MOCStalgia - Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of "Hook"!

Here at BrickNerd we like to reminisce about the past. This month Hook celebrates its 25th Anniversary and easily can be described as one of the best movies to ever bless our eyes. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you either live under a pile of LEGO or have never owned a VHS. In recognition of this occasion we have dug into the Nerdly Vault and dusted off some good ones for you to feast your gaze upon:

Starting off with this micro by Rod Gillies of Neverland. Years later and still some very fun details like the itty bitty ship and waterfall. This creation is a great example of when a builder starts an idea and then puts it down several times before completing it. Rod describes this build as having started with the ship but it wasn't until months later that it all came together. 

Next up is a vignette by Angela Chung! Angela created full scenes for all characters from the Disney Collector Minifigure Series, which you can see here and here. Her Peter Pan and Hook scene has such fun details like the monkey in the crow's nest and Tick-Tock the Crocodile just below. 

Keith Reed built an amazing Never Never Land Amusement Park full of Peter Pan goodness. So many details packed tight but my favorite of course has to be the ship! (Whats with me and ships today?) I'm not much of a rollercoaster enthusiast, unless you count my days of Roller Coaster Tycoon, so this park does it just right for me. 

And now the man of the hour, the Captain himself. Builder Markus Rollbühler creates Hook in such a compromising position, which is such a fantastic representation of the character himself. Favorite details are the piece choices Markus makes for the collar, his belt buckle, moustache and of course those lace frills on the wrists. 

In my search for the ultimate Hook related creations I came across another fun build, although not specifically Peter Pan related its still lays within our theme. This one we really had to dig for, behind the cobwebs of the interwebs (haha, get it?) builder Barney Main created this Neverland Island with so many awesome details that I personally wouldn't mind being stranded on it. Barney uses white horns and yellow hands to create some of the detail around the water and sand. Cute little creatures like the crabs and seagull and (oh my goodness) the little ship! #shipcrazy

Well if this didn't make you want to watch Hook right now then we can't be friends. I'll just go watch it alone with my LEGO and remind myself THAT I NEVER WANT TO GROW UP! 

BrickFair Virginia (2016) Recap

Well, another year of BrickFair Virginia has come and gone.  Why must it always pass us by so quickly?!  Sad remarks aside, let's get into the joy that is BrickFair. 

As usual, the creations displayed were phenomenal!  There's always something new to see at this convention, which is a fact that I always look forward to when I attend.  I personally always enjoy meeting the upcoming builders that attend this event for their first time equally to reconnecting with old friends and other great builders.

It's easy for us here at BrickNerd to praise such a great convention, but what do other attendees have to say?  I conducted two brief interviews with a first timer at the convention and another builder who has attended for multiple years:

This was your first time as an exhibitor at a LEGO convention and attending BrickFair VA.  What was your favorite part about the event that makes you want to attend again next year?

Dominic M.:  "My favorite part about BrickFair is just about everything! There's plenty to do like meet new people, buy cool things, and show everyone what you can do as a LEGO builder! If you're a big fan of LEGO and you like to see other creations, or you want to show off your own, BrickFair is the place to go!"

I know that you have attended BrickFair VA for multiple years now.  What is it about this event that brings you back every year?

Joseph Z.:  "It gives me an opportunity to meet people in my community.  I also like the chance to see some of my favorite builds in person, and see old friends, of course!"

My fellow BrickNerd contributor Kodiak and I were both fortunate to attend the event and together have pulled together some photos of the highlights that were on display.  These photos are not enough to truly give you the experience, but hopefully they are enough to inspire you all to attend! 

Until next year, BrickFair!

Nathaniel & Kodiak

Yamamoto

Can a military ship make you squee? I'd say this one can. It's an adorable mashup of cruiser, destroyer and battleship by Dwalin Forkbeard. Combine those, add some adorable proportions and plenty of moveable weaponry, and you've got a seriously cute floating vessel of death. Imagine standing on the deck of your warship, admiring this thing and making "awww" sounds, then you see the torpedo screaming at you.

Welcome To Nordheim

I hope you brought your jacket (and maybe some armor, just in case). This is the chilly realm of Nordheim, a collaborative build by jsnyder002 and soccersnyderi. This premiered at BrickFair VA last week, and I'm certain it must have been quite the sight in person. It's 130×98 studs and weighs a whopping 87 pounds, that's a serious diorama. I highly recommend clicking through and checking out both of their photo streams for more pics, this thing is packed with detail and fun surprises.

Z Gundam

I really like the chibi proportions of this latest Gundam mech by Moko. It reminds me of a small child in a very elaborate costume, the sort of costume a truly dedicated nerd dad would come up with. And as if the squat stature of this guy wasn't cool enough, it also transforms! Check out Moko's website (in Japanese) for more pics and details.

Just Bobbling Around

This six-pack of Star Wars characters by LegoJalex is the perfect mashup of two highly collectible things: LEGO and bobbleheads. All of the characters are wonderfully chibi, and they very nicely recreate the originals despite their simplicity. And of course, all the figures really bobble, using a brilliantly simple mechanism. Check out the video to see them in action.

Brickhills Ave

Here's a little dose of some retro goodness from builder Snarled. Inspired by the art deco buildings in Los Angeles, he created a fictional but fun city corner shop. Although likely designed in the 30's and 40's, Snaillad set this in the 60's, mostly to take advantage of those groovy hair pieces from Scooby Doo and the like. 

To Da Moon!

It seems to me that the "One small step for man" would be a bit smaller here, considering this is LEGO. Dorian Glacet built this awesome Apollo lunar lander and moon rover. The lander uses some clever techniques and looks very accurate (to my untrained eye, at least). But my favorite part of the build is the set of tracks left behind the rover. It looks very cool and really evokes some of those pictures the astronauts took on the moon.

EDIT: This model by Dorian is actually a reworking and representation of a lunar lander built by Saabfan. So, since credit needs to go where it is due, I wanted to mention both builders here. This is a good example of how work from two equally skilled builders can be combined to great effect.

Rogue One: Secret Room Scene

Ha!  I beat Tommy to a Star Wars post!!!  Gotta appreciate Markus19840420's attention to detail and cinematography in this shot.  At first I figured it was just another one of those post-some-minifigs-over-the-still-shot deals, but oh no, that's all LEGO.  The scene was built for a contest called IDSMO IV, which is a German Star Wars Moc Olympics.  But it's more than a nifty build, it's the mastery of the two art forms of LEGO and photography.  Well done, Markus! 

Quite Possibly The Single Greatest Use Of Bananas Ever

Sometimes it's not the obscurity of a part that makes it a NPU (nice part use). Everyone has a banana or two, at one point last year we had over 100 in the studio for a particular animation gig, but the thought of using them as thatching on a roof, like this brilliant treehouse MOC by theogiulia never occurred to me. What a fantastic use of a totally mundane part.

Checking In On The Goblet Of Fire

These MOCs are part of an absolutely epic undertaking by the latest member of a small team of dedicated Harry Potter and LEGO fans. Each is a small vignette representing a notable scene from the legendary book series. These are from The Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the series, and are built by Xenomurphy, who took up the mantle from builders MarcelV, 'rolli and Kevin Wollert. Each is a small piece of a larger story, and a story unto itself.

Quidditch

This sort of build warms my heart. This phenomenal quidditch pitch by builder britsnap1 is a father/son project and obviously a labor of love. It measures over seven and a half feet and is populated with a full audience of sports loving minifigures. A fevered match is in progress, and while I can't really tell, I'm betting Gryffindor is winning. Harry Potter himself would be proud.

Steamy Pew Pew

The distinguished gentleman know that when it comes to personal defense, there's absolutely no reason that the apparatus need be without style or panache. The Winchester Action Thermal Steam Operated Neutralizer, or WATSON Pistol is just the thing for standing down a rogue and doing it with flair. Now available at Higby and Bloque, and wherever fine firearms are sold.

Watchtower Of Orodruin

Everywhere you look at this scrappy watchtower by Tim Schwalfenberg you'll see two things: A very interesting technique, and something unconventional. From the craggy brickwork at the base of the tower, to the cobbled railing at the top, and from the uneven stairs on the left to the boulder rock work on the right, it's amazing. I have to admit I think this would probably give me fits though, it looks so fragile I wouldn't want to stand anywhere near it while simultaneously needing to get a good close look at it.

Check Mate

Ok so I've got to admit, I'm not a massive fan of the LEGO Friends sets (mainly I just don't like the figures) but SuzEaton has won me over with this chess set. Each piece is themed, including a skier, halloween witch, DJ and bakers. The queen piece is represented by a prom queen and the king features one of the Friends as a mechanic. I strongly suggest checking out the individual pieces via the album. This half of the board fits together with a LEGO Elves themed board built by Suz's husband.

Plowing Forward

I love the sense of motion and drama in this MOC by monstrophonic. Here in sunny California, we don't have to contend with much snow, but I've seen some video of trains auto clearing snow from their own tracks and it's spectacular. Well, it's spectacular from a comfortable chair watching YouTube, I imagine in person it's a bit terrifying.

Furious Fowl

I don't really have anything against Angry Birds, well, mostly. I actually own the Star Wars version of the game (of course I do) and I'm pretty terrible at it. When I heard they were making a movie, well I just sighed, for Hollywood is officially out of ideas. I haven't seen it, and probably won't, but that doesn't diminish my appreciation of this brilliant micro build by vitreolum. There's a sense of story here, of contemplation, of calm before the storm. And I'm saying this about a little MOC based on a movie I haven't seen based on a silly game that's 7 years old...impressive.

Pit Droid

It's become somewhat cool to dis the Star Wars prequels, but I was doing it before it was cool. While The Phantom Menace is arguably the worst of the three, it does have a few redeeming qualities, and these little dudes are one of them. Pit Droids, like this one from nobu_tary, were maintenance robots in the pit areas of pod racers. But they're skills just may have extended past that, because that scene was one of the other redeeming qualities of the film...coincidence?

There Is A House. Like No House On Earth....

....and it belongs to the Mad Hatter. This ridiculously insane creation is by Brick Blue Wren and is bursting with detail. From the chandelier to the Hatter's hats - there's even a collection of feathers, bows and hat boxes. The spiral staircase within the hat-shaped structure comes complete with a handrail built from LEGO levers and the knobs appear to be a pair of chocolate muffins! It gets curiouser and curiouser the more you look!