, a secret coal-car compartment, and a fully detailed engine-room inside the locomotive. The Laboratory Carriage opens to reveal a fully detailed interior, with machine schematics, robots, golden tools, crystals, ancient artifacts and vials of obscure chemicals to keep Professor Articus occupied. (The professor is one of the good guys – although a bit crazy.)

There is also a badguy, Lord Sinistree, who is attempting to steal the steam-engine of the train, which – according to the story – is an ancient, highly valued relic in itself. He is equipped with a prop-plane and aided in his mission by a couple of mechanical Slybots as henchmen. In fact, all of the characters have elaborate back-stories (see below).

➡ Lord Sinistree & Slybots: Selfish, bitter and disfigured from countless lost battles and schemes foiled by his arch-nemesis Sir Bolt, Lord Sinistree wishes to steal all the world’s valuable treasures and artifacts for himself. Helped by his clueless henchmen Slybots, the evil villain has created a plan to attack Sir Bolt’s train SteamRod, and steal away the ancient Steam Engine!

➡ Sir Jonathan Bolt: Distantly related to the famed adventurer Johnny Thunder, Sir Bolt has made it his mission to recover artifacts from long forgotten locations, and bring them into the light of day once again! Aided by his long-time companion and wife Abigail Stratus, Sir Bolt has made many friends, and a significantly larger number of enemies…

➡ Abigail Stratus: The headstrong and beautiful wife of Sir Jonathan Bolt, Abigail Stratus is the only reason Sir Bolt is alive. Pulling him from the depths of ancient temples and mystical machines is an often occurring event, and one that Ms. Stratus is not likely to let her husband forget. Abigail is the SteamRod crew’s weapons expert, favoring a stylish reticulated targeting eye-patch to help her never miss a target.

➡ Professor Archibald Articus: While deep in the jungles of Serenora, Sir Bolt stumbled upon a ramshackle hut which housed a bewhiskered and disheveled Professor Articus. After a quick spot of tea and a discussion on basic physics, Sir Bolt decided to recruit the slightly insane professor for his adventures around the globe. Nary a week goes by where the train SteamRod isn’t wracked by explosions and purpley smoke from the laboratory car. But nobody questions it, they merely smile and let the professor continue his experiments – most of which end up with fabulous results.

➡ Psi Clone R-1820: One of the first temples that Sir Bolt ever discovered contained the remnants of a long-forgotten robot civilization. Among the piles of greening copper torsos, a single entity remained. Lacking a voice box and the capacity for fear, the android immediately adopted Sir Bolt and Abigail Stratus and has remained a loyal companion and essential member of the crew ever since.

Pretty interesting, isn’t it? What do you think? If you would like to support this LEGO CUUSOO project please vote for it. Remember; LEGO projects on CUUSOO need 10,000 votes before LEGO would consider them for production. Voting is easy, just go here: VOTE FOR LEGO STEAMROD

If you would like to learn more about CUUSOO and see other featured projects, check out the following related posts:

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LEGO Ninjago Book: Warriors of Stone

by Thita (admin) on February 14, 2013

in LEGO Ninjago

I just finished reading the latest volume of the LEGO Ninjago book-series by Papercutz called LEGO Ninjago Warriors of Stone. We talked about this awesome book-series for Ninjago fans before (see: LEGO Ninjago Books by Papercutz), and today I thought to share with you a little bit about the latest volume. It includes some really interesting details about the history of the Stone Army, and also hints to the future of Ninjago.

I’ve got bad news for anyone who thought our fearless LEGO ninja heroes would have some vacation time after defeating the evil Serpentine in the last volume: the Stone Warriors are here, and they’re up to no good! What’s worse is that the mystical weapons of Spinjitzu are missing, leaving Jay, Cole, Zane, and Kai powerless against this new threat. Well, maybe not powerless – Sensei Wu believes it’s time to train their wits, and they’re certainly going to have the opportunity now…

Here is the official description of LEGO Ninjago Warriors of Stone: “Jay, Cole, Zane, Kai, and Sensei Wu are strangers in an even stranger land; Garmadon City! But the name is not what’s strange! The fact that everything is made of stone – the streets, the buildings, the trees, even the people! – that’s the really strange part. But how do you save people who have been turned into stone who don’t want to be saved, and will do anything to stop you? That’s exactly what the Masters of Ninjitzu must find out before it’s too late!”

LEGO Ninjago Warriors of Stone Details 1

Above is the first page in the book. I have to say that LEGO NINJAGO Warriors of Stone is awesome! One of my favorite volumes so far, and I have read all six of them. It is full of twists and turns, and surprises await you on every page as you learn more about the Stone Army and the story behind it. And as usual, the graphics are excellent with vibrant colors and great details, bringing our favorite LEGO ninja heroes to life… well they almost turn into stone, but that’s part of the story… I can only say; buy the book!

Jesse Post, the Marketing Director of Papercutz says the following about this latest volume: “As LEGO Ninjago crossed the 1,000,000-copy sales mark, the new storyline beginning with “Warriors of Stone” is a great time to jump on board the New York Times best-selling graphic novel series. With writing by master LEGO story architect Greg Farshtey and unparalleled art from Jolyon Yates, the series is a win with kids and anyone who loves to spend a rainy day with a pile of LEGO bricks. Plus, Yate’s hilarious stone grizzly bear will be everyone’s favorite LEGO villain by the end of the book – trust me on that!”

I also have a favorite quote from the book I wanted to share. Pearls of wisdom from Sensei Wu as he is talking to a doubtful Jay: “Ninja are the ones who go where others fear to walk, Jay. We have survived the fires of the Underworld and the gaze of the Great Devourer… we will survive this too.”

LEGO Ninjago Warriors of Stone Details 4

And for Ninjago fans who are wondering about the fate of Ninjago, there are some interesting tidbits hidden inside the book. First of all at the back of the book there is a letter from Papercutz editor-in-chief Jim Salicrup. Below is an exert from what he says:

“It seems that wherever you look these days, you’re going to see Ninjago! It’s truly NINJAGO-MANIA! In addition to the best-selling Papercutz Ninjago graphic novels, there’s also the hit Ninjago TV series on Cartoon Network and the Ninjago chapter books from Scholastic. Perhaps the only place you don’t find Ninjago is on toy-store shelves in the LEGO section – because they sell out so fast! Don’t give up, there’s more on the way!”

Did you catch that last sentence? Also, this was not done in the previous volumes, but in LEGO Ninjago Warriors of Stone there is a special 4-pages long preview of the 7th book in the series called LEGO Ninjago Stone Cold, where Sensei Wu reveals to the ninja that he didn’t tell them everything about his past. He says:

“Beyond the edge of the world, there is a place called the Tower of Tears. It has no doors or windows… only a true Spinjitzu master knows how to get in our out. Imprisoned inside the tower were the worst villains on the planet… or rather, they were imprisoned there until someone blew it up. With their prison destroyed, they were free to stalk the night again. And to seek revenge on the man who put them into that tower: Sensei Wu.”

What do you think? Well, actually… first buy the book. Seriously. The paperback version is only $7, and a must for any Ninjago fan. Then tell me what you think about those clues in regards to the future of Ninjago. Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below! NINJA… GO!!!

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

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LEGO CUUSOO project: LEGO Steampunk

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