STOMP-BANG-THUD!

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Prepare for battle!  Robbadopdop has designed four wickedly cool "Powersuits."  Each is unique, yet they all appear to belong together.  It's rare to see this kind of build that still incorporates the minifig helmets and visors as the actual heads.  The craftsmanship that went into each of these models is very impressive and shows dedication.  The techniques used are phenomenal, and I especially like all the different weapons/accessories.  Let's get ready to rumble!

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Nathaniel Stoner

     My name is Nathaniel Stoner, and I am an very active LEGO builder.  I mostly build in the themes of castle and science-fiction, but I also dabble in other genres and create occasional random MOC's (My Own Creations). 

     When I was younger, I would get and build small LEGO sets for my birthday, but I was never really into them.  When they fell apart, I would become frustrated attempting to put them back together and would throw them in a box in my closet.  I couldn't stand them!

     Then, miraculously, I became addicted to the LEGO brick later in my teen years.  Ever since, I have continued to build up (pun intended) my collection of bricks and to expand my knowledge of techniques and building skills.  LEGO is truly more than a toy, its an art form and a way to express yourself.

     For the most part, I collect LEGO Star Wars (mainly the minifigs), which is probably my favorite LEGO theme.  I have a fairly decent collection, including some of the original 1999 sets, such as the Snowspeeder, X-Wing, and Naboo starfighter.  I also collected LEGO the Lord of the Rings when those sets first came out.  The minifigs are great, and the story remains one of my favorites ever. 

     My hope is to inspire other young (and perhaps even older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity!  You can find me on my Flikr here. 

The Golden Deer

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This MOC by markus19840420 looks right out of a fairytale or adventure game. The tranquil setting, the lush landscaping, the ornate tree and the scene unfolding of a mysterious figure approaching a majestic stag. There's a story unfolding here, and it draws you in. I would love to see this under cinematic lighting, it would be wondrous I'm sure.

Don't Make a Mess, Messerschmitt

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I have a great respect for World War era LEGO builders.  Not only is it a unique theme, but it is (in my honest opinion) one of the hardest and most difficult to pull off well.  All vehicles during that time period had a very distinct look to their features.  Replicating the angles well, along with the overall shaping in order to be accurate, is almost a war all on its own.  My good friend and fellow LEGO enthusiast Matt K. is one of the builders who performs particularly well in this theme.  Normally, Matt recreates accurate model of tanks, occasionally building a different vehicle model such as a German U-boat and WC-52 jeep.  This time, he has branched out and built an aircraft, specifically a BF 109.  I personally have attempted to build this plane before, but have never gotten a completed MOC at this quality.  Every little detail is precisely executed which results in a very sleek model.  Job well done!  Safe flights ahead. . .

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Nathaniel Stoner

     My name is Nathaniel Stoner, and I am an very active LEGO builder.  I mostly build in the themes of castle and science-fiction, but I also dabble in other genres and create occasional random MOC's (My Own Creations). 

     When I was younger, I would get and build small LEGO sets for my birthday, but I was never really into them.  When they fell apart, I would become frustrated attempting to put them back together and would throw them in a box in my closet.  I couldn't stand them!

     Then, miraculously, I became addicted to the LEGO brick later in my teen years.  Ever since, I have continued to build up (pun intended) my collection of bricks and to expand my knowledge of techniques and building skills.  LEGO is truly more than a toy, its an art form and a way to express yourself.

     For the most part, I collect LEGO Star Wars (mainly the minifigs), which is probably my favorite LEGO theme.  I have a fairly decent collection, including some of the original 1999 sets, such as the Snowspeeder, X-Wing, and Naboo starfighter.  I also collected LEGO the Lord of the Rings when those sets first came out.  The minifigs are great, and the story remains one of my favorites ever. 

     My hope is to inspire other young (and perhaps even older) LEGO builders to unleash their inner creativity!  You can find me on my Flikr here. 

Not To Toot My Own Horn

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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
Saxophone
Trumpet
Trumpet

Winston

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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.

Winston
Winston Back Details

Did Someone Call A Doctor?

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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: 

Overwatch: Angela Ziegler "Mercy" (improved version)

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,

Have Mercy [Overwatch]

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

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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.

International Space Station
International Space Station

Esso Gas Station

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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. 

Esso Gas Station designed by Dutch architect Dudok (1953)
Esso Gas Station designed by Dutch architect Dudok (1953)
Esso Gas Station designed by Dutch architect Dudok (1953)

"I've Gotta BE The Marble!"

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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.

The Sculptor

Down, Kitty! Down!

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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.

"Down Kitty, Down!"

"You Have A Train To Catch"

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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!

" END OF THE LINE SPIDER-MAN "

Sideswipe

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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

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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.

Bastion [Overwatch]
Bastion [Overwatch] -back
Reinhardt

Tava's Beak

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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.

The Elder Scrolls Online – Tava’s Beak

Mickey And Minnie

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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.

Talk Of Love Through Music
Minnie spin

Countdown To BrickSlopes

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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?!"

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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
 

Teedo´s Luggabeast

and Rey's Speeder

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!