Offshore Rescue/Service Helicopter - Upgrading 6997

Lego's "second generation" helicopters developed a new design language using aircraft parts/windows starting in the mid-1980s.  These looked far more realistic than earlier helicopters, but I think a lot more can be done to this Rescue Helicopter 6697 set to modernize it without compromising classic design. Click through for more and a video review:

Spring 2022 Update

Life has been pretty busy since I last wrote on this blog and, admittedly, the feedback has been pretty sparse. So I've been redirecting my "hobby time" into my own enjoyment and focusing less on trying to monetize things like the Lego. That said...  here's a little update.

YouTube Channel Update for October 2020: How the "Relaunch" is going and some behind-the-scenes info

When I relaunched our YouTube channel about a month ago, it was to see if giving the channel more attention would be enough to push us back into monetization under YouTube's revised rules. It wasn't about the money, it was about something (literally) bigger than that.

Twitting about with Tweeter

Hello fans!  You can find us on Twitter now too:  https://twitter.com/Bricksburgh.  We'll be able to give you more updates and content-- FASTER-- if you follow our account there.

New Police Car & Community Day

This post is a bit of a throwback.  The pictures were taken probably about 2005 or 2006-- but that's the great thing about Lego: they don't really age.  It was fairly early in the Renaissance of Lego, as Tyler was just beginning his journey and I was rediscovering my love of building.  

There was to be a new police car in town but, using our imaginations, we couldn't just "plop" it in town... it had to be shipping in, of course!

A Little Help from the Future

While digging around in some minifigure parts bins,

I found enough pieces to make some old style Lego

Spacemen. I wanted to give them some more gear,

but then I remembered that their original gear looked

like the grey piece the guy in the foreground is holding.

A thought occurred to me:

Who are these guys' futuristic counterparts?

Harry Goes Rogue

Harry Potter should really stick to playing with his magic wand.  Uh-hem.   Somehow our favorite boy-wizard got his hands on a rocket propelled grenade launcher.

He's just a kid, after all, so what do suppose happened next?  Shortly after picking up the launcher Harry could be heard asking "what does this red button do?"  

AHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Barn Find!

One of our best garage sale finds lately was MOST of a horse stable set.  Originally full of details, our Riding Stable (set 6379) has been largely completed using our own extra pieces.  We were able to get a very nice setup despite missing some pieces.

Click on through to see how we've fit this partial set into Bricksburgh!

Bricksburgh's Tesla Supercharger HOW-TO

We've already tried to explain our lack of new videos.   We've shown you what the Bricksburgh Tesla Supercharger looks like.  Now we'll show you how it goes together and explain a few upgrades we have planned:

Click on through for our video tutorial and a look at our Tesla!

Where Horses Find Paradisa

Once you get out of the bustling beachfront and race complex of the main level of Bricksburgh, the buildings begin to spread out a bit and the countryside beckons.  The lower level of one table is full of suburbs with a quiet neighborhood street on one end and the Paradisa Rolling Acres Ranch (set #6419) on the other.

Click on through for our video tour!

#TBT Old Town Parade

In the interests and long running tradition of "Throw-Back Thursday"--  which dates all the way back to 2011-- today's post features our town as it appeared back in its FIRST version.

Tyler and I were watching news coverage of a disaster somewhere (I forget where but it's possible these are from around the time of Hurricane Katrina) and we decided to act out a relief effort.   Of course we only had ONE town, so the mission became one of airlifting supplies and rescue workers from the airport.

Upon their return from their operation, the town threw a "Welcome Home" parade for their heroes, followed by a community celebration.

Tesla Supercharger Opens in Bricksburgh!

Inspired by Lego's leaked new set featuring an exploding gas pump, I decided  to see if I could whip up a proper alternative.

Fortunately, I didn't have to look very far for inspiration... as we have a Tesla in our garage!

In Need of Lego Tesla

Ran across today.  Supposedly from a leaked 2015 Lego product catalog.   It appears to be an EXPLODING GAS PUMP.

Dear Tesla,
        Please buy these by the pallet load for resale in your stores.
                                              Thank you.

Quiet On Set!

Summer schedules are proving busier than we thought!  Plus we're trying hard to launch our new blog www.TeslaPittsburgh.com (check it out!) and that's been diverting.   However, we do have a new video to share-- just on YouTube today!  Detailed pictures will post later, but until then-- see how many celebrities you can spot:

Hospital Makes A Grand Entrance

A fixture in any town is the hospital.  Minifigs who fall ill or get injured can expect to find themselves on the doorstep of our town clinic.  Like many of the structures in Bricksburgh, the hospital received quite an upgrade in location when we moved to the new house.  

Even better than the location change, though, was the new driveway-- a much GRANDER entrance courtyard!

The Start of the Revolution

It seemed like a peaceful day in Bricksburgh.  The sun was shining.  People went to work.  Tourists played on the beach.  And the TechMan was out making his rounds repairing things.  What no one knew was that he'd left his side project in the van while he was working.   And the van got hot inside.  And that triggered a cooling sensor on his project.  And that project was an advanced robot.

And once awakened...  it started the Revolution.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Communications are a vital part of a vital city service: the police department.   Recently there was quite a crowd gathered up on the roof of HQ trying to get some new equipment installed.

Normally a job like this would only need one guy-- but not in Bricksburgh!  What are all these guys doing up there?!

Keeping the Lights On For Ya

Every now and then the traffic light bulbs burn out.  We've already seen the unsafe way to work on them, but today's post will give you an idea how to do it properly...

...despite the less than ideal pictures.

Just Checking In?

For many tourists, the City Hotel is the first place they go after flying into Bricksburgh-- or coming by boat.  The City Hotel has plenty of rooms available, a great location, and wonderful amenities.

If you're ready to check in at the front desk, then click on through and we'll show you around the hotel in more detail!

Eye Spy With My Little Eye...

Urban explorers usually climb around and inside abandoned buildings and utility areas, like hospitals and sewer tunnels.  In Bricksburgh we don't really have any such things-- at least no abandoned-- so explorers have to find someplace else for their adventures.

We'll be doing a series of posts-- and maybe videos-- on our mini-explorers, here's some pictures of them in the meantime: