It’s all come down to this. The end of Bio-Cup 2023 is here. Three unstoppable constraction builders wanted the win, but only one will come out on top. This year’s Bio-Cup has been nothing short of amazing, with so many talented builders, new and old, really elevating their skills to the next level. If you haven’t seen any of the previous rounds, I encourage you to check out the Flickr group to see all the other builds that are not in the finals. Or you can catch up through BrickNerd’s articles: Bio-Cup 2023 is Underway Villainous Intent: Round 1 of Bio-Cup 2023 Going in Circles: Round 2 of Bio-Cup 2023 Punk It Up: Round 3 of Bio-Cup 2023 If you are all caught up now, the winner of Bio-Cup 2023 is… Blatant Delaying Tactics Maybe let’s stop, for just a moment, for a lovely slideshow of the impressive builds selected at...

When you meet Loke (byggi_l on Instagram) on the street, or at a Swedish fan event, or at LEGO House (where he’s been exhibiting as of late), you’ll be having a pleasant conversation with a bright TFOL. Full of great ideas, Loke will excitedly talk about the 50s- and 60s-band he’s playing in, or what sets he’s looking forward to building next. But little do you notice what comes out the second he sits down to build his own creations. See… Technically Loke is known for amazingly cute builds full of humor. Colorful, expressive MOCs where objects come to life. Creations with a second layer to them, always telling a story. And… creations that regularly murder or at least mutilate their cast. It’s dark humor, grim at times, and while NBC’s Hannibal was played by a Scandinavian, this cheerful Swedish teenager really doesn’t look the part! Where others would simply build...

With Halloween fast approaching and to celebrate Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride (and film), let’s reflect on how to create Pepper’s Ghost effect in LEGO. What Is Pepper’s Ghost? Pepper’s Ghost is an illusion technique for making spectral images appear on stage and screen. It was popularized by John Henry Pepper in 1862 (Pepper's Ghost). The illusion works by creating a reflection on a clear surface. The clear surface allows for physical objects and actors to appear to interact (or not) with the ghostly image. The key elements of creating the illusion are as follows: Having a secret chamber out of the viewer’s line of sight. The aforementioned clear reflecting medium that the viewer can’t see. And the ability to illuminate and darken the secret chamber. When objects in the darkened secret room are illuminated, a reflection is made on the clear medium. Unlike on a mirror with a silvered back (or black LEGO in...

For each issue of BrickJournal Magazine, the BrickNerd team creates instructions for a LEGO mini-model to go with the theme of the cover story. For their recent issue all about castles, we decided to make our own microscale LEGO castle called “Harmony.” All Things In Harmony Castles are iconic. From Neuschwanstein to Disney, their architecture sparks the imagination of heroic knights to magical fairy tales. For the castle theme of BrickJournal’s summer issue, we wanted to capture that same majestic feel and recreate it in microscale. This castle is a fortress fit for royalty with soaring towers, turrets and more! The castle is also a love letter to the LEGO System. It has a fun variety of special elements spanning almost five decades of LEGO that all fit together flawlessly in perfect harmony. Here are the step-by-step instructions you can scroll through to build all the art supplies. The flowers used...

Las Vegas, Sin City, the Entertainment Capital of the World, or the Gambling Capital of the World… call it whatever you like. We have 32 million visitors a year to our fair city in southern Nevada that features a plethora of entertainment options, food, wedding chapels, and, of course, gambling (not necessarily in that order). As the adage goes, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Though not necessarily in LEGO brick form… Past: Ready, Set, Vegas It’s been a little over a year since I’ve updated everyone on the progress of my microscale Las Vegas Strip. To summarize, my original creation was made up of eight 48x48 stud base plates which when placed together measured 7.5 feet long and 2.5 feet wide. That was enough space to build Las Vegas in microscale representing about 3 miles of the Las Vegas Strip. This is close to a scale of 1 brick...