We often see collaborative projects in the LEGO community where different builders will all build within a similar theme. But it’s not often that said collab is themed around a specific builder! Steven Howad (Ghalad) and co have undertaken a “special secret collab” (his words) to celebrate LEGO designer and AFOL community stalwart Markus Rollbühler. Steven was handed five mice to get him started, but he has taken them and really ran with it – there is so much NPU here! The mice are in the beard, but we also have: octopuses and tyres for the hair; Dots wristbands for the sash and headband; lifejackets for the jacket buttons; long-haired dogs in the cheeks; and plenty more besides. But my favourite – and the most meta – are the boat hulls used for the hat and epaulettes! The post Putting the ‘rat’ into pirate – with clever parts use to boot...

Image via (archive.org) Imagine a world without the internet and social media, where you can’t just search the internet for MOCs or inspiration, and where your only source of input is two TV channels, the radio, books, and word of mouth. I know it’s hard to imagine such a world (believe me, I’ve tried several times with my kids). That world did exist, though. It is called the ‘80s, and it’s the world I grew up in. As a kid in that world, I was constantly starved for creative input for my imagination. Sometimes, if you were lucky, there was a cool TV series playing that you were hopefully allowed to watch. Toys were also a way to open up new areas in my imagination: Transforming robots!? People riding on dinosaurs!? Wind up animal mechs?! AWESOME!  Comics were very important for me and many others in this era. During the ‘80s,...

Guest contributor Joe Meno talks about LEGO instructions, if you should ask a MOC builder for them, and his experience in LEGO building that spans two millennia. (How’s that for a lead-in!?) In The Beginning You know, I’ve never asked for instructions for someone’s creation. Let me explain myself: I started LEGO building way, way back in 1999 (yeah, the 20th century). At that time, the community was beginning to gather online, post on LUGNET, and post photos of their MOCs on Brickshelf. Digital modeling was just beginning with LDraw and MLCAD. It was a pretty bare frontier then, but there were LUGNET pages that were hopping with activity. I saw some phenomenal builders (and later met them) and their works. But I wasn’t one to ask for instructions. If I saw a MOC that caught my attention, I would look at the photos and see if I could figure out...

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 June 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...

“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'd like us to consider for a future article? You can submit it here. Enjoy! How to Begin Building Anonymous asks: “I’m really interested in making my own creations, but I have absolutely no idea how to start. I’ve only ever bought sets and followed the instructions, but have never really been able to make anything from scratch. I love building with LEGO and love being able to assemble/create things, but I’ve no idea how to see something and have a good shot at trying to build it. Is there any advice you could provide to get me started with a MOC for...