Darth Vader's LEGO Lightsaber

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LEGO lightsaber! The Switch on the bottom turns on LEDs throughout the blade. I modified the LEGO parts in the hilt to contain eight AA batteries (12 volts total). This was one of my all time favorite projects to build. I like STAR WARS and to combine electronics into LEGO was great fun. The LEGO model needed to be durable enough to be carried by several kids on a STAR WARS themed run called Course of the Force. To pull this off I also added two pieces of three mm threaded steel rod from top to bottom.  I estimate that the batteries will power the light saber for about 300 hours. After the run, the durability of the blade was tested when Prince and Blanket Jackson (sons of Michael Jackson) got into a lightsaber duel in the LEGO studio. There was only minor damage and Blanket emerged victorious! 

LEGO Light Saber - Darth Vader

Destination: S,M,L,XLA A+D Architecture and Design Museum Los Angeles

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Friday, June 13th Ryan and Steve loaded the model into the Uhaul van I had rented.  Ryan and I were leaving at 5am (which means I took a nap and got up at 3:30am) the next morning to drive up to The Grove, our load-in time was 7am.  The only great thing about that hour is that you can actually get to Los Angeles in 2-ish hours. 

O dark thirty, thankful Lestat's is open at 4:45am.  I sat shotgun and checked on the model frequently as we drove below the speed limit.

O dark thirty, thankful Lestat's is open at 4:45am.  I sat shotgun and checked on the model frequently as we drove below the speed limit.

Successfully loaded out of the van!

Successfully loaded out of the van!

The unveil wasn’t till 11am so we had some time to grab even more caffeine and second breakfast after set-up.  The event itself was very quick, Tony Revolori who played Zero joined us again for the festivities.  Once the unveil was over there was a small reception where Andy & I enjoyed some Boy with Apple martinis and desserts while Ryan & Tony did interviews.  

Me (in pink polka dot pants), Ryan & Andy

Me (in pink polka dot pants), Ryan & Andy

In theory, a clever idea but not necessarily a delicious idea.  My 2003 Sex and the City-obsessed self would have appreciated it.

In theory, a clever idea but not necessarily a delicious idea.  My 2003 Sex and the City-obsessed self would have appreciated it.

First lunch, we had second lunch at Umami.

First lunch, we had second lunch at Umami.

The foot traffic through The Grove was great, those stopping to take photos and ask questions were genuinely impressed, many had actually seen the movie, while others really believed The Grand Budapest Hotel was a timeshare.  It stayed overnight, so people were able to see it on Father's Day. 

Give us 20 minutes of your time to sell you on the illustrious Grand Budapest Hotel timeshare.

Give us 20 minutes of your time to sell you on the illustrious Grand Budapest Hotel timeshare.

Our next stop was on Tuesday, June 17 at the Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment lot.  Thankfully we did not have to transport the hotel but we were there to share the model with their employees.  I applaud the folks at Fox for doing these type of employee appreciation events, because I know it takes a village.  So many people touch this movie and many are not on the production side. However, we did appreciate the thorough questions and curiosity stemming from those who do work in production.  Most came en route to the employee cantina, some brought Mendel’s boxes to be photographed with, some brought their significant others who love LEGO and some brought their kids.

The sun was shining perfectly to make it seem as some guests checked into the rooms on the right.

The sun was shining perfectly to make it seem as some guests checked into the rooms on the right.

The last destination took us to A+D Architect and Design Museum Los Angeles on Thursday, June 19 for the opening reception of their new exhibit S,M,L,XLA.  Who knew we’d end up with our work and our names in a museum?  For our friends and family who didn’t get a chance to see the completed model, you have a chance to check out The Grand Budapest Hotel made of LEGO through August 31.

Final inspection for S,M,L,XLA at A+D Architect and Design Museum Los Angeles.

Final inspection for S,M,L,XLA at A+D Architect and Design Museum Los Angeles.

#smlxla #coruscate #grandbudapesthotel 

#smlxla #coruscate #grandbudapesthotel 

It started in a garage

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It’s hard to believe we finished The Grand Budapest LEGO model two weeks ago.  While we aren’t rolling in a Cadillac- we can’t help but appreciate the sentiment behind the TV commercial praising the companies who first started in a garage.  The list they spout off is inspiring.

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We built The Grand Budapest Hotel LEGO model in a garage in Clairemont, a neighborhood of San Diego, just east of the college beach community, Pacific Beach.  The owner of the studio is an architect and her son grew up with LEGO, so they were excited to see what we would design and build in her new studio.

 

 

 

We had two garage doors, a large shade tree adjacent to the studio and a great Pacific Ocean breeze.  Not to mention a fireworks show on Saturday and Sunday at exactly 9:53pm thanks to SeaWorld.


It was a fun space for our friends to visit during the building process.  My uncle came to visit and told us he had once lived in this neighborhood and just down the alley from us is where the band Iron Butterfly formed.  Just another story, that also started in a garage on Luna Ave.

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