TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for August 30, 2025 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders worldwide, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the 3rd week of August 2025.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS Longtime fans of Jack Sparrow and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise have a lot to get excited about with the announcement of the new LEGO Icons set presenting the Black Pearl, or as LEGO calls it, Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship, the all black cursed ship with the tattered sails which was featured in several of the movies. Another favorite franchise also revealed a new set coming later this year, the adorable Mogwai Gizmo, from the 80s film Gremlins. For even more news and reviews, be sure to check out last week’s Brick Report, where we reviewed the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory set, and wrapped up Vingnweek coverage.

[NEWS] Gremlins’ beloved mogwai is back in bricks! LEGO Ideas 21361 Gizmo revealed for October 1 — This buildable Gizmo has one clear advantage over the original: you don’t have to worry about getting it wet.
[REVIEW] LEGO Nike 43021 Nike Dunk Trickshot and 43010 Nike Slam Dunk – Double Dribble — LEGO x Nike’s sophomore sets are a curious mix of play and display. We found Trickshot to be a winner, but Slam Dunk is a skunk.
[REVIEW] LEGO Icons 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship – A shiny Black Pearl — While the price tag is steep, LEGO’s latest pirate ship is a real jewel.
[NEWS] The LEGO Group shares earnings report for first half of 2025 – double-digit growth, doubling down on strategic investment — The LEGO Group continues to thrive despite the potential impact of tariffs.
[NEWS] Set sail again for the Caribbean with LEGO Icons 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship — Jack Sparrow’s iconic ship gets a hefty upgrade, and a hefty price to match.

TBB FEATURES & INTERVIEWS Many of us here at The Brothers Brick have been working on builds to contribute to our Steampunk-themed worlds fair collaborative display which we are sponsoring for BrickCon 2025, the longest running LEGO fan convention in the country! We hope to see some of our readers participate in the display as well as at the public convention days… be sure to stop by if you are planning to attend, or even better, bring a model of your own to add to the display. If you are a registered attendee, and have a steampunk-themed build, just select TBB Royal Exhibition 1898 when you register your MOC (My Own Creation) and we’ll see you there. For more information, check out our announcement post.

[FEATURE] Happy Plant Madness takes cuteness to strange new places — One of the cutest display sets in my collection, the Happy Plants set has inspired all manner of humorous and innovative builds.
[FEATURE] Celebrate Silksong with these LEGO Hollow Knight tributes – With Silksong launching next week, we gather up some of our favorite Hollow Knight LEGO builds from the first Team Cherry game.
[FEATURE] Get ready to showdown with these LEGO samurai, ninja, and cyber-ronin — Ninjas, Samurai, Ronin, these fierce warriors are both bold and stealthy, ancient and modern, honorable and ruthless.
[FEATURE] Last call for contributions to the Royal Exhibition 1898 – our LEGO steampunk collaboration at BrickCon 2025 — If you are planning to attend the BrickCon 2025 private convention, we’d love to have you participate in our Steampunk World’s Fair collaborative display. Or just drop by and say hi!

OTHER NEWS

Pick a Brick: Standard bricks service halted in North America [New Elementary] – The removal of the De Minimis exemption means LEGO is no longer shipping Pick-a-Brick orders to North America that had been fulfilled from European warehouses.
This Week in Bricks [YouTube] – ABrickDreamer provides a weekly video survey of amazing builds and stories from the AFOL community. Always worth watching!
tinybrick.world – Dan Ko’s new website with Free LEGO Instructions – Dan Ko, a prolific MOC builder and BrickNerd contributor, is a wizard with miniature character builds and NPU. Now he has created a website to share free instructions with Bricklink parts lists. Visit our Dan Ko archives to see some of his wonderful wee builds.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Beauty is in the eye of the brick-holder

The last time we featured some LEGO artwork by Jarek Książczyk, it prompted all sorts of questions. He recently built two more, in what we’re told is definitely not becoming a series. The only question I’m prompted to ask is – why not?! They’re beautiful! We start off with a piece simply titled ‘Watchers’. This is actually a remake, of sorts; the first time Jarek built those little fellows, they were photographed on their own. This is the realisation of his full vision, and that brick-built sunset looks glorious!

However, we’re told that it was a real pain in the backside to work with! The parts for both the piece above and ‘The Last Piece’, below, are held in by only friction, gravity and the black frame. I really like the use of the Minecraft ‘eye’ plate for the skyscraper windows here.

In fact, that focal point in the middle kind of looks like an eye too. Combined with the Watchers and the first piece entitled ‘Come and See’, is sight the common thread that links all these pieces? That’s my interpretation, anyway. What do you see in these three LEGO paintings? Tell us in the comments!

Incredible immersive scene captures the grimy, lived-in beauty of the Star Wars universe

Builder Simulterious is something of an expert at capturing the many facets of Star Wars in LEGO as a contributor to Teal Squadron, the Factions RPG, and creator of immersive tributes to the films (like this recent recreation of the Ewok Village). Simulterious’ latest model depicts some illicit dealings in Port Steergard, a location only briefly seen in Season 2 of Andor. Created for the LEGO collaborative role-play Downfall, the scene shows a Falleen lord menacing some Imperials while guards in Tantel armor look on. Could it be Prince Xixor of Shadows of the Empire fame or another green-skinned tyrant? I guess we’ll find out when the next arc of Downfall begins.

What’s most impressive about the build is the grimy authenticity of the port. While Star Wars has come to include plenty of shiny chrome ships, it was the gritty lived-in quality of Mos Eisley and the Millennium Falcon that set the standard for this galaxy far, far away. I love the discoloration in the brickwork and the blend of geometric shapes and wild greebles that Simulterious employs.

Happy Plant Madness takes cuteness to strange new places

LEGO Botanicals 10349 Happy Plants is a truly delightful set, and one that invites creative builders to remix in their own way. Our reviewer swapped out the shrubs with custom bonsai, for example. But why stop there? Why not replace your plants with toast? Or… tentacles? For the #happyplantmadness collab some AFOL friends decided to push the set’s cuteness to its limits with custom creations. Keep your green thumbs inside the vehicle as we tour these madcap flowerpots!

Thundrabuilds turns the blue planter into an adorable toaster. The little fella is ready for his bath. I’m sure this will go swimmingly.

The prolific and wickedly funny Trevor Pearson-Jones shares a version of the blue planter who never skips leg day. Yellow planter is still smiling even as it’s reduced to its buff buddy’s loincoth.

The happy plants keep smiling after the fold

Gremlins’ beloved mogwai is back in bricks! LEGO Ideas 21361 Gizmo revealed for October 1 – [News]

LEGO has been on something of a Gen X nostalgia kick lately. We’ve had sets from Transformers, Jaws, and now, we have a throwback to a comedy-horror classic from the ’80s. It’s thanks to the Ideas line this time – specifically, the ‘If We Could Turn Back Time’ building challenge. Fan designer Terauma took the grand prize with their model of Gizmo from the iconic ’80s flick Gremlins. As a reward, it got turned into an official set! 21361 Gizmo contains 1,125 pieces, and when it launches on October 1, it will retail for US $109.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99.

There are more pictures and info after the jump – although there’s no word on when you should feed it…

Continue reading →

DeRa struts like a peacock showing off its tail feathers

Japanese LEGO builder DeRa has been absolutely killing it lately. We’ve barely just stopped waxing lyrical about that tiger, and the brick-built menagerie is already expanding. And in some style! The proud peacock couldn’t be more different to an apex predator like the tiger, but this one is still built to the same sky-high standard.

Iteration is the name of the game here: what better way to create intricate feathered patterns than with multiples of interesting parts? Crocodile jaws on the neck; a superb combination of Technic gears and ‘boat’ tiles for the tail feathers; and – my personal favourite – an abundance of buildable figure heads from the much-maligned Rise of Domo Eternals set to add some really tiny details at the base of the tail.

DeRa already made onto our Creation of the Year shortlist in 2024; can they go one better in 2025? Have a look through their other featured builds and see for yourself!

Celebrate Silksong with these LEGO Hollow Knight tributes [Feature]

Hollow Knight debuted in 2017 to modest acclaim, but in the years since developed a cult-like following for its tight gameplay, haunting story, and gorgeous designs. Since then, many LEGO builders have made a go at recreating the Knight and other characters in bricks. As we prepare for the long-awaited sequel’s release next week, let’s take a look back at the many Hollow Knight and Silksong LEGO builds that showcase the iconic appeal of Team Cherry’s games.

GioiaLego recreates the memorial to the Hollow Knight in the City of Tears. The Knight and Hornet appear at minifig scale. The monochrome world is lovingly recreated with light and dark grey brickwork.

Tino Poutiainen created an impressionist version of Hollow Knight. The arachnid leg is perfect for this dynamic pose.

Click to see more Hollow Knight inspired LEGO creations

LEGO Nike 43021 Nike Dunk Trickshot and 43010 Nike Slam Dunk – Double Dribble [Review]

Hi friends! This is Jarrett (@wilderland.builds), here to talk about the two newest additions to the LEGO/Nike collaboration that kicked off earlier this year: Nike Dunk Trickshot and Nike Slam Dunk. I’ll preface this by saying that I’m probably not the target customer for these sets, but I am a pretty serious basketball fan and was looking forward to seeing if they could change my mind and capture my interest with these sets. Let’s jump in!

LEGO 43021 Nike Dunk Trickshot | 454 Pieces | US $39.99 | CAN $49.99 | UK £34.99

LEGO 43010 Nike Slam Dunk | 809 Pieces | US $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £59.99

Do these sets have game? Read on for our review

The fallen leaves tell a story in this epic Elden Ring inspired build

The Lands Between are a vast and deadly place where the glowing Erdtree towers as a guiding light and source of hope. Builder Nathan Hake has taken inspiration from Elden Ring for this truly epic LEGO creation, but his intent is to depict the Tree of Life itself. A massive black sea serves as the model’s base, giving way to an island of rock, overgrowth, and a tree that should not exist. The enormous tree is rooted on the very end of the precipice, giving a perception that it may tip the whole island. As Nathan put it, ” I wanted the island to look untouched by man but have enough structure to seem like a phenomenon created by an other worldly being.”

A closer look at the rocky cliffs shows the literal hands of these divine beings as they seemingly lift the tree heavenward.

Behold more images of this incredible Elden Ring inspired diorama

An icy dragon puts a wintry chill on a summer build

Upon first examination of the colors of this frosty LEGO castle by Olle Moquist, I spotted something buried under the snow and ice…a raised baseplate! Olle does a great job of seamlessly incorporating this raised baseplate in the build. From there, I climbed the steps to a beautiful brick-built, wooden door under the watchful eye of the wyrm.

The raised baseplate has become a piece of the past. These vacuum-formed bases peaked in the ’90s with 31 different raised baseplates being used across many sets, but we haven’t seen a raised baseplate in over a decade. Olle’s brings this chilly baseplate from 2002 and 2006’s Belville sets, warming our hearts with nostalgia for the old ways.

LEGO Icons 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship – A shiny Black Pearl [Review]

It’s been 22 years since Johnny Depp donned dreadlocks and eyeliner and put on his best Keith Richards impression and sailed into cinematic record books with the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. If you thought that name was clunky, hold LEGO’s grog. Icons 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship brings back the Black Pearl, last seen in brick in 2011, as a premium display set. Is it worth every piece of eight to add this set to your LEGO fleet? Guest reviewer Jacob Manahan got a chance to dig up this treasured ship early and is here with our review.

LEGO Icons 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship | 2862 Pieces | Available September 12 to Insiders (Sept 15 to all) |US $379.99 | CAN $449.99 | UK £299.99

Our review of the Black Pearl follows

The LEGO Group shares earnings report for first half of 2025 – double-digit growth, doubling down on strategic investment [News]

Today, the LEGO Group shared its earnings report for the first half of 2025, revealing double-digit growth all around. Overall sales are up 13%, Revenue up 12%, Operating Profit up 10%. LEGO also highlights expanded global supply chain improvements and a continued commitment to sustainability. Revenue growth was matched by an even greater investment in the company’s future with new facilities and an expanded global team.

These numbers come at an interesting time for adult fans and readers of this site as we’re in the midst of LEGO announcing many high-priced sets for adult collectors for the second half of the year. It can be hard to celebrate the company’s success when the lived experience of many fans is that prices are outpacing their ability to keep up with the hobby. While the rise in the number of 18+ display sets with high piece counts and this summer’s Star Wars inflation have left many fans frustrated, less AFOL-focused lines like Ninjago, Dreamzzz, Friends, and City/Space, as well as the Botanicals line, show that, for creativity and play, there are still amazing and affordable sets to be had.

LEGO’s full report follows.

LEGO’s full report follows