Do You Choose the Light?

Whether you like the light or the dark, this picture by the always excellent Avanaut has both. The multiple sources of light as well as the slight bit of haze make for a beautifully atmospheric picture which totally captures the sinister, moody feel of Jabba's Palace. Avanaut says this picture is one of many in his new book, so if you want to see more goodness like this, go check it out.

A Delightful Prawn Cocktail

One of my favourite recent sci-fi movies is District 9. The fact that it wasn't the USA being attacked or invaded made it different. I have seen it about five or six times now and every time I see it I see something new.  This MOC of the film poster by Sad Brick in micro scale, really captures the most important part of the film brilliantly, a huge alien space ship just hanging there in the sky! There has been some talk of a sequel, I do hope so!

Napping in Class

"Looks like Longbottom's neglected his earmuffs."  ~Professor Sprout

Or has he?  Maybe he's taking a little snooze in the middle of Herbology!  That won't get you any house points.   I really appreciate that Markus Rollbühler is continuing a magical vignette series for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  Every build he has done for this series has been fantastic in its own little way, but this greenhouse scene has become my new favorite.  There are so many nice techniques used throughout this build (which it should be pointed out that it's only 14x14 studs) to create an excellent floor, arch, table, window, and of course a Mandrake.  The amazing outcome of all these techniques speaks for itself.  If this doesn't inspire you to do a Harry Potter build, I don't know what will!  I say 50 points to Gryffindor!

There's Nothing Like Friendship

Here at BrickNerd we like to reminisce about the past...

Fellow friend and LUG-er Simon Liu was one of the first members of ToroLUG to welcome me into the group. Back then he was a shy nerd, and although not much has changed, he has been a great support for me in the LUG through all these years.One of the first MOCs that I noticed of Simon's was his section of FRIENDSHIP for the Fairview LEGO Store Community Window (oh the good ol' days). I pointed out the cool technique behind the back panels and called it “messy building” and later learned the term was “greebling”. The Friends theme was just released and with the up-roar of a new theme separating genders came some cool new pieces and colors too!

Some of my favorite details are the classic space logo with a purple ribbon at the end and the medical area with the red classic space guy on the examination table.

Simon is also the reason I got stuck into building a giant Unikitty, and then later four...so I guess thank you?

Donald's Car

Donald Duck always knew how to get around in style, even if he never wore pants. For over 75 years he's been tooling around in this fat fendered, rumble seated automobile, the 313. Now that the new Disney Collectible Minifigures are out and we all have a Donald, builder LegoJalex did one better and gave him a stylish and iconic way to get around.

Karate Jedi

I personally never felt that Star Wars Rebels was anywhere near as good as Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is the show I could say I grew up watching.  I loved it like most fans.  However, Rebels has finally started to get interesting.  Thanks to Tristan, we now have an amazing recreation of the Jedi training room (dojo?) in the temple on Lothal that our rebels visit in the last few episodes of season 2.  What's interesting about this build is that the creator not only focused on the main ground floor, but also took the time to build high walls surrounding the iconic scene with Kanan Jarrus and the Jedi Temple Guard.  I don't believe many builders would have done that, which makes this build stand out at a higher quality!  Also, you must admit, it looks a bit like a Karate Kid moment...right?

Vespa P200

The Arvo brothers are back with another brilliant MOC, this time of a more humble nature but no less appealing. This captures the classic lines of the venerable Italian scooter perfectly. One of my friends in high school had a classic Vespa, it seemed most of my friends had a scooter of some sort, they were all the rage (except me of course, I was dirt poor and spent what little I had on art supplies and make-up...and food). Someday I want to convince my wife to rent a couple while we visit a foreign place, and try not to crash into each other.

Sir Wizard Mecha-Nic Stronghold

This ramshackle castle punk fortress by builder hrtx is as confusing to the eye as it is appealing. So many angles, so much detail, so much storytelling, it's lovely. I don't know what they get up to in this complex structure, but one look and you ache with curiosity. I guess that's why it's a stronghold, to keep you from finding out.

Some Light Reading

This library scene by henrik_zwomp makes me want to go read a book. I hear good things about Lord of the Rings, maybe I should read those again. Anyway, this is a lovely build. I really like the way the walls are angled outward, making the room feel open and spacious. The subtle forced perspective out the window is also superb and gives a great feeling of depth to an otherwise fairly small scene.

Frozen Shack

First off, everyone look at the front door of this shack and acknowledge the NPU. I mean, seriously, a boat for a front door it doesn't get much better than that folks! I'm also loving all the angles, so many unnaturally delicious ways jaapxaap has put this house together yet made it look congruent. I am, however, a little disappointed in the lack of murder(?) in this scene, though I am hoping we will see that in part 2 of this build.

United or Divided?

POW!  WHAM-O!  Two of your favorite Avengers have been brought to life with Tyler's creative character build technique!  The remarkable recreation of these classic characters is well represented with amazing facial and body detailing.  It's easy to tell that a main focus in these guys is enabling them to be posed.  I personally would love to see a stop motion film using these two to recreate the great sequence in Captain America: Civil War!  Whose side are you on?!

Cobbley Cobblestone

Cobbley...that's a new adjective. 

But it describes this build perfectly!  Jonas has managed to capture such a beautiful scene in a limited space, with common pieces every builder has at home.  The street is what I am really fascinated by.  I've seen many cobblestone roads made out of LEGO before, but I've rarely seen the layered stone effect that he has done here.  By not showing any studs, the builder has created a smooth road that seems to make the surface of this build pop.  The other details, such as the sign and wagon, are also well executed with common elements.  All in all, I think that wagon has a smooth ride ahead!

AVISPA IP-NU3V3

Check out this nifty starfighter by F@bz.  Certainly a unique design combining both armored bulk and lightweight airfoils.  Gotta love the use of those skateboard ramps in the nose assembly.  It even carries a little rover in the back.  Swooshable and practical, a winning combination! 

Not sure why the driver looks so perturbed, must have been a rough landing...

Jeepers It's Willy.

Carpet Lego builds some great military items and has built the iconic Willy's Jeep on several occasions. This is his third reworking of this classic WW2 vehicle and I think you will agree it's spot on. I really love the M2 Machine Gun and look forward to seeing the canvas version which he has promised will be revealed soon.

Balrog

The first thing about this stunning mech by Benjamin Cheh that grabbed my attention was the pose. It's dynamic and compelling, so much so that at first I assumed it was an illustration. Then I clicked through to discover this absolutely badass and super pose-able mech. I find it difficult to judge exact scale and weight of MOCs sometimes, but judging by the beefiness of that stand, this thing is a beast.

Just Droning On

Everyone loves a good drone. But Devid VII took this already cool drone up a notch by putting it inside an awesome garage/workshop scene. The attention to detail in this is superb, from the bench vise and tool chest in the back to the band saw (at least, I think it's a band saw) in the corner. Not everyone takes the time to build such a realistic environment for their robots, which is a shame considering how cool this one is.

Colonial Mining Ship

My good friend and fellow Battlestar Galactica fanatic, Garry King, has outdone himself with this colossal Colonial Mining Ship.  It was featured in the 2003 re-imagined series as well as the original 1970's show, with only brief appearances outside the standard Fleet shots.  However, the scale, at twelve feet, yeah, you read that right, and jaw dropping attention to detail, this SHIP is the star of the show!  So Say We All!

Here she is on public display in Tasmania, a Bricknerd exclusive!

Bored to Death of Reading

Welcome to the Library of the Undead where Deus Otiosus draws inspiration from one of my favourite TV shows 'Adventure Time' and the video game 'Heroes of Might and Magic 2 - the Bone Dragon'. This MOC scene depicts an undead dragon and allie defending the medieval library from the living. I love all the skulls in this piece and I keep finding little details each time I look - like the teddy in the pile of rubble and the LEGO tile. The weapons of those who previously tried their luck can be seen scattered.

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Shields Up!

When I was fresh out of high school an old buddy of mine and I moved into his parent's rental house here in town. We had no furniture, no money and no clue, but we were pretty happy. Our nightly ritual at 11pm was to grab a Klondike bar,  plop down on our crappy couch, and watch a classic episode of Star Trek. It was really the first time I watched it on a regular basis, and I became a fan. Now whenever I see images from the classic series, like this wonderful pair of mini ships from derjoe, I can't help but think back to those simpler days.

Warthog

There's a whole lotta NPU going on in this new little gem from Karf Oohlu. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the use of the saddle as a cockpit, that's some inspired thinking. Then I started looking all over the vehicle, the wheel configuration, the use of the handcuffs, the color scheme. It's a unique and compelling vehicle, in a surprisingly small package.