You Have Five Points Left On Your License

I love when I watch a movie and very soon after a MOC appears in my Flickr feed, it’s like fate or something. I literally watched this movie (well, mostly listened to) two days ago while at the studio. I was also fortunate enough to work at Digital Domain, and a lot of the models made for this feature were still on display during my time there (yes, technically I was paid to spend a few minutes every week of so ogling at a gorgeous model). I adore this version of Korben Dallas’ taxi by builder Davdup, it makes me want to watch the movie all over again.

Look What the Time Cruisers Have Returned With!

As much as I love Sci-Fi and Fantasy, I didn’t read many of the classics until I was an adult. Honestly there are still areas I haven’t delved as deep into as I would like. Short fiction is really where both genres shine (Horror too, but I’ve read far less of that). There’s so much that can be explored in a short story! Some of the most memorable SF/F works for me are short works as opposed to the multi-volume epics. Alan Mann was inspired by Frank R. Paul’s classic ‘Zine covers, for this lovely creation. The editing to get the look of a vintage cover is fantastic! The whimsy and creepiness of the alien are fantastic. Then there is the strangeness of the StarBeard in the background. (Check out Alan’s flickr for pics of the builds) The brick-punning of the names of the classic authors is fantastically done and not as forced as some combinations could be. (Likely why my favorite Ray Bradbury isn’t on there. That one would be a bit harder to pull off as well as Alan did.) I wonder what stories are in this issue. Maybe one of my favorites: “Brick Fall” by Asamoc, “The Nine Billion Bricks of God” by Arthur C. Clutch, “All You MiniFigs” by Robrick Heinlein “Do Minifigs Dream of Brick Sheep?” by Philip K. Brick, or “The Bricking of the Strange Orchid” by H. G. Playwells.

Surfer Babe

In high school I was a surfer. Well, I had a surfboard and a wetsuit, and we went to the beach a lot. Mostly I would paddle out, wait for the perfect moment to get smashed by a wave, drink a bunch of salt water and get my face dragged on the ocean floor for a bit, you know… surfing! I’m pretty sure if this baby surfer by ted @ndes had been there they would have surfed circles around me.

Saria

The moment I saw this lovely sculpture by builder Julius von Brunk I immediately heard Saria’s Theme in my head (and had an overwhelming desire to play an ocarina, weird huh?). Yes, it’s Saria, from one of the greatest games of all time The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time. Julius also created this great video breaking down her somewhat unusual construction.

The One Wheel

There is something about mono-wheels that I find irresistible. This is despite two engineering degrees and years of professional experience that screams, “Not Practical!”, “It would have a giant turning radius!”, “There are reasons why unicycles are only seen at circuses!”, among other things.  I think my appreciation is because the mono-wheel is the distillation of a vehicle down to the fewest components: a wheel, a seat, and an engine. Daniel Church has provided an excellent mono-wheel.  The wheel is constructed from the new roller-coaster track and detailed with light grey and black Nexo shield tiles. The boiler behind the driver is well constructed as is the piston assembly.  The best part by far is that Daniel motorized the whole thing, the mono-wheel in motion with the chain drive running and the piston pumping really sells the steampunk design.

Barn Find

This is every vintage car fanatics dream, the barn find. You’re passing through a rural area, decide to stop for lunch at a little greasy spoon. As you dig into your chicken fried steak an old timer at the counter spots your hat, a distinctive but maybe obscure car logo (mine would be an old VW Wolfsburg crest) and walks over. As he drops in the seat across from you he points at your hat “you like old cars huh?” As you nod yes with a mouth full of food he tells you about the old car he has in his barn. He bought it 40 years ago and was going to fix it up, but it’s just been sitting there covered with a tarp ever since. You agree that this needs to be seen, and the rest is a hell of a story for the people in your car club. Builder Norton74 shows us what this might look like with a classic Ford Mustang, and it’s a dream come true.

IKEA

You need only walk through the door of BrickNerd Studios to see we’re fans of IKEA. Just about 100% of the furnishings here are IKEA, from the tables we build on, the desk I blog from (and write, edit, composite, illustrate, design….) to the “stages” we shoot animation on (ok, they’re tables, but they’re IKEA tables) it’s all IKEA. Initially when the studio was set up it was going to be temporary to shoot the animation for The LEGO Brickumentary, but I loved having a studio so much I decided to keep it. So it is with great fondness I present this tiny tribute to the giant store by builder cubo31, it’s ÄDÖRBS.

Jörmungandr

Sea World came under attack a few years ago after the documentary Blackfish came out. The treatment of the sea life there while possibly well intended has never been great, and the pool size for the whales there is just appalling. But look at the tiny size of the the pool for this sea serpent! It is absolutely criminal, and builder adde51 may have to answer to the authorities if this goes viral (please go viral, I could use the traffic).

The Four Devine Beasts

The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is one of my all time favorite games. It’s been over two years since it came out and I’m still playing it on occasion and I still have things to do. While it was a pretty drastic departure from other Zelda games, the spirit was the same, and I really can’t get enough of it. One of the biggest differences is the lack of dungeons and introduction of the Devine Beasts (which, let’s face it, were pretty much dungeons). Each one was unique and they’re represented here in fine form by builder speedyhead. This makes me want to break out the controller right now!

Impossibly Large Creation

We talk about scale a lot here at BrickNerd, it’s one of the hallmarks of LEGO creations. Occasionally something comes along that gives me pause in my scrolling through Flickr. It’s usually something that makes you go “wait, that’s LEGO?”. Well that’s precisely my reaction to this creation by builder Uomosenzanome, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I’ve stared and stared at the screen, but I can’t see a single visual clue as to the scale of this, no comparable reference, no cracks, not tell-tale part use, no clever SNOT construction, nothing.

The Colosseum

I love hearing the spark of inspiration behind a MOC as beautiful and intricate as this Colosseum by SkyWalter. In this case it’s the 1x2 “jumper arch” that started it all. Those and the new style wands make up the classic arches and columns of this wonderfully realized Architecture style piece.

Poppi

I’ve never played Xenoblade Chronicles 2, so I didn’t recognize this character at first, but a quick google search revealed just how faithful a representation of Poppi ⍺ by builder Bodhi Poharu this is. And while she may be frustratingly fragile, the effort to build and photograph her was totally worth it.

The Most Important Meal Of The Day

You shouldn’t skip breakfast. Your body needs fuel to run, and if you’re going to be productive at work or school, you need energy. It’s also delicious, or at least is when it’s not brick-built like this stunning stack of yummy blueberry pancakes by builder LittleJohn. While they may not hold any nutritional value, they’re a feast for the eyes.

Drillbilly

Digging holes sucks, just ask anyone who digs holes. And wherever there’s a job that sucks there’s a need for a robot to do that job for us. Luckily there’s DB-Y3, or “Drillbilly” by builder roΙΙi. Drillbilly can not only take care of those needed holes in the ground, he can do so with a wide range of emotions, and anyone who has dug holes will confirm, there’s a spectrum. It goes from quiet resignation to bitter regret and questioning of life choices.

VAB

Have very few regrets in life, but one of them is not getting to see a shuttle launch with my dad. Not that it was an easy thing to do, I live about as far away from Cape Kennedy as you can in the continental US, and my dad lived in Kansas. Any given mission could be scrubbed at the last minute, that’s a long way to travel on a bet. I did eventually get to stand in the shadow of this building, and it’s every bit as impressive as you’d expect. It’s on a scale that’s hard to imagine until you’re actually there. This version by Rphilo004, is a little less intimidating, but still very impressive at micro scale. As we approach the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, I’m sure we’ll see more builds like this, and I’m personally really looking forward to it.

Super Shiny Batpod

I have to admit once I got over the temporary paralysis upon first seeing this beauty by ianying616 I thought to myself “Batman would never ride a chrome Batpod”, but upon further thought I’m not so sure. The thing about chrome (and what makes it hard to illustrate, and render for that matter) is it’s not really its own color, but characterized by its environment. It reflects what’s around it, and in Batman’s case, wouldn’t that be the darkened streets of Gotham? Might not be so bad after all.

Android

I continue to be fascinated with builder Moko’s ability to not only make sleek and shapely figures, but to make them so posable. This one doesn’t seem to be based on any particular character, not that I would have any idea who it is anyway, but at least I don’t have to try and learn a bunch of stuff to share with you that I will immediately forget.

It's A Good Bet The Empire Knows We're Here

So there you are, on a barren, frozen world, having spend months carving out ice caves and trying to survive. You finally get everything just about how you need it and one of these things (brilliantly recreated by Lino M) shows up and blows everything. Probe droids, this is why we can’t have nice things (or secret bases).

Lazy Leslie

Leslie is a simple man. He likes to read his Sunday paper in his favorite armchair after a filling meal. I mean, what's not to like about that? I’m sure we can all agree that Leslie’s plan, as well as this MOC by justin_m_winn, are fabulous in every way, shape, and form. I think we should all be more like Leslie and embrace the laziness we all deserve.

Overflowing With Art

Art is what you make it, so it’s different for every person. I like this piece by builder jarekwally because of it’s dynamic nature, capturing motion beautifully and it’s simple coloration, stark and contrasty. But I also like that it doesn't come with a lot of explanation, no message of symbolism or pompous backstory, just some beautiful sculpting and nice imagery.