Fire Vs Fire

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Avatar, The Last Airbender was amazing (the series, not that M. Night Shyamalan abomination). It was rich with character, history and back story. Of course, something so infused with creativity naturally sparks other creativity. Like this excellent scene depicting the epic struggle of Agni Kai by builder Tim Schwalfenberg. Somebody's getting burnt today.

The Last Agni Kai

Vitali Car

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I've never heard of Vitali, but then again I've never been to Taiwan. But I certainly appreciate a bit of clever marketing, and the company has or at least had a whole fleet of these charming drinkmobiles cruising the streets. This version by DOGOD Brick Design has custom stickers and clever design, making it just as appealing as the real deal. How does the drink taste? I have no idea.

nEO_IMG_DOGOD_VITALE’s car_10
nEO_IMG_DOGOD_VITALE’s car_06

Volsung Hall

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I can't decide what's more mind blowing about this epic award winning MOC by long time collaborators Eli Brinsmead and Ben Cossy. The sheer awesomeness of the build, with it's multiple levels, chambers and storytelling, or the fact that it's a collaboration by two guys that live on opposite sides of Australia and it wasn't joined until they went to Brickvention. I've collaborated with other builders in the same room and it's challenging, I can't fathom the amount of planning and dedication that went into this.

Be Cool Honey Bunny...

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I realize some of our younger readers might not understand this, and to that I say "someday you will, when you're old enough to watch Pulp Fiction". This was built by Mark van der Maarel for the Kill Brick Contest at Rogue Bricks, which is challenging fans to built MOCs inspired by Quentin Tarantino. I can't wait to see what the builders come up with.

"Be cool Honey-Bunny! Be cool!"

Technique Tuesday - Grill Tutorial (Ft. Dzambito42)

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technique_tuesday.jpg

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. . .

Roughly a month ago, we featured Dzambito42's neat "Grilling" vignette scene. I found his grill design to be incredibly good, and so I wanted to feature his design here for Technique Tuesday. A special thanks to David, who after I reached out to him, provided me with the breakdown and photos for us to share here for you all. 

I have provided a couple of David's breakdown photos below. If you'd like his complete (and detailed) process, check out the album I compiled of the photos provided to me.

Grill

Breakdown:

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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. 

Han Shot First

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Now that I've gotten that out of my system I can make this post about something different than the incredibly lame decision to make Han shoot first...I digress. I was fortunate enough to get to see this latest big fig duo by Miro78 at BricksLA, and they're a perfect addition to his growing collection. And to discourage my impulse to rail on that decision I referred to earlier I'll offer this fun fact: When the production wrapped in London, they did not bring the live firing hero prop of Han's blaster back to America with them . So when it came time to shoot this scene a new prop needed to be cobbled together. This prop blaster, unique to this scene, is fondly referred to by the prop reproduction community as the "Greedo Killer". And Han used it first.

Han and Greedo's brief Cantina scene

The Sword: The Tool of a Knight

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Brick Ninja forged his weapon not from hard steel, but from plastic building bricks! I think life size, brick-built swords are some of the coolest replicas built in LEGO form, and this blade is no exception. With a long blade, a "leathery" grip, and excellent shaping for the pommel, this awesome sword looks ready to battle any medieval invader. 

Life sized bastard sword
Life sized bastard sword
Life sized bastard sword
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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. 

For Sparta

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Talk about nearly impenetrable armor. Roughly 50 minifig shield accessories were put together in this vignette by Vitreolum to create this effective protection method used by Spartans. I had to show off this build because not only is it very creative, but I also am a big fan of this time in history. With those 50 shields positioned, I think it is quite a bit cramped inside of there! And probably rather smelly, too. . .

Spartans
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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. 

Pr0t34n

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I'm always fascinated with the genesis of a MOC. Sometimes it's a desire to recreate something, sometimes it's a piece of a larger story, sometimes it's just a part that makes you go "hmm". This way cool robot by Mana Ramp Matron came about with the experimentation of using a Technic seat as a head, and just look at the results. You just never know where the bricks will take you.

Bionicle MOC: Pr0t34n(Protean).

Rose Parade Float

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It just occurred to me as I started to write this that I have no idea how far reaching the The Tournament Of Roses is. I mean, here in California the Rose Parade is as intertwined with New Years Day as hangovers, but I live here so I really have no idea. Builder Parks and Wrecked Creations premiered this absolutely stunning float just a few days after the parade (and just a block away from where it rolls down Colorado Blvd in Pasadena) at BricksLA. I consider myself lucky to have seen it in person, and it was my favorite creation that day.

Rose Parade Float

Medieval Facade

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This is like a cool combination of fantasy book illustration, MOC and movie set. On a movie, you really only build what's going to be seen, and usually it's just the front so everything's thin and single sided. I don't know what's on the other side of this lovely creation by builder ranghaal, but I like to imagine it's where craft service has set up, and there's a bunch of crew members standing around eating bagels.

The Front - Lego MOC of a fantasy medieval house front

Battle Of Crait

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I still haven't made up my mind about The Last Jedi, and I know I'm not alone. There's a lot of stuff I love about it, and a lot of stuff I hate about it. But you can't deny there's some stunning visuals in it, including the climactic battle on Crait, brilliantly recreated here by builder First Order Lego. My favorite detail has got to be the little crystal fox.

~LEGO Star Wars Battlefront 2 Battle Of Crait from The Last Jedi~

How's Your Hand/Eye Coordination?

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Step right up ladies and gentleman, test your skill! I always got a kick out of these games (and wasn't too bad at them either). The premise is simple enough, navigate the wand from one end to the other without making contact. Although this version by Sad Brick looks like it might have more than the customary beep of flashing light in store for you, I hope you're wearing rubber soles...

Wire Loop Game