Review: The LEGO Batman Movie - The Making Of The Movie

/
Review: The LEGO Batman Movie - The Making Of The Movie

We've all seen it, The LEGO Batman Movie, but how much do you know about how it was made? Well luckily those fine folks at DK have published a book that goes pretty deep into the process, and gives a behind the scenes peek into the massive undertaking it was. From the script to the screen, and everywhere in between, you'll get to see the inner workings and many, many steps it takes to go from concept to the theater.So grab some lobster thermidor, put on your best smoking jacket and settle in for a good read.

Read More

Working At Home Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be

/

Working at home is generally no picnic. First, there's continual distractions of home life, like video games, raiding the fridge and hobbies. Then if you're a spouse or parent, there's the continual family distractions. I myself have spent many years on and off working at home, at one point juggling a visual effects job and raising our 2 year old son, it was rewarding but difficult. I'm sure you've all seen "BBC dad", who's live report was hilariously interrupted by his spunky kids and mortified wife. Well now we can appreciate the event recreated in bricks thanks to builder Brickolaje.

213b

Yuyuko's Spell

/

This is one of those MOCs that makes you go "Oooooooh" while scrolling through Flickr. MikeVD is back with another anime game inspired girl, this time it's Yuyugo Saigyouji from the game Touhou Project (I think that's right, I've never heard of it or played it of course). She's a beauty of a figure, with a clever use of watch band for detail. And the mosaic fan in the background makes this a stunning visual, very nice indeed.

Yuyuko's scene

SPACE FIGHTS! SPACE FIGHTS!

/

Kit Bricksto presents:  Fist Fights. . .in. . .spaaaaace!  An interesting concept with an interesting presentation.  When the Alliance really need that cargo, they really mean it.  This skirmish is displayed on a black base that fades into the starry background, adding an interesting effect that I've never seen before.  Something else that intrigues me is that the builder chose to only build half....or actually more like a quarter of the Ghost.  The whole scene is composed well and differently.  Nice work!

IDSMO- R3 - Fighting for Scraps
/ / Comment
, ,

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. 

Huge 8-Bit Link

/

The Legend Of Zelda, in all it's forms, is over 30 years old. It's amazing to me that we've been following the adventures of young Link for so long, yet every release is just as exciting as the last. The world just got Breath of the Wild, and it's absolutely stunning (and will occupy all of my spare time for probably the next year). Builder BRICK 101 is clearly a fan, and has built this amazing large scale 8-bit version inspired by the Amiibo version. Not only that, but he's made a video detailing how it's built so you can make one yourself!

3D 8-Bit LEGO Link sprite from Legend of Zelda

Working On My Brick Pack

/

This is a pretty amazing bit of human form sculptural work by builder timofey_tkachev. The combination of System and Hero Factory is pretty seamless, and the results are superb. The posing is also excellent, seemingly catching this figure in motion. And the whimsical addition of a colorful plate "six pack" adds a humorous, light hearted touch.

just look at this cubes! (1)

F70 Double Falcon

/

Check out this beauty by Vince Toulouse!  He continues his dieselpunk theme with this fetching flying-wing design, with a dash of P-38 thrown in to spice it up.  Having the engines integrated into the wings are a clever way to reduce the drag coefficient.  Although I'm not sure how the landing gear factors into that equation, I'm sure it evens out, one way or another.  Either way, I bet when Vince is swooshing this baby around his place, he just knows it's awesome!

F70 Double Falcon

F70 Double Falcon

BRICKstorians!

/
BRICKstorians!

We all know LEGO as an artistic, architectural and even a therapeutic medium. But these guys are using it to explore history, and make it more accessible to the general public.  Kevin J. Walter and Oliver Isensee are in a history Masters degree program at the University of Freiburg.  They've taken it upon themselves to create an exhibition of ancient Roman life at the Museum 'Villa Urbana' in Heitersheim, Germania, er, Germany.  Of course everybody is familiar with LEGO, young and old alike, and that makes it the perfect vehicle not only for display, but for interactive features as well.  That means history is no longer a static 'please do not touch' concept, it's a recreation of ancient Roman life from the scaled-down perspective of a minifigure.  Everybody can relate to that! 

Read More

"Old Toby, Finest Weed In The Sound Farthing"

/

This is one of my favorite scenes in Lord of the Rings. During the calm before the storm, just after Gandalf arrives in the Shire, he and Bilbo enjoy some quality time with their pipes. Just two old friends enjoying each other's company. Pate-keetongu not only recreates the mood and sentiment of the scene, but he also managed to use no less than eight of the "impossible" seed part from the current round of Iron Builder, impressive.

Very Old Friends

Wickedly Awesome

/

One of the things I enjoy most about Iron Builder is the continual surprises and mind blowing ways the builders find uses for the seed part. I must admit, when I sized up that Duple grass piece the notion of using it for a face was the furthest away from my feeble imagination. But builder Legopard has done exactly that, not only super effectively, but with some exceedingly clever techniques. 

Black Witch

P-38

/

Ah the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, one of my favorite planes to crash...I should probably explain that. When I was a kid I liked to build dioramas, and I built no less than four featuring this aircraft. Something about the double fuselage just made it so much fun to wreck. This version by builder John Lamarck looks ready to take to the air. Hopefully with better landings than mine had so many years ago.

Virginia Marie Margaret
Virginia Marie Margaret

Lumière and Chip Are Our Guests

/

With this weekend's release of Disney's live action Beauty and the Beast remake, it's appropriate that we feature these two models this evening.  BrickinNick created an amusing pair, both equally full of character.  I really want to carry Lumière down a dark hallway, and I'd love to take a soothing drink with Chip.  I'd be in pleasant company in both situations.  Who is your favorite?

Lumière and Chip
/ / Comment
, ,

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. 

ABS Builder Challenge - Season 1 Finale

/

Along with a new round of Iron Builder, this month sees the season 1 finale of the ABS Builder Challenge, brought to you by InnovaLUG.  For those who are unaware, this contest is also focused around creative uses for a specific element.  This month's element is a curved top modified brick in dark red.  For the finale, InnovaLUG has put 16 builders (including myself) against each other for 3 weeks!  Working in teams of 4, each team is attempting to create the most creative builds possible.  The team that produces the top 14 builds will be declared the winning team, and the member who contributed the most will reign as champion of this season.  Nearly one 1 week into the challenge, I have featured some of my favorite builds in the round so far.  Head over to the group and check out the rest!  Can you think of a use for the piece?

/ / Comment
, ,

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. 

Stimpy, you eeediot!!

/

Julius von Brunk continues his Nickelodeon theme with an excellent tribute to Stimpson J. Cat, of The Ren & Stimpy Show fame.  The expression says it all with this guy, and Julius is clearly a fan for choosing this portrayal.  For those of you unfamiliar with the network's original lineup, the series ran for five seasons in the early 90's.  It's vulgar humor and innuendo, according to Wikipedia, set the stage for shows like Beavis and Butt-head and South Park.  What a legacy! 

Stimpy

Tigress

/

Since the dawn of man we've been racing. It started simply enough, with our legs, but with each technological advance in transportation it hasn't been very long before somebody said "hey, let's race these". There's no reason to expect this will ever stop, so it's natural to assume in the future we're going to have some pretty nifty go-fast competition. This Formula Zero Gravity ship by Rogue Bantha not only looks fast, but has deep roots in classic LEGO racing, namely Octan. The color scheme is perfect.

Tigress
Tigress cockpit

Windsurfing

/

I don't spend much time at the beach, although I can't imagine living too far from it. Yeah, I'm a California native that doesn't like the beach, go figure. But I do enjoy the view as I drive along the coast, and when you see one of these people it always enhances the scenery. Builder vir-a-cocha captures the motion, pose and attitude of this favorite of the aquatic sports.

Windsurfing

The Iron Burger

/

As things heat up in this round of Iron Builder the two competitors are stepping it up. I love cheeseburgers, they're one of my favorite foods. I also have a family history with them, since my dad started a very successful burger joint that continues to thrive to this day. So I find this latest build by Leopard irresistible (and now I'm craving a cheeseburger).

The Iron Burger*

"I'm Not Crazy"

/

Dateline Venice California: For Immediate release.

Local youth enters institution.
On Tuesday this week a local youth known only as "Mike" was institutionalized by his parents.  According to his father "we feared he might hurt someone, that he might hurt himself" so the decision was made to get him somewhere "safe". His mother was certain he was on drugs, despite claims by the youth to the contrary. When interviewed the youth was despondent, uncertain of his future and the motivations of his parents, particularly his mother "All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me." Representatives of the institution declined to comment.

My god prefers HC

Technique Tuesday - Stacked Stone

/

Introducing our very own Technique Tuesday!  Each Tuesday, we will be featuring at least one post that contains a technique tutorial from builders like you!

One of the best things about the LEGO community is that we can learn from one another.  Here at BrickNerd, we like to share techniques that we see from builders all around the world. . .

Simon NH shares many useful techniques over on his Flikr page.  For our first official Technique Tuesday post, we are featuring his most recent demonstration, a stonework technique for walls.  What an interesting pattern created by these simple elements.  It looks fairly sturdy from this image alone, which is nice since some similar techniques can collapse pretty easily.  Thanks for sharing with us, Simon!  Tune in next week as we continue to feature more techniques!  Happy building.

wall technique no. 9
/ / Comment
, ,

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. 

Niffler

/

The Niffler, a burrowing magical creature native to Great Britain with a mischievous nature and a penchant for anything shiny. If you saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them you got to see one of these little rascals at his best (worst?). This version by The Deathly Halliwell absolutely nails him, and makes we want to watch the movie again.

Niffler