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Blobfest 2020: The Home Edition

For the last several years I have been attending Blobfest — a local festival celebrating the movie the Blob at the theater shown in the classic film. Each year I set up my LEGO MOCs of the Colonial Theatre featuring a minifigure run out, the Downingtown Diner and some other MOCs featuring bits from the movie including a brick built Blob.

This year due to COVID-19 they are having a stay at home edition of Blobfest. So I created a new digital MOC of the festival’s street fair using my theatre MOC and two LEGO modular sets (the brick bank and the new bookshop).

You can see the street vendors (food, collectibles, t-shirts), a car show, retro roadmaps camper, and a minifgure run out from the theatre and a smaller brick blob (can’t not have him).

Super excited that the folks at the Colonial and Blobfest liked this display enough to share it on Facebook and Instagram.

Part of the fun is that they are including us at home. Having an at home run out, costume contest, Miss Blobfest, and Blob Across America. I did a quick stop motion video with my sigfig for that.

Black Lives Matter Even in a Yellow World

We stand with the black community against racism and inequality

I could not be more proud to be a fan of LEGO than when I saw them step up and do the right thing in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. They did not just say they support the movement, they are backing that up with a sizable donation! Way to set the bar for other companies.

We will donate $4 million to organizations dedicated to supporting black children and educating all children about racial equality

This was done the day after #BlackOutTuesday which I feel was the right move as many of the blackout Tuesday posts were disrupting valuable #BlackLivesMatter communications on social media that day.

But on Tuesday (June 2nd) LEGO affiliates were told to pull all police and firemen sets from their affiliate marketing.

Below is a copy of the email sent out to affiliate marketers on the Rakuten Advertising platform.

LEGO Email pulling police and firemen sets from marketing

In light of recent events, LEGO has requested the below products to be removed from sites and any marketing ASAP.

SKU	Product Name
60216	Downtown Fire Brigade
60246	Police Station
60233	Donut Shop Opening
60210	Sky Police Air Base
60215	Fire Station
60217	Fire Plane
60245	Police Monster Truck Heist
60139	Mobile Command Center
60244	Police Helicopter Transport
60214	Burger Bar Fire Rescue
60243	Police Helicopter Chase
60208	Sky Police Parachute Arrest
60231	Fire Chief Response Truck
60248	Fire Helicopter Rescue
60242	Police Highway Arrest
60207	Sky Police Drone Chase
60213	Dock Side Fire
40372	Police MF Accessory Set
60212	Barbecue Burn Out
60241	Police Dog Unit
60239	Police Patrol Car
60206	Sky Police Jet Patrol
60270	Police Brick Box
60247	Forest Fire
853919	City Police Vest
854018	Police Handcuffs & Badge
854005	Duke DeTain Key Chain
21054	The White House
10902	Police Station
10900	Police Bike
42091	Police Pursuit

While I might understand the removal of these sets from marketing in this trying time, I do hope they return to normal marketing soon. I don’t even promote these city sets myself very often, but I feel that these are important sets to have since kids learn through play these will help them know and understand that policemen and firemen are not all bad. Their services are much needed and that children and the rest of the world can still count on these first responders in their time of need.

Another Addition to the Cemetery

As a fan of Poe (as seen by some of my MOCs) I follow a few Poe related pages on Facebook. The other day The Virtual Poe Toaster shared a photo of a really cool tombstone so I had to add it to my LEGO cemetery.

This is the grave of Dr. Betts in Trenton, NJ. He must have been a Poe fan as well.

More information at WeirdNJ website https://weirdnj.com/weird-news/edgar-allan-poe-tombstone-lenore/

Find a grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10933257/truman-s_-betts?fbclid=IwAR2dmzu1uX8fLcwjGKpjlkeXpkgDM9cbIYdjQbi8vSeXqfpV8d-EEk9Vdp4

Charles Evans Cemetery

I already have a pretty large LEGO cemetery and nowhere to display it, but I am reworking it now to include monuments inspired by real cemeteries.

First up are a few from a local cemetery, the Charles Evans Cemetery in Reading, PA.

I started out with renders in Studio and I am now in the process of building them.

First images are the renders followed by the reference photos I used to create the MOCs.

Poe Toaster

The Poe memorial finally has its Poe toaster. Wish I had all the parts for him back in January in time for the actual toasting. Next year.

I will try and get him to Baltimore to toast at the actual monument this summer.

LEGO Community Leaves a Lot to be Desired

This is just my opinion so walk away now, if you don’t care to hear something that may conflict with your way of thinking.

I have been a part of this community for the past 20 plus years. Mostly lurking on the fringes of the community not speaking up nor taking part in many of the activities.

The reasoning for this mostly because I have seen a lot of nasty on the web (and even some in person) and I don’t want to be part of that.

Why do people feel the need to trash everything and everybody online?

Seriously, would you speak to someone in person they way you do online?

Think before you rip into someone.

WotNo! Clutch is missing

WotNo! asks “what no clutch here”?!

There is clutch on the top, bottom, inside, and front part of these new pods but this point lacks any clutch at all.

But why?

Cat Butt

I picked up some parts in the BAM (build a minifigure) area of the store the other night when we were at the adult (yeah right) build. I was hoping for the Winter/Valentine’s parts I have been seeing on the web (penguin, pink elephant head piece, pink torso with red heart, heart shaped glasses head, ice king). But no such luck.

I did get some black scottie dogs, charcaol kitty, dude in suit with bowler hat, and a few left over elves.

Once I was home and playing with them I noticed on the back of the cat the odd placement of the sprue mark (the piece of plastic that is left attached when the parts are molded).

It is at the exact spot of a cat’s anus. Yup, LEGO has unknowingly given us cat butt.

The scottie dog did not have this ossue as the sprue was on his back.

I am probably going to have to paint one. Just because.

Newstand Adult Build at LEGO Store

Fun build at the LEGO store tonight. But I thought it was for adults (well 15+). There were a bunch of under 15 kids there. Doubt they would let me show up for the dragon build.

This is the first build I have done at the store that has included a minifigure.

This is going to look good with the bookstore.

Apparently our store did not get the right parts as we did not have 1×6 plates in sand blue, but were rather given those in dark bluish grey.

Please Note: Even a build done in the LEGO store still has cat hair on it! Boris goes every where with me. LOL.

LEGO Cat

Boris Kitty has been a my helper LEGO builder for the past 14 years.

There hasn’t been a build of mine that has been sniffed, bit, or laid on by this guy since we got him.

Every build comes with his signature cat hair in it as well.

Keep up the good work buddy.