Have you ever wondered what the LEGO community was like in the 2000s? Today’s guest writer and veteran builder Nannan Zhang shares his thoughts on building and sharing MOCs online for the past 20 years. Humble Beginnings in a Humble Community Space 2004—In that year, Flickr was launched, MOCpages celebrated its first birthday, BrickLink turned three, and Brickshelf was the big brother of the budding community at five years old. It was on a slow day during my high school summer break that I typed the word “lego” into my search browser. What happened after that changed my life. I discovered the online LEGO community by stumbling upon Brickshelf and MOCpages. For the first time, I saw giant spaceships, massive castles, large LEGO dioramas, and more. Enthralled by awesome creations from AFOLs, I embarked on an adventure to achieve a high level of skill and technique in MOC building so that...

Cecilie Fritzvold is no stranger to building Nintendo mascots with LEGO. She brought Mario Kart to brick form long before there was an official license (and revisited it in adorabuild form!) For a recent Smash Bros collab, Cecilie chose her fighter from the constellation of Mario characters:  Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy. The celestial maiden and adoptive mother of the Lumas became a fan favorite, injecting more sadness and story into the Mario formula. Cecilie perfectly captures Rosalina’s charm in brick form, from the half-covered face to the pre-spin pose with the Star Cursor. The design of Rosalina’s partner, Luma, is equally impressive from just a handful of parts, especially the floppy point made from a cattle horn. While the pair might look sweet, especially in LEGO, don’t underestimate them in the Smash Bros arena or they just might blow you to star bits. The post LEGO Rosalina watches over you...

Keep your Mustangs and your Harley-Davidsons. For me, nothing captures the spirit of the American road like a semi-truck. German LEGO builder Eugen Sellin pays tribute to the American freight truck with a gorgeous diorama that pairs his highly detailed vehicle design with an enormous warehouse. The truck is built in the 9-wide* scale of newer Speed Champion sets, which allows for smooth lines and great detail in both the cab and the freight pallets being pulled (love those Octan cylinders).  The warehouse is just as impressive, elevating a simple box design with wonderful textures, great use of color, an asymmetrical base, and attention to detail from the ventilation units to the papered-over windows. I especially appreciate the care taken to the road and concrete barriers. Even in the face of infrastructural decline, blue-collar workers keep on truckin’. The post Amazing LEGO big rig delivers the goods appeared first on The...

Building a good LEGO frog can be a challenge, with so many organic shapes, but Maxx Davidson shows how effective some parts can be. Take the surfboard used for both the front and back legs, with the back legs upside-down. The eyes built on a 45-degree angle give this handsome frog a great personality. But as much as I love the frog, the big mushroom competes for my attention. The post He may not be a prince, but this LEGO frog is certainly worthy of the crown appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Daniel

If there’s one thing you should know about me in this wonderful LEGO hobby, it’s that I love a good brick-built anthropomorph! So this trio of summertime fruits getting their chill on by Palixa And The Bricks really speaks to my core. First up is an adorable watermelon slice relaxing in a lawn chair. There’s nothing like a refreshing beverage to cut through that summer heat, and there’s no doubt this little dude needs to hydrate. While simple, the Converse-style shoes here are everything! But if you desire something more technical, the design of that LEGO folding chair is absolutely wicked. Next up is an adorable pineapple about to go for a dip. The character construction here is great, crafting the appropriately rough exterior of a pineapple while still covering the entirety of its tubular body. And the crown of leaves atop its head is gorgeous. I especially like the red...