Well, coming fresh off of the ILTCO National Train Show Layout last week I'm worn out and at the same time pumped to do some building here fairly soon.

The show went quite well, and I think the layouts by all the clubs was rather impressive. As our the joint IndyLUG and CABR (Chicago Area Brick Railroad = Ondrew Hartigan's Layout with some MOCs by Brian Willams) layout it was probably one of the best town/train layouts I've done with IndyLUG since joining. It was especially condusive to running 8-wide trains of the type Mark, Jeramy, Ondrew, Brian W. and myself build. I think everyone's train engines had a chance to run the layout at least once. Both of my Wabash engines made their first multiple runs on the main line. I believe this may have been the first show where Jeramy's beautiful 3 new Monon engines (The switcher and freight engines in black and tan) made runs. Ondrew also ran his impressive Switcher and F-unit, as well his wonderful caboose was run for the first time in the two years since he had built it, as he said. We were also able to run a rather long freight train using two engines with four motors on a track powered by Jeramy's modified 3amp controller. We also ran passenger trains on our second loop, including Jeramy's Monon, John's stock Metroliner and Santa Fe, Brian W.'s Chicago Metra, and two very impressive old steam engines.

In my Independance Park, I usually set up blue-coat soldiers as American revolutionary soldiers on parade, along with my wild-west theme troops as Civil War era Union soldiers on parade. However Chris Leach from MichLUG noticed my Union soldiers and brought in his Union and Confederate soldiers for me to set up. Therefore I was able to create a civil war re-enactment scene which a lot of onlookers enjoyed.

Also, Jeramy's Union Station train shed and Head House were particularly impressive on the layout. A number of the scale railroaders came by and marveled at it's size. At least one attendee remarked to me that "This is Union Station in downtown Indianapolis isn't it!" looking at the Head House. I don't know if the guy was from Indy or not...

Other than the show we also had fun with the rest of the participating Lego-heads. Groups of us ate most meals together. We also had two nights and three rounds of "Dirty Brickster", in which I won parts to the Lego train shed set, parts to the Santa Fe engine and the RC freight train set, and I traded two bags of orange brick for some viking boat hulls.

In any case I think that spending time with the other AFOLs is the best part about the NMRA NTS show, and other multi-AFOL events like Brickworld and Brickfest. Unfortunately the NTS is in Anaheim CA next year and then Hartford CT the year after that. The next closest NTS is going to be Milwaukee, WI in 2010 so it will be a few years before another good chance to do one of these shows. However Brickworld is definately on for next year and it sounds like the year after that so it along with BABR will probably be our highlight shows for the next couple of years, at least for me.

Give me a couple of days and I'll upload a brickshelf gallery of  over 150 images from the show.

Now...that brings me to the future, or at least my building future... 

Besides three sea wall sections I need to build, my Independence Docks and Park for the Town/Train layout is "done" and I am going to set it aside for ILTCO / IndyLUG / Train / Town shows as needed.

I know in the past I said that my next project would be to build the Circle Monument but that is on indefinite hold for now. My next focus is going to be on my first love, a castle themed layout. Namely I am going to put a laser beam on recreating lands (with some artistic license) from my favorite video game Final Fantasy IV. I've kind of been moving that direction anyway by building the airships from the game...  

My goal is going to be first, to consolidate my castle figs under armies representative of the 5 nations of the world of light in FF4. Along with some Brickforge orders I made a few months ago I am very close to achieving this.

Second is to build the first, greatest castle of the Nation of Baron. Final Fantasy IV is under development, being ported to the Nintendo DS with 3D graphics (it may be one of the first 2D 16bit games to have this treatment). If you're a fan of the game is really big news, and along with this news new artwork has hit the net. I have a very good image as an inspiration for the build I want to do. You can see it here, on this French gaming website. This build will probably require me to cannibalize my blue Aithelnen castle, or buy a lot of parts (which I'll have to do anyway)... In either case it will take a while and my goal is to display with it at BrickWorld '08.

I am also going to convert my Bregedur Keep into Damcyan Castle from FF4. It probably won't change much other than I will move it from green raised baseplates to grey ones (same style), because Damcyan Castle is in the middle of a desert in the game.

Another long term goal is to build a moon base similar to the Lunarian Castle on the Moon in FFIV. Yes part of the game occurs on a moon. This will fill dual roles as part of the game MOCs and I'll have something to put out for a space layout .

Other than this short road map of castle-themed MOCs, I am planning to build the New York Central 20th Century Limited train consisting of engine, tender, passenger cars, and observation car (my black streamliner train was a study of this model). Hopefully I will get it completed sooner, but I will have it done by at least by NTS Milwaukee 2010.

Well to follow up my last post, I did indeed build the "Crystal Castle", a transparent version of set 375 "Yellow Castle". I topped it off with the actual white knight fig from the real set.

Not much to say...here are some picked images:

Once the full brickshelf gallery is moderated, view all the images here:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=250672

After the last IndyLUG meeting an idea was tossed around that I really liked. The topics of my 48 clear baseplate and set #375 Yellow Castle came up...let me elaborate...

What happened was, with the clear baseplate...the question was asked; why did I buy it and what was it to be used for? Well I bought it because I had the money and I collect rare trans colored parts, but I hadn't settled on a use for the darned thing. As for the Yellow Castle, a member (Brian A. I think) asked why the "Castleheads" like the Yellow Castle. Since, well, it is a rather plain set and in a rather obnoxious color. Most people, myself included, like it because it is the first castle set, has some unique minifigs, and the brick built horses are novel.

Not suprisingly the topic of building the Yellow Castle in a different color somehow came up...and I think I've seen it built in grey or black...possibly white...then a suggestion was made...I recall saying it but someone else might have my mind's a bit fuzzy... Building the Yellow Castle in trans-clear or some other trans color was suggested... Especially since I could build such an incarnation on my clear 48 baseplate.

Well at the time I dismissed it as cost prohibitive...but it stuck in my craw so to speak. I looked on brickshelf and I didn't find anything similar...other than this wicked ghost train...

Anyway, after some thought...I've decided to do it! I will build the yellow castle in trans-clear upon the 48x48 baseplate. I've entitled this build "Project Crystal Castle". And the bricklink orders have already gone out, it was pretty easy to determine what to buy since Peeron had the instructions. It should be my inagural build in my new Lego room at the house I'm currently buying.

Now you might ask, why would I build a castle in a transparent color other than to see how much money I can waste on BrickLink? Good question. The answer is Final Fantasy...well partly. I've always been a big RPG fan and a fan of the fantasy genre in general. When I build castle stuff I tend to build things you might find in say an early 1990's fantasy anime series or a Final Fantasy game...as opposed to something you might find in England or Germany.... I sort of have my own...story in progress I'd like do design a Lego castle / fantasy themed layout around. In my story crystals of elemental power factor into things, and well...A "Crystal Castle" fits into that story for me.

Also...it will just be friggen awesome as hell to see an all trans-clear castle built IMO! Ya' know wow factor and all that ^_^

I know my Lego would have been boxed up two or three years ago if I hadn't become involved in IndyLUG. In fact at the time I joined IndyLUG it almost was. I had kept a number of models together, most of which I brought to the first meeting I attended. However at that point I was planning on keeping the "toy" only to pass on to any kids I might have, like a number of other things in my parent's attic.

And I think that was the general expectation.

Lego is bought for (or by) younger children and early teens. It is then passed down to younger siblings, kept for later, or sold off. Enter the AFOL.

AFOLs break that mold by catapulting the "toy" into the hardcore realm of adult hobby model building, such as model railroading hobbies amongst others. I think the AFOL phenomenon was one of those unexpected, unpredictable things that the Lego company seems to be finally coming to terms with in the form of marketing and merchandising.

Especially after Jeramy pointed out the new Lego Hobby Trains Website in a recent forum post and poking around the Lego site the changes in just a few years are becoming obvious. Just looking at the Pick-A-Brick Shop on the, the Lego Digital Designer and, the "fan built" models like the Hobby Train Set and the Corner Cafe are proving it. With the internet to get the word out about the adult Lego community, more kids may grow up to enjoy Lego as an adult hobby. 

It's nice to see alot of the AFOL influence in some of Lego's current product trends, which I know has been in part a product of a conserted effort by a number of devoted AFOLs over the past few years.

When I first heard that these existed I was intrigued. Partly because I have a something of a penchant for transparent parts and also I have a use for such a baseplate in a possible space model. Therefore one day I looked around BrickLink and found one of these for sale...for about $50.00. Kind of pricey...nevertheless I popped for it and now I am the proud owner of one of these rare baseplates. I'm happy to say a prime example of one as well. It is in mint condition, no scuffs, scratches, or playware, and absolutely clear.

 The ultimate application of this piece will either be in a space MOC like I mentioned with some kind of underside lighting effect, or it could be used as water. Here are a few pictures: