My boys are going to dig this MOC by The real Eric Tsai, unlike me they actually play this game (sometimes for days at a time, get a job!) and know the characters. I dig it because it's a cool design, it's well built and has personality. A quick Google search (yeah, I'm that lame) reveals this guy to be steam powered, which makes him even more endearing in my book.
Here's a fun fact: I know how to fly a plane. It's been a really long time, but in a pinch I could take the yoke (of a small plane) and get down safely. This latest MOC by kosbrick is not only a brilliant recreation of a mid size airliner cockpit, but it's also photographed really well. Luckily KOS has an excellent article detailing this technique.
When I think of builder Norton74, I think of hotrods, cars and crazy detailed garages. But now I'm going to add classic space to that because check out this MOC! This WWI inspired big blue tank has been flash forwarded to the future. It features a long range gun and has a rotating turret and a crew of three. The maintenance hangar is a thing of beauty too, so much spacy goodness.
Now don't get me wrong, I think my iPhone (and all of it's predecessors) have been beautiful designs, but I wouldn't call them 'elegant'. Phones dating back to the art deco and art nouveau era however, were stunning art pieces that you happened to make calls with. Take for instance this brilliant MOC by kosbrick. It is representative of a time when form and function effortlessly intertwined, and is as lovely to look at as it is useful for communicating.
Way back in 1989 I was working on location on a pretty terrible film called The Boneyard. One day me and some other crew members went to Walmart and I spotted these, the brand new Gameboy from Nintendo. I immediately bought two, one for me, one for my girlfriend, and we played and played. This version by Kloou brings back all the nostalgic feels.
This bony dude from Djokson is called The Harvestman. What's not clear is exactly what he harvests. With his mischievous yet charismatic appearance, not to mention all the bones, I sort of get the feeling I wouldn't be too happy about it. But as a MOC I'm real happy about it.
For his friend's 50th birthday, builder (and dear old friend of mine) Peter Abrahamson put together what might just be the most awesome birthday present ever. This is a recreation of a custom one-off Bladerunner Spinner that LEGO built for production designer and legendary artist Syd Mead. Not only that, it's with a custom framed license plate from the movie!
The Spinner that LEGO built was unique because of some non production color parts used. It was actually featured in a detailed account by Joe Meno for BrickJournal issue #28 and featured right here on BrickNerd way back in 2014. Joe provided Pete the digital model he reverse engineered, which Pete gratefully acknowledges he couldn't have done it without. Some of the flex tubing used was never in production in blue, as well as the part on the inside of the front wheels. Pete got around this problem on the front wheels by using parts that were spray painted (I can hear you purists gasp, it's gonna be ok) by a friend. And for the flex tubing Pete substituted gray tubing instead, which looks just fine.
Pete also custom printed water lift decals for the model which were painstakingly cut and applied. This was a real labor of love. Even the back of this thing is beyond awesome. To support the model on the frame, Pete custom built a frame back with a connecting beam at the bottom. Check out that custom waterjet cut Bladerunner detail in the middle!
So, an actual prop from the movie and a faithfully recreated custom LEGO model all in a totally cool custom frame. You have to agree, this is about the best present ever. I'm sure Pete's friend will be proudly displaying this unique work of art and love for years to come.
By the way, I turn 50 in a couple years Pete, I'm a big Star Wars fan...just sayin'
Feast your eyes on Nick Trotta's latest star fighter! I suppose you could also call it a flying cannon, with the primary weapon under the nose running almost the entire length of the ship. It's definitely worth zooming in to see how those wings are constructed, too. And if you can't figure out how he built them, check out the video. Nice one, Nick!
I made the awful mistake of watching The Exorcist when I was about 12 years old, roughly the same age as Regan in the movie. It scared the crap out of me, I was traumatized for days. Then again, I also developed a crush on Linda Blair, so sorta a double edge sword I guess. This little vignette by vitreolum recreates one of the more disturbing scenes, and I'm sorta having flashbacks. Despite the questionable subject matter, there's actually a lot of really cool and subtle techniques being used here, like the wall molding achieved with jumpers, and the paneled door. This is spooky good.
Builder 2 Much Caffeine imagines the power of steam and the first quantum clocks in The Mark IV Automaton. Can you just imagine if the early breakthroughs in electronics and computers would have coincided with the age of steam power? It would have been really impressive. Then again we still can't get a robot to reliably open a door, so things might have gotten messy.
Sci-Fi guy ska2d2 has returned to minifig scale with this nifty rig. You may recall his micro fleet posted back in December. What I like about RED3 is there's no pretense of aerodynamics. Bulky and practical, no frills save the black and yellow checker details. Scroll through the photostream to see some nice up-close shots, like the retractable cockpit action. And good luck finding an exposed stud on this baby. I couldn't.
Builder Grantmasters shows us how you really can't go wrong when you combine Banksy, LEGO and silhousaic art. This interpretation of 'girl with balloons' (not it's official title, Banksy isn't much on titling his work) would look right at home in any art museum. Or on the wall of my studio for that matter.
Sometimes it's not so much about the building, but about the presentation. None of these little lamps by kosbrick are particularly spectacular, just the clever assembly of a few pieces, including the seed part from Iron Builder. But put them all together on a Ikea inspired shopping "web page" and it's absolutely marvelous.
Of course LEGO astronauts go to space academy, they have to learn the ways of space somewhere. And of course there's lecture halls at the academy, they're perfect for group learning. So why we've never seen a space academy lecture room before now seems baffling. Thankfully builder justin_m_winn came along to fix this oversight. Three cheers for higher education!
Here's the latest stunning build from LEGO car artist Firas Abu-Jaber. He's itemized all the engineering specs and design features of this new Italian supercar on the main pic. Plus there are all sorts of interesting tidbits of information with the subsequent shots in his photostream. All I have to say is, "Awesome!"
LEGO mechanical genius JKBrickworks is back with another fantastic project that you can build yourself, just in time for easter! The egg decorating machine is a fairly simple gadget and has been around for ages, I remember playing with the "Decoregger" when I was a kid, but with the addition of LEGO EV3, it's all the more fun. Head over to the Jason's website for everything you need to build your own.
You all know what a Disneyland nerd I am, and no trip to the Magic Kingdom is complete without a visit to our favorite spooky attraction, the Haunted Mansion. This MOC by kjm161 not only captures the look and feel of the exterior of my favorite residence of New Orleans Square, but it has a fully detailed interior. The inside is absolutely packed with details and homages to the attraction, from madame Leota to the hitchhiking ghosts, to the rest of the 999 happy haunts. Now, look alive, and click through for many more pictures.
Nobody would dispute the contributions of Leonardo Da Vinci to the art, science, design and medical worlds, as well as others. The man was an absolute genius and changed the world forever. This MOC by MolochBaal imagines what his workshop might have looked like, and it's how I always imagined it. I love the fact that many of the disciplines Leonardo practiced are present, from war to fine art.
This looks right out of a Hold Everything or Ikea catalog. Builder kosbrick is presently engaged in an epic struggle known as Iron Builder, and the seed part is the little paint roller handle being so cleverly used as hooks in this unpretentious build. It's clean, it's realistic and it's functional.
Once upon a time Pokemon was huge at my house. Both of my boys went through phases where all that was talked about was how to be a good trainer and how to catch them all. Now builder Takamichi Irie has started a series of fantastic MOCs bringing these pocket monsters to life. The addition of the collector card for each Pokemon is a brilliant touch. Maybe he'll eventually get to my personal favorite, Cubone. Photos by willgalb.
What happens when a lifelong Trekkie, AFOL and professional toy designer finally gets an official LEGO Star Trek playset? Samuel Hatmaker explores the new Enterprise bridge and shows why playing Star Trek matters as much as displaying it.
We spoke with several Autistic AFOLs who shared their experiences with LEGO regarding coping, community, collecting and catharsis. And we found that Autism can be both a challenge and a superpower when it comes to LEGO.
What do you do when a LEGO Pokémon set doesn’t quite hit the mark? Take it apart and create an alternate build using only the pieces from the original set! But how do you level up a character as recognizable as Pikachu?
What happens when a LEGO builder who knows almost nothing about Pokémon takes on the entire Smart Play wave? We explore the colorful and curvy sets and then remix them into crazy creations far beyond the Pokédex.
Who was Susan Williams and why was her impact on people’s perception of LEGO so significant? Join BrickNerd as we piece together the illustrious career of this mysterious LEGO employee.
Have you ever wondered what the LEGO community was like in the 2000s? Today's guest writer and veteran builder, Nannan Zhang, shares his thoughts on building and sharing MOCs online for the past 20 years.
The blue Classic Space astronaut has come a long way from the 1980s. Richard Dryden explores LEGO’s new upscaled version and reflects on the Classic Space sets and memories that started his LEGO journey.
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