This month's LUGnuts challenge has certainly been eventful. It's not hard to imagine why since it's the 100th (!) and they're doing it up right. Builder Moritz drew "fire engine" and as you can see, he ran with it. Inspired by FDNY's iconic lime green engines, this beast looks as capable as starting as many fires as it puts out, but it would certainly be awesome to see in action.
Mechanical mad genius JK Brickworks is back with another fun project, and something that everyone needs on their desk, an Orrery. I'd call it simple, because it just has the sun, earth and moon, but as you can see in the picture and video, it's far from it. It's also surprisingly accurate in rotation and orbit, having cycles that are really close to the actual celestial bodies. And with instructions generously shared by the builder, you can make your own!
Like most people I am quite excited to see the upcoming Ghostbusters re-boot but imagine if the story was taken back into the Victorian Age and given a Steam Punk makeover. Thats what Cpt. Brick has done! With stories of Fish & Chip eating Eco-plasm and unfriendly Librarians the scene is well set. All thats missing is an Ecto 1 for the Phantom Catchers to rush through the street of Old London Town in. "I say old chap, be a good fellow and don't cross the steams!"
Speaking of the contest on LUGNuts, my pal Firas Abu-Jaber drew #1 in a list of 100 predetermined cars. Not only did he build an amazing replica, but he's also got the hood ornament and the external trunk to boot. Check out the link to Firas' in-depth write up and tons of extra pics on MocPages.
This thing is just awesome. Andy, aka D-Town Cracka, has come up with a seriously modified 1974 Chevy El Camino SS. Apparently there's a contest going on at LUGNuts called the 100th Build Challenge. This is #74. Get it? "Chopped, bored, jacked and tracked", this baby's got all the features you'd need at a monster truck show, Sunday-Sunday-Sunday! Kids 12 and under enter free.
Builder Nick Brick is generally known for his awesome video game and movie inspired weapons and props, but as you can see from this excellent figure, he's got character chops too. Of course this lovely lady is from a video game as well, it's Commander Shepard from Mass Effect. And of course I only know this because I googled it, since I never get to play games any more.
This made my heart go pitter patter. Not just because I'm a fan of all things geek, but because it's from a dear friend who hasn't been building much lately (but has certainly been making lots of cool stuff!), and It always makes me happy to see the work of friends. Behold the Beholder, from Guy Himber. Making great use of those Mixel eyes and being all monstery, I dig it.
Okay, so we're throwing the "don't blog the same builder more than once a day" thing out the window. Again. Jonas has built this amazing and fully functional LOTR pinball machine for the Iron Builder contest on Flickr. Naturally, it makes me think about how I'd build a Battlestar Galactica pinball, but that'll have to wait. Check out the video!
They were ridiculous, they were brash, they were driverless, they were the Zingers, model kits from MPC. Back in the 70's it seemed you couldn't get outrageous enough (just ask Chuck Barris or ABBA) and hotrods were no exception. Builder Mad physicist clearly understands this mentality and has recreated my personal favorite from this line, the Super Volks. Who cares if it doesn't actually have seats? Just imagine how loud and fast it is!
Generally speaking I don't blog a builder twice in one day, or even the next day for that matter. Then Legopard had to go and whip this baby out. One of my favorite foods being sold out of a cart themed after one of my favorite franchises built out of my favorite toy to enter a contest for one of my favorite websites run by some of my favorite people on the planet. How could I not?
This is one of those MOCs that you can try to describe, but just have to see to understand. It's also one that would be difficult to display at a show, but a real crowd pleaser if you did. It's One More Brick's gimbal mounted ultra luxury resort in space, Cloud 9. The sort of place we 99% can only dream of visiting some day (in the distant future of course).
The sound of the motors, the slight whiff of something burning, the crashes at the turns, the track that doesn't *quite* fit together perfectly. It's slot car racing, and it's pretty much a thing of the past. They are still available, but back in the 60s they were extremely popular. The rise of the RC car marked the beginning of the end of the hobby, but it still has a special place in a generation's heart. This MOC by Legopard captures it's essence perfectly, from the controller to the iconic track.
Back in the 60's and 70's there was a thing called "show rods". I'm sure they still exist today, but back then they were new, they were radical and they dropped jaws. They drew crowds, they inspired model kits and they made people happy wherever they went. I remember building the model Chuck Miller's Fire Truck, here seen brilliantly recreated by Norton74, when I was a kid. I also remember musing about those short little ladders on the side, they wouldn't reach a first floor window. I was a weird kid.
Nothing like being attacked by a kraken to ruin an otherwise peaceful day at sea huh? This latest Iron Builder entry from Legopard uses loads of the seed part, a silver technic connector. But they're so well integrated you barely notice. That's not to say they're hidden, that's not the point, just click through and check out the high res picture, you'll see what I mean. And that water work, stunning! It captures the motion and intensity of the scene perfectly.
"Dave, Dave, Dave. Check the barrel Dave!" I can almost here them shouting from the walls. This fantastic little vignette from brickbink really oozes that Persian vibe. Loads of details and a sense of both fun and possible impending doom!. It also is timeless, replace the lovely little cart with a LandRover and give the guards machine guns and you have 2000 years of history right there. Go check out some of the other great MOC's on his Flickr page.
It's funny to me that I associate a classic workstation like this MOC by One More Brick to be part of another world I've managed to avoid all my adult life, corporate America. Overdressed professionals chained to desks entering data, chasing leads, trading stocks or any other of a million "business" type things. You know, that stuff us creative types scoff at. When in reality I spend most of my days sitting at a table not very different from this using my Mac. Yeah, totally different.
This beautiful MOC by Simon S makes me want to go on a time machine european holiday. Soak in the sun in a lovely Greek shoreline village, eat copious amounts of hummus, gaze at the tranquil settings and maybe, just maybe, go to a toga party (they had those right? I saw Animal House)
I try to keep things light here at BrickNerd (it's supposed to be a short escape from your daily grind) but this MOC by LEGOMINDED is as much social commentary as it is beautifully built. It should serve as a reminder that mental health is at a near crisis level here in the US. I'm not saying every homeless person is suffering mental problems, but it's sad there are so many people on the streets that are in need of help, and society turns a blind eye.
Thomas W. has reimagined one of his first mocs into this wicked Space VTOL. It's got all the required features: beefy, rotatable engines, missile launchers, two kinds of blasters, even a nifty awacs dish on top. Thomas calls it a scout ship, but it looks like it won't be needing any reinforcements. Awesome!
I learned a new term today, "tripartite". It's an architectural term relating to the use of rougher and inferior building materials on lower floors (where the peasants can touch them, ew!) and becoming more refined as you build up. Combine this fascinating concept with steampunk and you've got this awesome MOC by Groovybones.
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