Building Blocks Blog

Big firefighter models will be available in 2019

Published on 04.10.2018

A series of large fire department models is currently being planned.

The first sets will be ready in February / March 2019.

Here are some first pictures to make your appetite.

In order to keep you informed - regsiter for our newsletter:

->    https://www.bluebrixx.com/en/newsletter 

 

 

 

To stay up to date, register for our newsletter. (Link to the newsletter)

New railway cars under development

Published on 02.10.2018

We are currently developing more than 10 new railway cars. All models are based on typical wagons from Germany. Whether it's a low side car, a high-side car, a tank car, a stake car or whatever, the selection will be great. Already with less than 10, - Euro will start. From November, the new railway wagons will be available as BlueBrixx special at www.bluebrixx.com.

Already sold out - Register for Newsletter now

Published on 28.09.2018

The interest in our tank models from the BlueBrixx Special series continues unabated.
Of course, that makes us happy, and spurs us on to develop further models. We look forward to suggestions and wishes from you.
Unfortunately, some models like the Panzer 38 (t) and the Sturmgeschütz III are currently out of stock.
We expect a new delivery in November.
If you sign up for our newsletter, you will be automatically informed when the models are available again, or if we have news.
Here you can register for our newsletter: https://bluebrixx.com/en/newsletter

Das Video zur Manhattan City Hall

Published on 08.09.2018

Schau Dir an, was der Designer Adrian zum dem Manhattan Modell sagt: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a96T2qNhPlg&t=2s

Manhattan Set Unit "City Hall"

Bereits vor über einem Jahr hatten wir die Idee einen großes Modell von Downtown Manhattan in der Größe von 1,20 Meter x 1,20 Meter zu machen. Unser Designer, Adrian, der auch schon mehrere andere Modelle für BlueBrixx.com entwickelt hat, war von der Idee sofort begeistert. Also haben wir das Projekt zusammen gestartet.

Einige Monate später haben wir das erste Resultat gesehen: Ein wirklich unglaublicher Entwurf für ein Modell von Downtown Manhattan aus über 20.000 Steinen.

Also der erste Schritt war gemacht. Adrian hat ein faszinierendes Design entwickelt. Aber die 20.000 Noppensteinen zu schaffen kostet viel, viel Geld und ist natürlich auch ein Risiko. Wer weiss schon, ob andere AFOBs (Adult Fans of Bricks) von dem Modell ebenso begeistert sind wie wir.

Wir haben das ganze 20.000-Teile Modell in 17 kleinere Einheiten unterteilt. So können wir Schritt für Schritt weiter vorwärts gehen. Es reduziert den Preis für Dich als Kunde, und ist viel praktischer für jeden einzelnen Schritt. Außerdem reduziert es unseren Finanzbedarf.

Das erste Modell ist nun da - Beginne nun Manhattan im Kleinformat nachzubauen!

Viel Spaß!

 

Detailed Picture of "Sturmgeschütz III"

Published on 30.08.2018

Watch Video, or shop now! :-)

Video: https://youtu.be/e1BX8_0avf0

Shop: https://www.bluebrixx.com/de/bluebrixxspecials/100658/Sturmgeschuetz-III-Deutsche-Wehrmacht-WWII

"Sturmgeschütz III"
"Deutsche Wehrmacht, WWII"
18 cm length
Scale 1:32 - 1:35
Brand: BlueBrixx-Special

Bluebrixx Specials (Tanks) - even cheaper now!

Published on 30.08.2018

Our BlueBrixx tank models are even more popular than we expected.
Since we sell more than planned, we were able to update our calculation
and lower all BlueBrixx tank models a few euros in price.
We are pleased that these models are even cheaper for you.

https://www.bluebrixx.com/en/bluebrixxspecials

Detailed view of our Bluebrixx Specials - Watch video now!

Published on 24.08.2018

You want to see the Bluebrixx Specials in detail before buying?

You want to figure out which model you like best?

Or you just need to fill the time until your own set arrives?

 

Heres the solution: Watch our videos now!

Bluebrixx Hack: Subscribing to our Youtube-Channel gives you the advantage of being the first receiving product updates!

Link to channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCJChBZqxOaAQcgUbaXA8zw?view_as=subscriber

Link to videos:

Sturmgeschütz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaj6pATw-hc

M5 Stuart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpNGqu6Y6s0

HMC M7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5RFQMz9NgA

GMC M36: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5T1zZNBa5E

GMC M10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbQ87W3PG-4:

..or shop Bluebrixx Specials now: https://bluebrixx.com/en/bluebrixxspecials

BlueBrixx on Facebook

Published on 09.08.2018

Please check us out on Facebook! Stay informed and don't miss the updates about our Noppensteinen and new products. Don't forget to LIKE us, and recommend us to your friends.

Downtown Manhattan City Hall of LEGO® Compatible bricks

Published on 07.08.2018

In 2017 we came up with the idea of creating a huge model of Downtown Manhattan at a size of 3ft by 3ft and made of bricks. Adrian, who is a very experienced designer and who has also developed some great tank models for BlueBrixx, was enthusiastic about this idea. So we went ahead with the project and several months later we could see the result: an unbelievable and outstanding model, made from more than 20,000 parts.

So this first step of completing the initial design had been solved by Adrian with a fantastic result. But to organize 20,000 parts per model costs a lot of money and is also a huge risk. Who knows if there will be enough interested customers willing to spend their money on a model like this?

So to reduce the risk we made two important decisions: 

Firstly, we divided the whole 20,000-part model into 17 smaller units. In this way we could proceed step by step, reducing the cost for you, our customer, and also reducing our investment in developing the very first model.

Secondly, we decided to present this project on Kickstarter, where we have the great opportunity to get your feedback. This will give us confidence in our decision on whether to invest further.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/513743371/downtown-manhattan-city-hall-of-lego-compatible-br

Of course, if we find enough backers for the City Hall Unit then we will continue with all the other 16 units. We are planning to finish another new unit for delivery every four weeks. Only in the case of the second unit do we expect to need a little more time.

For the first unit ‘City Hall’ we have already finished the instructions and prototype model. The very difficult issue of sourcing all the bricks we need has been solved. To keep the price within an acceptably low range, we have chosen not to use Lego® bricks. The quantities that can be ordered through the Lego® Shop are very limited, so that was not a viable solution for us. Instead, we are using bricks from other manufacturers who can provide us with the quantities we need. The shape, color, and quality is almost identical. Of course they do not have the Lego® logo on the studs, because it isn’t Lego. From the customers of our tank models we are receiving feedback all the time, and they tell us our bricks work well in conjunction with Lego® parts. We agree with their estimation. 

As an additional reward for your support we offer the Ellis Island Unit. This design is also completed and you will receive it together with the City Hall unit if you become one of our first backers.

We have put a lot of effort into the design of the Downtown Manhattan model. We need your support for the very first City Hall unit, to make the dream of the whole block based model a reality.

This is what our designer Adrian says about this project:

In terms of pure parts count, this is my largest creation to date, totaling over 20,600 parts and measuring 135x129 studs (107x102cm). The project began with a request from BlueBrixx to model Downtown Manhattan and after clarifying that they understood the scope of what this would involve, the first step was to solve the geometry for the base in a way that would allow the full build to be split across 17 units while still respecting the angles required for the main roads and blocks of buildings.

After that, the actual designing of each unit was mostly straightforward, though also very demanding in terms of accuracy and detail. A lot of time was spent using Google Maps, switching between Street and 3D views as I progressed street-by-street and building-by-building through the city. The height of every skyscraper was also meticulously calculated for scale.

A further challenge was posed by the many angled ‘off-grid’ sections of roads and blocks of buildings, which was met through the use of trigonometry to calculate the necessary connection points for connecting on-grid and off-grid sections within the tolerances of the parts. While the design was created in a digital format (using LDraw and LPub software), most of the complex buildings and structures were also test-built in physical bricks, as many buildings required complex geometrical solutions and tricky connections which were more efficiently solved through hands-on building.

One further challenge was that of deciding how to deal with the ongoing construction present throughout the city. For instance, I have included the completed Performing Arts Center (next to 1WTC) while the adjacent 2WTC area remains a construction site. While the many large and iconic skyscrapers – such as the One World Trade Center, One Liberty Plaza, and 60 Wall Street (Deutsche Bank) – might be the most eye-catching in the final model, the more satisfying parts of the design process were the coastal areas and many finer details, such as the South Street Seaport (Pier 17), Trinity Church, and the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.

The City Hall unit is a personal favorite with its varied and representative sampling of large skyscrapers, detailed smaller buildings, and foliage; as is the Brookfield Place unit with its off-grid geometry, interesting architecture, and detailed harbor.

I hope you will be able to derive as much enjoyment from these models as I’ve had in designing them.

To give you a clearer idea of the next units, we here present you with some further renderings.

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO® Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this project.

Risks and challenges

Two years ago I would have said: "There will be no problems at all". Today I'm more experienced and I know very well how difficult it has been to find a supplier for our bricks in the needed quantities and quality. But I also know that we have now solved this difficulty with our supplier for the bricks of our existing BlueBrixx models. We have experienced issues concerning such things as delivery times, possible mistakes in the ordering process due to the huge number of different elements we need, and other small difficulties. Of course, it could be that some new problem will arise to create a delay. But in the past we have solved all such problems, and in addition to that experience we have also built some room into our delivery schedule so that a small delay with our supplier, for example, will not result in any delay for your delivery. In each case, we will keep you updated all the time.

Railway models as BlueBrixx special

Published on 07.08.2018

After the great success with the first Panzer models, we will not only develop more tanks, but will also introduce a design of a series of railway wagons.

To start with, we are planning about 10 different models, predominantly German. The first of these models will be available in the Fall (Autumn), with attractive pricing similar to the tanks. This means most of the railway cars will be available for less than $20.

Please let us know your feedback. We would love to what you think and consider your ideas for future BlueBrixx special.

» contact