Welcome to Königsfeld Manor, in lovely Avalonia, Historica. Sometimes a parts shortage is all the inspiration you need for a brilliant solution, and sometimes that solution is better than the original plan. This lovely castle scene by builder MassEditor was originally going to have a pretty standard irregular border, but short of parts he came up with this very interesting "spilling over" border, which is the touch that makes this diorama really stand out.
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.
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...
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?
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.
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.
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)
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!
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.
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.
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!
Here's a mashup that both ghosts and giant doomsday weapons would fear. Builder Brent Waller has taken two iconic vehicles, an X-Wing and the Ecto-1 and smooshed them together into something to take on both Zuel and Palpatine. Now report in, heat 'em up, open s-foils and don't cross the streams!
Choo Choo! The holidays are here (yay!) and it's time to build another great holiday themed set from LEGO. This time it's 10254 Winter Holiday Train, and it looks fantastic. Join me and Mrs BrickNerd live starting at 10am PST!
Even Scrooge will enjoy this
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!
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.
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!
I do love a richly detailed interior, especially one that tells a story and has a built in history. This lovely little workshop by legoalbert is loaded with detail and clever part use. Everywhere you look is something interesting, but my favorite detail has to be the inverted torso as part of some mysterious device.
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.
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.
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...
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!
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!
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!
Uh oh, that clock at the top doesn't have any days left, only hours. But you still have time to enter! The clock's ticking so break out those bricks and get building! It all ends at midnight tonight PST, winners will be announced soon.
What happens when you turn a LEGO pirate ship into a Great Ball Contraption? Brian Hickey and his family find out, building a working module and learning a few hard lessons when it joins the GBC loop at BrickCon.
The Spindlejack messengers have a new predator on their tail! Dan Ko shares his T-R3X Speeder Bike, a dinosaur-inspired ride for the light-fingered Swindlejerks, with free instructions to build your own bike and display stand.
Creating LEGO cityscapes is an AFOL passion, but how do you build sidewalks and curbs that curve like in real life? We share some step-by-step instructions using some helpful new elements to make sure your city has curb appeal.
Monet painted his garden many times, exploring changes in color and time of day. Meredith Najewicz follows his lead, rebuilding the LEGO Art Water Lilies set with a darker palette and some creative part substitutions to cast the lilies in a different light.
It is time to take to the skies to see all the LEGO floating islands that populate our imaginations. Check out these gravity-defying rocks and learn why they might be one of the best ever collab ideas.
Old LEGO magic still has its charms. We revisit Borgin and Burkes and Dumbledore’s office to compare how their buildings, curious objects, and magical creatures have changed across generations of Harry Potter sets.
Want to customize a minifig without fancy printers or toxic fumes? Learn how to use the dark art of reductive design to literally erase the line between official and custom LEGO parts.
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Are you one of those people that has a perpetually messy building table? If so, you are not alone. Ted Andes comes out in defense of creative clutter and pleads the case for there being a method-to-the-madness of a messy building table. Read on to find out why a little bit of disorganization can be a good thing.