Nerd Alert! The following article is about a niche within a niche within a niche, so normal people who might happen to read this will wonder, “Why even bother?” Well, I wasn’t going to write it, but then I remembered this website’s name, so here we go… I’m a LEGO 2x4 brick collector. I collect them all and their infinite variations. It’s not hyperbole—they really are infinite if you consider tests, prototypes, mold/position combinations, and marbled bricks. Among these infinite variations, there’s one brick made with a specific mold, that I find really interesting, and that’s what I’m going to talk about today. Why are these bricks special? Read on! Where It All Began I’ll begin at the end to make things more intriguing. In summary, LEGOLAND master builders have access to parts not typically available in regular LEGO sets. These parts are generally known as “Q elements”. They tend to...

Today’s article comes from Katie Walker, who has contributed to BrickNerd before with articles about her cheese slope mosaics. Today, she shares a very personal story about sorting LEGO… and cats. LEGO Sorting and Cats Hello! My name is Katie, and I have a LEGO sorting problem. Or perhaps it’s more like a hobby? Either way, my method may not be to everyone’s taste, but it works for me. I had an active building streak when my oldest kids were little (lots of cheese slope mosaics, etc.), but then I went back to work and entered a gray age—a time when an AFOL stops building because of time, interest, or just life getting in the way. I kept buying sets and building them, then dismantling and sorting them. Then I had another baby and moved to a bigger house. Somehow, I now have less space for building. I have a desk...

It’s that time of year, BrickNerd fans! Time to ditch the scarves and mittens and dig out the flip-flops and Panama hats! It’s also a great time to review some summertime-themed MOCs because the temperatures outside are going up, up, up and the kids are heading out on summer break! Yes, we are going back in time to look at some of the hottest MOCs of the season. To set the mood, enjoy a DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince classic while you peruse this article. And if you look really close in the video, you might even be able to see yours truly in the background. No joke! Beach House 2 We start with Beach House 2… (I must have missed the first movie). One option for summer fun is to rent a house by the ocean, especially if you’ve got a big crew: family, friends, or all of the...

Hello friends, today I bring you a tale of frustration turned upside down and defeated. I shall regale you with the means to make meaningful improvements to your LEGO life by beating that pesky problem of dust accumulation. What follows is a cheap DIY solution to clean up your dusty, grubby LEGO display cabinets! Doors My friends, Doors Dust and Doors Do you live somewhere a tad dusty, be it post-apocalyptic or maybe a backwater desert world? Luke’s LEGO collection must have been as Dusty as it gets! (image via Starwars.com) Or perhaps you have particularly dirty or dusty creatures prowling around your LEGO lair? These are actually my dogs Or maybe you’ve got one of the small human variety? this guy travels with his own dust cloud! (image via therealwil.com) Whatever the cause… you’re dealing with the same frustrating consequence that I am—DUSTY LEGO! Yes, (you may gasp dramatically), the horrors! Because...

In my earlier articles, I have covered some basic and advanced methods for building with a LEGO technique called Studs Not On Top (SNOT), otherwise known as sideways building. This time, I’m going to talk about a more personal and subtle aspect of SNOT: how to avoid grooves and gaps. And (perhaps a little bit ironic) I will also talk about LEGO Braille Bricks and how they can be used to achieve smooth SNOT surfaces—despite being purposely designed to be able to be recognized by touch. Groovy Elements Many LEGO elements have small grooves as a design feature to make them easier to remove from other elements. You are most likely to have seen these on tiles and other elements where it would be hard to separate the pieces. Grooves are a more modern LEGO invention to help fingernails and separators remove them. Though jumpers and grilles began without grooves, they...