Rest in Piece

I'm sure this blog isn't the first place most people to visit when seeking news regarding the online Fans Of Lego community. That in mind I assume the reader has already been informed of the recent death of popular builder Nate Nielson, known by most as nnenn or by his signature flickr icon:
An inside joke among those who know what it is, a rubber band holder that most would regard as a throw-away piece, something to keep at the bottom of a box of unsorted lego and forget about. Several years ago when I was a lurker, simply looking at builds rather than taking part in the community, I came across his photostream and was intrigued by his zany, contemporary plastic creations.

I believe my first encounter Nate's builds during this lurking phase was with this four-legged mech:


I remember the cartoon-like portrayal of a war machine drawing me in. Upon further inspection the use of knock-off brand "clone" parts as well as the modded pieces struck me as breaking the rules, I thought of it as a kind of cheating, like, "that isn't right". Heh, I can imagine that the mixture of new and old grey would have also caused minor controversy among the community back in the day, and if not that then the usage of those otherwise frowned-upon insectoid prefab legs would definitely turn some heads.

I'm probably too new and uninvolved to appreciate what nnenn brought to the community, and I don't want to ramble on about things I am in no position to knowledgeably discuss. But I believe this small, outdated build still strongly represents nnenn's flair and style, his ideas and his message.

A hugely prolific builder, his frequent posts will be missed as well as his insight.



Interview with nnenn on LAML

Nate's flickr

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