Details: We've touched on this design before, back when instructions were made available for it. Originally, it only existed in that digital form, but now one has been made of real bricks. A few minor modifications had been made (forcing a few parts into a dark green color, making some structural improvements), but otherwise the design is still the same. What makes it so special is that this model is being auctioned off on eBay as part of Creations for Charity, which is currently raising money for relief efforts in Japan.
Details:
Here's a new feature I'd like to get started on right away (mostly because I just found out about this great website): a spotlight on useful resources within the LEGO community. BRICKITGOOD is the work of Mr. Corey Sanders, a schoolteacher from Nevada who runs (and personally funds) an after-school LEGO program for elementary-school aged students. The site features a wide variety of models, with plenty of photos for each one. Most of the models also include instructions - some of which are in LEGO Digital Designer format so you can easily buy the parts needed to build them. An advantage (for teachers especially) of creating building instructions is that you can save designs while taking the models apart - which is particularly important when you need to make the parts available again for other students. In addition to creating instructions for his own designs, he has also created instructions for a number of popular models that haven't been available to the public (such as promotional items that were only given away as glued models). These models are a great starting place for your original creations - or you could try rebuilding some of the designs as shown. The events section covers student creations, regional events, and the 2004 Master Model Builder search (yes, when you build lifelike sculptures this well, LEGO takes notice).
The photos below show examples of the variety of material available on the BRICKITGOOD website, and each one is a link that takes you to the appropriate section of the site.
Details: Recently, LEGO set designer and frequentlyfeaturedbuilder Marcos Bessa has made available for free download the LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) files (useful as building instructions) for five of his models. Two of these models have previously been featured here as a model of the day, and all of them were built before he was brought into the LEGO company. Several of these models can be found in the portfolio used when he applied to join the company. Here are the links to the page for information for each model (each page includes information on the model, a link to photos on flickr, and a link to download the LDD file - along with a brief note regarding reuse of these designs):
Details: We've found the perfect gift for the man who still thinks there isn't enough of Star Wars on their LEGO tree. Wait, what do you mean not everyone has a LEGO tree? Where do you put all the LEGO ornaments?
Anyway - this Death Star ornament design is all ready for you to give a try. Model instructions are available from the link above in both PDF and LDD formats. You can also download the parts list to try it with parts on hand, or if you're feeling adventurous, you can buy the parts through LEGO Digital Designer's Design By Me program.
Details: It seems like just a few weeks ago that we were talking about an NXT robot that could print LDRAW designs. We've also seen an NXT-based warehouse for gathering parts, based on the LEGO company's own warehouse. Now, we see a bizarre combination of the two - a 5-NXT factory (staffed with minifigures to "drive" the various motorized parts) that gets parts out of a warehouse and then builds with them using designs generated from LEGO Digital Designer files. The choice of LDD instead of LDraw (like in the previous model-building 'bot) does limit things in a way, but any loss there is made up for by the ability to handle a large and easily changed set of parts. The warehouse contains 95 different types of bricks - over 1500 pieces total to build with. Most impressively, this entire thing was built and programmed in less than 5 months - it was only started in June of 2010. To see some work-in-progress and behind-the-scenes footage, look at the builder's other YouTube uploads.
Here's what the whole LEGOWORLD set-up of this factory looked like (click to "enbiggen"):
Details: The White House is one of those classic landmarks that's been done very well many times. It's tempting to say that this one only attracted attention because it was published so close to election day. That would be wrong, though - at just 12 studs wide, this is the one of the smallest White House models out there (as you can see at the links above, the same builder has also made a 6-wide version). If that wasn't enough, the entire thing was built out of parts currently in the LEGO Factory palette and designed with LEGO Digital Designer (free download from LEGO.com) software. There is some pretty clever parts usage too - columns are made from 1x1 bricks with bars, and windows are made from sideways 1x1 studs-not-on-top "headlight" bricks. The 1x1 cheese slopes make a perfect roof on one side, while the other side uses 2x2 macaroni bricks to emphasize the rounded section. Using tiles for the sides works surprisingly well, and you have to love the landscaping - it's just well places lime 1x1 round plates and a variety of tiles.
Details: Sorry that this post is going up so late - I simply ran out of time before the day's work got started. I don't expect that tomorrow's is going to be up any earlier, so I'm featuring two sets today just in case I don't get to one tomorrow.
Anyway, these two kits each feature four models. They are the latest in a series of fan-designed models available through the LEGO company. Of course, the LDD software means anyone can design a set, but it gets to be substantially less expensive if the company actually manufactures the design instead of putting the parts into the box by hand (yes - LDD Factory orders are really done by hand - I've verified this with someone who's seen them do it). Of course, LEGO now takes the first few weeks that something is out so seriously that many sets are on clearance before many people have even heard of them - and these two sets are among those that are at bargain clearance prices even though they're still technically new and exciting (30% off, putting them at $70 each instead of $100 each, as of this writing). Both of these are exclusives (so you have to order them through Shop-at-Home or a LEGO store), but they're both pretty cool, too, in terms of parts. The basic premise for both of these is that they're supposed to go in a timeline somewhere between the "classic space" sets and the Launch Command-type sets. OK, I'm showing my age - "Space Port" or "Mars Mission" are probably what those would fall under now. These two fans had actually created enormous themes of their own with hundreds of ships, but they each only had four models chosen to appear in sets.
For some more info on these, I highly recommend the reviews of these over at BrickJournal. The bottom of that article also has links to non-set models in both of these themes.
We've touched on this design before, back when instructions were made available for it. Originally, it only existed in that digital form, but now one has been made of real bricks. A few minor modifications had been made (forcing a few parts into a dark green color, making some structural improvements), but otherwise the design is still the same. What makes it so special is that this model is being auctioned off on eBay as part of Creations for Charity, which is currently raising money for relief efforts in Japan. 
