A new order of LEGO TIE Fighter

Like us, Koen Zwanenburg was amazed by the LEGO TIE Fighter models created by fellow builder Jarek, but rather than just marveling, he thought he’d have a shot at building a world-class TIE Fighter himself. Judging by the results, it’s quite a success. While at first glance the build may seem to take a similar approach as Jarek’s, Koen has actually redone the model from the ground up. Naturally, the convergent evolution of the building process means that there are some similarities (and the fact that they’re both based on the same Star Wars ship), but it’s truly remarkable how different this model is while being just as accurate.

TIE Fighter

The ability to achieve clean lines with minimal studs visible on a ship this lean is an accomplishment not be underestimated. I can almost hear the TIE’s distinctive engine roar now…

TIE Fighter

Birds of a feather that click together

This trio of 1:10 scale avian models by Luis Peña utilise unexpected elements in some unique ways. Take for example the humble LEGO macaroni tube. Here it’s reimagined as the elegant neck of a blushing pink flamingo.

Andean Flamingo .1:10 Scale LEGO Model

Check out the other two birds

In space, no one can hear you scream

These Cryo Pods built by Peter Reid evoke the eerie feeling of Ridley Scott’s Alien hiding in the corner ready to pounce. The abundant use of grey paired with dramatic lighting gives off the feelings of being far away from earth and long travel in cold reaches of space. The scene is built with almost no LEGO studs visible, which also tricks our minds to believe that this could be larger than what it actually is — at first glance almost close to a movie-scale prop.

Cryo Pods

70839 The Rexcelsior revealed as 21st set from The LEGO Movie 2 [News]

LEGO revealed 70839 The Rexcelsior as the 21st set in its LEGO Movie 2 lineup today at the London Toy Fair. The set features Rex Dangervest’s ship, The Rexcelsior, and comes with 1,826 pieces, two minifigures, two microfigures, five micro-raptors, and a six-missile rapid blast functionality.

The Rexcelsior will retail for $149.99 US and £139.99 UK, with availability beginning May 1 after the movie hits theaters.

Click to get a closer look at The Rexcelsior

Do you believe they put a LEGO man on the moon?

With the resurgent interest in the Classic Space theme thanks to The LEGO Movie 2’s new range of retro sets, it only seems fitting that we celebrate these intrepid astronauts’ achievements. Builder Frost’s luminous mosaic is the perfect tribute, capturing the moment the LEGO flag is planted on alien soil.

planting_the_flag_mosaic

However, there’s another side to this build. Take a look at the image from the side and it reveals another world. Continue reading →

Nostalgic silhouette from the 80’s

Before there was the Game Boy, Nintendo was making Game & Watch devices. It is said that back in 1979, the inventor was on a bullet train watching a bored businessman playing with his calculator, which inspired him to create an LCD gaming device to kill time. From then on and right through the ’80s this silhouette of Mr. Game & Watch has been embedded into many of our brain cells. This 2D silhouette made by Logan W with various LEGO elements may not be perfect, but it definitely is close enough to transport us back in time.

Mr. Game & Watch

Nature’s clean-up crew

While they sometimes get a bad rap, vultures are incredible animals. These threatened and endangered birds hold a very important place in the ecosystem. They help to prevent the spread of disease as they scavenge for carcasses. Their heads are bald because it’s actually a cleaner way to eat. This build by Jens Ohrndorf caught my eye because of the way he used the parts to create that iconic vulture look. The elbow pieces and Technic gears that make up their necks are perfect. Altogether with the skeleton, it’s a really cute little build.
lunchtimeAnother fun fact: vultures don’t necessarily circle because they see a dead or dying animal below. They’re pretty big and heavy as far as birds go, and it takes a lot of energy to flap around long enough to spot food. So they use their massive wingspan to their advantage by letting circular warm air currents carry them up as high as they can get, and then gently soar back down. Very little energy wasted. Efficient, eh?

If you like this build, you should check out Jens’ entire collection of animals, including his rhino, mole, and bison.

The Dragonborn speaks

Skyrim players the world over know the joy of a well-timed FUS RO DAH! The iconic shouted spell will blast your enemies, and if you time it just right, as in this scene by Victor, the results can be spectacular. This also happens to be the perfect use for LEGO’s new power burst elements from various Superhero sets, showing the blastwave emanating from the Dragonborn. Also not to be missed is the use of the tree-costume element as the tree’s trunk. Despite the obvious application, this is actually the first time I’ve seen a good tree made with that element.

Fus Ro Dah !

The Lego Movie 2’s biggest set: 70840 Welcome To Apocalypseburg [Review]

The LEGO Movie 2’s range of sets has got us excited, not least because of Classic LEGO Space astronauts in multiple colours. But what really set hearts aflutter and pulses racing here at Brothers Brick was the reveal of the massive 70840 Welcome To Apocalypseburg — a shanty town built around a fallen Statue of Liberty, apparently Emmet & Co.’s new home town in the forthcoming film.

70840 Apocalypseburg finished build and packaging

70840 Welcome To Apocalypseburg includes 3,178 pieces and 12 minifigures. The set is available now for LEGO VIPs, and is on general release February 1st, 2019 from the LEGO Shop (US $299.99 | CA $399.99 | UK £279.99).

Read our hands-on review of 70840 Welcome To Apocalypseburg

The future looks bleak, but at least the decorations are still holding strong!

It seems as though building a scene set in the year 2049 is the thing to do these days, no doubt in part because of the new Bladerunner film. However, this scene by Eddy Plu depicting Tokyo in the year 2049 has some great elements that set it apart from the crowd. Usually when building LEGO scenes, builders tend to focus on the background, and rarely is there anything in the foreground. But here, the Eddy has added some leaves and other objects to the foreground, giving the scene a higher degree of depth and making it much more interesting to admire.

Tokyo 2049 東京

Also, don’t overlook the cracked and uneven street, which makes it seem like either an explosion or an earthquake has happened in the future, and the nice curve the sidewalk and buildings situated on it seems to follow suit in looking precarious.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 20, 2019 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the third week of January 2019.

Eighteen builders spent more than 2,000 hours hand-selecting and placing each of the 334,544 pieces in this LEGO Chevy Silverado. Read on to find out more.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: The LEGO Movie 2 is storming into theaters soon, and we have some Star Wars and BrickLink news for you too.

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:

A spiny lizard beast

This green monster by Mitch Phillips look tough enough to tackle anything, thanks to a heavy layer of armor plating. It’s a fitting LEGO element to use as armor, since that was its original purpose. However, it was originally designed to clad two-legged characters rather than creatures like this. Look closely at the upper legs, too, for they’re actually sea monster heads from the oft-overlooked Alpha Agents theme.

Nui - Meko - 01