FIRST STRONGHOLD: Blue Alliance

FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, changes lives. It is an organization that has inspired young people to be generational leaders and innovators, particularly in STEM fields, with its signature Sport of the Mind since 1992.

Designed by a FIRST alumnus, volunteer, and mentor and a current FIRST student, this LEGO set is a scale model of half of the field for FIRST STRONGHOLD, the 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc). 

Official FIRST Game Reveal Video:

This set includes: all 9 possible defenses, 1 mock robot of the Blue Alliance— based on the game reveal video, 2 opposing Red Alliance robots, 9 Boulders, and a Minifigure of one of the FIRST founders, Dean Kamen. A similar stand-alone set, FIRST STRONGHOLD: Red Alliance, has been submitted for the other half of the field. With both sets, the complete field can be created for double the fun and competition.

There are 5 defenses on the field for an alliance during a match. The first defense, the Low Bar, a pipe with a curtain that is tall enough to allow boulders and short robots to pass underneath, is always present. The other 4 defenses can vary in both their obstacle and position. Just like in competitions, these LEGO defenses are designed to change locations and increase the challenge! Alliances may find themselves against 8 other variable defense options.

• Portcullis: an opening with a gate that can be raised in order to pass

• Cheval de Frise: 4 weighted platforms that tilt back and forth in different directions

• Moat: a channel between two lips that can be crossed

• Ramparts: 2 stationary ramps of equal width facing opposite directions

• Drawbridge: an opening with a door that lowers when manipulated, creating a ramp

• Sally Port: an entryway with a door that opens to the side when manipulated

• Rock Wall: a large lip that can be crossed

• Rough Terrain: a series of blocks of different heights that can be crossed

The Blue Alliance must defend their Tower! Their castle wall consists of 3 Player Stations, a Tower, a Human Player station, and the beginning of a Secret Passage. The Tower holds 2 Low Goals on a Batter and 3 High Goals for robots to shoot boulders through. The Tower, also, has 3 scaling rungs for robots to climb in the last 20 seconds of their match. Boulders can be sent onto the field at the Human Player Station, through either an opening on the ground or above the ground.

Each team on the Blue Alliance has their own Standard, a proud flag to fly when they are on the field. For those of you that support this idea (thank you in advance!) and have an association with an FRC team, please comment which team you support on this page. We’ll propose to LEGO Ideas that the top 3 teams who support this project (in total, 6 different teams between this set and the Red Alliance Set) will have their teams’ Standards added, in the form of stickers for the 3 alliance Standards.

FIRST and LEGO already have a strong partnership through FIRST LEGO League Junior (http://www.juniorfirstlegoleague.org/) and the FIRST LEGO League (http://www.firstlegoleague.org/). Adapting LEGOs to promote another FIRST event is a logical step and one we know can capture the minds not only of FIRST fanatics but also of young builders. One can even design their own STRONGHOLD bot to complete the challenges in the LEGO model, just like in the FRC game! Furthermore, the availability of LEGO field models for FRC teams in future years could be key in helping them visualize and strategize the tasks at hand.

Are you ready to Defend your STRONGHOLD?