Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published May 26, 2022. There are many kinds of LEGO build videos, including in-depth walkthroughs like the Final Fantasy Airbuster by my pal Kevin Wanner (which also adds in a bonus timelapse!), deconstruction videos, real-time part-by-part instructions, and much more. Hey look it’s a timelapse build video by some random guy… ok ok it’s me So I'll zoom in on one of my favorite types: the timelapse videos set to music that magically build up a MOC in front of your eyes. Why are these such a favorite of mine? Besides my theory that they’re universally enjoyable (based on how popular they are in so many diverse subjects), my other theory is that it’s due to the nostalgia of the LEGO commercials of my youth. Zack the LEGO Maniac! (LEGO commercial GIF via Know Your Meme) That's got to at least be a part of...

Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published May 20, 2022. Today’s guest article comes from Ryan Howerter, one of the LEGO fan community’s foremost color and materials enthusiasts. Their color guide is one of our go-to LEGO references here at BrickNerd, and you can follow them on Flickr, Instagram and Patreon. A Plethora of Plastics Most people know that most LEGO bricks are made of ABS, but that’s not the only plastic that LEGO uses! Historically and currently, LEGO bricks are made with a variety of materials depending on the use case. This article will explore many of them, with a brief overview of their properties and when/how they have been used. Disclaimer: I am only a LEGO enthusiast, not a plastics specialist by any means. If anything here seems wrong or misleading, please do let me know and I will gladly correct it! Also note that within each plastic category,...

Act 1: Don’t Let Your Stomach Dictate Purchases It was a quiet Monday night in our small unit. Skærbæk Fan Weekend was not far away and though we couldn’t go, my partner in life and LEGO, Kate, and I thought as we watched some late-night TV… “wouldn’t it be magic to be over in the heartland of LEGO?” I had been to Denmark back in 2018 just after I met Kate, and so much of our first year together was filled with stories of my adventure and our now-shared longing to visit once more. I refreshed my newsfeed for the final time that night and happened upon a post about tickets to the annual LEGO House AFOL Christmas Dinner being available. I showed the tab to Kate and we chatted for a brief moment. I remember how sought after these events usually are so I went through a few steps of...

Today’s guest article comes from Karina Sturm to mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day and has been updated and republished with permission from ABILITY Magazine — founding sponsor of abilityJOBS.com, ABILITYJobFair.org and abilityEntertainment.org. Rita Ebel tries one of the ramps she built for a business in Hanau. Most Germans have heard of Rita Ebel, better known as the ‘LEGO Oma.’ The 65-year-old lady with the short blonde pixie cut and a Hessian dialect is known all over the world since her wheelchair ramps made entirely from LEGO have become a tourist attraction in the city of Hanau, Germany and beyond. Rita and her colorful ramps have been featured on numerous TV shows, in newspapers, and in the new book “LEGO Heroes”. Rita spoke with us in German which has been translated about her LEGO ramps, her life as a wheelchair user, accessibility, and the challenges of building more than a dozen ramps...

Something big is coming! In honor of BrickNerd’s 10th Anniversary, we are building something gigantic to celebrate our brick-built mascot Nerdly and bringing it to Brickworld Chicago next month. That’s right, Nerdly is getting an upgrade! We’re building a Nerdly that is ten times the size as normal to celebrate each of the past ten years! (Well, actually it is 12x bigger to make the math a little easier in studs, but who’s counting?) Work has already begun on this behemoth and structural tests are being conducted to ensure peak nerdity. We want to celebrate with YOU, our loyal readers and fellow nerds, so there are a few ways to get involved. In addition to the gigantic Nerdly, we are going to create the largest nerd herd ever assembled! If you are going to Brickworld Chicago, bring a Nerdly along to join the brigade! (Here are the instructions.) We’ll also have...