If it has a LEGO logo… it can NPU! Many an AFOL started with humble beginnings. LEGO Duplo is a theme intended for the littlest of LEGO fans, the future of the hobby. But if you dig out that old Duplo part bin, you may find yourself with a great deal of Nifty Parts Usage (NPU) potential! You know it, you love it. Duplo The Duplo parts catalog is pretty vast, ranging from animals to aliens, food to furniture, and anything in between! And, of course, it’s primarily within the same system as any LEGO piece, although you gotta get creative here and there. Standard bricks can sit atop most Duplo bricks, as they are twice the size of your standard brick of the same stud count. Neat, eh? View fullsize View fullsize And because Duplo pieces are within system, naturally a bunch of builders have gone crazy, using them for...

Since 2016, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of ‘big’ LEGO sets, and what used to be a relatively rare event is becoming run-of-the-mill. As well as identifying the best method to judge the size of a set, we’ll appraise recent trends and the wider landscape of big sets, and look back on two decades of LEGO’s ‘Big Beasts’. Image by Chris Clarke So What Is A ‘Big’ Set Anyway? There is no conclusive way to measure how ‘big’ a LEGO set is, which is essential if we want to assess the value for money (or lack thereof). Piece count has been the traditional measure, but the release of 31203 World Map and its 11,000 or so tiny round tiles, took away any remaining authority the already flawed ‘price per piece’ metric had. Image © The LEGO Group 31203 World Map Weight Is Better Than Piece Count Price...

As more and more Collectible Minifigure series (CMFs) are produced based on licensed themes, the question always arises: “Why can’t we have a Star Wars series?” There are certainly enough characters from a galaxy far, far away that haven’t been made into minifigs yet. With the Disney 100 CMF series soon to be released, let’s return to the year 2000 where a short-lived line of sets would provide not only collectible Star Wars figures but figures for a number of original LEGO themes as well. These odd display pieces with stands and information cards were released as “Collectible Mini-Figures” several years before the CMF series was conceived. So let’s dive into what exactly this strange line of sets was. History While fans might not always agree and new complaints arise with more and more specialty minifigures being released, LEGO has a long history of making consumer-friendly ways to acquire individual and...

One of my early entry points into MOC building was joining the Disney Habitat Challenge on Instagram in 2022. It was my first Instagram challenge, and it got me hooked on the benefits of habitats (and joining challenges for that matter). Disney Robinhood habitat by @Brickbuiltjosh Their small size is a welcome challenge while being super manageable to create, even when life was turned upside down as happened last year. They seem small and innocuous, but they can pack a ton if you approach it with curiosity and an eye for detail.  Habitats are the haiku of LEGO building: easy to dismiss, but you can fit worlds inside its small structure. We’ll explore exactly how you can make the most out of those 8x8 stud haikus with five key skill areas that are guaranteed to elevate your build’s impact. If you’re new to building your own creations or are hesitating to...

Why look at the clouds from below when you have a much better view up above! Carter (Carter Witz) and Hadden (Roanoke Handybuck) prove this to be true with their wonderful collaborative MOC, Cloud Life. I was able to catch up with the builders and find out how such a collaboration happens—and get an insight into their creative process. Cloud Life Planning and Collaborating Chris: Hey guys, it was great to see this in person at Bricks Cascade. Thanks for taking the time to dig a little deeper and nerd out over this fantastic MOC! First up, this was a team effort between the two of you—how did the planning for this project go? Blue is carter (LEFT), green is Hadden (RIGHT) Hadden: Hey Chris! Thanks for the interview! Planning was very spontaneous and it took place in a 60ish minute Discord call around 2.5 weeks before Bricks Cascade. We sent...