Sometimes a spark of imagination, a group theme, prizes or even a deadline is all you need to get building! Here are all the LEGO community contests for the month of FebRovery… um, actually February!
Read MoreAre you ready to get building and maybe win a prize? Find some inspiration and motivation in these LEGO contests from all around the AFOL community! There’s nothing quite like a theme or a seed part to take you out of your comfort zone and give you inspiration to something new to try. Plus, contests are the perfect place to interact with other contestants and judges and get to know your fellow builders. And if you’re like me, a deadline is all I need to make sure I actually finish that WIP!
Read MoreA long time ago, in a suburban cul-de-sac far, far away, from me at least, the idea of a new LEGO blog was created. Tommy-Wan, I mean, Williamson, started BrickNerd and built its iconic Nerdly brick. Complete with taped glasses, the Nerdly has been customized from its humble 2x2 red brick origins to just about every character and theme you can imagine. And I can imagine quite a bit!
Now that the BrickNerd saga is back, there’s a New Hope that a contest of building skill and creativity will Awaken a Force of enthusiasm for the site among its readers and contributors.
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It’s here, Nerdvember is here! It’s time to break out the Nerdly instructions and get the creative juices flowing for BrickNerd’s annual building contest! We want you to build our mascot Nerdly, but not just any Nerdly, we want to see you get creative with him.
The theme this year is Video Games. Everything from the glorious first days of Pong to the incredibly popular Fortnite, and chunky 8-bit to millions of polys. We want you to find inspiration in all the wonderful pixel-based-time-wasters of the last four decades. Yes, it’s been over forty years of blips and boops and sore thumbs, and who knows how many thousands of games. We think you’ll agree there’s a whole lot to inspire some amazing creations and you have a whole month to build.
Just join the official Flickr group, blow on the cartridge, grab a joystick and start building, you have until midnight November 30th to enter as many times as you like. And just like past years we have an amazing group of sponsors with loads of awesome prizes. There's a Brick Loot box, lighting accessories from BrickStuff, a clock and watch from ClicTime, custom parts from Crazy Bricks, a subscription to BrickJournal, cool stuff from Brickmania, stickers from Cooper Works, custom printed bricks from EclipseGRAFX and to top it all off some of the brand new Overwatch sets from LEGO!
I’d also like to give a huge shout out to the incredibly talented Paul Lee for his awesome illustration of the official BrickNerd 10-Doh! A creative collaboration between BrickNerd and Nate Mitchell from Squid Kids Ink.
Rules:
Must submit to official Flickr group no later than Nov 30th 11:59pm PST
Enter as many times as you like
Please submit no more than two pictures per MOC
Tag your pictures with "Nerdvember"
Must be physically built, no digital models please
No age limit, but if you’re under 18 please ask your parents
No scale limit, build as big or small as you like
No knockoff brands (Kre-o, Mega, etc.) but third party accessories are OK (Brickforge, Brickarms, Brickstuff, etc.)
Stickers are allowed
The theme is Video Games, but you don't have to follow it if you don't want to, build whatever you want, just make it nerdy.
Download free instructions for Nerdly at bricknerd.com/diy-fanart
Prizes:
Winners will be featured on BrickNerd and there will be three prize packages of various levels of awesome, first second and third. No special categories or funny business, just 1 2 3. Prizes will be shipped directly from the sponsors starting in December. LEGO prizes will ship in January. Judging will be done by a small, secret committee, their word is final.
When I saw this awesome Nerdly MOC from Colin Hemmen on Facebook the first thing I thought of was a 1950's movie poster. If I had more time this morning I would already be in Photoshop, but I don't. Perhaps you do, I'd love to see this thing on a movie posters or pulp novel, you have the chops? I might even have some prizes, who knows?
It's here, Nerdvember 2017! I wanted to make a video to kick this off but I simply didn't have time, between traveling and a tight production schedule on back to back projects I'm stretched a bit thin, so I'll ask you to use your imagination. We hear a driving 80's beat, not unlike Jan Hammer and see multiple Miami Vice like shots of an exotic car driving through a picturesque coastal scene. Then the car stops and I step out of the car, dressed like Don Johnson. I tip down my mirror shades and say simply "welcome to Nerdvember". Now if that doesn't set the scene for a totally awesome 80's contest I don't know what does. That's right, Nerdvember 2017's theme is "80's" and everything that goes with it. Think of all the movies, TV shows, video games, music and pop culture of the 80's, and think how you could spin our mascot Nerdly to that and you get the idea.
If you're not in the know, this is Nerdly, BrickNerd's mascot, and he's bitchin'. Your task is to incorporate him into an awesome 80's mashup. Imagine him with a proton pack, singing Beat It, Terminating, whatever! If you need a little inspiration check out the entries from 2016 and 2015. And while the theme is 80's, you can also build whatever you want, we don't care as long as it's nerdy! You can download free instructions for Nerdly here.
Just join the official Flickr group, put on your Walkman, crank up the Duran Duran and start building, you have until midnight November 30th to enter as many times as you like. And just like past years we have an amazing group of sponsors with loads of tubular prizes. There's a Brick Loot box, lighting accessories from BrickStuff, a clock and watch from ClicTime, custom parts from Crazy Bricks, a subscription to BrickJournal, stickers from Cooper Works, custom printed bricks from CustomBRICKS and EclipseGRAFX and to top it all off some awesome sets from LEGO. I can't reveal what they are yet, but the theme is 80's you know (hint hint).
Update: No Starch Press has joined the sponsors and will be sending books to winners!
Rules:
Must submit to official Flickr group no later than Nov 30th 11:59pm PST
Enter as many times as you like
Please submit no more than two pictures per MOC
Tag your pictures with "Nerdvember"
Must be physically built, no digital models please
No age limit, but if you’re under 18 please ask your parents
No scale limit, build as big or small as you like
No knockoff brands (Kre-o, Mega, etc.) but third party accessories are OK (Brickforge, Brickarms, Brickstuff, etc.)
Stickers are allowed
The theme is 80's, but you don't have to follow it if you don't want to, build whatever you want, just make it nerdy.
Download free instructions for Nerdly at bricknerd.com/diy-fanart
Prizes:
Winners will be featured on BrickNerd and there will be three prize packages of various levels of awesome, first second and third. No special categories or funny business, just 1 2 3. Prizes will be shipped directly from the sponsors starting in December. Judging will be done by a small, secret committee, their word is final.
Wow, BrickNerd officially turns four years old today, I can't believe it. When I started I didn't know what I was doing, and nothing has changed, so it's been quite the adventure. If you had told me that I would blog somewhere around 1445 days and upload 135 videos, I would have have been skeptical. If you would have told me that Nerdly would become an internationally known mascot, I would have snickered. If you would have said that I would be recognized at events even on the other side of the world, I would have scoffed. I could not have predicted the many adventures me and Nerdly would go on, from simple trips to Disneyland to traveling to Portugal, I continue to be amazed and humbled by the doors that have been opened, and all the wonderful things I would not have believed were going to happen. But it's all true, and much, much more. BrickNerd is a labor of love, thank you all so very much for reading, watching, commenting and connecting, you make it all worth it.
It's the moment you've all been waiting for, the winners of Nerdvember 2016. I've said it before and I'll say it again, BrickNerd readers are the most talented, imaginative and awesome builders in the world. I heard it over and over from the judges this year, "so many good ones". It made it a joy to watch, and difficult to judge, but eventually three winners emerged, here they are in reverse order...
Those lovable aliens from Disney Pixar's Toy Story. It's hard to believe this movie was considered "risky" when it was made. Turns out good story telling is good story telling, who knew?
You've never had a friend like him! It's the lovable Genie from Aladdin, voiced by the late, great Robin Williams in the role he was born to play.
It's a Disneyland legend that recently became a reality, the Hatbox Ghost was an illusion that didn't quite work when the ride opened, and was allegedly removed shortly after (there is much debate about this). This is the first time my personal favorite was the judges' fave too.
Congratulations to our winners, and thanks again to all that entered. I'd also like to thank the sponsors of this event, you're all awesome. See you next Nerdvember!
And before you ask...
My three favorites were Hatbox Ghost, Steamboat Nerdly and Mickey Mouse Nerdly
I didn't vote
I use a ranking system for voting, judges are asked to give their favorite three in order, a score of 3 is assigned to first, 2 to second and 1 to third.
Judges will remain anonymous ( you know who you are, and you're awesome)
That timer at the top doesn't lie, you only have one week left to get nerdy with it. The creativity and skill of BrickNerd readers never ceases to amaze me, and I find great joy in checking out the official Flickr group every day. Tomorrow I will be at Disneyland to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family, the place where this all started, and you can bet I'll be checking in on my phone to see what you've all been up to. There's still plenty of time left, and no shortage of inspiration from the wonderful world of Disney, get building, enter, and maybe win some totally awesome prizes from BrickNerd and our splendid sponsors. Things like:
So what are you waiting for? Build on and nerd out!
2016 has been a rough year, but it's almost over. and so far Nerdvember has whooshed by. It's hard to believe it's already half over, but the countdown timer at the top of the page doesn't lie, you're running out of time! There's been a lot of very cool Nerdlys so far, but there's time for more, and if you haven't built one yet now's the time! We have some amazing prizes donated by the most awesome sponsors on the planet. Three winners will be chosen, you could be one of them, get building!
Yes it's here again, Nerdvember! What's Nerdvember you ask? It's that time of year we want you to reimagine our mascot Nerdly. This year the theme is Disney, and we're totally excited for it. You can find instructions for Nerdly under the Build tab, or just follow this link. If you need a little inspiration check out the MOCs from 2014 and 2015, then get building, you have until the end of the month. Three winners will be chosen, you could be one!
We have some excellent prizes from our awesome sponsors including books from No Starch Press, a subscription to BrickJournal, custom printed bricks from EclipseGRAFX and customBRICKS, stickers from Cooper Works, lighting products from Brickstuff and surprises from our pals at FBTB and Brick Loot. Oh, and some BrickNerd swag will be included as well.
We're also super excited to share that all three winners will receive a complete set of all 18 Disney Pixar Collectible Minifigures courtesy of LEGO!
You have until 11:59 pm PST on November 30th to enter. Just build, shoot, upload to Flickr, add your photo to the official group and you're in! So what are you waiting for? Build on and nerd out!
Rules:
Must submit to Flickr group no later than Nov 30th 11:59pm PST
Enter as many times as you like
Please submit no more than two pictures per MOC
Tag your pictures with "Nerdvember"
Must be physically built, no digital models please
No age limit, but if you’re under 18 please ask your parents
No scale limit, build as big or small as you like
No knockoff brands (Kre-o, Mega, etc.) but third party accessories are OK (Brickforge, Brickarms, Brickstuff, etc.)
Stickers are allowed
The theme is Disney, but you don't have to follow it if you don't want to, build whatever you want, just make it nerdy.
Download instructions for Nerdly at bricknerd.com/diy-fanart or this link
Prizes:
Winners will be featured on BrickNerd and there will be three prize packages of various levels of awesome, first second and third. No special categories or funny business, just 1 2 3. Some prizes will be shipped directly from the sponsors. Judging will be done by a small secret committee, their word is final.
Yesterday as many of you know I took a break from my family vacation at Disneyland to make a one day pilgrimage to the holy land, San Diego Comic Con (leaving Disneyland to go to SDCC, #FirstNerdProblems). It was a whirlwind tour of just the exhibits, no time to see any panels or stand in line to buy stuff.
The first significant stop was happening upon the legendary Bill Plympton, who was kind enough to sketch me an addition to the BrickNerd Art Project. He was ultra cool and it was a pleasure to meet him. You can bet this is going to get framed and hung on the studio wall as soon as I get home.
I continued my long trek, weaving up and down the aisles of the show floor after that, which is no small endeavor, especially with already tired legs from two days of theme park walking. If you've never been to SDCC, there's really no way to describe or explain it. It's absolutely enormous, and there's so many enthusiastic nerds from all over the world collected in one space that it's almost overwhelming, almost. There's SO much love there, so much joy for so many things. From comics to movies and from toys to fine collectibles, there's something for literally everyone there.
The next significant event needs a little setup. Back in 2005 I worked on Guillermo del Toro's masterpiece film Pan's Labyrinth. After principal photography was done, I was cleaning and organizing the camera gear we used at CafeFX and I ran across the insert slate, the little board you mark with what scene/shot you're filming. Normally I would have just wiped it clean and got it ready for the next gig, but by then we were far enough into the film I knew that we were working on something important and special, so I set it aside. It sat on a shelf in my office for several years after that, and when the company folded in 2009 I kept it as a memento. Fast forward to a few months ago and I was digging around on my workbench in the garage and I happened upon it. Just days earlier I was watching a video tour of Adam Savage's man cave on Tested.com and saw that he has a special GDT shelf among his amazing collection. He has props and mementos from many of his films. So my first thought was "this needs to be on that shelf, on display where it can be appreciated, not collecting dust in my garage".
I tweeted a picture out, but got no response from Adam. While packing for this trip I happened upon it again, and thought "what the heck, there's an incredibly remote chance I'll see him there and can just give it to him" and tucked it into my backpack. Fast forward again to yesterday, as I continued my way across the hall. I made to the Prop Store booth, one of my favorite stops every year to look at all the props and fun stuff from movies I love. While admiring an insert slate from The Empire Strikes Back I remembered the slate in my backpack and recalled that Adam usually makes his way to this very booth during one of his famous Adam Incognito videos. Not 45 seconds later, while admiring a full body prop from Terminator 3 I see Kylo Ren in my peripheral vision. Just last week Adam posted a video about making the neck piece for that costume and I thought "no way". Then I heard him talking and it sounded like him so I said "Adam?" It was him. I washed back and forth between giddiness to have found him, and utter shock to have found him. I told him I had something for him and dug it out of my backpack. It took a moment for him to realize what he was holding, and to register that it was for him. But his reaction after was great, I couldn't see him smiling under his mask, but I could tell by his body language (and huge hug) that he was pretty stoked. He needed to get get going so we snapped a quick pic and he was on his way. I wandered off too, content that I had just won comic con, mission accomplished.
While I did make several stops at the LEGO booth, it was always wrapped with people hungry to collect their convention exclusives (I was not among them, no special sets for me) and an absolute mob scene. I would have taken some pictures, but you all know what a bunch of people look like, just imagine that with a large LEGO sign hanging above them. I did duck in to say hi to LEGO master builder Erik Varszegi while he was building a giant Batgirl, always nice to see him.
After that it was just a lot of wandering, napping Nerdly selfies (he's so narcissistic), short chats with old friends I ran into and sweating (SDCC is always hot, always). Content I had seen and perspired enough I made my way back to the Amtrak station to catch my train back to Anaheim, SDCC 2016 was over for me. Time to start planning for next year, maybe this time I'll mark the calendar and not plan a Disney Vacation to coincide with the same weekend, duh.
Three years ago today BrickNerd officially launched, and what an adventure it's been. I could not have imagined where this little bespectacled brick would take me, the friends that I'd make, the doors he would open. I set out to start a small blog and YouTube channel in my garage, with an open-ended concept for company growth and a lot of ideas. Now three years later I have an amazing studio, an animation division and I've been invited to speak at an event. The outpouring of love and enthusiasm has been beyond my wildest expectations, and it makes doing this job seven days a week more than worth it. I'd like to say a huge thanks to all my readers, viewers, contributors, commenters (well, some of them), guests, clients, sorters, builders and all the others that have helped me bring all my stupid ideas to life the last three years. I'd also like to thank my family for supporting me through this wacky endeavor, you're the best.
I love this. With seven parts builder monsterbrick has managed to combine two of my favorite things, namely Nerdly and Star Wars, into one adorable package. I like to imagine this baby trudging through the snow of Hoth, bright red and an easy target in the sea of white, bring it on you rebel scum!
NERDvember is well on it's way, and the competition is heating up. The group is almost 50 members strong and there's been some brilliant submissions so far.
I thought I'd take some time to highlight some of the sponsors and tell you about some of the amazing prizes that are being offered this year. First off is The LEGO Group, who generously donated a First Order Snowspeeder, Rey's Speeder and Darth Vader! In addition to those FBTB is donating some polybags as well, so there's going to be plenty of LEGO in the prize packages.
No Starch Press is donating three books to lucky winners, one for each prize pack. They are Beautiful LEGO Wild, LEGO Scale Modeling and Medieval LEGO.
This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, stay tuned as we reveal more prizes in the coming days, and if you haven't already started building, you better break out the bricks!
That's right you Nerdly building maniacs, NERDvember is here! Sure Halloween is fun, and everyone loves the Holidays, but November is quickly becoming our favorite month of the year. That's the month you crazy talented builders all over the world create some amazing MOCs inspired by BrickNerd's mascot Nerdly. Three winners will win prize packages including loads of stuff from our awesome sponsors. This year we're giving out some super sweet prizes.
With Star Wars The Force Awakens so close, and us being such nerds, we thought we'd put an emphasis on MOCs from the Star Wars universe this year. Of course, if you have any ideas on how you'd elaborate on Nerdly, go right ahead, it doesn't have to be Star Wars related. If you need some inspiration, here's last year's incredible creations.
Head over to the official Flickr group, read the rules, join up, download Nerdly instructions if you need them and get building. We can't wait to see what you create!
Huge thanks to all the awesome sponsors for this year!
There are multiple levels of cool going on here. First, it's Stitch, one of my favorite Disney characters. Next, it's Iron Builder, his nose is the seed part. Lastly is the form factor, directly inspired by MOCs build last Nerdvember. I do think he'd look better with some Nerdly glasses though :-)
While attending BrickMagic last weekend I took some time to visit with Victor Fernandez of EclipseGRAFX and learn more about the fascinating world of custom printed LEGO elements, our project: 1x1 red tiles with Nerdly glasses, dubbed "Nerdletes" (Nerdly Chicletes, get it?)
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I'm very pleased to announce the winners of the Next Level Nerdly contest. I'd like to extend thanks to all that entered, you're all fantastic builders. But in the end there can be only three so without further ado, here's our winners...
Transformers roll out! This is an amazing build that the pictures don't really do justice for. Don't believe me? watch the video!
We're off to see the wizard! This is a pretty brilliant reimagining of The Wizard of Oz that I have no doubt would be more entertaining than the original (which I still have never been able to watch in a single sitting)
This builder dared to explore the dark inner workings of Nerdly. Who knew his eyes lit up?
He's so SQUISHY!
You have today and tomorrow until midnight PST to finish your Next Level Nerdly! One lucky winner is going to win a very exclusive plush Nerdly! You don't have to be attending Brick Magic to win, get building!
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