Now You're Thinking With Portals

Leonid An has just blown my mind with this amazing micro Portal Handheld Device! The use of the minifigure cross pein hammer is just brilliant. GLaDOS would approve!

[Whenever I'm playing Portal I sometimes forget I have a portal gun and say to myself often "How I am going to get up on that ledge?!" - anyone else do this?]

Ciudad de Andalusia

I've never been to Spain, but this lovely build by Toltomeja makes me want to catch a flight there sometime. This build beautifully recreates the "pueblos blancos" (white houses), a particularly charming style of architecture that you just can't find here in the USA. Even though the roof technique has been done before, this one really stands out because of the dark orange used. Most of the time, this technique is used with red and dark red, but the dark orange is really nice here. I also quite like the use of olive green; it works really nicely with the rest of the color scheme.

Porco Rosso

1930's Italy was a time of ruthless sky pirates menacing wealthy seafarers on the Adriatic, and the only thing that stood between them and their hapless victims was Porco Rosso:  The Red Pig!  Looks like our old pal Pate-keetongu was inspired by the 1992 Japanese movie based on a three part watercolor manga featuring a WWI flying ace who was transformed into an anthropomorphic pig.  Disney did an English dub as well.   The LEGO version of this unique character really captures his heroic nature and the dapper style of the era.  And hey, if a raccoon can fly a spaceship, I don't see why a pig can't fly a seaplane...

Bobbajo

One of the things that got people so hyped for The Force Awakens was the promised return to a more practical approach to filmmaking, real sets, real costumes, real creatures. This guy was one of the first alien life forms we saw in a video shared by JJ during production, and we all went nuts. Now Takamichi Irie has built him in brick, and we can all go nuts again.

Pure Genie-us

LEGO 7 has granted a wish for the Genie and upgraded his "itty bitty living space"! This is the perfect moc for the LEGO Disney minifigures of Aladdin and the Genie in my opinion - and they're off with Jasmine to find a whole new world. The magic carpet is along for the ride too and is really brought to life with the interlocking pieces to create a sense of movement. Don't be fooled by it's commonplace appearance, for things aren't always as they seem.....

Xenomorphs Are A Pain In The Chest

Can something be cute and horrifying at the same time? I'd argue it can, just check out this adorable, I mean horrible chest burster from Paddy Bricksplitter. Sure it will kill you, but I think in those few seconds before you died you might experience just a fleeting moment of appreciate for how cute this guy is. Sort of a" squee to scream" moment.

And I Know When That Hotline Bling....

This LEGO vignette by Nannan Zhang perfectly depicts some of the gameplay in Hotline Miami. The main minifig is 'Jacket' who wears a variety of masks as he takes on the local Russian Mafia, following instructions left on his answer machine. This scene sees Jacket bursting through the door and shooting one mob member whilst wealding a bat ready to take on the next. I really love the use of the red crystal in the back of the minifig that's been shot - it really creates a sense of impact! Also the dark red tiles under the dead minifig by the door as the blood spills over the floor.

Sci-Fi Evenings Of My Youth

Along with a absolute glut of movie cash grabs in post Star Wars 1970's, there was quite a bit of sic-fi on television too. But these two shows captured our imaginations and eyeballs for a couple hours a week. They were no Millennium Falcon, but the ships of Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers kept us happy (and so did Wilma). These versions by SPARKART make me happy too, I just wanna swoosh them.

What a Shocker!

This is David Lee's moc of the lead character from the 1970's Manga series 'Kamen Rider'.     For those unfamiliar, the storyline revolved around an organisation called 'Shocker' who - in their bid for world domination - captured citizens, brainwashed them and turned them into mutant cyborgs. Takeshi Hongo escaped their grasp, became a grass-hopper themed superhero and battled against Shocker's army. Kamen Rider 1 appears confident and ready for battle in this build, although he does look a little bug-eyed!

Steaming Through the Jungle

These explorers are off on a jungle adventure aboard skiz0f0x's steampunk elephant. This build incorporates a great combination of LEGO cogs, tracks and wheels as well as some more unusual aspects like the chests, weapons and divers helmet (which is definately my favourite element!). This piece warrants a good zoom in to check out all the details. The adventurers are well prepared with everything from guns for protection to champagne for celebrating!

STOMP-BANG-THUD!

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!

The Golden Deer

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

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. . .

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.