Tag Archives: Christmas

A LEGO build on-theme for the present holiday

Trying to recreate fabric using LEGO bricks has always been a difficult feat for me. So many ideas have been left on the backburner because I couldn’t figure out how to work out a cape on a character build. But when it came to making a bow, as in the bundle of ribbon topping a present, I knew there had to be a better way to achieve the look without resorting to specialized pieces with a reduction in scale or simple curved slopes with no volume. Last year, I cracked the code on the bow of my dreams. But it wasn’t until this Christmas season that I was able to fully realize my vision of a perfect present. It’s helped quite a bit to have increased availability of the 2×2 inverted curved slope, plus enough time to engineer a box with a half-plate of “ribbon” running down each side.

Present 2.0

From everyone here at The Brothers Brick, we hope you have a merry and safe Christmas with plenty of LEGO sets under the tree!

LEGO 40603 Wintertime Carriage Ride and 40604 Christmas Décor Set [Review]

It’s the holiday season, and the mall is total chaos. But your kids need to find those latest Friends and Ninjago sets under the tree. Well, LEGO has a holiday present for you because they’re offering up two holiday themed gifts with purchase to make the shopping worth it. 40603 Wintertime Carriage Ride and 40604 Christmas Décor Set will be available this December with qualifying purchases. Let’s unwrap things a little early and have a sneak peak at these sets.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Don’t open until Christmas? Nah, click right now.

What’s the best Christmas film to be rendered in LEGO?

December is a little over a week away, which means we will soon have the annual debate over what the second-best Christmas movie is. Wait, second-best? You heard me! You can keep your Home Alones, your Nutcracker adaptations and your Die Hards (if you’re that way inclined). As Eli Willsea clearly knows, The Muppet Christmas Carol is the undisputed festive film champion! It’s wholesome, it has some great songs, it’s not too cheesy (Muppet cast notwithstanding), and it inspires creative use of LEGO watering cans. What’s not to love?

"It's not easy being a green watering can"

LEGO Insiders can win their Christmas wishlist [News]

Everyone wants to get LEGO for Christmas, right? Even better if it’s free! (Santa Claus may make it free to you, but even he surely has to pay for it.) Well, LEGO Insiders will have the opportunity to get just that with a sweepstake to win sets on your holiday wishlist. All you have to do is sign up for Insiders if you haven’t already, create your wishlist here, email it to yourself (make sure you use the same email linked to your Insiders account!), and fill out the entry form on the Rewards page. Do note that it’s only applicable in certain territories: the USA, Canada (excluding Quebec), the UK, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and, naturally, Denmark.

Click here for more information

Forcing new LEGO perspectives on Christmas

Builder Josh Parkinson has become quite the LEGO master of juxtaposing the near and far. I was wowed by his technique in the Doctor Strange vignette he made last year. And his powers of forced perspective have only grown since then, as is evident in this beautiful North Pole scene. Josh continues to astound with his ability to make minifigure habitats, six of them in total making up the two interiors seen here. But I’m also quite impressed with his snow layering on the roofs, trees, and distant hills. When combined with the backlighting at the build’s horizon, the whole scene pops, giving “the luster of midday to objects below.”

New LEGO sets for October 2023 now available for purchase [News]

It’s almost become its own holiday for LEGO fans: the first of the month brings a new slate of sets to the shelves of LEGO stores and LEGO.com. Lines will be formed, items will go on backorder, and Christmas preparations will be made. The month of October offers plenty of new sets for the upcoming holidays and in tribute to Disney franchises old and new. Early access to some of these sets may require you to be a member of the LEGO Insider program (if you were a VIP previously, you’re now an Insider by default).

Check out all the new sets below

LEGO Icons 40642 Gingerbread Ornaments [Review]

With fall quickly approaching for the northern hemisphere, it’s time to start thinking about those holiday LEGO sets. One of the first coming out in the wave for 2023 is 40642 Gingerbread Ornaments, featuring a wealth of customizable looks on the basic anthropomorphic cookie pattern. But will these constructible confections lead to some delicious creations, or are they only half-baked? Composed of 190 pieces, 40642 Gingerbread Ornaments will be available in the UK starting on September 1, with the US and Canada having to wait until October 1. The set will retail for US $12.99 | CAN $16.99 | UK £10.99.

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click for the full review!

War makes gingerbread boys into gingerbread men

“Man the gumdrop cannons! We’re on General Kringle’s naughty list this year!” Builder Mike Sinclair gives us a LEGO scene that has the Christmas season fighting against itself. Maybe you’re rooting for St. Nick and his elven troops, armed with a present catapult and cannon. But if you’re like me, you’re on the side of the Gingerbread Kingdom. With their cookie castle surrounded by a chocolate moat, these confectionary combatants aren’t about to crumble under pressure. The fortress is a beautiful mish-mash of classic castle shapes laced with bits of icing and other sweet treats. It’s an extremely well-executed fusion of themes. And, much like the smell of gingerbread, it’s got me hungry for more!

Gingy's Revenge

We still have Christmas cheer so long as the eggnog is good

Before you give us gruff that Christmas has passed, you don’t take down your holiday tree right at midnight on the start of the 26th, do you? No, of course not! We keep Christmas in our hearts at least until the holiday food expires. In the case of fruitcake, you could be reluctantly sampling it right up through July. The calendar you bought for Christmas is now 50% off but that doesn’t stop us from featuring this LEGO Christmas stork built by Pascal Hetzel. I don’t want to be the one to explain the birds and the bees to you but almost everyone knows that babies are delivered by storks. The same holds true for Christmas presents for instances when the usual fat man can’t be bothered to stuff himself down your chimney. I love the snow, the roof tiles, and the Wolverine claws used to texture the nest. Frankly, I don’t care who delivers my Christmas gifts, so long as the eggnog is tasty. Is mentioning eggnog around a stork considered insensitive?

The Christmas Stork's Nest

The hippest holiday builds we’ve ever seen.

We’ve often praised Dan Ko for his inventive parts usage, but these two Christmas ornaments might just take the cake…or fruitcake, as it were. Starting with a set of legless minifigure hips as faces, Dan has crafted Santa and the traditional Christmas Nutcracker as ornaments suitable for hanging on any LEGO fan’s tree.

Pocket Santa

Santa’s got minifigure parts working overtime, as a single leg fills in for his beard. And I’m particularly impressed with the small space Dan was able to leave in the Nutcracker to denote his chompers. Make sure to check out more of our coverage of Dan’s impressive builds right here.

The Nutcracker

Something’s fishy about this holiday scene…

At first glance, this North Pole build by ForlonEmpire is as heartwarming as it is well constructed. A young penguin interrupts Santa’s fishing expedition to offer him a present. Santa himself is teeming with great parts usage, from the big-fig arms getting an upgrade as Santa’s upper arms, to the pair of bucket handles doing double-duty as his belt buckle. And the semi-circle tiles as bows are inspired. But the more you think about it, the more sinister this scene becomes. Why is there a sled full of presents in this remote location? The answer is obvious. Santa has laid-off his elf work force because penguin labor is so much cheaper. This penguin isn’t giving Santa a gift. He’s made the gift in exchange for a fish. Santa’s cornered the market on herring and if the penguins don’t work, they starve! Merry Christmas!

The North Pole

After a long night, Santa deserves a break!

Nothing beats a good sit in your favorite chair after a long shift at work. And in this yuletide LEGO build by Koen Zwanenburg, we see the man of the hour, Saint Nicholas himself, taking a break after his most logistically-challenging night of the year. And boy, does he deliver (Koen, that is) when it comes to the use of curved slopes. They’re adeptly used to shape Santa’s beard, boots, and belly, not to mention the dark red seat he sits in. The exposed studs to represent the white fur on the outfit is truly a gift, as is the gold filigree along the edges of the armchair. But my favorite bit has got to be the cute little bows on the packages. I’ve struggled this season to create ribbon in this blocky medium for my own builds, yet Koen achieves it so easily here with wedge plates, cheese slopes, and tiles. And with that, I should probably check and see if the big guy left anything under the tree for me. Fingers crossed it’s a LEGO Minecraft set. Have a very Merry Christmas!

Santa Claus