A New Year, A New Hope

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Fun fact, it wasn't until late high school that I first saw Star Wars and then it was on a very loud charter bus on one of those old-school tiny overhead CRT screens. Despite the terrible viewing environment I was drawn into the Star Wars universe and have been a fan since. One of the first scenes that drew me in and got me hooked was the one where Leia despite all the chaos around her is uploading the secret Death Star Plans to R2-D2. To this day I cannot explain why I love this scene so much, but I would like to thank builder Miro Dudas for taking me back down memory lane.

A New Hope

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.

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

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.

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

Did You Know That Wasn't Me?

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K-2SO, the reprogrammed Imperial Droid from Rogue One was my personal favorite character from the film. His snarky comments and attitude, in direct contrast to his loyalty and chivalry, made him compelling and lovable. While I was a bit nonplussed by the official LEGO set, this version by nobu_tary which utilizes just the key components of that set is stellar.

K-2SO

Remnants. . .

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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???

...after the empire...

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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. 

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. 

Buzzzzzz. . .Houston, We Have a Problem

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"I see them. . .Buzz Droids!"

Takamichi Irie may be having some problems with his spaceships soon!  This is a wonderful and incredibly accurate recreation of a Buzz Droid first seen in Revenge of the Sith.  My favorite part of this model is the eyes, which are so realistic!  I'm not sure how much time was spent on this creation, but a lot of Star Wars love and detailing went into this MOC!

Buzz Droid
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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. 

Chopper

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Builder Powerpig has built a lot of Brick Sketches, fifty to be exact, and to mark the occasion he decided to build something special, his first full body Brick Sketch. Star Wars Rebels fans will recognize Chopper here, the cantankerous astromech from the series. In addition to being the first full body he ended up being the most technically challenging, and even has an action feature.

Chopper (C1-10P)

Ghost White Fighters

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There's a certain museum quality to these fighters by builder ChristiansCreations. The stark white models, something this builder specializes in, seem more 'sculpted' than 'built', probably because they evoke images of items cast in plaster, or chiseled from marble. Regardless I think they would look fantastic on any collector's shelf, and makes me wonder if something like this offered from LEGO would sell, hmmm.

Ghosts Of Galaxy Past

X-Wing Cross-Section

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I love a MOC that stops me in my tracks and makes me go...well, how do I spell it? Hhwoooooooww? It's sort of a intake of air, while dropping the jaw, raising the eyebrows, widening the eyes and making an "O" shape with the lips, it's pretty primal. Go ahead, try it! To make it easier check out this radical cross-section Incom T-65 X-Wing Fighter by builder Inthert. It should happen pretty naturally.

T-65 X-wing: V2 (cross-section 1)
T-65 X-wing: V2 (cross-section 2)

Starkiller Base

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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.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Starkiller Base
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Starkiller Base

Harrower-class Dreadnought

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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.

Harrower-class Dreadnought
Harrower-class Dreadnought

R5-D4

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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!

Bad Motivator

The Ervana

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Remember that ship Han Solo used to capture the Millennium Falcon in The Force Awakens? Yeah, me neither. It doesn't have much screen time, and you don't get a good look at it really, at least from the outside. We see plenty of the interior, during the rathtar (not to be confused with Raptar, from Rugrats) scene, but it's one of the scenes I'd rather forget. So I honestly didn't recognize this SHIP by builder Forgotten Days when I first looked at it. But I find that encouraging because I was ready to blog it before I knew it was from Star Wars, so maybe I'm not completely biased (spoiler alert, I'm completely biased).

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - UCS The Eravana (SHIPtemper2016)

Small Moments From A Galaxy Far Far Away

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I'm really enjoying this series of pictures inspired by Star Wars: A New Hope by builder CozzD. Some are recreations of iconic shots, some are fanciful interpretations, all are top notch lighting and photography. There's even a few with some additional visual effects like smoke, blaster bolts and impacts, all very well done. Click through to see several more pics.

Tantive IV Lego - Expecting Visitors
Death Star Trash Compactor
Droid Recovery & Repair Outpost