Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published May 11, 2022. What is shiny, red, fast and dangerous? Well, it’s a Fuchikoma! This one made by Ids looks as menacing as it should be. It has a very clean look to it, with smooth curves, neat angles and nice usage of pieces like the “shield” and plenty of appealing greebling. That said, let’s have a closer look at the model together with Ids himself! Marco: You’ve mentioned having built this MOC for Marchikoma. Could you explain with this means and how you got inspired to build it? Ids: Last year after Febrovery, a theme month to build a Space Rover, I saw Marchikoma on Flickr. Here the goal is to make a small robot, that looks a bit like a spider. It needs to have at least four legs, two arms and a double-segmented body. The rules in the Flickr group describe...

Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published May 3, 2022. Planet Earth by Allyson Gail LEGO brick separators are everywhere (except when you really need one)! Cluttering your build table and falling on the floor, waiting to be stepped upon! We’re talking about the all-too-common brick separator. Join BrickNerd for a quick look at the history, usage and building inspiration of the brick separators. And see what we learned about whether they are indeed taking over the world! Beginnings of Separation The first brick separator was introduced in 1990 (time flies when you’re having fun). The original design was unchanged for over twenty years (1990 – 2011). Old dark gray was the most common color, appearing in 66 sets. Green was the only other released color, appearing in 17 sets. (We aren’t going to cover other mysterious colors that have appeared in the wild in this article. We’ll save that investigative...

Pneumatic sets have been part of the LEGO Technic theme for a long time; the first sets were introduced in 1984 only two years after the Technic name was introduced. There haven't been many pneumatic sets though—if you don't count re-releases, accessory packs and LEGO Education, only 28 sets have been released in 39 years, with a 29th (42157 John Deere 948L II Skidder) just announced for later this year. Despite this rarity, pneumatic sets remain popular. So let's have a closer look at LEGO pneumatics. Along the way, we'll look at the history of the system, the components, the science, LEGO sets and MOCs. So let's get going, we have a lot to get through. It’s All Greek To Me The word 'pneumatic' comes from the Latin word 'pneumaticus' which in turn comes from the Greek word 'pneumatikós' meaning air, breath or spirit. The dictionary calls it “containing or operated...

Without a doubt, LEGO acknowledges the popularity of cars—even more specifically, classic American cars. Just look at sets like the Ford Mustang, the Pickup Truck, or the more recent Chevy Camaro. Someone who also likes these kinds of cars is Kuba the Builder, aka Jakub Marcisz. He has built several classics like the Crown Vic, a Ford F100, and more. All of those cars are built with a lot of attention to detail. And Jakub himself was kind enough to chat with us and show how he builds these V8 beauties. Marco: There is a wide variety among the models that you’ve made, but they’re clearly all classic American cars. Do you have a special interest in those? And where does that interest come from? Jakub: I am not interested in motorization, but I actually like classic American cars like muscle cars, pickups, etc. However, cars interest me from the visual...

Every year, AFOLs from around the world converge in a (very) small town in the southwestern part of Denmark at the end of September. Why is that, you may ask? Because of the legendary event called Skærbæk Fan Weekend (SFW)! But what is it and how do you “do Skærbæk“ properly? Well, let’s dive into it so you can make the most of the experience. What Is Skærbæk Fan Weekend? Let’s start with a short description (which is a complete rip-off from the SFW homepage—I figured the people in charge would be best equipped to explain it): “In 2005, the LEGO Company started a small get-together with some AFOLs. That event was called the LEGO Fan Weekend. Through the years it developed and grew into a fantastic event. Somehow the LEGO Company decided ten years later not to continue the LEGO Fan Weekend. Seriously bad news for the fans and so...