Halls of Thandruil

I find it remarkable just how much inspiration certain themes - in this case The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit - provide to the LEGO fan community. As the characters were released over the past several years, they've inspired many of the most beautiful and impressive dioramas which I've seen in my time on Flickr - and Legopard's latest build, depicting the woody domain of the elves, is certainly no exception to that. Organic shapes are one of the hardest things to make realistic with LEGO, and this build is chock full of different types of organic shapes (trees, water, rocks, dirt, grass, and more) and not one of them looks out of place. If you get the chance, I recommend checking out more views of this beautiful MOC on his photostream.

Kenworth Wrecker

Sometimes it's nice to visit an old friend, catch up on old times, size them up for flaws...then strip them down and go to work. Get your minds out of the gutter, I'm talking about revising an old MOC. In this case it's a truck that dates back from before BrickNerd was even a thing (henceforth known as BB, before BrickNerd). This Kenworth wrecker was originally build in 2013, but with the plethora of new parts, and a need to shave some studs and smooth some surfaces, builder legotrucks has brought her up to date. And what a beauty she is.

Coral Sandbar

Usually the first thing you think of when considering the pirate genre is not bright, cheerful colors. But this MOC by W. Navarre may change your mind about that. And while the cleverly built colorful coral is excellent, my favorite aspect is the subtle coloration and almost caustic lighting effect caused by the trans blue water above. Built for round two of "The Tourney" on MOCpages.

Speed Bag

Need to work on your speed, timing, balance and patience? Perfect, then try to recreate this brick-built speed bag by vitreolum. Oh you thought I was going to suggest beating on a speed bag for a while? No, apparently building this was a real challenge, maybe not the physical workout you would get from the real deal, but definitely a workout.

Need Help Making Something Round?

AdNorrel has shared two interesting techniques to create a round shape using simple LEGO elements.  Trying to add some columns to your new build?  Here are two designs that would work really well!  Trying to add a rounded turret to a castle wall?  Try one of these on for size!  The beauty of the LEGO community is that we are always learning from each other.  Happy round building!

UWM

Even aliens need better ways of getting around than with their own feet.  You all know about UFO's, but what about UWM's (Unidentified Walking Machine)?  Building mechs is a popular subject for many skilled LEGO builders.  Chris Maddison has put his own unique twist on a mechanized suit.  If you were an astronaut exploring a new world, how would you like to run into this thing, let alone an alien?  I imagine not too happy.  The popular depiction of aliens known as the Greys describes skinny humanoid figures with large heads and even bigger eyes.  Chris has definitely captured the skinny aspect, and even included some long fingers!  A very creative build.

Handheld Terrorizes City

Dateline: January 20th 2017
Citizens are warned to be on the lookout for a small, sentient handheld game device. The handheld, calling itself GameBad has been hurling game cartridges and causing general disturbances since earlier today. "I don't know what happened, I was just standing there having a slice of pizza when that little bugger came up and clocked me with a Tetris!" exclaimed a man who declined an interview after the event. It should be noted that the device runs on classic alkaline batteries so the event is expected to last no longer than 10 hours.

The Mean Machine

Builder redfern1950s has done it, he's completed the greatest lineup of auto racing ever assembled, the cars and drivers of Wacky Races. The last to be added, and hardest to build, was the Mean Machine. Sure they're the 'villains", and of course they're up to no good, but they were always good TV, and Mutley was one of my favorites (I still laugh like him from time to time, just cuz). Dick Dastardly wasn't all bad though, maybe. He just wanted to win races, and was willing to go to great means to do it. Congrats on completing the series, it was a pleasure watching them all come together.

You'll Be Required To Maneuver Straight Down This Trench...

Just last night I was watching a viral video (well, more audio actually) of an original 70's audience reacting to the Death Star battle, I was transported back to childhood. I love Star Wars, I'm not afraid to say it or show it, and when I see something like this jaw dropping MOC by Martin Harris, I  see the passion I know so well. Just look at this epic creation, the sheer scale of it, it's awesome! The care and love that went into this practically leaps off the screen.

Why O Why Did I Ever Leave My Hobbit-hole?

As some of you may know, theres a special place in my heart for micro builds and builder Paul Wolfe has really impressed with this tiny hobbit hole! Bilbo's little abode in Bag End has some fun details like the tree on top made with hair pieces and the chimney is quite clever too! 

Paul is thinking about making a vignette series of these and although it is quite the project to take on I would be most excited to see that adventure unfold! It would be quite the Unexpected Gathering of creations, don't you think? ;)

BrickNerd LiveBuild - Batman Movie Clayface Splat Attack

Batman has many enemies, but none are quite so unusual as Clayface. I mean, how do you fight a guy made of clay? Well, come to think of it, bringing some water, a throwing wheel and a little patience might be an approach, but I digress.

Join me and Mrs BrickNerd as we build 70904 LEGO Batman Movie Clayface Splat Attack live! Building starts at 9am PST!

Amsterdam Tram

I had very limited exposure to trollies growing up, but always liked them. We would occasionally get up to San Francisco when I was a kid, and they had a few there, but they were long gone from Los Angeles before I was even born. These days I can sort of get my fix at Disneyland though, and always appreciate the approach of the Red Car (except when it's full of Newsies, man that show is annoying). But I would have loved to have ridden on this classic tram from Amsterdam. At least we can all appreciate this lovely MOC from builder KMbricklab, she's a beauty.

LL-222

Are your eyes hungry? How do they do in zero-G? Because I have a pretty awesome NCS feast for them. Check out this lovely craft by builder Heiwa71. It's just the right blend of clean lines, greebly goodness and throwback styling. The subtle surface detailing and breakup is by far my favorite feature of this beauty, just look at that simple complexity.

LiveBuild Tomorrow!

What better way to kick off a birthday than to hang out with Mrs BrickNerd and you guys and build? Tomorrow we're building the new LEGO Batman Movie Clayface Splat Attack set.

Join us starting at 9am PST!

Porsche 919 Le Mans

This is speed, this is engineering, this is sexy. Builder Manuel Nascimento has built a Technic tribute to one of the fastest, sleekest and most famous race cars, the Porsche 919. It only takes a glance to see this was a labor of love, but it's in the details you see the true devotion. Click through for more pictures and check out the video.

ARES-3

Bob DeQuatre has been waiting to build this for quite a while now.  Exactly three years, in fact.  Designed on LDD, he's finally gotten around to building this ship in real bricks.  And it's certainly been worth the wait!  Gotta love the curves and the color scheme, complete with the massive blasters on each side.  And a couple of Classic Space logos thrown in for good measure.  Awesome!

Space Marine Helmet

This space marine helmet by builder timofey_tkachev looks right out of a movie or video game. The sleek black design looks intimidating, and not only does it have all the right aesthetics, it's wearable too. I assume it's an original design, but it feels familiar, almost imperial. While it doesn't necessarily look Star Warsy (is that an adjective?) you can definitely feel some of the DNA in it.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

Mizaru, covering his eyes, sees no evil. Kikazaru, covering his ears, hears no evil. And Iwazaru, covering his mouth,  speaks no evil. The three together are the wise monkeys, an ancient reminder of ethics and code of conduct, here depicted brilliantly by builder J.B.F. While the notion of being a wise monkey seems appealing, I would like to hesitantly propose the 4th monkey, "have no fun".

Aircraft Hangar

Here's a fun fact, both me and Mrs BrickNerd know how to fly a plane. She actually went to flight school, I was just an enthusiast, but we've both flown. So we've both spent a little time in environments like this, and I was instantly smitten with this lovely aircraft hangar by bricks.life.idea. 

Vengeful Spirit

I really dig this ship design by Tim C76, it looks like a mashup of angular Imperial design and classic NASA, with a touch of rebel spirit. But based on the name I'm guessing it's not transporting colonists or doing research. The contrast of the white cladding against the greebly goodness is visually appealing (but must have made it hard to photograph). Regardless I want to rig it, light it, do a motion control pass and put this baby in a movie!