I feel a BURP coming on...

Post by **Athos** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 2:28 am

I like to use them for landscaping. Particularly as backdrops for my JT stories. Also you can kind of break up the repetitiveness of them, if you stagger their use (both vertically and horizontally) and stick some bricks between them and also if you put bricks on their faces.

And with the light grey, dark grey, white and new brown colors you can really break up the pattern.

Steve

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:21 am

I find that they do not often fit in well with my landscaping, so I do not use them any more. They are big, and so they do save on bricks, so that is a plus. I find that I can build just as quickly without them, due to the extra time spent making them fit in.

I have seen MOCs where it is obvious that BURPs or LURPs were used, so that is not so good. I've seen MOCs where they might have been used, but it's not obvious, so if the builder used them, they did well.

That's the thing with these pieces, they are only good if you can't see them.

Like any piece type, if the shape draws the eye away from the overall MOC, or is a distraction, then it's better not to use them, or use them in a different way.

From the perspective of future sets, I would like to see the trend away from large molded pieces. I think that most would agree that a set with fewer pieces does not provide as great a challenge or leave as much room for building technique and creativity. There is, of course, challenge in using a difficult piece, but I would like to see sets emphasize architecture, building techniques, building style, etc. Because of my preferences for new sets, I find it difficult to support the use of BURPs and LURPs in MOCs.

Call me a snob, but that is just my opinion.

Jim

Skudmunky · Post by **Skudmunky** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:40 am

I use both, all the time. BURP stands for Big Usefull Rock Piece, not Big Ugly Rock Piece. Get it right, people!

Stone Goblin · Post by **Stone Goblin** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:14 am

Skudmunky wrote:I use both, all the time. BURP stands for Big Usefull Rock Piece, not Big Ugly Rock Piece. Get it right, people!

I thought it was Big Useless Rock Piece.

I'm just kidding about the "useless" part but I did vote "infrequently use both". They can be used for certain landscaping design, like steep cliffs or rocky mountains landscapes. Right now I have all of the BURPs and LURPs being used for one large moc with a village outside castle wall with a steep river crevous going through the village. I bought a lot of dark grey bricks and flats packs. I'm using them to hide the pattern of Burps/Lurps. In some areas of the cliffs there is no Burps just bricks and a few slopes here and there. I would probably prefer using bricks, slopes and flats for all rocky cliffs but I don't have an infinite supply. So using burps is okay as long as I randomize the placement of burps, cover with other pieces to break up the patterns and using foilage is also good.

Blueandwhite · Post by **Blueandwhite** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 6:10 am

I love BURPS & LURPS!

Seriously, when it comes to landscaping, these things can't be beat! Recently, I managed to aquire over 100 BURPS & LURPS for a good price (under a dollar per BURP/LURP). Needless to say, my next castle (Brickmoor is no more) will be situated above sea-level.

For a great example of elevating structures, or making rock surfaces look to Dr. Carney. His castles may bore some, but few are better with hinge bricks or BURPS than the good doctor. If you want to build big, and you want to build high, BURPS/LURPS are an absolute must!

Later.

Post by **Bruce N H** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 3:47 pm

I use both quite a bit in my landscaping, but now I use them mainly for the skeleton of the mountains and cover them up to avoid repetitive patterns. Here's an early version where I didn't try to hide the BURPs:

Here's a more recent cliff that actually has BURPs at its core, but I tried to hide them with bricks and plates over top:

In a twist on this topic, Brendan Powell Smith, who uses naked BURPs in his landscaping, has actually built BURPs from bricks to continue the pattern in unavailable colors:

Bruce

Ristridin · Post by **Ristridin** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:37 pm

I voted 2 also. As Antony said, they suppurt a lot of weight and create a lot of space, and save a lot of bricks. I always use them as part of my castle hills, and not a a wall or something. The innerside of the rock pieces are very ugly (one of the reasons they ar called burps or lurps. I find the dark grey Burps/Lurbs the best, but when I use them I always add more bricks, to change the look a bit. So that they are not the simular.

Michiel

psu_ericksen · Post by **psu_ericksen** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:36 pm

#2, for sure. There's nothing wrong with using BURPs (or LURPs, for that matter). I'm glad to see that the majority feels the same way. And it doesn't really take that many pieces to break up the repetition. Actually, I've found it to be a good way to use my yellowed old grey pieces.

Sean

Lord Mikal · Post by **Lord Mikal** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 10:15 pm

I use 'em both. I don't have very many, but they're among my favoite pieces. I find that they work extremely well with the big 2x5x6 classic castle walls, and before joining C-C constantly used them next to each other.

I don't do landscaping (having absoloutely no budget to speak of), so I mostly use them the same way as set 6048. Working around inside them is, as attested, quite ugly, but it gives me a lot of extra room that I wouldn't have building with ordinary bricks. Go, BURPs!

DaveOhare01 · Post by **DaveOhare01** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 2:56 am

I actually never use either. I don't like the sameness of the LURP or BURP, especially when building very large wall/cliff sections.

More importantly, the cost of these bits is pretty high -- compared to my fav tool, the inverted 2x2 slope.

Plus I can always use the inverted slopes somewhere else!

MalSnay · Post by **MalSnay** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 5:28 am

I think BURPs and LURPs work excellently. Here's an example of a project I'm working on:

Stack them irregularly atop and around each other -- freely put LURPs and BURPs side by side, some a few pegs ahead of another, change the texture by adding select 1x? same colored bricks, and people will think you're a master landscaper!

(or I'm just tootin' my own horn and need someone to pop my bubble).

Post by **JoshWedin** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 10:11 am

MalSnay wrote:(or I'm just tootin' my own horn and need someone to pop my bubble).

Well...I would try but I think your bubble is unpopable...that is a sweet tower and the BURPs look great! Although the lone bley one stands out a bit.

Josh

ottoatm · Post by **ottoatm** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 12:35 pm

I usually use both, and am pretty happy with the results. I've seen some really great landscaping with these, especially from some of our Japanese building friends. Like Hordesman, I'd say that they are nice if you mix some gray and bley bricks with them in an irregular fashion as well, and maybe some small plant pieces too. That makes for a pretty realistic, good-looking rock wall that is usually bigger than something you (well... me anyway

) could make with regular bricks.

EDIT>> Bruce, that is a great idea (using BURPS as a core). I have often admired that wall of yours, I may try that sometime in the future to see if I can get some sort of similiar results.

MalSnay · Post by **MalSnay** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 2:18 pm

Josh:

Never fear! The bley was removed when I got more BURPs and LURPs, it was only a temporary stand-in.

Norro · Post by **Norro** » Mon Jan 23, 2006 2:34 pm

I use burps in just about everything... my latest MOC being one of my first without landscaping being the exception.

My first ever MOC used them heavily...

(pic=link)

This small MOC is almost entirely burps: Sea Wolf Lair

And Cliffton Castle has a huge number of them...

So I am a definate advocate of Burps... The only problem being an allingment issue I encountered with cliffton...

God Bless,

Nathan

Classic-Castle.com

I feel a BURP coming on...

Do you use BURPs and/or LURPs?

Never!