It's difficult to believe that I'm writing my 4th article about the one-of-kind LEGO Train fan event Bauspielbahn-Treffen 2024 (BSBT)--and my 3rd as a participant! Ever since learning about this event's existence, I have been a committed fan and supporter. As a reminder, BSBT is a LEGO fan event dedicated exclusively to trains, and takes place in the charming town of Schkeuditz, just 12 km northwest of Leipzig, Germany. My previous BrickNerd articles discussing BSBT are linked here for 2021, 2022, and 2023. For this article, I'm going to recount my BSBT 2024 experience in the style of a "travelogue" -- or "VLOG" style for folks familiar with the video equivalent! Wheels Up to Berlin? It all starts with the travel itinerary. As you can see from my Air Canada booking, it is a busy collection of flights including three German airports. Why so many? Predictably, it’s because of model trains!...

Vignweek is an annual building competition hosted by the online group RebelLUG. The challenge lasts one week and consists of six building prompts designed to leave room for each builder to get creative with the vignette they come up with. Each build must be submitted within 24 hours of the prompts release, or 48 hours for the last prompt. The builds must be between 16x16 and 32x32 studs as shown on the right. Each year there are two winners, one from the active members of the LUG and one from the community. This competition has been run for many years and never ceases to amaze me with the amount of creativity and level of skill that is demonstrated within a single day build. I had the pleasure of chatting with the community winner for Vignweek 2024, Carter Witz, to talk about his experience and take a look at the MOCs he...

A big goal of BrickNerd since Dave Schefcik took over as Nerd-in-Chief in 2021 (wow, time does fly!) has been community building throughout the wider LEGO community. Two of the earliest articles were Ted’s MoC talk articles (Part 1 and Part 2) about creating more of a MOC-building local community. I really enjoyed Ted’s thoughts, and since the beginning of BrickNerd’s reboot, I have wanted to write about running building contests and challenges for Gateway LUG for the last several years. Honestly, this has been a hard article to write the past few years, and I’m not entirely sure why. But if you run a building contest for your LUG and need another viewpoint, or if you’d like to see your LUG have contests, I hope my thoughts will help! The Beginning When I joined Gateway LUG in 2015, it was at the beginning of a somewhat rapid increase in membership, an increase...

Today’s guest article comes from Richard Dryden, a builder who has competed on LEGO Masters and helped create the Awesome Black Creativity project. Creative Compassion Over the Moon with Pharrell Williams (10391) is now one of the few outliers in the expansive universe of LEGO products. The set is built with the intention to serve every individual through a universal objective to encourage “curious empathy” and “creative compassion,” as stated in the opening pages of its instructions booklet. Sure that could be what is at the heart of every product by the LEGO Group, given its longstanding, mindful approach to providing consumers with a starting point for where their imagination can take them. Yet this time, the company’s vision is etched into a mission statement where keywords such as inclusivity, potential, and play are echoed in the creative endeavors of the set’s co-designer, Pharrell Williams. As such, I’m honored to take...

Another LEGO Star Wars set has been revealed this morning with the Imperial Dropship vs. Rebel Scout Speeder (40755). The set has 383 pieces and will be available starting on October 1 and will retail for $39.99. The set features an Imperial Dropship with three Stormtroopers, a Rebel Scout Speeder with three Rebel Troopers and an exclusive QT-KT Droid. Update: Earlier I had this set as a gift with purchase due to the set number, apparently, it is not. The post LEGO Star Wars Imperial Dropship vs. Rebel Scout Speeder (40755) Revealed appeared first on The Brick Fan. Original linkOriginal author: Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

Another LEGO Star Wars set has been revealed this morning with the Imperial Dropship vs. Rebel Scout Speeder (40755). The set has 383 pieces and will be available starting on October 1 and will retail for $39.99. The set features an Imperial Dropship with three Stormtroopers, a Rebel Scout Speeder with three Rebel Troopers and an exclusive QT-KT Droid. Update: Earlier I had this set as a gift with purchase due to the set number, apparently, it is not. The post LEGO Star Wars Imperial Dropship vs. Rebel Scout Speeder (40755) Revealed appeared first on The Brick Fan. Original linkOriginal author: Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

The LEGO Shop has revealed the LEGO Star Wars Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber (40730) gift with purchase set which will only be available with a purchase of the UCS Jabba’s Sail Barge (75397). The 145 piece set features a larger scale brick-built lightsaber from Return of the Jedi. It will be available to Insiders from October 3-5 and to the general public from October 6-10, while supplies last. The post LEGO Star Wars Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber (40730) GWP Revealed appeared first on The Brick Fan. Original linkOriginal author: Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

LEGO has officially revealed the next LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set with Jabba’s Sail Barge (75397). Releasing on October 3, the set has 3,942 pieces and will retail for $499.99. For Insiders when you purchase the set between October 3-5, you can also get the 145 piece Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber (40730) as a free gift. This offer will open to the general public from October 6-10, while supplies last. Travel the Dunes In Style With the New LEGO Star Wars Jabba’s Sail Barge Display Set Today, the LEGO Group reveals the launch of the LEGO® Star Wars Jabba’s Sail Barge Display Set. This iconic Ultimate Collector Series model is perfect for any Star Wars fan, packed with intricate details and minifigures. With 3,942 pieces, revel in the grandeur of Jabba the Hutt’s vessel with features such as folding down the sides and lifting off the sails and top deck...

LEGO has officially revealed the next LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series set with Jabba’s Sail Barge (75397). Releasing on October 3, the set has 3,942 pieces and will retail for $499.99. For Insiders when you purchase the set between October 3-5, you can also get the 145 piece Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber (40730) as a free gift. This offer will open to the general public from October 6-10, while supplies last. Travel the Dunes In Style With the New LEGO Star Wars Jabba’s Sail Barge Display Set Today, the LEGO Group reveals the launch of the LEGO® Star Wars Jabba’s Sail Barge Display Set. This iconic Ultimate Collector Series model is perfect for any Star Wars fan, packed with intricate details and minifigures. With 3,942 pieces, revel in the grandeur of Jabba the Hutt’s vessel with features such as folding down the sides and lifting off the sails and top deck...

Today's article is all about swords and shields. The medieval theme is a staple for LEGO fans, and one that is popular at exhibitions with young and old alike. In today's article, we’ll be speaking with a perfectionist MOC builder who has drawn inspiration for his builds from many different outlets, including the Harry Potter books and LEGO sets. How do you reconcile the Castle and Harry Potter themes? We chatted with Guillaume aka gui.lego to learn more. Meet Guillaume Sam: Hi Guillaume! Can you introduce yourself for Bricknerd readers and tell us about your history with LEGO bricks? Guillaume: Hi everyone. My name is Guillaume, and I come from Dijon in France. I'm 37 years old, so I was born in the 80s and 90s. I was born with LEGO, and had the desire to build terrains and landscapes from scratch dreaming in front of old posters and catalogues from...