Every year, the Iron Forge sees new contestants vying for a chance to take on the Iron Builders, but many of the participants have entered the ring before. Erin Dempsy has made the top 20 for three years running, and this is her second time in the final 8. For this year’s final round, across 9 entries, Erin plays with a range of scales – micro, minifig, minilander, and 1:1 props – with builds that playfully utilize every facet of the engine top seed part.  Her joyfully bright gumball machine uses the engine intake as a coin slot, while a pair of engines make a perfect dial. What does this competition need? Clearly, more cowbell! And Erin obliges with this flower-crowned Holstein. What an iconic way to let the seed part shine. Erin shows her “moc-xie” with this bank facade that uses engine intakes for flower pots and stacked engines as...

“The Conversation Piece” is a monthly BrickNerd series about creativity and building with LEGO authored by our friends over at the Builder Improvement Initiative (BII), a Discord-based community that helps LEGO builders of all levels get better at their craft through knowledge-sharing and constructive feedback. Have a question you would like us to consider for a future article? You can submit it here. Enjoy! New Parts and You In a previous article, we dove into the world of new molds and the design principles that drive the evolution of new LEGO elements. The Speed Champions lineup has been at the forefront of new parts in recent years, curating a selection of parts that lend themselves to the smooth, complex geometries of modern cars. To build on the topic of new parts (and continue the car theme!), this month’s deep dive covers the versatility of new parts—particularly in MOC building. Determining the...

Cecilie Fritzvold is a LEGO builder from Norway whose artistic MOCs are currently featured in the LEGO House Masterpiece Gallery. She was also the winner of BrickNerd’s AdoraBuild contest. You can find more of her work on Instagram and Flickr. Layers of a Landscape I consider myself primarily a MOC builder, and rarely build sets I buy (they mostly get gutted for parts). But when I was asked if I wanted to take a look at this absolutely gorgeous Japan-inspired artwork, I simply could not refuse. Anyone who knows me would understand why this is right up my alley. I even recently built a Japan-inspired forced-perspective MOC myself. So I was super excited to get to build LEGO’s Japanese Cherry Blossom Landscape. The build starts off with the most boring part: the big black frame. Thankfully, it’s also a fairly quick build, using a lot of large black bricks to build...

MOCs are often more than playful constructions. They’re miniature canvases for storytelling, engineering, and artistic expression. Whether you’re crafting a medieval castle, a mech, or a bustling cityscape, one principle could be the one that separates a good build from a great one: the thoughtful distribution of detail. In today’s article, I’m continuing my exploration of design theories and how they can be applied to our hobby. Here is a list of other articles in the series before we get started talking about the dos and don’ts of detail: LEGO and Creativity Color Theory and Composition What is “Detail Distribution”? Detail distribution refers to how visual complexity is spread across a build. It’s not just about how many elements you use, it’s about where and why you use them. A build with evenly distributed detail can feel flat or overwhelming, while one with strategic variation can guide the viewer’s eye, tell...

LEGO has officially revealed a new LEGO Icons set for the upcoming movie Project Hail Mary (11389). Releasing on March 1 (pre-order today), the set has 830 pieces and will retail for $99.99. The build features a microscale model of the Hail Mary and includes the Ryland Grace minifigure marking the first LEGO minifigure for Ryan Gosling. There is also a brick-built figure of Rocky as well. Launch into the realm of cinematic science fiction with the LEGO® Icons Project Hail Mary (11389) spaceship model kit for adults. Enjoy a creative journey as you craft each detail of this microscale replica, which captures the design of the iconic interstellar spacecraft. Turn the crank to send the crew module into orbit, simulating the centrifugal gravity system from the movie. Then add the Ryland Grace minifigure and Rocky figure to complete your display. This detailed model makes a striking centrepiece for the home...