It’s been nearly six months since our first “Ace Parts Usage” article. In it, we sifted through hundreds of LEGO creations to determine our top 10 favorite build techniques from January through June of this year. If you’re unfamiliar, builds that feature particularly cool techniques are said to have NPU (Nice Parts Usage). We’ve seen everything, but occasionally we’re extra impressed by something new and unique – an “ace” parts usage. Although we’re about to announce our overall favorite builds (using several criteria) in the running for the TBB Creation of the Year , we want to honor some ace parts usage right here, right now. There were too many awesome considerations over the past 6 months, so we decided to give you our favorite 15 instead of our favorite 10. Join us as we count down the best of the second half of 2023! #15 – NPU out of ordinary pieces...

Best of BrickNerd — Article originally published December 18, 2022. Being an AFOL can be a big commitment—you have LEGO deals to be found, a collection to sort, LUGs to attend, and conventions to go to. But what happens when you are an AFOL with kids? If you’re an adult collector of LEGO, sharing your hobby with young children can be a frightening experience. I have three young boys (2, 4, & 6) and their typically destructive tendencies are NOT compatible with my collection. Yet as an AFOL, I realize that I’m essentially playing with a toy (or a “highly sophisticated interlocking brick system” if you like to justify it that way) and toys are primarily meant for children. Image via LEGO Builder App I still want my kids to enjoy my hobby with me, but short of maintaining separate collections in different rooms of the house under lock and key,...

The Pink Palace Apartment from Coraline by LordClimentos66749 is the latest project to achieve 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas. This is the second project of the same subject matter to reach the goal in this review stage. The build features a nice look at the front of the apartment and has an open back to show all the details inside. The project joins Modular Heritage Museum, Great Temple of Abu Simbel – With Secret Treasure, Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 “Phantom of Love”, Moon Palace, NASA’s SLS Block 1 & 1B Rockets – Artemis Missions, LEGO Anatomy, WTC Twin Towers & Vista International Hotel 1979, Coraline: The Pink Palace, Good Ogel’s Garden, Happier Than Ever, City Burger, Phineas and Ferb!, JWST, Harry Styles Love on Tour 2023, LEGO Microscope, Sequoia Tree, Tesla Center, Working Canal Lock, Christmas Theater, Wreck-It Ralph 10th Anniversary, Stray Kids “Oddinary Maniac”, Rainforest Frogs, Steve Irwin & Majestic Crocodile,...

Subnautica: The Aurora by OG Brick Studio is the latest project to achieve 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas. The 2,991 piece build features the Aurora which is the initial ship in the game, in both the normal version and the crashed version. The project joins Modular Heritage Museum, Great Temple of Abu Simbel – With Secret Treasure, Rolls-Royce Phantom 1 “Phantom of Love”, Moon Palace, NASA’s SLS Block 1 & 1B Rockets – Artemis Missions, LEGO Anatomy, WTC Twin Towers & Vista International Hotel 1979, Coraline: The Pink Palace, Good Ogel’s Garden, Happier Than Ever, City Burger, Phineas and Ferb!, JWST, Harry Styles Love on Tour 2023, LEGO Microscope, Sequoia Tree, Tesla Center, Working Canal Lock, Christmas Theater, Wreck-It Ralph 10th Anniversary, Stray Kids “Oddinary Maniac”, Rainforest Frogs, Steve Irwin & Majestic Crocodile, Kaamelott The Knights of the Round Table, Classic Tractor, Forest Base, The Vintage Service Station, Sea Turtle, Pirate...

Three years ago, we relaunched BrickNerd to celebrate the creativity of fellow LEGO builders, tell the stories behind the bricks, share in-depth knowledge of the hobby, and increase connections within the LEGO community. Each year, we are amazed by the reception to all our hard work, so today, we wanted to share with you the numbers of what we’ve achieved in 2023 and some of our New Year’s resolutions for what we want to accomplish in 2024. Looking Back Taking a step back, wow, so much happened for BrickNerd in 2023! We witnessed the birth, death and re-birth of Mega-Nerdly. We organized gatherings at half a dozen LEGO conventions. Our readership grew considerably and spent more time on the site than ever before. We gained several amazing new contributors and patrons, hosted and sponsored building contests, and had even more nerdy guest articles than in previous years. We awarded dozens of...