A Powerful Medieval Vignette

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The ~Maestro brings us this medieval vignette depicting feudalism in medieval Europe. For those unaware, feudalism combined customs in both military and legal matters hundreds of years ago between the 9th and 15th centuries. Hey, look at that! You looked at a cool LEGO creation, and learned a bit of history! That is one thing I appreciate about some LEGO creations that depict historical events: you learn more in a fun way! I think I'll wrap up this post, though, because those guys on the bottom are no doubt getting rather tired (not that the lord cares). 

Medieval European Feudalism (in plastic)
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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. 

Happy New Year!

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2017 was certainly a bumpy year, but overall a good one for BrickNerd. The blog audience has grown, we did several animation projects including three for TLG, we visited Portugal and attended Parades do Coura, went to BrickCon, met so many fellow LEGO enthusiasts and built the Millennium Falcon with Adam Savage and the team at Tested.com. Of course this was while the political environment in the US was in total chaos, the world has gone sorta bonkers and The Last Jedi made us go "huh". I think LegoKlyph has the right idea, and reminds us that 2018 is a chance for a fresh start. Here's to a fabulous new year! 

NYE2018

Off The Grid

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I think everyone gets to that point where adulting becomes overwhelming, and fantasies of thumbing your nose at society and disappearing to the middle of nowhere seems like a decent option. Then you remember the convenience of flushing toilets and how good a Frappacino is once in a while and the whole thing sounds less appealing. But there are some that actually do it, and I think this MOC by Brick Surgeon sums up how things probably look pretty well.

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Rayman Legends

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I was just thinking about Rayman last night (mostly I think because I looked at the icon for Rayman Run on my iPad) so to see him first thing this morning thanks to builder jaapxaap was a bit of a happy surprise. While we're on the subject, did anyone else out there think that the little sound byte in Mamma Said Knock You Out sounded a lot like one of the enemies in Rayman when they get knocked out? I've never discussed this publicly, but I think it's time.

CCC - Rayman Legends

Tiny Siege

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Is it possible for a siege to be cute? I mean, we're talking about the use of military force to invade a city, the inevitable bloodshed, the shattering of lives, yet it's adorable. Sure you can argue that it's only because of the scale, the fact that it's built from a child's toy and the bright cheery colors that it's cute. But it's war, absolutely charming and delightful war from builder MarcelV.

Tiny Siege!

Daydelon

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I know much of the US, and the world is enduring a cold snap at the moment, so the charm of a snowy medieval village might be lessened a bit. But just look at this excellent diorama by builder soccersnyderi. Despite it's apparent scale, the whole thing fits on a 48x48 baseplate. It also has a feature I've never seen before, pull out room interiors. Three little vignettes that slide out of the structures to reveal a little bit if medieval life.

The Streets of Daydelon
The Streets of Daydelon
The Streets of Daydelon

The Earth Seeps And Weeps

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Humans have spent a great deal of time, money and effort developing ways to pierce the earth's crust and extract the flammable stuff within. If it burns, we've always been interested in it, no matter the cost. This piece by timofey_tkachev is clearly a commentary on that, and growing up on a coastline dotted with this machinery and occasionally brutalized by it, it speaks to me on a personal level. The true irony of this piece is it wouldn't be possible without our collective obsession with petroleum, for it is what makes plastic possible.

1 And there will be blood

Snorlax

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I remember quite some time ago with Pokemon was a fairly new thing (there were only 150 I think) my son had a poster on his wall. We were discussing the pros and cons of certain ones and I remember him saying "That's snorlax, he sleeps a lot." I asked if that was his special ability and he just shrugged and said "yeah, I guess so". He also has the ability to inspire awesome builders like lisqr to sculpt him in bricks.

Snorlax

Belly Up To The Bar

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Builder simply bricking it posed a fun challenge when they posted this nifty pub interior. There's a lot of pretty cool techniques and part use here, and the builder has tasked us with finding...

1) Pirate's Rope Bridge.
2) Friend's Lipsticks
3) Minifigure Drills.
4) Scala Benches
5) Minifigure Sweeping Brushes

I wouldn't suggest trying it here with this low resolution picture, but click through for a fun challenge.

Intoxication

Welcome To Kahuka Koffee

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There's so many things to love about this marvelous multi-level building by builder snaillad that I don't know where to start. The architecture is of course the stand-out feature. It's got the weightiness and stature of a baroque revival, without all the unnecessary ornateness. Just a strong, confident style with loads of character. I also really dig that retro delivery van. And as for the coffee shop, I'll just invite you to click through and look at the high res photos, it's packed with detail and just lovely.

Kahuka Koffee
Kahuka Koffee

Tower Of Lothern

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If eyes are the windows to the soul, are doors the window to the...wait a minute, buildings have actual windows, that doesn't work. How about the way to a man's heart...no, that's silly. I like the door on this tower...yeah, that's pretty lame too. It's just amazing to me how there can be so many details in a diorama, but most of the time there's just one thing you hone in on, in this case it's the door of this lovely tower by Dwalin Forkbeard.

Tower of Lothern
White Lion Bodyguard

Battlestar VANDEMONS

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What would Christmas be without a new Battlestar in the fleet?  Well, that's what my old pal Garry King pondered about eight months ago when he started this 8 foot, 35K+ piece project.  Yeah, you read that right.  This SHIP is his own design, but those of you familiar with the reimagined BSG series will notice some cues from the Valkyrie-type battlestars, especially in the flight pods.  In other shots, however, you can see some Pegasus features, and of course, the Galactica.  Overall, it's another tremendous achievement by Garry, with tons of edited pictures on MocPages, so check it out!

Technique Tuesday - Clipped Stonework

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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. . .

Are you feeling a little more advanced today? Good! We've covered some more basic stonework techniques before, but we're taking things up a notch with this design by Marcel V. If you have a lot of bar elements and modified studs with a hole to spare, this is the design for you! One beneficial aspect of this technique is that it really provides you with the ability to angle the stones to make them crooked and even protruding from the wall. Very intricate, and looks fantastic when completed!

Wall 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. 

Merry Christmas From BrickNerd!

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I know it's a bit cliche, but it really is my favorite time of year. Santa came last night, my stocking is full of all kinds of goodies and there's loads of presents under my tree. I hope he brought you all joy as well. Now it's time for some tea, Christmas carols and some presents. I'd like to wish each and every one of you a merry Christmas and hope this holiday finds you happy and healthy.