About Nannan

Nannan became involved with the online LEGO community in late 2004. He has been a builder for as long as he can remember. Nannan builds in a variety of themes that often overlap with the science fiction universe; other times they are purely made up ones. You can see his creations on Flickr, MOCpages and Brickshelf. In real life, Nannan is a physician living in Dallas.

Posts by Nannan

The best of nnenn: Novvember

If I had to choose only one legacy to remember nnenn by, it would have to be Novvember. Novvember is the month of the Vic Viper, and surely no one can forget nnenn’s daily debut of a new VV in November 2008. When I interviewed nnenn on this project, I began to appreciate the beauty of variations on a theme. I asked him when he would stop building spaceships, and he told me he would keep going until he has exhausted every possible configuration. I didn’t think it was possible, but neither did he.

The other side of Novvember that I will remember is the community participation that took place. The VV map below of everyone’s contributions for Novvember 2009 shows the extent of its success. You can see more at the Vic Viper Flickr group.

To celebrate the life and work of nnenn, don’t forget that there will be Vic Viper fly-ins at all the major US LEGO conventions this summer and fall:

Chicago in June: BrickWorld
Washington, DC in August: BrickFair
Seattle in October: BrickCon

You can ship a VV to be displayed or bring one in person. Please contact Keith Goldman if you’re interested (Legomankeith AT aol DOT com).

Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.

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The best of nnenn: IATTAR

Nnenn‘s IATTAR fad continued the racing bandwagon launched by the cave racers and mech racers. Tack on some treads to a cockpit and you’re pretty much good to go. See what people have built in the IATTAR Flickr group over the past year and a half.

Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.

The best of nnenn: The Divine Intervention

Nnenn built two SHIPs in his time, the first was The Divine Intervention, a black-hulled beauty that packs two deadly sets of missiles. The most astonishing fact is that he built it in only two weeks.

Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.

The best of nnenn: fighter map

Nnenn‘s first fighter map posted in mid 2008 shows just how prolific he was. I have come to expect a new model from him every week. This means that from the time we announced his passing until now, nnenn could’ve posted a new creation. It’s often when we are deprived of something that we realize how much we miss it.

Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.

The best of nnenn: ‘Tropicana’ PA-24 custom

Nnenn is known for his colorful creations, but his Tropicana racer takes the psychedelic cake. Good sci-fi creations rarely have this many colors, but nnenn makes it work in a way that wows us. This is one of his most colorful creations, and no doubt many still remember it after seeing it two years ago.

Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.

The best of nnenn: Vic Viper

This Vic Viper was the first that nnenn has shown us at the start of 2008. I had to learn that this starfighter came from the the 1985 Gradius games. The player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper in this scrolling shooter, which you can actually play here. Thanks to nnenn, just about every active Lego builder on Flickr now knows what it is.

Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.

The best of nnenn: Ula-Kit 319

Many remember nnenn‘s Ula-Kit 319 for its dynamic and unorthodox shape, but for others, they remember it as another spark that ignited the controversy surrounding nnenn’s use of modified and clone brand pieces. This spaceship from early 2007 was the third model from nnenn to be blogged on TBB, and already it has been noted for its non-purist construction. You can see examples in the blue tail fins, the textured inverse 2X2 slope in the cockpit, and the stickers that were meticulous cut from colored tape.

Up to this point, nnenn has been an active member of Classic Space Forums, on which he has made four posts in 2005 under his real name before assuming his anonymous identity that took over the community. He gained respect quickly from its members; but unfortunately, his notoriety as a non-purist grew at a faster rate. Later that year, nnenn would leave the forums and start fresh on Flickr, which has become his domain. In an interview on Brickjournal issue 8 a few months later, nnenn shared his views on his controversial building style.

Like the EVN mecha, this model has personal significance for me. I saw it during my freshman year in college at a time when my own building skills were still undeveloped. Seeing nnenn on the fast track to becoming a skilled builder in such a short time aroused my jealousy, and I made no effort to conceal it. From then, nnenn was my mysterious fascination. Like what Tyler Clites has said, he was Bigfoot – his image was blurry and his footprint was large. I too “despised” him.

Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.

The best of nnenn: EVN Mecha

This mecha from late 2006 was my first introduction to the works of nnenn. New Brickshelf users seldom upload high quality images of well-built MOCs. There was something special in what I saw, the mecha had a distinct stance and style. The builder knew what he was doing yet I sensed he was relatively new to the medium by inference from the construction of the legs. I also had a hunch that whoever made this was going somewhere, and fast.

Be sure to join us in sharing your own thoughts on Nate’s online eulogy.

Yellow and blue with blazing bullets

The updated Arshada fighter by Don Wilson (thepaleman9) has all sorts of goodness from its rugged shape to the color blocking and sticker usages. I’m really sold on the orange windscreen, which highlights the core of this nimble fighter. Note that a bit of color can go a long way. Also, photoediting plays a huge role. Thanks to Zack Milenius (NewRight) for his touchup on the picture, the colors stand out even more compared to the raw photo.

Battlestar Rubycon, a 4’9″ SHIP

Garry King‘s massive Battlestar Rubycon from Battlestar Galactica is yet another impressive SHIP that you shouldn’t pass up. If you’re also a fan of the franchise, you may be interested in the fan-fiction story for the ship on MOCpages.

The repetition of ribbed textures on the hull is a distinctive feature of this creation. They are best viewed in this picture below:

Alien heads make good nom noms

In his latest creation, Teik Joon remarks “it was discovered that alien heads were low in fat, a good source of protein and most importantly, a powerful aphrodisiac…”

What piece those cups are and how he got so many alien heads are beyond me.

PARASITE space scavenger

When I saw Ted Andes‘ Bionicle/System hybrid creation called the PARASITE, I took an instant liking to the Bionicle claws at the tips of the limbs. It’s also important to note that this nasty scavenger has adapted both offensive and evasive functions, and the escape pod would make for a nice hovercar.