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.

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!

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!!!!!

#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.

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!

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:

CATZILLA Memories

Sophie has a long history or causing destruction and mayhem in the town.  If we're truthful about it, she generally likes to just be close to us and watch what we're working on.  She will carefully and gingerly step around the crowded streets and not cause any REAL damage....  But what fun is THAT?!?

So naturally we created the CATZILLA character for her to play.. and since the internet didn't already have enough cat pictures on it, here is a MEGA collection of Sophie's greatest destructive moments!

Painted Flag?

I'm pretty sure you can't really do this in real life...

Found this guy on the roof of the speedway grandstand making all the flags green.  I guess that's better than the "vandalism" he's been caught doing before!

Bad Guy Charges Police Barricades

Most of the citizens of Bricksburgh are good people but occasionally one them will end up on the run from the cops. This man must have committed some crime. (Maybe he's a stud dealer or a bricknapper.) Either way, he got himself into a police chase, but the police have a a good and effective method of stopping him.

Head Up in the Clouds

We thought a new perspective on Bricksburgh might be in order...  so we decided to take flight!

Hurricane Electrolux

We've been getting CRAZY Spring thunderstorms around here lately and it reminded me of the largest disaster in the history of Bricksburgh.  It all started innocently enough...  Dust was noticed gathering on the assembled rooftops of Lego town.  The black roofs in particular were getting nasty.

The prescription was given: aggressive cleaning.   We attacked the town with spray bottles and a filtered vacuum cleaner (an Electrolux, hence the name) and cleaned all of Bricksburgh.   The disaster caused by the cleaning process made for some interesting set ups and so...

Well, HERE'S an Idea!

With Father's Day looming on the calendar you might be finding yourself wondering.... "Hey, WHAT am I going to get dear old Dad??"

Lucky for you, here at Bricksburgh, we have a GREAT Lego idea to pass along.   Consider it "open source" just like Tesla's patents.  (H/T to Mr. Musk!)

So what is it?   Glad you asked....

Just Add Water

Filling in the gaps around Bricksburgh can be as simple/cheap or as hard/expensive as we wanted to make it.  Luckily, there are some easy ways to make your island "pop" without going the hard/expensive route.

Certainly this is one of them... but actually there is an even better way.

Trailer Queen

Felt guilty not posting more videos this month-- so here's a quick one I whipped together this morning.  It features a car trailer that's been roaming around town for a long time now (surely you've seen it!).  Pretty simple design, looks good, functions well and easy to make.

Check it out!  Follow us and Subscribe!

A Shore Too Far

FRIDAY!  It's FRIDAY!   Sometimes the weeks just seem to drag on forever.  Even in a plastic paradise like Bricksburgh a minifig can't catch a break!

Our diver friend here thought he'd made a fortune-- finding a jewel out on the floor of the ocean, but alas....

The Tightest Bricks In the Shipping Business

Last post we showed you a typical Bricksburgher's departure from our little plastic paradise.  Today's post won't be quite as "storied" but it will show you the main parts of the "air cargo machine" at work.

As we dive into the dirtier and less flashy side of the airport, here's a quick look at a heavy cargo aircraft which has just landed.

Getting Out of Town

Looking for a quick getaway?   Where do you go when you already live on an island paradise?  Well, let me tell you-- away is AWAY no matter where you are!   So in the interests of following up our video on YouTube-- and as our 100TH POST--  here is the first of two posts covering our airport complex.  This one will follow a passenger's trip through the terminal, the second one will go into some details about our air cargo and freight capabilities.

Minifigs looking to "blow this popsicle stand" will first need to find a way to the airport.  You'll know when you're there because of the big signs out front and the overhead lights (which will also have more detailed signs someday).  So come along, click through, and let's get outta here!