A Comfortable Space

Sometimes the genius of Iron Builder is subtlety. The seed part of this current challenge is the pentagonal 2x3 tile, but I'm guessing you've only glanced at this image by Cecilie and maybe saw four in use in the curtains, look again. This MOC is loaded with them, and used to great effect. There's several representing books, but my favorite use is the cushions on the couch, brilliant.

Home

Diggin' Dinos

cmaddison's quest for the Iron Builder throne continues with this wonderful little diorama depicting a paleontological dig in some arid location. The discovery is a hapless stegosaurus it would appear. Bad luck for the dino some 65 million years ago, good luck for the scientists who have found what looks to be a rare complete fossilized skeleton.

A Bad Day, 65 Million Years Ago

Game On!

Another round of the Iron Builder has begun!  This round, the interesting element the builders must use is that new modified 2x3 tile that looks like a shield.  Cecilie Fritzvold, one of two contestants, has created this awesome game controller as the first build of the competition.  Not only is this truly well designed, but it really makes me want to start gaming!  What would you play with this controller?  Final Fantasy?  Battlefront?  The choice is yours!

Let the games begin
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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

This MOC Rocks My World

I was going to begin this post with a notion about being lucky I've never had to be hooked up to one of these things. Then I realized it's seismograph, not a polygraph. And really, I'm pretty honest, almost to a fault (see what I did there?). Then again, I wouldn't mind getting connected to this, if for not other reason than to get a good long close look in person at this fantastic MOC by kosbrick.

Portable Seismograph

Iron Mountain Guardians

One of the things I love about Iron Builder is the out-of-the-box thinking that it inevitably inspires. I've heard stories of builders carrying the part in their pocket for the entire month, continually aware of it, continually looking for that spark. Sure you or I look at that part and say "handle" or maybe "plumbing". But 2 Much Caffeine looks at it and says "classic Chinese dragon whiskers", brilliant.

Iron Mountain Guardians

Florence's Machine

"Step right up ladies and gentlemen to see a wondrous marvel of the modern age! This steam powered wonder is Florence's Machine and you'll be amazed and astounded! Just look at all that plumbing and mechanical wizardry, it's truly a fabulous mechanization!"

"What's that son? What's it do? ... I have no idea boy and that's beside the point! Just look at those gears and listen to it chuff, it's an absolutely astonishing apparatus..."

Florence and her machine

Take Off

Here's a fun fact: I know how to fly a plane. It's been a really long time, but in a pinch I could take the yoke (of a small plane) and get down safely. This latest MOC by kosbrick is not only a brilliant recreation of a mid size airliner cockpit, but it's also photographed really well. Luckily KOS has an excellent article detailing this technique. 

Airplane Cockpit

Mk IV Automaton

Builder 2 Much Caffeine imagines the power of steam and the first quantum clocks in The Mark IV Automaton. Can you just imagine if the early breakthroughs in electronics and computers would have coincided with the age of steam power? It would have been really impressive. Then again we still can't get a robot to reliably open a door, so things might have gotten messy.

Mk IV Automaton

Brother In Arms

Seeing this wonderful creation from Rod Gilles somehow brought back memories of Dire Straits. Whilst not the coolest band in the World, they could play the guitar on telly whilst getting small chickens for nothing, or something?. Loving the simple but effective lines of the axe and its amp. Its just like the artist is just offstage, waiting for the call to play. As part of an Iron Builder round, the seed part is the paint roller, this just rocks! Oh and Rod is a fellow blogger, over at The Brothers Brick. See what I did there!

Let's ROCK!

Iron Builders

Yes, another Iron Builder is unfolding, so brace yourselves. This round is two builders you won't wrinkle your nose at, namely 2 Much Caffeine vs kosbrick. The seed part this time around is the paint roller handle, which both builders had a pressing need to turn into iron handles. I'm excited for this round right down the fabric of my being. Yes, that's four puns in a single post, don't get steamed (five, I'll show myself out).

I am an Iron Builder
Vintage Iron

Dueling Motherboards

This Iron Builder round has been epic, with both builders cranking out a truly astonishing amount of top quality MOCs in a competition of perfectly paired players. And if it wasn't clear that these two are exquisitely matched, how about this: On the same day, by complete coincidence, both builders crafted motherboards, similar in style and color scheme. Great minds think alike, and great builders build alike.

ASUS P9X79-E WS - Motherboard
GIGABYTE G4M-XPZ Motherboard

To Boldly Go Where No Pan Has Gone Before

Generally speaking I don't blog a builder twice in one day, or even the next day for that matter. Then Legopard had to go and whip this baby out. One of my favorite foods being sold out of a cart themed after one of my favorite franchises built out of my favorite toy to enter a contest for one of my favorite websites run by some of my favorite people on the planet. How could I not?

Pizza Surprise
Pizza Surprise - Detail

Slot Car

The sound of the motors, the slight whiff of something burning, the crashes at the turns, the track that doesn't *quite* fit together perfectly. It's slot car racing, and it's pretty much a thing of the past. They are still available, but back in the 60s they were extremely popular. The rise of the RC car marked the beginning of the end of the hobby, but it still has a special place in a generation's heart. This MOC by Legopard captures it's essence perfectly, from the controller to the iconic track.

Ready for a Carrera race?

Terror From The Deep

Nothing like being attacked by a kraken to ruin an otherwise peaceful day at sea huh? This latest Iron Builder entry from Legopard uses loads of the seed part, a silver technic connector. But they're so well integrated you barely notice. That's not to say they're hidden, that's not the point, just click through and check out the high res picture, you'll see what I mean. And that water work, stunning! It captures the motion and intensity of the scene perfectly.

Monstrum Maris

Workspace

It's funny to me that I associate a classic workstation like this MOC by One More Brick to be part of another world I've managed to avoid all my adult life, corporate America. Overdressed professionals chained to desks entering data, chasing leads, trading stocks or any other of a million "business" type things.  You know, that stuff us creative types scoff at. When in reality I spend most of my days sitting at a table not very different from this using my Mac. Yeah, totally different.

Study Time