Here at BrickNerd, we love to highlight the bright and imaginative works of talented builders across the LEGO community—and today’s feature is no exception to that. I had the pleasure of speaking with Katja (Palixa And The Bricks): a talented LEGO artist and a two-time finalist in BrickNerd’s own Nerdvember contests in 2016 and 2017. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Ann: Hi Katja! I’m very excited to discuss your work on BrickNerd! Please, tell us a bit about yourself. When did your interest in LEGO begin? Katja: Hi Ann! And I am very excited to be interviewed by BrickNerd! I am a software engineer living in the south of Germany. Like many people, I came into contact with LEGO as a child. My mum bought me a few small sets, and I just loved playing with them and taking them apart to build new stuff. While LEGO sets definitely have...

Against the wishes of our Nerd-in-Chief Dave, we are happily re-publishing this interview about his Rainbow Heart mosaic for a very special reason: you might be able to purchase it as a product! Yes, this double-layered color extravaganza is now up for public vote through the BrickLink Designer Program Series 6. If it receives enough “heart happy face” 😍 reactions from those with BrickLink accounts, it could be produced as a limited-edition set! Keen-eyed viewers will notice there have been a few updates from the original, mostly due to the color palette for the BDP program. The greyscale sub-layer has also been optimized to reduce the amount of pieces to fit the program’s piece count limit. So what are you waiting for!? Go and vote for Rainbow Heart, share the link with your friends, and you might be able to build it and hang it on your wall soon! With that,...

Today’s guest article comes from Kyle Keller, a prolific builder and Brothers Brick contributor from the Pacific Northwest. We’ve highlighted his Stardew Valley MOC before, and today he takes us through his process of building custom MOC trophies for AFOL conventions. Defining the Trophy I understand that for many of you outside of the United States, the concept of a LEGO trophy may be a bit of a mystery. Even within the US, what constitutes a trophy can vary depending on your side of the Mississippi. (See BrickNerd’s article all about LEGO trophies at conventions.) And while I’ll leave the legacy of the brick-built trophy to someone far more wizened than myself, I feel I should still specify the subject of this article. I’m here to talk to you all about the creation of the US’s West Coast version: a construction typically on an 8x8 plate that includes a 1x8 brick...

“And the award goes to...” The audience collectively holds its breath. The nominees bristle with anticipation. The announcer searches for his reading glasses… I still vividly remember my first award. It was also my very first LEGO convention, and for better or worse, I got the taste of that thrill of the chase. So let's go a bit deeper into LEGO conventions and these awards. I'm going to use some of my elementary school education and give you the 5 W's: Who, What, Where, When and Why of LEGO trophies. (I apologize in advance for mainly focusing on just a few conventions, but those are the ones I know best and can comment on from firsthand experience. Yes, I know it's a bad data set from a statistical point of view.) WHERE Let's start with WHERE. Actually, LEGO trophies are not everywhere. Awards and trophies tend to be omnipresent at North...

A new month is upon us which means more competitive building! Are you ready? Here’s the latest bunch of LEGO contests and challenges from all around the AFOL community for October 2024 to help you find some inspiration and motivation to build! There’s nothing quite like a theme or a prompt to take you out of your comfort zone and give you something new to try. Besides, contests are the perfect place to interact with other contestants and judges and get to know your fellow builders. And if you’re like me, a deadline helps make sure you actually finish! We’ve listed them in order of deadline so you can plan your building time to the best advantage. Make sure to check the LEGO activity calendar for local challenges and events near you. Here at BrickNerd, some of our fondest memories, greatest building achievements, coolest trophies, and best friendships came from LEGO...