Etch A Sketch

So you’re drawing a camel, and you’re about half done when a commercial comes on for the Kenner Star Wars Death Star playset so naturally you look up and watch. Now it’s time to continue, but which way to turn the knob? You know this one does the up and down, but which way? Oh, c’mon, you were just doing it, it’s supposed to be natural by now! Ok, let’s go clockwise…GAH!

Welcome to my childhood, thanks for a dose of nostalgia derjoe.

Mass Effect Disciple Shotgun

You’ll no doubt be shocked to learn that I haven’t played Mass Effect (I say that about every game, maybe I should game more) but that doesn’t keep me from appreciating a sweet bit of sci-fi weaponry. This state of the art pew pew by Sheo looks like it leapt right off the screen, and is ready to mow down some baddies.

Vintage Boombox

Ok, I know old radios weren’t called boomboxes, but hear me out. It’s a box, and it plays music, is there any real difference? At what point does a radio become a boombox? When you add a tape deck? Now granted I don’t really see one of these on the street next to some cardboard blasting RUN DMC, it’s more likely to in a sitting room with some Glen Miller streaming out. But that doesn’t mean grandma isn’t wearing parachute pants and a Kango though. Builder adde51.

I Brought The Mix Tape, You Bring The Cardboard?

I’ve written about this before, but I have no shame, I used to break dance. When hiphop hit the scene in my youth my mind was blown, and I was a fan. I had a pile of tapes, from Run DMC to Twilight 22 and everything in between. And I loved to pop and lock with one of these babies blasting the beat. The boombox, like this one from Cha Mi, was as a part of the culture as parachute pants and fingerless gloves. It was all silly as anything but we ate it up.

Old School

We’ve discussed my exceeding oldnessness on this blog a few times. For instance, I remember when there there as only three channels, and the remote control looked a lot like me, because it was me. I remember lawn darts, pong and Star Wars action figures being “new”. And I remember a time before all these magnetic mediums by builder Cha Mi, and their inevitable demise.

The One That Started It All

I vividly remember when the Gameboy came out. I was working on The Boneyard in North Carolina and saw a segment on TV promoting it. The next day I went to Wal-Mart (the first I’d ever been to) and bought two, one for me and one for my girlfriend. I then proceeded to play it non-stop for years. It was truly a game changer (pun intended) and I’m proud to say I still have them 30 years later, not that they’re totally functional. I still have my girlfriend too, only now I call her my wife. Thanks for the warm fuzzy nostalgia Cha Mi.

This MOC Measures Up (See What I Did There?)

This was another one of those “almost scrolled right past it because of the thumbnail” moments. Builder Attacki Works crafted this incremented wonder to exact specs, making it so realistic I barely gave it a glance. Then I thought “why would anyone take a picture of a ruler?” Unfortunately it’s not much good for measuring small stuff, because it’s over six feet long!

A Tribute To Queen

The timing of this wonderful pair of builds from Nick Brick is absolutely perfect for me, since I finally got a chance to watch Bohemian Rhapsody just last week. It’s Brian May’s legendary Red Special and Freddie Mercury’s iconic “Bottomless Microphone”. The guitar was built by Brian and his dad, and was subsequently used on every Queen album. The legend of the mic is in the band’s early days during a performance Freddie’s mic stand came apart, and he just went with it. He discovered he liked it that way and the rest is history.

Metronome

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.

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.

Human Sized Minifig Weapons

Bill Doran of Punished Props Academy has posted a video that intersects Nerds&Makers and BrickNerd, so much so that this is the first ever cross post between both websites. Bill went old school classic castle and crafted props of both a sword and shield using common materials and fairly basic tools. And in their classic style he and Brit documented the whole process in great detail. Check out the video!

The Personal Stereo That Rocked The World

I consider myself lucky that my lifespan happened to be sliced out of history where it is. I’ve seen so many things: The transition of film to digital, the rise of the personal computer, the connecting of the world through the internet, four different television formats and so much more. I was just discovering music when bands like Run-DMC, Van Halen, Micheal Jackson, Beastie Boys, The B-52’s and so many more were at peak popularity. And I was there for this, the Sony Walkman (and it’s many, many copycats). These days everyone in the world has every song ever recorded at their fingertips whenever they want, so it’s really hard to imagine how this simple device rocked our world. We could take our music with us, wherever we went, and blast it without disturbing others, it was awesome. Thank you Ralf Langer for a little bit of nostalgia.

I've Got The Jam Box, You Got The Cardboard?

As I’ve confessed before on this blog, I used to breakdance, and not to brag but I was pretty good. So clearly I was a kid of the 80’s, when the portable stereo, boom box, jam box or whatever you called it was king. And I have to admit I have a soft spot for these little icons, like this one from builder Cha Mi. So let’s crank up the Twilight 22, I’ve got some poppin’ and lockin’ to do.

Noteworthy Creation

I’m a sucker for a real-world creation, especially one as well executed as this one from builder legoloverman. The thin lines were achieved through the clever use of hinges, and the spiral binding with hoop blades. My favorite detail is more subtle though, and perfectly appropriate, that’s Eraser’s head on the end of the pencil there.

"Paper" Cut Chicken

This is one of those MOCs you might just scroll past if you weren't paying very close attention. what really sells it is the "scraps" and the scissors (which are also brick built). A very clever intersection of crafts and poultry from builder EugeneTTs.

Pre-Wine

I almost scrolled right past this awesome little MOC by builder jigsawjo. Yes, it's a LEGO creation, look closer. Those are technic ball joints for the grapes, attached to plant leaves. And the leaf is a cleverly employed green cape. I love creations like this, even if they do make me do a comic double take and almost spill my tea.

Phantoms.su

The thumbnail of this brilliant MOC by timofey_tkachev totally got me. I was scrolling right past it, because it was just a picture of a monitor right? I don't have to ask you to imagine how I felt to discover with delight it's brick-built, I assume you just went through the same discovery. This is the front page of the Russian LEGO club phantoms.su, I can't read a word of it, but I don't care.

I'm Sorry Dave...

I never considered the fact that I'm the same age as 2001: A Space Odyssey, technically I'm older by three months. Now that we're the ripe old age of 50, it's time to look back with reverence, or in my case wonder where all the time has gone (and where my hair went). Brandon Griffith is celebrating this landmark (Kubrick's classic, not my dusty butt) with this gorgeous helmet reproduction.

Motion Tracker

I love props, especially fan-built props. Seriously, you'd think after 30 years in the movie biz I'd be over that crap, but no (did you see the blaster I built?). And that extends to props from video games, like this absolutely awesome motion tracker from the game Alien: Isolation by Nick Brick. As usual, Nick nailed the look, and always one to "plus it up" he added lighting effects as well. I want one of these!

D.A.R.C.I.

The king of prop weapons Nick Brick is back with another phenomenal reproduction. This is the D.A.R.C.I. (Data Analysis, Reconnaissance, and Cooperative Intelligence device) from Destiny 2, a sophisticated sniper rifle with some serious special features. The prop is over 43" and features a light up scope, moving trigger, sliding charging handle and removable magazine.