Posts by Peter

Although it’s not an official LEGO element, I can safely say this build is one-hundred percent purrist

When I first took a glance at this scene by Eero Okkonen a week ago, I assumed the glowing eyes of the monster, called Uku-Li by the builder, were simply the result of some interesting building techniques, lit up by a light from below. Interesting? Yes. Technique? Maybe. Built from LEGO bricks? No, because as I realized upon closer inspection, that is indeed an actual cat back there, in fact, it’s the builder’s newest cat, Ukuli.

Johnny Thunder and the Cave of Uku-Li

Star of the show aside, I always love to see modern takes on old LEGO themes, this particular build is a modernization of the Orient Expedition subtheme of the Adventurers line. We can see Johnny Thunder on the right, evidenced by his signature hat, Dr. Charles Lightning at the center, and Pippin Reed taking photos on the left. And don’t miss the use of a Duplo grass piece as vegetation in the top right corner.

Why should the Empire always get the cool ships?

While brainstorming ideas for my own entry to the Assemble the Fleet Contest, I went down a bit of an internet rabbit hole of ships and concept art from lesser-known Star Wars video games. Among them was the Assault Frigate Mark II, only seen in the Star Wars: Empire at War RTS games, which I took one look at and dismissed as impossible to recreate in LEGO due to it’s almost entirely rounded shape. A few weeks later, to my dismay and excitement, The Brickforce proved me very wrong with his beautiful microscale rendition of the ship.

Lego Star Wars: Assault Frigate Mark II

Making good use of the multitude of new rounded, angled, and sloped pieces LEGO has released the past few years, the builder has managed to skillfully recreate the rounded form of the ship, with minimal gaps between the bricks for a smooth look. The splashes of color top complete the build, both incorporated into the complex shaping of the hull and in the Nebulon-B-esque pod array coming off the bottom of the vessel.

Please remain calm. This procedure will only cause a momentary increase of 10 pain units.

As the future becomes ever more robotized and automated, I can only hope that human paramedics don’t get replaced with automated robotic doctors, conceptualized in this build by Djokson. With its syringe at the ready, held in one particularly well-constructed robotic hand, and its med-bag in the other, it looks ready to treat any injury or ailment you may have. However, I can’t help but look at that slightly smiling face and think how much I’d not want a robot making my life-or-death decisions.

VectroCo. DOC

With regards to the technicalities of the build itself, the builder has done an excellent job keeping a slim form on the robot, a welcome change in an age of increasingly bulky and utilitarian drones and mechs. The use of custom decals on the chest piece, and ever so small ones on the robots hips and med-bag complete the aesthetic of the build.

Build your own reversible LEGO Castle Byers model from Stranger Things [Instructions]

Does your copy of 75810 The Upside Down look a little lonely displayed all on its own? To help celebrate the TBB Upside Down building contest, we’ve got step-by-step instructions to build a minifigure scale Castle Byers to keep it company. Created by yours truly, the creation features both Will Byers’ pleasant-looking forest abode and an upside-down version in the same style as the official set.

LEGO did release a tiny version of Castle Byers which we reviewed recently, but we think this one fits the theme a bit better. The instructions PDF can be downloaded here, along with the Bricklink Studio digital file. And if you have an itch to build more Hawkins locations and their corresponding upside-down versions, don’t forget to enter our TBB Upside Down building contest! There’s only a week left to enter, with the deadline on August 15th. Now’s your chance to swoop in and win a copy of 75810 The Upside Down, along with the LEGO store exclusive Castle Byers build.

Life-size LEGO Iron Man model revealed ahead of San Diego Comic-Con [News]

LEGO has taken the wraps off the next life-size brick-built attraction to be displayed at their booth during San Diego Comic-Con this week. This six-and-a-half foot model portrays Tony Stark in his Mark LXXXV suit from Avengers: Endgame wearing the infinity gauntlet, with what appears to be light-up energy effects snaking up his arm. It took LEGO master builders 35,119 bricks and 255 hours to construct.

Check out this time lapse video chronicling the model’s construction, along with more photos below.

Amazon offers LEGO Star Wars Kessel Run Millennium Falcon for 51% off, plus other Prime Day deals [News]

Amazon Prime Day has begun, and there are a select few LEGO sets on sale for Prime members only. These prices are only good until the end of July 16th, so act fast if you want to score these sets at some great prices. Our Canadian readers are in luck as well, as Amazon Canada is also offering some great deals on some different sets for Prime Day.

The other two sets on sale this prime day are 75212 Kessel Run Milennium Falcon, and 75179 Kylo Ren’s Tie Fighter, which are 51% and 43% off respectively.

75212 Kessel Run Millennium Falcon | $83.30

75179 Kylo Ren’s TIE Fighter | $45.84

There has been one city set on sale, 60198 Cargo Train which utilizes the new Powered Up remote control system, for $146.99. That’s 36% off its MSRP of $229.99. At the moment it appears to be back to a higher price, but it may flash on sale again so it’s worth keeping an eye on.

60198 Cargo Train | $146.99

Amazon Canada is offering some great deals on LEGO for Prime Day, which we have listed below. Unlike Amazon US, these deals end sooner, with just 18 hours to go. Two of them are also on sale in the US.

Snoke’s Throne Room 75216 CDN$ 36.59 | 59% off MSRP of CDN$ 89.99 | $48.99 USD, 30% off
Star Wars Darth Vader’s Castle 75251 CDN$ 66.99 | 55% off MSRP of CDN$ 149.99
Ideas Ship in a Bottle 21313 CDN$ 56.99 | 37% off MSRP of CDN$ 89.99 | $55.99 USD, 20% off

LEGO Shop at Home US Christmas in July deals now live [News]

Hot on the heels of some great LEGO deals on Amazon.com ahead of Prime day, LEGO has rolled out their Christmas in July sale, where you can get set 40292 Buildable Holiday Present free with purchases over $99. From July 12th until July 14th LEGO will also be offering a daily deal, with today’s being 30% off on the Creator Pirate Rollercoaster. Multiple other sets are also being offered at 20% off, including the Ninjago Movie Destiny’s Bounty, and the Kessel Run Millennium Falcon.

Click the image above to see all of the sets on sale, and as usual, using these links to purchase sets will provide The Brothers Brick with a small commission to help support the site and the events and contests we sponsor, such as our current Stranger Things LEGO contest where you could win a copy of The Upside Down!

LEGO Star Wars SDCC exclusive Sith Trooper set and life-size model revealed [News]

The third exclusive LEGO set for San Diego Comic-Con has just been revealed, and this time it’s a Star Wars set featuring a Sith Trooper bust from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This set is similar to the Darth Vader bust set LEGO made for Star Wars Celebration 2019, and it may be one of LEGO’s more interesting Star Wars convention exclusives yet. The set will be available to select attendees who win the opportunity to purchase the set on the Comic-Con Exclusives portal, which is now closed for submissions.

Click here to see more photos!

LEGO Space Trivia and History: Take a look back at one of the most stellar LEGO themes [Feature]

With the release of the new Creator Expert 10266 NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander set, LEGO is once again delving into the world of space exploration. Some of the oldest, most notable, and most nostalgic LEGO sets and themes are based on space exploration, so it’s no surprise many of these sets are favorites of LEGO fans young and old. To commemorate the occasion, LEGO has compiled a list of interesting facts on LEGO Space sets, from the very first rocket ship in 1964, to the more recent behemoths of the past few years.

Want to learn some of the history behind the earliest  LEGO Space sets? Or perhaps test your knowledge? Then read on to find out!

Click here to read more

Leave your troubles on the shore and glide above the sea

It’s certainly not summer yet, even in southern California where it’s still cloudy and stormy. Models like Ted Andes’ streamlined sailboat called the Rhapsody make me yearn for the season’s arrival even more. Although at first glance you might think it’s just your average high-end sailboat, Ted has actually built a futuristic vessel that hovers above the water, almost like a hydrofoil with its white fin-like appendages sticking out from the bottom of the hull.

Rhapsody

Close inspection reveals that the hull and sails are constructed almost entirely from assorted Technic panels, allowing the builder to achieve the sweeping curves of the vessel and the cloth-like appearance of the sails. Let’s also not overlook the expertly constructed wooden deck and classic white coloring with blue and red accents. This boat is sure to awe onlookers on any expedition into the bay, whether it’s hovering or not.

Rhapsody

Aratech 105-K Lancer Bike from Star Wars: Clone Wars

The 2003 TV series Star Wars: Clone Wars has always been one of my favorite pieces of Star Wars filmography. As a child, I think it was the first Star Wars saga I had ever seen. Yes, some of the moments in the show were impractical and far-fetched compared to those depicted in the canonical movies, but I think that’s what made it so memorable. Lancer bikes were a prime example. Why one would need to fight with lances in a world of laser cannons and starfighters, I don’t know, but it made for an epic and memorable scene. I’ve been trying to recreate the lancer bikes in LEGO for some time now with the goal of making the definitive version. Originally I had one that could seat a full figure, but it didn’t look the greatest, so I opted to disassemble the legs of the figure and made a version that ended up looking much more accurate.

Aratech 105-K Lancer Bike

While the dark red pattern on the stand is likely blood from a recent battle, I placed it there as a sort of allusion to the frequent dark red explosions that occurred in the series.

His mission: to build what no man has built before.

The title doesn’t lie, because although this vessel by the name of USS Fontana may look like it flew straight out of one of the many Star Trek screenplays, Ben Smith has built what no man has built before, because this ship is actually of his own design. Complete with working lights and custom stickers, the builder has done an excellent job capturing the Star Trek aesthetic. The signature round body of the ship is expertly built; take note of the beautiful tan and sand green stripe around the bridge, which I imagine wasn’t easy to accomplish.

USS Fontana

The back of the ship is fully detailed as well, with a hanger bay for research shuttles to launch from and explore the unknown planets below.

USS Fontana