New LEGO Storage and Display Products

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A company called Brick Innovations in cooperation with Phillip Miller Furniture has just launched a Kickstarter Campaign featuring several LEGO storage and display products. Every LEGO builder struggles with how to organize their collection, and the more options we all have the better as far as I'm concerned. Among the items they're promoting is a rather clever selection of tables, cabinets and building furniture, as well as some cool drawer pulls and a shelf to display Minifigures. They were kind enough to send a prototype Minifigure Shelf for me to check out. 

The shelf they sent holds more or less 8 figures, but it's smaller than the 18" version they have as a reward level on their campaign (which by the way its already funded just two days in, congrats guys!) and is made of a somewhat lightweight wood, I'm assuming pine. Embedded in the top is a strip of 1x genuine LEGO plate to attach your figs to.

Now I would be remiss if I didn't point out the obvious similarities to the Chroble shelves that have hung in my studio for quite some time now. The Chroble shelves are solid walnut, larger, heavier and have a strip of full sized 1x bricks on top. They are top quality in every respect, but that quality comes at a price, making them quite a bit more expensive than the Brick Innovations shelves. I don't know that I can fully comment on the quality of the Brick Innovations shelves either, since this is a prototype I have to assume the production ones will be better. But the one I have could have used more sanding, clean up and another coat of paint. 

So if you're interested in more storage and display options for your collection check out their campaign and throw some support their way.

Introducing MOC Nation

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There's a new option on the web for custom LEGO creations and fans of LEGO of all ages, builders and designers alike, MOC Nation. For builders it's a chance to get your hands on sets designed by the greatest designers on the planet. For designers it's a chance to share your creations with the world and make a little money too. Today is the official launch date and while the catalog is small, it's going to be growing very soon. Head on over and check them out!

MOC Nation was created by Matt Gutierrez, Jason Gutierrez, and Andrew Capener — three AFOLs with backgrounds in e­commerce, entrepreneurship, design and a passion for all things creative. 

New Creator Beetle Coming

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I normally leave stuff like this to the sites that concentrate on news, but this makes me so giddy I had to share. The family car when I was young was a beetle, my first car was a beetle and my car  now is a beetle. I've always had a deep affection for these round little wonders, and now LEGO is hooking us up with a fantastic new model. I love the retro styling and studless design, it's beautiful. The 1,167 piece set will retail for $99.99 (US). VIP members can get their grubby little mits on it July 14 and the general public can on August 1.

Attention Sports And LEGO Fans (Especially You Boston)

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Sam Berns (Of Life According to Sam) loved sports, and he loved LEGO, and the world loved Sam. His inspiring words have uplifted millions and he will be forever missed. This year for the auction to benefit the Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) and to honor Sam the master builders at LEGO and the sports teams of Boston have partnered up to offer an absolutely awesome one-of-a-kind LEGO mosaic. And as if that mosaic wasn't cool enough check out the frame SIGNED BY EVERY SPORTS TEAM IN BOSTON! The Night of Wonder 2016: Score for the Cure auction is this Saturday, April 9th at the Renaissance Waterfront in Boston, MA. For more info click here.

AutoSort 2600

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LEGO Unveiled an unexpected product this morning, the AutoSort 2600. "It's the holy grail of LEGO enthusiasts world wide" claims LEGO CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp. "We realize that sorting LEGO bricks is a time-consuming activity, we see that here every day in the workshops. That is why we perfected this device." According to the press release this thing will sort by color and part in record time. Just dump your bricks into the hopper at the top, select which theme is the predominate product and sort. Within minutes your bricks are sorted. "We realize the price point of 60,000 DKK (a little over $9,000 USD) is a little high for the average consumer, but we built this for the real fans. Besides, we're known for being a little pricy, but we're better known for quality". The AutoSort 2600 is expected to be available the second quarter of 2017. 

UPDATE: April fools! Sorry folks, this thing isn't real, so the dream lives on...

NERDvember is almost over!

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Well folks it's almost over. But the good news is if you still want to build, you still have three days. So what are you waiting for?

I'd like to give a big shout to one last sponsor, BRICKSTUDS and my buddy Brandon Griffith. STUDS is a series of collector cards featuring AFOLs from around the world. I have the distinct honor of having a card of my own in series 1 and I'm very happy that there will be some packs in the prize packages this year.

The clock is ticking, it's a four day weekend (at least here in the US) and you're out of excuses. Break out the bricks and get building!

NERDvember update

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NERDvember is going strong as we end the third week and I continue to be absolutely floored by the quality of the submissions. Who knew the Star Wars universe would inspire so much creativity. You still have over a week to build so break out those bricks!

I'd like to send a huge shout out to some more sponsors. First there's Cooper Works, makers of fine decals and stickers. They are providing a sticker pack that will be divided between the winners. Next is EclipseGRAFX and customBRICKS, brick printers and customizers extraordinaire. Both are sending assortments of custom printed parts that will blow your mind.

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And lastly is Brick Loot, monthly subscription box for brick lovers. They are providing custom LEGO models including the one designed by yours truly, Nerdasaurus Rex!

Thanks to these and all the sponsors of NERDvember, you all rock! Now if you haven't started building you better get on it, time is running out!

The Pledge Drive Continues

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Just wanted to let everyone know that the BrickNerd Pledge Drive 2015 is still on and we've got loads of cool stuff to give away still. For instance Ole Kirk and his bench from The LEGO Brickumentary, my Ghostbusters Proton Pack, a Star Wars Celebration exclusive Star Destroyer, the Batmobile and more! Donate today at paypal.me/BrickNerd

Brickstuff Coming To The UK And Europe

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Scotland based Curious Minds has become the sole European and UK retailer for US based Brickstuff. This is great news for all my friends and fellow LEGO enthusiasts across the pond. I'm a huge fan of Brickstuff and it's founder Rob Klingberg. I've used their lighting products in every stop-motion short I've produced and will continue to do so.

Visit Curious Minds' website for more information and get your lighting on!

A LEGO Brickumentary Opens This Weekend

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Yes! BrickNerd Studios wrapped animation on this film over a year ago, and we've been (not so) patiently waiting it's release. Well, it's finally here! A LEGO Brickumentary opens this Friday nationwide and on iTunes. 

As a bonus treat I'm going to be displaying screen-used sets and models from the movie at the Arclight Hollywood starting Thursday afternoon. I'm also going to be speaking with the filmmakers at a Q&A afterwards on Friday and Saturday evening. If your in the area and want to attend make your reservations now with this link.

I'll also be at the Royal after the 3:15 screening in West Hollywood on Sunday

SDCC Recap

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I don't have a ton of time to write a whole breakdown of SDCC (I snuck away from the campsite to a nearby town to post at a Starbucks, the lengths to which I go to keep content coming on this blog, sheesh) but overall it was an excellent con for me. It all started Thursday, where I spent a full day wandering the floor with my wife and seeing all the cool nerdy stuff (and scoring exactly zero LEGO exclusives) In the evening I had the privilege of sitting on a panel with Nathan Sawaya, Brandon Griffith and Jim Lee (yeah, THAT Jim Lee!) We unveiled just a few details of the amazing project we're all working on, Art of the Brick: DC Comics. A big thanks to all those who showed up for the panel and especially those who took time to say hi after we finished (Hi Ian!)

On Friday we spent more time terrorizing our poor feet on the exhibition floor for a few hours. Nerdly got his picture taken with several cosplayers (he can't help himself). We saw some familiar faces, made some new friends and just basked in all the geeky goodness. I also scored exactly zero LEGO givaways and exclusives

In the late afternoon we went to the taping of the Conan O'brien Show. It was an amazing experience, we got to see the cast of Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. And if all the laughs weren't enough, we scored an exclusive Conan Zombie Pop!

On Saturday we continued the relentless punishment of our feet with yet more walking the floor. Once we had our fill of that (seemed to not take very long, the crowds were intense) and scoring the customary amount of LEGO exclusives we headed to the Hardrock Hotel where LEGO was showing off Dimensions, an amazing new game and building experience. I'll be doing a full review of that soon so I won't go into much detail on that. In the evening I sat on the second of my two panels with Joe Meno, Paul Lee, Brandon Griffith and Nathan Sawaya. We all talked about how we've taken LEGO and turned it into something beyond just building. I showed my animated short Batman vs Superman and talked about stop motion for a bit. After a Q&A session with the audience I surprised them with the world premiere of the sequel to Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Just Desserts. They seemed to enjoy it. Don't worry, it'll be online soon after I make some last minute tweaks and I've had my fill of s'mores and sunburns.

Overall it was a great time, but I'll continue to sum up SDCC as I always do, "four days of sweaty disappointment" Now to recover and start making plans to go back next year (why do we do it to ourselves?) Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna head back to the campsite and grill some burgers.

One Week Left To Take Nerdly To The Next Level!

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Hey builders, you're running out of time to enter the Next Level Nerdly contest. You have about one week left to get crazy with the bricks and you just might score a really cool prize package loaded with LEGO and BrickNerd swag. Including an exclusive plush Nerdly! Over to the official Flickr group for the rules and get building!

Nerdy Inside 😃

Less Than Two Weeks For "Yellow"

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The clock is running out and Nathan Sawaya is super close to making the 10k mark. For those that don't know Nathan is one of the premiere brick artists in the world, and his traveling exhibit The Art Of The Brick is in five countries right now. He has created a scaled down version of one of his more iconic pieces, Yellow, and it's on LEGO Ideas. Click through and show him some love!

"Pick-A-Model" sets now at LEGO Stores

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AFOLs and others who walked into their local LEGO Store on April 1 were treated to a neat surprise on the Pick-A-Brick wall: new elements previously not available through PAB, including 1x1 round decorated "eye" tiles, 1x2 yellow "cheese" slopes, and much more. But don't grab a large cup and start to fill it just yet.

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It's all part of the new "Pick-A-Model" line, in which you can create two models -- a plane or a couple of giraffes -- in the vein of their successful Build Your Own Minifigure offering.

 "Eye" see what you did there, LEGO.

 "Eye" see what you did there, LEGO.

One caveat for those tempted to stock up on these elements: they are really geared toward the Pick-A-Model sets, so you won't be able to fill your PAB cups to the brim with them: I'm told that LEGO Brand Retail employees will dutifully uphold this policy.  Pick-A-Model sets will also change on a quarterly basis, which could mean more different elements coming to the PAB walls.  That's always good news!

1x2 modified plates in light orange -- let's just call them duck's beaks.

1x2 modified plates in light orange -- let's just call them duck's beaks.

Each Pick-A-Model set will cost you $4.99, which seems a bit steep (the plane, for example, only has 24 pieces) and comes with a handy case which happens to hold exactly the number of pieces you need to build the set.  But the availability of the new elements alone might make these worth it.

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Brick Magic Is Only Seven Weeks Away?!?

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Is it just me or is this year FLYING by? Seems like just yesterday Brick Magic was inviting me as a special guest (yeah, me, go figure) and the convention was months away. Now I have a flight booked and I'm starting to gather stuff for it. Before I know it I'll be in North Carolina, will you be there too?

I'll have some fun swag, you know you want it.