Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published April 27, 2021. Continuing our guest article on building LEGO skyscrapers from Deep Shen (read the first half here), today we learn the SNOT tricks, Pythagorean triples, and jumper techniques you need to know to build big architecture! 6. Isn’t that stud supposed to be on top? No, it’s SNOT! A funny thing happened at the first LEGO convention where I displayed my skyscraper models. Someone from the general public came up to me and asked how I had built the green roof in my model of 40 Wall Street. “Oh, I just used SNOT...” I started saying without thinking twice, and before I had a chance to explain what I meant, the guy had moved away with a puzzled (and slightly disgusted) look on his face. Little did he know that SNOT (Studs Not On Top) is what we AFOLs call a technique...

Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published April 26, 2021. Building LEGO models of real-life skyscrapers is more complex than it seems. How do you get the right scale, nail the details, support the weight, and make the MOC portable!? To help answer those questions, we are pleased to feature a guest article from Deep Shen discussing LEGO architecture. Deep’s amazing portfolio of work can be found at Towering Brick Creations, on his Flickr page and on Instagram. My introduction to LEGO architecture It was a great honor to meet and talk LEGO with Sean Kenney at Brickfair VA 2019. It was one of his models that inspired me to get started in this hobby. My name is Deep Shen and my journey to AFOLdom has been a little unusual. Many AFOLs talk about a “dark age” that they emerged from to rediscover their childhood passion for LEGO. In my case,...

A new month is upon us which means more competitive building! Are you ready? Here’s the latest batch of LEGO contests and challenges from all around the AFOL community for May 2023 to help you find some inspiration and motivation to build! There’s nothing quite like a theme or a prompt to take you out of your comfort zone and give you something new to try. Besides, contests are the perfect place to interact with other contestants and judges and get to know your fellow builders. And if you’re like me, a deadline helps make sure you actually finish! We’ve listed them in order of deadline so you can plan your building time to the best advantage. Make sure to check the LEGO activity calendar for local challenges and events near you. Here at BrickNerd, some of our fondest memories, greatest building achievements, coolest trophies, and best friendships came from LEGO...

Writing an introduction to a piece about X-wings honestly feels like a waste of time. It’s an icon of cinema, a hallmark of special effects, and a reason thousands of AFOLs roll their eyes every year when LEGO decides to release “just another X-wing.” Case in point: it is the spaceship that has the most LEGO products dedicated to it, surpassing both the beloved Millennium Falcon as well as the classic TIE Fighter. With “just another X-wing” entering the market this month we wondered what makes the ship so fascinating and decided to sit down with Tom Loftus (Flickr/Instagram) to talk shop ships. Tom, a spaceship builder extraordinaire from the UK, just recently published his fourth take on the iconic starfighter (along with free instructions!), and considering his third has found a home in AFOL displays all over the world, we can only imagine how many people are frantically BrickLinking the...

In 1983, fans of Star Wars were treated with the third episode wrapping up the galactic saga that revolutionized sci-si storytelling. It is hard to believe that was 40 years ago! I was only 5 years old when Return of the Jedi came out. So for Star Wars Day this year, I wanted to share with you a MOC I made a few years ago to celebrate ROTJ—and show how I updated the MOC for the anniversary celebrations this year. Here Goes Nothing What started all of this was the set 40623 Battle of Endor Heroes, aka the ROTJ BrickHeadz. When LEGO offered BrickNerd a copy of the set, I knew exactly what had to be done. The set includes five iconic characters from the film including Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, Lando Calrissian, the Ewok Wicket and Princess Leia. I enjoyed the BrickHeadz builds. There are some interesting internal parts added to the...

A LEGO masterpiece is characterized by three key aspects: aesthetic design, eye-catching details, and a realistic atmosphere. With this perfect combination, a LEGO builder can show you a real treat for your eyes. Today we're going to enjoy some brilliant examples from Victor van den Berg, a very talented and creative artist who I have the pleasure of introducing to our BrickNerd community! Introductions Ann: Hi Victor! We're excited to discuss your wonderful LEGO creations with you! Please, tell us a bit about yourself. Victor: First of all, I would like to thank you for the interview! It is very nice to tell something about this hobby that got out of hand and what better place than BrickNerd? About me: I live in the Netherlands, and I am 54 years old. I work as a Professor at Mad Science; a company that teaches children about technology and science at schools. After...

Today we feature a guest article from one of BrickNerd’s patrons Liz Puleo. She shares her experience building and modding set 43225 The Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell. A Spe-shell Set Yes, buckle up, we are going all in on puns for this article! Get ready to dive under the sea to see what being part of Ariel’s world is like living in a giant clam shell. Receiving 43225 The Little Mermaid Royal Clamshell on behalf of BrickNerd was an absolute joy. As a lover of all things Disney, I knew that the new Ariel and friends would find a place in my heart and my home. (Make sure to read about a few other Disney princesses I’ve built homes for.) Seeing the set for the first time, I was struck by how structural the base was and how small the minifigures felt in comparison. When the set was rumored back in...

We don’t talk about new LEGO sets much at BrickNerd—there are a plethora of other great sites that do that. However to help us keep the quality up and ads down, we need your help. If you are going to purchase any new LEGO sets and want to help out BrickNerd simultaneously, we ask that you use our affiliate link for LEGO.com. It is a great way to support community-focused journalism without costing you more than you are already spending on LEGO. You support BrickNerd at the same time you get your new Star Wars X-Wing, SSD, or Throne Room diorama. Or you could get some Disney Collectible Minifigures, the Little Mermaid UCS Sea Shell, or the new LEGO Ideas space vignettes. Even if you just get a keychain using our link, we appreciate the help. There are also a ton of deals in the VIP center, Star Wars-related gifts with...

Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published March 22, 2021. Throughout the past year, AFOLs around the world have been prevented from getting together physically and sharing the thing they love most. In my opinion, LEGO is best viewed and experienced up close and in person—and though virtual cons and meetups have filled the gap, nothing comes close to seeing a LEGO model’s minute details. It’s hard to convey the time, effort, size and even emotion that goes into a MOC through a few photos on a computer or phone screen. Some of the small details I miss seeing are from models made by the amazing Paul Hetherington. If you ever come across his work at a convention (which I’m sure a lot of you have) then you know his models can captivate and memorize you. I remember seeing his Tiki Madness MOC at Bricks Cascade last February and just standing...

April arrived in force with a bevy of interesting articles, fascinating features, insightful deep dives, and eye-catching videos from all across the LEGO community. We are lucky to have this many outlets and channels that keep creating incredible content, and these are the best of the month. Here at BrickNerd, we published the case for and against purism, posted instructions to build a ballerina and some art supplies, and teased a “Children Welcome” initiative along with revealing the work behind LEGO’s Majestic Horse April Fools joke. We explored the classic minifigure smile, forgotten minifigure packs, working LEGO clocks, and building trains with style. We’ve chatted with AFOLs with kids, autistic AFOLs, and charitable AFOLs. We’ve even analyzed the rise of big sets and the basics of a LUG. In fact, we’ve published so many interesting articles in April, that we’ve included an interactive calendar of them at the bottom of this...