Welcome to the VLOG, this is the first episode. In this video we’ll look behind the scenes of a LEGO Youtuber and what the kids get up to. This naturally includes LEGO building (1989 Batman Batmobile, Harry Potter, 4X4 X-treme Off-Roader), Harry Potter movies, and Harry Potter role play in the garden.
We’ll briefly touch upon London Calling Live streaming with London Bridge Bricks, a bit of Monkey Kid and London AFOLs virtual monthly meet while during lockdown. May even through in a little gardening at the end.
London AFOLs Homepage
https://londonafols.uk/
London Bridge Bricks Stream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBc078_yPG4
Solo Brick Builder – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_7xvtCIH6hH99yj4Vcyu5g
SaraStarBricks – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcTHHuxGain6f8nZzxv_xNg
Brick’n It
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQANCN_ElgPVy-g5i1oJK4g
Generic Stud
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Pa8PfXKoJbyYcdy0PmKuQ
Time codes to the Video:
0:00 Introduction
1:07 4×4 Extreme Off Roaders / London Calling with London Bridge Bricks
1:55 Harry Potter Films and LEGO
3:10 LEGO 1989 Batmobile
3:50 Homeschooling LEGO projects
5:41 Wizarding in the back garden.
6:45 Homeschooling … at an end?!
7:18 London AFOLs online
8:32 Veggie garden and fruit trees
10:43 What did you like? Finishing up.
Transcript from the Show
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Now you get away and stop filming! Bang!
G’day Everyone, Matt Elder of Family Bricks here and welcome to VLOG number 1. I thought I’d give this a try, I’ve been inspired by a few other people who have been doing it lately and so here we are. We are going to try to do it in one sort of takes and it won’t be as slick and polished as some of the other videos on the channel.
So, I guess the thing is what can you expect? Just want to look at some more I guess behind the scenes or maybe just day to day bits and pieces we are doing in and around LEGO and things like that. So, you might find this is a little all over the place in terms of background and scenery. In the car just waiting for the kids so can go and pick them up.
Today is Friday. Its actually started to rain which is good as then I am less worried about the vegetables, fruit trees and things and having to water them because it has been quite dry. Funnily enough in England, the last little bit it has been raining.
Tonight, I’m on the stream with London Bridge Bricks and just trying to decide what it is I am actually going to build. Whether I’m going to do a Statue of Liberty or I’ve also got a Power Up functions 4×4 which I’ve been meaning to do for a while, to see what we do with that one.
Now in terms of VLOG, let me know if you like it, don’t like it , what you’d like to see more content of, or what is of interest to you guys out there.
4×4 Extreme Off Roaders / London Calling with London Bridge Bricks
So, Friday night and we just had the London calling, which is the stream with London Bridge bricks, and I was working on the 4×4 extreme buggy. Got through the first bag. I think most things are in a good spot and working. Which will be good. Can’t really tell. Its got motors there until you’ve finished it and put it together.
Nice numbered bags there. Still got the Batmobile to finish, been doing that with the kids. So basically, just got to put the wheels on that. London Bridge Bricks got to 501 subscribers, which is cool. Also had on there Solo Brick Builder, SaraStarBricks, Generic Stud and Brick’n It.
And looks like SaraStarBricks has set up a discord server. That is going to be great to chat to everyone in between and find out who else is streaming.
Harry Potter Films and LEGO
No sound here as don’t want the music to get me pinged on YouTube.
Hogwarts. Its great the kids are starting to get into Harry Potter just as LEGO are ramping up another wave of Harry Potter goodness and releasing some sets and they are able to get into it , build it and play it out as well.
Hogwarts witchcraft and wizardry.
Ok, which set do we have here. Hogwarts Astronomy Tower. And what part do you think is going to be the best? Maybe that, or that, or that or that or that.
Should we get building? Yep.
Who’s that? Hegweed.
And what is he? A bird or you could call him a snowy owl.
Harry Potter and who was that again? I can’t remember. I can’t remember either. I’ll tell you at the end of the build.
So that’s why you were screaming your head off. That’s why I was screaming.
Can I go and show mummy?
I’m trying to shut it up, will you? [Arghhhhhhhh …. annoying noise]
LEGO 1989 Batmobile
Building [grunt] Batmobile, bag 23 out of 24 and putting the hubcaps on, which were these tiny wheels is very tricky to do. Might need somebody’s help. Where are you mummy?
I’m Joker…. Ahhhhhh. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Now you get away and stop filming! Bang!
Homeschooling LEGO Projects
During homeschooling, there has been a project to do monuments and famous places around London and things, and you had to build them. So, we’ve done a Tudor House, then we had St Pauls’ cathedral, and HMS Belfast and then finally rebricked Buckingham Palace.
Usually with these the kids would get set the assignment in the morning to build one of these, usually they are thinking cardboard or something like that, just little arts and crafts. Just being LEGO, we just go through and do it with these, and that was of course in amongst all there other schooling and math’s and reading and everything they had to do each day so. And then have it submitted by the end of the day so its been good but its been challenging, so glad when it is all done.
The Belfast I’ve actually put instructions up online for that and there should be a video for it. And St Paul’s Cathedral at some stage I want to do much the same but I really wasn’t happy with the way some of the windows in the side got done, so that just felt a little under cooked. Even the front façade, I want to go through and rejig that.
Monkey Kid
What did you just watch? Monkey King … kid. The Monkey kid got the staff and defeated the giant person in the end. Not exactly defeated him. It as very good.
Wizarding in the back garden.
Expelliuma. [cry] Can somebody make my arms. Armolock. Leglock.
Not you can’t dodge it, that isn’t a spell in Hogwarts.
I pointed my wand at you. It’s a disarm charm.
Did I forget to mention we are doing expelliumus and Leglock?
Expelliuma
Oh, that is cool.
Another Harry Potter film and really getting into the mythology.
Yeah! Both kids are back in school. School …. Is in for 3 weeks. For anyone who is out there homeschooling, you know exactly what it is that I am talking about. Been an interesting time having them at home schooling. At least now getting a much better idea of what they actually do during there school days and I think too with ours, we’ve identified possibly a few blind spots that they had and been able to address that. But I guess the idea of home schooling them for 6 months and sailing around the world has just gone out the window cause, yeah, it’s a tough gig.
London AFOLs online
Later tonight have London AFOLs online and around the video you’ll be able to see what makes a great meet where we did an interview with the founder Richard Selby, because it really is really good. I guess because London has such a large population, you’ve got some incredibly talented builders.
There is another link to Caz Mockett, who has some of her stuff being on display at the LEGO house in Billund. Which I believe has just recently reopened. And then too also have another interview with Neil Marsden who is an amazing digital LEGO and some of the stuff that he does. So, have that tonight and hopefully that will be all good.
Set up for the London AFOL virtual meeting and have a Taj Mahal set that I can raid for parts and just be building and use for other ideas. So, we just had our monthly London AFOL meeting, which this month’s theme was habitats with minifigs. Never been huge into minifigs. So, I just decided to do a polar bear type one.
So, he is there and got a fish and looking into the water somewhat in a little cave there, with little icicles and things at the top. So that was a great meetup and everyone was doing some really cool stuff.
So, I think I’ll call this “The Week that was Tuesdays” – the 4 Ts, taking after something from college days.
Veggie garden and fruit trees
Beginning of lockdown started a veggie garden. So, this is all grown from little plants in the last little bit. So, we’ve got spinach, broad beans, lettuce and some cauliflower, and a few others over here that we put in. They don’t seem to be doing as well, tomatoes been challenging. Think we started off with 15 and down to about 3. Don’t’ know whether it is the soil or whatever, not really a green thumb.
Wild Strawberry, broad bean, garlic and some other normal strawberry plants, that you can see the birds have been into as well. And some blueberry plants. Same deal planted them a couple of months ago when they were little tiny, and they are all getting up there.
And a pear tree that we planted a couple of years ago. Looks like it has got some pears, actually quite a number that look like they are coming through. And a plum tree we planted a couple of years ago, so it looks like we will get a few off there. Looks like this will be the first season they come through.
And a little tiny peach tree we planted at the beginning of lockdown. Looks like we’ll get some peaches off it which is really surprising. So, must be doing well.
Another type of plum tree we planted at the beginning of lockdown, and pretty much all the green from about here upwards, has all grown in the last couple of months, 10-12 weeks.
And a small little cherry tree we also put in at the beginning of lockdown, 10 -12 weeks ago. Sort of see from about here up it has all shot up. That is all new shoots in the last little bit so hopefully also doing well too.
And some apples coming through on the apple tree which we believe these trees are about 80-90 years old. When this use to be an orchard before it was subdivided. The thing you notice about these in particular is they are really, really sour. I think that is because of the modern palette, particularly in the 1980s, they went through and made apples super sweet. Whereas these ones are not so sweet and think that our palettes have adapted to it so it’s all relative.
What did you like? Finishing up.
Let me know what you thought of this. What bits did you like, what bits didn’t you like, things you’d like to see more of? The channel itself we have always said is LEGO and lifestyle but given lockdown, we haven’t been able to focus on lifestyle, in the last 3 months. And certainly, we noticed that once lockdown first started, a lot of the videos about theme parks and like that dropped off a cliff. So hopefully as things start to open back up, we’ll be able to get back into that kind of content.
So, anybody who is new and has never seen that before.
So, hope you had a great week and if you did enjoy this video, hit that like button and hopefully we can get to 20 likes on this video.
For those that haven’t seen some of the lifestyle type content we do, here is a link to LEGOLAND Windsor and you go through the whole park in about 3 minutes with a bit of commentary. Otherwise here are some other videos you might be interested in.
Until next time when we talk about all things LEGO and lifestyle.
