Gaunt

Builder m_o_n_k_e_y is back with another stellar robotic MOC. This one started innocently enough from an attempt to build a shoulder structure strong enough to hold heavy arms, and just sort of happened from there. It's always fascinating to me to learn the genesis of a MOC, it's sometimes completely unexpected, and I find that endlessly delightful.

Death By MMO

I share builder vitreolum's befuddlement at this phenomenon. Yes, people actually die while playing MMO games. They get way too into it and play for days without eating, drinking or sleeping and *whump*. I can understand "getting in the zone", I'm guilty of going deep during a creative endeavor and getting to the end of the day before realizing I hadn't eaten all day, but how one goes multiple days, and playing a game no less, is beyond me. I don't know what game this poor chap was playing, but it must have been immersive...perhaps too immersive.

Starkiller Base

When are the bad guys from Star Wars ever going to figure out that the giant "doomsday weapon" approach never works? While it might not be so good for sustained intimidation, they do make for pretty awesome play sets, as demonstrated by this excellent MOC by Forgotten Days. There's multiple levels and chambers to recreate the action from The Force Awakens, including a giant Snoke hologram. Everything you need for hours of play, that is until the good guys blow it up...again.

Pyke Castle

We here at BrickNerd like to fashion ourselves as both fans of LEGO and Nerd culture, but every once-in-a-while there is a gap in our individual Nerdiness, in my case that gap is Game of Thrones. As guilty as I am for not enjoying GoT, I do enjoy a good castle and Pyke Castle by builder Anu Pehrson is simply phenomenal. The rock work is like nothing I have ever seen before and is what really makes this castle stand out for me.

Harrower-class Dreadnought

It's a great time to be a Star Wars fan. With all the movies, TV shows, games and books, to say nothing of all the merchandise, there's something for everyone. Keeping up with it can be a bit overwhelming though. I can't say I've ever seen this particular Star Destroyer class ship, since I hadn't seen the Old Republic trailer yet, but man is it cool. And this version by Koen looks pretty much camera ready. The clipped on tiles to give the leading edges a thin profile is genius.

Gray Nine

According to builder Milan Sekiz, this spindly being is the product of chilling out at home for an evening. If that's the case, I'd like to encourage him to chill out more often because this is a thing of simple beauty. Contemplative, serene, elegant and beautifully shot, nicely done.

"Thank You For Your Cooperation, Good Night"

I was incredibly lucky enough to catch an advance screening of Robocop. We didn't know a thing about it, just the title (and of course we were intrigued) so we set out for Santa Barbara, an hour drive away. We didn't just love it, we were rocked to our core. This is one of the most iconic scenes, from Murphy's first night on patrol, brilliantly recreated by Grantmasters. I'd buy that for a dollar!

R5-D4

Ahh, poor R5-D4, just when he thought he'd escaped the jawas, *pop*, bad motivator. Well, his misfortune enabled R2-D2 to connect with Luke and the rest is history...or is it? Have you read the fan theory that theorizes that R5-D4 was actually in league with the sith, and self destructed in an attempt to assassinate Luke Skywalker? Of course not, I just made that crap up. Nice Brick Sketch powerpig!

Chaos Dreadnaught Code Claymore

Somehow this one slipped past us back in July, but it's never too late to gawk at a MOC in my opinion, and talk about gawkworthy, check this beast by chubbybots out! Can you imagine, you and your motley crew are out, minding your own business (ok, looking for treasure) and suddenly you're face to face with this monstrosity? I think I'd soil my armor, or at least what ever I was wearing at the time.

Dwarvish Dragonguard

I've never heard of the game Battle for Wesnoth, but it was the inspiration of this excellent dwarf character by Pate-keetongu so it might be worth checking out. That dragon he's holding is called a Dragonstaff, an elaborately decorated and powerful weapon. Even if it wasn't capable of dropping an enemy, I might be tempted to carry one just because they look so cool.

A Clockwork Orange

Anthony Burgess' book A Clockwork Orange has had many covers over it's lifespan, but this one is perhaps the most iconic, and it's certainly my favorite. So to see it perfectly reimagined as a MOC is greatly satisfying. Builder daveh_design takes the starkly 2D graphic design by David Pelham and brings it into startling relief, and the results are stunning.

Tomcat

This thing is insane! This 1/15th scale F-14A Tomcat by builder crash_cramer is over four feet long and features custom decals, a vacuum formed canopy, motorized control surfaces and lights & sound! It took over nine months to build, and judging by the accuracy and attention to detail, those were nine very busy months. Absolutely phenomenal work, Maverick and Goose would approve.

E.T.

Here's a fun fact: I once sculpted E.T. out of Tootsie Roll! With a lack of clay in the house I noticed that Tootsie was actually a pretty decent sculpting material. It turned out pretty good if I do say so myself, and was a great conversational piece for many months. That is until the day I went in my room and found E.T. dangling out of my little sister's mouth (true story). This lumpy little guy was a fixture of my adolescent years, and this version by LegoJalex brings back a flood of feels. The build quality is fantastic, but it's the scenes and lighting that really bring him to life.

Custom Harley Bagger

Custom parts (modified, chromed, printed, painted) tend to divide a lot of builders. Purists consider them "cheating" or somehow offensive. I'm actually pretty OK with them (at least the chromed and printed ones) mostly because I use them in animation a lot. It's hard to deny the results of a nicely assembled bit of quality chromed parts. You can't tell me the impact of this outrageous custom Harley by builder brickthebrick would be just the same with gray parts and limited official chrome, just look at that engine!

You Knocked My Block Off!

Ah, childhood, when we weren't out beating each other senseless with our Sock'Em Boppers, we were inside beating each other's robots senseless with Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. Builder jtheels is back with another solid dose of nostalgia, and has sparked a theory. As impossible as it sounds, I am absolutely convinced at this point we somehow shared a toy box from either side of the country.

The Flying Dutchman

I've always loved the Pirates of the Caribbean, from endless trips through the ride to the movies (well, maybe not At Worlds End, that was a bit of a train wreck), I dig a bit of salty swashbuckling. So this rendition of Day Jones' ship The Flying Dutchman by W. Navarre caught my eye instantly. You can practically hear the epic soundtrack and smell the popcorn can't you? 

Beyond The Brick Kickstarter

It was great to see our pals at Beyond the Brick at BrickCon. They even took time out of their busy schedule covering the event to serve as judges for the Bricks of Character display. Nobody covers an event in such detail as these guys, and now they want to reach beyond our borders for coverage in the UK and you can help. Check out their Kickstarter campaign and help them get to Brick Birmingham. They've got some very cool rewards, including some brick sketches by Chris McVeigh and a custom MOC by Tyler Clites. 

Secret Of The Mummy's Tomb

The other childhood obsession of mine was GIjOE (and since I never grew up, well...) I have hundreds of Joes stored away, and a few on display here at my house. I also have a couple Peter Pan Book & Records, fun little records with a comic attached. One of them was inspired by the same toy that inspired this MOC by baronsat, Secret of the Mummy's Tomb. It had an awesome six wheeled transport with detachable crane and a cool mummy in a sarcophagus (and my personal favorite Joe, the Land Adventurer). This MOC brings back a flood of feels, thanks Eric!

BMW R60

I love old motorcycles. The aesthetic, the utilitarian nature and the simplicity have always had an appeal. The earliest ones are my favorites, but even through the 60's bikes were being produced that had styling cues from their predecessors. This BMW R60 by young builder Maxime Cheng has a suburb level of detail, and captures the style perfectly. Some purists might want to look away though, if I'm not mistaken (and I usually am) there's several custom parts in this thing. But the results are so excellent I'm more than willing to overlook them.