“The Conversation Piece” is a monthly BrickNerd series about creativity and building with LEGO authored by our friends over at the Builder Improvement Initiative (BII), a Discord-based community that helps LEGO builders of all levels get better at their craft through knowledge-sharing and constructive feedback. Have a question you would like us to consider for a future article? You can submit it here. Enjoy! Developing Style FS Leinad asks: “How does a builder's style develop? How does style develop? Is it better to strive for a consistent style or to branch out?” Do you have a favorite movie you throw on when you need to turn off your brain for a bit? An album or musician you listen to on loop? A video game or series of games you often find yourself returning to? Chances are, if you got a friend hooked on the same obsession, you have a shortlist of...

One promotion has ended and another one starts as the LEGO SEGA Genesis Controller (40769) is now available on the LEGO Shop. You can get the GWP with purchases of $130 or more, excluding pre-orders. The SEGA Genesis Controller has 260 pieces and has the iconic look as well as a microscale Green Hill Zone on the back. There’s are stickers for you to use for SEGA Genasis or Mega Drive. The promotion will run from now until September 18, while supplies last. As a Rakuten/Linkshare Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The post LEGO SEGA Genesis Controller (40769) GWP Promotion Now Live appeared first on The Brick Fan. Original linkOriginal author: Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

Next up on our reviews of the LEGO Wicked sets, we take a look at Glinda & Elphaba Visit Munchkinland (75690). This set has 744 pieces and will retail for $69.99. Minidolls There are three minidolls in this set, Glinda, Elphaba, and Boq. Glinda is in a more lavender colored dress with some metallic turquoise detailing. She has a more happier expression for this set. Her accessory is a brick-built trans-clear wand. Elphaba has the black dress with purple details. This version of her is the more iconic look with the broad shoulderpad piece. She has a slight smirk and the hat is molded on to the hair. Boq has on the gray uniform which is sort of foreshadowing to what he’ll be later on. He has a smile on his face and he wears a gray hat. His accessory is a hatchet. Build There are two parts to the build,...

Today is the last day for the the LEGO Harry Potter Back to Hogwarts event and as of this post, there is just over 14 hours left to get your orders in. All three of the promotions provided are still available including the Hogsmeade Sign (5009867) when you purchase Hogsmeade Village – Collectors’ Edition (76457), the Quidditch Lesson (30706) polybag with Harry Potter purchases of $40 or more, and the Hogwarts Castle: Room of Requirement (40770) with Harry Potter of $130 or more. You can get all three promos when you just purchase Hogsmeade Village. Discounted Sets • Hogwarts Icons – Collectors’ Edition (76391) – $239.99• Hagrid’s Hut: An Unexpected Visit (76428) – $59.99• Ollivanders & Madam Malkin’s Robes (76439) – $71.99• Triwizard Tournament: The Arrival (76440) – $119.99 Double Insider Points • Hogwarts Castle and Grounds (76419)• Dobby the House-Elf (76421)• Hogwarts Express & Hogsmeade Station (76423)• Buckbeak (76427)• Talking...

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...