When Tommy asked me to provide a set review, I initially met it with trepidation. Outside of the occasional Star Wars UCS or Ideas set, I don't purchase sets to build the model within. I much prefer to salvage them for the delicious parts within. However, upon completing 21027 I was quite pleased with the experience. (Side Note: Receiving a package direct from Billund was a hell of a treat.)
Read More21031 Burj Khalifa is one of the newest sets in the LEGO Architecture line. It's LEGO's second attempt at replicating the tallest building in the world (their first attempt was...unimpressive, to say the least. Unless you really, really, REALLY like 1x1 round bricks). How does this new one stack up?
Read MoreSeries 15 of LEGO's insanely popular collectible Minifigure line is here, and TLG was kind enough to send us a box to review. Like the many series before it, this is a wild blend of characters from all walks of life and from fact and fantasy, let's meet them...
Read MoreFor many LEGO fans, the Architecture series is the perfect marriage of love of the brick, and love of buildings -- but on a much smaller scale than the Creator Modulars. The first few models in this theme had included two New York City landmarks -- the Empire State Building (at 77 pieces and a $20 MSRP, probably the most insultingly priced of all LEGO sets) and Rockefeller Center, and later on, the Flatiron Building. Now, with what I'm calling the Skyline series, LEGO Architecture is growing up and giving multiple models in one set. #21028 contains five of them: a microfig-based Statue of Liberty, new versions of the aforementioned Empire State and Flatiron Buildings, the Chrysler Building, and One World Trade Center.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, Tommy asked if anyone on the Bricknerd Team wanted to do a review of one of the new LEGO Architecture sets. Yes! I volunteered for Venice. My wife and I went to Venice on our honeymoon, and I had been there a few times before. Tommy informed me that I should be on the lookout for a box from Billund, so I waited anxiously by the mailbox. But since it’s February in Vermont, my wife suggested I come inside. Good thing too, it was almost two weeks before it arrived.
Read MoreThe story of Ole Kirk and the LEGO company origins has been told many times. In fact, here at BrickNerd we told the story with animation for the LEGO Brickumentary just last year. But I don't know that it's ever been told with such charm and accessibility as this new book by duopress, Awesome Minds: The Inventors of LEGO Toys.
Read MoreI get a kick out of all LEGO inspired books. It's a product and company I love. I also find just about anything Star Wars endearing (except maybe those stupid coffee creamers, what the heck?) So when you combine the two, you have my attention. Now add in the fact that this is the product of the imagination and creativity of an AFOL and fan, well this is a perfect storm of LEGO, Star Wars, imagination, creativity, photography and fandom, I'm smitten.
Read MorePublishing powerhouse DK is no stranger to LEGO fans. Every year we can expect numerous publications from them, and this year is no exception. Especially with the holidays upon us it seems everywhere I go I'm spotting DK LEGO books on the shelves (yesterday at Michael's for instance). As the years have passed one thing has changed the way I look at these books, the talented writers and artists that provide the content in them have become familiar, even friends.
Read MoreArtist, author, designer and builder Mike Doyle is back with another Beautiful LEGO book. Nature and animals are the focus in this third book of the excellent series. Mike has built some splendid creations, and curated MOCs from all around the world and from builders from all walks of life. All put together in a lovely presentation by No Starch Press. It's LEGO eye candy of the highest order, in a quality book that would look great on any coffee table.
Read MoreMegs and Brickbot are back for more building adventures in The LEGO Adventure Book volume 3, the latest of this quirky and fun series from No Starch Press. I'm so happy for my friend and author Megan Rothrock for getting to do what she loves, and when you read one of these books you can sense that love. She brings together a unique combination of top notch builders from around the globe, building instructions for awesome models and fun story telling that appeals to all ages. All presented in a comic-book like narrative featuring caricatures of the builders and a host of other characters.
Read MoreIt's a rare Saturday that I am at home. Usually I share my Saturdays at work with Joe Public, so you can imagine my excitement to have a Saturday off. Yesterday however, my Saturday off coincided with a BrickNerd workday (lets face it, every day is a BrickNerd workday, but I digress) so, what to do? Raid the BrickNerd archive shelves, that's what!
Read MoreWith some big, expensive releases in recent months -- Ferris Wheels, Helicarriers and Tumblers, oh my! -- I've found some comfort and, well, joy in the "smaller" sets, and in particular the licensed ones.
Read MoreAs far as carnival rides go, the LEGO Creator Expert Ferris Wheel is a really great one. Especially for minifigs!
Read MoreLEGO Architecture has earned a loyal following over the past few years, and with the growing interest in the theme it's no surprise that it has spilled over into other areas as well. Now there is a pretty spectacular coffee table book available from DK, and like the sets it's big on style.
Read MoreSteampunk is one of those things that's easy to appreciate but difficult to describe. You can look at a costume, a prop or MOC and say "oh, that's steampunk", but you may struggle to explain why. Sure you can throw some brown and brass together, and add a gear or two and call it steampunk, but you may find others do not agree. At it's core, steampunk is a reimagining of technology and lifestyles from the mid to late 19th century. Juxtaposing modern advances with a Victorian aesthetic. When it's done right it's magical, and you find yourself transported back in time. Guy Himber, the author of this book, does it right.
Read MoreThere's a monthly subscription for just about every area of interest now, from beef jerky to quilting. But until recently, there was nothing for the LEGO fans out there. Well, now there's Brick Loot, a new company promising monthly boxes of LEGO goodness. They were kind enough to send me a sample box and I'll share the contents with you.
Read MoreMy love of movies is well known, and you're reading this on a LEGO fan site so my love of the bricks is also pretty obvious. So when something comes along that combines the two you've got my attention.
Enter Brick Films, a book by Warren Elsemore. It promises 60 iconic movie scenes and posters to make from LEGO. Barron's was kind enough to send me a review copy, and I'm happy to share my thoughts about it.
Read MoreWhen LEGO introduced the Cafe Corner back in 2007 I had a feeling they were on to something big. Of course the set was amazing, but because of the modular construction of not only the levels of the building, but also the standard for adjoining buildings, the set offered promise. Promise of not only future sets, but also the promise of the building community bringing their own neighborhoods to life.
Read MoreLet's face it, there's a lot of LEGO books available right now. Most of them are genre themed, or specific to a particular subset of the hobby. A great any of them aren't particularly helpful. Well Jordan Schwartz is here to change that, at least from a design point of view.
Jordan is a former LEGO designer, one of the youngest in the company's history, and an active member of the AFOL community. He shares his, along with several notable LEGO builders, experience with design and building philosophy in this rather unique book from No Starch Press.
Read MoreWhen construction began in Rome in 1732, Trevi fountain's architects and builders could not have remotely fathomed that nearly three hundred years later we would be celebrating it's grandeur with tiny plastic bricks. But celebrating we are, and this new LEGO Architecture set is a fitting tribute.
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