ABS Builder Challenge - Season 1 Finale

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Along with a new round of Iron Builder, this month sees the season 1 finale of the ABS Builder Challenge, brought to you by InnovaLUG.  For those who are unaware, this contest is also focused around creative uses for a specific element.  This month's element is a curved top modified brick in dark red.  For the finale, InnovaLUG has put 16 builders (including myself) against each other for 3 weeks!  Working in teams of 4, each team is attempting to create the most creative builds possible.  The team that produces the top 14 builds will be declared the winning team, and the member who contributed the most will reign as champion of this season.  Nearly one 1 week into the challenge, I have featured some of my favorite builds in the round so far.  Head over to the group and check out the rest!  Can you think of a use for the piece?

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Nathaniel Stoner

     My name is Nathaniel Stoner, and I am an very active LEGO builder.  I mostly build in the themes of castle and science-fiction, but I also dabble in other genres and create occasional random MOC's (My Own Creations). 

     When I was younger, I would get and build small LEGO sets for my birthday, but I was never really into them.  When they fell apart, I would become frustrated attempting to put them back together and would throw them in a box in my closet.  I couldn't stand them!

     Then, miraculously, I became addicted to the LEGO brick later in my teen years.  Ever since, I have continued to build up (pun intended) my collection of bricks and to expand my knowledge of techniques and building skills.  LEGO is truly more than a toy, its an art form and a way to express yourself.

     For the most part, I collect LEGO Star Wars (mainly the minifigs), which is probably my favorite LEGO theme.  I have a fairly decent collection, including some of the original 1999 sets, such as the Snowspeeder, X-Wing, and Naboo starfighter.  I also collected LEGO the Lord of the Rings when those sets first came out.  The minifigs are great, and the story remains one of my favorites ever. 

     My hope is to inspire other young (and perhaps even older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity!  You can find me on my Flikr here. 

Stimpy, you eeediot!!

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Julius von Brunk continues his Nickelodeon theme with an excellent tribute to Stimpson J. Cat, of The Ren & Stimpy Show fame.  The expression says it all with this guy, and Julius is clearly a fan for choosing this portrayal.  For those of you unfamiliar with the network's original lineup, the series ran for five seasons in the early 90's.  It's vulgar humor and innuendo, according to Wikipedia, set the stage for shows like Beavis and Butt-head and South Park.  What a legacy! 

Stimpy

Tigress

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Since the dawn of man we've been racing. It started simply enough, with our legs, but with each technological advance in transportation it hasn't been very long before somebody said "hey, let's race these". There's no reason to expect this will ever stop, so it's natural to assume in the future we're going to have some pretty nifty go-fast competition. This Formula Zero Gravity ship by Rogue Bantha not only looks fast, but has deep roots in classic LEGO racing, namely Octan. The color scheme is perfect.

Tigress
Tigress cockpit

Windsurfing

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I don't spend much time at the beach, although I can't imagine living too far from it. Yeah, I'm a California native that doesn't like the beach, go figure. But I do enjoy the view as I drive along the coast, and when you see one of these people it always enhances the scenery. Builder vir-a-cocha captures the motion, pose and attitude of this favorite of the aquatic sports.

Windsurfing

The Iron Burger

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As things heat up in this round of Iron Builder the two competitors are stepping it up. I love cheeseburgers, they're one of my favorite foods. I also have a family history with them, since my dad started a very successful burger joint that continues to thrive to this day. So I find this latest build by Leopard irresistible (and now I'm craving a cheeseburger).

The Iron Burger*

"I'm Not Crazy"

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Dateline Venice California: For Immediate release.

Local youth enters institution.
On Tuesday this week a local youth known only as "Mike" was institutionalized by his parents.  According to his father "we feared he might hurt someone, that he might hurt himself" so the decision was made to get him somewhere "safe". His mother was certain he was on drugs, despite claims by the youth to the contrary. When interviewed the youth was despondent, uncertain of his future and the motivations of his parents, particularly his mother "All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me." Representatives of the institution declined to comment.

My god prefers HC

Technique Tuesday - Stacked Stone

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Introducing our very own Technique Tuesday!  Each Tuesday, we will be featuring at least one post that contains a technique tutorial from builders like you!

One of the best things about the LEGO community is that we can learn from one another.  Here at BrickNerd, we like to share techniques that we see from builders all around the world. . .

Simon NH shares many useful techniques over on his Flikr page.  For our first official Technique Tuesday post, we are featuring his most recent demonstration, a stonework technique for walls.  What an interesting pattern created by these simple elements.  It looks fairly sturdy from this image alone, which is nice since some similar techniques can collapse pretty easily.  Thanks for sharing with us, Simon!  Tune in next week as we continue to feature more techniques!  Happy building.

wall technique no. 9
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Nathaniel Stoner

     My name is Nathaniel Stoner, and I am an very active LEGO builder.  I mostly build in the themes of castle and science-fiction, but I also dabble in other genres and create occasional random MOC's (My Own Creations). 

     When I was younger, I would get and build small LEGO sets for my birthday, but I was never really into them.  When they fell apart, I would become frustrated attempting to put them back together and would throw them in a box in my closet.  I couldn't stand them!

     Then, miraculously, I became addicted to the LEGO brick later in my teen years.  Ever since, I have continued to build up (pun intended) my collection of bricks and to expand my knowledge of techniques and building skills.  LEGO is truly more than a toy, its an art form and a way to express yourself.

     For the most part, I collect LEGO Star Wars (mainly the minifigs), which is probably my favorite LEGO theme.  I have a fairly decent collection, including some of the original 1999 sets, such as the Snowspeeder, X-Wing, and Naboo starfighter.  I also collected LEGO the Lord of the Rings when those sets first came out.  The minifigs are great, and the story remains one of my favorites ever. 

     My hope is to inspire other young (and perhaps even older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity!  You can find me on my Flikr here. 

Niffler

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The Niffler, a burrowing magical creature native to Great Britain with a mischievous nature and a penchant for anything shiny. If you saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them you got to see one of these little rascals at his best (worst?). This version by The Deathly Halliwell absolutely nails him, and makes we want to watch the movie again.

Niffler