Build smarter, sturdier LEGO spaceships this SHIPtember with engineering tips for strong frames and precise polygons. This guide explores the geometry and design principles behind rigid, swooshable SHIP frames that won't sag.
Read MoreGuest contributor Casey McCoy continues the story of one of the most prolific LEGO builders and community creators of the past decade, Simon Liu. From SHIPtember and BattleSHIP to New Hashima and beyond, you never know what Simon will build next.
Read MoreSometimes 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 and challenges for the month of September 2021.
Read MoreSometimes 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 and challenges for the month of August 2021.
Read MoreThis is definitely a case of better late than never. Builder Proudlove started this awesome space station for SHIPtember but didn’t get it done in time. Thankfully he persevered and we get to appreciate it. And while it wasn’t done in time for that it was finished in time for Brickomanie 2019, and attendees were able to see this lovely creation in person (and I’m a bit jealous).
No, that's not the wrong date, these are the 80 entries from last year compiled into a gigantic poster by Brixnspace. And while it's pretty nifty here, you need click through to see it in high resolution to really appreciate all the SHIPs. And if that's not enough you can download the ultra high-res file (seriously, it's 14400x8400), which can be printed at full poster size.
SHIPtember may be over, but the memories live on, and with a few late arrivals we can keep celebrating. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Tim Schwalfenberg at BrickCon this year, he's a fascinating guy with mad building skills. For instance, he constructed this beast while actually away from home and his LEGO collection. The lineage to the Saturn V is obvious, but what a beautiful craft.
It's SHIPtember V, the fifth annual SHIP building contest! Eat. Sleep. SHIP!
As always, the objective of this incredibly fun competition is to build a massive and original SPACESHIP!, one that has to be a minimum of 100 studs in length. With one and a half weeks of building time to go, we thought it was time to showcase a few of our favorite completed SHIP's that have joined the Armada for SHIPtember V! Even some contributors for BrickNerd have gotten in on the action, like this SHIP by El Barto. I'm currently working on my entry, and I hope to see some other contributors participate! The SHIP's featured below, built by each builder respectively, are just a few of the completed SHIP's that we have yet to see. Head on over to the SHIPtember Flickr group to see more models in the works!
Builder nate_daly crafted an elegant and regal SHIP to celebrate SHIPtember, and it's quite lovely. The subtle, flowing forms and good balance of broad strokes to fine details really work here. And while it's mostly monochromatic, there's just enough color in select places to give it a bit of punch without getting garish. Click through for many more pictures and some WIP shots.
Cesbrick has long been one of my favorite builders. Typically, he builds in the medieval / fantasy theme, but today he has something completely new and different: a SHIP! Personally, this is my favorite model I have seen for SHIPtember 2016. The color choices used in this model are perfect, and what's even better is the fact that there is a perfect balance between them. The subtle amounts of light gray mixed into the white is very pleasing to the eyes. Furthermore, there are excellent examples of greebling all over this creation, and finally those fancy rings that wrap around this futuristic vessel - super cool! Already looking forward to next year's SHIPtember!
As most of you know (unless your internet has been down for a month), SHIPtember is almost over, which means that lots of ships are finally starting to pop up. Tim Schwalfenberg's latest sci-fi offering is very unorthodox (in the best possible way). Lots of spaceships are very angle-y, with plenty of hard edges. Tim's ship, however, is almost entirely curvy, making for an extremely eye-catching design. I particularly like the few trans-light blue accents; they really go well with the white and gold.
Tim Schwalfenber has just completed his Iron Builder round, and really kicked things off for SHIPtember with this stunning beast. I'm at a loss for words... Click the link and enjoy!
You may remember, back in SHIPtember, Tim Schwalfenberg's award winning Hurricane Battlecruiser. Well, he's been a busy guy building an entire fleet to go with it. Scroll through the photostream to see the intricate details and recurring design cues that tie the whole fleet together. Although I'm more of a rag-tag fleet kinda guy, this is a pretty awesome collection!
The space madness that is SHIPtember may be over, but beautiful craft continue to be revealed. This epic cruiser by builder VolumeX not only spans 137 by 62 studs, but boasts a truly staggering number of stickers: 438. It would be incredibly easy, especially when dealing with those kind of numbers, to overdo it on so many levels. But that's not the case here, this vessel is stunning front to back and top to bottom.
Well, SHIPtember is coming to a close, and that's when the big guns come out. Builder and SHIP evangelist S--MOCs has revealed his beast and it's pretty epic. The main thing I love about this vessel is the attention to detail in areas of little detail. Even areas with simple planes are subtly and expertly panel lined and broken up, for scale at any distance.
If we're ever going to truly strike out into the cosmos, we're going to have to overcome a simple problem: humans need gravity. And until some super big brains somehow develop artificial gravity, some other super big brains need to build a vessel like this, with a spinning axis to make sure we don't get muscle atrophy and can properly play ping pong. Builder El Barto has some inspiration here, go big brains go!
As SHIPtember lumbers on some builders are crossing the finish line early. But in this case, it's not about being done quickly, this is about being done awesomely. This SHIP by Rphilo004 is super clean and well designed. For me a hallmark of a fantastic build is an inability to judge scale, and you really need to look close at this vessel to see how big it really is.
I'm not totally certain, but I think Oche Jelly just won SHIPtember, or at least figured out the ultimate workaround. He also combined it with GARCvember and NeoClassicSpaceruary, just in the name of efficiency I'm sure. This WIP shot is also his final, so he won't have to keep us updated as well. Unfortunately he didn't address NERDvember, which is totally going to be a thing.
Galidor. A retired theme with a cult following, nearly universally hated by all. Just look at it. What part of this makes you think “LEGO?” Today we’ll take a look at the horrors of Galidor.
Shrek’s fairy-tale cast has arrived in LEGO minifigure form, but does everyone get a happily ever after? We take a close look at the movie references, a few puzzling design choices, and some useful parts for Castle builders.
What are the best ways to score cheap LEGO? If you’re willing to go to some effort, hidden LEGO pops up all over the place. In today’s guest article, Molly Patton shares her stories and tips at finding low-priced LEGO.
Are you one of those people that has a perpetually messy building table? If so, you are not alone. Ted Andes comes out in defense of creative clutter and pleads the case for there being a method-to-the-madness of a messy building table. Read on to find out why a little bit of disorganization can be a good thing.
What happens when you turn a LEGO pirate ship into a Great Ball Contraption? Brian Hickey and his family find out, building a working module and learning a few hard lessons when it joins the GBC loop at BrickCon.
The Spindlejack messengers have a new predator on their tail! Dan Ko shares his T-R3X Speeder Bike, a dinosaur-inspired ride for the light-fingered Swindlejerks, with free instructions to build your own bike and display stand.
Creating LEGO cityscapes is an AFOL passion, but how do you build sidewalks and curbs that curve like in real life? We share some step-by-step instructions using some helpful new elements to make sure your city has curb appeal.
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Did you know there is a LEGO convention held inside a world-renowned glass museum? Let’s step through the looking-glass together and learn what BrickNerd contributors Ted Andes and Daniel Zimmerman found at Empire Brick Con.