A new month is upon us which means more competitive building! Are you ready? Here’s the latest bunch of LEGO contests and challenges from all around the AFOL community for September 2025 to help you find some inspiration and motivation to build! There’s nothing quite like a theme or a prompt to take you out of your comfort zone and give you something new to try. Besides, contests are the perfect place to interact with other contestants and judges and get to know your fellow builders. And if you’re like me, a deadline helps make sure you actually finish! We’ve listed them in order of deadline so you can plan your building time to the best advantage. Make sure to check the LEGO activity calendar for local challenges and events near you. Here at BrickNerd, some of our fondest memories, greatest building achievements, coolest trophies, and best friendships came from LEGO...

Sometime during the pandemic, I started noticing pictures of gorgeous modular MOCs posted on my local LEGO Facebook groups. Kim Plata, a Filipino AFOL, was making modular MOCs from LEGO’s modular models. It was so interesting to see him turn the parts from a LEGO set into something new, and yet, somehow familiar. As pandemic restraints lifted in Manila, I was able to meet Kim and even collaborate with him on an exhibit for the iMake History Fortress. In recent years, I’ve seen Kim’s work evolve and become even more elaborate, true masterpieces that reflect the skill, passion, and precision of a true artisan—fittingly living up to the name of Brick Artisan. Kim’s builds from Left to right: tudor and apothecary, corner castle, and modular malfor manor. I was finally able to spend time with Kim and chat with him about his work at the recently held BrickCon.PH. I loved his...

Today’s guest article comes from Richard Dryden, a builder, DJ and sneakerhead who has competed on LEGO Masters and helped create the Awesome Black Creativity project. LEGO Sports and Basketball According to author of Brick by Brick David C. Robertson, 2003 was a time that the LEGO Group pledged never to return to, fiscally speaking. Yet this is the year that also launched LEGO Sports, which continues its influence more than two decades later through the 2025 LEGO x Nike partnership, specifically with the release of 43010 Nike Slam Dunk and 43021 Nike Dunk Trickshot. Mini-hoop trickshot, with some inspiration from Dereck Lively II. The Trickshot is a throwback to 3427 Slam Dunk in its use of a lever to launch the player towards the cup. The latest design is more expansive with the minifigure mounted to a module in the sole of a brick-built Nike Dunk Low. Once engaged, the...

It’s almost the holiday season and LEGO has revealed some new LEGO Iconic Christmas set coming this October. Snowman Ornaments (40812) – 168 pieces/$12.99 Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Make wishes of a white Christmas come true with this LEGO® Snowman Ornaments (40812) building set for kids aged 6 and up, which includes 2 adorable snowman figures. Girls and boys will have lots of fun building the snowman toys and admiring all the cute details, including their charming carrot noses. There’s an adult snowman who wears a top hat and holds a gift and a child snowman who wears glasses and a beanie and holds a lantern. The snowmen figures also include hanging rings so, once they’re complete, they become LEGO Christmas ornaments that kids can hang on the tree or use as part of a festive display. Festive Gingerbread House (40809) – 498 pieces/$39.99 Ready for...

LEGO has revealed a new LEGO Star Wars Christmas set with the Gingerbread AT-AT Walker (40806). Releasing on October 1, the set has 697 pieces and will retail for $59.99. The set features a smaller scale AT-AT Walker but in gingerbread style and it includes an exclusive gingerbread Darth Vader minifigure as well. Inspire kids’ imaginations during the holiday season with the festive LEGO® Star Wars Gingerbread AT-AT Walker (40806). A brilliant Star Wars gift idea for boys, girls and fans aged 10 and up, this Christmas craft building set features an AT-AT with gingerbread-house-style decoration and a Gingerbread Darth Vader LEGO minifigure. Pose the legs of the AT-AT, open the cockpit and flip up the sides of the main compartment to reveal the cozy interior: there’s a seat by the fireplace for Darth Vader, a table, drinking cup, cookie and candy cane elements, stockings hanging on the wall, a pile...

Avast maties! What are those black sails ye see on the horizon? It’s the most feared, beloved, and probably the most frequently stolen, wrecked, and otherwise iconic pirate ship to ever sail the seas—the Black Pearl um, Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship!!! be it shrunken? OR has it grown?! LEGO Icons 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship (though from now on we’ll be calling it the Black Pearl) is a feast for the eyes, but there is so much more to it than what’s on the surface—and I’m not even including the full hull when I say that! So to kick off SHIPtember, let’s dive right on in to the nerdiest Pirates of the Caribbean article you probably didn’t know you needed. Pieces of Eight (and Then Some) Before we hoist the sails and take her out to sea, let’s have a look in the cargo hold. This build is packed...

September is now here and there are some new sets that have dropped on the LEGO Shop. The main set for today is the LEGO Harry Potter Hogsmeade Village – Collectors’ Edition (76457) which coincides with the LEGO Harry Potter Back to Hogwarts event which runs through September 7. Besides that, we also have the new Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Collectible Minifigures as well as the new wave of Wicked: For Good sets. In addition, we have the new Nike sets and finally the launch of the LEGO Advent Calendars for various themes. For the Back to Hogwarts promotions, we have three gift with purchase items that you can get. The exclusive Hogsmeade Sign (5009867) is only available when you purchase Hogsmeade Village – Collectors’ Edition (76457). The Quidditch Lesson (30706) polybag is with Harry Potter purchases of $40 or more. Lastly is the Hogwarts Castle: Room of Requirement (40770) with...

LEGO has officially revealed a new LEGO BrickHeadz Fortnite set featuring Drift & Raven Figures (40884). The set has 280 pieced and will retail for $19.99. We’ll have to wait and see if this is listed as a regular set you can buy or a gift with purchase set because the last time LEGO revealed a Fortnite BrickHeadz, it changed from one to the other. Build iconic video game collectibles with this LEGO® BrickHeadz Fortnite® Drift & Raven Figures (40884) building set for kids aged 10 and over. Gamers create Drift, who wears a pink hood and white mask, and Raven, who wears a dark hood and feathers, before adding their awesome Pickaxe and sword accessories. The BrickHeadz set makes a great gaming gift for boys and girls, who can use the LEGO Fortnite toys for imaginative role play or as video game decor. Set contains 280 pieces. The post LEGO...

Today is the last day to qualify for the LEGO Ideas Second 2025 Review Stage and three more projects have joined the fray. There are now 146 projects that will be in review and barring any last minute vote surge, that will be the final tally. Fynbos Flowers – SuperstofBricks Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir – Marinette’s House – Aggravator Manta Ray Mech – Mitsuru Nikaido The post LEGO Ideas August 31 Update – Last Day to Qualify appeared first on The Brick Fan. Original linkOriginal author: Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

Have you ever rebuilt a LEGO set into something else entirely? Congratulations, that’s an alt-build! We are getting a bit nostalgic here, but I’m missing those fun alternative builds on the back of old LEGO Boxes. While “MOCs” weren’t a thing yet back then, it did show how to be creative with the bricks without following the instructions. Someone who really knows how to be creative with just one set is LEGO builder Dorian. When looking at one of his latest creations, you would think it’s just a great MOC—a stunning homage to The Mandolarian’s Razor Crest in beautiful red. But what makes this even greater and takes it to the next level, is that it’s made by only using parts from the 70615 Fire Mech. It’s an impressive transformation, turning the mech into a complete spaceship. And by complete, I mean it has it all! Retractable landing gear, removable cockpit,...