The Brothers Brick

Unlike the actual 3DS, this one made by ape the monkey is less likely to cause eye problems in kids.

UPDATE: 10218 Pet Shop was released on the LEGO Shop online today.

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We just received the official press package from LEGO on the 10218 Pet Shop. There are some great high resolution photos of some new pieces (love the printing on that kitty!). There’s also a nice video with Designer Jamie Berard explaining the set!

Here’s the press release from LEGO:

10218 Pet Shop

Ages 16+. 2,032 pieces.
US $149.99 CA $199.99 DE 149.99 € UK 119.99 £

Continuing the LEGO® Modular Buildings series, this highly detailed, 3-story Pet Shop building and townhouse with full internal and external detailing is the perfect addition to your LEGO town. Greet customers with a menagerie of pets and let them treat them with a selection of toys and supplies. The pet shop building features a hinged staircase for easy access, upper apartment with kitchenette and upper loft overlooking the open plan interior below. To the side, the tastefully appointed townhouse features a detailed ground floor with accessories and spiral staircase leading to the upper floor. The attic space features storage boxes and French doors leading out to an elegant front balcony, while the rooftop garden, complete with fresh vegetables, brightens up the rear of the building.

• Includes 4 minifigures with accessories: pet shop owner, girl on bicycle, painter with paint roller and woman!
• Pet shop includes dog, cat, 2 parrots and fish tank with goldfish!
• Also includes 3 dog bones, ball, frog toy, birdhouse, bucket and brush!
• Kitchenette features stone fireplace, stove, sink, coffee maker and small table and chair!
• Upper loft features skylight, bed and lamp!
• Townhouse features ground floor with mailbox and mail, hat rack, couch, telephone, toilet and access to basement crawl space!
• Measures 11″ (25.5cm) wide and 10.5″ (26.5cm) high!
• Combine with other modular buildings, like 10197 Fire Brigade and 10211 Grand Emporium!

And here’s Jamie Berard:

Though low-res and group shots of Series 5 Collectible Minifigs have been circulating for a little while, I think this is the first set of “solo” shots at a high enough resolution to make out details and therefore be worth discussion.

Photo hosted by Unknown User2596 (provenance unknown).

We don’t know what the official names are yet, of course, but here’s a list of the sixteen minifigs that the series contains:

• Gladiator (Mirmillo, specifically)
• Graduate (no Mrs. Robinson
• Snowboarder
• Gangster
• Cave Woman (hair not long enough to be dragged by — how progressive!)
• Lizard Man (continuing furry fandom in LEGO form)
• Zookeeper (with monkey)
• Inuit/Eskimo/Yupik/Inupiat Fisherman (let’s see how LEGO untangles that political minefield with the official name…)
• Boxer (a poor boy, his story seldom told)
• Clown
• Redneck Canadian Lumberjack (proposed name updated)
• Dwarf
• 80′s Aerobics Girl
• Cleopatra (with asp)
• Coldstream Guard (ahhh, just missed the royal wedding)
• Sherlock Holmes

Following his amazing GLaDOS from Portal 2, Brandon Bannerman (Catsy) miniaturizes a turret to minifig-scale (or near enough), alongside an adorable custom Chell fig, complete with ASHPD.

For all of you out there who’d like your own turret to keep you company during the long twilight of civilization, Brandon has kindly posted instructions.

Another interesting thing about Brandon’s design has been watching it evolve based on feedback from fellow builders. See the earlier iterations here and here, together with the comments that inspired the final version.

Our custom LEGO creation auctions to benefit the victims of the recent earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, via the Red Cross, are continuing. I’ve just listed some more items, and we also have several due to end in the next couple of days! Please take a look and see if there’s anything you’d like to buy, with all proceeds going to charity. Also, once again, I’d like to thank the people who have donated creations for their generosity, as well as the bidders for being so eager to buy!

Once again, here’s the link to all of the on-going auctions to help the Red Cross in their efforts to help the victims of the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan and the Pacific Rim.

Even though I’m a sucker for adorably squat hardsuits, there are only so many gray, greebly little fellows I can take after a while. This new design by Chris (Ironsniper) made me sit up and take notice.

There’s some nice color blocking with the brown arm, along with one of the coolest details I’ve seen on any hardsuit, even though that knife may be quite useless to a mechanized warrior. But it’s the posability built into the shoulders, knees, and feet that sets this hardsuit apart.

Before the historic achievements of the Mariner, Pioneer, and Voyager probes cleared the mists of fantasy from our planetary neighborhood, even “hard” science-fiction like the early novels of Arthur C. Clarke posited the existence of flora (and sometimes fauna) on the surface of Mars, Venus, and our moon. There’s a certain sense of loss knowing that’s not true.

Joshua Morris (I Scream Clone) restores some of that wonder with this little diorama featuring a mushroom-mowing spaceman.

You can look forward to getting the next Cafe Corner modular town building on May 10th. Meanwhile, Flickr user Tazmandvl1 got one early, so you know what to expect when you put down that $150.

There are some nice detail bits, mixed into some great shaping, on the new space ship by Phall (Pha][_,][_,), The Insidious. He's also done a great job of photographing the creation, keeping the details visible, despite the creation being almost entirely white.

My favorite detail is the curved panel piece that sticks out, revealing a little bit of greebling underneath. You can recognize it by the chevron symbol on the panel.

Marek Markiewicz (M_longer) heads deep under the surface of the Earth with his LEGO version of the 50-ton articulated mining truck.

I’m always a sucker for schematic-like compilation shots, and I’m not disappointed by all the angles in this one:

Star Wars Days are nearly upon us (so I’m told), and the LEGO Shop is having several promotions to celebrate everyone’s favorite galaxy far, far away.

Here are the details from LEGO:

• Free Delivery + Exclusive LEGO® Star Wars™ Shadow ARF Trooper™ minifigure with any $75 or more LEGO® Star Wars™ purchase!
• FREE LEGO® Star Wars™ poster with all purchases, featuring 10 years of Ultimate LEGO® Star Wars™ sets!
• Automatic entry to win a first-edition LEGO® Star Wars™ Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon™! (North America only)
• 10% off select LEGO Star Wars items: 8091 – Republic Swamp Speeder™, 8129 – AT-AT Walker™; 8128 – Cad Bane’s Speeder™
• 20% off select LEGO Star Wars items: 10198 – Tantive IV ™; 10195 – Republic Dropship with AT-OT Walker™; 10215 – Obi-Wan’s Jedi Starfighter™

Here’s a high-res shot of the ARF Trooper minifig you get for free:

One for our Canadian and American readers.

The Brickfête Team would like to invite all the Brothers Brick readers to Ontario, Canada this summer for our inaugural LEGO Fan Convention for the adult hobbyist.

July 28th to July 31st
The Assembly Hall
Toronto, Canada

To register for the four days visit www.brickfete.com

Just over a month ago, the Brickfête Team announced our plans to the world; in that time the guest list has been filling out. Now it’s your turn to join us for some “Old School” fun.

Our list of events has been posted www.brickfete.com/events
which includes plans for:

• Build Challenges
• Live auctions
• Prize raffles
• RC racing and,
• TWO Mindstorm’s Robot challenges. Classic TUG of WAR and FIRE FIGHTING

Come display with us and enjoy the company of other AFOLS. Perhaps be a vendor some of your awesome LEGO items. Watch or better yet participate in games and challenges! What better way to challenge your robot building skills then to build a robot to try to race to an OPEN FLAME before the other robot gets there?

All the details and more can be read on
www.brickfete.com

Brickfête’s Public Day
The general public is invited to view the awesome LEGO Creations on display
July 30th, 2011 – 10am until 5pm at the Assembly Hall – Tickets sold at the door

We cant wait to see you there,
The Brickfête Team
“A festival run by fans, made by the fans, for the fans.”

Alex P (Sirens-Of-Titan) is a newcomer into the Lego scene on Flickr, but his fantasy era builds are far above the works of a novice. This goblin-infested ruin boosts the highlights of a leaning round tower and grass stems used for spiky trees. The texture of the landscape is also well done, and that river is gorgeous.

Thanks for the tip Bart!

Dutch builder Nieks G. built this lovely paddle-wheeler for a contest on Eurobricks. With a gorgeously curved deckhouse in dark red, it’s a boat on which I’d love to cruise up the Nile.

You can see more photos in the photoset on Flickr and on MrBrick.nl.

Via Legobloggen.

Rod Gillies (2 Much Caffeine) says that he built this little pirate ship months ago and the idea to build the cove in Neverland from Peter Pan has “haunted” him ever since, with five false starts before getting it right. Though built to showcase the ship, my own favorite details are the waterfall and the clouds.

Via MicroBricks.