Today’s guest article is written by Joseph Zawada, an AFOL out of Maryland and community ambassador of Charm City LUG. You can find his work on Instagram as faron_moc. How Sidelining My Dream MOC Reinvigorated My LEGO Passion The excitement of starting a new LEGO MOC is an incredible feeling: drafting ideas, referencing cool techniques you’ve screenshotted over the years, dumping pieces out of your part bins to tinker with. You’re excited to build something truly amazing. But sometimes you get a few days in, maybe a week or so, and you feel something might be wrong. The build isn’t clicking. You’re frustrated. You’re not having fun, but you keep going because hey, you already started, right? With any luck, you push through it and come out the other end with something wonderful to share, maybe you set it in the bin of table scraps to revisit later, or perhaps you...

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is 20 years old this year. I recently was able to view the film in theaters and it was a blast. More importantly, it reminded me of my endless pursuit as a kid for the definitive Anakin Skywalker minifigure. Anakin Skywalker is my favorite character in Star Wars. Though Luke is tough competition for #1. I’ve already made my definitive version of Anakin from the Clone Wars Micro-Series using official LEGO parts, as well as another appearance of Anakin in the series from his combat with Asajj Ventress. But if you were to ask me 15 years ago what my favorite appearance of Anakin was (outside of his appearance in the second volume of the Micro-Series), it would be from Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. And I’d still say that’s the case even today. Since the first wave of LEGO sets based...

It’s with great pleasure that I share a piece of news with you today—news that isn’t new, but still has plenty to say to the AFOL world. I could describe this article as my business card to BrickNerd readers and beyond, but to me, it means something much more personal. It’s been three years since the news (referenced in the title of this article) literally turned my life as an AFOL upside down. Image via Google Maps Honestly, I wanted it deeply. I dreamed about it on a hot summer day (thanks to former BrickNerd contributor Francesco Spreafico), and I pursued it for seven long years before seeing it realized. I’m talking about “Parco Ole Kirk Kristiansen – Founder of the LEGO Group” in Rome (obviously, in Italy), the first public park in the world named after the founder of the LEGO Group. You may have already heard about the park...

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting a LEGOLAND theme park, you know the feeling of stepping into a world built entirely from LEGO, where every turn offers something to see, do, and build. The rides, Miniland, and food all come together for an experience that any LEGO fan has to have at least once in their lives (if not more). But going beyond the basic LEGOLAND experience, these parks become even more alive during seasonal events like Red, White and Boom in the summer (in the US), Brick-or-Treat in the fall, and the Holiday Bricktacular in the winter. These overlays take an already exciting day and take it to the next level, adding themed entertainment, exclusive activities, and some exclusive sweet treats. This year, I was lucky enough to experience LEGOLAND’s newest seasonal addition: the LEGO Festival, taking place on weekends through June 8th. This new overlay for the...

Those who know me know that I’m particularly fond of art. So, the release of a LEGO set that combines brick building with fine art naturally caught my attention. When the BrickNerd team suggested creating an article based on set 31215 Vincent van Gogh – Sunflowers, I was immediately on board. I won’t go into the interpretation of Van Gogh’s original painting—plenty of great resources do that already, and I encourage you to explore them. They offer a deeper understanding of the artist’s approach and how he saw the world. LEGO also created a great introductory video, which I’ve included here: I was lucky enough to see some of Van Gogh’s paintings in person at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. One in particular, Les Chaumes de Cordeville (painted just a month before his death), left a strong impression. The vivid contrasts and the precision in his brushwork were stunning up close....