The world watched in collective horror as fire raged through Notre Dame last month. We all reacted in our own way, some prayed, some cried, some vowed to rebuild and some were just frozen in disbelief. But builder Rocco Buttliere committed to building this, a spectacular recreation of the beloved architectural masterpiece. It is intentionally set in springtime to represent rebirth, a notion I find irresistibly uplifting. Click through for more pictures and some fascinating history.
I really dig the mini modular scale. The original set is one of my favorite sets of all time, and I still have it together. In fact, you’ll find it in the background of a great many of the animations at BrickNerd Studios, it’s perfect for forced perspective. This mini version of the diner by Swan Dutchman would make a perfect addition to the set too. It’s amazingly accurate to the proportions and colors of the original, including the signage on the front, isn’t that spiffy?
Mickey Mouse is a pretty popular subject for LEGO artists, I myself took a crack at him almost 10 years ago. And I can tell you from first hand experience he’s not easy, especially at small scale. But thanks to some much needed parts, namely the 1x1 round black tile and 1x1 half round white tile, everyone’s favorite mouse has never looked better than this rendition by the great Bruce Lowell.
A word of advice, don’t mess with this man’s dog. Sure he may seem like a bit of a burnout, a loner, but he’s got some skills. And while you may have your particular beef with him, if you try to settle a score you should be prepared for some…push back. But, whatever you do, do not mess with his dog, you have been warned.
Its not always about dashing heroes, sleek spacecraft and armed to the teeth mecha! Sci Fi worlds still need waste disposal, and maintenance craft.
Tim Goddard has captured the industrial look with these fantastic mobile platforms. There is not much in the way of back story for these, but then again, they are just walking platforms so what more do you need?
I love the use of parts on the legs, as the look like they have great articulation, and the little “eyes” just give the platforms that added character
I love a well-executed train scene. It’s likely from growing up at with my dad fairly active in the NMRR, and going to lots of train shows. Allan Corbeil’s “Going West” is an excellent diorama of a 4-6-0 steam engine chugging through the woods. The engine is well executed with a billowing cloud of coal smoke. The choice of using the old 9V powered track gives the rails a metallic shininess. I’d love to go on about the train but the vegetation is equally impressive! The simple cat’s tails in the pond are great, and add to the forest’s undergrowth well. There are 4 different style trees with a variety of greens for the foliage colors which adds to the realism in the build. This excellent build captures the Age of Steam well, I can hear the hiss of steam, the smell of coal smoke, and feel the earth rumble as the train chugs along.
If I didn’t have a fear of swimming (or heights), a ride on Ted Ande’s futuristic skiff Rhapsody sounds just peachy. I always enjoy seeing builders try to incorporate Technic pieces into their MOCS, and it’s especially well done in this one. I also dig the floorboard texturing.
I’m no musician, but I’ve made music, and while I’ve never used a classic metronome, I’ve always been fascinated by them. How the simple change of distance of a weight on a swinging arm could change the tempo, it’s marvelously mechanical. This version by builder moctown not only looks legit, it makes very clever use of the 1x1 white tile with black square.
I can think of no place on this planet, or any other, at any point in history or the potential future that I’d like to run into Congo here by builder luigi1456andrew. Between his sharp teeth, scaly skin, piercing eyes, full armor and deadly weapons he is sort of the physical manifestation of reading the news today.
I really dig this futuristic yet totally retro space taxi by builder ericteo_98, it looks like something right out of a movie. How awesome would it be to see this gliding through the sky against a sci-fi cityscape, dutifully delivering passengers to places we can only dream of. Of course this is the future, so the prices will be crazy too, but maybe the floor wouldn’t be nearly as sticky due to advanced material sciences (who am I kidding, we can’t have nice things).
It’s far too early in the morning and I haven’t had nearly enough tea to have my mind so completely blown by a MOC. I knew what this scene by builder Grantmasters was the moment I saw the thumbnail, but just look at the scale of it! I mean Jabba’s throne room in surprising detail in a package about 10 x 14. I also love that the genesis of this creation was the fact that the hat was reminiscent of Jabba, brilliant.
Meet Oswald, Mickey Mouse’s predecessor. Way back when Walt Disney was making cartoons with this little guy, 27 of them to be exact. But then Walt lost the rights to him and was suddenly without a lead character. Well that was then and this is now and Oswald is proudly back at home with Disney. Builder Alex Kelly brought this little version to life, and he looks ready for some antics.
If you would have asked me as a freshman in high school I might have suggested this would be me about the age I am now (well, perhaps a bit older). I had a wet suit, I had a surfboard, I went to the beach once or twice a week. It took me years to come to terms with the fact that I don’t actually like the beach, but I figured out I can’t surf pretty quickly. I’m from California, I’m supposed to love the beach right? Well, it’s nice to look at, and I’ll enjoy it from the comfort of my Airstream thanks very much. And I’ll leave the surfing to those that can actually do it, like this old shredder by builder vir-a-cocha. Tear it up dude.
If you’ve spent any time downtown in the city of angels, or watched any television or movies in the last 60 years you’ve probably seen this, the iconic Los Angeles City Hall. It’s been the backdrop for many TV shows, including Adam-12, Dragnet and Alias and was destroyed in V. But my personal favorite was standing in for The Daily Planet in the old Superman series. So to see this classic old building in bricks gives me a warm fuzzy, and to see it photographed outside with the hills of Los Angeles in the background at “magic hour” by the great Bruce Lowell made me smile ear to ear. For more information on this build check out Bruce’s website here.
This excellent harbor scene by builder Vaionaut one of those MOCs you can appreciate from the medium resolution image, but must really be seen in person or scrolling around the large image to get the full effect. It’s so effortless in it’s construction and flow that you’ll miss all the clever techniques and color combinations unless you’re drilling down.
It was the first ship ever seen in the Star Wars universe, it carried the droids to Tattooine, the ship that Princess Leia was captured on. It’s the Tantive IV, AKA the Rebel Blockade Runner, and it’s the newest large LEGO Star Wars ship. LEGO was kind enough to send one our way and here’s our review of one of the most iconic science fiction ships to ever burst onto the silver screen.
Read MoreFans of Kung Fu Panda should recognize this master of tiger style, it’s Tigress by builder Block Head. Through use of Mixel joints for poseability, excellent System construction and careful sticker use, she’s no longer confined to the big screen. But as you can see in this pic, she’s lost none of her attitude.
I don’t know where my fascination with art deco came from. There’s a pretty limited sample of the style here in my home town, but I’ve always been drawn to it. So I find this latest build from snaillad totally irresistible. I would love to stay at this hotel, as long as it wasn’t pretentious and weird inside. I’ve stayed at a number of hotels in recent years that celebrate the art deco aesthetic, but only on the outside. On the inside it’s chrome bears, terrible art, pointless doors and friggin’ bean bag furniture. But as you can see, it’s classic 30’s inside this lovely building.
I have to admit, Chinese New Year might be better than any other new year. Sure we stay up til midnight drinking and then make a lot of noise (and spend the whole next day nursing a hangover), but there’s no dragons! And we don’t have an official animal every year, which is pretty neat. Speaking of neat, builder vincentkiew has assembled this excellent collection of the entire Chinese zodiac. While they’re all very cool, the dragon and the monkey are my faves.
It’s Star Wars Day!!!! And what better way to celebrate than to build the latest super awesome LEGO set, the Tantive IV! You may know it as the rebel blockade runner, or perhaps as the original “smuggler ship” (yup, this was the original Millennium Falcon) and we’re going to build it live starting at 9am PST. Tune in to either our YouTube channel or head over to our sister site Nerds&Makers’ Twitch Channel.
See you then!!!
BrickNerd is your source for all things LEGO and the LEGO fan community
Like what we're doing? Become a patron to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more. Or leave a one-time donation by hitting the yellow button. Everything is appreciated!
BrickNerd is not associated with The LEGO Group.
Opinions shared on this site are our own and not the opinions of LEGO or The LEGO Group.
LEGO® is a trademark of The LEGO Group which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site.
Copyright © 2013 - 2024 BrickNerd. All Rights Reserved.
Contact Us
