The Covert-A-Car

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Builder redfern1950s continues his race to win the internet with his Wacky Races MOCs. This time it's The Convert-A-Car, by far the "wackiest" of the bunch. It's a truly insane contraption that is part boat, plane and car. And while this is personally my least favorite of the vehicles, that judgement is at odds with the fact he has by far the best name, Professor Pat Pending.

Wacky Races " The Convert-A-Car "

And The Winners Are...

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It's the moment you've all been waiting for, the winners of Nerdvember 2016. I've said it before and I'll say it again, BrickNerd readers are the most talented, imaginative and awesome builders in the world. I heard it over and over from the judges this year,  "so many good ones". It made it a joy to watch, and difficult to judge, but eventually three winners emerged, here they are in reverse order...

3rd Place
"Take me to your Nerdly..." - ted @ndes

Those lovable aliens from Disney Pixar's Toy Story. It's hard to believe this movie was considered "risky" when it was made. Turns out good story telling is good story telling, who knew?

"Take me to your Nerdly..."

2nd Place
Nerdly Genie - Palixa And The Bricks

You've never had a friend like him! It's the lovable Genie from Aladdin, voiced by the late, great Robin Williams in the role he was born to play.

Nerdly Genie

1st Place
Hatbox Ghost Nerdly - rabidnovaracer

It's a Disneyland legend that recently became a reality, the Hatbox Ghost was an illusion that didn't quite work when the ride opened, and was allegedly removed shortly after (there is much debate about this). This is the first time my personal favorite was the judges' fave too.

Hatbox Ghost Nerdly!

Congratulations to our winners, and thanks again to all that entered. I'd also like to thank the sponsors of this event, you're all awesome. See you next Nerdvember!

And before you ask...
My three favorites were Hatbox Ghost, Steamboat Nerdly and Mickey Mouse Nerdly
I didn't vote
I use a ranking system for voting, judges are asked to give their favorite three in order, a score of 3 is assigned to first, 2 to second and 1 to third. 
Judges will remain anonymous ( you know who you are, and you're awesome)

Expecto Advent-Calendo!

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A wonderful new contest is being held this December, the Create-A-Calendar Contest, hosted by fellow LEGO blog the Brothers Brick.  The contest began on December 1st and will last until the 17th.  One of the first few entries is this magical Harry Potter calendar created by Koen.  It seems that even Voldemort, when he's not too busy attacking Muggles, can even get in the holiday spirit!  Each of these small builds are well done and recognizable (it should be pointed out that each individual build can be no more than 20 pieces) to any Harry Potter fan!  If you like any of the official LEGO advent calendars, maybe it's time for you to create your own!

Harry Potter Advent Calendar
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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. 

Valtias, The Blizzard Tyrant

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This new character from builder Mana Ramp Matron is one of those MOCs that makes you stop and go "wait, what?" From the thumbnail you'd hardly expect it's LEGO, and even when you're looking at full res it defies logic. The unusual color scheme combined with the part use and construction is as confusing to the eye as it is delightful. It almost looks like it's lit with UV it's so unusual. Thankfully we don't have blizzards here on the central coast of California, I don't want to run into this guy.

Valtias, The Blizzard Tyrant
Valtias, The Blizzard Tyrant

Hound's Tooth

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This unconventional ship is notorious bounty hunter Bossk's pride and joy, the Hound's Tooth. It's certainly one of the more obscure ships in the Star Wars universe, having only appeared in the Clone Wars animated series, but it has a loyal fan following. Builder armoredgear7 nailed the aesthetic of this intimidating and deadly vessel.

Hound's Tooth
Hound's Tooth

TIE Work In Progress. . .

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Never know what to do when you have a WIP (Work In Progress)?  Why not be creative and display it somehow?  That's what Inthert did with his latest project.  He felt it was "a perfect opportunity to reveal the progress I've made on my TIE fighter."  The use of the LEGO rubber bands to act as wires is always a great technique to see.  I also really like all the ladders and platforms he has created for the hard-working Imperial forces.  Looking forward to seeing this model zipping across the sky!

Sienar Fleet Systems - Exprimental project: TIE
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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. 

Festive Tournament!

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It's finally winter time, which means holiday joy and fun!  For castle builders, it also means it's time for the Colossal Castle Contest!  Jen Spencer has brought these two exciting events together in a joyful castle creation!  In this winter wonderland (Christmas pun intended), a medieval archery tournament is gearing up for a cold, but fun day in the snow.  I do hope that no one is using ice or white arrows, because if they miss their target they might never find them again!  Happy holidays, everyone! 

The Archery Tournament
The Archery Tournament
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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. 

Santa And His Reindeer

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Builder and mechanical wiz JK Brickworks is back with a little kinetic holiday cheer. You may recognize the big guy and his team from set 10245 Santa's Workshop, but you've never seen them move like this. Jason has designed a remarkably low profile mechanical linkage that simulates the flying motion of the real Santa, amazing.

LiveBuild Tomorrow!

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The holidays are upon us, that means A Christmas Story is on all the time at my house, fires in the fireplace, holiday tea, wrapping presents and of course a holiday LEGO set or two (or three...ok four...).

So me and Mrs BrickNerd are going to build the new Winter Holiday Train live tomorrow starting at 10am PST. Come hang out with us and lets get this holiday started right!

Alternator

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Modern first person shooters certainly do offer a never ending supply of inspiration for weapon builder Nick Brick. His latest full sized pistol, the Alternator, is from Titanfall 2. It's a sub machine gun with a novel side by side barrel arrangement. Nick also paired it with a time travel device cleverly called the Time Device, which is actually pretty cool in game play. For once I might actually get to see these devices in action, since this game is on my son's Christmas list.

Alternator - Titanfall 2
Alternator & Time Device - Titanfall 2

John Lewis Celebrates 10 Years Of Christmas Ads

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This year marks the 10th anniversary of John Lewis' iconic Christmas commercials (if you haven't seen them, check out YouTube, they're pretty great). To commemorate this John Lewis teamed up with LEGO Certified Professionals Bright Bricks to build some fantastic creations. They're on display at John Lewis' flagship store on Oxford Street in London until Christmas.

The Boulder Mobile

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Builder redfern1950s is absolutely killing it with these awesome Wacky Races cars. This one is the Boulder Mobile, driven by the Slag brothers, Rock & Gravel. I always thought they looked an awful lot like Captain Caveman, still do. I mean, add a cape and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference, except you can see the Cap's eyes. But I have to assume they have eyes under all that hair, they're driving a car after all...I digress...

Wacky Races " The boulder mobile "

Harley Davidson Police Bike

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How far back do you think police motorcycles have been used? Would it surprise you to learn that Harley Davidson credits Detroit Michigan as the first purchaser of a police bike back in 1908? That's right, over 100 years ago! Of course those were significantly different than this Electra Glide brilliantly recreated by builder brickthebrick. Just look at all that custom chrome, shiny!

HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRA GLIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT
HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRA GLIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT

Milano Viper

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Smooth, elegant curves is the best way to describe this wonderful starship by Tyler.  Perhaps it's just me, but the colors and design seem to remind me of the Milano from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, which is the ship that belongs to Peter Quill.  I could picture the minifigure of Star-Lord sitting in the cockpit of this beautiful craft.  Looking forward to more space crafts from you, Tyler!

Vic Viper: Arini
VV: Arini
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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. 

Blacktron Acquiring Target. . .

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I for one am not going to mess with Peter Reid's newest creation!  This small, but dangerous tank is packing some major artillery!  Besides the threat that is looming in this photograph, this creation is really well done.  One of my favorite pieces incorporated is that new triangular tile that is used on the side.  I think it would be super cool to have an army of these!

Blacktron 'Wolverine' Assault Tank
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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. 

Hagrid's Hut

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Hagrid is one of my favorite characters in the Harry Potter universe. He's loyal, trustworthy and well meaning, if not sometimes a little misguided. But he has a heart of gold and proves it over and over again. He also has one of the coolest living quarters in the books and movies. Sure Lucius mocks it, but who would want to live in the Malfoy dungeon when you could live in this awesome little shack overlooking Hogwarts? A marvelous MOC by builder Wookieewarrior.

Hagrid´s Hut