Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published August 4, 2022. Today’s guest article is written by Ben Bartlett who is a student at St. John's College. You can find his work on Flickr as #1 Nomad. From TFOL to AFOL This year, I attended my first convention as an AFOL. And, in celebration of this, I displayed with a LUG and in a collab for the first time. It felt like I was ascending from my former TFOL self, becoming a grown-up doing grown-up things. It felt as if I had become a fully-fledged member of the LEGO community at large. However, I couldn’t have felt this way without the rich environment I had as a TFOL. I was fortunate enough to have great builders supplying advice and encouragement for my MOCs. These people made me feel included in the community at a young age; they wanted me to be heard...

Howdy BrickNerd readers! It has been a while since my last article, and I have missed launching my nerdy thoughts out into the world wide web. Oy vey, I was just pooped after my last big MOC—but now it’s time to hop back on the wagon and build and write some more! And I’m excited to say I found a perfect bite-sized challenge to get back into the swing of things: The challenge was a self-run one-man task to build BrickCon trophies solely of the parts from sets provided by LEGO and BrickNerd! (You know, these MOC trophies for certain building categories that we wrote about here and here?) So let’s dive in and I’ll tell you all about it! Part I: From Whence Dost Thy Idea Originate? The premiere question I feel I must answer is “where’d this cool idea come from?” Two independent driving forces came together for this...

With the pubic availability of LEGO Braille Bricks, today we feature a guest article from Kat Sipe (drkatbuilds) about disability representation in LEGO. As a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), disability representation and adaptive equipment are part of my work every day. In my professional world, I have to help advocate for patients, recommend equipment, and educate individuals about mobility as ableism is still deeply ingrained in the medical world and beyond. Disability continues to be a stigma, but in recent years this is starting to change. However, I am absolutely thrilled to see improving disability representation within the LEGO world! It is well documented in psychology literature that it is essential to see individuals represented in the world they interact with, including toys. This article will highlight all of the amazing steps forward The LEGO Group (TLG) has made, as well as suggest a few ideas for future development. History...

Moving a cherished LEGO collection can be a daunting task for even the most seasoned AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO). In this article, we'll delve into a LEGO fan’s potentially greatest struggle: relocating their beloved LEGO creations and collection. While there's no magical formula to make this process entirely seamless, we'll explore some valuable insights, stories, and practical tips to help mitigate the challenges and preserve your precious creations intact. BrickNerd has previously discussed how to fly with MOCs and how to store your collection of pieces, but how do you move it all when life makes you take a different direction? Whether moving to a new house, rearranging rooms, or embarking on an international move, read on to glean insights from personal experiences and expert advice. Embracing the Challenge If you're expecting a quick fix or foolproof solution for relocating your LEGO collection, I must disappoint you. The reality is...

I can hardly believe it is August already, and I am delighted to share once again my perspective on attending Bauspielbahn-Treffen 2023 (BSBT). As a reminder, BSBT is a LEGO fan event dedicated exclusively to trains and takes place in the charming town of Schkeuditz, just 12 km northwest of Leipzig, Germany. My previous BrickNerd articles discussing BSBT are linked here for 2021 and 2022. As always, the sublime quality of layouts and trains exhibited is truly special. BSBT attracts a fellowship of like-minded and passionate LEGO train builders. I cannot think of an event that sparks a similar level of inspiration and excitement from the perspective of a LEGO train fan. Also, I cannot forget to mention the amazing team which organizes and hosts BSBT: LEN-Eisenbahner, a subgroup of LEGO train fans within LBrick.de. It is an enormous amount of work to coordinate an event like this, and BSBT's success is...