19 Years Later. . .

It's the descendants of Harry Potter's first day of their term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Today in Harry Potter fan history marks the time in the final novel of the Harry Potter series where Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley return to Platform 9 3/4 to send their own children off to school. This scene, composed by Jonas Kramm, is the perfect build to feature today here on BrickNerd. It's quite creative and magically executed, with James Sirius Potter disappearing into the hidden column gateway. With Voldemort defeated, all witches and wizards can breathe a bit more easily. . .that is, until the next instalment of the series.

Battle In the Streets of Theed

With the excitement of Battlefront II growing, fans like Jamesbrick take to their plastic bricks to express their longing for the game to come sooner. With the game footage we have seen, we know that you will be able to play in Theed, the capital city of Naboo, as your favorite heroes and villains of the films (including the clone troopers, voided by the awesome Dee Bradley Baker once again)! This little fight scene created by James brings together recognizable sights from Theed, such as the tan architecture, green roof lines, and layered streets/balconies. With this being such a small scene, I'm quite impressed with how well it came together. There's just the right amount of texturing here! Not too much, not too little. Who would win in a fight, Rey or Maul?

Walk, Don't Run Down the Stairs

As the ABS Builder Challenge starts a new round, entries are slowly starting to pop up. While using the elephant trunk piece in tan, ~ Cab made this neat staircase with a brick built perspective to intrigue you! The only problem is, this person was not taught never to run down the stairs in a hurry. I really want to know what happens... Anyway, this parts usage is very creative, and seems to fit right in very well. Looking forward to featuring more builds from this contest!

Get Hitched With This Here Ol' Wagon

Creating a covered wagon that's balanced with both details and curvature is no easy task, but builder Sanellukovic made it look pretty easy. Appropriately scaled, textured just enough, and with those little details that just make it look complete, this wagon could be the defining addition to any western scene. Cowboys, what do you think of this model?

Technique Tuesday - Sloped Tile Flooring

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. . .

Ulrik Hansen brings us a bit more complex technique, or at least more parts intensive for some builders. This style of sloped tile flooring can be used in many environments, whether it's inside your castle, or even a stone/concrete wheelchair access ramp outside of your town hall. As always with LEGO, the possibilities are endless. Example 1 involves 1x2 hinged bricks, which to me is such an awesome idea. The second image Ulrik provides us with uses connected headlight bricks, and shows another way with cheese slopes. Thankfully, the images are very clear and are easy for many builders to understand what's happening. I have never seen some flooring like this before, at least with these specific parts used to create the effect. Very nice technique, and one we're happy to share with you all!

The Claaaaaaaaws of Adamantium

Movie inspired props are always a cool thing to see recreated in LEGO, even if it's the smallest detail or piece of equipment. In 2017, we have seen the sun set on such an iconic hero for several generations -- Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Though he only had the parts to build one set of blades, Milan Sekiz has revealed his Adamantium Wolverine claws. Man, are these things so cool...and shiny. Obviously these blades would not be supported between the fingers on their own, so Milan came up with an interesting solution, making them into a pair of super scary and sharp brass knuckles, that attach at the wrist. They are instantly recognizable as the Wolverine's claws, but they also could be some sick blades for another warrior. Incredibly cool model!

Who Needs SpaceSHIPS When You Have Medieval Ships?

With the 5th annual SHIPtember already starting, many people are producing large spaceships at this time. Not James Pegrun, though! Instead, this builder is going a more classic route by building some old, medieval boats in the middle of a battle out at sea. James has done an excellent job at shaping the boats, while still keeping them smooth at the same time (so many brown tiles!). These boats are so excellently built, it will be a shame to see them crash into each other. . .

"I Will Go to Micro Mordor!"

What was I just saying last night, about excellent Lord of the Rings microscale creations? It's very much so unintentional, but here at BrickNerd we're featuring a lot of microscale models from fans of the Lord of the Rings. This morning, I awoke to Milan Sekiz's awesome tiny Mordor! The three highlights of the dark realm are all represented with simple elements, but to great effect. Such an interesting model, and one that I personally would display at my desk.

Crafted Totem Pole

Jonas Kramm has built a variety of things lately, including this very neat totem pole. The pieces used in this model add a very interesting texture, especially the thorn/spike elements that add some nice depth. When you start at the bottom of the pole and work your way to the top, the cooler it gets! Ironically, animal parts and animal accessories are used to add to the craftsmanship of the design, making it appear so realistic. How many different parts can you spot?

Steamy Burlington Northern Railways Engine

Here at BrickNerd, we like to look back at some older, yet still excellent, models from time to time... Back in 2015, JBIronworks produced this awesome train engine that has always stood out to me among others that I have seen. I'm not quite sure why that is... Perhaps it's the sleekness of the engine? The nice railing that goes around the train for the engineers? Or perhaps it's just the shaping. According to the builder, this is indeed a real life engine, produced in 1972. I personally would not have known if it was a real engine or something that the builder chose to make up, unless he had specifically stated in his image description. Whether it was real or fake, it's still a gorgeous engine model to me!

Tiny Shire, Huge Impact

Hobbits are infamous for being tiny, and their homes are appropriately scaled just for them. You know what's not infamous for its small size? A tiny LEGO Bag End in the Shire! Lord of the Rings builder and fan Patrick B. shared his latest creation, which is incredibly recognizable considering how tiny each iconic detail added is represented here. Minifigure scale Bag Ends are a common sight in the community, but micro versions that are done so well are rare. Such an excellent build, Patrick!

Technique Tuesday - Bowcasters

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. . .

I haven't seen any many techniques come across my feeds this week, so I decided to do one other feature of my own techniques. Any Star Wars fan is familiar with Chewbacca's famous bowcaster, but do you remember what LEGO provides as an accessory? That's right, just a silver LEGO crossbow piece, the same used in castle sets. Or, now they have the crossbow stud shooter. Sometimes you just need something else, a weapon of your own design. Did you know that most Wookies craft their own bowcasters? Using simple parts, I created a series of different bowcaster designs. Each is scaled for minifigures, maybe just a bit long in some cases (but not too terrible). I think my favorite design is third from the right. Do you have a favorite design? Obviously the combos can we mixed and matched, which allows a bit of "customization" for your minifigures. You can take a closer look over on my Flickr page, NS LEGO Designs. Thanks for taking a look!

The Only Brew for the Brave and True Comes from the Green Dragon!

A very lovely layout by Patrick B. features the Green Dragon, from little old Hobbiton. There are round windows and round doors, the iconic architecture you would expect to see form a Hobbit dwelling. What is the most interesting technique, at least to me, is how the building truly curves around, with roof lines meeting and trying to fill gaps. That is not easy to do, yet Patrick did an excellent job. Perhaps Gandalf helped out a little? Very well done! The scene is then complete with some outside activity on the landscaping that blends very well into the building's layout.

The Epic Star Destroyer Crash

There are no words I can type to express how truly incredible this creation is to me. Simon Liu created something I did not expect to see recreated in LEGO this well, or recreated in general. Why? Well, I'm not quite sure. Apparently, Simon is simply powerful with the Force. A masterful shot featured in the latest Star Wars film, under the direction of Gareth Edwards, was two Imperial Star Destroyers smashing into each other at this interesting angle. Under the command of Admiral Raddus, a Hammerhead corvette pushed a disabled Destroyer into another, which lead to the destruction of the shield over Scarif. This is no doubt a complex scene to have done in LEGO, yet Simon indeed achieved the angles, destruction, and overall appearance so well! This has got to be my favorite model from Simon to date. Incredible!

The Household of the Lovegoods

LEGO Harry Potter creations are still on the rise. The latest addition I have come across is this awesome model of the Lovegood house, seen in the 7th movie. I have never seen another model of the complete house, but perhaps that's just me. Brick Surgeon has peaked my interest with this intriguing build! The interior is truly amazing, but even the outside, though it's all black, is really interesting to me. The shaping, angles, and especially those windows are what make this build so pleasing to my eyes. Excellent work here! Make sure to take a closer look at all the interesting pieces used.

Technique Tuesday - Windows for Your Houses

If you're into LEGO architecture, or you enjoy building houses, then you need to check out this window design by James Zhan! With a front and back view of this window style, the pieces come together to create a very unique window design. As we usually try to share here on BrickNerd, James' model also uses common elements that most builders likely have in their collections. Do you think you'll give this a try? Let us know down in the comments! Build on, everyone.

Heath Ledger Joker

"Do you wanna know...how I got these scars?" Yeeees! Heath Ledger's Joker is incredibly unnerving and crazy...which is why he is my favorite cinematic version of the Joker we have yet to see. Ledger's role will be incredibly tough to beat. J.B.F. was commissioned to build this incredibly character version of this Joker, and I must say I'm jealous that this is going to someone else! The eyes and smile on this build are just as unnerving as the real deal. Such a creative and well done model! MWA-MwAhAhAhAhA!