That stands for surface mounted components and integrated circuit on a printed circuit board for you non-electronics nerds out there. If you've ever tried to repair a camcorder or modern device, you probably took one look at this stuff and went "yeah right". Here they are recreated at 20:1 by vir-a-cocha.
This is a two part post. The first order of business to attend to is this fantastic MOC by Peteris Sprogis. Brick built lettering can be difficult, especially if you want some panache to it, but Peteris pulls it off beautifully. Although it is important to point out that this is the second iteration of this MOC, because sometimes a "P" can look an awful lot like an "F".
The second order of business is to bring up what this MOC is actually promoting. It's a Flickr group called, you guessed it, Part Challenge. It's sort of like Iron Builder for the rest of us. Check it out and get building!
Ultimate Design Bricks has released a free ( ! ) LEGO book about wheels. And not just any wheels, but highly customizable and clever wheels in a range of sizes. You can download the book on his website. There's also tutorial videos and more.
Check out this crazy cool robot from Jason Corlett! In his ongoing series (one for each letter of the Greek alphabet) this is Gamma Four. I rarely post more than two pics of a MOC, but this thing is so gloriously detailed and designed that I couldn't help myself. I especially love the legs and feet, you can practically hear this thing clomping down a futuristic corridor.
Here at BrickNerd we like to look back from time to time, and draw squiggles with knobs. This is childhood in a single picture, an iconic toy built from my favorite toy. Everyone remembers trying to draw the family pet or house, only to discover part way through that there was no way to get to that next detail without leaving a bizarre contrail. Then with one mis-turn of a knob and the whole thing was for not. No biggie though, one big shake and it was on to the next drawing. I don't know how old this MOC is, all I know is it was built by customBRICKS, and it's awesome.
I have a bit of a weakness for retro MOCs, I'm also a fan of chrome, so this 1930's Spindizzy tether car from Sir Nadroj naturally caught my eye. Not only is it stylish and appealing, it's also 100% "legal", no custom parts or modifications, splendid!
Dane Erland (AKA Mechanekton) was key model builder for BrickNerd Studio's animation on Beyond The Brick: A LEGO Brickumentary. He built like mad for weeks on end, and created some stunning pieces for it. But the project didn't require any mecha, so it's nice to see him building again in his standard genre. I'm just not sure about his naming skills...
This latest castle by ZCerberus falls somewhere between humongous and massive in scale. And, a lot of times, when we see builds this large they tend to lose detail due to the magnitude of time it takes to build something on this scale. This castle is clearly the exception. You can tell that a lot of thought was put into the typically more boring parts of the castle, including the injection of color and symbols into the traditionally bland castle walls. Additionally, ZCerberus has done a nice job of creating an interesting and foreboding environment surrounding the keep.
No, not those briefs, these briefs. I've uploaded a couple time-lapse videos, Trevi Fountain and Ghostbusters.
The latest Iron Builder continues to rage on, and neither opponent is letting up. Today's MOCs couldn't be more different, and each is amazing in it's own way. Onosendai's zipper could be on anything, use your imagination (keep it clean kids). And anyone from "tornado alley" here in the US knows the awesome power of the tornado, but they've never seen one as cute as this MOC by Kyubi.
If you went up in my attic right now you'd find dozens and dozens of Spawn toys. Todd McFarlane shook up the toy industry just like he shook up the comic industry and it elevated everyone's game. One of the incredibly imaginative characters is Clown/Violator, expertly depicted here in brick form by Pistash.
Deathly Halliwell is back with another stellar bust, this time it's a green dragon. This works very well as an overall sculpture, the pose and weight distribution is excellent. I also really like the expression, the lowered brow and slit eyes give it a really menacing look.
INT GOTHAM APARTMENT - NIGHT
A cloaked, dark figure stands in a moody hallway, eerily lit from behind. A cord dangles from a communication device as the figure slowly paces, a faint ringing is heard.
Voice (O.S.)
Gotham pizza, can I take your order?
The dark figure stops pacing as his senses tingle, ready for action, he clears his throat,
Batman
Yes, I heard there's a situation there. I'm here to help.
Voice (O.S.)
Umm, I'm not sure what you mean.
Batman
(after an awkward beat)
I need a pizza.
Voice (O.S.)
Yes sir, what would you like on it?
Batman
Do you have any...dark ingredients?
Voice (O.S.)
Ummm, olives are pretty dark I guess.
Batman
Perfect. And I need it delivered under cover of night.
Voice (O.S.)
Well, it's 9:30 at night, so... yeah
I think we can all relate to this sometimes, it's particularly applicable to me these days. Between animation for Beyond The Brick, all things BrickNerd and recent work on Expendables 3, I feel like this all the time. But we carry on cmaddison, we carry on.
If you haven't all noticed, there's another Iron Builder raging on. This bout pits onosendai2600 against 6kyubi6, and I'm certain we'll see some amazing MOCs in the next month. Like these two fantastic time pieces.
If you've seen Hellboy this should be instantly recognizable. And if you haven't...WHY NOT!? It's unclear if this is inspired by Mike Mignola's original comics or Guillermo del Toro's brilliant interpretation of those comics. Either way, this MOC by buriedbybricks is phenomenal.
Stormbringer is back with a couple more brilliant MOCs to add to his collection inspired by Dreamwork's How To Train Your Dragon. This time around is the Hideous Zippleback and the Monstrous Nightmare. I especially like the design of the eyes, very clever.
I love the retro feel of this relief mosaic by Burriedbybricks. It's hard to believe that Batman is 75 years old, he doesn't look a day over 35. But you can get a bit of a hint of his age from his raspy voice.
I remember being a kid and going to the local K-Mart. Out front there was always a small assortment of completely awful quarter rides. I don't recall ever riding on one however until I was a teen, odd. If this had been out front though, you would have never talked me off of it!
Join me as I build LEGO Architecture 21020 Trevi Fountain live. It's guaranteed to be at least 14% more exciting than reruns of golf.
The Google+ hangout just started, follow the link to chat live and watch without the delay. Building starts at 8pm PST. Join me!
Want to customize a minifig without fancy printers or toxic fumes? Learn how to use the dark art of reductive design to literally erase the line between official and custom LEGO parts.
LEGO meets tabletop combat in the Brassbound universe. We talk with creator Paul Antoine about designing microscale armies, turning builds into game pieces, and developing games with a growing community.
When a legendary archaeologist minifigure meets the spin cycle, adventure calls! Follow along as we reclaim the lost fedora of Indiana Jones and uncover how to repair a LEGO keychain.
LEGO adventurers need somewhere to unwind between quests. We talk with Sleepy Dragon Inn designer Marin Graux about classic Castle, medieval hospitality, and how his design evolved for the BrickLink Designer Program.
From sketches to superglue, see how this custom LEGO motorcycle earned its street cred. We chat with Jean-Yves about the design, prototyping, and even heat resistance of his LEGO customizations, taking them from prototype to the pavement.
October has arrived with a fresh selection of LEGO contests and challenges. Don’t miss your chance to build a MOC and maybe even win some awesome LEGO prizes. With a new LEGO Speederbike Challenge, and a Halloween contest or two, there’s plenty of inspiration to be found!
What makes your eye land on one part of a LEGO build before another? In this month’s Conversation Piece, we explore focal points, visual weight, and how builders can guide a viewer through a composition.
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