Sisyphus Kinetic Sculpture

JK Brickworks has come up with a crafty LEGO version of everybody's favorite boulder pusher from Greek mythology.  Doomed to an eternity of rolling that huge rock up a hill, only to watch it tumble back to the bottom, Sisyphus probably shouldn't have tried to outsmart Zeus.  That never ends well.  Check out the video to see the cutaway and all the interesting technic bits inside.  You might just end up watching it over and over and over...

Viper: F78 Freya's Mercy

Mark Stafford has come up with a nifty Viper design, just as Nnovvember draws to a close.  What really caught my attention was the cockpit detail shot.  But the beefy guns and saucer wings create some dramatic visual interest as well. 

There's still time, boys and girls, to build your own!  Pascal will be stitching together a poster of all the Vic Vipers, so follow his instructions if you want to be a part of it.  Unless you're still recovering from a Turkey Coma or Black Friday shopping...

Black Friday Deal At Chroble

You've seen them on my show, they're hanging on my set. They're the coolest and nicest way to display minifigures, they're Chroble shelves. And during this black Friday sale you can score one or more for 40% off with code BF2015. What are you waiting for?

Ryuk

I happened into the room while my son was watching Death Note a couple months ago. I was impressed with the art style and concept, and fascinated with this guy, Ryuk. He's almost like Jiminy Cricket's alter ego, getting into your head and wreaking havoc mainly because he was bored. The series is dark, very dark, but strangely beautiful, much like this bust of Ryuk by builder Combee! 

Pixels City

I didn't see the Adam Sandler movie Pixels. It was so universally panned by critics I decided to pass. But if it was good enough to inspire this much building by OliveSeon, perhaps it's worth a look. Like Sandler, I'm a kid of the 80's who dropped many a quarter at the arcades, so I'm sure there's going to be some cool nostalgia to be had. 

Disc-overing "Discworld"

Honestly, I've never heard of Discworld, the late Terry Pratchett's imaginary world, set on a platter-shaped land set atop four elephants which, in turn, are riding the back of what must be a massive, massive turtle. (Tortoise?)  Just as much as I know about Star Wars and Star Trek and even Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, it's exactly the opposite for Discworld.

So please don't ask me about the backstory of this group of fellows, termed "The Ones Who Meddle With the Fabric of Reality," by Finnish AFOL Eero Okkonen. There's something magical about this bunch, and not just because they're wizards (I think). 

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It takes a particular skill to make MOCs look both stone-faced and alive at the same time, which Eero achieves by simultaneously using the traditional 1x1 headlight bricks for eyes and then other wildly disparate elements, such as Chima wings , to fluff out those lovingly-crafted beards.  The magicians' accoutrements are also perfectly color-coordinated, with their dark red / brown / red fabrics, Friends stars, X-Pod dishes, and, hey, does that gorilla have a banana that incorporates...  bananas? 

Discworld should really be called Discoworld.

Spray Can Robots

Builder LEGOLIZE IT MAN has a new series of quirky and cool robots he calls Spray Can Robots. Each is catered to different tasks and while similar, the customized accessories and color schemes make each one unique. The big question is, will there be an Easy Cheese one?

BokBokTron Thigh Fighter

You really do not want to mess with the chickens of BokBokTron. While a peaceful exploration corps at heart, when confronted they will not back down, and you just might find yourself at the receiving end of this beast, the Thigh Fighter by builder MacLane. With it's twin missile batteries, redundant cockpit capability and Kinetic Frame Control (KFC) technology, you just might find yourself extra crispy.

LEGO Christmas Projects!

It's that time of year again, gang!  Time to dust off the old fruit cake and polish your Christmas balls.  But what do you take to all of those parties or gift exchanges?  Especially if you actually like the people you're going to see?  Well, our pal Chris McVeigh has an answer for that yearly dilemma-- Custom Christmas Ornaments!  From mini arcades to snow flakes, Chris has been creating these DIY projects for several years.   

Another option is a Secret Santa gift exchange.  We've been doing this for a few years in VLUG (Virtual LEGO Users Group) on MocPages.  Larger in scale and more personalized than the ornaments, Secret Santa builds are a great excuse to get away from your usual style or interests.  I never thought I'd build a Filipino Parol out of Explorien pieces, but it seemed like a good idea when I drew Master Shifu's name out of the virtual hat. And I know he didn't see that coming!

It's also an opportunity to poke fun at your friends, like the gift I got from my buddy Hans Dendauw a couple of years ago.  You see, I'm a dentist, and I like to build Battlestar Galactica stuff.  Yeah, that's Hermey.  I laugh every time I look at it.  Thanks, Hans! 

Okay, I know, giving away LEGO is one of those things.  It's difficult.  It took me a while.  But once you do it, and see the reaction that follows, it's a lot of fun.   Plus it means you don't have to go out and fight the crowds shopping!

Imperial Dam

I think when someone says "NPU" it goes beyond just the literal translation of  "nice part use". It's a way of acknowledging another builders ability to see a use or situation for a part that simply had not occurred to you, or most others. Take a look at the waterfall in this brilliant micro castle by Dubbadgrim, that's the ghostly lower half of the ghost figure of series 13 (yes, the back is clear). That's thinking out of the box, and that's NPU.

Buccaneer Brawl

If I got to pick any "job" in history it would definitely be that of a swashbuckler. I mean think about all the cool things pirates get to do - sword fight, ride on ships, drink rum, visit cool places, watch the sunset over the ocean, etc. I mean, yeah, life expectancy wasn't that great and I don't even want to think of all the diseases a pirate had to deal with. But hey why not have a little fun before you leave this earth, am I right? The great scene below by Brother Steven and his brother Mark is exactly what I'd expect the life of a pirate to be.

NERDvember update

NERDvember is going strong as we end the third week and I continue to be absolutely floored by the quality of the submissions. Who knew the Star Wars universe would inspire so much creativity. You still have over a week to build so break out those bricks!

I'd like to send a huge shout out to some more sponsors. First there's Cooper Works, makers of fine decals and stickers. They are providing a sticker pack that will be divided between the winners. Next is EclipseGRAFX and customBRICKS, brick printers and customizers extraordinaire. Both are sending assortments of custom printed parts that will blow your mind.

And lastly is Brick Loot, monthly subscription box for brick lovers. They are providing custom LEGO models including the one designed by yours truly, Nerdasaurus Rex!

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Thanks to these and all the sponsors of NERDvember, you all rock! Now if you haven't started building you better get on it, time is running out!

Frankenstein

Hotwheels, Classic monsters, and LEGO, it's a match made in heaven. This latest wheeled offering from Lino M makes my heart go pitter patter. I spent many a happy hour as a child playing with my Hotwheels, and I was a fan of Universal's classic monsters. Combine those with Lino's top-notch building skills, and you have this awesome hot rod MOC.

Imperial Pew Pew

One of George Lucas' strokes of genius on the first Star Wars was to use real weapons and blanks as the basis of the blasters. The recoil and power were evident as the actors shot, and with the addition of Ben Burt's sound design and ILM's optical, it was a convincing illusion. The E-11 Stormtrooper Blaster was based on a Sterling sub machine gun, and this version by Nick Brick is the best brick-built version I've ever seen, and the quality we've come to expect from Nick. It even has a foldable stock, which while never used in Star Wars, is still a testament to the accuracy of this build.

Largo's Lair

Oh Largo...You've got a sweet pad in the Bahamas (seen here perfectly recreated by Mark of Falworth), an awesome yacht and a bitchin' hydrofoil. You seem to have it made, why did you have to go stealing nuclear bombs and threatening everybody? You could have spent your remaining years lounging in luxury, now you've got 007 on your trial...good luck with that. 

Punk's Not Dead

I'm always had an eclectic taste in music. Listening to my iPod is a case study in abrupt gear changing. You're likely to jump from the theme from Raiders to RUN-DMC to Bass Nectar to Oingo Boingo to Phutureprimitive to Suicidal Tendencies and so on. Speaking of Suicidal Tendencies, the first memory conjured up when I saw this brilliant MOC by black.zack00 was that time me and my high school buddies went to see them live and all got beaten to a pulp in the mosh pit, good times, good times.

We've Spotted Imperial Walkers!

One of my favorite Star Wars vehicles in one of my favorite Star Wars scenes in one of my favorite Star Wars movies built out of my favorite construction toy. I still vividly recall seeing this for the first time with my grandmother, who kept asking who the bad guys were. All we need is a large painted backdrop, a snowscape (with trap doors) and some patience and we can animate an epic battle, who's with me? Nicely done dmaclego.

Spaceman Spiff

I've always been a Calvin and Hobbes fan, in fact I still have my original copy of Scientific Progress Goes Boink around here somewhere. So when a C&H MOC shows up I'm always delighted. And when a MOC as cool as this one from Si-MOCs shows up, well it gets blogged. This one also celebrates the 30th birthday of them, which makes me feel pretty old.

Best Buddies

I love my collection of geek culture shirts, it's my way of saying "I am nerd, hear me roar" (or at least mumble semi-enthusiasticlly). By far the one I get the most comments on and questions about is this one. It's an awesome mashup of Calvin and Hobbes and Star Wars. Today it's back on Tee Fury, so now's your chance to nab one for yourself.

Tow Rod

Sure you've seen hot rods before, maybe even some unusual ones. We've seen a popcorn truck, a beer truck, even the Munsters hot rods, but have you ever seen a tow truck hot rod? Well now you have, thanks to the mad skills of Norton74. This thing looks capable of not only leaving the competition in the dust, but he can tow them back to the starting line after winning.