Let's Colonize This Place

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David Zambito took the classic TIE fighter cockpits and put them to good use in this other worldly colonization vignette. He integrated them so well, to the point that you almost couldn't see them as anything but a glass dome on an another world. These microscale colonization style builds are a rather popular idea, and David added another great one to the mix. The terrain color choice really pops, drawing you into see this build.

Colonization
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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. 

Nerdvember Prizes From LEGO!

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I was going to wait until the one week mark to post this, but I'm so excited I can't. Check out the prizes from LEGO! This year's theme is "80's" and to celebrate we're giving away three sets from iconic 80's movies, namely Ghostbusters, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. First place is going to get a Ghostbusters HQ, Second place is going to get a Snowspeeder and Third place is going to get a Speederbike! Thank you to LEGO for sponsoring Nerdvember! Check out this post for more details and get building!

nerdvember_80s_prizes.jpg

Antique Style

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You know a good signal you're getting old? When furniture and artifacts of your youth start being described as antique (also, when songs from high school are being played on the "oldies" station). I almost scrolled right past this retro interior build by Heksu. I just thought it was a picture of someone's living room from the thumbnail. One of my favorite mistakes to make.

Antique Style

Deathknight

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This is the intersection of Nexo Knights and Warhammer, the Deathknight by chubbybots. I think if Nexo Knights had been a little edgier like this it would have caught my imagination a little more than the theme has for me. Not that I have anything against it, it's just a little too cute. I want to see an entire army of these battling, how cool would that be?

deathknight01

This Speeder Woke the Force

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Calin has taken a crack at Rey's rather loud, homemade speeder from the Force Awakens. There have been many models of this particular vehicle, and this is another great addition to the collection we can see online. I particularly like the placement of the net of junk, and the seat area. Zoom zoom!!!

Rey
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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. 

A Skyline of Microscale History

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A fantastic lineup of microscale, recognizable buildings from our history built by Simon NH. An incredible ancient pyramid temple, using a technique I've never seen before to execute that stacked effect that is so recognizable. Each building focuses on interesting parts usage to get some a small design to look so recognizable. Awesome job!

History-Skyline
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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. 

Death Trooper

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Rogue One has a few things unique to the Star Wars universe, which always struck me as a little odd since it's a prequel to A New Hope. For instance take the Death Troopers, Director Krennic's personal hit squad. We've never seen them before, at least not in the movies. Then again they're so badass I don't care. Check out this rendition by builder nobu_tary, complete with Jen's stormtrooper doll, perfect.

Death Trooper

Nerdvember 2017 Is Here!

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Nerdvember80s.jpg

It's here, Nerdvember 2017! I wanted to make a video to kick this off but I simply didn't have time, between traveling and a tight production schedule on back to back projects I'm stretched a bit thin, so I'll ask you to use your imagination. We hear a driving 80's beat, not unlike Jan Hammer and see multiple Miami Vice like shots of an exotic car driving through a picturesque coastal scene. Then the car stops and I step out of the car, dressed like Don Johnson. I tip down my mirror shades and say simply "welcome to Nerdvember". Now if that doesn't set the scene for a totally awesome 80's contest I don't know what does. That's right, Nerdvember 2017's theme is "80's" and everything that goes with it. Think of all the movies, TV shows, video games, music and pop culture of the 80's, and think how you could spin our mascot Nerdly to that and you get the idea. 

nerdly_80's.jpg

If you're not in the know, this is Nerdly, BrickNerd's mascot, and he's bitchin'. Your task is to incorporate him into an awesome 80's mashup. Imagine him with a proton pack, singing Beat It, Terminating, whatever! If you need a little inspiration check out the entries from 2016 and 2015. And while the theme is 80's, you can also build whatever you want, we don't care as long as it's nerdy! You can download free instructions for Nerdly here.

Just join the official Flickr group, put on your Walkman, crank up the Duran Duran and start building, you have until midnight November 30th to enter as many times as you like. And just like past years we have an amazing group of sponsors with loads of tubular prizes. There's a Brick Loot box, lighting accessories from BrickStuff, a clock and watch from ClicTime, custom parts from Crazy Bricks, a subscription to BrickJournal, stickers from Cooper Works, custom printed bricks from CustomBRICKS and EclipseGRAFX and to top it all off some awesome sets from LEGO. I can't reveal what they are yet, but the theme is 80's you know (hint hint).

Update: No Starch Press has joined the sponsors and will be sending books to winners!

Nerdvember_sponsors2017.jpg

Rules:
Must submit to official Flickr group no later than Nov 30th 11:59pm PST
Enter as many times as you like
Please submit no more than two pictures per MOC
Tag your pictures with "Nerdvember"
Must be physically built, no digital models please
No age limit, but if you’re under 18 please ask your parents
No scale limit, build as big or small as you like
No knockoff brands (Kre-o, Mega, etc.) but third party accessories are OK (Brickforge, Brickarms, Brickstuff, etc.)
Stickers are allowed
    
The theme is 80's, but you don't have to follow it if you don't want to, build whatever you want, just make it nerdy.
    
Download free instructions for Nerdly at bricknerd.com/diy-fanart
    
Prizes:
Winners will be featured on BrickNerd and there will be three prize packages of various levels of awesome, first second and third. No special categories or funny business, just 1 2 3. Prizes will be shipped directly from the sponsors starting in December. Judging will be done by a small, secret committee, their word is final.

Nevermore

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OK, the "nevermore" is really connected to ravens, but most people don't even know the difference between crows and ravens. Since this stunning sculpture is called "Crow" by builder Felix Jaensch, we have to assume it's a crow. Either are intertwined with Halloween, like it or not. Fun fact, all the crows in "The Crow" and it's sequels are actually ravens. According to the trainer on part 3 they're easier to train.

Crow

Elegant Medieval Parts Use

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Markus Rollbuhler is currently one of my favorite builders on Flickr. There are many builders today recognized for their excellent experimentation and re-imagination with the typical combination of LEGO parts. Markus comes up with new techniques, but he stands out to me because each presentation is so elegant. Take this brand new model, for example. How many incredible uses of elements can you pick out? Personally, I love the use of hockey sticks, and the green feathers to create that incredible tree (one of the most interesting I've ever seen!).  

The Royal Academy
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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. 

Event Coverage: "Women of NASA" Set Launch at the Flatiron District LEGO Store

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On Saturday, Oct. 28, the LEGO Ideas team held its first-ever U.S.-based launch for the forthcoming "Women of NASA" set, designed by AFOL Maia Weinstock, at the LEGO Brand Retail store in Manhattan's Flatiron District.  A line of eager fans curled around the block for a chance to meet the designer and get a signed box ahead of the general release on Nov. 1st.  Members of the New York City LUG joined parents and families for the four-hour event, which also featured a special in-store build for kids.   According to Tim Courtney, Experience Manager for the LEGO Company, the event marked the first time that an Ideas set had premiered in America: prior sets had early releases in Europe.  

fan designer maia weinstock (center) is flanked by tim courtney and hasan jensen of the lego company during a launch event for the "women in nasa" set oct. 28th in New York city.

fan designer maia weinstock (center) is flanked by tim courtney and hasan jensen of the lego company during a launch event for the "women in nasa" set oct. 28th in New York city.

The fun began early Saturday morning as LEGO VIPs began lining up, eager to meet Maia Weinstock, the fan designer who submitted the "Women of NASA" concept to LEGO Ideas last year and quickly gained the needed 10,000 votes.  The set itself is available to the public beginning November 1st, but during this special event, fans would be able to snag an early copy, as well as meet Maia and have their sets signed.

As AFOLs go, Maia is recent to the hobby, telling us that she first began designing minifigures based on hr contemporaries in the science field in 2009.

THE LINE CURLED AROUND THE BLOCK WITH FOLKS HOPING TO GET THEIR OWN "WOMEN OF NASA" SET.  

THE LINE CURLED AROUND THE BLOCK WITH FOLKS HOPING TO GET THEIR OWN "WOMEN OF NASA" SET.  

STACKS AND STACKS AND STACKS OF SET #21312, READY TO BE SOLD AND SIGNED!

STACKS AND STACKS AND STACKS OF SET #21312, READY TO BE SOLD AND SIGNED!

Store manager Carlos Fernandez and a team of about 12 employees got the store ready, setting up rows and rows of set #21312 and ensuring that once inside the store, fans would be able to quickly pick up their sets and get into line to meet Maia.  As a courtesy to the hometown LUG, several members of the New York City LEGO Users Group -- yours truly included -- as well as correspondents for AFOL publications were given early access so they could wrap up interviews with Maia and Hasan before the doors opened at 10am.

Tim pointed out that previous LEGO Ideas launch events were held outside the US in cities across Europe. However, with the amazing turnout for the Flatiron launch of Women of NASA, there's little doubt that we should expect many more events like this stateside.

the designer, being interviewed for a feature in scholastic magazine as the line outside the lego store patiently waits

the designer, being interviewed for a feature in scholastic magazine as the line outside the lego store patiently waits

maia talks with enthusiastic young fans, helping to mold our future stem leaders!

maia talks with enthusiastic young fans, helping to mold our future stem leaders!

ALL TOGETHER NOW  |  MEMBERS OF NYCLUG, I LUG NY, AND CORRESPONDENTS FROM BRICKNERD, BLOCKS MAGAZINE AND BRICKJOURNAL PROUDLY POSE WITH THEIR "WOMEN OF NASA" SETS! 

ALL TOGETHER NOW  |  MEMBERS OF NYCLUG, I LUG NY, AND CORRESPONDENTS FROM BRICKNERD, BLOCKS MAGAZINE AND BRICKJOURNAL PROUDLY POSE WITH THEIR "WOMEN OF NASA" SETS! 

OBLIGATORY.  set designer maia weinstock poses for a group selfie at the flatiron lego store in manhattan oct. 28.

OBLIGATORY.  set designer maia weinstock poses for a group selfie at the flatiron lego store in manhattan oct. 28.

And in a reminder of how LEGO brings folks together, one attended shared, via Twitter, the very special reason why she showed up to get a copy of "Women of NASA."

In all, it was a great day.  We hope the event's success encourages LEGO to hold many more just like it.