LEGO Community Headlines and Highlights for March 2024

Spring is in full bloom, and with that Easter and the end of March are upon us already: That can only mean one thing—it’s high time for our monthly LEGO community round-up! So sit back and enjoy this month’s Easter basket full of insightful articles, in-depth features, and wonderful 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 launched The AdoraBuild – our LEGO contest all about cute! We used color theory and composition in MOCs, experienced a world record and a parade of AT-ATs, and took a massive rover for a spin. We made our first steps with PyBricks, looked at the beginning of LEGO’s IP partnerships and the history of Fabuland, and went underground into a motorized mine. We even published instructions for a LEGO speeder bike and Space Baby mech suits and discovered hidden parts inside of LEGO parts. In fact, we’ve published so many interesting articles in March that we’ve included an interactive calendar of them at the bottom of this post so you can make sure you didn’t miss a thing.

But there are many more fascinating stories to be told from within the LEGO community, so here are some of the best LEGO articles and videos that caught our contributors’ attention throughout the month of March. We applaud the effort that went into each of these features, so click on the headlines or photos to head to each story or video. They are well worth your time!

Aididan: Heroica - The LEGO RPG You Forgot

Remember Heroica, LEGO's 2011 foray into brick-built D&D-esque boardgames? Aididan covers the theme in detail—its inception, the play mechanics, all the sets that made up the theme, and its legacy.

Beyond the Brick: A Tour of Skip Concilla’s LEGO Art Gallery

Joshua Hanlon tours Atlanta Brick Con 2024 and talks to Skip Concilla about his art gallery with 44 iconic paintings in LEGO including Starry Night, The Scream, The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, The Great Wave and more.

Bricking Up Brad: The Lore of LEGO’s Alien Conquest

Did you know that a LEGO space theme actually connected Atlantis, Pharaoh’s Quest, Dino, and LEGO City? Get ready to have your mind taken over by an alien in this full-theme retrospective of Alien Conquest.

Brickset: Open vs Closed-Back LEGO Models - What's Up With That?

Why are some LEGO sets open in the back while others are not? Why are some like doll houses and others like proper houses with walls on all sides? Find out the answers to those frequently asked questions in Brickset’s new series covering LEGO set design decisions.

Brick Technology: Building a Cat-Sized LEGO Train

Every now and then you come across a LEGO video that just hits differently. This video log of building an RC train that fits a cat (what a premise!) is one of those: With motors, lights, and pneumatics to open and close the doors. this train has it all. And did we mention it fits a cat!?

CheeseyStudios: Aqua Raiders - LEGO's Underrated Underwater Theme

Cheesey Studios’ Caleb is back revisiting another theme from the 2000s. Aqua Raiders gets the Cheesey treatment, covering all the sets, their minifigures, and connected fun facts. Caleb runs you through the whole theme, which was only around for a year.

eggybricks: In Defense of the LEGO SNOT Brick

Modern LEGO sets wouldn’t be what they are without the variety of SNOT bricks and brackets that allow for sideways building techniques. This video covers the basics with a variety of examples and goes over everything from standard SNOT to headlight bricks.

Financial Times: Building Blocks - LEGO's Next Move

The Financial Times takes a critical look at the latest developments of the LEGO Company and where it might go next. Interviewing industry experts, BrickLink sellers and more, this video covers a variety of topics such as its environmental efforts, the entertainment industry, and the second-hand market.

grohl666: Celebrating Creativity of Jørn Thomsen - Legendary LEGO Designer (1956-2023)

Last year Jørn Thomsen, a LEGO designer for 34 years, passed away. Milan Reindl, one of his colleagues on the LEGO Technic team, celebrates Jørn’s amazing creativity and timeless ideas, which have shaped many childhoods over the last 30+ years. M-Tron, Space Police, Ice Planet, Spyrius… what a long list of legends!

Jette Andersen: The Toys That Jørn Made

Jørn Thomsen has left such an impact that one video simply wouldn’t be enough. Carl Merriam, who worked with Jørn, and Jørn’s wife Jette put together this awesome tribute to some of Jørn’s most innovative sets from across the years. It’s a trip down memory lane, with lots of nostalgic advertisements intercut with Jørn talking about some of his designs.

R.R. Slugger: The Toa Metru

Released in 2004, the Toa Metru are often regarded as a high point in the Bionicle franchise taking the Technic sensibilities of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva and improving upon them with greater action figure potential. However, does this position really hold up to scrutiny?

Stonewars: Living On the Water: Making My LEGO Ideas Houseboat (translated)

Jonas Kramm details how he designed his latest LEGO Ideas submission that is well on its way to 10.000 votes: a little houseboat with a full interior. Jonas details his design thinking, highlights various techniques and even briefly covers image editing.

The Rambling Brick: Setting the Scene - Moving from Cardboard Cutout to Polystyrene

Cardboard cutouts are a neat way to enhance your presentation when photographing LEGO models. Rambling Brick’s Richard has done so for years—and now it’s time for an upgrade! Find out how Richard created polystyrene rocks that look straight out of a late 80s LEGO catalog.

The Sketchy Maker: How I Invaded A City With Concrete LEGO-Like Figures

Simple projects can have amazing impact. The Sketchy Maker shows how they created a small collection of concrete minifigures and placed them around Aberdeen, which led to a lot of media attention. The video covers concept, casting, and different materials, so it might just inspire your next weekend project!

Tips & Bricks: Mental Health - When LEGO Isn't Enough

Mental health is an important topic, and one that LEGO is often connected to considering its often quoted therapeutic qualities. But there is more to talk about here than just LEGO bricks. Tips & Bricks highlights and sits down with a variety of AFOLs who are making an impact while also highlighting ways to manage mental health.

Toy Photographers: Importance of Composition

One of the most important principles in photography is how to compose an image—that is, how parts of the image are placed in proportion to everything else. This article by the Toy Photographers gets you up and running and explains how you can elevate your (not just) LEGO photography by following some easy rules.

If all of those amazing features weren’t enough to satisfy your LEGO community craving, here is an interactive calendar of everything that BrickNerd has published this last month to make sure you didn’t miss a single article.

Did we miss any of your favorite LEGO articles and content for the month? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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