Spaceship makes two-pronged attack

Intergalactic space is getting busy with SHIPtember traffic as the number of large LEGO spaceships begins to rocket. Here’s another fine looking vessel called the ZC Lapsadle. Built by TBB alumnus Simon Liu, it definitely meets the longer-than-100-studs criteria to be a SHIP. The flashes of Bright Light Orange are a standout feature along with the interesting two-prong shape of the bow. I love the central launch bays on either side — dark and deep enough to generate some intriguing shadows.

ZC Lapsadle

Do you think Simon actually built two of these ships or are we seeing some artistic jiggery-pokery at work?

Hands on with the new LEGO Star Wars 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon [Review]

When LEGO sends The Brothers Brick an early copy of a LEGO set to review, receiving it a few days before it’s widely available is generally not a problem. We just spend a couple evenings building, photographing, and writing up the review — no big deal. But when the new 75192 Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon lands with a resounding “thump!” on our doorstep two days before it’s available to LEGO VIP Program members, that’s a bit of a different story. TBB Senior Editor Chris Malloy and I have spent literally every spare moment since last Monday (a week and a half ago) slaving at the brick to bring you our hands-on review of the largest LEGO set ever released.

75192 Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon

The new UCS Millennium Falcon includes 7,541 pieces with 10 minifigs, and costs USD 799.99. That obviously makes it the most-expensive LEGO set ever released, and we’ll address the price later in the review.

Fair warning up front that this review will be as much about the subjective build experience and our Gestalt perspective on the completed model as it will be about details like parts, minifigs, and building techniques. We expect that many of our readers will not be able to afford an $800 set, and we want to give you as much vicarious insight as possible into the end-to-end experience. We’ll also do our best to compare this set with the earlier 10179 UCS Millennium Falcon from 2007.

Read our complete, hands-on review of the new LEGO Star Wars 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon

Win free tickets to The LEGO Ninjago Movie [Giveaway]

With The LEGO Ninjago Movie opening on Friday, we thought it would be fun to give away some tickets to our dedicated readers. We enjoyed the movie (read our review), and we think you should see it too!

We are giving away 10 codes, each good for two tickets to The LEGO Ninjago Movie on Fandango (worth up to $24 total), provided by Warner Bros. We’ll choose the 10 winners at random from the comments below, so leave us a comment on this post telling us which of LEGO’s other themes, past or present, should be given the full CGI treatment and made into the next LEGO movie and why.

We love our global audience, but unfortunately we’re only able to open this contest to readers in the USA (the codes won’t work outside the States). We will choose winners from eligible entries in one week, submitted before 11:59 PM PST on Sept. 26. Winners will be contacted via email. Good luck!

Don’t miss TBB’s other reviews of the sets from The LEGO Ninjago Movie:

Nothing is true, everything is permitted

Inspired by the upcoming stealth-adventure game Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Kevin J. Walter presents a LEGO statue of ancient-Egyptian protagonist Bayek. His leaping pose is dynamic, enhanced by the flow of fabric from his outfit. The shaping is excellent and the choices of parts and colors for his assassin’s gear match up well with the character in the trailers.

Dawn of the Creed Bayek Statue

Brickheadz just won’t get terminated

Brickheadz are like The Terminator — no matter how much you might want them to die, they just keep coming. Yet despite some of the ambivalence out there towards the style, this Terminator transformation by Dick Cheung is just too delightful to miss out on! From flesh and skin to the infamous exposed red-eye and the final exoskeleton in all its glory! My favorite part has to be the special effect of censorship via the mosaic pattern — a nice touch to avoid Arnie’s full-frontal.

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The LEGO Ninjago Movie is a fun, yet familiar, daddy issues story with LEGO at its core [Review]

When I first heard that LEGO was going to produce a movie featuring Ninjago, I was flummoxed. As an adult fan of Lego (AFOL), the entire Ninjago line fell outside my realm of interest when it came to building sets. I hadn’t watched the show, played the games, or even purchased a set outside of 70751 Temple of Airjitzu which I bought on discount one day because I thought it was a brilliant architectural model. Saying that I had any sort of expectation to enjoy a press screening of The LEGO Ninjago Movie this past weekend would be a stretch.

Heading into the second LEGO-themed movie of the year, I couldn’t help but think the movie could use a bit more breathing room on the calendar, coming only seven months after the successful run of The LEGO Batman Movie. This bias seemed confirmed by the sheer amount of marketing I saw for the film, from Ninjago-themed obstacles on American Ninja Warrior to baking a La-Lloyd cake on How to Cake It, all paid opportunities to promote the film. If a movie needs to work this hard to get people to the theater, the movie itself needs all the help it can get, right?

Read our full review of The LEGO Ninjago Movie

Finding peace amongst calamity

Jizō or Kshitigarbha statues are a unique part of Japanese culture,standing quietly around temples or cemeteries like little beings — tiny guardians or protectors. These cute LEGO versions by delayice capture a peaceful and serene atmosphere. In recent times the statues are believed to be protectors of children and unborn babies — offering some comfort for mothers who have had losses, helping them find peace amongst calamity, and reassurance their loved ones will always be protected and comforted in the afterlife.

Jizou

Jizou

Creepy LEGO figure will haunt your toybox

It’s not often a little LEGO model gives me the full-on creeps, but this Bionicle creation from PaleoBricks is giving me a bad dose of the heebie-jeebies. The ghastly face, the tattered cape, the chains — all come together to create a haunting sense of despair. But it’s the stance that does it for me — the hunched shoulders and the sense of a lurching gait. This is great posing, lending the model genuine character. I can’t help but imagine this thing shuffling through the night towards my house. Shudder.

The Condemned (side)

Smile if you wanna go faster

Sometimes a LEGO model shows up which just makes you smile. Tuts Panga‘s Classic Space speeder might not be the most complex creation we’ve ever seen, but if this doesn’t cheer your soul then there’s surely something wrong with you. The vehicle is delightfully chubby and the retro colour scheme is spot-on. I’m also a fan of the minimalist scenery, it provides a bit of context but doesn’t distract from the main focus — the grinning minifigure who’s clearly having a whale of a time in his new ride.

Blue Beetle - Classic Space Speeder

Don’t shatter the peace of this pool

Inspired by some of the submerged ruins found in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Joseph Z. has made imaginative use of a pane of glass to create an excellent LEGO scene — a wandering traveller taking a moment’s rest by a tranquil pool. The ruined stonework is nicely put-together, with a depth of texture suggesting both weathering and antiquity, but it’s the use of dark grey below the waterline vs the lighter grey above which caught my eye. I also like the way the grass stalks placed under the water-lilies suggest the plants’ continuation beneath the surface — it ties the above and below-water elements together, making this more than simply two different models separated by the glass. Perhaps a fish or two wouldn’t have gone amiss, but that’s nitpicking at an otherwise lovely piece of work.

Submerged Ruins

Over the fields an eerie sound, as we hear the black birds cry

Crows are often attributed ominous and intimidating characteristics, but interestingly enough, this one by John Cheng would have none of that. While the head seems a bit large, the beak leaves no question as to what bird this build represents. John uses just enough specialized parts to give a clever build, while still incorporating lots of more traditional slopes. For a seemingly simple creation, the builder has achieved plenty of character and realism.

Crow

Exactly three inches high — a very good height indeed

We’ve seen Alice In Wonderland LEGO creations before, but Martin Redfern proves himself a master of quirky character once again with this version of Alice encountering the Caterpillar. Alice herself is fun, and the caterpillar curling over to peer down at her is nicely put-together. However, it’s the little touches which elevate this model out of the ordinary — the funghi-flavoured foliage at Alice’s feet, the shaping of the big mushroom, and that hookah pipe. Don’t miss the white snake used as a curl of smoke — we’ve seen it before, but it’s perfectly placed here.

Alice in Wonderland