Few LEGO elements generate as much chaotic seasonal energy as the much-beloved turkey. It’s an icon of holiday builds, a staple of minifigure feasts, and (if we’re being honest) deeply strange. Why is it enormous? Why is it basically the size of a minifigure? And does it even connect to anything? DONT COOK ME TOO!!! Today we’re digging into the history of the LEGO turkey, exploring its evolution across two decades of molds, colors, and quirky incompatibilities… and yes, we’ll absolutely make something goofy along the way. The First Gobble Before the turkey joined our classic minifigure Thanksgiving tables, it strutted onto the scene in 1997—in a Scala set of all places. Set 3243 Kitchen introduced the very first turkey and the apple element, because Scala was quietly an absolute powerhouse of odd edible accessory molds. I’m getting hungry just lookin’ at it! For anyone unfamiliar with Scala, our friends on...

The Winter Village theme has grown into a popular and much beloved seasonal product family; with each year’s new releases eagerly awaited by LEGO fans. Winter Village has the special quality of being a “cross-over” theme in that it often incorporates subjects from other adjacent themes into a holiday context. My winter village layout circa 2023 (5 x 3 mils compatible baseplates 32x32) One need not look any further than this year’s release of the Star Wars 40806 Gingerbread AT-AT Walker for evidence of this crossover affinity! However, my interest in the Winter Village theme is, of course, focused on trains! My Winter village layout circa 2025 at an exhibition at the museum of natural history in Ottawa, Canada (6 x 3 mils compatible baseplates 32x32) For several years, our family has replaced a traditional Christmas tree for holiday decoration with a winter village-themed layout, complete with a customized holiday train...

Sorting and storing LEGO are not new topics on BrickNerd—or to anyone who has gotten tired of digging through giant bins of loose LEGO bricks to find that one missing cheese slope. Everyone has different sized collections, different sorting styles, and different needs. Though I highly recommend checking out the other articles on container options, budget storage, and even using peanut butter jars! View fullsize Zip bags View fullsize Plastic bins View fullsize Silverware dividers Wasted space between bins My personal preference for sorting and storing LEGO is a mix of Akro-Mils small parts drawers sitting on top of my workplace with IKEA Alex drawers underneath. The biggest issue I run into is how best to subdivide the Alex drawers while still keeping things accessible. I’ve used silverware dividers, various premade plastic bins, and just plain old plastic bags. These work… ish. I’ve never been happy with how much wasted space...

Today’s guest article comes from BrickNerd patron Wayne Tyler. We’ve featured Wayne’s work many times, especially his thoughtful architectural builds. Today, he shares the story behind a microscale challenge that reshaped his approach to design. A Warm Welcome to the LEGO World Most builders start their LEGO journey in childhood. I started mine at 50. That late beginning changed the way I entered the LEGO community, wandering into it completely unprepared for how welcoming it would be. The LEGO community is a special place for me. I did not have LEGO as a kid. I first encountered LEGO as an adult in 2016. I built my first MOC in 2017. Though an extreme noob, I was openly welcomed into the community everywhere… from LEGO brand store employees who helped me with advice on where to find sets which were no longer in the store, to the local LUG whose members answered newbie...

Today’s guest article comes from Juan Rodriguez Lopez, a builder living in the Seattle area who has mixed his passion for architecture with his love of LEGO bricks. He shares a follow-up article about designing custom castles, this time focusing on the Emerald City from the film, Wicked. My Most Ambitious LEGO Castle Yet My love for castles is still going strong, and designing LEGO castle models has pretty much become my number one hobby… and obsession. (Read all about my former castles in my first guest article.) I’m always thinking about what the next build could be and how to make it feel special—something uniquely its own, something that adds a new spark to the collection. So when it came time to choose my next MOC, I landed on the Emerald City from the film Wicked for a few reasons. First, I’ll admit it: I was disappointed with the official...