Super Volks

They were ridiculous, they were brash, they were driverless, they were the Zingers, model kits from MPC. Back in the 70's it seemed you couldn't get outrageous enough (just ask Chuck Barris or ABBA) and hotrods were no exception. Builder Mad physicist clearly understands this mentality and has recreated my personal favorite from this line, the Super Volks. Who cares if it doesn't actually have seats? Just imagine how loud and fast it is! 

VW Bug Zinger
VW Bug Zinger

To Boldly Go Where No Pan Has Gone Before

Generally speaking I don't blog a builder twice in one day, or even the next day for that matter. Then Legopard had to go and whip this baby out. One of my favorite foods being sold out of a cart themed after one of my favorite franchises built out of my favorite toy to enter a contest for one of my favorite websites run by some of my favorite people on the planet. How could I not?

Pizza Surprise
Pizza Surprise - Detail

Slot Car

The sound of the motors, the slight whiff of something burning, the crashes at the turns, the track that doesn't *quite* fit together perfectly. It's slot car racing, and it's pretty much a thing of the past. They are still available, but back in the 60s they were extremely popular. The rise of the RC car marked the beginning of the end of the hobby, but it still has a special place in a generation's heart. This MOC by Legopard captures it's essence perfectly, from the controller to the iconic track.

Ready for a Carrera race?

Review - LEGO Architecture New York City

Review - LEGO Architecture New York City

For 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.

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Fire Engine

Back in the 60's and 70's there was a thing called "show rods". I'm sure they still exist today, but back then they were new, they were radical and they dropped jaws. They drew crowds, they inspired model kits and they made people happy wherever they went. I remember building the model Chuck Miller's Fire Truck, here seen brilliantly recreated by Norton74, when I was a kid. I also remember musing about those short little ladders on the side, they wouldn't reach a first floor window. I was a weird kid.

Fire Truck | '67 Chuck Miller’s Ford C-cab
Fire Truck | '67 Chuck Miller’s Ford C-cab

Terror From The Deep

Nothing like being attacked by a kraken to ruin an otherwise peaceful day at sea huh? This latest Iron Builder entry from Legopard uses loads of the seed part, a silver technic connector. But they're so well integrated you barely notice. That's not to say they're hidden, that's not the point, just click through and check out the high res picture, you'll see what I mean. And that water work, stunning! It captures the motion and intensity of the scene perfectly.

Monstrum Maris

A Barrel Of Laughs

"Dave, Dave, Dave. Check the barrel Dave!" I can almost here them shouting from the walls. This fantastic little vignette from brickbink really oozes that Persian vibe. Loads of details and a sense of both fun and possible impending doom!. It also is timeless, replace the lovely little cart with a LandRover and give the guards machine guns and you have 2000 years of history right there. Go check out some of the other great MOC's on his Flickr page.

The gate

Workspace

It's funny to me that I associate a classic workstation like this MOC by One More Brick to be part of another world I've managed to avoid all my adult life, corporate America. Overdressed professionals chained to desks entering data, chasing leads, trading stocks or any other of a million "business" type things.  You know, that stuff us creative types scoff at. When in reality I spend most of my days sitting at a table not very different from this using my Mac. Yeah, totally different.

Study Time

Homeless

I try to keep things light here at BrickNerd (it's supposed to be a short escape from your daily grind) but this MOC by LEGOMINDED is as much social commentary as it is beautifully built. It should serve as a reminder that mental health is at a near crisis level here in the US. I'm not saying every homeless person is suffering mental problems, but it's sad there are so many people on the streets that are in need of help, and society turns a blind eye.

" homeless "

Purple People Eater

This gnarly beast from builder tiler reminds me of a Hotwheel I had as a kid. Not having collected Hotwheels since I was 7 or so means I have not thought if it in four decades. But for some reason, as soon as I saw this MOC it all came flooding back. The track clamped to my dresser, the loop only specific cars could actually make, and the one that looked an awful lot like this purple monster. That one not only made the loop, but could clear the jump at the end too. Vroooom!

The Purple People Eater

Ghostbusters Headquarters - In Just Over A Minute

How do you make building one of the biggest LEGO sets ever produced even more epic? You  film it in multiple sessions with motion control time-lapse then composite all the shots with some cool speed effects and edit a video. This took over a week, but was super fun. The set is outstanding, with loads of detail and tons of nostalgia. One of my favorite all time movies is now one of my favorite all time sets.

Discworld

I vividly remember the first time Discworld was described to me. "There's this world, more like a couple continents and a small ocean, and it's flat. And that's being held up by four ginormous elephants, seriously huge. And that in turn sits on the back of a even more ginormouser sea turtle...in space." I can't say I can really wrap my head around it, but this MOC by Fa Brique helps.

Great A'Tuin
Great A'Tuin

The Merc With A Mouth

Deadpool continues to smash box-office records (I saw it, it's awesome!) and of course he's always been a popular subject with builders and cosplayers so he's been in my flickr feed in numerous forms the last few weeks. But very few of those MOCs have caught my attention as much as this figure from nobu_tary. The pose, posture, styling and detail on this figure is top-notch. And the use of the axe blades for the eyes is sheer brilliance.

Deadpool
Deadpool

Foraois

Builder Pate-keetongu finishes up his "four seasons" project with this stunning beauty, Foraois (Forest in Irish). She represents summer, not tanning butter and convertibles summer, but nature. Her color scheme is directly inspired by the birch tree, with the white dress being the bark and her black arms being the branches. The cascade of greenery is my favorite part of this piece, and adds life and motion to it.

Foraois