In between competing in another Iron Builder competition and contributing to New Hashima, builder Gerrit Gottschalk (gGh0st) spent much of 2024 working on his microscale masterpiece — a model of Château de Chenonceau. The 16th-century French castle sits in the Loire Valley with its bridge and gallery crossing the river Cher. Gerrit’s model consists of about 6,600 LEGO elements and is 80 cm long. Building in the Architecture style at this scale was a new adventure for Gerrit but you wouldn’t guess it from the end results. It’s a remarkable build filled with innovative parts usage and a high level of detail that remains virtually seamless. Gerrit started with sketches, then moved to Studio in planning his ambitious model. He also looked to an earlier version from LEGO designer Aaron Newman which didn’t include the keep and is built at twice the scale, but helped Gerrit with proportions. A standout section...

Time’s almost up! Nerdvember 2024 is in full swing, and there’s just one week left to bring your animated Nerdly to life! This year’s theme? Animation—a celebration of everything animated! From Disney classics to Saturday morning cartoons, Studio Ghibli to Brickfilms, we want to see your most creative takes on our mascot, Nerdly. Whether it’s a static build, a kinetic sculpture, or a custom Brickfilm, all styles of animation are fair game. Here are some of the entries so far! View fullsize Ozbrickcreator View fullsize MonstarJDC View fullsize Gregory Coquelz View fullsize BrickBlitz View fullsize greenarj View fullsize Law_mocs View fullsize Bricks and Boosters View fullsize ABrickDreamer View fullsize Jayden How to Enter Build your animation-inspired Nerdly masterpiece (here are basic instructions as a PDF download). Submit your entry via our Google form. You can also share on Flickr or Instagram—tag @bricknerdofficial and use hashtags #Nerdvember2024, #BrickNerd, and #Nerdly. The deadline...

There’s something magical about walking down Fifth Avenue in New York City with a couple of new LEGO sets tucked under your arm. As I made my way from Grand Central through Bryant Park and Times Square to the flagship LEGO Store taking photos of the sets for a bit of a travelogue, I was dumbfounded that curious New Yorkers and tourists alike stopped me to ask, “What are those!?” When I told them they were the brand-new Wicked LEGO sets, I was met with wide eyes and a declaration that “I will certainly have to buy those!” The excitement was palpable—after all, it’s not every day you see a Broadway show immortalized in LEGO form. It felt like I was carrying a piece of Oz somewhere over the rainbow through the (not-quite-yellow brick) streets of Manhattan. This short day in the “Emerald City” was made possible by both LEGO for...

When LEGO bricks mimic the beauty of nature, they have the power to bring joy and inspiration. Few builders embody this as vividly as Bram, aka skabram.builds., whose LEGO birds soar with lifelike detail and artistry. A nature enthusiast from the Netherlands, Bram has turned his passion for wildlife into stunning creations that capture the essence of their feathered muses. We had the pleasure of speaking with Bram to learn more about his creative process, the challenges of capturing a bird’s spirit in brick form, and his advice for taking your LEGO builds outdoors for a photo adventure. Prepare to learn about his aviary, craft, and deep appreciation for nature. Ann: Hello Bram! It’s great to meet you and discuss your LEGO creations here at BrickNerd. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into LEGO? Bram: Hey, I’m Bram from the Netherlands, and I rediscovered...

I have written before about LEGO model ships. Many of those were fairly small but there were some mantelpiece-worthy models, starting with 398 USS Constellation in 1977. Many years later were two Maersk container ships (10152/10155 and 10241), one of which (the Triple-E) had a proper model ship stand. Then we had 21313 Ship in a Bottle for really small mantelpieces and 10294 Titanic for really big ones. Now, three years after the Titanic set, LEGO is releasing the 10335 Endurance, a model of a ship that was built three years after Titanic and sank three years after Titanic. Her story is very different though. Join me as we go on our own expedition to the Antarctic, just like that fateful ship, as we take a look at both the history of the voyage and the set itself. Who Was Ernest Shackleton? Ernest Shackleton. Photo from shackleton.com Ernest Shackleton was born in...