I live in California, which has missions dotted all the way up the coast (literally, the Spanish Empire built them walking distance from each other), and very strong Spanish aesthetic and cultural influences. So this excellent monastery by soccerkid6 feels familiar and "local". Plus I'm a sucker for Spanish tile roofs, I'm sitting under one right now in my house.
Listen up kids. In my day video games were hard, and had simple graphics none of this 'you can beat it in 3 hours first play' nonsense. You had to practice and work at it, and we liked it that way! I have fond memories of playing Pitfall and Combat on my Aunt's Atari 2600 as a child. Builder Jarekwally has expertly captured the venerable classic in bricks. The addition of the distressed photo effects is a very nice touch on this picture. Oh the retro feels.
Having years ago climbed up the steps of El Castillo at Chichen Itza, I hazard that Karl Pilkington has yet to visit the pyramids located on the Yucatan peninsula. Had he, Ricky Gervais' bumbling friend may find many of the stone marvels there not quite as disappointing up close as their distant Egyptian cousins. In this impressive creation by Przemysław Czarnik, lush jungle foliage and draping vines help capture the details found in the myriad of Mesoamerican step-pyramids located throughout Central and South America.
With an impish grin and a bottle of unknown potion, builder Matt Hew's "Potion Master's Hut," conjures images of a "simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes," and "the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses." Either that or there's some crazy coot waiting on the other side of the door with no idea what's on page 394.
No, that's not lens distortion or some trick of the eye, this castle by Swan Dutchman is actually slightly angled outward. It's a subtle effect that had to make construction exceedingly difficult, which makes me love it even more. The temptation would be to emphasize the effect, since it was so difficult to accomplish, but Koen resisted that urge and the results are absolutely stunning.
It's always amazing to me when a builder simulates soft or unusual textures. The first impression you get when you see this figure by builder Djokson is "feathers", and clearly that was the intention. It's not until you really look close at the elements that make up this figure's costume that you can visually break it down, but even knowing that when you step back it's still feathers.
This peaceful temple with a charming landscape by rsmbricks depicts the daily labor that goes with maintaining an ancient temple. The use of vibrant reds and blues makes this relatively small scene very interesting and the roof has some intriguing techniques as well. But wait... Are those stickers! How could they!?! Calm down everyone, put your torches and pitchforks down. Stickers aren't always bad (most of the time). I personally think that the stickers create a layer of depth and detail that really brings this build together.
When I lived in London my commute took me through Chinatown every day, it was just a few blocks south of where I worked in Soho. One night, which just happened to be Chinese New Year, I rounded a corner just as the celebration started. My timing couldn't have been better, it went from normal London hustle bustle noise to sudden cacophony as drums started playing, fire crackers went off and the crowd cheered. And in the middle of it all, was a dragon, not unlike this outstanding depiction by builder Rhymes_Shelter. This was the first time I'd seen a legitimate dragon, and I was transfixed. I stopped dead in my tracks, the pressing need to get back to my tiny flat suddenly erased, and I watched.
One of the highlights of San Diego Comic Con for me was the Laika Experience. The stop motion movie studio Laika took over a space a couple blocks from the convention center in the historic Gaslamp District and converted it into a miniature version of their studio in Portland. In addition to tons of excellent displays of props, sets and figures from many of their films, they had a functioning model shop and shooting stage, with artists on hand to demonstrate and answer questions. They even had free themed ice cream when you exited. But I'm here to tell you about something at the beginning of the tour, visitors waiting in the queue got a great view of this fabulous LEGO Ideas hopeful from Laika's very own Holly Webster, Coraline's Pink Palace.
Yes, it is generally the policy of BrickNerd not to feature LEGO Ideas campaigns unless it's very special circumstances. For instance a major stop motion movie studio displaying a set built by one of it's employees at a special venue at the craziest comic con on the planet. Holly's version of the apartments has all the charm of the original, which is easy to verify because the real set was just a few steps away.
There's even a full set of custom minifigures made with the assistance of the talented Jared Burks, featuring Coraline, Other Mother, Other Father, Bobinsky, Wybie, Coraline Doll, and the cat. The back of the house splits open to reveal a detailed interior of rooms any fan of the film will recognize instantly.
The LEGO Ideas campaign is going now, and thankfully is still early enough that it has a strong chance of making it, especially with the exposure from this past week. Head on over to LEGO Ideas to cast your vote and make this wonderful set a reality. I'd like to give a huge shout out to Holly for granting us access to not only her set, but the fascinating and awesome Laika Experience, it was unforgettable.
I don't know what this robot's job is, based on his proportions I'm guessing picking up and moving large, heavy stuff. I mean, just look at the size of those hands, they're huge. It turns out that's where this MOC by m_o_n_k_e_y started, with his hands, and the rest took shape over time.
The Oxford English Dictionary is looking to add Hobby words to their quest to be "The definitive record of the English language." Through a crowd sourcing effort at https://public.oed.com/appeals/hobby-words/ hobby words, acronyms, and phrases can be entered, with definitions and other information about the word. The more that is enterred the better lets get LEGO Terms in the OED!
Why oh why can't we live in a world with beauties like this gracefully moving through the sky? This is the Bellonatus by builder Mark of Falworth, and it's gorgeous. But don't let it's lovely appearance fool you, it's also armed to the teeth with no fewer than 14 cannons and a fearsome bow ram. Beauty and beast in the same vessel.
Attendees of San Diego Comic-Con (including yours truly) will get a chance to meet the 13th Doctor, at least in brick form, thanks to the building skills of my dear friend Brandon Griffith. Want to see just how one of these stunning sculptures takes shape? Check out the time lapse video.
I don't know the full extent of the plans for this whimsical city by builder Pate-keetongu, we featured another section three months ago. But if he keeps building, we'll keep blogging because it's absolutely jaw-dropping. It's like a combination of past and future design aesthetics, with a little Terry Gilliam mixed in. I want to watch the stories that unfold here.
I don't know what inspired it, I don't know the story behind it, and some quick google searches didn't help, so I'll just present it. Meet Buddha Robot by Moko, a surprisingly posable humanoid robot. Just based on the construction I wouldn't have guessed the range of motion of this mech (yeah, he's a mech, there's actually a figure inside!), but check out Moko's website for even more pics, this is only a glimpse.
The battle of Yavin, the climactic ending of Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope. It made my heart race as a child, it makes my heart go pitter patter as an adult (well, man child). So this MOC by Grantmasters was automatically gonna catch my eye, but throw in some kinetic action inspired by JK Brickworks and it's the total package, and I'm totally smitten.
As if being on a strange world lightyears from home wasn't disconcerting enough, now your team has come across this structure in the middle of the jungle. I'd give that about a 8/10 on the pucker scale. It might be easy to glance right over this MOC by Blufiji. From the thumbnail it is deceptively simple, but really look at that structure, it's futuristic and ancient at the same time. Look at the trees, familiar and totally alien all at once. There's a lot of subtlety going on here.
Every once in a while the inspiration for a build just slightly exceeds the bricks on hand. Most of the time this leads to delays and inevitable Bricklink orders. But that drive to get it done can also lead to creative workarounds. In the case of the walls of this lovely loft by Heksu, dark red was in short supply, but with a little out of the box thinking (and the use of jumpers, slopes and everything else that works) it got done. The results are impressive, and it's totally a place I'd like to hang out.
Generally we don't feature digital builds here on BrickNerd, but when they're as phenomenal as this one by Nicola Stocchi we'll make an exception. Behold the War Rig, driven by Furiosa in Fury Road and expertly recreated at minifig scale. This beast looks ready to conquer the wasteland, and thanks to exceptional lighting and rendering by Gabriele Zannotti, it's as beautiful as it is badass.
An interesting model by Boba-1980, but one that is rather fun and creative. The builder recreated the Battle of Crait, something we have probably seen plenty of times by now (and it hasn't even been a year yet!), but Boba-1980 make it in microfighter form. A condensed command shuttle, a smaller version of the base's turrets, and even a tiny First Order battering ram. What does that all create when combined? A fun model that I'm sure many kids could enjoy playing with.
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