Space Monkey Mafia

I don't talk about lore or fiction in Mobile Frame Zero that much because I generally come at this game from the Lego side.  But this idea is too fun not to talk about.  So I was driving home the other night and Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" came on the radio.  In the sixth verse there's this couplet "Space Monkey, Mafia" but my ears heard it without the comma, "Space Monkey Mafia".  Then my brain went into overdrive.

So the name "Space Monkey Mafia" definitely has an Ijad vibe to it for me.  I see a clan, or at least the core of the clan, of Ijad bonded with creatures that resemble terrestrial monkeys but may not be actual monkeys.  I'm still trying to process this element.

Now I'm not saying this is a criminal group, just that the word "mafia" has expanded in use as slang to denote a group of people joined in a semi-secret manner.  Even though we generally don't discuss criminal elements in MFZ.  Crime is a result of failing economic policies and since the Solar Union is a failing empire there would be criminal events happening.  Also, this name doesn't have to be the real name of the group.  It could be a derogatory nick-name an outsider used to refer to the group and it stuck.  "We just got screwed again by that +@#$%&* Space Monkey Mafia!"  I'm sure we've all had experiences with stupid nick-names that wouldn't go away.

I see this moniker as a callback to old school science fiction and the early days of the space race.  Now all I have to do is build some Frames for this faction.  I hope you enjoyed this little interlude, they don't come along too often.  I guess you could see this as a reason to be open to moments of creativity and to try and make the most of them.

Third Time's the Charm

In light of Discord's recent decision to turn the place into a dumpster fire, a few people from the Mobile Frame Zero community have opened a new version of the Hangar forums.  It's early days but we're hoping to build a community that will last.  It will take a while to get all the sub-forums populated but the more people participate, the sooner that will happen.

Sign up, share your thoughts, and stay a while.  Let's create the future together.

Terrain Workshop: Bendy Trees

I bought the Japanese Maple Tree set a few weeks ago and strip-mined it for parts.  The creations in this post were inspired by those parts.  This build owes a lot to my Twisting Trees which I didn't realize until a few days after I put them together.

The simplest incarnation of this design, which I built last, starts with a Corrugated 2x2 Round Brick, three 2L Axles, four Smooth 2L Axle Connectors, topped off with a 2L Bar w/Stop Ring and two 6x5 Swordleaves w/Clip.  This is twelve pieces which is 2 Hits.  It's 26 feet tall and 27.5 feet from edge to edge.

Tree 2.  The next incarnation of this design, which I built first, starts with

a Corrugated 2x2 Round Brick, a 2L Axle, a Smooth 2L Axle Connector,

another 2L Axle, two 90 Deg. Macaroni Tubes, two more 2L Axles, a

45 Deg. Macaroni Tube, topped off with a 2L Bar w/Stop Ring

and two 6x5 Swordleaves w/Clip.  This is twelve pieces which is 2

Hits. The taller one is 34 feet tall and 27.5 feet from edge to edge.

Tree 3.  I think this is where things start getting interesting.  As always it starts with a Corrugated 2x2 Round Brick, three 2L Axles, and two Smooth 2L Axle Connectors.  Then we add in a Triple Angled Axle/Pin Connector.  This is only available, in Tan, in the Japanese Maple Tree set -- and there's only two of them.  You top it all off with two 2L Bars w/Stop Ring, two 6x5 Swordleaves w/Clip, and a 1x1 Round Plate w/3 Thin Leaves.  This is twelve pieces which is 2 Hits.  The left one is 23 feet tall and 27.5 feet from edge to edge.  The one on the right subs in a 45 Deg. Macaroni Tube for a Smooth 2L Axle Connector.

Tree 4.  This is a simpler version of Tree 2, or a more complex version of Tree 

1.  It starts with a Corrugated 2x2 Round Brick, three 2L Axles, three

Smooth 2L Axle Connectors, a 45 Deg. Macaroni Tube, topped off with

a 2L Bar w/Stop Ring and two 6x5 Swordleaves w/Clip.  This is twelve

pieces which is 2 Hits.  It's 27 feet tall and 27.5 feet from edge to edge.

Size comparisons with the usual suspects. I'm not sure where I'm going to use these but I look forward to getting them on the table at some point.  I hope I've given people ideas or techniques

to use in their terrain builds.  Flickr page.

Terrain Workshop: Handlebar Tree

It's been a while since I've had some Pillar Support pieces, so let's try and build some new trees with them!

This starts with a 1x1x6 Solid Pillar Support, into a Brick w/Studs on Opposite Sides, then a 1x1 Round Plate, topped off with a 1x1 Round Tile.  Attached to the Brick are two Tile Clips, two Angular Handlebars, and four Plant Leaves 6x5.  This is a total of twelve pieces which is 2 Hits.  It's 23 feet tall and 40 feet across in 6P Scale.

 

Here's a size comparison with the usual suspects.  For some reason I feel like

this idea has been sitting in my head for a while.  I'm probably going to add

them to the "Road to Nowhere" table-setting as they seem to match the vibe.

I hope I've given people ideas or techniques to use in their terrain builds.

Flickr Page.

Terrain Workshop: Clone Plants

It's been two and a half months since I've done a Terrain Workshop, and I'm finally feeling creative, so let's have some fun with a handful of Clone Brick parts.

This build starts with parts sourced from this set.  The 8x3 Leaf w/Bar is connected to the Bushing w/Clip and that is mounted on an Inkwell.  This is repeated three more times for a total of twelve pieces.  This build is 2 Hits and roughly 25 feet tall by 8 feet wide in 6P scale.  The clone parts are both from one set from one store so availability is going to be limited and the Cost per Build will be fairly high.  So let's move along to a different build that uses parts from the Miniso Lily set with a higher quantity and also more Lego pieces.

There are thirteen of the 4x4 Leaf w/Clip pieces in the Miniso Lily set.  We start with attaching one to a Padlock, then mounting that on a 1x1 Round Plate.  This is repeated three more times for a total of twelve pieces.  This build is 2 Hits and

roughly 15 feet tall by 14 feet wide in 6P scale.  The 4x4 Clip leaf is $0.38 per Piece,

Green Padlocks are $0.02 per Piece, and Reddish Brown 1x1 Round Plates are

$0.01 per Piece for a total of $1.64 per build.  Which seems reasonable to me.

One of the fun things about this build is that the curved nature of the leaf pieces allows us to add more to the internal space defined by those leaves.  Which also allows us to "beef up" the build and add more Hits.  If that's something you're interested in.  I'm going to do two different versions of this.  The first starts with a 2x2 Round Brick -- which goes on top of the Padlocks -- then adds a 2x2 Round Plate, and tops it off with four 1x1 Cones.  This is six pieces which adds 1 Hit.  It's also three Bricks tall which makes it Cover.  The second version starts with two 1x2 Round Plates -- on top of the Padlocks -- the adds four of the Modified Minifig Ski Poles from the Miniso Lily set.  This is six pieces which adds 1 Hit, and it's three Bricks tall which makes it Cover.  It also looks a little more natural than the first version.  The first version looks sturdier though which will probably help people believe that it would stand up to mecha scale weaponry.  Having three different types of pieces allows you to vary the colors to possibly differentiate the different parts of the plant.  If you wanted to do that.

The other fun thing about the second version of this

build is that you can fully open all the leaves to

increase the amount of ground clutter.  This

reduces it to 1 Hit for the central section but each

build covers a lot more space on the table.

Let's do a size comparison with the usual suspects. I hope this gives people ideas or techniques to use in their terrain builds.  Flickr page.

Review: Block Tech US101-2056 Everlasting Rose In A Dome

Block Tech is also revising their releases for Valentine's Day.  This set is available in Translucent Red and Translucent Blue as well.  I reviewed those last year so I'm only doing the clear version this time.

Box.  MSRP is $6.00, for a $0.06 Price per Piece. 

Instructions.

Parts 1. Plate, Wedge Plates, Axle, Transparent Brackets, Transparent

Clip Plates, Transparent Octagonal Bar Plates, Transparent Plates,

Transparent Inverted Tiles, Round Plates, Round Tile w/Pinhole,

Transparent Round Plates, Transparent Eggshell, Transparent Round

Large Jumpers, Transparent Round Plate w/Swirl, Transparent Studless

Slopes, Ball Joint Plate, Transparent Quarter Circle Studless Slopes,

Transparent Wedge, Pin/Axle Connector, Transparent Tooth Plates,

Transparent Tiles, Ball Joint/Pin, Wedge Studless Slopes, Transparent Double Studless Slopes, Transparent Cheese Slopes w/Studs, and Clip Claws.

Build.  Two Frames (2W), a Station, and two 1 Hit pieces of Cover.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +20 (A+).  It may be hard to see but there are a number of useful parts in this set.  Also, seeing the parts count go up from last year is nice as well.

Review: Brickcraft 72627BFS Bricktanicals Pink Rose

Brickcraft has another release of reworked sets for Valentine's Day 2025.  These aren't listed on the website though.  Let's take a look.

Box.  I bought these at Walmart for $4.97, for a $0.06 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers.

Parts 1.  6x6 Leaves w/Clip, 4x4 Leaves w/Clip, Octagonal

Bar Plates, 6x4 Leaves w/Bar, Axle Connector w/Leaves,

Mudguard Plates, Heart Plate, Round Brick, Dome, and Axle.

Parts 2.  Axle Connectors, Axle/Pin Connectors, Tile, Round Plate,

Half Circle Tiles, Clip Plates, Round Brick, Inverted Studless Slopes,

Chain, Apollo Studs, Round Plate w/Petals, Axle Connector w/

Clips, 3L Axle, 2L Axles, Barbs, and Angled Axle/Pin Connector

Build.   A Frame (2W), 1 Hit piece of Cover, and a 2 Hit piece of Cover.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)

Score: +20 (A+).  This is the same set as Monday's review, just with a different accent color.