For each issue of BrickJournal Magazine, the BrickNerd team creates instructions for a LEGO mini-model to go with the theme of the cover story. For their recent issue all exploring LEGO City, we decided to make our own yellow convertible car. A Car You Can Collect Recently, I completed the design of a narrow modular building with a working garage door, and something important was missing--a car for the garage! I suppose I knew I would need a car all along, but I waited until the end because, honestly, I had never designed a car MOC before. To get started, I did what I figured anyone else might do and looked at sets to give me a good base model. In this case, I chose Tony Stark’s convertible from set 76216 Iron Man Armory. It had the general look I was going for and included the specific mudguards I hoped to...

Summer’s in full swing and August is already over – time to relax in the evening sun and enjoy this month’s smorgasbord of great features, insightful articles and deep dives from all across the LEGO community! We are lucky to have this many outlets and channels that keep creating incredible content, and these are the best of the month. Here at BrickNerd, we delved into the stuff of dreams and nightmares with the new LEGO Dreamzzz sets and covered San Diego Comic-Con from an AFOL perspective. We visited Korea Brick Party and an incredible LEGO Train Event in Germany, moved a LEGO collection, and covered disability representation in LEGO, autistic AFOLs and highlighted the highs and lows of neurodivergent builders. We talked Bio-Cup 2023 finals and LEGO animal NPU, LEGO waterfall techniques and LEGO Rock Raiders. We even published instructions for a LEGO chess set and chronicled the illustrious career of...

Following my first article for BrickNerd discussing my Autism diagnosis and how this relates to me being an AFOL—especially how LEGO has been a strategy with supporting this—I wanted to gain the perspectives of other Autistic AFOLs. I sought out other AFOLs who felt safe enough to share their experiences. Rather than summarize what they said, I’ve opted to include their own words because I think they are more powerful coming from the source. Here are the interviews I conducted. Molly Belfield: Speaking LEGO As A Common Language Kate: When did you get your diagnosis, and can you summarise, if you’re comfortable, how it affects your daily life? Image by Chris Christian. Molly: I was diagnosed with Autism when I was 21. At the time, I was at university studying to become a paediatric nurse. Although I don't often tell people that I'm Autistic, I now feel so much happier because...

Since the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 1999, The LEGO Group has produced many sets using the Intellectual Property (IP) of other companies. Harry Potter followed Star Wars in 2001, and over the next two decades, there was a surge of new licenses making it the most important factor in The LEGO Group’s stunning growth. In turn, LEGO fans have benefited from the expanded range which offers a broader array of themes, sets, and minifigures. This has provided expanded play options for kids and a resounding hit of nostalgia for adults. Images © The LEGO Group. Gabby’s Dollhouse 10787 Kitty Fairy's Garden Party But of course, all of this comes at a cost. Using the IP of other another organisation incurs a fee, and a portion of that fee must be passed onto the customer to make the product viable. Still, the increased prices can cause some contention...

Today, we dive into the most beloved part by LEGO GBC (Great Ball Contraption) builders: the chrome cup. This rare and elusive part typically sells for 6 euros ($6.50 USD) on BrickLink and is being hoarded by some of the greatest builders—and it isn’t because it is shiny. Animated gif by Frederik hareide. Where did the part originate from, and why has it only ever been produced in one color? Why is the chrome cup being hoarded by GBC builders? And are there any alternatives? Read on to learn about the legend of the chome cup. History of The Legendary Chrome Cup The chrome cup was released long before the first LEGO GBC ball existed in 1993. It was featured in sets 9701-1 and 9702-1 as part of the Educational & Dacta Control Lab sets. As the BrickLink name suggests, the part’s primary function is to reflect the light in a...