I couldn't dodge the draft

No, I haven't been drafted. Some cement mixers were. But I'll get to that.

. . . .

Okay, so I can't come up with a good introduction for today's ULUG meeting. Is that so wrong?

. . . .

Well, you're a bloody liar. It's not wrong at all!

So the Utah Lego User Group met at the Nelsons' house today. Because of its location in West Valley, I was able to make a somewhat rare appearance among my fellow enthusiasts. It was a wildly successful meeting from the very start; I was greeted immediately on my entrance by a large Moonbase module built by Jason (any of you ULUG people reading this, please correct me if I'm ever wrong in my credits) and smaller modules by Spencer. It was quite an impressive display.


I found the nearest empty seat, but no sooner had I filled it than Jason joked something to the effect of, "Are you sure they should be sitting together? It's confusing enough just having two of them!" Indeed, I unknowingly sat next to Nathan Cunningham, who you may remember from this post as the man from whom I was cloned.

"You're Nathan Cunningham?!" I exclaimed.

Funny how the first Classic Castle member I actually meet happens to be myself. ;-)


While we waited for Brian and Reed to show up, the Nelsons presented a rare video they had acquired which contained several short brickfilms created by LEGO in the 80s. It was amazing, to say the least; the things they could do with basic elements was truly admirable. What's more, the films were so random that our laughter lasted through the duration of the video. Then again, when a dog wins a hockey game and a flock of penguins starts causing seizures, what's not to love? 8-D

Brian, Reed, and a couple others arrived when the video ended, and we just spent about an hour talking about our favorite Danish plastic. It felt so good to be able to vocalize what I normally keep to message boards; honestly, when one can use the term "SNOT" in any serious manner and not be looked at funny, it's a beautiful thing. And that's how we spoke to each other, enjoying enthusiastic hobbyist conversation to the fullest of our desires.

During this time crowds also gathered to admire various sets and creations. Most of my time was spent taking in the beautiful Moonbase module; remarkably, Jason was able to use very few supports underneath the structure, for which we teased him extensively.


Of particular interest also were Jordan's mechs.


George showed off his 4958 Monster Dino, too, which kept us entertained for quite some time. It was surprising how emotional we all got when it finally tipped over after a long run. :-P

At length we made for the basement, where we would spend some time in Nelson Studios and Luke's bedroom. That kid's room was the envy of us all, stocked full of a Lego collection few of us had even dreamed of at his age. There, after coveting Luke's collection, we sat our cooperatively-built drawbridge from last meeting on the floor to test it with some track. And as far as I know, it was quite successful. In any case, however, the building itself was just plain cool.


While this was going on, Isaac showed those of us hanging around in the next room behind the scenes items of the latest Nelson Studios brickfilm, The Great Train Robbery. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished movie. ^_^

We gradually trickled back upstairs to sort pieces for the draft. What's a draft, you ask? It's simple, really: everyone who participates buys their own copy of the same set. Then all the sets are opened, mixed with each other, and sorted into piles of individual types of pieces. After that, we determine an order, and in that order we all take turns taking the piles we want. It's a fun way to acquire large quantities of special pieces. ^_^


This month's draft set was 7990 Cement Mixer. There was electricity in the air when we finished sorting all the pieces, for it was then time to determine the order in which we would claim our lots. First we drew 1x1 cylinders from a cup; mine was sand blue. Then one person would draw matching-colored cylinders from the cup, and our cycle was the order in which those colors were drawn.

Well, lucky me, sand blue was the first color drawn, and I would lead the cycle. Of course, this made my day, if not my weekend. ;-) For my first turn, I claimed all the 2x2 light gray rounds. Things got pretty intense after that, but I was able to get nearly everything I wanted (only two piles I had my eye on were taken by anyone else, I think). I eventually went home with all the 1x2 light gray grill tiles, 1x1 white bricks with studs on all sides, 1x1 blue plates, light gray "cannon barrels," and light gray 1x2 Technic bricks with cross-shaped axle holes. Good deal! ^_^

After the draft we indulged in milk and doughnuts, followed by some more chatter and family photos. Indeed, we are a big, happy family. Don't we look like one? ^_^


All in all, this was a really good meeting. As far as I know, it was our best turnout to date; only two or three people were missing, I think. Combine great people with a great toy, and you get great fun. I definitely can't wait for our next gathering!


More pictures!!!


By the way, we've got a show at the State Fairgrounds November 2nd-4th. All of you are welcome to drop by!