Brickworld Virtual: A Bricknerd Exclusive Interview

I sat down the other day with Brickworld’s Mark Larson. Actually, it was just a Zoom meeting. Social distancing, you know, safety first!

ElBarto!: So, this is your first year at the helm of Brickworld. What a challenging time to take over this massive operation!  Do you hold a grudge against Bryan?  I know I would.

Mark Larson: Not at all.

EB: Not even a little?  Be honest.

ML: OK, yeah. A huge grudge. How dare he know the future and sell me the company anyway? He TRULY got out at the right time. Luck was on his side, not mine. Bryan has been amazingly supportive during all of this. He has several times expressed how terrible he feels that this is happening in my first year of ownership. The last thing it is is his, or anyone's fault. And it's only the first year. I purchased a strong brand and the shows are already amazing. It was a good investment, even if it's not immediately paying off. Or even if it's immediately making life incredibly difficult. :D Bryan is the structure behind all of the virtual shows. He's spent a ton of time building the website to have the capability to host the virtual shows and learning a lot in order to make them operate smoothly. I couldn't be doing this without him, but I'd be dead without Kathie.

EB: It's called Brickworld Virtual.  As a member of VirtuaLUG, it seems fair that we should get some sort of cut of the proceeds, you know, with the name and all.  What do you think?

ML: What percentage of 0 would you like? These virtual events, while I do plan to incorporate them somehow into future in-person shows and even do some virtual events in the future, once this is all over—whenever the Jack Stone that will be—they're no replacement for the live events. These events are great and I'm happy to be continuing to connect the community but they're not a profit-making model quite yet.

EB: I see that the event is going to feature some of the contestants from the Brick Masters TV show. What's all that about?

ML: They will be doing some really fun activities all day. At 11am, 1pm, and 3pm CDT they'll be competing in challenges designed by fans. Stop in and maybe you'll get a chance to design a challenge for them. At noon and 4pm, they will be building #MessagesOfHope for Wish Kids. The Make-A-Wish network is running a social media campaign since #WishesAreWaiting. Stop in and build some messages of hope for them to post on social media for all the Wish Kids who aren't able to have their wishes fulfilled due to social restrictions right now.

EB: Is Amy Corbett going to be there?  I really dig her accent.  Do you have her contact info?

ML: I love her too. I have a platonic crush on her. I could listen to her talk for days.

EB: I hear that Dave Kaleta is going to be showing off his Alphabet Fighters, and Bart Larrow is presenting his worlds famous Battlestar Galactica.  Those guys are so cool, right?

ML: Who? Dave and Bart are doing something else really cool, besides just presenting their amazing MOCs in great detail and sharing their creative secrets with the community, they're doing a build challenge every hour. So, stop in at any hour and participate in a cool challenge and maybe get to show off what you built!

EB: Anything else you want to mention?  Are you presenting? I hear you're a pretty decent builder.

ML: Meh, I'm OK. Because I'm at the help desk, I'm not displaying. I designed the Escape House game which will run at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm CDT. Maybe some day I'll find somebody to cover the help desk for me and I'll do some stuff.

So there you have it, folks! Exclusive behind the scenes content on the upcoming Brickworld Virtual. Click on any of the pics in the slideshow to find out more.

BricksLA Here We Come!

As soon as I finish typing this I'm hopping in the shower and packing up the swag. It's time to head to BricksLA! I'm very excited that Mrs. BrickNerd is joining me this year (her first time). We'll see you there!

BrickFair Virginia 2017 Recap

It's that time of year again. BrickFair Virginia 2017 wrapped up this past Sunday after five days of friends, games, shopping, and mostly LEGO. BrickFair is my favorite week of the year because of how friendly the LEGO community is. I saw lots of old friends and new friends this year, and in just the same way I saw lots of old and new MOC's. My fellow contributor Nathaniel was there this year as well, and we'd like to share some of our favorite MOC's of the weekend with you, below. You can find more information about BrickFair here. Nathaniel has written a few words about his experience at the convention below as well.

Hi guys! Nathaniel here. I can't believe that BrickFair has already ended. As the highlight of my summer, it always goes by too quickly. As Kodi said above, both he and I were there proudly representing BrickNerd to fellow exhibitors and the public. It was great to see old friends again, and make some new ones for future conventions. How can I summarize BrickFair Virginia, without spending hours describing it? It's simply pure joy. I would highly recommend it to any fellow LEGO builder. If you're really interested in seeing more of the convention, I would highly recommend that you head on over to Beyond the Brick's YouTube channel and await their guided video tour of the convention.

Already looking forward to next year! Until then, we will take our memories (and loot) and look to the future.

So long, BrickFair!

Kodi & Nathaniel

Brickworld 2017

Another year of Brickworld has come and gone, but the memories and photos remain for us to share with you. The BrickNerd crew had another showing this year at what is one of the largest if not the largest LEGO convention in North America.

There was a little something for everyone at this year's convention including a massive WWII battleship, an abandoned amusement park, some very cool life-sized video game replicas, and even a mecha Duplo bunny.

If you ever have the chance to attend I highly recommend you do so, because you will have the chance to meet some truly friendly and, quirky LEGO fans from around the world who really make the event what it is, fun.

They Have A Machine!

On Wednesday I was one of 100 lucky AFOLs to go to the new Lego Store in London before it officially opened to the public. The store is the largest Lego brand retail store in the world and has two floors of Lego loveliness. There was a well documented scratch card giveaway of the Lester mini figure mascot (I did not win one) I did however win a go on their new Lego Mosaic Machine. This is essentially a photo booth that turns your face into instructions to make a Lego mosaic of it! It comes with a box (set number 40179) of 4500 1x1 plates in 5 colours (900 of each) and a 48x48 baseplate. Normally it retails in the store for £99.99 but as it contains nearly £240.00 worth of lego (at Shop at Home prices) its a bargain. But better than that you have your own super exclusive lego set! And I will share that with you here, no copying it now, I can trust y'all?

BrickCon Was Awesome

It's Monday morning after BrickCon, I'm still in denial that it's over. There's always a little sadness that follows the closing ceremonies, as we all breakdown the MOCs and strip the tablecloths off. It takes over two days to set it up, and it's gone is just a few minutes. The reality sets in that it's over, at least for another year. The time spent with old friends and making new ones is really what it's all about for me. I mean the MOCs are great of course, but it's the people that bring them, the ones you chat with, dine with, party with, that are really what makes a con what it is. So many laughs, so many hand shakes, so many hugs, it's been great to be back.

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The Bricks of Characters display was outstanding as usual, with a diverse array of everything you could imagine. From humorous to scary, from big to small and from clean to downright filthy (I'm looking at you Angus). With a "head count" of approximately 232 characters, it was pretty epic. I'd like to thank everyone for contributing to our little corner of insanity, you all rock.

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Of course none of it would be possible without the biggest character of all, Iain Heath. He and I enjoyed taking our interpretation of the event's theme "Madness" to the next level, even going full ska for our outfits on Saturday. Since I couldn't be here last year, at least not in all three dimensions, it had been two years since we'd seen each other in person, it's been awesome to be reunited with my good friend.

I'm also happy to report that my MOC of the band took the award "One Step Beyond" (how appropriate) at the awards ceremony (big thanks to the Beyond the Brick guys for agreeing to be our judges). So now it's time to recover, and thankfully I'm staying in the area a few more days to see what other mischief me and Iain can get into. But first, time to rest. Thanks to everyone I encountered over the last four days for making BrickCon super special, you're what makes it great.

BrickCon Is Nigh - It's Madness!

I'm scrambling to make all the last minute preparations before heading off to Seattle for BrickCon 2016. Me and my PIC Iain Heath are ready for some serious Bricks of Character action this year, and very happy to be celebrating the awesome theme, Madness!

Madness has always been a favorite band of ours, so we're going "skall-out" to celebrate. I finally finished my MOC yesterday and can't wait to see it on the BOC table with all the rest of the awesome MOCs you all bring.

And here's the trophies we're going to be handing out, minus their engraved brick, those will be added at the last minute. 

I can't wait to see all my friends and make some new ones. If you're going to be at the con or visiting during the public days track me down to say "hi" and get some BrickNerd swag. See you all there!

BrickFair Virginia (2016) Recap

Well, another year of BrickFair Virginia has come and gone.  Why must it always pass us by so quickly?!  Sad remarks aside, let's get into the joy that is BrickFair. 

As usual, the creations displayed were phenomenal!  There's always something new to see at this convention, which is a fact that I always look forward to when I attend.  I personally always enjoy meeting the upcoming builders that attend this event for their first time equally to reconnecting with old friends and other great builders.

It's easy for us here at BrickNerd to praise such a great convention, but what do other attendees have to say?  I conducted two brief interviews with a first timer at the convention and another builder who has attended for multiple years:

This was your first time as an exhibitor at a LEGO convention and attending BrickFair VA.  What was your favorite part about the event that makes you want to attend again next year?

Dominic M.:  "My favorite part about BrickFair is just about everything! There's plenty to do like meet new people, buy cool things, and show everyone what you can do as a LEGO builder! If you're a big fan of LEGO and you like to see other creations, or you want to show off your own, BrickFair is the place to go!"

I know that you have attended BrickFair VA for multiple years now.  What is it about this event that brings you back every year?

Joseph Z.:  "It gives me an opportunity to meet people in my community.  I also like the chance to see some of my favorite builds in person, and see old friends, of course!"

My fellow BrickNerd contributor Kodiak and I were both fortunate to attend the event and together have pulled together some photos of the highlights that were on display.  These photos are not enough to truly give you the experience, but hopefully they are enough to inspire you all to attend! 

Until next year, BrickFair!

Nathaniel & Kodiak

Nerdvanna

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.