If you are a fan of Imperial-inspired MOCs, you might be familiar with the work of Evan Crouch aka Evancelt. He builds vibrant ships, houses, battles and more from that era (and always with sharp photos so you can feast your eyes on those splendid MOCs). We asked Evan how his interest started in building in this theme and how he puts the LEGO bricks to good use. Sailing the Brick Seas Marco: Looking at your Flickr and Instagram accounts, I see an abundance of historical-based MOCs. Some are Wild West-themed or Castle-themed, but even more MOCs are based on the Imperial/Age of Sail era, including ships, fortresses, battles, and vignettes. What is the reason you like this theme so much? Where do you get your inspiration from? Evan: I grew up in Pennsylvania in the eastern United States, specifically in an area that had lots of history tied to Colonial America...

LEGO has started a new promotion for the LEGO Botanicals Field Flowers (30701) polybag on the LEGO Shop. From now until February 7, you can get it with purchases of $40, excluding pre-orders, while supplies last. This promo also stacks with the Celebration Series: Valentine’s Day Box (40759) with purchases of $75. In addition, there are some new bundles that allow you to save 15% on various sets. Both sets in the bundle have to be in the cart to get the discounts. These promos also run until February 7. Wildflower Bouquet (10313) & Flower Bouquet (10280) – Save $18 Tiny Plants (10329) & Succulents (10309) – Save $15 Retro Camera (31147), New York Postcard (40519), London Postcard (40569) – Save $7.50 Wild Safari Animals (31150) & Forest Animals: Red Fox (31154) – Save $17.25 Passenger Airplane (60367) & Yellow Delivery Truck (60440) – Save $33 The post LEGO Botanicals Field...

The relationship between LEGO MOCs and AI is a knotty one (one we’ve already looked into here at BrickNerd more than once!). lego-ish dragon designed with playground ai But in this article, instead of tackling the general ethics of AI or the possibility of it taking over the LEGO MOCing community, I’d like to explore something far more niche—the use of AI as a tool for a very specific sort of MOC, one that many of us often struggle with: brick-built animals. Yes, some people seem to have an innate talent for it, but for most of us, looking at something like a fox or a horse and trying to think where to start snapping the bricks together is enough to produce a migraine. Their shapes are so organic, bending and blending every which way with a degree of smoothness you can only drool over, and when it comes to LEGO, it...

LEGO has revealed two new LEGO Minecraft sets that will be based on the upcoming A Minecraft Movie. Both sets will be released in March and feature all the main characters including Steve, Natalie, Dawn, Garrett, and Henry. Woodland Mansion Fighting Ring (21272) – 491 pieces/$49.99 The Woodland Mansion Fighting Ring (21272) set is a high-quality building toy for kids. It makes a great Minecraft® gaming gift for boys and girls and fans of the Minecraft movie aged 10 and up. The LEGO® Minecraft building set features toy figures from the movie – Steve, Garrett, Henry, a baby zombie, a chicken jockey and a posable great hog – plus weapons and potions that kids can use as they recreate battle scenes and explore adventures of their own. The set features a functional fighting ring with score-keepers and handles kids can attach to the fighters. There’s also a mansion facade with a...

Building LEGO creations of manga and anime characters is usually the specialty of MOCers from Asia. It’s rare to come across this style in Europe. I had the chance to cross paths with Benjamin Walter, aka Bad Brick Boy, and chat with him to bring an overview of his fascinating work for BrickNerd readers. Meet Benjamin Sam: Hi Benjamin! We've met at several exhibitions in eastern France, but you're focusing on a theme from a much more distant region—manga? Benjamin: Hi Sam, I’ve been to a lot of exhibitions over the last few years, but my passion for LEGO goes back much further! Even as a kid, I used to reproduce the sets I saw in magazines with the bricks I had at home. Then with time and experience, I was able to turn my ideas into MOCs. For some time now, my favorite theme has been the reproduction of characters from Japanese...