If you have noticed the internet being overrun by LEGO bonsai trees as of late, it is for good reason. Brickset’s Build a Bonsai Competition is churning out some amazing entries (all because of the goats for a prize, I’m sure!), and Carter Witz is throwing his hat into the ring. His elegant bonsai would look at home on the neatest desk, but there’s more to this creation than meets the eye!
Read MoreYou would need 30 copies of LEGO’s newest Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyer set to even come close to the 140,000 pieces in this nine-foot-long behemoth. Builder Garry King has really outdone himself this time!
Read MoreLEGO fans manifest their love of the hobby in many ways—some collect, others build. But Lucas “Legorio” Peña makes LEGO a permanent part of his life—literally.
Read MoreWith the tragic loss of Alex Trebek last year, I wanted to build a meaningful tribute to the man and his legacy of knowledge. So I built a moving kinetic sculpture of the “Greatest of All Time” tournament and discovered that building LEGO is not too dissimilar to Jeopardy. I knew the answer of where I wanted to go, I just needed to figure out the right questions that would get me there.
Read MoreThe art of Bonsai is an elusive one, taking years to learn, requiring careful decision-making and patience above all. In that sense, it feels a lot like creating LEGO models—which is definitely an art Marius Herrmann has mastered. Marius, widely known as steponabrick both on Flickr and Instagram has shared an entry for Brickset’s ongoing Build a Bonsai competition—an expressive and lifelike sculpture, making masterful use of a variety of elements and beautiful techniques.
Read MoreBeing a fan of highly detailed facades, especially most from the Oriental part of the world, I must say that the more you look at this one the more you will find. Builder Hoang Dang—known in the LEGO community as Know Your Pieces—has practically created a “Where’s Waldo” of spectacular nice-part-usage (NPU) out of 10,000 pieces.
Read MoreThis tribute to the venerable John Cleese by Swedish builder Rikard Stensby (aka stensbylego on Instagram) tickles my funny bone, something I really need these days.
Read MoreIn my last article, I discussed the issue of displaying LEGO sets at a fan convention and the plans I made to create a local MOC-building community to help change the situation. The grand plan was to create a MOC TALK series of small “show-and-tell” sessions, requiring attendees to bring something with them that they have designed and built themselves to talk about and show off. But would it work?
Read MoreMany times, change is born out of irritation. One day, you finally decide to take matters into your own hands and take action to change something for the better. Sometimes that momentum leads to reinvigorating a community-focused AFOL blog when other LEGO community-oriented content seemed to have fallen by the wayside. In my case, I became frustrated seeing the growing number of built LEGO sets being displayed at LEGO conventions. This is my story of how to cultivate a community of LEGO builders that go beyond sets.
Read MoreTo celebrate LEGO’s 90th anniversary, the company is letting fans vote for a classic theme that will be the inspiration for a new singular set released in 2022. But which of the 30 themes on the ballot should you vote for? Our BrickNerd team weighed in and came to the conclusion that the single perfect LEGO theme to make a comeback is…
Read MoreIt's not easy to write about pain… But I feel it is important to explore an aspect of the LEGO passion that many don't think about. In a series of articles, I will try to tell you about my personal journey expressed through LEGO and explore several topics related to my experiences as an AFOL. … For me, deep down, LEGO is the one thing that feels safe and uncomplicated in a complicated life.
Read MoreI stumbled upon this gem of a dronuary build yesterday and was immediately taken by the aggressive near future military design aesthetic of the humanoid and walker style drones. Squad Sierra is a must-see. Builder ReD M is a master of high-quality sci-fi digital creations, including many that you might have seen during the height of the Hibernia Flickr community craze a few months ago. So it comes as no surprise that the latest build is another gem.
Read MoreOkay, I know this is a fearsome Tiki Shaman who clearly eats every part of a minifigure but the torso, but oh, those toes! Jake aka Mountain Hobbit brings us a cute, well-crafted figure - just the person to threaten your minifigures with when they misbehave.
Read MoreHi! I’m Are. That’s me on the right in the picture above (albeit in a slightly younger version). About ten years ago, after I had rediscovered LEGO, I dove head-first into the world of AFOLs—which I never knew existed up until then. Since then I have traveled to LEGO conventions all over the place (well, not all over, but I’m getting there!) and been so lucky to meet all kinds of fantastic people. And what happens when you go places and meet people? You collect stories.
Read MoreWhen an AFOL thinks about a“con,” they may think of “friends” or “MOCs” or “games.” With this year’s Bricks LA virtually in the books, I wanted to focus on the nerdly little details that the Very Important Builders (VIBs) in attendance may have overlooked. This is the third year that registered BricksLA participants received custom con kits designed by Tim Heiderich. The development of these kits involves some head-of-the-class Nerd Skillz. Not just run-of-the-mill nerdity like NPU (nice parts usage). We’re talking archival research and city planning and font detail. Super-duper-uber-BrickNerd fodder! Put on your highest prescription reading glasses to learn more.
Read MoreIt’s no secret that I am a huge fan of building LEGO speeder bikes (LSB; a.k.a. flying motorcycles). Sometimes I even host building contests for them on Flickr in the LSB - LEGO Speeder Bikes group. The LSB contest is currently on hiatus, but that hasn’t kept people from building some really awesome speeder bikes in the meantime… and even hosting building challenges of their own! I first noticed Dan Ko (Instagram / Flickr) while adding his recent speeder bike line-up into the photo pool of the Flickr group. Here are two of his builds that really caught my attention:
Read MoreThe LEGO community encompasses many people from designers in Billund to builders far and wide and thousands of enthusiasts in between. At LEGO fan conventions, you get a good cross-section of where all these people come together with builders, photographers, resellers, printers, and engravers sharing their passion projects. One of the frequent faces at these events is Guy Himber of Crazy Bricks who I got nerdy with chatting about his recent project of prehistoric proportions, Dino Dudes.
Read MoreToday we get the chance to meet Ray Jacobs. Ray is an AFOL of the ’80s—which can be clearly seen in his work. From the infamous Mad Max car to the Ford Falcon Pursuit Special to his Fozzie Bear’s 1951 Studebaker, Ray is no stranger to classic cars. Combine that with his love for ambulances, busses and fire trucks, and you have the perfect setup for his newest build, a gorgeous 1920’s antique fire truck.
Read MoreA little over a year ago, in a galaxy far, far away, we were introduced to a little green—yet 50-year-old—foster child with an insatiable appetite for just about anything it could cram down its throat. By now, you know who I am talking about. It’s “The Child” from the Disney Plus streaming Star Wars show The Mandalorian. Even after two seasons, mysteries still cloud this little creature who we now know is named Grogu. (Really? Grogu?) No matter what you want to call it, Grogu, Baby Yoda or The Child, it clearly stole the spotlight. Sorry, Mando.
Read MoreBrickvention is Australia's premier LEGO fan event and is typically held each January. As a founding and former member of the organizing team behind the event, it holds a special place in my heart. It started in 2006 after the Australian AFOL community on LUGNET requested a regular event in their own country—quite the task at the time. With humble beginnings of fewer than 50 AFOLs in attendance, Brickvention has since become a popular event for Australian AFOLs and regularly attracts local and international visitors.
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