Owlbaby

The level of detail and character in this MOC by LEGO 7 lead me to believe it's based on an existing comic or animation, but I can find no evidence of it (and I'm sure you'll tell me if I'm wrong). To me that makes this all the more wonderful. He or she has a background and a story, and you just want to learn more. Unless of course this adorable mercenary is out to get you, then maybe you should just get out of there.

Mercenary-Owlbaby-1
Mercenary-Owlbaby-3
Mercenary-Owlbaby-4

Finding Dory

I have a terrible confession to make, I haven't seen Finding Dory yet. Yes, I'm a huge Disney and Pixar fan, and that would be reason enough to be shameful, but Angus MacLane, one of the directors of the film is actually a friend, so I hang my head in disgrace. it is a problem I intend to correct very soon, but in the mean time I have some fabulous MOCs by radiohearhoy to admire,

nEO_IMG_DOGOD_Finding_DORY_09
nEO_IMG_DOGOD_Hank_01
nEO_IMG_DOGOD_Destiny_01

Cerulean Chapel

Joseph Z.'s newest build jumps out at me as a very unique castle MOC. It does a masterful job of combining what it's easy to accept as the most common modern castle style (with the patchwork plate-filled brick walls, etc.) with its exact inverse, a totally clean and symmetrical style, like the striking stained-glass evenly spaced along the frame. I had the pleasure of seeing this build in person at Brickfair in Virginia last weekend, and I can vouch for the fact that it certainly looks great even without this crisp white background.

Cerulean Chapel

I'd Live There

On land we have rough, zig-zag, jagged rooftops of buildings all huddled together on a tight patch of rock.  Beyond that, calm, blue seas.  The colors are striking, the photography is clean, and I'm beginning to wonder why Oliver Lego doesn't work as an Apple photographer!  And for a "first try at miniscale format", I'd say that Oliver has hit a homerun!

Lego Greek Port City

Samurai Sanctuary

Just looking at this MOC is relaxing. This very tranquil MOC samurai sanctuary by builder NeverEnoughLego premiered at Brickfair VA, much to the appreciation of those there (I wish I could have been there). In my brief time in Japan I spent my time in the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, and I really wish I could have found a place like this to spend a little time, it's beautiful.

Firebird

As soon as I saw this beautiful build by VSefrem, I knew I couldn't not blog it. The bird itself is absolutely gorgeous; the repeating circles really give it a lovely texture. But I personally think the tree is just as awesome, since it's extremely organic and non-rectangular. The technique used is very cool and innovative. In fact, I'm not entirely sure how all of those pieces are attached! Consider me wowed.

Firebird

MOCStalgia - Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of "Hook"!

Here at BrickNerd we like to reminisce about the past. This month Hook celebrates its 25th Anniversary and easily can be described as one of the best movies to ever bless our eyes. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you either live under a pile of LEGO or have never owned a VHS. In recognition of this occasion we have dug into the Nerdly Vault and dusted off some good ones for you to feast your gaze upon:

Starting off with this micro by Rod Gillies of Neverland. Years later and still some very fun details like the itty bitty ship and waterfall. This creation is a great example of when a builder starts an idea and then puts it down several times before completing it. Rod describes this build as having started with the ship but it wasn't until months later that it all came together. 

Neverland

Next up is a vignette by Angela Chung! Angela created full scenes for all characters from the Disney Collector Minifigure Series, which you can see here and here. Her Peter Pan and Hook scene has such fun details like the monkey in the crow's nest and Tick-Tock the Crocodile just below. 

Peter Pan and Captain Hook

Keith Reed built an amazing Never Never Land Amusement Park full of Peter Pan goodness. So many details packed tight but my favorite of course has to be the ship! (Whats with me and ships today?) I'm not much of a rollercoaster enthusiast, unless you count my days of Roller Coaster Tycoon, so this park does it just right for me. 

Never Never Land

And now the man of the hour, the Captain himself. Builder Markus Rollbühler creates Hook in such a compromising position, which is such a fantastic representation of the character himself. Favorite details are the piece choices Markus makes for the collar, his belt buckle, moustache and of course those lace frills on the wrists. 

Captain Hook

In my search for the ultimate Hook related creations I came across another fun build, although not specifically Peter Pan related its still lays within our theme. This one we really had to dig for, behind the cobwebs of the interwebs (haha, get it?) builder Barney Main created this Neverland Island with so many awesome details that I personally wouldn't mind being stranded on it. Barney uses white horns and yellow hands to create some of the detail around the water and sand. Cute little creatures like the crabs and seagull and (oh my goodness) the little ship! #shipcrazy

Castaway t' Neverland

Well if this didn't make you want to watch Hook right now then we can't be friends. I'll just go watch it alone with my LEGO and remind myself THAT I NEVER WANT TO GROW UP! 

BrickFair Virginia (2016) Recap

Well, another year of BrickFair Virginia has come and gone.  Why must it always pass us by so quickly?!  Sad remarks aside, let's get into the joy that is BrickFair. 

As usual, the creations displayed were phenomenal!  There's always something new to see at this convention, which is a fact that I always look forward to when I attend.  I personally always enjoy meeting the upcoming builders that attend this event for their first time equally to reconnecting with old friends and other great builders.

It's easy for us here at BrickNerd to praise such a great convention, but what do other attendees have to say?  I conducted two brief interviews with a first timer at the convention and another builder who has attended for multiple years:

This was your first time as an exhibitor at a LEGO convention and attending BrickFair VA.  What was your favorite part about the event that makes you want to attend again next year?

Dominic M.:  "My favorite part about BrickFair is just about everything! There's plenty to do like meet new people, buy cool things, and show everyone what you can do as a LEGO builder! If you're a big fan of LEGO and you like to see other creations, or you want to show off your own, BrickFair is the place to go!"

I know that you have attended BrickFair VA for multiple years now.  What is it about this event that brings you back every year?

Joseph Z.:  "It gives me an opportunity to meet people in my community.  I also like the chance to see some of my favorite builds in person, and see old friends, of course!"

My fellow BrickNerd contributor Kodiak and I were both fortunate to attend the event and together have pulled together some photos of the highlights that were on display.  These photos are not enough to truly give you the experience, but hopefully they are enough to inspire you all to attend! 

Until next year, BrickFair!

Nathaniel & Kodiak

 

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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

Yamamoto

Can a military ship make you squee? I'd say this one can. It's an adorable mashup of cruiser, destroyer and battleship by Dwalin Forkbeard. Combine those, add some adorable proportions and plenty of moveable weaponry, and you've got a seriously cute floating vessel of death. Imagine standing on the deck of your warship, admiring this thing and making "awww" sounds, then you see the torpedo screaming at you.

Yamamoto
Yamamoto back

Welcome To Nordheim

I hope you brought your jacket (and maybe some armor, just in case). This is the chilly realm of Nordheim, a collaborative build by jsnyder002 and soccersnyderi. This premiered at BrickFair VA last week, and I'm certain it must have been quite the sight in person. It's 130×98 studs and weighs a whopping 87 pounds, that's a serious diorama. I highly recommend clicking through and checking out both of their photo streams for more pics, this thing is packed with detail and fun surprises.

Life in Nordheim
Life in Nordheim
Life in Nordheim
Life in Nordheim
Nordheim Fjall

Just Bobbling Around

This six-pack of Star Wars characters by LegoJalex is the perfect mashup of two highly collectible things: LEGO and bobbleheads. All of the characters are wonderfully chibi, and they very nicely recreate the originals despite their simplicity. And of course, all the figures really bobble, using a brilliantly simple mechanism. Check out the video to see them in action.

All six Star Wars Bobblehead figures

Review - LEGO Star Wars Chronicles Of The Force

Review - LEGO Star Wars Chronicles Of The Force

Combine LEGO and Star Wars and you've got my attention, combine both of those with a book and an exclusive minifigure and you've got a winner, right? Well, maybe not. Publisher DK is back with another LEGO Star Wars book, this time exploring the dark side of the force vs the light, the Imperials vs the Rebels and the First order vs the Resistance. And while the premise seems intriguing, the results are a bit of a mess in this reader's opinion. 

Read More

To Da Moon!

It seems to me that the "One small step for man" would be a bit smaller here, considering this is LEGO. Dorian Glacet built this awesome Apollo lunar lander and moon rover. The lander uses some clever techniques and looks very accurate (to my untrained eye, at least). But my favorite part of the build is the set of tracks left behind the rover. It looks very cool and really evokes some of those pictures the astronauts took on the moon.

EDIT: This model by Dorian is actually a reworking and representation of a lunar lander built by Saabfan. So, since credit needs to go where it is due, I wanted to mention both builders here. This is a good example of how work from two equally skilled builders can be combined to great effect.

Apollo Lunar Module

Rogue One: Secret Room Scene

Ha!  I beat Tommy to a Star Wars post!!!  Gotta appreciate Markus19840420's attention to detail and cinematography in this shot.  At first I figured it was just another one of those post-some-minifigs-over-the-still-shot deals, but oh no, that's all LEGO.  The scene was built for a contest called IDSMO IV, which is a German Star Wars Moc Olympics.  But it's more than a nifty build, it's the mastery of the two art forms of LEGO and photography.  Well done, Markus! 

Quite Possibly The Single Greatest Use Of Bananas Ever

Sometimes it's not the obscurity of a part that makes it a NPU (nice part use). Everyone has a banana or two, at one point last year we had over 100 in the studio for a particular animation gig, but the thought of using them as thatching on a roof, like this brilliant treehouse MOC by theogiulia never occurred to me. What a fantastic use of a totally mundane part.

Maison d'Assurancetourix

Checking In On The Goblet Of Fire

These MOCs are part of an absolutely epic undertaking by the latest member of a small team of dedicated Harry Potter and LEGO fans. Each is a small vignette representing a notable scene from the legendary book series. These are from The Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the series, and are built by Xenomurphy, who took up the mantle from builders MarcelV'rolli and Kevin Wollert. Each is a small piece of a larger story, and a story unto itself.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 09
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 06
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 02

Quidditch

This sort of build warms my heart. This phenomenal quidditch pitch by builder britsnap1 is a father/son project and obviously a labor of love. It measures over seven and a half feet and is populated with a full audience of sports loving minifigures. A fevered match is in progress, and while I can't really tell, I'm betting Gryffindor is winning. Harry Potter himself would be proud.

Harry Potter Quidditch arena. Based mainly on the 2nd H.P movie we have accurately recreated one of the most iconic pop culture sporting arenas of all time. This was such a fun father/son project to complete and measures almost 7.5 feet long.
Any Harry Potter fans out there? :)