You want to take the next step from being a casual LEGO enthusiast to being a hardcore participant in the brick-building universe. But before you can progress, it’s important to build on your stock of knowledge and draw from the experience of those who came before you. The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide will probably figure as a must-have in your reading list.
As a casual tinkerer, you relied on following instructions from the official sets to build your LEGO creations. Taking the next step means going beyond that to designing your own structures, whether it’s a model of your dream home, a usable home appliance or a replica of the Governor’s barricaded town from the Walking Dead for your zombie figures to wander around of.
Written by lifelong LEGO builder Allan Bedford, The Unofficial Lego Builder’s Guide spans 240 pages of in-depth discussion about building bricks, covering the gamut from LEGO vocabulary to simple techniques (e.g. how to build strong walls, how to brace the bricks) to brick substitution (which bricks you can use when you run out of other bricks) to advanced techniques (e.g. building sculptures, mosaics and giant-scale projects). The book also gives pointers on designing your own projects, with specific advice on how to put your own plans together. Of course, there are also individual projects used to illustrate concepts for both novices and experts, such as spheres, train stations and playable board games.
The Unofficial Lego Builder’s Guide is available from Amazon, priced at $16.34.