The LEGO House has just released the latest model in their exclusive limited-edition series, 40504 A Minifigure Tribute, available only in Billund, Denmark. Celebrating the 45th anniversary of the minifigure, this 6x-scale version (maxifig) of Captain Red Beard is the latest iteration of brick-built minifigures that LEGO has created over the years. Join BrickNerd as we take a look at the similarities and differences between these brick-built buccaneers! Predecessors at Scale Before we look at our pirate friends, we have to start a few decades earlier. A large brick-built minifigure (set 3723) was released in 2000. Standing nearly 20 inches tall, this version included movable arms, hands, a rotating neck and a removable hat. The legs were in a fixed position, although they did visually depict the leg hinge of real minifigures. The set had a whopping 1,850 pieces, including over 500 2x_ bricks (you can fill in the blank with...

February was another month filled with fascinating features, interesting deep dives and cool videos from all across the LEGO community. We are lucky to have this many outlets and channels that keep creating incredibly content, and these are the best of the month. Here on BrickNerd, LEGO Elves moved into Rivendell, we modded a cabin and raided a Viking village. We celebrated 100 issues of Blocks Magazine, covered the history of LEGO trains and experienced the struggles of creating a black sigfig. We covered shiny chromed cars, analyzed the color of the villainous vehicles in LEGO City and took a deep dive into Fabuland. We measured LEGO down to the LDU, learned about the AFOL ARMY behind BTS, were dazzled by a wedding dress and smashed a LEGO castle. In fact, we’ve published so many interesting articles in February, that we’ve included an interactive calendar of them at the bottom of...

Today’s guest article comes from Levi Knighten who shares their experience trying to create a sigfig as a black, queer fan of LEGO. I was introduced to LEGO through my partner during college. After we moved in together, he took me to one of his favorite places: the LEGO Store. I had never even been to one before and was overwhelmed by the sea of yellow. All of the sets on the walls and minifigure pictures everywhere seemed inviting. Yet, I noticed I was the only black person in the store. Having gone back many times since, including to different locations and even to our local Bricks and Minifigs, I am often the only black person in the room. In recent years, there has been a bit more diversity in both sets and clientele that I can see. But I never feel quite comfortable when I’m in public at a LEGO...

Best of BrickNerd — Article originally published on March 1, 2022 and updated on Feb 25, 2023. Image via The Calvert Journal The events in this article took place in Autumn 2021. The article, by guest writer Jenn Williams, has been in development with BrickNerd since that time and was completed before the escalation of current events. Even as a memory from last year, however, the story of the LEGO community in Ukraine deserves to be told. Jenn’s explorations highlight the connection and inspiration LEGO can bring to all corners of the world. We hope this article illustrates how the international AFOL community is diverse, creative, and overwhelmingly open-hearted. Finding Community in Ukraine The cityscape of Kyiv, Ukraine, stretches in repetitious rows of gray, as far as the eye can see. Building after building of bland soviet apartment blocks are peppered only with the blue and yellow of Ukrainian flags hung...

As a huge (and I mean HUGE) fan of all things Middle Earth, I was ecstatic about LEGO’s return to this magical world with the announcement of 10316 Rivendell. After the appetizer that the three Lord of the Rings BrickHeadz released in January provided, it’s great to finally get a proper minfigure-scale set in the LOTR theme. And what a set it is! However, while this 6,000+ piece set is jaw-dropping on its own, besting anything ever released under the LOTR brand, my inner MOC-builder felt the need to take the set a step further. After all, why just build Rivendell when you could build and modify Rivendell? (If you wanted a play-by-play of building the set or a list of all the details hidden within, there are many other LEGO-related sites that do that quite well. At BrickNerd, we like to get creative with sets by showcasing their history, alternative...