BrickNerd Episode 209 - Santa's Workshop & The Tumbler

Our Christmas present to you, a fresh lump of coal in the form of another BrickNerd episode. This episode features a double showcase of Santa's Workshop and The Tumbler. 

The Blue Shield Inn

I imagine that if I was a traveler in medieval times, an inn like this one from builder Halhi14 would be such a welcome sight. I can easily imagine this because even if I was traveling today I think I would be irresistibly drawn to this place. How could you resist such rich detail rustic charm? 

Merry Christmas From Hoth

This is a delightful holiday surprise. One of the most celebrated alternative LEGO photographers, Avanaut, is back from his hiatus. And what a lovely return it is. This tells the story of TK-24/7 on a lonely, but quite agreeable patrol mission on Hoth. Who would have thought a AT-ST could be so tranquil?

SteamCarPunkTrain

Venerable car builder and auto enthusiast Lino Martins has broken new ground with this masterful MOC. It's a unique and mind-blowing mashup of car, train, steampunk and black magic (and they said it couldn't be done). I think both Grampa Munster or James T. West's arch enemy Lovelace would look right at home in this dark beast.

Reindeer Barn

No, you didn't miss this in the catalog, and don't plan on rushing down to the LEGO Store to pick this up. It only exists in the creative mind of 6kyubi6. It was built for the Expand the Winter Village Contest V over on Eurobricks. Don't feel so bad, it almost fooled me too.

Painted On The Sprue

I've made no secret of my affection for Pete Reid and Yvonne Doyle. They were my best friends during my time in London. It is truly an honor to have yourself immortalized as a Minifig, and I consider it an honor to know them. This little tribute to classic plastic model building is perfect, and what I've come to expect from one of the best builders in the world.

*Sniff Sniff Sniff*...*Lick Lick Lick*...Nothing

This is my favorite character from all the Rankin & Bass Christmas classics, Yukon Cornelius, the greatest prospector in the north. When he throws his pick in the air and sniffs and licks it, it never fails to crack me up. Yet another brilliant Brick Sketch from Chris McVeigh.

Kirby

My affection for Nintendo is well known, so it probably comes as no surprise that this is getting blogged. Builder One More Brick has crafted a series of everyone favorite bubblegum lump Kirby. I know, Kirby isn't bubblegum, but to this day that's what he reminds me of. My favorite Kirby title is the one no one else seems to remember, Kirby's Pinball Land.

Yummy

Foodcember is 2/3 over, but that's not slowing down builder KOS brick. For weeks he's been tempting us with treats delicious enough to eat, but with decidedly little nutritional value (it turns out ABS isn't a food, who knew?) There's still some time to get in on the fun, break out the bricks and start "cooking".

Farewell, Colbert Report

As most of you know, Stephen Colbert and Comedy Central aired the last episode of The Colbert Report last night. I'm sad to see it go, but happy for Stephen and I'll be tuning in to The Late Show when he takes over next year. This was my first real MOC when I joined the ranks of the AFOL community. It was warmly received and has a special place in my heart, as does Stephen. 

Gone Bananas

Builder _Tiler never ceases to impress me, achieving phenomenal detail at small scale and using such creative building techniques. This yellow Ford is Milner's iconic hotrod from American Graffiti, and it looks fast. And the banana reference isn't just about the color, check out the back fenders, genius.

The Adventures Of Nigel

Builder MinifigNick has recently been posting a series of charming little MOCs featuring Nigel, a slug-like monster on some adventures. I don't know the genesis of this character and I don't care, I just look forward to seeing what further antics he gets up to. He's already married (that was quick) so I guess it's on to domestic life (and of course, a minivan).

Doctor Snuggles

I'm afraid I'm not terribly familiar with Doctor Snuggles, it never made it over the pond from the UK. But a couple Google searches reveal just how brilliant this MOC by SuckMyBrick is (as if there was any doubt). While the robot and the mouse are quite good, the good Doctor is positively wonderful.

Winter

This MOC by Mel F. could not be much more simple. It's just a handful of parts, and none of them particularly outstanding. The unicorn barbs are sorta special I guess, but not all that useful for the most part. But combined in the right way, and shot with some care, they become magical. From a handful of parts to tiny tranquility, lovely.

Yoshi

The topic turned to video games at the studio yesterday and while waxing sentimental I realized that it's been a while since I've seen a cool Nintendo MOC. Thankfully DξβS has come to the rescue with this marvelous Yoshi. Now my problem is I've got a deadline, and I want to play Super Mario Sunshine instead.

Bicycle

I always get a kick out of MOCs built of ordinary things. This bicycle by fujiia is a perfect example. This bike in real life would be hardly extraordinary, and barely worth your attention. But expertly crafted in bricks with loads of clever techniques and the mundane is elevated to art.

Batman #20 Featuring The 1943 Batmobile

Holy retro action Batman! Comic Bricks seems to have resonated throughout the AFOL community. I really wish this MOC had been at D-Con 2014 so I could see it in person. I'm a sucker for a little retro, and I love this. I really dig the brick-built logo on the comic too, nice work Clayton Marchetti. Click through for more pics.

Kenada's Bike

One of the coolest and most iconic things in the anime classic Akira is Kenada's Bike. It was on the poster, on the VHS and on every fan's mind. Builder Tiler has crafted this minifig scale version with working wheels, and it looks awesome. Yeah, there's a little Photoshop magic happening here, but I'm totally ok with that.

Ah, Childhood (Almost)

While I consider myself a kid of the 80's, it's more from the standpoint of young adulthood. It's when I got my first movie camera, when I fell in love with movie magic and when I became, well, me. Technically I'm a kid of the 70's, Which means Stretch Armstrong, Star Wars and lawn darts. I was a little old when Transformers came along and GiJOE shrunk inexplicably. But tucked away in this room is something that became an influence in my adult life, a View-Master. Reverse engineering stereo images as a kid thanks to my handy viewer, I developed a deep understanding of 3D. Now I use that knowledge from time to time in my other career, movie nerd.