TwinLUG » News

Micropolis v1.1 Published

Cavorter — Sat, 15 May 2010 05:13:29 +0000

After several months of work and discussion by members of TwinLUG we have finalized the next version of the Micropolis micro city building standard.

While there have been essentially no changes to the base module specification we have taken the opportunity to add several new module types to the spec to allow for extending a Micropolis layout back into the hills and out into the water. The new Bluff module types provide a structured way to add terrain to the city and can be used effectively to help a crowded layout show off those gems that might be hidden in the shadow of those gorgeous towers. The new Waterfront module types provide a similar way to extend the city out into lakes, oceans, rivers, and beyond or to reconfigure your existing layout as an exotic archipelago. Combining these two new module types will provide opportunities for more complex and varied displays sure to draw the interest of any bystander.

We look forward to seeing new modules using the 1.1 specification at BrickWorld 2010 along with your creativity in the older Base modules. Be sure to mark your modules as part of the Micropolis Collaborative Display in your registration information!

Also be on the look out for a new contest hosted by our good friend Chris Doyle at ReasonablyClever.com! Plenty of great prizes will be available for your creations!

TwinLUG at SpringCon (May 15-16, 2010)

Cavorter — Sat, 15 May 2010 04:17:20 +0000

Come see the creations of TwinLUG members at the MCBA SpringCon comics convention! TwinLUG will be bringing out an enormous Micropolis layout, a tremendous underwater adventure themed display, and a whole bunch of other fun stuff all built by from the creative minds of our members. Oh yeah, and there’s some really cool comics related stuff too.

We will be manning our tables at the State Fair Grandstand both Saturday May 15 and Sunday May 16 so we can show off a little bit and answer any questions that you have.

Admission to the event is $11 (or $10 with a canned food item) but parking is free. Click here for more information about directions and parking.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Congratulations Stacy!

Cavorter — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:57:39 +0000

The LEGO Group has announced the new LEGO Ambassadors and we were ecstatic to see that Stacy Sterling has been accepted as one of the new Ambassadors. We’re sure she’ll do a great job over the next year and hope to congratulate her in person at one of the next meetings.

Micropolis wins Best Group Layout at Brickworld 2009!

Cavorter — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:59:34 +0000

It was a proud day for us on Sunday of Brickworld 2009 when the display area opened and sitting right next to the first ever Micropolis Collaborative Display at Brickworld was the award for “Best Group Layout”!

The display would have been nothing if not for the great work done by everyone who contributed a module to the display:

We would like to thank all of the blogs that posted links to the Bad Day contest and especially all of the posts from MicroBricks leading up to the convention.

We would also like to thank everyone who stopped by the display all through Brickworld and talked to us about the project. Watching people see the display the first time and start to notice all of the details was a privilege in itself, but being able to talk to some of you about the project and how it was put together was reward enough for putting it together.

We plan to be back next year with a bigger and better display and hope that anyone who was inspired by this year’s display will bring their own modules to contribute!

Micropolis at Brickworld 2009!

Cavorter — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:35:41 +0000

TwinLUG is bringing Micropolis to BrickWorld in a big way with a collaborative build that is likely to be the largest Micropolis assembly yet. Be sure to look for it in the Event Hall, and it’s not too late to bring your own module to add to the display!

If you are planning on bringing a module please be sure to carefully read through the specifications to ensure that it will fit with the rest of the modules in the build. If you need inspiration, be sure to have a look at the results of the Bad Day In Micropolis Contest that was hosted by our friend Chris at ReasonablyClever.com or any of the images on Flickr tagged with “Micropolis”.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone next week in Chicago!

Roy’s Cathedral and Capital Buildings on public display!

Cavorter — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:36:03 +0000

TwinLUG member and LEGO Ambassador Roy Cook has completed his replicas of the Cathedral of St Paul and Minnesota State Capital buildings and the will both soon be on public display for everyone to appreciate them. 200 hours of work assembling approximately 120,000 LEGO bricks is a fairly epic feat for even the more jaded members of the LEGO community so be sure to take a chance to have a look at the results yourself.

Take a look at the official press release or plan for on the following public viewing dates:

Cathedral of Saint Paul model
May 17 – June 7
Cathedral of Saint Paul, Ryan Room (lower level)
Hours: The Cathedral is open seven days a week for visitors, guests, and parishioners.
Sunday-Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
State Capitol model
May 26 – June 7
Minnesota State Capitol
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.
Both models together
- June 8 – July 1
  Minnesota History Center
- July 11
  Mall of America (near LEGO® Land)
- Aug. 27 – Sept. 7
  Minnesota State Fair Education Building

Roy in the News!

imhotepidus — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:45:43 +0000

Roy T Cook, TwinLUG member and LEGO Ambassador, was interviewed recently by the Pioneer Press newspaper about two large architectural models he is building for the city of St. Paul. The video part of the interview can be found on the Pioneer Press website.

The print article in the paper should appear soon (likely tomorrow – Saturday March 7)

[Updated to put a direct link to the video]

Meeting Notes from 2/15/2009

Cavorter — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:52:03 +0000

The February TwinLUG meeting was held once again at the Rondo Community Library in St Paul, MN. Garth has as usual posted a great summary of the meeting on his blog.

We would like to thank everyone for bringing all of their Micropolis modules. The resulting assembly was stunning in it’s size, diversity, and was a perfect showcase of the building skills of the individuals in the group. Pictures of the assembled city should be available from several sources soon.

Around Town: Family Day at the Cathedral of St Paul

Cavorter — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 19:27:39 +0000

Mark your calendars for Sunday March 8, 2009 for the Family Day at the Cathedral of St Paulwhere they will be throwing open the doors from 1:30-4:30 for a whole host of family friendly activies including tours, pipe organ demonstrations, crafts, and TwinLUG’s own LEGO Ambassador Roy Cook showing of his work in progress model of the Cathedral building. More info can be found at the Cathedral of St Paul Website or download a copy of the flyer (PDF).

Meeting Notes from 11/16/2008

Cavorter — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:13:36 +0000

Garth has once again posted to the mailing list a nice round up for the most recent meeting.

I would just like to amplify his comment about Tom’s Micropolis module, which is an incredibly gorgeous replica of the “Old Main” building from Hamline University. Hopefully we’ll be able to get pictures at some point to share.

Thanks again for everyone who showed up and joined in the fun of the parts draw and the general conversation.