Horn of Helm Hammerhand

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Helm's Deep is no doubt one of the most recreated highlights of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  I have seen many minifigure scale replicas of the famous fortress, and only a few miniature versions.  This is definitely the largest microscale version I have personally seen!  Ha, that's ironic.   KevFett2011 (typically a Star Wars builder) managed to capture an accurate representation that almost appears as if it was friendly for minifgs.  One of the details that gives away the true scale of this MOC is the joystick army attacking the lower wall.  Using joysticks as people is becoming a popular technique, but no less cool.  Great work, Kevin!

The Lord of the Rings- The Battle of Helm's Deep
The Lord of the Rings- The Battle of Helm's Deep
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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. 

Living In The 60's

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love it or hate it, you can't deny the style impact of the 60's. It was bold, it was flashy, it was new. Add to that all the technological advancements and the race to space, and it was an exciting time to be alive. The style trends made their way into the home of course, as illustrated in this lovely and pretty groovy interior by builder Heksu. You can practically hear the Burt Bacharach playing in the background.

When Grandpa Bought his First Television

Year Of The Rooster

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Chinese New Year is upon us, and like every year the animal that is celebrated starts to pop up on Flickr. This year it's the rooster, and brilliant designs are showing up every day like this one from builder DOGOD Brick Design. He may not be as flashy as a dragon, or as cheeky as a monkey, but he's proud and regal, ruler of the barnyard.

nEO_IMG_DOGOD_Be Positive_01

Crystalon

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Mecha is an extremely popular building theme, so much so that it gets a little tiresome to be honest. It takes a model of significance to even get my attention there's so much of it, and even when something does catch my eye, finding something to say about it can be a chore. It takes something unique to really get me excited, and unique this is. This mech by Moko is almost entirely made of transparent parts, and to great effect. It's not see-through for the sake of it, it's got style and panache. I don't know what practical use this would have in battle, but it sure is beautiful to look at.

MFS-05 Crystalon
MFS-05 Crystalon

Bricks On Tap

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There is an unmistakable link between beer and building. I've seen it a lot in my years as an AFOL, and it's something I didn't notice at first, but looking back it was obvious the whole time. So when the two collide as elegantly as this MOC by builder J.B.F. it just seems natural. As we ramp up to Bricks LA this weekend, you can bet beer is in the future, and I'll be thinking of this MOC I'm sure.

Beer on Tap

Halls of Thandruil

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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.

Halls of Thranduil

Kenworth Wrecker

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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.

Kenworth K100 wrecker
Kenworth K100 wrecker

Coral Sandbar

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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.

TT:R2: On Coral Sandbar
TT:R2: On Coral Sandbar

Need Help Making Something Round?

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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!

Cylinder technique
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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. 

UWM

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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.

Because aliens and mechs are cool, that's why.
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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. 

Handheld Terrorizes City

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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.

Nintendo GAME BAD

The Mean Machine

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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.

Wacky Races " The Mean Machine "
Wacky Races " The Mean Machine "

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

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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.

TrenchRunMHarris-3
TrenchRunMHarris-9
TrenchRunMHarris-1

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

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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? ;)

Micro Bag-End

BrickNerd LiveBuild - Batman Movie Clayface Splat Attack

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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

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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.

Amsterdam old tram_002

Porsche 919 Le Mans

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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.

919_6
919_5