The color palette on this castle diorama by builder ZCerberus is a little misleading. The warm, inviting colors of an almost fall-like setting draw you in, welcoming you. Then you take a closer look and realize this is not a friendly place, not friendly at all. The decrepit aging of the castle is really well done, with what looks like centuries of retrofits and kludged repairs. And I don't know what's going on in the water there, but I don't recommend fishing.
There is so much in the Star Wars universe that we don't know. Battles, vehicles, characters, abilities, and weapons are just a few pieces of the unknown portion of the story. In this beautifully depicted model, Sanellukovic represented a crashed Lambda-class T-4a Imperial Shuttle that is being swallowed by the terrain of this forest moon (or planet). Even though the craft is partially destroyed, it's still recognizable as the iconic vessel used by many high-ranking members of the Galactic Empire. There are so many unanswered questions through this single photograph. What happened to the crew? Why did this ship crash? This is a Star Wars MOC that I'd like to see a short story written about in the future. Lucasfilm? Hello???
I'll probably lose a little nerd cred for this, but I'm not a Starship Troopers fan. I found it silly and tedious. It's too hard to take the characters seriously despite the challenge placed before them, and I just wasn't buying Doogie Howser as a Colonel. I should probably give it another view, it's been years, maybe I'll see something I didn't see before. I will say the visual effects were outstanding though, and I dig the ship designs. Like this version of the Roger Young by builder Riskjockey. You can practically hear the rumble of the engines.
Capturing the human form in any artistic medium is always a challenge. But Grantmasters has done just that with these two armed foes. Their poses, right out of a martial arts movie, convey the tension before a sudden burst of controlled fury, most likely accompanied by a taunt about the opponent's questionable parentage. Dubbed into English, of course.
This is fun. When someone says "Christmas" you may not be inclined to think of Harry Potter immediately. But the holiday has featured pretty prominently in the books (c'mon, the invisibility cloak was pretty much the best present ever), so why not a little reminder on the tree? Builder rolli has assembled these absolutely charming miniature scenes from throughout the series. There's a key in the description on Flickr, but I'd recommend puzzling them out first, they're SO good!
Builder Legopard is back with a couple more offerings inspired by the opening titles of Game of Thrones. First up is Castle Black, home of the Night's Watch, defenders of the wall. They've been guarding the north so long they barely remember what they're guarding it from. And next is King's Landing, where you go to sit on the most powerful throne in Westeros, and probably get killed shortly after.
....But the fire is so delightful, and since we've no place to go, build LEGO! Build LEGO! Build LEGO! Maybe build a nice holiday-themed diorama, like this one by Firas Abu-Jaber. He's known best for his cars, but I've got a soft spot for LEGO penguins and the one he built here is just adorable.
Here's a fun fact, I live just a few miles from Vandenberg Air Force Base and the 30th Space Wing, the west coast space launch center. When I was a kid there were launches all the time, mostly missile tests for the cold war (kinda chilling in retrospect) but also plenty of scientific launches. These days they're fewer and further between, but always a thrill. The GOES-16, depicted here with an excellent MOC by eldeeem, was launched in Florida though, so I didn't get to hear the engines roar and watch my windows shake, but I'm sure it was pretty awesome.
As the holidays approach us, we often reflect on events of the year. Here at BrickNerd, we're taking a look at some classic past Christmas MOC's.
For this post, Chris McVeigh's popular "Brick Sketches" were chosen as a holiday blast from the past. Check out these joyful characters! Happy holidays to all, and all build on!
I for one am eternally grateful I haven't lost my child-like appreciation for Christmas. My immediate response to anyone that asks how old I am is "chronologically"? Not much makes me happier than sitting in my living room on Christmas morning with the fire going, my family around me, Christmas music on (or A Christmas Story) and the tree glowing softly with presents under it. Like this wonderful tree by builder wenyehng. And the knowledge that at least some of those presents under that tree were designed for someone decades younger than me gives me no small sense of pride. I'm a manchild, and it's my favorite day of the year.
Patrick Massey has put the finishing touches on a beautiful replica of a Viking warship! I like that he chose to do the hull with dark brown instead of the typical brown we see in wooden structures. The hull is well-shaped with the wonderful shields staggered on the side of the boat. The crew of this ship will have a strong defence! I think my favorite part of this ship is the dragon head on the bow. It's one of the most accurate I have seen at this scale, and I noticed multiple different Viking ships in the past few months. It would be super cool to see a whole fleet of this particular version!
As anticipation of the final season of Game of Thrones builds, I expect we'll see a few more GOT inspired MOCs. These two beautifully built micro scale castles from Legopard are inspired by the mechanical ones in the opening credits of the epic series. The hardest part of viewing them is not hearing the theme song, and that nagging thought that we're still months away.
Yeah, low hanging fruit of a post title, sorry, I can't help myself sometimes and I haven't finished my tea yet. But gaming has been on my mind recently, with the missed opportunity for the Nintendo NES Classic, the gift of LEGO Dimensions and all the stuff my boys play. I'm an old school gamer, I remember when Breakout was a new game (old school? I mean just old). The thing that caught my eye on this nod to 8-bit from Vitreolum is the near perfect camera alignment and lack of distortion. It practically looks like artwork rather than bricks.
Builder redfern1950s is back with another addition to his Wacky Racers project. This time it's the roarin' rednecks Lazy Luke and Blubber Bear in the Arkansas Chugabug. You wouldn't think an old fashioned wood burning stove would be an optimal power plant for a race car, and you'd be right. That thing blew up in practically every race.
The current ABS Builder Challenge has started and we're witnessing some fantastic builds so far! The ABS Challenge is a 2-week competition where 4 builders use a "seed piece", a specific LEGO element, that they must incorporate in all the of the creations for this competition. One of my favorites so far is Marcel V. "obligatory" flower! I know, I know, a flower is made at least once in every one of these rounds; but its not the flower, with the blue seed piece, that caught my eye...it was the stand!
Recently I have started really getting into shoes. I'm no "wake up early to try to get Yeezy's online" gal but I have recently acquired a few of the Toy Story Vans; and my favorite pair of kicks with donuts on them! I love this little build by Aaron Newman of these Nike Dunks! Next goal: acquire LEGO shoes!
Christmas is less than two weeks away! I'm eagerly awaiting this guy's visit, although I have no idea how he's going to get my new Toyota Tacoma 4-door into his sleigh. Builder DOGOD Brick Design brings us this wonderful rendition of the world's jolliest old elf, and it's frankly one of the best brick-built Santas I've ever seen.
UPDATE: Not only is this a fantastic rendition of Santa, he's also got a little surprise in the back. He opens up to reveal a charming little scene of Santa enjoying some hot cocoa by the fireplace, brilliant!
Towering over the city of Pyongyang in North Korea, the Ryugyong Hotel is a testament to ill-conceived ideas (that's a pun, trust me). While started in 1987, it was never finished. And despite the shiny glass exterior, it's basically just a glorified telecommunications tower. In fact, it's only shiny on one side, the side that faces their mortal enemies, South Korea. The other side is indicative to it's true nature, an abandoned building. Ryan McNaught built this as part of his Brickman Wonders of the World exhibit.
I'm still in this Harry Potter craze this month so of course when I saw Magma Guy's beautiful Stag, what did you think I thought of?? Patronuses of course! Pottermore told me my patronus is a Shark, but in the real life my patronus is a pterodactyl, I feel it bound to my soul.
I've been in a very Harry Potter mood lately, perhaps because I recently watched Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them? So when I stumbled upon these creations of the four Hogwarts Common Rooms by Potter Brick I gushed at all the details! Check them out!
From sketches to superglue, see how this custom LEGO motorcycle earned its street cred. We chat with Jean-Yves about the design, prototyping, and even heat resistance of his LEGO customizations, taking them from prototype to the pavement.
October has arrived with a fresh selection of LEGO contests and challenges. Don’t miss your chance to build a MOC and maybe even win some awesome LEGO prizes. With a new LEGO Speederbike Challenge, and a Halloween contest or two, there’s plenty of inspiration to be found!
What makes your eye land on one part of a LEGO build before another? In this month’s Conversation Piece, we explore focal points, visual weight, and how builders can guide a viewer through a composition.
LEGO Speeder Bikes are back with a new community building challenge inspired by Citizen Sleeper. Build an airbike, create its messenger, and see what you can squeeze into just three studs wide.
Ahoy, me hearties! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day! Are you ready to set sail on an adventure through the history of classic LEGO Pirates? Where did it begin, what was it all about, and where has the theme showed up since? Join us on a treasure hunt through history!
Take a seat as we explore clever LEGO chair techniques that will leave you sitting pretty. From boat studs to bucket handles, here are some simple ways to design your own stylish chairs.
Identifying individual LEGO parts from bulk second-hand purchases can be challenging, so what are the most common elements that people want to know, “What is this!?”
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LEGO adventurers need somewhere to unwind between quests. We talk with Sleepy Dragon Inn designer Marin Graux about classic Castle, medieval hospitality, and how his design evolved for the BrickLink Designer Program.