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Swert

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Blog Entries posted by Swert

  1. Swert
    So, in the month of January 2012, I approached (with Xccj) my boss with an idea: Build the island of Mata Nui. 10 feet by 5 feet.
     
    Terms of the agreement were clear: Don't take too long, make a kickin' model, and disassemble it off the clock.
     
    ... I disassembled it this previous week.
     
    BUT! I had help : D
     

    Lehvak taking care of the green brick
     

    Gahlok holding a 4x4 plate
     

    Tahnok and Gahlok at work. I think the Tahnok wants to melt the red brick o_o;;
     

    BOHROK VA! : D
     

    Everybody pitching in to help! Kohrak and Nuhvok in their elements.
     

    MORE BOHROK VA! : D Also Pahrak taking care of some material too.
     

    Full scene. I was bored. D:


     
    So there ya go I'm disappointed that they took 3 days to do it, but I did only have six of the buggers and six little helpers to sort. I guess that's why they have a whole swarm :\
     
    (By the way, this is entirely satirical, I did all the work by myself. No, Bohrok cannot sort LEGO. I wish they could though D:)
  2. Swert
    Hey everyone,
     
    So, I finally looked around and realized, given how busy I've been, I haven't done anything on BS01 lately in terms of changing out the main page's feature content. Granted, a certain podcast interview miiiiight have been an influence on that front. Anywho.
     
    So, because we've had Core War, The Coming of Botar and Gali's quote featured for what feels like months now, I'm open to suggestions. Please feel free to post your suggestions in a reply, and I'll get right on it... Friday. I'm working Thursdays :|
     
    Thanks!
  3. Swert
    No seriously, I honestly have no idea where BMan got the name. So what is it?
     
    Anyway, some things to note, since I feel it's noteworthy:
    BS01's prank was written last-minute on March 31st by a team consisting of Zo'Tomana, Cholie and myself. Kayru and BMan offered input later.
    The prank concept was about a week old. It was literally started up in a conversation between like 5 staff members. We waited until the last minute to post it.
    I actually did my part this time around (though it seems unnecessarily) to lead a misdirection on everyone. If you recall, I had two blog entries related to a 'GL01' concept, between a logo and a suggestion for one. That was the misdirection. It failed, but nobody saw our prank coming anyway. So it succeeded.
    This was the fourth worst thing I could have done. Let that one sink in for a second.
    Alternatively, I could have done the following:
    Faked evidence that Bionicle was returning (I'm seriously glad I didn't do that one, in hindsight.)
    Faked evidence that a new buildables line was coming (I was leaning towards fake Doctor Who, but that required work)
    Posted that I was acquiring BZPower (ALSO glad I didn't do that, in hindsight.)
    So to answer a question I see being asked a lot, none of the answers on the topic were legit. Basically, I sat here in a Skype call and gave 90% of the answers. Input was put in to flesh them out, so at the end I'd say about 30-40% of what you saw was from me.
     
    Oh, and there was also a deleted answer from that list. A question was asked about Jaller transporting back up to the Red Star and returning by Takutanuva. I had a wonderful answer for that I now quote:
     
    "The rest of the story takes place in Jallers head as he dies."
     
    I think this one was a tossup to keep or remove. Obviously the entire list screamed prank, but leaving this one in would have seal it away. BMan decided to remove it. I think it's best we did, but I still feel good to share it.
     
    Now think about that one for a second: 2004-2010, all in Jaller's head as he slips into a coma. I think it'd make for a doozy of a theory, don't you agree?
     
    (I could write a whole blog entry on that one alone, too. I just might.)
     
    Anyway, prank over. Glad you guys enjoyed it. Please forward all pitchfork and torch assaults to my new home, Dorek's house. Kthx.
  4. Swert
    So, this is mostly a post about apologies, especially given I'd rather have had it done weeks, even months ago. But, this is what held me back.
     
    I can only explain via visual aid, so here they are.
     
     



     
    On picture one, you can clearly see 16 folders. These are labeled 0-9, and a-f. Now, these are the base folders BS01 images were under. It is all sorted in this format. Were all the files in these 16 folders, I woulda been finished a long time ago. Sadly, this is not the case.
     

     
    This is Folder 0, which has folders 00-09, and 0a-0f. So that's 16 folders extra. Whoops. No biggie, right?
     

     
    This is folder 00. I even unblurred the folder name so you could see that. So now in lies the problem. I have to enter all 16 folders, in order, and upload them to BS01 directly. Then I can use a script on the site that imports them all to BS01's database. Simple, yes?
     

     
    This is the folder I'm currently on. images/b/b0/. So, by the math, I have already gone through 176 folders just to get to THIS ONE. This is not counting the original 16 folders, by the way. That would make the count 187 (11 folders to get to B ). I have 256 folders in total to upload.
     
    So, with that knowledge and those visual aids, plus my hectic work schedule, can I honestly and realistically be blamed for this upload taking so long? Probably, but at least now you all know why it takes so long.
  5. Swert
    So, in 2006, I was very poor. This is to expected, I was still in high school. I couldn't afford to buy the good sets like (at the time) the popular Batman line sets. What did I miss out on, one might wonder. Well, the biggie I have is Nightwing the figure. He was only available in the Arkham Asylum set, #7785. He is probably one of the rarest figures I have ever laid eyes on in that particular series. I'd put him rarer than some of the others, especially since he was not re-released in the Batman II/DC Comics series.
     
    Now, my goal is simple. I must obtain my own Nightwing figure. TO VARIOUS ONLINE STORES!
     
    Oh wait... he's like averaging $40-$70 USD. Huh.
     
    Okay, so I'll bypass it... I'll just buy the torso, use black legs I have, get the head and hair...
     
    What do you mean the hairpiece is $10-$33?! THE HEAD'S HOW MUCH AND SOLD FROM WHERE?! AND THE TORSO-
     
    Okay, forget this. So, as I no doubt have said in the past, I work in a LEGO art studio. Okay, so no problem, check our stock in the back... Oh hey, like 10-12 Nightwing torsos! Epic. Grabbed legs too so I didn't need to dig any out.
     
    So now it's on to the head and hair... Oh wait, we have the hair. Sweet. Wait, it's the only one in the shop. Not so sweet. Okay, so leave that. I can find a better one for him later I suppose. Yeah, long hair in black, found that already pretty cheap (didn't buy yet.) So that leaves my head, right? Still expensive and only sold in two stores I found. So, I'm going to forego accuracy and go with a newer Robin head, which uses a similar mask but not the same. I'm fine with this. Also LEGO recently released 3 stud lightsaber blade (bar) elements in trans light blue, so I'd switch to those instead for accuracy to the set.
     
    Okay, so now I have that all done, right? Nope, cause I'm too broke to buy it still. Go figure. Anyway, the long story short, I have a Nightwing torso and legs. That's pretty much it.
     
    As for Red Hood, I decided to not make him using a Deadpool head, I'm going to be painting or affixing something to another red head to make him, I think. Or something. That way I can have both fight it out in an epic layout eventually.
     
    Sorry for the long blog rant, but I figure SOMEONE is bound to read it. TL;DR: I'm a geek.
  6. Swert
    So awhile back, I posted I had collected all original 100 2001 Bionicle masks (aka, the ones from any 2001 set that was commercially available, minus the red Ruru). Of course, that's without the misprints and other sharp rarities such as a 14 karat gold Hau, but those are sadly going to be out of my reach for a good long while.
     
    Once I finished amassing this collection, I asked the million dollar question: How do I display it? Well, make a plaque like everyone else, of course! Wait, I ran out of wall space with my three large bookcases. Huh, okay let's just.. uhh... make a stand? Sure, let's do that. Okay, how? Well, I knew Technic would be a little pricey, so I tried out system plates and stuff.
     

     
    ... That didn't work out so well. What about brick?
     

     
    ... Nope. Okay, back to Technic! What about this?
     

     
    ... We're getting somewhere. But at that pace, I'd need to make about 18 of them just to display my masks. What can we do with that?
     

     
    ... I think we have a winner.
     

     
    Oh yeah, found a winner. So basically, I prototyped out a single unit, used bulk masks we have in stock at the studio (we have a TON of these, so many that Xccj and I used some of them in the Mata Nui model we built a few years back) and tested the math a little. With some adjustment, and some PAB mayhem, I was able to solidify a design I'd be proud of.
     

     
    The parts for this unit are already on their way from PAB, and I will able to build it and put the first set of Kanohi (Akamai's group I think, or Gold/Silver/Matoran, haven't decided yet) on it. I also plan to display the pair of Avohkii I own (Gold and Transparent Gold), my Kraahkan (MEK and standard), the Copper Masks, Rahi masks, and one Silver Avohkii to represent my old character Scohu.
     
    So yeah, I hope this (extra long!) blog entry will help to inspire some members in displaying items. Each unit will only measure 7.5 inches wide, be less than 4 inches deep and only go up to about 5 inches in height. This will easily fit on my bookshelf units on top, though I will most likely have to retire a few units to a box from there (or just clean it up x_x). Oh, and if you feel you could use those system prototypes for anything, go for it. I washed my hands of them months ago
  7. Swert
    A topic came up a long time ago (in a blogpost far, far away) in I think Black Six's blog. The subject was what movie order would be suffice showing someone who has never seen Star Wars the saga. Now, there appears to be several camps, with the mass majority being the 4-5-6-1-2-3 and 4-5-6 camps (skipping 1-2-3 as much as possible) but I came up with one that I'd like to share, this being May the Fourth (it still is in PDT, anyway).
     
    The order I formulated was 1-4-2-5-3-6 (then 7 when it comes out, assuming it doesn't tank). This is by far the best way to show someone the movies without spoiling the big reveals. I'll briefly touch base on why this order makes sense *POTENTIAL SPOILERS*
     
    Episode 1, if you may not recall (for any number of reasons) introduced us to Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Yoda, Anakin Skywalker, Senator Palpatine and Padmé Amidala. (Skipping the droids because they're both in all six movies, so yeah) While it's more than obvious that Padmé is going to probably end up with Anakin in the near future, for the outside observer you don't get much more than a "meh" from this movie. I think there's a space battle? I'll be kinda honest, it's the weakest link out of the six (seven), but it's best to get it out of the way now to let the other 5 (6) build up more.
     
    Episode 4 is the true introduction to Star Wars for most of us, and it introduces Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and reintroduces Obi-Wan as a wizened Jedi Master, who sees Luke and remembers the boy that Luke's father was (wooOOOooooo plot connection!). Luke and cast leave Tatooine, with Luke swearing he'll never return. We are also introduced to Darth Vader, an evil Jedi who we are told killed Anakin. This is probably never mentioned again whatsoever in any other movie and probably isn't special trivia at all.
     
    Episode 2 now introduces the beginning of the Clone Wars, mentioned in passing during Episode 4 when Obi-Wan met Luke, and it also introduces us to Jango Fett and by proxy Boba Fett. We also get to see how awesome Jango is fighting a Jedi. We also see a fight scene with Master Yoda and Count Dooku, which leads us into Episode 5. Jar Jar Binks basically puts Palpatine in charge single-handedly after being manipulated, way to go Jar Jar. Reason #4,312 nobody likes you. Oh, and we also get to meet the first generation Stormtroopers. Way to make 'em worse later, Empire. Also, hints of Anakin's rebellious nature, including his attraction Padmé that was basically shouted at us since the first movie.
     
    Episode 5 is the big reveal movie, basically. Luke meets Yoda, Vader's not dead, we meet Lando Calrissian, Han is betrayed by Lando, Luke is trained, Luke enters a cave, Luke senses trouble after the trippy cave scene, he goes to Cloud City, Han is taken to Tatooine by Boba Fett (remember him from up there ^?), the big reveal is made, hands are lost, Luke is rescued, and the movie basically ends on an even worse cliffhanger than Smaug attacking Lake-town. (I am... death.)
     
    Episode 3 is where the big reveal leads us to the inevitable demise of Anakin Skywalker and the rise of Darth Vader. Basically, it's the birth of the Empire and so on and so forth. But we do get an epic fight scene between Palpatine and Yoda. Still didn't save the movie for me, IMO. Next movie!
     
    Episode 6 is the movie that takes it all home for us. (Until Episode 7.) Pretty much Empire builds a new Death Star, the Emperor arrives on the new Death Star, The cast returns to Tatooine against Luke's will, they get captured, and Luke single-handedly rescues half the cast from a giant slug. Later, many Bothans die to get information about the Death Star II to the Rebels, we are all sad but can't remember what a Bothan is, then the entire cast except Lando go to the forest moon of Endor (why a moon? Why not the planet Endor? Whatever.) to disable the shields on the clearly disabled Death Star. Turns out, it's a trap! and they're ambushed. Luke fights Vader, Ewoks happen, the Emperor is defeated, Vader dies, Anakin is avenged, and finally Force ghost cameos for all.
     
    ... I'll admit, didn't quite expect to write all that, but I said whatever, nobody reads my blog anyway
     
    To summarize (TL:DR), 1-4-2-5-3-6(-7) is probably the best way to introduce someone to Star Wars, assuming they haven't seen it before or were spoiled in any way, shape or form. I'm sure people will disagree, but I hope my rather long arguments for this reason will sway you to see it my way.
     
    Besides, you could always keep ignoring 1-2-3 if that's what you'd prefer. I won't judge you, I'm only socially obligated to even have those DVDs (Actually, I didn't mind 1-2-3 as much, but I could go on even longer rants on how I'd fix those personally. This is why I don't rant much.)
  8. Swert
    It is done.
     
     



    1) Yes, I know I'm missing misprints and other rarities. Most notably missing is the European Copper Huna and more premium items (24k Gold Hau for example).
     
    2) Also of note, I have some 02-03 masks in this list, including the gold Avohkii, Nuparu's orange Pakari, the gold Vahi, the MEK and Kraahkan, but they're in my collection so I count them.
     
    3) I don't currently have plans to go get Kanohi Nuva, Krana or Kraata; I might consider the Kanoka, but those are super hard to get just right.
     
    So yeah, that's 2 months' work. Just in time, too.
  9. Swert
    So, unfortunately I work two days in a row starting tomorrow, and I have stuff to do on sunday, so I guess I get to go see it on Monday.
     
    Even though I read the book like twice and saw an animated version of it once, please don't spoil it
     
    Hopefully worth the money.
  10. Swert
    Two days ago, I put in the longest work day I've had to put in since I started working for The TbP Group (Dan Parker's company encompassing his commission work, his educational camps and events), namely 16 hours in one huge shift. This blog entry is about that.
     
    What did we do during this lengthy 16 hours, one may wonder? During the 10:30 to 1:00 pm hours, not much. It's when we hit 2:30 up in Seattle, WA that the fun really began.
     

    The event we were at was held at CenturyLink Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Sounders FC. We were in a lounge area on the 5th floor, with a relaxing suite for ourselves on Level 6 (reserved for various partners of the stadium and private suites. We missed out on Vulcan, Inc's box. How sad.)
     

    Inside of our personal suite, we had the accommodations one might expect from a Seahawks game, minus the adult beverages (didn't matter, we had work to do.) Personal note, I would -love- to have that jersey configuration on my wall at home. Etched glass required. Get the newer Sounders jerseys though.
     
    So now you may wonder, "Swert, why are you linking to amazing scenery of CenturyLink Field? And how does this relate to 16 hours of work?"
     
    This.
     

    At the event, we were tasked with building up the nearly six-foot Death Star model we have. This is only the second time we even used this model for an event. It is truly amazing to see it again.
     

    My boss, Dan Parker, poses with the model on a very candid shot I took while finally taking a seat. It took us 5 hours to assemble, and the remainder of the night to midnight Friday morning to finish. After 14 hours of work, we then started taking it all down for two hours, going back the next day early Friday morning just taking the rest down.
     
    It was a truly amazing experience, and I look forward to more to come. In the meantime, feel free to comment on any aspect of the build, including the TechReady 16 logo (That was commissioned for lease, I built the main hexagon logo in less than a day. It wasn't easy, but I got it done.)
  11. Swert
    ... So I might be going. Depends on funding and/or events leading up to the show.
     
    ... So what should I build in celebration of my return from a 2 year exile? XD
  12. Swert
    I can't believe it's been this long. MakutaFest started in 2010 as a side project established by The TTV Channel (then The Three Virtues podcast) and the BS01 Podcast (then the... BS01 Podcast. We kinda suck at naming stuff xD).
     
    Does anybody remember the first livestream? I don't. Literally cannot remember it happened, or that it was even a thing until 2011 rolled around. But I honestly cannot imagine what life would have been like during 2010-2016 without MakutaFest. I'm not going to say we influenced the return of BIONICLE (we didn't) or that we kept the fanbase alive (it'd live on without MF) but, personally for myself, BIONICLE would not be the same without MakutaFest. It's what keeps me excited for everything.
     
    With that said, this will be our finale. Our last blast, as it were. Why? Times change, we keep moving forward, and in order to do that we need to say goodbye in a proper venue. For me, that is MakutaFest. For others, they may have already come to terms, and wish to reminisce with the good ol' times of G1, or reflect on what was and could have been in G2. For even more others, they may still be looking for closure, and I do believe MF is the closure we all might be seeking.
     
    So please, feel free to join us on Aug. 19th. It won't cost a dime to attend, it just requires you to go check out TTV's YouTube channel and watch the livestream. Couldn't be simpler.
     
    ... Also we're giving away one of BS01's artbooks. Should I have started with that? More info here.
  13. Swert
    It has been about 10 years since I last had semi-permeant access to a decent video editing software. I cannot believe how much I missed doing videos until I opened the BS01 YT channel.
     
    So now that I have this power, I promise not to abuse it.
     
    Much.
     
    ... I should make that BS01 trailer I've always wanted TTV Podcast to make for me : O
  14. Swert
    Though not one you guys might consider "real."
     

     
    Basically, I'm getting questions about it on BS01; "Will there be vector logos of the new masks? What about the logo?"
     
    So I figure to try my hand and see what I thought. I'm quite happy with it, I think. The watermark's to preserve it until I decide what else to do with it.
     
    Thoughts are welcome, and I do plan to finish the other 5, the Protectors masks, and the two legendary masks.
  15. Swert
    ...
     
    What were they thinking?!
     
    ... Actually I could see that business meeting now.
     
    Nick: Hey LEGO, we have a cool new franchise coming out soon! It'll probably rival Transformers!
     
    LEGO: Sweet, now we can beat Hasbro out even more in sales! What's the franchise?
     
    Nick: Weeeellll....
     
    And that's pretty much that. But hey, it could be worse.
     
    Could be LEGO MLP. And absolutely NOBODY wants that [/sarcasm shielding]
  16. Swert
    On the plus side, I finished the campaign already (2 days' worth of work) and I now have about 30 days of quests, free play and mithril bricks to find x_x
     
    Oh, and IE10 pre-release. It has spellcheck built in : O which is new FOR IE. I know you FF/Chrome/Safari/others had it first. Fortunately I never needed it but it's nice to have.
  17. Swert
    Alrighty then.
     
    Picture this if you will.
     
    So EmperorWhenua and I have a bit of a conflict coming up. To an outsider's POV, it's harmless fun. We'll be bringing NERF swords, NERF guns, maybe even custom stuff. But to us?
     
    This is war.
     
    I will walk in to BrickCon 2011, armed to the teeth with a foam sword, some hatchets, and even a sniper rifle. EW will enter with guns packed to his eyeballs.
     
    Only one will survive this foam battle.
     
    But I will be victorious, for two reasons!
     
    ONE! I will have spent by far less money on this war. SWORDS COST 13 USD. GUNS COST 30. WHAT IS THIS?
     
    TWO! I won't have to pick up 200 rounds of foam darts at the end. Six at most, and I'm borrowing Kakaru/Arkov's sniper rifle.
     
    So I propose this to you: Who will win this battle? The armed-to-the-teeth, foam-spitting arsenal of EmperorWhenua, or the foam-bladed, hatchet-wielding, sniper cunning of Swert?
     
    WHO! IS! THE DEADLIEST NERFIOR?
  18. Swert
    Hey all.
     
    ... I haven't posted in awhile. Huh. ANYWAY.
     
    Coming up this Saturday, we've got MakutaFest 2015. Cue the one lonely dude cheering in the back corner. Not that guy, the one next to him that's quieter. I'll be one of the hosts for this upcoming event, and we have plans to giveaway a few sets on the stream via trivia questions and via raffle. For more details, view the video

    Likewise, we're also planning to review the Summer 2015 sets as soon as they arrive to us on BS01, and we'll most likely do a giveaway when our Facebook hits 500 likes (we have a Facebook page, by the way) of something. So yeah, it's pretty crazy.
     
    Oh, and I'm still working a lot, too. That's basically a wrapup of my goings-on for now. See you guys on Saturday!
     
    *updated to add FB link... silly Dorek*
  19. Swert
    So, this is a unique position I find myself in.
     
    On the one hand, I worked almost 4 weeks without pauses. I need a vacation badly. I need time to recharge my mental batteries.
     
    On the other? I spent almost 4 weeks without pauses. I forget how to -relax.- Therefore, I'm sitting here looking at random stuff online, playing music, but it does no good to me unless I go do something. Truly not in the mood for gaming, btw.
     
    ... Maybe Netflix? Suggestions? HALP! D:
  20. Swert
    Alright folks, I'll be very honest. I have no deep desire to do an april fools' prank this year for BS01.
     
    So yeah, let's hope BZPower entertains everyone for us. I'm sorry, but I'm not exactly in the mood this year.
  21. Swert
    Huh, I haven't posted in like a month? Welp, time to lump all my updates into one entry, as I am wont to do.
     
    So, where do I start? My new year's eve was immediately turned into a downer when my mom went to the hospital. She stayed there for a good 2 weeks (she's back home, and healthier than she's felt "since 1998"). From that day til pretty much last week I've been working my mask off in project after project. While this basically means it ate up all of my time I wanted to wisely spend on BS01, it does mean I am happily building up a budget that will help go towards (POSSIBLY) a better server, which means I can possibly bring HS01 back full-time. No promises there yet.
     
    Christmas stuffs, not much happened. I took it upon myself to buy all my own decent gifts; This included all six Toa Masters (I'm keeping it going for ya, Jason), two Protectors (Earth and Water), LoSS, the Double Decker Couch and Bad Cop's new car set. Two of the Toa, LoSS, and the two Lego Movie sets are still in shipping as I type this, but I have four of the Toa already built (Lewa, Pohatu, Gali, Kopaka). I also treated myself to the EMP Museum up in Seattle on a slow day, which means I got to see the Vince Lombardi trophy the Seahawks won last year in person, plus a few other things that made my day. I absolutely love the EMP, it is a wonderful venue, and I look forward to the day when we return to it with even more Lego displays.
     
    Currently debating whether or not to retire this laptop for a touchscreen to get ahead of Windows 10's release, or jus build a new desktop instead and let the laptop ride until summer. If I do the desktop method, I'd want a new monitor and peripherals too, so it'd probably cost the same as a touchscreen laptop. Halp?
     
    Otherwise, not much else big is happening. It occurred to me while writing this that in 2 days I'll have been on BZPower for 12 years. That's an interesting thought; I'm only 27 years old, which means in three years I've have been on BZPower for half my lifetime exactly.
     
    And with all that, I have only one more thing to say: Go Seahawks.
  22. Swert
    I'll never ever EVER watch that show again!
     
    ... Oh wait, I never did anyway 8D
     
    Anyway in all seriousness I'm feeling a ton better now, my chest doesn't hurt as badly, and I look forward to getting back to work tomorrow. What am I working on tomorrow, you may wonder? BORG. AND DEATH STAR. AND STUFF FOR A CLIENT NAMED MEECRO SAFT. I think we got that name wrong on the form. I guess we'll find out when the check comes in 8D
     
    But in all seriousness I was really sick D:
  23. Swert
    During MakutaFest 2014, we had a grand prize giveaway of a Lego sculpture modeled after the Legend of Metru-Nui Vahi. The winner was, of course, VoxuChro.
     
    When I posted the topic for signup, I mentioned I could only ship to North America, due to cost and insurance. However, to make up for this limitation to our non-NA listeners, I agreed to release the instructions to the public so anybody, regardless of country of origin, could get one of they so chose to make one. Therefore, today I publically announce the download link for the Vahi, including a parts list.
     

    Click for ZIP


    I look forward to seeing photos of anybody's attempt at it, and if you can find improvements on the concept I welcome it (I get the feeling I'll be seeing a few dozen gold-recolored LDD models in the next few days, though. Bring it on, I say 8D)
     
    Build on.
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