Posted July 31, 201311 yr Disclaimer: This topic features my review of some books for the use of those interested in buying the books or in these types of models in general. If you find the idea of LEGO guns distasteful or just hate guns in general, then this is probably not the topic for you. Please allow those interested in the books to comment on them without turning this topic into a political debate. Book publisher No Starch Press has released a whole host of LEGO related books in the last couple of years. Most of you are probably familiar with some or most of them. No less than 3 of these books deal with the topic of building model guns, which seems like quite a selection for such a narrow topic. I'll be looking at these books and the models you can build from them. They are actually all quite different. By the way, I've put this review into the Technic and Model Team forum because these accurate scale models certainly fall under the category of Model Team, and many of the parts and functions used are Technic. The first book I'll be looking at is "The BrickGun Book" by Jeff Boen. I was not familiar with Jeff's work, but he also runs a website called, not coincidentally, Brickgun.com in which he sells instructions and even full kits. All of the instructions in the book are also available as electronic files from his web site, as are complete kits if you are willing to pay the considerable convenience fee for not having to collect all the parts yourself. The Book This 222 page paperback book is printed on heavy glossy paper in full color. The printing is VERY good quality so you won't having any problems descrying the parts for any particular step. The first 8 pages of the book are some tips on building LEGO in general, how to read the instructions, and specifically how to make some of the trickier steps within the book easier like installing rubber bands or supporting portions of the model on the desk as you add parts. There is also a little bit of history on the background of the design of the models. The Instructions After the introductory material, the rest of book is just a series of instructions for building 5 gun replicas. Each set of instructions begins with a table of required parts including Bricklink part number. Then a second parts list follows which is purely visual like those found in official LEGO instructions. The instruction steps follow the style of the more complex LEGO models like Technic. Each step begins with an inset that shows what parts are required for that step. Steps are broken down into small increments so there is never any question about where to put a part. In any case in which it is not totally obvious, a callout with an arrow is used. Among the trickier things to do with homemade LEGO instructions are rubber bands, but the book succeeds admirably. Each rubber band is shown in a different color so you can tell them apart when there are multiples shown at once. Note that I bought kits for some of these models and therefore also got the electronic versions of the instructions. While I found the resolution of the PDFs to be very high, they looked terrible on my iPad which is what I use when building from non-printed instructions. (This is a retina display iPad with a great screen.) The problems were twofold. First, the brick outlines are too fine which makes them disappear on a smaller screen. Second, the lighting used for the renders is very flat so you can't see the seams between parts. This made it almost impossible to use the iPad. The files looked good on my big 24" monitor though. And the pictures in the book look great. The instructions are delivered via a CD image with a slick interface which only works on Windows. If you have a Mac you'll have to download the PDFs manually. The Models The book contains instructions for the following models: BG22 (Glock) 92FS (Beretta) Desert Eagle 1911 (Colt) MAC-11 I'll start with some general thoughts. WIth the exception of the MAC-11, all of these models are replicas only and do not actually fire any kind of projectile. That does not mean that they are purely static. Each model has a number of moving internal parts including at least a trigger. Usually there is also a safety and a hammer. The models are incredibly accurate. From a few feet away, you can't tell the difference between the models and the real thing. This makes them excellent replicas but also means that you can get yourself into trouble if you are not smart. The models tend to be quite smooth with mostly part sides exposed and only a few studs visible on the top. The models are built mostly from standard System parts and therefore are held together with studs. This can make them fairly fragile, especially during assembly before bracing is added. There were a couple of times when I was putting subassemblies together and the whole thing exploded and flew all over the room. I learned to be more careful after that. Almost are parts are black with the exception of a couple of decorative grips. None of the parts are particularly rare. You'll find a few unusual building techniques here, usually related to integrating the moving parts with the structure and keeping them hidden while making the whole model strong enough to use. I built several of these models so I'll offer my thoughts on them. When you first look at the pictures of the BG-22 it seems very blocky and obviously LEGO. Then as you get it together and hold it in your hand, it changes and looks incredibly real. This model features a trigger, a removable clip, and a simulated recoil mechanism. You can pull back the slide and it returns via rubber band with a satisfying clunk. You can also lock the slide back with a little thumb switch. Just like the real gun, when you pull back the slide it cocks the hammer which locks under the trigger. The trigger then releases it. It does NOT chamber any rounds from the magazine The 92FS is similar in function but a little more intricate in appearance, and therefore also a bit more fragile. It has the same features apart from the magazine. The Desert Eagle is a monster, just like the .50 caliber real thing. In addition to similar technical features as the previous two models, it also has a contrasting dark gray grip which looks really nice. This was my favorite of the models I built and the one I chose to keep assembled for my collection. At the time I read the book, Jeff did not have kits available for the 1911 due to a lack of parts, so I did not build this model. It is billed as the most complex of the lot. It has a brown grip and similar technical features. The MAC-11 has little in common with the other models. This gun has a lot of exposed studs (SNOT) and is larger than the others. It also actually fires rubber bands. The rubber bands are loaded sequentially via an escapement mechanism. This means that each additional rubber hand has more tension than the last, limiting the total number to about 6 or 7. The mechanism works well enough, but the projectiles are wildly inaccurate, which is probably not such a bad thing. Although it is not in the book, I also built the MP-5 from BrickGun via instructions purchased on their web site. This is much larger than anything is the book and is really an excellent model. However, you'll pay a mint for the macaroni bricks. In closing, I find this an excellent book for anyone interested in LEGO guns. The printing is good, the models are interesting, and the instructions are well done. If you are not interested in all the models you could also just buy what you like from the web site. I'd recommend this book over the others especially if you prefer Systems building to Technic building and if you want maximum visual realism. You can see pictures of all the models and some sample instruction pages at the No Starch Press web site.
July 31, 201311 yr Author The next book I'll be reviewing is "LEGO HEavy Weapons" by Jack Streat. I first became aware of Jack's models when I was asked to do a render for the cover of his upcoming book. While perusing the design of the model in the CAD file, I was really impressed by the complexity and wanted to find out more about Jack. I was surprised to learn that he was a teenager from England! This is amazing on several levels. Firstly, Jack has a promising career ahead of him as a Mechanical Engineer, because some of the mechanisms in this book are genius and totally original. Secondly, for such a book to come out of England which has some of the harshest gun control laws around was unexpected. I have no idea where Jack got his reference material, but he sure did his homework. Everything is the book is impeccably researched. The Book This heavy 353 page paperback book is printed on heavy paper in black and white. The lack of color initially concerned me, but it actually ended up being no problem as I will discuss below when I talk about the instructions. The book starts with 7 pages of introduction which includes some tips on building, how to read the instructions, and how the instructions were made (which I found interesting). Then follows the instructions for 4 models. Each section starts with some information on the real gun and some statistics on the model. Then there are a couple of pages of history on designing the model including pictures of older prototypes and design iterations. After that comes the part which makes this book really stand out, especially to fans of Technic or technical building. There are a whole series of images which show all the internal mechanisms in profile. Jack takes you through, step by step, all the functions of the model and how each part moves relative the others at each stage of the model operation. You can (and I did) spend hours staring at these things to figure out exactly how they work before you build them. In fact, you'll probably learn a lot even if you never build any of the models. After the technical explanation is a pictorial parts list with Bricklink part numbers. The Instructions As noted above, the instructions for these four models are all in black and white. This works out fine for several reasons. Firstly, virtually every part is black so color is not really important. Jack uses an instruction method in which the parts new to each step are saturated but the parts from previous steps are "greyed out". This makes it easy to see what to add for each step. Each step begins with an inset that shows what parts are required for that step. I did find myself wishing that the lengths of Technic bricks and beams were shown, because a 16L brick looks a lot like a 14L brick in a parts list. The rubber bands are all drawn very clearly (and there are a lot of them). There are also a number of pointers interspersed throughout the instructions to guide the builder through some of the trickier areas. These are very useful, and indeed some of the steps would be hard to complete without them. The Models The book contains instructions for the following models: Desert Eagle AKS-74U Lee Enfield Jungle Carbine SPAS 12 These models are all full scale and quite large. The majority of the construction is Technic with plenty of System thrown in. This means that you can see holes all over the sides of the models, but it does not mean that they are unrealistic. You don't have to back away very far before they look real, and they certainly feel real in your hand. However, the crowning glory of these models is that they really work! That's right, every one of these models is packed with complex technical functions. 3 of the 4 models even actually fire 1x4 bricks, and they all do it with mechanisms that chamber each round semi-automatically. If you like building LEGO machinery and are getting tired of just using gears everywhere, then these are the models for you. Each model is totally different than the last, so it pays to try them all. Since they are built with so much Technic, they are extremely durable and well braced meaning that you can use them all day without worrying about breaking them. I built all of these models. I started by putting together a consolidated parts list which contained the parts needed to build all the models individually, but not at the same time. As I build each, I thought to myself that this thing is awesome and I have to keep it on display. Then I would build the next one and decide it was even better. Deciding on which to keep assembled was agony. The first model is a Desert Eagle. This is the only pistol in the book and the only one that doesn't fire bricks. The mechanism works by forcing the slide back as you pull the trigger, then releasing it when the trigger reaches full travel. This means you can watch the realistic recoil action. Of course, the real gun recoils after you pull the trigger and not during, but you'll never notice the difference looking at it. The model also has a working safety. I'll point out that this model does require modifying two parts: an axle and a pin. I found this to be entirely reasonable, but if it turns you off, move onto the other models. The next model is an AKS-74U, a smaller, newer version of an AK-47 with a folding stock. The folding stock really works, locking in either the stowed or deployed position. It is strong enough to use to support the gun while you pull back the slide. You operate the model by pulling back the slide which brings the hammer with it. The hammer locks behind the trigger. When you pull the trigger, the hammer pushes the top round out of the magazine and down the barrel. You can tune the power of the gun by the number of rubber bands you use. The removable magazine holds 13 bricks. This gun was pretty reliable but the cocking handle was tricky to use right. Sometimes the bolt would get jammed trapping a round inside which required some surgery to remove. I actually found this kind of fun. The next model is a Lee Enfield Jungle Carbine bolt action rifle. This is a VERY large model (120 studs). The fixed stock is very sturdy. The magazine holds 6 1x4 bricks. I don't want to give all Jack's secrets away, but the thought that went into the mechanism here is impressive. In my experience, this is the most reliable of the models. Again, it is semi-automatic so it chambers a round every time you bring back the bolt. The barrel is long enough to make it pretty accurate. The last model is a SPAS-12 pump action shotgun. It might not be immediately obvious how different a pump action gun is mechanically from the others, but you'll certainly understand after you build this. It is by far the most mechanically complicated of the models. The real trick is the fact that there is no removable magazine but instead the rounds are fed in sequentially along a tube under the barrel. This means that when you bring the pump back, the mechanism needs to translate a round upward into the breech while also energizing the hammer. In this one case I felt I had to include a picture of what's going on inside this masterpiece. The origin of the KISS principle (Keep it simple, stupid) for engineering comes into play here. While it is mechanically amazing, it is also pretty buggy. I got a round jammed pretty regularly, and the only way to get it out was to totally tear the gun down. The good news is that the build (like all the others) is very modular so this is not hard to do. I got pretty good at field stripping this thing, clearing the round, and then putting it back together. In closing, I had a blast (pun intended) with these models. As someone who loves to figure out how things work, these builds were a dream come true. The book does an amazing job of explaining every detail of function. And if you build a lot of LEGO models or a lot of Technic, you will find these completely unlike what you are used to. You can see pictures of all the models and some sample pages at the No Starch Press web site. There is also a on Youtube showing the operation of all the models. You can see from the video that Jack is not only a good LEGO builder but a dab hand at video editing and CAD as well.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.