Not To Toot My Own Horn

A very long time ago in junior high school I dabbled in the school band.  The tuba and the flute were my instruments but I got very familiar and friendly with the neighboring brass and reed sections.  Once I finished junior high, I never touched an instrument again and forgot most of what I learned.  I was lucky enough to catch these excellent MOCs in person earlier last May during Golden Week (Japan's version of Spring Break) while they were on display at Osaka University.  Needless to say but I was hit by a wave of childhood nostalgia.  Built by Japanese builder Ryo Arai (AKA -Grie- on Flickr), I was impressed by the attention to detail to all the rods and levers that connect the valves and also how smooth the curves are.  Curves aren't an easy thing to pull off with LEGO bricks, especially those that mimic their real life counterparts.  Be sure to take a look at all the other angles on his Flickr photostream.

Saxophone Trumpet

Winston

Overwatch mania continues to sweep the world, and the AFOL community. I actually recognize this beast of a character, which is pretty unusual for me these days. When we picked up our preordered copy of the game at GameStop my son got a figure of this guy, a jet pack sporting gorilla named Winston. By the way, any day you can type the sentence "jet pack sporting gorilla" is a good day.

Robot Breakdance

There are AFOLs in all walks of life, but it makes me especially giddy when one is from the entertainment industry. Builder breakbricks72 happens to be an Emmy winner and producer/director in the animation business, so it comes as no surprise that the animation in this adorable brickfilm is nothing less than outstanding.

Did Someone Call A Doctor?

Overwatch hype is all over the place and I love it. We've been waiting for this game since its first reveal in 2014 and the beta the past year had a lot of us gamers hooked! Even if you're not into games, or specifically FPS games, you have to admire the amazing art and style Overwatch has. 

Here at BrickNerd we've already covered a few amazing characters such as Tracer, Bastion & Reinhardt; and I'm sure we'll continue covering more to come as the character designs are both amazing in game and even more in LEGO! 

My favorite part about a new theme circling the Flickr community is sometimes we get the same character built by different builders, and the fun part about it is seeing how great minds things alike but also how they create things differently: 

Often we see LEGO female characters built overtly sexual to grasp the attention of the audience. I admire a builder who can create a strong LEGO character without having to rely on those details.  Loysnuva used such fun details instead to portray this Swiss-warrior, like the tubing for her halo, and the teeth parts for her wings. 

Simon Liu has been on a roll and his latest creation of the beautiful Mercy is just as great,

Mercy's halo is instead created with gold bionicle parts and gold horns at the ends; gold staffs and swords as detailing on her wings.  

Both builders do an amazing job here showing the strength and beauty of Mercy, a support hero who can heal or damage boost her team. Now if someone can just create Mei then my life will be made :) 

ISS

This International Space Station MOC by Lia Chan DFW is so brilliantly built I thought it was just a photograph at first. I've had the pleasure of watching this engineering wonder built live through many, many hours of streaming NASA feeds (space doesn't happen quickly, but always fascinatingly) and I sort of wish I could have been watching this MOC being built the same way. It measures over five feet long and is amazingly detailed. It's also up to date with the addition of BEAM and Cygnus-6, awesome.

Right on Time

If you need a refresher on what high-quality Alice in Wonderland art looks like (after that film sequel nobody asked for), check out this beautifully organic landscape by The /\rchitect. There's a few great techniques in play here, like the tire embedded in the ground and the rock-work on the crevice on the left.

Esso Gas Station

1950's design and top-notch building come together in this exquisitely detailed Esso gas station by Norton74. Designed by famed Dutch architect Willem Marinus Dudok, these modernist gas stations dotted the Dutch landscape. Now we can all marvel at this brick-built version. The attention to detail is beyond reproach, with stylistic and realistic touches everywhere you look. 

"I've Gotta BE The Marble!"

Ryan Rydalch has put together a fantastically artistic scene, showcasing a sculptor in his natural habitat. The monochrome creations surrounding him are pristine and exquisite in their detailing, especially the stag near the back. He also uses some great backgrounds which really bring out the color (or lack thereof) in the piece.

Down, Kitty! Down!

Takamichi Irie clearly is a fan of Star Wars and its minor characters and creatures.  Remember the Nexu from Attack of the Clones?  I didn't at first.  I theorize that Taka's inspiration for building the Nexu has to do with the fact that this ferocious space cat nearly devoured actress Natalie Portman (whom Taka has proclaimed his fondness of on numerous occasions.)

Pay particular attention to the Nexu's head.  The intricate teeth assembly is clearly held together by either magic or a rubber band (my money's on magic) and the regular lever handles are used for the eyes.  You can see more shots of Taka's Nexu here.

"You Have A Train To Catch"

And Spider-Man quite literally did just that very thing.

What we have here is one of my favorite scenes of all the superhero movies recreated by mike m.  It also just happens to be a huge model made of LEGO bricks.  The brick-built Spidey's posing adds the weight of the train and situation and another clever detail you might not have thought about consciously is how front and center the train really is.  I mean, it's just really close.  Hang in there, Spidey!  We're all rooting for you!

Sideswipe

Like being a Lamborghini isn't cool enough, this guy can also turn into a robot?!? Yes, I'm a kid of the 80's so the Countach is pretty much the coolest car ever. I should also be into Transformers too, but they came along just moments too late for me (but I got to enjoy GiJOE in his proper dimensions, 12"). This Sideswipe by MortalSwordsman can transform without removing pieces, which in itself is an accomplishment, but to also make it this accurate and awesome? Total win.

Bastion & Reinhardt

Overwatch mania continues to sweep the world, and AFOLs are clearly not immune. Builder Si-MOCs brings us not one but two characters from the phenomenally popular Blizzard game. And of course I still haven't seen anything from it. But judging from all the yelling in the back of the house it's exciting and/or frustrating. And based on the smell back there, it's addicting too.

Warhammer At Brickworld Chicago

Builder The Deathly Halliwell is inviting those attending Brickworld Chicago to join him and Brick Works Industries in contributing to their Warhammer 40k layout. And if these MOCs here are any indication, it's going to be pretty epic. If you're interested contact Tyler and get building! 

Tava's Beak

Elder Scrolls seems to be a deep source of inspiration for many builders. It's amazing to me how arts cross-pollinate and the lines blur sometimes. Builder Xenomurphy found inspiration in Tava's Beak, and the results are stunning. The curved, sloping shoreline and bank makes for an excellent foundation, but the sculpted forms of the bird head are the real show-stopper here.

Mickey And Minnie

Mickey and Minnie have been an item since before I was born, so you know it's been a looooong time. And while they've never been officially married and don't live together (and according to Mrs BrickNerd it's "because they're smart") they're as classic a couple as you can get. This MOC by bricks.life.idea celebrates their love in a charming and magical way.

Countdown To BrickSlopes

BrickSlopes is only three weeks away, I hope you have your travel plans all buttoned up. There's going to be amazing MOCs on display, games to play and friends to make. All that and for some reason they want me to make the keynote (I really should finish that). I haven't been to Utah in almost 20 years so I'm looking forward to being back and I hope I'll see you there!

"Why Does Everyone Want To Go Back To Jakku?!"

Builder Robert Lundmark has really done an incredible job in recreating two of my favorite things in the Star Wars The Force Awakens movie:
 

Teedo's Luggabeast
 

and Rey's Speeder

These moments in the movie really showed us how strong of a character Rey was going to be; defending those whom cannot defend themselves and her wicked cool means of transportation. It also showed the audience and the fans the new vehicles and creatures the Star Wars Universe hasn't shown us before. Robert adds amazing detail to both creations, giving the eye different areas to bounce off of. His placement and great photography (done by Tomas Westermark) gives these builds life.

Check out his flickr page for more Star Wars goodness!  
 

Troll In the Dungeon!

Vitreolum just thought you should know about that troll in your basement. . .  Okay, let's start with the most obvious example of NPU (Nice Parts Usage): the Plant Monster headpiece.  Vitreolum is truly a master at NPU, and this build is no exception from that point.  The use of the strange new element LEGO has produced is truly magnificent!  It gives little bits of texture to the forehead of this unique creature, almost as if it has some wrinkles from old age.  Other examples of NPU are the minifigure hair piece used as some shaggy chin hair, and the LEGO Chima metallic paw piece as a shoulder guard (I personally have some of those pieces and can never figure out what to do with them).  All in all, the armor this creature wears is entirely made up of NPU!  I could definitely see this guy in a fairy tale. . .

Tracer

A great deal of time and energy is being expended towards the new game Overwatch at my house these days. Not by me of course (like I have time to play games) but both my boys are into it and have barely left their rooms for over a week. I consulted with one of my experts and discovered this swift little vixen is pretty much the face of Overwatch, and if you're the lumbering armored type, good luck hitting her, she's quick. Nice build One More Brick.

The Plan

This is outstanding! This Maze overlay by Yatkuu is inspired by my all-time favorite zombie movie, Shaun of the Dead. Now we can recreate "the plan" while fiddling our knobs...wait, that came out wrong. Now we can re-enact the events of the film using hand/eye coordination (made more difficult after a couple pints) and get to the Winchester to wait for all of this to blow over. 

Plus points for the Cornetto cameo.