Today in Barney's 1/35 tractor thread http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=2534.0 Ray Dunakin asked if there were a particular set of Legos that Barney uses for his constructions, and Barney replied that he mostly gets just the plain blocks.
With his skills and imagination, that's all he needs, but for duffers like me, Legos offer a wide variety of pieces that may inspire or challenge other members to incorporate in models as well.
Back in the September 2011 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman "Thinking Outside the Blocks" was an article that listed several ways Legos can be used in modeling (even mentioned Marc Reusser using them as frames for making molds for resin casting).
Here are a couple photos of just some of the kinds of Legos there are out there. These are barely the tip of the Legoberg, there are pieces lurking below the surface with L.E.D.s, computer chips and who knows what else by now. Sometimes sets can be found at yard sales and infant resale shops for great prices.
And, they sell them by the quart in their retail outlets.
I and my son have over 60 gallons of Legos. But the thought of using them in a model is heresy! (That's what knock-off MegaBloks are for.)
Bexley, Yeah my son acquired a lot of Legos from a neighbor who amazingly was going to throw them out. Some are off limits, but others just are too tempting to pass up. And if you don't want to permanently incorporate them into a model, they can always be used for temporary jigs. The bottom sample is a right angle jig for gluing two walls together. The gap at the corner prevents glue from getting on the Legos, the other gaps were custom fit around protruding details on the walls so that the actual wall surface could rest against the jig. The upper sample held a tube for marking and cutting. Those samples are probably more herectical for most on this forum, but I'm a low tech, low budget builder.
Bill I find your little jigs fit their job quite well. I'm pleased with the idea of custom gaps in the right angle wall template : the idea lends to a 'multipurpose jig concept' that's quite imaginative.
Thank you, Frederic, and when the tasks are finished, the jigs can be disassmbled, saving storage space - a big plus here.