This week LEGO news is a blur with all the summer set announcements, but there are a lot of other great stories by and for LEGO builders to seek out. Thankfully, ABrickDreamer has gathered them into the latest This Week in Bricks. My favorite feature this week? In honor of May the Fourth, I have to go with this incredible Bespin diorama from Hypolite Bricks! I also found Jesse Gros’ story of rediscovering LEGO to be relatable and inspiring. What is your highlight of the week?
New LEGO sets announced for Disney, Harry Potter, and more arriving in June [News]
As we begin the month of May, the minds of many a LEGO fan turn to the upcoming wave of summer sets from our favorite toy brand. This week, many of those sets are popping up on LEGO.com. We’ve compiled a list of our favorites below, be it Disney sets paying tribute to 101 Dalmatians with LEGO Disney 43269 Disney 101 Dalmatians Puppy, a glorious new LEGO train of an arctic persuasion called LEGO City 60470 Explorers’ Arctic Polar Express Train, or the next in the new LEGO Book Nooks: LEGO Harry Potter 76450 Harry Potter Book Nook: Hogwarts Express. Read on for all these sets and more, with plenty of pictures, prices, and release dates included!
There’s plenty from Disney, Minecraft, Harry Potter, and more below!
BrickCon 2025 is picking up STEAM! Attendee registration opens today! [News]
After 24 years, we in the Seattle area still look forward to BrickCon each fall, the longest-running fan-run LEGO convention and the local con for the Brothers Brick. This year, the theme is all about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics, fully embracing the roots of this wonderful hobby with their theme Full STEAM Ahead. On September 4th through the 7th, BrickCon will return to the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA, with the public display happening on the last two days of the event. As in years past, attending fans (in-person and virtual) can count on plenty of presentations, games, and roundtables that happen alongside the massive showcase of builders from all over the world. Registration is now open, so be sure to visit brickcon.org to get signed up ASAP.
More details on BrickCon 2025 below, including hotel information
Pull up a seat and apprecaite this next-level LEGO furniture [Building Techniques]
LEGO modular interior decor can be pretty cozy, but this next-level furniture setup by Oshi Builds could be straight out of a high-end design catalog. The builder employs a mix of familiar and new techniques while drawing on a very on-trend color palette to make a move-in-ready living room ensemble. Just look at those bowl chairs, formed from flower petals, and that console with bucket handles tucked away and slim legs held in place by rubber band. The only drawback to the room is there’s not much space for displaying one’s LEGO collection. We’re going to need a few more of those wonderful bookshelves.
LEGO Star Wars sets lead the way for May releases [News]
Star Wars Day is just around the corner. Fans have been well-served so far: The Revenge of the Sith anniversary showings have led to it becoming the highest-grossing re-release ever, and at its halfway point Andor season two is still getting rave reviews. Best of all, May brings with it a host of new LEGO Star Wars releases! We’ve reviewed almost all the new sets, ranging from 75409 Jango Fett’s Starship to 75407 Star Wars Logo. And don’t forget the 40765 Kamino Training Facility Gift with Purchase, available with qualifying purchases from May 1st to May 5th. If Star Wars doesn’t take your fancy, there are sets from the Marvel, Art and F1 collections coming out this month too. The full range is of course available over on LEGO’s website: LEGO US | LEGO CAN | LEGO UK.
This is where the fun begins… Read on for our highlights of May’s new releases!
A Schwimmwagen The Central Scrutinizer would approve of
LEGO builder Martin Spunkt presents a satisfying amphibious Volkswagen Schwimmwagen. It’s rugged features, heightened stance and oars assures us that this little beast can do some serious off-off-off roading right into the water. It’s a far better ride to haul band equipment around than the ’54 with a mashed-up door. He situates the vehicle in a grungy garage setting; a white zone, so to speak, which I presume is for loading and unloading only. My question: Is Martin even aware of the Frank Zappa reference staring us right in the face? Sound off in the comments if you’re in the know.
We’re howling with praise for this LEGO model of Studio Ghibli’s iconic Moving Castle
Studio Ghibli films are known for unusual and fanciful vehicles like the floating castle of Laputa from Castle in the Sky, or the glider from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, but few vehicles are more iconic than the walking, and at the end of the film, flying, castle belonging to the enigmatic magician Howl. The enchanted structure made from buildings, round cannon turrets, fishlike fins, and a large rusty face complete with riveted tongue, all walking along on four spindly chicken legs, poses many challenges to any builder, but Sakiya Watanabe works magic and brings it to life in bricks like never before.
When building something so iconic, choosing the right parts can be challenging, as there is nothing conventional about the outer surface of the castle. How do you form a cohesive model out of such a chaotic inspiration? (I’ve tried myself once before – it wasn’t easy!)
Read on to learn how Sakiya Watanabe weaved his LEGO magic and tamed Howl’s famous castle
Spreading joy and crossing cultures with LEGO legend Dicken Liu [Interview]
TBB: Your LEGO creations first came to our attention after your appearance on LEGO Masters China, when you started a Flickr gallery. From the start, you were building at a very high level. I’m sure there was a long journey between when you first discovered LEGO to where you are today. When did you first discover LEGO?
Dicken Liu: Lego hasn’t been in the Chinese market for very long, and the price was a big reason why it wasn’t a toy for the average person when they first appeared in China. I first saw Lego in a shopping mall in the 90s. But it was more than a decade later that I actually bought my first Lego set.
TBB: How did you discover that LEGO was more than just a toy? When did you become “serious” about making your own creations?
DL: It was probably from 2016 that I started to try my hand at making small pieces. (Before that my interests were more focused on models, drones, and film.) I started to look around for information and learn techniques to enrich my MOC knowledge, but at that time the actual LEGO MOC pieces I saw were quite limited. Here are a few pieces I’ve kept. They’re pretty rough to look at now, but it was really the start of my MOC journey.
Our interview with Dicken Liu continues
Light and shadow play in this jungle temple where crystal water flows
Over the last year, generative AI images based on LEGO prompts have unleashed countless colorful images of jungles, ruins, and temples that lack the grace of a designer’s hand but sometimes hint at what could be built. It was images like those that prompted Syrdarian to build a jungle temple in real bricks, complete with the bright colors and flowing water that’s so appealing. I’m impressed by how well the mix of tan, peach, and orange shades blends together, and how two shades of azure blue works better than one. The scene suggests the play of light and shadow. The stonework is nicely accented by subtle details, like the wooden scaffolding and a lone duck peeking out from the corner. Syrdarian’s model makes a good case that while AI slop will never replace the work of a master builder, it can still inspire.
The new LEGO Icons 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook promises set assembly between reads [News]
As LEGO continues to direct the sets in its Icons line toward adults, there’s a definite effort to craft the models to the places that we older LEGO fans like to display them. And with LEGO Icons 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook, we see a set custom-made to occupy bookshelf real estate. Consisting of 1,359 pieces and boasting five minifigures, this new ode to everyone’s favorite detective folds in on itself to roughly a book size, capable of squeezing in-between volumes while offering a set with more depth than width. The two halves can also be opened up, showing the façade of 221B Baker Street along with a bookshop and a second, unnamed residence. Those looking to get their hands on Sherlock & Co. will find it on LEGO store shelves beginning on June 1st, where it will retail for US $129.99 | CAN $149.99 | UK £109.99.
Follow the clues to more set pictures below!
Duel of the Fates: Tim Goddard and Bousker face off in latest Iron Builder battle
The Iron Builder competition pits two creators from the LEGO community against each other to make amazing models that must incorporate a surprise “seed part.” Like in the show Iron Chef, creators are judged both on their overall creativity and on how they showcase the signature “ingredient.” For Season 7 round 5, which starts this week, the contenders for the Iron Builder crown are Bousker and Tim Goddard. The seed part is Airplane Door in White, a tricky part indeed.
Tim is a TBB legend whose stellar Star Wars creations have made him one of our most featured builders for well over a decade (not that we’re taking sides!). The first builder to create a model, Tim kicks off the competition with a sporty little spacecraft that wouldn’t seem out of place in the expanded Star Wars universe, with the seed part used four times to house the engines.
Bousker is also a Star Wars builder and has been quite active in LEGO competitions in recent years, continually impressing us with innovative parts usage and incredible use of perspective and immerisve photography. Bousker steps into the game with a perfectly staged shoe store scene that features at least 30 uses of the door by my count. There are so many clever techniques on display, from high heels and sandles where the seed piece makes up the majority of the model, to the ingenious pair of Converse All Stars with the doors sunken into the brown shelf so that only a strip appears for the rubber sole.
We’ll be back to cover the results of this latest battle, but for now be sure to follow the Iron Builders instagram to see the builds as they come in, complete with the playful and pun-filled trash-talking that the event is known for.
How to train your micro dragon [Building Technique]
With LEGO clips for back spines, a tail of mismatched 1x2x2/3 slopes, and a video game controller for a head, Ian Summers shows us an awesome Toothless creation from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. How long until we have the parts in white to make a Light Fury version of this microscale marvel?
