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Official Fairy Bricks Building Contest - Christmas Windows RESULTS ANNOUNCED
leemcg
Member Posts: 607
Welcome to the first official Fairy Bricks building contest in which you are invited to make a small vignette that can be a Christmas window in a UK department store. They will be displayed in a very large model of Selfridges in London's Oxford Street at Brick 2015, and show visitors will be invited to choose the best.
As this is a fund raising activity, there will be a bidding process for one of the 14 entry slots, which will happen in a couple of weeks. The minimum bid is £10 (or equivalent), but there is no maximum. We will also be suggesting a donation from visitors to vote.
The window vignette can can a model of a real or imagined display. I doubt the UK tradition is very different to that in international stores, but googling 'christmas windows display department stores London' will give you good examples.
So, spend the next couple of weeks thinking of building ideas and what you'd be prepared to bid. We will only reveal the range of bids, so you don't need to be embarrassed if your bid is particularly large! I will further announce details for bidding in a follow up post.
Prizes
Prizes will be bricks rather than sets, and first prize will at least include all of the bricks (new in bags) from Town Hall, as well as any others we can get our hands on.
Model Details
Your Vignette should be 14 bricks wide, of which the side bricks should be a wall. The window itself is 12 bricks wide, 6 bricks high and raised 2 bricks up. The window is included in the main department store model - you don't need to include it in your vignette - the front of your vignette must be open. You'll likely need to raise your vignette a brick or two, but you could also use that space to build a fancy floor, or hide some supports etc. You should go up 7 or 8 bricks high (and there is an absolute limit of 14 bricks in height). There will be a lighting strip above the windows to illuminate the contents - if there's a reason for darkness, then you'll need to add a roof.
You can make the vignette as deep as you like - for background/forced perspective etc.
Just remember that the vignette will be viewed through a window 12x6 bricks raised 2 bricks up.
This is a yellow minifig world - there will be crowds of yellow minifigs outside the store, so fleshie heads will generally look out of place. Not banned though, in case there is some artistic reason to include them. Not every vignette will include people or mannequins but I think it would be a good convention to have minifigs without faces if you include mannequins in your design.
My stand at Brick2015 does have power provided (so that I can illuminate all the windows from above), so there might be scope for custom lighting or animation. I'll do my utmost to display each entry at its best, but I don't think I can guarantee power if it means that we need too many power adaptors or wires in the way.
The Small Print
This is a physical building contest. You will need to get your model to the opening of Brick 2015 in London. I'm sure the community will do all it can to pass models across, and I'm happy to do a bit of tidying up if parts fall off, but I have 50,000 bricks to build on the main model, so I'm not about to start building someone's model from LDD instructions etc.
So-called illegal techniques are fine, as are your own stickers, or printed elements. I think the odd custom part isn't going to be a problem either.
I will expect the winning bidders to make payment (directly to FairyBricks) as soon possible after the winning bids are announced. I may have a few people on standby to step-in if payment isn't forthcoming.
Kev at Fairy Bricks has a a few ideas for further fundraising, so it would be very useful to be able to keep the entries for a while, but if you want your model returned, you'll need to make arrangements to collect it in person at the end of the show.
I think it goes without saying that this is a family show and FairyBricks is a children's charity, so entries should be appropriate for kids. I can't imagine that anyone would build an adult themed vignette but if they do then I reserve the right to not display it (I won't be able to return your entry fee as it will already be with Fairy Bricks).
If you'd like to see work-in-progress photos of the department store model then check out my Flickr stream: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/albums/72157659493861301
I'm sure there will be questions I haven't thought of, so feel free to ask anything here.
Oh, and if don't fancy entering, or are too far away, or if this announcement has reminded you of the good work that Fairy Bricks does then feel free to make a donation: https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/fairybricks
Regards
Lee
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Comments
I will rack my brains for ideas of what I could do if I decide to bid.
The best way I have is to show a mecabricks version of the bottom of the model so that you can have a good look and scroll around:
http://www.mecabricks.com/en/models/01w2rVkd28W
Q: Can I enter more than once?
A: That's fine. You will need to put in separate bids, and we'll have to make sure that we correctly identify the bids are separate in the process.
If you bid twice and end up with two winning bids in the top 14, then you will need to pay for both bids and provide two models.
Q: What if I win, and then have an emergency which stops me building?
A: Obviously we'd prefer to have all windows filled even if Fairy Bricks would get the same amount of money. I'm happy for bids to be transferred (if there's competition to step in then please donate the extra to FB). Alternatively I plan to make a couple of simple placeholder windows (workmen decorating) just in case.
Q: Is there anything else I can do to help?
A: I'm sure there is, ideas welcomed. More (new) brick-based prizes will help with higher bidding entrants.
Happy to answer questions here directly too.
Lee
It's been put to me that we might as well start collecting bids now (extending the bidding time), rather than giving loads of time to think about things. That way we can give feedback on how the auction process is going. I can't see any reason to delay further, so I'll be posting details of how to bid tomorrow. Bidding will be open for three weeks now, instead of 2.
Regards
Lee
Quite simply, once you decide that you'd like to enter, please send me an email at [email protected] with your name and the amount you'd like to bid.
You can bid as many times as you like. If you bid again, then please make it clear whether that's an increase in your bid or if you are bidding for a second window.
You can bid to the nearest penny, but the earliest bid received at a given amount will take precedence.
Bidding will be open until Monday 2nd November, midnight, UK time, giving you just over a month to complete your models.
I will share details of the ranges and numbers of bids received each week.
I've added a few more WIP photos to my flickr stream too.
More prizes can only help encourage people to bid higher - that would be great.
@jaitheartist I am certainly happy to take international entries, but it's certainly going to take a bit of organising. I certainly don't have time to do more than a little but of rebuilding, so packing will have to be very carefully done. Maybe you could see if a UK based forum member would accept your entry and rebuild as necessary.
More prizes have been promised. From Fairy Bricks, we have the bricks from #70165 and #31035 and a selection of sealed minifig parts. More to come, as promised by Warren above.
I've had the first bids in, the range is quite wide £10 to £50.
And a few more WIP photos on my flickr stream.
There are still 2 weeks left to enter your bid. Advantage to bidding early is that your bid counts if there are identical bids. You can send in additional bids later.
Remember to bid, send an email to
[email protected]
Regards
Lee
I have been away on holiday this week, but have brought a big box of Lego with me to keep the building rate up (although quite a lot of this week was spent sorting 6000+ light bluish grey jumpers into the different types).
There's not long to go now with the bidding. I have had currently had fewer bids than the number of Windows so there's no information to give about the minimum winning bid (it's still £10).
I have had lots of interest so I am presuming that people are waiting, e-bay style, until nearly the end of the auction to bid, so that they know what they should be bidding to win. Unfortunately we are not running on some sophisticated software so it's time to go to final bids for all.
The range of current bids is £10 to £50 - there will be no further information about the bids received*
I am continuing to get more leads about prizes, and I will publish information here of any that are confirmed. That may continue after bidding has closed to further incentivise amazing creations.
I have extended the bidding time a little because I know that many of the likely entrants we at Brick in Birmingam, or on a Billund trip this weekend. You have until midnight GMT on Wednesday 4th November to bid, only four more days.
Get bidding!
Lee
* unless I change my mind
BIDDING INFORMATION
***********************************************************************
Please send your full and final bid to
[email protected]
by midnight on 4th November
So, feel free to bid now, worry about building over the next month.
Your 'cripes' has got me a little scared - I still have several thousand bricks to build on the main store!
And the front is just a mock up of window size. My actual moc has no floor or walls. I did say it needed work...
I reduced the highest bid to the next highest - it didn't seem fair that a very early bidder was penalised, so the bids ranged from 10 to 30 pounds.
For everyone who bid, could you please pay with this link:
https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/fairybricks
Now time to get building!
Can the vignette be built on a 16-wide baseplate, for strength, i.e. does it need to slot into a 14-wide space or is there room either side?
Buildig on a 16 wide plate is okay - but just for strength or available plates - those bricks won't be visible. Check out the mecabricks model above which shows how it'll fit in.
The absolute maximum width for the whole thing is 16 bricks because there are some bits of detailing in the way. You could make it 14 bricks wide inside, but the corners nearest the window wouldn't be visible as the windows are only 12 bricks wide.
You can go as deep as you like, certainly at least 26 bricks.
Still all to play for with a majority of the visitors still to come.
https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157662246305116
And who did the flying reindeer, thats very cool.
@cheshirecat me :-)