Brickvention 2011 and The Warrnambool Model Train Show 2011

Wow, after the last couple of weeks I'm going to have to have a rest from nerd activities. First there was the Warrnambool Model Train Show then the boys and I went down to sunny Melbourne for Brickvention.

Brickvention is a Lego convention that has been run in Melbourne for a number of years by volunteers and had also been advertised in the latest Lego Club magazine with the footnote being that the first 50 Lego Club members through the door would receive something special. We've been planning on going for the last couple of years but never made it because of other commitments. We made the effort to get there at 9:30 thinking that would be early enough but didn't make it there early enough to even get in the first two hundred!

By the time we got to the front door (about 45 minutes from Russell street) the line ran right around the city block and started at the front door.

Providing some much needed entertainment in the line and rattling their cups for charity were the guys and girls from the Terror Australis Garrison dressed up as various Jedi, Stormtroopers and assorted Rebel scum.

 

 Anyway we made it in after the boys were very patient to find the Melbourne Town Hall jam packed full of Lego fans big and small. Lots of displays some of a mind boggling size, a few stalls selling various Lego bits which it was really hard to get too in places and some very entertaining setups including Star Wars, Trains, Pirates/ Vikings/ Island. I managed to grab some Lego City Train minifigs, B1 got the Harry Potter Bellatrix Lestrange figure and i finished a series 2 collection for one of the ladies i work with.

Some of the Lego 12 volt trains were really rocking along

I'm not sure why B2's finger kept moving towards the Lego.

Lots of details i didn't spot on the day like the crows on the power pole in the bottom right of picture.

Halo Reach Actionclix figures

B1 received the latest release Actionclix that he's been sweating on. The figures are the Spartan Noble Six team  from the Microsoft Halo Reach game. I only really looked at them very briefly as they are over scale for 28mm sci fi and pretty soft in the detail department. One thing i did notice was that the sniper rifle on the figure in the blister was truncated while the picture showed a much longer version. B1 was trying to get the game to work but couldn't work out why the clix weren't making sense. Then he realised the clix insert had been put into the wrong figures at the factory. Doh! 5 minutes later he was in business.

Warrnambool Model Train Show 2010

The Warrnambool Model Railway Club members and their families who run this scale model train show in Warrnambool, Victoria over the weekend of the 9 and 10 January really need to be congratulated. That a small country club has run this for 11 years is just fantastic and a testament to their dedication to providing access to the hobby outside metro areas.

I managed to take my camera along this year and got a few snaps of different exhibits which come from around the state.

The Tottington narrow gauge by Allen Ogden was a great little scene down to the vegie garden in the right hand side of the box. He was having some issues with the switch to let the train come back and you can see him here adjusting it.

Tottington engine in B & W

This little explosives car (HO?) by Peter McDonald appealed to me and was a real treat down to the shotgun on the passenger seat. It runs with the motor apparently built up under the explosive safe.

To give you some idea of the size there is a CD to the right of this picture.

Pine Valley an N gauge layout by Andrew Cray and Amanda Fern. Here Andrew drives from the control and staging yard. About (very loosely) 1/100 th for the wargamers out there.

B1 looking at some scratch built HO railway buildings being put together by Colin Konig. Each of these buildings had the internal detail as well! Absolutely exquisite, you can see one going together at rear.
 

A Mr. Miyagi moment

I had a Mr Miyagi moment when B1 decided to help me with some Games Workshop miniatures that had been having their paint dissolved in the tub of Simple Green.

Mr Bean

B1 thought this was pretty funny and needed to be on the blog. Rowan Atkinson's character is pure genius and the animated version captures him pretty well too.
The gif is normally animated but doesn't seem to work here which is a shame.