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Shooting the deserts of Dune

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It’s nearly time, after a long delay due to Covid restrictions, Denis Villeneuve’s version of the sci-fi classic Dune finally arrives in cinemas across Europe this month.

Although we predominantly shoot LEGO here at Stuck in Plastic, a lot of us also enjoy all sorts of toy photography. Being one of those people, I thought I’d share my experience of tackling the first wave of the Dune action figures from McFarlane.

Released nearly a year ago to coincide with the film’s original planned theatrical debut, not many people seemed to pick these figures up, and at the time of writing, you can still find them pretty cheap in a lot of toy store sales.

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My Science Fiction Favourite

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After last month’s scary movie theme, it’ s finally arrived.. sci fi ! By far my favourite of all the movie genres.

The Crossing over of Genres

Science fiction, often called “sci-fi”, is a genre of fiction literature where the content of imagination can be explored based on science.

The choice is endless with a lifetime of favourites. So many sci-fi classics ‘criss-cross’ several genres, it’s sometimes hard to nail down the specifics. Take Alien for example, is it sci-fi or horror? Or Blade Runner, is it sci-fi or film noir?

Alien Chase
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Ghostbusters ECTO-1

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Hot off the press, the news is officially out and the Stuck in Plastic team were lucky enough to get their hands on an amazing new set.
Chris and Julien took it out for a spin and here’s a sneak peak of a couple of shots they created ahead of the release.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the rest of their images coming soon.

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Nature Boy

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I’ve always loved shooting outdoors, following the cycle of nature through the seasons – life, death and renewal.
At this time of year, during the middle of the British summer, I always try to take advantage of the light late evenings.
I’m lucky enough to live right next to parks and fields so whenever I get the chance, I’ll pack a few figures in my camera bag and head out on an evening stroll.

Along with LEGO, droids are by far one of my favourite subjects. On this particular evening I just packed my 1000toy Synth to see what I could come up with. I love the fact that you can portray a range of emotions on a droid’s face just by changing the pose very slightly. I wanted to show the contrast between, and the connection with, the mechanical and the natural world.

Shooting outdoors can be relaxing but you have to be quick when the right lighting appears in front of you. I love following the sunset and waiting for that precise moment but, all too often, by the time you have set up the light has already gone. The beauty of this sort of shot is in the moment. Once the light changes, the moment has gone forever; it makes the shot that little more unique than a studio setup. You can also blame the light rather than your skills when a shoot doesn’t quite turn out the way you intended…

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In the Garden

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Little pea girl has braved the lockdown and ventured out in to the garden. To a mini figure though, the garden is a big new world.

She climbed the Acer to glimpse the world beyond; there were no humans around, but birdsong filled the air instead. Nature was keeping busy – blossom adding a splash of colour to signify the coming of Spring.

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The Italian Job

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Some Weeks Ago…

Submissions for the #SiPgoesCinquecento are in and wre still debating about our very TWO favourites. Results should be here tomorrow. In order to make the waiting more bearable, here´s a related article to water your mouth a little more. A littel earlier this year Chris had the pleasure of taking the latest Creator Expert Car for a test drive. Here’s his side of the story:

An Italian Job In The UK

It’s that time again – another Creator Car release. This time it’s another classic – the Fiat 500 – a symbol of effortlessly cool Italian style. My assignment for Stuck in Plastic wasn’t going to be an easy one: How to show off that kind of style on the streets of a northern UK town.

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Adventures with the Land Rover

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When I found out I had the chance to shoot this iconic vehicle, I couldn’t wait to get out in the local streams and woods where I thought this set would be right at home, but first I faced a bigger challenge, building the Set. With it being a Technic set I knew I had a big job on my hands but I took my time and built it over 4 evenings so not to lose what is ultimately the point with any set, the enjoyment of the build.

What stood out from a lot of other technic sets was the realistic look of the vehicle. It seemed very photogenic and rugged just like the real thing. The amazing innards of the vehicle are probably lost on a lot of people but the suspension and gears are a wonder of modern Lego design.

When I came to shooting I was faced with my usual dilemma how to transport the set and keep clean and in one piece. I had to get the set to my selected location without losing half the pieces so I opted for the bulky but secure enormous plastic box. Having to walk to the secluded location took it out on my arms and back but there’s alway a few awkward steps when doing something you love.

The early Monday morning clouds had given way to a clear sky but my preferred favourite spot in a shallow stream had become a raging torrent due to the usual seasonal weather conditions in the North West of England. But I had my heart set on this location so had too improvise. Luckily I had worn my Wellington boots so I trawled the steam for pebbles and rocks and built a platform for the Land Rover to sit on set just below the surface of the water. I had to take extra care not too lose any pieces of they’d be lost forever. Somewhere downstream.

The bright sun was presenting some harsh shadows but also some interesting shafts of light through the overhanging tree branches. These were enhanced with the help of some Atmosphere Aerosol smoke and I managed to capture some satisfactory shots before the clouds rolled back in for what was to be another wet day.

All that was left to do was to take the set and trudge back to safety (before I ended up with a soaking wet Land Rover) and spend the afternoon editing my images down to a handful of ‘keepers’.

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A Dino in the Park

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The new Jurassic park set is here. I’ve been lucky enough for LEGO to have sent me the set a bit earlier to shoot.

The set

As I opened the box I was immediately surprised by the sheer size of the set, clocking up 3120 pieces! The great thing about the build is that you can share it with a friend. There’s one book of instructions for the iconic “Jurassic Park” gate and another for the star of the original film, the T-Rex.

I set to work on the big beast and loved the way you can build it up section by section. You can then click each part, such as the tail sections, together.

My wife, Helena, tackled the gates and loved the fact that she got to build all the minifigs. She’s a big fan of the Jurassic World series so she knew all the characters’ names right from the off.

The first problem to hit me after the build was how on earth I was going to transport the model out to my version of Isla Nublar!
With plenty of small pieces on the gates, and the T-Rex being pretty heavy, I knew that I had a big job on my hands.

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The Mustang Mission

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Can You Keep A Secret?

It’s a grim-looking Friday morning and I’m sat at a bus stop in the wind and rain. I’m waiting. The bus is late but I’m okay with that because I’m not going to my day-job today. I’ve got my camera bag on one shoulder and a rather innocuous-looking carrier bag containing a very special LEGO set on the other. I’m on a top-secret mission into deepest Manchester’s city centre in search of the perfect setting. This is going to be a shooting session with the new LEGO CreatorExpert #10265 Ford Mustang.

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