Whether you call them Tokens of Appreciation, Fan Trophies, Trophy Tokens or some other variation of the name, these small LEGO-related items have become well-established at many of the major AFOL events across North America. Although often attributed to the late Arthur Gugick at Brickworld in 2012, there is some evidence of AFOLs leaving tokens as early as 2007 and 2008. The actual tokens vary greatly but can be mini-MOCs, printed tiles, stickers, cards or some other small item given to an AFOL or placed near their display to recognise that you really liked their MOC or some part of their build. This year, Tokens of Appreciation were introduced to the Brixpo LEGO Fan Event in Adelaide, South Australia. The Australian version of the Tokens of Appreciation first appeared at Brickvention 2023 in Melbourne. Aspen Arnold surprised a small number of builders by placing a token near their MOCs. As the...

LEGO builders should venture out of their comfort zones more. Often this will result in a neat surprise, just like this keep built by Taylor. You wouldn’t expect this to be built by someone who usually builds space MOCs—especially not on this scale. The name he chose for this keep is one that suits it very well, it’s truly a jewel! The different heights of towers and walls make it imposing, and the level of detail is pleasing to look at. For example, those Nexo Knights shields used for the crenelations are used perfectly. The walls have a good texture to avoid the so-called “grey wall syndrome.” And the use of several green tones makes it truly deserve the name “Emerald.” Of course, I was curious how this keep came to be, and Taylor was kind enough to answer questions I had about the MOC. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize...

Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published September 14, 2021. “To Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before” is not only the well-known mission of the starship Enterprise from Star Trek but is also the way that Samuel Hatmaker lives their life. Sam has been “boldly going” new places for a long time now; from boldly building MOCs in kitschy themes like Golden Girls, Devine, and Jem and the Holograms, to boldly taking part in the first season of LEGO Masters US. (It is hard to believe the second season is ending today!) It is only fitting that the next place Sam would boldly go would be on a Star Trek voyage. However, before we teleport ourselves back to mid-August and the “Roddenberry Interactive Stage” of the recent Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas, I’d first like to tell you about a “mission” of my own. Since we have written...

Best of BrickNerd - Article originally published September 22, 2021. You may be surprised by the number of pigs in the LEGO world; I certainly was! They cross several building systems, multiple decades, colours, and themes both licensed and non. When I was mostly finished my cataloguing, a friend asked me to pick an animal that I had more than 10 examples of and show them off. Well, sagh, I apologise for it taking so long, but I’ve finally got round to writing up ‘Pigs’. I know that you won’t mind me sharing it with the rest of the BrickNerd community! My happy piggery Before I Start, a Note on Moulds In this article I’ll refer to some items being the ‘same mould’. That may not be 100% accurate. There are others who know far more about different moulds than I, including our own Francesco Spreafico.  What I mean by the...

Today’s guest article comes from Brian Saviano, a LEGO Super Mario super-AFOL who shares how the Twitch community came together to help raise funds to fight cancer. Standing Up For Change We all have the ability to do good, regardless of our reach. Small acts of generosity, kindness, and empathy change how the world turns. It’s from the combined efforts of an outstanding collection of people uniting for the greater good. These ideals were exemplified as the LEGO BrickBuilding Community on Twitch (a live-streaming video platform) came together to support Stand Up To Cancer. We raised over $40,000 in the name of eradicating cancer. With the help of people new to the hobby, established creators, and a network of amazing friends, we took massive leaps forward in funding life-changing cancer research. Let me guide you through our beginnings, process, and intentions with this grueling fight against cancer. Fueling the Fight Against...