Ziiiiiip!

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Zipper up, it's getting cold outside!  Both Takamichi irie and Dead Frog Inc. have individually created interesting zipper designs in the past month.  Both designs are very different from each other, and it should be noted that Dead Frog's (the second zipper) was involved in a competition, while Takamichi had a choice in the parts he used.  Dead Frog was participating in InnovaLUG's ABS Builder Challenge, which involves using a specific element in creative ways.  For his creation, Dead Frog was limited to the light blue element that you see making up the zipper.  Both look fairly watertight, so they should be prepared!

Zip
zzzzzzzzzzzzzip!
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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. 

Happy New Year!

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Yes, 2016 is finally about over. It's been a year of ups and downs, struggles and loss, but we keep on keeping on. It was a pretty good year for BrickNerd, with growth in readership, great cons and some good times in the name of LEGO devotion. As we ring in the new year, the year of the Rooster as illustrated by nobu_tary, we look forward to some more good times and brick mischief. Thanks for taking this ride with us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017

Qapla'!

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For those who don't already know, that's Klingon for "Success!"  And that's what my pal Kevin J. Walter must have exclaimed when he finally finished this awesome Bird of Prey.  It's his all-time favorite spaceship, and the project took him six years to complete.  The goal was to have it finished by the end of the year for the Star Trek 50th Anniversary.  Just in the nick of time, Kevin, you old Targ! 

Klingon Bird of Prey

As If Rubik's Cubes Weren't Hard Enough

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Have you ever tried a Rubik's Cube?  Did you think it was hard to solve?  Well, imagine one that's actually a robot that transforms.  Joe Perez has created "Rubikron," the next installment in difficult puzzle solving.  Now you might have to fear getting the solution wrong.  A very creative idea!

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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. 

Try Getting Past Him

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Creative character builder Djokson has an intense bodyguard.  Don't even try to steal any of his LEGO elements. In all seriousness, the builder executed a menacing aspect incredibly well.  This demon-like creature is something you'd only see in a nightmare.  When I was younger, I collected Bionicle figures (I still have a large box under my LEGO desk).  However, I have no talent for creating my own.  Seeing models like these always impresses me.  I'm getting a little bit of a Makuta vibe off this guy, only I think I'd rather fight Makuta than this one.

Gvozdom the Hollow
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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. 

Even Superheroes Need to Play

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The Boy Wonder has a wonderful Batman-themed source of entertainment.  Unlike Batman, Robin is not limited to only black and very very dark gray.  With the release of the upcoming LEGO Batman film, Dark Knight creations are slowly popping up more and more.  LEGO 7 has created a diorama for the movie release, similar to what he did earlier this year for Star Wars.  The builder has filled this scene with little easter eggs and familiar Batman items, including some of the new superhero Microfighter figures.  How many can you pick out? 

Robin's playroom-1
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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. 

Boom Box

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Flashback to 1981. I could be seen dropping a piece of cardboard, slipping on some fingerless gloves, zipping the pockets of my parachute pants, inserting a mix tape of RUN DMC, Twilight 22, Art of Noise and Newcleus into a boom box not dissimilar to this one and poppin' and lockin' like there was no tomorrow. Thanks for a dose of nostalgia J.B.F!

Ghetto Blaster

Flashman's Study

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This brilliant study interior is the culmination of 5 years of vignettes by builder workshysteve covering the life and times of Harry Paget Flashman. They start when he's a schoolboy and lead to this MOC, where he's reflecting on an eventful life and writing his memoirs. If you've got some time I recommend checking out the series, they're really well done and have a level of commitment rarely seen.

Epilogue. Flashman’s papers

Tetley Tea Train

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Yes, I'm drinking my tea while I'm posting about this tea train. Of course, mine is PG Tips, and this is Tetley, but we'll give it a pass since it's so brilliant. If this wonderful scene by BrickBaron looks more like a whimsical illustration than a MOC, that's because it's inspired directly by an illustration. The bright colors, masterful construction and humor naturally draw you in.

LEGO Sunday Afternoon Tea Train to Tetley
LEGO Sunday Afternoon Tea Train to Tetley

One With The Force, Farewell Princess

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My absolute love for Star Wars is no secret, I wear it (quite literally) loud and proud. I was nine years old when the film came out, the perfect age to be warped for life. It's what sparked my love of film, filmmaking, sci-fi, model building and so many other creative aspects of my life. It also sparked one of the first crushes of my young life, a certain strong-willed, no-nonsense princess who defied an empire and saved the galaxy. I'm deeply saddened by the loss of Carrie Fisher, my heart is broken.

Santa's Chimney Cannon

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I don't know how I missed this yuletide artillery MOC by nobu_tary when it was originally posted. And while Christmas may be over, the tree is still up, presents are all over the living room and I'm all hopped up on sugar so why not? I didn't realize Santa had a new "weapon" in his arsenal this year, which looks pretty exciting. I suppose the reindeer might have gotten upset for being underutilized, but at least they got a show.

Christmas 2016

Blacksmith's Shop & The House Of Peer Rumstiek

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Does anyone else hear medieval minstrel music when they look at castle MOCs? I mean, the moment I looked at this wonderful blacksmith's shop and tudor house by Sylon-tw, I heard music right out of Excalibur (not the Mozart stuff, the minstrel music). I realize that music shapes and colors my creative world, but I have to wonder if I'm alone in this phenomenon.

blacksmith's shop & The House of Peer Rumstiek

AT-ACT

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They're huge, they're menacing and they're armored...not to mention they walk! They're Imperial Walkers, and you really don't want to see them advancing on you. This is the AT-ACT, a cargo hauling variation seen for the first time in Rogue One. And while their primary function is to move things from one place to another, they can certainly hold their own in battle. This version by Forgotten Days looks like it's ready for some stompy stompy pew pew action.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - AT-ACT

Shortcut

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While it's not the only criteria I look for (far from it) but for me one of the hallmarks of a great MOC is it doesn't look like LEGO at first. I know this seems at odds with a love of the bricks but let me explain. One of the things I find most fascinating about building with LEGO is the fact that is is transformed into something else. Each element is like a stroke from a pencil, a pixel on the screen or a thumbprint in clay. Individually just fragments of a larger idea, but It all comes together to become something else entirely. And when is it is so successfully transformed that those individual fragments disappear altogether, it's magic. This alley scene by builder LEGOMINDED just looked like a photograph of an urban scene from the thumbnail, I almost scrolled right past it. Beautifully conceived, built and photographed...transformed.

" shortcut"

Santa Yoda

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After I was done opening my presents yesterday I looked around and realized just how big a Star Wars fan I am. I was wearing Star Wars sleep pants, a Han and Chewie shirt, a jedi robe. In my pile of presents was a Stormtrooper helmet, model kits of R2-D2 and C-3PO, SW collector cards, a SW checkbook cover and more. And they all made me happy as could me. You'd swear Santa Yoda, depicted here by M<0><0>DSWIM, was the one that came down the chimney this year.

Merry Christmas From BrickNerd!

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And happy Chanukah to you all. It's a time of celebration, where families come together and warm wishes are shared by all. I wish I could reach out and hug every one of you that visit this little blog on a regular basis, you're my BrickNerd family and I love you all! Santa's already been to our house, my stocking is overflowing. It's time to open presents, eat yummy food and listen to some classic holiday music. Speaking of Santa, check him out in this spiffy new hotrod sleigh by builder Vaionaut! This thing can certainly spread some cheer in a fast way.

Merry Christmas!

Twas The Night Before Christmas...

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...and all through the shop
Not a single brick was clicking
not one single MOC

The stockings were hung, Mickey, Pooh Bear and Tigger
ready for polybags, or something much bigger

Nerdly was nestled, all snug on his shelf,
Too blocky and cool to be confused with an elf.

Mrs BrickNerd in her Ugg boots, and I with my Mac,
Ripping off classics, like a no-talent hack.

We're all ready for Christmas here at the BrickNerd residential compound (my house). We have a few last minute projects to do, but for the most part we're just waiting for Santa and his reindeer. Speaking of which, check out this spectacular recreation of the classic Lucasfilm Christmas card from 1978 by builder Kevin Wollert. It's a very Star Warsy Christmas indeed.

R2-REindeer and Santa-PO