Zack Is Awesome!

So you think you're awesome? Well, you'll never be as awesome as Zach here. Zach had been saving his own money for LEGO Minecraft 21118 The Mine, I say had because yesterday without his parents even knowing he donated that money, a whopping $120, to Pennies for Patients to help kids with cancer (I'll pause while you pick up your jaw).

Well, when we heard about that we were so impressed we had to do something. We're going to hook him up The Mine so he can do a special guest review here on BrickNerd. Look for it in the coming weeks.

In the mean time, you can attempt to be as awesome as Zach and make your own donation to a very worthy cause.

Thanks to Paul Lee for bringing this awesome kid to our attention.

Star Wars "Midifigs"

This is a project I've been watching for a while, Miro78's "Midifigs". It's a cool new scale for upsizing your favorite minifigs. I really like the scale of these, they're big enough to get some fun detail in, but small enough to not take up too much space. Just about perfect for displaying on a bookshelf or desktop. I'm sure it's a challenge to get the forms and details needed, but that's also part of the fun. 

When Animal Mimicry Breaks Down

I've always been a huge Far Side fan. And when you combine LEGO and Gary Larson, you cannot help but WIN. This MOC by vitreolum perfectly illustrates this fact, combining mad skills, comic humor clever part use to not only make another entry for Iron Builder, but also for MOCathalon. That's a whole lot of WIN.

Corpse Bride

Say what you will about Corpse Bride, it may not have and the charm or lasting power of Nightmare Before Christmas, but it's still a stunning achievement in stop motion animation. Now builder CASTOR-TROY has created the main characters in brick form. Not only that, but he recreated the poster from the film, brilliant!

Predator

Yes, I know I don't cover enough Technic on this site, I have no excuse. But you're in luck, because this beast by NKubate is too awesome not to share. This thing looks fast, very fast. From bottom to top and front to back it's clearly built for speed. And lets face it, the gull wing doors just look cool when you pull up to valet parking at the hottest restaurant in town.

Grasshopper

I don't know about the practicality of bipedal mechs, but I sure do find them fascinating, especially when they break the mold. This unconventional walker is from Vince_Toulouse, and it's a big, green beauty. And when I say big, I mean it. That little yellow figure head you see there, that's a Technic figure, this thing is huge! And I'll award meaningless plus points for clever use of Galidor parts, just 'cause.

Battle Begins

The stage is set for another battle royale as 6kyubi6 and vitreolum square off for another epic Iron Builder. The seed part this time around is the pitchfork (how insideous!) but I don't see these two builders backing down to the challenge. Let's all sit back and enjoy the carnage for the next month!

Mr. Giggles

Much has been written on the subject, but this is a serious matter so I will also contribute to the knowledge base: Clowns are terrifying. Even this clown, expertly built from a beloved children's toy and carefully photographed, is terrifying. I'm sure builder Djokson meant no harm and his intentions were completely benevolent, but still, this thing is terrifying.

All Hallows Keep

I can tell by looking at these pics that they just don't do this magnificent MOC by Derfel Cadarn justice. Perhaps someday I'll get back to England and I can see some of his excellent builds in person. Until then I'll just have to make do with these pictures. Just look at that texture work and all the complex angles on this, amazing.

E-11 Liberator

I spent a lot of time building scale models as a kid. One that I vividly remember was called Flap Jack by Monogram. I don't know why, but this latest radical aircraft by Jon Hall reminds me of that. But even if it didn't I think I'd be smitten with this master of the skies. I can't decide if I love the bulbous gun turret, the double ended counter rotating props or the gull wings the best. Or maybe the graphics or the cockpit. Then again it might be the cowl...

Spacecar, Spacecar, SPACECAR!

I love when AFOLs combine forces and create awesomeness. This classic space inspired muscle car is from builder Cody at C3Brix and customizer customBRICKS. So here's the pitch: Benny, lives with his uncle while on probation for running Antarian firewater to make a little money on the side. He gets into some mischief much to the chagrin of the county commissioner and local sheriff. Each episode has at least one big car jump...

L.01 NAVY STAR

Mechs are so prevalent in the AFOL community that it's hard to stand out. I see them literally every day, and it really takes something special to get my attention, something like this MOC from Moko. There's not one particular feature of this Gundam that stands out necessarily, but the whole package. It has excellent construction, cool color choices, nice poses (click through for more pics) and excellent photography. It's the whole enchilada, and pretty badass.

Farewell Spock

Nerd hearts are breaking all over the world. Leonard, you will be missed.

“Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human.”

— Kirk

Tony Stark's Lab

Iron Man fans should recognize this instantly, it's Tony Stark's lab in his Malibu mansion. This large interior MOC from kissyfur_ok is totally packed with detail everywhere you look. Going through the pictures will remind you of several scenes from the movies and you'll find excellent little easter eggs, just like a Marvel movie. Click through for more pics, it's worth it.

Did You Get That Memo?

This is sort of my personal hell. I always swore I would never work at a place like this and I'm happy to report I never have. Of course, the mainframe/terminal computer system was gone by the time I entered the workforce so there was little chance of that. That being said, this MOC by LegoJalex perfectly recreates what used to be cutting edge business technology in splendid black & white. Now, do you have that TPS report?

Childhood In The Basement

I can remember vividly when the first Atari 2600 came to my house. We played Tank and Space Invaders until we saw them in our sleep. And we pondered endlessly why PacMan looked so terrible and went "bonk bonk". This MOC by Chris McVeigh is not only a marvel of clever building, it's a bona fide time machine, capable of serious doses of nostalgia. And the best news is you can have one for yourself on March 9th from his website!

Music Shop

It's been a long time since I've had a local music store. I've never had a lick of musical talent, but I've always loved to dabble with it, and occasionally I make something almost "musical". I imagine if this shop by builder Jme Wheeler had been in my home town I would have been there all the time. I really dig the two story design, with the classic showroom on the bottom floor and a fantastic recording studio above. This makes me want to break out my drum set and make some noise.

Ultron

The second Avengers movie will be out soon, and Ultron will be unleashed on the world. And it won't be long until we see action figures, t-shirts and PEZ dispensers. But we didn't have to wait for the movie to come out before we got this stunning bust by builder Rancorbait. What I'm really looking forward to however is opening my door this halloween to be greeted by a 2'3" Ultron with a bag. But I'll be ready for him with a bowl of Jawbreakers, the perfect weapon against adamantium.

Deadpool

While everyone knows I'm not much into comics, it doesn't take a genius to know the popularity of this character. One walk around the floor at San Diego Comic Con and you'll spot many, of varying sizes and weights. Very few of them are as badass as this MOC from nobu_tary though. And while the Nixel face belt buckle isn't totally accurate to the illustrations, it's totally in line with his character.

Steampunk Airship

This is a well crafted mashup of steampunk, Agents, Ninjago and awesome. It sort of reminds me of something you'd see in Bladerunner or Fifth Element, and I love that. This was a free build for the Agents of the Imperial Crown contest at the Steampunk Flickr group. There's still time to enter (by the 28th) so get building!