Give thanks for the ultimate dessert: Baja Blast Pie!

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, probably the biggest day of the year for pie consumption. Pumpkin and Pecan might be traditional flavors of the fall, but this year Taco Bell really captured the spirit of 2025 with a bold new pie flavor: Baja Blast! Sadly, the pie was only available at the start of the month, so no making a run for the border to save your family dinner. Let’s give thanks to Eli Willsea (via his Morlorn Empire side account) for capturing this memeable moment in LEGO. This is the build that teal bricks were made for! (Or is it the build that Mark Stafford foresaw and tried to kill?)

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A month of daily mechs with ace AFOL Ivy [Interview]

From Febrovery to Frogust, the LEGO world is rich with events that challenge AFOLs to build under constraints to spark creativity and build community. Some of these, like the newly minted NovHENber, casually invite a single build during a month. The most rigorous challenges are those with a daily creation. Few have the time and stamina for that breakneck pace of building, and every builder who achieves this is an inspiration. Ivybrickss is one such builder who recently completed her second Mechtober – a month of LEGO mechs with mind-blowing variety in theme and function. We sat down with Ivy to talk about her amazing month.

Click to read our interview with Ivybrickss and see highlights of her 31 mechs

Legendary Xerneas makes a staggeringly cute LEGO Pokémon

As anticipation rises for official LEGO Pokémon sets in 2026, more builders than ever are creating their own Pocket Monster MOCs. The latest builder to try and catch ’em is Azurekingfisher, a builder with a distinctive style whose works are currently on display in LEGO House’s Masterpiece gallery. Azurekingfisher’s builds often focus on flowers, birds, and geometric patterns, so seeing a pop-culture creature on their page was quite a surprise. Somehow, the fairy-type Xerneas seems right at home amongst the builders’ works. It’s equal parts adorable and elegant.

The very private Japanese builder has been sharing pictures of their work since 2014. If you want to learn more about their work, BrickNerd just shared an excellent interview with Azurekingfisher.

A clean and classic Vic Viper isn’t just good, it’s Gradius!

NoVVemeber, the annual tradition of building “Vic Viper” inspired starfighters in November, may have been first inspired by classic video game Gradius, but over the past 17 years, builders have pushed the format to wild places, like a ship made from string or this VV made from medical supplies. The One and Only Mr. R (yes, that’s his handle) goes back to the source this month with a ship directly based on the Vic Viper of Gradius V, in player 2 red. While the inspiration isn’t revolutionary, the craftsmanship is of the highest caliber.

The geometry of the wings, the subtle recesses in the SNOT-built forward prongs, and the slick color blocking make this Vic Viper a dream from every angle.

Feeling nostalgic for Novvember? Check out our Vic Viper archives for dozens more ships in this iconic style.

From a heavy cement mixer spawns a lighter-than-air airship

In the skilled hands of LEGO extraordinaire Vincent Gachod a rugged Tipper Drum combined with some odd science bits to create an insect-like airship. The end result is like a fanciful blue beetle. He most certainly has a knack for figuring out how to use parts the rest of us don’t know what to do with. Based on these parts, he also has a knack for picking up rare sets: the science bits can only be found in four rare sets while the cement mixer resides in only one.

Ari “loafbuilds” Hytti defends Iron Builder title against challenger Ben Anderson

Today, the three judges of the venerable Iron Builder competition announced the results of the latest face-off between defending builder Ari “loafbuilds” Hytti against challenger Ben Anderson. While Ben came out on top in the number of builds (7 MOCs to Ari’s 4), it was Ari’s consistent highlighting of the seed part that gave the returning champion an edge, and the judges were unanimous in picking their winner. You can read the judge’s comments here.

The see part for this round was the wave rounded flame element in dark blue, which with its unusual connection points and irregular shape made for a true building challenge.

Now, let’s recap the builds, starting with the victor, Ari!

Shared on Halloween, Ari’s “Infernal Bargain” is one of the most impressive build I’ve seen come out of an Iron Builder competition, and one of the largest! The seed part is used to excellent effect for the demon’s hair, as well as for the quill pen’s feather. The other parts brought, from a Viking sail contrct, to dragon legs for brows, to the truly inspired mountain elements for the neck, boggle the mind.

Click to see the rest of Ari and Ben’s amazing Iron Builder creations

Gotta stack ‘em all, Pokémon!

LEGO Masters Germany winner Alex (Brix Tales) has been on a hot streak in recent months, participating in Habitat Challenges with some spectacular stacks that throw convention out the window. Traditionally, a habitat is an 8×8 base with two walls, built to house a minifig, and designed to interlock and stack. For this tribute to the Gameboy era of handheld gaming, Alex frames one familiar habitat with a pixelated explosion of Pokémon characters. I love how the build embraces the 2D source material and turns the pixel art into layered building blocks. All the starters are present and even a pair of Poké Balls make it into the mix. It’s not just a radical reinterpretation of the LEGO habitat stack – it’s one of the best tributes to 8-bit gaming I’ve seen in LEGO. Bravo.

Raging Raijin rises with thunderous applause

With a strike of lightning and an impressive thunder clap, Sakiya Watanabe (N.A.B.E_mocs) takes on Raijin, the Japanese God of Thunder in LEGO. With windblown hair and a dynamic pose, this creation has motion, even when sitting still; like I can almost see this beast-god blowing across the stormy sky as he beats the taiko drums that surround him.

Where would Raijin be without his windy counterpart Fujin? Well, thankfully Sakiya has already thought of that. You may recognize Fujin as we featured him back in August. Here they are posed together in all their Mongolian-fleet-destroying mythic demon glory. As fearsome and destructive as these two are when paired together, they also bring much needed rain and prosperity.

Dancing with dragons and thrones in LEGO

RebelLUG member Kaleb (llego_pig) returns to the Seven Kingdoms with the latest in a series of masterful medieval builds that capture the specificity of George R. R. Martin’s world like few builders can. This time Kaleb’s subject is the Merman’s Court, where Davos Seaworth meets with Wyman Manderly, Lord of the White Harbor. Take a moment to appreciate the murals that adorn the walls. Ornate mosaics have become a fixture in Castle builds, but usually to create geometric patterns. I’m in awe of the way Kaleb weaves a Kraken fighting a whale, kelp, and an undulating tide into the brickwork with minimal gaps. The floor, too, reminiscent of a seabed, is equally impressive.

Kaleb’s past LEGO tributes to Westeros landmarks have been impressive, and even grander in scale. Build in 2022, here is Kaleb’s take on Deepwood Motte. Theon Greyjoy might have called it a “wooden pisspot on a hill,” but it’s quite majestic in brick with excellent SNOT walls of wood-colored plates. The builder added a weirwood tree to make enhance the connection to A Song of Ice and Fire.

See more of Kaleb’s incredible builds from the Seven Kingdoms

Award-winning Canadian LEGO artist breaks the ice with a stunning 152,000 piece polar icebreaker [Feature]

Canadian LEGO artist Paul Hetherington probably needs no introduction. But in case you’ve been buried under the ice since the Truman administration like Captain America, Paul has just launched his largest commission yet; a 152,000 piece Seaspan Canadian Polar Icebreaker complete with a fully detailed interior. Designed with the help of LEGO Certified Professional Robin Sather of Brickville DesignWorks, this ship measures 11 feet long and 2 feet wide. Paul tells us the real Seaspan hasn’t been launched yet so this model will do more than help to visualize the real polar icebreaker currently under construction— it will help inspire future shipbuilders.

Not only has Paul built the ship, but he has included detailed landscaping, including the ice and ocean floor. Here is an aft view of the ship and its surrounding ice. The helodeck and helicopter are all very nice touches. This shot makes it clear that the interior is lit up as well.

Dive deeper into this record-breaking, icebreaking build

LEGO x F1 Academy: thoughts on brands, tie-ins and progress [Editorial]

Here’s a pop-trivia question for you. Who is the biggest tyre manufacturer in the world – i.e., who makes the most? I’ll give you a second to think about it. No doubt many of you know the answer already, if you’re reading this. The answer is, of course, LEGO. And after so long at the top of the tyre tree, they are finally getting involved in the real-world automotive sphere with a surprise partnership with F1 Academy, as announced the other day.

This represents the culmination of a big year for LEGO and Formula One. 20 sets have so far been released across five themes, including an entire wave of Speed Champions sets. LEGO has been a major presence at F1 races, most notably the Miami, British and Las Vegas Grands Prix. But even then, this latest announcement surprised many, including me. It got me thinking about LEGO’s relationship with IP partners, bringing in new fans, driving positive change in both motorsport and the world at large, and how to do a brand tie-in properly. And I got a bit carried away – so enjoy this long, rambly read!

Continue reading →

Chicken Dreams – a peck of clucking good LEGO hens (and instructions to make your own!)

It started with a dream – the dream of AFOLSs Carson Lacey and Syrdarian who dared prompt a new building challenge for the community: NovHENber. Frogs and crabs have had their time. Now let the chickens rise to the top of the pecking order! One builder who answered the call and has been strutting her stuff all month is Kristel Whitaker, who just finished her series of ten hens, starting with this plucky lady. This is an extraordinary build of a totally ordinary bird, living her modest egg-laying life on a bed of cozy ~~chopsticks~~ straw.

Only at the end of the series does Kristel reveal the nine fanciful fowl that followed were actually the first chicken’s dreams, with each microbuild becoming a piece of an impressive MOC with a brickbuilt dream bubble housing the peculiar and prodigious poultry. Each of these hens deserves a moment of appreciation.

Fly the coop with us as we meet all of Kristel’s amazing hens!