Today I’m going to dive into “Gugicks.” Arthur Gugick Source: Flickr What’s a “Gugick” you might ask? It’s simply a token of appreciation, a little LEGO mini-build given out at a fan convention. Tokens are often mislabelled as a Gugick. However, the genuine Gugick is actually a very specific token made by a very specific individual at a very specific convention. Why do I know this? Because I started it—sort of. This is why the BrickNerd editors have been encouraging me to write about this topic and tomorrow’s article on the non-Gugick tokens of appreciation. Why the name difference? What makes a Gugick special? What are the rules behind Gugick tokens? Let’s begin. Deep Dish Dive While nice that it’s somewhat common in parts of the US to call LEGO tokens of appreciation “Gugicks,” there is technically only one Gugick given out a year—and only at Brickworld Chicago. And this is...

Today’s guest article comes from Australian builder Kristel Whitaker, known for her whimsical builds and her continual exploration of colourful tile techniques. She shares her experience building LEGO’s new 41839 Message Board set on BrickNerd’s behalf. Editor’s Introduction A few weeks back, BrickNerd was offered a new LEGO “message board” set. As with most offers through the LEGO Ambassador program, we needed to respond quickly, knowing little about the set. With the recent retirement of the DOTS theme, we were at least curious to see what new direction LEGO might take with lettered signage. If nothing else, we hoped that some new brick-built font styles or techniques would be featured. This led to a discussion amongst ourselves about all of the notable brick-built alphabets that the LEGO MOC building community has developed through the years. Here are a few of the notable examples that came to mind: A person whose font...

LEGO hasn’t released a larger scale Bat-Pod set in a long time but this summer, there is a new one in the Batman Construction Figure and the Bat-Pod Bike (76273). The original one was back in 2015 when there was a competition for LEGO VIP members and subsequently was in the Rewards Center for 15,000 points and a sweepstakes after that. This new 713 piece set is much easier to get for $64.99. Build The Batman figure is the larger scale ones that were re-introduced a few years ago, however, this one is based on the suit from The Dark Knight. The build is fairly similar to its predecessor, give or take a few changes here and there. You do start with the torso which has ball joints for the arms and the head. The armor on the shoulders are on hinges and they attach to the top of the shoulder....

Today’s guest article comes from Chris Castagnetto who shares his experience visiting San Diego Comic-Con over the years. San Diego Comic-Con, one of the largest fan events in the world, was hosted from July 24th to 28th. In classic form, LEGO showed up with a collection of fan activations and experiences for AFOLs of all ages. As a fan of pop culture and an attendee of Comic-Con since 2002, I have been lucky enough to have been witness to LEGO and their fan experiences and activations over the years. Today I’m going to share my LEGO Comic-Con experience in 2024 while also reflecting on LEGO’s Comic-Con experiences over the years and how they have evolved and grown to what we see today. From fights for exclusive minifigs and sets to a more community-based approach, these are the good and the bad of LEGO at Comic-Con. LEGO Panels: Ninjago Dragons Rising and LEGO Masters...

Mallard by AmbientFive23 is the latest project to achieve 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas. The life-sized build features a lifelike appearance of a duck that can be used as a decorative decoy. The project joins Claw Machine Wallace & Gromit – A Grand Day Out, Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus Multi Player, Impression Sunrise – Monet, The Loneliness of the Voyager – NASA’s Voyager Mission, Humpback Whale Breach, Tintin – Space Rocket, The Iron Giant in the Forest, Tetris Solid, Working Image Projector “Magic Lantern”, Popcorn Machine, Arsenal F.C. – The Invincibles, Sony Walkman, Sony Walkman, Hydroelectric Power Plant, Floating Sea Otter, Avatar: The Last Airbender!, Blacksmith – Wild West, Bluey!!, New Holland CR Combine, Wednesday The Room and The Balcony, Lisbon Tram (Electrico 28), Market Village, Modular Post Office in Neoclassical Style, Working River Rapids Ride – Fairground Rafting Coaster, Italian Riviera, Vintage Radio – Listen to Your Favorite Music!, and...