Do you remember the building techniques you used before certain LEGO elements were officially released? How many custom accessories and workarounds did you create before LEGO introduced an official version? Chances are, you have plenty of creative examples that make your builds and photos even more dynamic. But how do you integrate these new pieces with the techniques you’ve already mastered? Let’s explore the “before and after” of LEGO creations through photography and discover ways to blend custom creations with newer LEGO elements. Smoke & Bubble Effects How did we create tiny smoke effects in LEGO before the release of the new Potion Class set? By stacking transparent elements in creative ways! The new smoke element, however, is more refined (much to the delight of chemistry teachers) and offers an easier way to create bubbling effects. Here is how I used to create some transparent bubbles: Something went wrong… or did...

What do Marie Curie, Sir Isaac Newton, and George Washington Carver have in common? They’re all scientific trailblazers—and now, they’re minifigures in one of LEGO’s most inspiring sets yet. The Evolution of STEM, the winner of the 2023 LEGO Ideas contest Celebrate the Wonders of STEM, will release on March 1, 2025. But don’t let the sleek box art fool you—this set isn’t just about building; it’s about celebrating curiosity, innovation, and the interconnected worlds of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. I personally connect to this set being a teacher at a school that encourages the STEM field. (In all actuality, this set should be called The Evolution of STEAM since LEGO in itself is Art.) So join me as we dive into why this set is more than meets the eye and how it reflects learner profiles from an educational viewpoint. Along the way, we will speak with the designers...

LEGO recently announced set 21062 Trevi Fountain, revisiting the same subject that was previously featured in set 21020 in 2014. Revisiting subjects of sets by LEGO is more common than you may realise. It is done in a number of ways and for a variety of reasons. 21020 Trevi Fountain from 2014 21062 Trevi Fountain from 2025 You’ll be amazed how often some subjects have appeared as sets. (I was, while I was researching this article!) But before diving into those stories, let’s talk, somewhat paradoxically, about what we’re not talking about. Set Re-Releases Space Shuttle set 10231 from 2011. Image via Brickset LEGO sometimes re-releases sets. By “re-release,” I mean the LEGO offering the exact same model, or with minor changes, for sale again. For example, between 2001 and 2004, LEGO tapped into the nostalgia of a new group of customers known as AFOLs with the “Legends” line. The re-release...

Can you feel it? Something long dormant is awakening. A contest of heroes and villains… of lightsabers and blasters. In the vast shadowy depths of the galaxy, a challenge stirs—a call to arms that will summon the fiercest builders and creators. But who will rise to answer the call? Who will reign triumphant with the spoils of the star wars? The details remain a mystery, yet one thing is undeniable—Imperial March is coming. On March 1st, everything will be revealed. Prepare yourselves because an epic battle is about to begin! Will you answer the call? Let us know in the comments below. Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a top patron like Marc & Liz Puleo, Paige Mueller, Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff, John & Joshua Hanlon from Beyond the Brick, Megan Lum, Andy Price, Lukas Kurth from StoneWars, Wayne Tyler, Dan Church, and Roxanne...

A smooth-moving camera slider can add a professional touch to your videos and brickfilms, creating dynamic shots with ease. In this article, I’ll show you how I built a fully functional camera slider for a smartphone only using LEGO. It’s a simple yet effective solution for adding cinematic movement to your footage. So as we wrap up Engineers’ Week, I’ll even provide some guidance on how to build it yourself. Better a Good Copy Than a Bad Original Before starting a project, I always like to research how other engineers have tackled similar challenges, especially when working with LEGO. With experience on film sets, I’ve seen a wide range of camera sliders in action. For this project, I specifically looked into three-axis motion-controlled sliders to understand their design and functionality. Lynx motion control slider ($2,000) Professional three-axis camera sliders are designed to perform three out of six fundamental camera movements. Every...

A MOC genre that has popped up in recent years the “Slice of Life.” Pioneered by Jackson / jermaxmikufan (Flickr/Instagram) in early 2021, it depicts primarily a lived-in Japanese-inspired setting, devoid of minifigures, and “just part of the sprawl of towns and cities.” Its loving take on the mundane quickly garnered a following, with many builders wanting to attempt their own take on the concept, and as a result a collaboration project sprung up.  One of the resulting creations was Bartu Elci-Ozsoy’s “Slice of Life: Townhouse,” a delightful study in bright light orange and light salmon, overgrown and lived-in, and with more details than one can count. The Modulex on display is no accident – Bartu goes by the moniker of “LegoModulexFan” (Flickr) – and his love for the obscure and retired is apparent with each and every brick—light violet fences form a balcony while medium orange is used to weather the...

Happy Engineers’ Week! To celebrate this year, we’re going to dive into beam theory! Last summer, Oscar wrote an excellent article about building LEGO SHIPs where he dived into the strength of brick-built beams to support large space-faring MOCs. This has percolated in my brain for the last several months; and with some theory, experimentation, and math, we’ll learn what happens when you… abuse well-established engineering principles. Beam Me Up! Beams are long structural members that support loads perpendicular to their long axis. Think bridges, floor and ceiling joists, airplane wings, diving boards, and shelves to name a few common beams that may be in your everyday life. We are going to be exploring basic beam theory, which has some very specific assumptions and lots of math (that I will try to keep relatively simple and avoid the “Here be Calculus” parts of the map). Beam Problem form Engineering Mechanics Statics...

Today’s BrickNerd article comes from guest contributor Brickproject, a builder in France who specializes in architectural buildings and microscale creations. The French Café As a French LEGO fan-builder, I had the opportunity on behalf of BrickNerd to look at set 10362 French Café, a beautiful homage to our “café en terrasse” culture, featuring 1,101 crafted pieces. The purpose of this article is, of course, to take a quick look at the set, but more importantly, to add my personal touch to the model and explore ways to reimagine the set. So please enjoy the review, expansion and reimagining of LEGO’s French Café. Lunch in France Getting right into it, the designer of the set chose to depict the ground floor of a cute traditional French corner café, taking inspiration from different regions of France. The abundant ivy, greenery, and pastel-toned facade immediately remind me of a small “Provençal” village / South...

How I Met Your Mother by Dreamnbricks is the latest project to achieve 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas. The 1,400 piece build features the apartment setting for a majority of the show and includes minifigures of Ted, Barney, Lily, Marshall, Robin, the Mom, Penny, and Luke. The project joins Civil Engineering: Types of Bridges – Revisited, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Go Go Power Rangers! LEGO Megazord, Booknook: Story Laboratory, Medieval Knight, Coraline – The Pink Palace, Taylor Swift Lover House, Jellyfish Collection, Nolinor Boeing 737-200, Portal 2: Core Replacement Station, Ancient Roman Temple, The Holiday – Rosehill Cottage, Gilmore Girls: Stars Hollow, Appa the Sky Bison, Grand Central Station, “Love Enlighten Me” The Bench of the Lampposts in Love, Bob Ross – The Joy of Building, Peter Rabbit and the Garden, Disney’s Phineas and Ferb Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, Muppets – Statler & Waldorf’s Balcony Key Rack, and Junkyard with Working Magnet...

Junkyard with Working Magnet Crane by LEGOParadise is the latest project to achieve 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas. The build features a junkyard layout with a bunch of rusted vehicles as well as a functional electromagnet-style crane that uses real magnets to pick up the cars. The project joins Civil Engineering: Types of Bridges – Revisited, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Go Go Power Rangers! LEGO Megazord, Booknook: Story Laboratory, Medieval Knight, Coraline – The Pink Palace, Taylor Swift Lover House, Jellyfish Collection, Nolinor Boeing 737-200, Portal 2: Core Replacement Station, Ancient Roman Temple, The Holiday – Rosehill Cottage, Gilmore Girls: Stars Hollow, Appa the Sky Bison, Grand Central Station, “Love Enlighten Me” The Bench of the Lampposts in Love, Bob Ross – The Joy of Building, Peter Rabbit and the Garden, Disney’s Phineas and Ferb Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, and Muppets – Statler & Waldorf’s Balcony Key Rack as the ones to...