Today’s guest post comes from Joseph Opara, a memeber of the LEGO community in Toronto, Canada who embarked on a very big project to surprise BrickNerd. Birth and Death of Mega Nerdly In the spirit of BrickNerd’s Nerdvember Survivor Contest, let me tell you a story of birth, death and rebirth. First, let me catch you up on the crazy events that happened a few months ago. To celebrate their tenth anniverary, Editor-in-Chief Dave Schefcik built a 12x upscaled version of BrickNerd’s bespectacled mascot, Nerdly. Built with tens of thousands of pieces, Mega Nerdly was born. The build was not only decorative but deceptively complex and functional, with modular shelves to display a community building project where BrickNerd supporters could make their own custom Nerdlies at Brickworld Chicago. To be honest, it was an awesome (if not crazy) project for the community and one that only BrickNerd could really pull off....

There are plenty of magical (photographic) tricks that we can use when wanting to stretch the boundaries of a microscale LEGO set. The extra-micro scale 76419 Hogwarts Castle and Grounds set is no exception. The only question is which of the Wizarding World’s Extension Charm spells should we use to expand its potential? Maybe Engorgio (the growing charm)? Or Reducio (the shrinking charm)? Getting the right balance between these two spells can make a huge difference in changing our perspectives on how we see a set. Let’s see how we can use these spells to explore LEGO Hogwarts Castle and discover all of its hidden secrets! The LEGO Group generously provided BrickNerd with 76419 Hogwarts Castle and Grounds, and I have the honor and the great pleasure of being your tour guide once again into LEGO’s brick-built version of the Wizarding World. Now, let’s hop onto our flying broomsticks and take...

As a BrickNerd reader, you know (or hope) your LEGO collection is worth its weight in gold. This is especially true if you have any rare LEGO sets or one-of-a-kind MOCs made from a combination of your bricks and your brains. However, while AFOLs realize their LEGO collections are precious, many collectors don’t have insurance for their bricks. When it comes to valuable possessions, we insure our homes and our cars, so why not our LEGO? If you’ve never thought about this (or just assumed your bricks were covered by your homeowners or renters insurance), consider this article your wake-up call. If your LEGO collection was damaged by an event like a flood or a fire, what do you think would happen? What about if it was stolen? None of us want to envision horrible scenarios like these, but they can happen. If you’ve read our own Melissa Rekve’s story, you...

Timing the launch with Black Friday, LEGO has released 76269 Avengers Tower for purchase through their website. As we previously covered, the set is nearly 3 feet tall (90 cm) and clocks in at 5,201 pieces. Plus, with a count of 31, this is the most minifigures included in a single set ever. If you’re considering picking up this new addition to the Marvel stable and are a LEGO insider, you can also get the 5008076 LEGO® MARVEL TAXI gift-with-purchase if you pick up the Tower between now and November 27th. But if Marvel isn’t your thing, there are still other deals and GWPs available on Black Friday that have carried over from LEGO Insiders Weekend. 76269 Avengers Tower | 5,201 pieces | Available Now | US $499.99 | CAN $669.99 | UK £429.99 5008076 LEGO® MARVEL TAXI | 150 pieces | With purchase of 76269 through Nov. 27 | US...

For me, an American in Washington state, today marks Thanksgiving, a day built around good food and counting one’s blessings. I’ve crossed the first off my list with this lovely LEGO turkey, complete with a pair of golden brown drumplates. And normally I would spend the rest of the article gushing about the techniques I used, how I was inspired, or what I plan to use it for. Maybe I’d even make a joke – something about carving it with a brick separator, no doubt. But instead, I’d much rather focus on the second point I listed above: giving thanks. Five months ago, I took on a heaping helping of responsibility at The Brothers Brick, and I’m so incredibly grateful for the team here and all the help and patience they’ve given me as I’ve adjusted to my new role. I have the honor to work alongside some truly inspiring people,...