Today’s guest article comes from Huib Versteeg, an engineer and veteran LEGO SHIP builder with lots of experience on how to build both sturdy and complicated SHIP frames. Introduction Greetings SHIPwrights! As you may have heard through the grapevine, or simply noticed by looking at the calendar, SHIPtember is fast approaching. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, I would direct you to this great article featured previously on BrickNerd where Oscar gives a nice overview of what to expect and how to participate in this fantastically fun annual event. Essentially, SHIPtember is a one-month challenge to build a LEGO spaceship at least 100 studs long, hence the “Seriously Huge Investment in Parts.” Here, I will be focusing on one very specific part of building a SHIP: structural integrity. This will be quite a deep dive with one simple goal: to give you the tools you need to build a beautiful SHIP...

We love theme months here at BrickNerd (you can check out our round-up of themes and building standards here). And if you’ve been poking around the community this August, you might have noticed a certain green envy among some builders as they dive into the cutest creature of them all... It’s FROGust, a month dedicated to this author’s favorite animal! If you wanted to know more about frogs, please check out my previous article (which yes, needs some colour updates!). He’s not a prince, he just found the crown and feels handsome in it! But how did this theme month start? Why did it start? When did it start? What did it start? Let’s get froggie. Croaked Into Existence FROGust started last year when Maxx Davidson posted the build above on August 31st, 2024 (Billund time) and I quote: “I’m willing #Frogust into existence! Small and late start this year, but...

When we build with LEGO, we often find ourselves indoors away from the sunshine and the beautiful outdoors for many hours or days. What happens when we manage to get outside and explore a bit? We go back inside and try to capture that beauty with our favorite plastic interlocking brick system! Here’s how RebelLUG, an online LEGO User Group, put that beauty into bricks. National Parks at BrickWorld Chicago 2025 The Great Outdoors Is Calling As with most collaborations, this one started with a simple idea. What if we made a series of MOCs showcasing the many National Parks found in the United States (and Canada)? I chatted with Drew, the idea originator, about his inspiration for this project, and Paul, who helped flesh out the idea to its final form. Chris: Thanks for taking the time to chat about this collab! Where did the idea for a National Parks...

It is August once again, and for the 5th time (already!), I am happy to talk about the awesome Bauspielbahn-Treffen 2025 (BSBT)—a LEGO fan event dedicated exclusively to trains. BSBT takes place in the charming town of Schkeuditz, just 12 km (about 7.5 miles) northwest of Leipzig, Germany. My previous BrickNerd articles discussing BSBT are linked here for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. As always, the sublime quality of layouts and trains exhibited is truly special. BSBT attracts a fellowship of like-minded and passionate LEGO train builders. I cannot think of an event that sparks a similar level of inspiration and excitement from the perspective of a LEGO train fan. Also, I cannot forget to mention the amazing team which organizes and hosts BSBT: LEN-Eisenbahner, a subgroup of LEGO train fans within LBrick.de. It is an enormous amount of work to coordinate an event like this, and BSBT’s success is due to the hard work of...

While many of us around the world are sweltering in the summer heat, I thought it would be a perfect time to dive back into the deep end of the LEGO Flickr group photo pool to cool off. Swimming around, I was startled by seeing an “old school” AFOL builder breaching the surface once again with some of his killer builds. That builder is Ken Ito / 暁工房, based in Tokyo, Japan. I say “old school” as I was looking back through his photostream and I saw some of his builds that I had faved waaaaay back in 2010. Namely this cute little black-and-tan dachshund. He also built some killer dinosaur builds that still stand the test of time. The “killer builds” we are here to enjoy today, however, are killer whales (orcas), along with bottlenose dolphins and penguins. Ecologically speaking, plastic and aquatic animals are not a good combination. However,...