CaseymaloneThis is terrible and I'm furious.
Dave Perillo teamed up with Dark Ink to release a print based on the popular video game Overwatch. It’s a 12″ x 36″ screenprint, has an edition of 250, and costs $50. Visit darkink.com
The post Overwatch Poster by Dave Perillo appeared first on OMG Posters!.
CaseymaloneOkay this is just generally kind of neat but what killed me was Scooby Doo as an airport security dog.
Bored with dull city dioramas where everything is awesome? Professional South Korean LEGO-building quartet OliveSeon knows how to ring the changes on the major LEGO city airport hub. How about a massive superhero battle? They’ve done some impressive work recreating one of the biggest screen brawls of the previous year, from Captain America: Civil War. And don’t be surprised: those planes and little yellow service cars are actually from official LEGO City sets, and they look simply perfect in this diorama.
What’s particularly awesome about this scene is the main airport building. I bet that perfectly planned and executed interior would make you forget there’s a battle going outside on the runway! Bonus points awarded for an extremely smart use of the tram from LEGO set 60097 City Square, which here is turned into an inter-terminal train.
And if you like this airport, also check out the incredible LEGO airport we covered in November.
The post You’d better stay up in the sky till the superheroes have things sorted out appeared first on The Brothers Brick.
The fine folks at Cyclops Print Works have a pair of beautiful new Disney posters up for sale. JC Richard’s poster for The Little Mermaid is a 12″ x 36″ twenty-one color screenprint, has an edition of 225, and costs $100. Brittney Lee’s Aladdin poster is a 20″ x 30″ ten color screenprint, has an edition of 200, and costs $65. Visit CyclopsPrintWorks.com.
The post New Disney Posters by JC Richard and Brittney Lee appeared first on OMG Posters!.
CaseymaloneI WANTED TO LIKE THIS TRAILER MORE
#Baywatch is coming. And I am in this. And you will like it.
CaseymaloneOh no I want 90% of these
Today LEGO officially revealed a number of additional sets in the January lineup of The LEGO Batman Movie theme. We’ve already seen a lot of the line, but now we’re able to bring you solid, high-resolution shots of the whole theme’s first wave.
LEGO sent us early copies of all of these sets, so we’ve already begun our reviews, starting with The Joker Notorious Lowrider, The Batmobile, and The Penguin Arctic Roller. You can expect the rest soon, including the fantastically hilarious 20 minifigures of the The LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigures line.
Check out our coverage of other brand new 2017 sets in the links below, and see the rest of the new Batman sets after the jump.
The LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigures
2017 LEGO Star Wars original trilogy sets
2017 LEGO Star Wars Rogue One sets
2017 LEGO Star Wars Rebels sets
2017 Ford Le Mans Victories set
2017 LEGO Disney Frozen sets
2017 LEGO Disney Moana sets
2017 LEGO Architecture sets
2017 LEGO Batman Movie sets
2017 LEGO City sets
2017 LEGO Creator sets, part 1
2017 LEGO Creator sets, part 2
2017 LEGO Elves sets
2017 LEGO Friends sets
2017 LEGO Nexo Knights sets
2017 LEGO Ninjago sets
2017 LEGO Technic sets, part 1
2017 LEGO Technic sets, part 2
LEGO Technic BMW R 1200 GS set
Click the image to see closeups of each figure.
Read our hands-on review of The Batmobile.
Read our hands-on review of The Joker Notorious Lowrider.
Read our hands-on review of The Penguin Arctic Roller.
CaseymaloneHI I WOULD LIKE TO BUY ONE OF THESE PLEASE
When I reviewed The LEGO Movie nearly three years ago, I wrote, “Forget Ben Affleck, I want Will Arnett as the next Batman.” With The LEGO Batman Movie hitting theaters on February 10, 2017, I’ll finally be getting my wish. Our friends at LEGO HQ sent us all of the new LEGO Batman sets, and we’ll be bringing you reviews of as many as we can over the coming days. Several of the sets have already hit stores ahead of the holidays, so we’ll start with those.
First up, 70906 The Joker Notorious Lowrider includes 433 pieces and 3 minifigures for $49.99.
While it remains to be seen whether Joker’s Lowrider will ultimately be considered “notorious,” read our full review for our thoughts on this new set.
The Joker’s big purple lowrider comes in three numbered bags, with one of the minifigs in each bag. The instructions come in two booklets, spanning 113 steps. I’ll be honest: With mostly stacked plates and bricks that add up to a large purple sedan, this isn’t a particularly inspired build.
What little SNOT there is in the build is in all the usual places common even in LEGO City vehicles these days — outward facing tiles for the sides of the car and the front and rear fenders.
There’s some oddly complicated Technic assemblies underneath the chassis, connected with rubber bands, but I’ll cover those when I describe the play features in the finished model.
Let’s move on…
It’s square. Really, really square. And huge for minifig-scale. But pimpmobiles — and let’s be honest, this is no less a pimpmobile than the Lunar Limo from the Space Police theme in 2010 — are often built on the enormous, boat-like American sedans of the 70’s and 80’s, so huge and square are what we should expect, I guess.
So if we accept that the Joker is driving around Gotham in a purple pimpmobile — after all, it’s even a dead ringer for Austin Powers’ “SWNGR 3” from Goldmember, down to the gold grille and angled pipes along the sides — then the Joker’s lowrider is kinda sorta awesome.
Behold, zebra-printed seats and a sound system to quake your grandma in her easy chair.
The blue Technic pins activate a pair of flick-fire missiles hidden in the trunk.
Those oddly complicated Technic assemblies connected by rubber bands underneath the lowrider create a bouncy ride for passengers, with independent suspension for each wheel. Personally, I would have preferred some type of mechanism to raise and lower the car, mimicking the hydraulics of real-life lowriders.
Let’s all admit that many of us buy LEGO Superheroes sets for the superhero minifigs. So without further ado, I give you Batgirl, Harley Quinn, and the Joker himself. All three are unique to The LEGO Batman Movie line of LEGO sets, and are different from previous minifig incarnations of the same characters.
The Joker wears a natty purple suit to match his sweet ride, with wild green hair, an adorable snaggle tooth, and — perhaps a first for an official LEGO minifig — what appears to be some ink on his forearms.
All of the minifigs are printed on both front and back with reversible faces showing two expressions. The Joker has a cheesy, “Who me?” grin in addition to his snaggle-tooth look.
Harley Quinn wears her usual red and black checkered outfit with skulls on her belt and a Smylex T-shirt under her jacket. She flits about on roller skates, presumably whacking things with her printed baseball bat. (The set includes an extra red and black roller skate each so you have two complete pairs in each color.)
For her alternate face, Harley Quinn has a quizzical look, or perhaps it’s just nonplussed.
Batgirl wears purple as well, with a utility belt and cape. Most noteworthy about her outfit is that she has a separate ponytail piece that attaches to the back of her cowl via a standard bar connection.
Her alternate expression is angry, perhaps because she’s been accused of being associated with the Joker in his purple pimpmobile.
There aren’t any completely new parts in this set, though several appear in new colors, such as the pearl-gold chicken. Most notable are several new printed parts — two zebra-printed tiles (1×2 and 2×2) I noted earlier, and a set of tweeters for the sound system (4 1×2 round speaker tiles for the set, with one extra).
As it’s sat here next to me over the past couple of days, Joker’s lowrider has slowly grown on me. Yes, it’s overly large and very square, built from fairly basic building techniques. At $49.99 for 433 pieces, I’d be hard-pressed to recommend this set at full price, or as your only LEGO Batman purchase. But with three fun — and probably collectible — minifigs and a big bunch of purple and pearl-gold pieces, it’s not half bad. That’s no ringing endorsement, but the set is certainly worth consideration for the minifigs and the purple. All that purple…
70906 The Joker Notorious Lowrider is now available from Amazon.com and LEGO.com.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Caseymaloneknuck till you buck
Taronga Zoo is celebrating its first successful Short-beaked Echidna births in 29 years, with keepers monitoring the progress of three healthy Echidna babies born to three different mothers.
The puggles, as baby Echidnas are called, have just opened their eyes and begun to develop their characteristic spines in the safety and warmth of their nursery burrows in Taronga’s new Echidna breeding facility.
Photo Credit: Paul Fahy
Echidnas are notoriously difficult to breed in human care, but keepers are pleased with the progress of the tiny trio and first-time mothers, Ganyi, Spike, and Pitpa.
Echidnas are one of only two Australian mammals that lay eggs (the other is the Platypus). The puggle hatches after 10 days and is carried around by its mother in a pouch-like skin fold for up to two months. Once the puggle starts to develop spines it is deposited in a specially-constructed nursery burrow and the mother returns to feed it every 3-6 days.
“All three mothers are doing an amazing job and tending to their puggles as needed. We have one mum, Spike, who is so attentive that she returns to feed her baby every second day,” said zoo keeper Suzie Lemon.
The three puggles all hatched in August. The youngest was born to mother Pitpa, who was the last Echidna born at Taronga in 1987.
“A great deal of mystery still surrounds this spiny species. Echidnas are quite elusive in the wild, so it’s hard to study their natural breeding behaviors,” said Suzie.
Suzie said the sudden success of Taronga’s Echidna breeding program could be attributed to the newly completed breeding facility, which was designed after extensive research and consultation with other zoos and wildlife parks. The facility includes insulated nest boxes to ensure the puggles remain warm and safe as they develop.
“A day in the puggle world consists of lots of sleeping. They can be buried up to 30cm deep in their burrow, so they’ll just sleep and use all their energy to grow and develop,” said Suzie.
Keepers have begun to weigh the puggles every three days to monitor their body condition and general development. The heaviest of the trio weighs over 500 grams, while the youngest weighs about 250 grams.
“This is a big step forward for Taronga. By monitoring the puggles so closely we’ve now got a good broad understanding of their growth cycle and development,” said Suzie.
Keepers have yet to choose names or determine the sexes of the three puggles, which won’t start to explore outside their burrows until early next year.
Related articles
CaseymaloneI'm losing my fucking mind.
The first official image of the upcoming LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigures Series (CMF) was recently published on the company’s official Twitter account, revealing the full lineup of awesome Batman outfits along with new villians including Red Hood, Eraser and Calculator. Minifigures will hit store shelves on January, 1 2017. Check out the individual images of all the the figures below.
Here’s the whole list of 20 characters in minifig form:
King Tut
Pink Power Batgirl
Joker – Arkham Asylum
Calculator
Red Hood
Commissioner Gordon
Barbara Gordon
March Harriet
Mime
Catman
I don’t post about vinyl toys too often anymore, but this new one by Rob Jones is pretty special. Based on one of his Jack White posters, this “GOG” is 11.5″ tall, comes in two colorways, and costs $150. Visit AnimalRummy.com.
The post GOG Vinyl Figure by Rob Jones appeared first on OMG Posters!.
CaseymaloneHere for these.
After some tantalizing reveals at San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con earlier in the year, official images (including box art) have now emerged revealing most of the LEGO Batman Movie set lineup scheduled to hit shelves in 2017. We’ll relay exact information about pricing, availability, and the sets not already pictured here as it comes to us. These look like great sets that will complement what looks to be a promising movie!
Via The Brick Fan.
Check out more brand new sets:
2017 City sets
2017 Nexo Knights sets
2017 Technic sets
BMW R 1200 GS Technic set
2017 Friends sets
2017 Creator sets
2017 Ninjago sets
To celebrate their one year anniversary, Melancholy Press has reissued their popular “Dinosaur Batman” prints. These are 8″ x 8″ letterpress prints, have editions of 100, and cost $20 each (or $50 for all three). Visit Melancholy.press.
The post “Dinosaur Batman” Prints by Melancholy Press appeared first on OMG Posters!.
Grantmasters is back with another scene from that 1980s classic movie, Robocop. This time the action takes place in the boardroom with the infamous line spoken by ED-209: “You have 5 seconds to comply.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. I am now authorized to use physical force“. Although the ED-209 robot is a fantastic little build, the micro Delta City is my favourite part of this scene. Great parts in microscale, and a welcome change from seeing the white life preserver part used as a toilet seat!
If you fancy trying your hand at re-creating a scene using ED-209, Grantmasters kindly shared the parts required for the build and a partial breakdown. Just watch out for any glitches…
Daniel Danger just released an exceedingly ambitious project, it definitely deserves a look. His “Spirit Board” includes the following items:
It was produced in an edition of 150 and costs $100. Visit his shop.
The post Daniel Danger’s Spirit Board (and Print Set) appeared first on OMG Posters!.
CaseymaloneTHAT UNDER THE SKIN POSTER THO
Mondo will release a large batch of posters from MondoCon later today. These are all 24″ x 36″ screenprints, have limited editions, and will cost $45-$65 each. They go up today (Tuesday, November 1st) at a random time. Visit Mondotees.com.
The Martian by Oliver Barrett
Guardians of the Galaxy by Jock
Under the Skin by Matthew Woodson
Rosemary’s Baby by Jonathan Burton
The post New Posters by Oliver Barrett, Jock, Matthew Woodson and Jonathan Burton from Mondo (Onsale Info) appeared first on OMG Posters!.
Pumpkins and Jack-o-Lanterns are indicative of the fall season…and Halloween.
Zoo Keepers work hard to keep their animals healthy and happy. Enrichment toys and activities are an important tool that Keepers utilize to help in that pursuit. Enrichment items encourage natural behavior and stimulate the senses…and what could be more stimulating, this time of year, than celebrating by tearing into a bright orange pumpkin!
Happy Halloween from ZooBorns!
Image 1: (Lynx) Tierpark Hellabrunn / Marc Muller
Image 2: “Red Pandas, Jung and Nima, get into the Halloween spirit”/ Chester Zoo
Image 3: (Snow leopard) Woodland Park Zoo
Image 4: (Amur Tiger) Woburn Safari Park
Image 5: Piglets-in-a-pumpkin/ Tierpark Berlin
Image 6: “Andean Bear, Bernie, tucks into honey-coated treats”/ Chester Zoo
Image 7: “Black Jaguar, Goshi, enjoys and early treat”/ Chester Zoo
Images 8, 9: Elephant Pumpkin Stomp/ Denver Zoo
Image 10: (Chimpanzee)/ Detroit Zoo/ Jennie Miller
Image 11: (Bison)/ Detroit Zoo/ Jennie Miller
Image 12: (Giraffe “Mpenzi”)/ Detroit Zoo/ Jennie Miller
Image 13: (Hippo)/ Woodland Park Zoo/ Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren
Image 14: (Tiger)/ Woodland Park Zoo/ Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren
Image 15: (Maned Wolf)/ Woodland Park Zoo/ Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren
More adorable Halloween pics, below the fold!
CaseymaloneIf someone brought this into my home I would melt it immediately.
That being said I once scared the crap out of Hannah with LEGO Shelob and it was pretty funny.
It looks like Paul Reiser (aka Carter Burke from Aliens) has been releasing facehuggers into the homes of innocent people again! No, this grainy photo isn’t a still from the next film in the Alien franchise, but it could be! Seriously, mordatre‘s LEGO facehugger is terrifyingly good. The sleek Bionicle pieces combine perfectly to create a realistic and dynamic alien exoskeleton. I love the posable tail and legs. But if this thing could move on its own, I don’t think I’d ever be able to sleep again.
Here’s a better (?) look at the nasty creature.
Caseymalonehmmmmmmmmm
With New York Comicon coming up fast, LEGO has revealed a new line: DC Comics Super Hero Girls. The new line and first round of sets were posted on Facebook and Twitter this morning. These sets will be available beginning November 27, 2016, so mark your calendars!
41231- Harley Quinn™ to the Rescue ($29.99 USD)
Join in the action-packed LEGO® DC Super Hero Girls™ world as Harley Quinn™ battles the mischievous green Kryptomites at the Capes and Cowls Café. This great set features Harley Quinn™ and Steve Trevor™ mini-doll figures, a two-level café building with a cupcake catapult and rotating arcade machine, plus Harley Quinn’s jet with movable wings, a net shooter, and two mischievous green Kryptomites.
41230-Batgirl™ Batjet Chase ($24.99 USD)
Join in the action-packed LEGO® DC Super Hero Girls™ world as Batgirl™ battles the yellow Kryptomite™for her stolen ePad. This great set features a Batgirl mini-doll figure, the Batjet with opening cockpit, stud shooters on the wings and a net shooter at the front, plus Kryptomite buggy with an ePad and a fearful yellow Kryptomite.
41232- Super Hero High School ($79.99 USD)
Join in the action-packed LEGO® DC Super Hero Girls™ world as Supergirl™ and Poison Ivy™ battle Lena Luthor™. This great set features three mini-doll figures, a three-level school building with swiveling classrooms, café, extending ramp, chain and disc shooters, Poison Ivy’s motorbike and Lena’s jet with rotating thrusters and a gripping claw at the front, plus two hypnotized purple Kryptomites.
In just a few minutes, Mondo will release this incredible new poster for The 36th Poster of Shaolin by Gabz. It’s a 24″ x 36″ screenprint, has an edition of 250, and will cost $45. It goes up today (Thursday, September 29th) at a random time. Visit Mondotees.com.
The post The 36th Chamber of Shaolin Poster by Gabz from Mondo (Onsale Info) appeared first on OMG Posters!.
*NOTE: This ebay auction ended. But, the cool stuff doesn't end there. If you want up-to-date prices on your favorite classic video games from years past, sign up for a complete catalog every day FOR FREE here!
Hey everyone, Kim here. We have BIG NEWS for all of you rare prototype hunters. You guys MUST check out this phenomenal item! This is truly an amazing find: the sample cart of the original Zelda 2 prototype. A big shout out goes to zurgdawg for giving us a heads up on his listing. We wish him all the luck in the world with the sale. You can see his listing here.
The game has been tucked away in his parents attic for over twenty years, but the game still works fine. He hooked up his old nes game system and provided some Zelda 2 nes photos along with the listing on eBay. The history of the game is that it was given to him as a gift from a family friend working for Nintendo of America in Redmond, WA back in the day. The seller does try to provide as much information as possible. He even points out the misspelling on the label, a fact that he thoroughly researched and found to be not uncommon on these sample and prototype carts. There is some question as to the completeness of this game prototype. However, Scott assures me he was able to play the whole way through to the end of the game.
Editor's note: that's more than I can say; Zelda 2 is notoriously difficult! - Link
Now before you dismiss this as just another overpriced nes prototype, read this article: Rare Zelda prototype cartridge for $150,000 on eBay. The article is a few years old, but it still really speaks to the staying power of Zelda (or Zelda 2 in this case). If anything, these Zelda prototypes are even more expensive and rare in 2016. I don’t know what the outcome was of that sale, but someone didn’t hesitate to list it at that price. Legend of Zelda games have always remained a fan favorite for old school nes players. Really it goes beyond the “old school nes players” since there is a new Zelda game every few years with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild next up and scheduled for release in 2017.
Here’s a quick refresher on the game in case you’re a little rusty. After the successful defeat of Gannon, the Prince of Darkness, the Legend of Zelda 2 joins Link at the age of 16 after a strange symbol appears on his hand. His mission is to wake Princess Zelda. Her brother, the Prince, wants the third piece of the Triforce. Zelda is the only person who knows where the missing piece is hidden. He uses the power of a wizard to try to force Princess Zelda to tell him the location. Zelda ends up asleep and the wizard ends up dead. Link must find the missing piece on his own and put the all of the pieces together in order to wake Princess Zelda. He must do all of this while Ganon’s henchmen are in pursuit. They believe his blood is the key to reviving their master. Playing as Link, you must complete your mission and avoid Ganon’s underlings.
As of 8 pm Monday September 19th, bidding is around $300. The listing ends next Monday. Don't be surprised if this one ends near the several thousand dollar mark. This prototype is very rare and may even be one of a kind.
CaseymaloneVery cool.
In association with Acme Archives, Grey Matter Art will release a new poster for The Fly by Matt Ryan Tobin later this week. It’s a 24″ x 36″ screenprint, has an edition of 175, and will cost $45. The glow in the dark variant has an edition of 100 will cost $60. These go up Wednesday, September 21st at 1pm Eastern Time. Visit GreyMatterArt.com.
The post The Fly Poster by Matt Ryan Tobin (Onsale Info) appeared first on OMG Posters!.
Caseymalone*ahem*
... DAMN, DANIEL.
Mondo, in collaboration with Cyclops Print Works, is currently selling an amazing timed edition poster for The Jungle Book by Daniel Danger. It’s a 24″ x 36″ screenprint for $60. It will be sold until Friday at noon. Visit Mondotees.com.
The post The Jungle Book Timed Edition Poster by Daniel Danger from Mondo and Cyclops Print Works appeared first on OMG Posters!.
Perth Zoo is celebrating the birth of an endangered Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo joey, the first to be born there in 36 years.
The male joey, which was born the size of a jellybean eight months ago, is now out of his mother’s pouch. The joey is named Mian after a province in Papua New Guinea, the native home of the species.
Photo Credit: Perth Zoo
The joey’s birth is the result of successful matchmaking between mother Kaluli and father Huli, who were identified as the best genetic match. Mian is one of only 15 males in the global species management program, so his genetics will be highly valuable when he reaches breeding age.
Perth Zoo keepers were able to keep a close eye on the joey’s development because they trained Kaluli to have her pouch checked.
Keepers used a small camera to peer inside the pouch and were able to see when Mian’s toenails developed, when his eyes first opened, and when he first grew fur, all without disturbing Kaluli. The information gained is extremely valuable for managing the species.
Perth Zoo partners with the Tenkile Conservation Alliance in the mountains of Papua New Guinea to safeguard Tree Kangaroos in the wild.
Cyclops Print Works just released this gorgeous pair of posters for Frozen by Brittney Lee. These are 20″ x 30″ screenprints, have editions of 200, and cost $65 each. Visit CyclopsPrintWorks.com.
The post Frozen Posters by Brittney Lee appeared first on OMG Posters!.
CaseymaloneSome of those are just like, regular Lego sets and then they were like "Let's connect them with this INSANE CUSTOM BRIDGE."
Some builders go years without sharing any of their builds online, but the LEGO creations can be worth the wait. We featured a lovely LEGO Tardis by Alan McMorran way back in 2008 (and I had the pleasure of meeting Alan in person at BrickCon the next year). Alan is back with a fantastic bridge that spans shelves at two different levels in his study.
Alan tells me that the “Constantine Bridge” was inspired by the old London Bridge and the Ponte Vecchio in Venice — houses and their residents crowding the arch.
The bridge itself is built with a Technic interior, and each of the narrow buildings atop it is modular, and can be swapped around to suit Alan’s mood.
The two buildings at each end of the bridge are excellent modular buildings in their own right, guarded by competing factions of Imperial Guards.
Check out lots more photos in Alan’s photostream on Flickr.
Bastion is a rather divisive character to fans of Overwatch. While adorable as a character, his charm does not forgive his unstoppable hail of gatling gun bullets. Piggy Brother’s LEGO rendition of Bastion is definitely a showcase of his charm. Not only are the details of his Bastion model nearly spot-on, his pose with the bird Ganymede on his finger is just like Bastion’s concept art. The continuation of the black outline over the blue “eye” using a rubber band is a great detail.
Piggy Brother even constructed his Bastion to transform into sentry mode. A rather impressive touch to his excellent model.
See more photos on the builder’s Flickr.
This mythical scene by Henry F. evokes cold dead lands, riven with streams of smoking rock, populated only by those too unlucky or too cursed to be elsewhere. Here, a mighty beast lurks, and a band of hellish warriors surrounds it, hoping to catch a prize? Or perhaps unwisely seeking to tame it. Whatever their intentions, I cannot think this will go well for them.
Look closely at the stonework, for it is masterfully done, with just the right amount of profile “brick” bricks sprinkled with other pieces to create a crumbling edifice. The uneven base, which doesn’t sit flat, also lends to this vignette’s otherworldliness.
CaseymaloneI do not like the adult ones, but I do like the babies.
A clutch of about 200 rare and unusual Montserrat Tarantulas has hatched at Chester Zoo.
Invertebrate keepers at the Zoo are the first in the world to successfully breed the tarantulas, marking a crucial step towards discovering more about the mysterious species.
Gravid Female Montserrat Tarantula (below image):
Photo Credits: Chester Zoo
Native to the Caribbean Island of Montserrat, very little information is known about these tarantulas and how they live.
New behavioral observations made for the first time, by experts at the zoo, have revealed crucial insights about the Montserrat Tarantulas which, prior to their breeding, had never before been seen in zoos or in the wild.
Dr. Gerardo Garcia, Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates at Chester Zoo, said, “Breeding these tarantulas is a huge achievement for the team, as very little is known about them. It’s taken a lot of patience and care to reach this point.
“The data we’ve been able to gather and knowledge we’ve developed over the last three years since the adults first arrived has led us to this first ever successful, recorded breeding and hopefully these tiny tarantulas will uncover more secrets about the behavior, reproduction and life cycle of the species.
“We know that males have a very short life span when compared with females and gauging their sexual maturity to select the best possible time to put them together for mating, is vital to the breeding process.
“It’s successes like this which really highlight the work that zoos are doing behind-the-scenes to conserve a range of endangered species, including the smaller, less known species that contribute to the world’s biodiversity.
“Importantly, the skills and techniques the team has developed with this new breeding success will now be transferred to other threatened species.”
Montserrat Tarantulas were first formally described by science from a single male over 100 years ago. Since then, a team of researchers have observed the tarantula as a prey item for another species from the island, the Mountain Chicken Frog. (The Mountain Chicken Frog--Leptodactylus fallax--is a critically endangered species also native to the Caribbean Islands of Dominica and Montserrat.)
Adult Montserrat Tarantulas (following images):
CaseymaloneI haaaaaaaaaaaaate this.
Angela Chung has made great use of the new baby minifig in an excellent hospital scene depicting the arrival of a new baby. Sometimes “obvious parts usage” makes for the best models.
The details of the delivery room surrounding the central action are nicely done with a variety of mobile medical machinery at the ready. I particularly like the incubator trolley with it’s little heat lamp waiting to keep the new arrival cosy. However, close attention to the scene does raise one troubling question…what is the screwdriver for? Regardless, this is a lovely model, and is all the more refreshing for depicting the sort of real-life events we don’t often see “in the brick”.
Rarely does one think of smooth curves when discussing Lego. While the 2×4 red brick may be the most famous piece, its the new age parts that are turning the corner on what Lego can become. Utilizing parts from the Bionicle and Constraction lines, designer Tremah has sculpted Lego for the future in the form AD.AM, an awe inspiring robotic being. Sleek, form fitted, and futuristic white coloring, AD.AM is surely ready to become the prime example of what Lego bots have and will become. The future is now people!
