Hands up ready for the boom

We see lots of LEGO buildings and battles, from sci-fi through to fantasy scenes. What we don’t see as often are brick-built “special effects” which capture the dynamism and danger of an explosion as well as in Joseph Zamara‘s siege scene. Chunks of masonry and minifigures go flying in different directions, and trans-red and yellow projectile bars effectively create a feeling of energy and heat as the blast tears the castle wall to pieces. The wall and castle gate sport a gnarly level of texture and some smart arches to break up the expanse of grey, and the wider landscaping provides an effective backdrop for the combat action. But it’s the explosion which catches the eye and makes this feel like a still from some epic movie. I feel sorry for the castle’s defenders — it looks like there’s another boom coming with that trebuchet unleashing the next bombardment.

Siege of Kastermore

All quiet on the Western Front

Ah, airplanes. What would we do without them? They make travel over long distances easy and affordable to everyone, which is great, and they make spreading contagion across the world lightning fast, too, which is not so great. Gone are the days when we had to wait for the rats in the hold of the ship to spread the pestilence! But military airplanes, deadly in ways non-viral, have a strong nostalgia attached to them for many people, from history buffs to kids who like to zoom things around and make machine gun noises while spitting on everything. Wesley has made a LEGO model of a RAF SE5a, a delightful WWI-era biplane, complete with said machine gun. The shaping is fantastic, especially on the fuselage, and I love the cheese-slope chocks under the wheels. The under-construction aerodrome gives depth to the image, especially when combined with the minifigures and the green “grass”; it’s a simple addition but brings it from a plain ol’ airplane to an immersive scene.

Discover the secrets of 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay from the LEGO designers who created it [News]

Ahoy, ye mateys and join the hearty crew of Barracuda Bay! The most recently revealed LEGO Ideas set, 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay, was officially revealed last week and we’ve already published our hands-on review and an interview with the design team. Today, LEGO designers Sam Johnson and Austin Carlson give us a tour of the massive shipwrecked island and show off some of the hidden secrets of the set.

The 2,545-piece set features a shipwreck island teeming with eight minifigures and can be re-built into a fully working pirate ship. 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay will retail for US $199.99 | CAN $259.99 | UK £179.99 starting April 1st.

Relive the Star Wars Trench Run with a LEGO custom build kit [Instructions]

Early on when Jason Allemann from JK Brickworks first revealed and eventually submitted the wonderful Pursuit of Flight on LEGO Ideas. He also recreated two variations, a scene with Santa and his reindeers, and also modification of the scene that captured many Star Wars Fans hearts with the nail-biting Trench Run scene from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

While we’ll never get to see the Pursuit of Flight be made into an official LEGO set, he’s released the building instruction guide and parts for the Trench Run.

Trench Run Pursuit Instructions

You can download the parts and instructions from the JK Brickworks website here, which consists of an add-on guide if you wish to motorise the setup.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for March 28, 2020

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 fourth week of March 2020.

Ahoy! The return of LEGO Pirates is off the port bow! Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS,FEATURES AND REVIEWS: This week we saw the triumphant return of LEGO Pirates, reviewed the new set of Collectable Minifigs and the Technic Mobile Crane, plus we took a quick look at the latest gift with purchase just in time for Easter.

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:

Emerge: Object 5-D

Just when we thought we had LEGO builder Mitsuru Nikaido all figured out he comes along with something outside of his usual comfort zones. Frankly, seeing a techno-goo monster emerge from withing a cube would be outside the comfort zones of many people. This whole concept has an eerie, otherworldly feel, like the stuff of our strangest nightmares. Even the low placement of the cube in the composition feels a bit unsettling. While he may have shifted his palate, Mitsuru is still experimenting with bold and stark color contrasts. The end result is stunning. I am fascinated by Object 5-D and will surely remain intrigued by what this builder comes up with next.

Object-5-D

Shrine on you crazy diamond

LEGO models with smooth curves and bright colors – they’re just a joy to behold. But there’s more than colors and curves to like about this build by BobnDeQuatre. In Takoizukame – The Shrine Keeper, those qualities are combined with some sweet part usage. Take, for example, the hubcaps in the upper arms. Or the Chima flywheels in the feet. And is that a Ninjago Spinner at the center of the mech’s chest? *Chef’s kiss*

Takoizukame - The Shrine Keeper

The rearview also showcases some great building techniques. Check out how the 5×5 arch bricks switch orientation and mix and match with the quarter-circle tiles to create smooth transitions and complex shapes.

Takoizukame - The Shrine Keeper

At the end of the day, though, it’s probably the fact that the colors remind me of the Downtown Diner that makes this mech near and dear to my heart. Retro-Town-Ninjago is a popular sub-theme, right?

Frogzilla for the win

Step aside Godzilla, there’s a new monster in town! And she brought offspring! This LEGO amphibian by alego alego is one the best I’ve seen. It has excellent shaping, and those helmets for eyelids are awesome! Green cherries were a great choice for toes, too. But the nifty parts usage doesn’t stop there! As your eyes wander around the scene, you can make out garage door elements and crates/containers giving texture to buildings, and 1×1 dark green round plates with holes attached to upright paintbrushes for tiny trees. Not to be forgotten, the 1×1 plate with a printed square is perfect for adding depth to the smaller buildings.

The revenge of Frogger

Check out more of this excellent builder’s work by visiting our archive.

LEGO mobile radar base on an alien world

Colonizing alien planets is the adventure of a lifetime, but things don’t always go as planned. This LEGO radar outpost by Douglas Hughes supports a group of colonists and space marines in their efforts to tame the wild unknown. The best part about a radar outpost with treads is you can make a not-so-quick getaway when the going gets rough.

SCR-888 Mobile Radar Unit\

LEGO Technic 42108 Mobile Crane [Review]

Did you know that the very first LEGO Technic mobile crane was released more than 40 years ago? The lovely 855 Mobile Crane became the eighth product in the Technic lineup since its start in 1977. Despite its simple design, it had every essential function of a real machine. A handful of mobile (and stationary) cranes have been released since then. The year 2020 brings yet another one, 42108 Mobile Crane. During the previous decade, the variety of LEGO Technic pieces have evolved a lot, and multiple new mechanisms have been introduced, too. The question is, how many of those new concepts are implemented in the latest set and how different is it from the previous versions of mobile cranes? Let’s build and test this 1,292-piece set, which retails at US $99.99 | CAN $139.99 | UK £89.99, and find out if it is worth a purchase.

Click here to continue reading…

Two birds in hand is worth twenty bricks in total

I’m always stoked to see how much can be represented with so little. Micro builds always seem easy and gives me feeling of “Why didn’t I think of that??” but in fact, they’re a lot harder to pull off than you’d think, in getting something represented appropriately with the limited number of bricks on hand. The Lesser Adjutant is a species of the stork family found mostly in the regions of Southeast Asia, and Malaysian builder Marco Gan captures the likeness of these birds eloquently, with each made up of just ten LEGO elements.

10 pieces Lego Lesser Adjutant (秃鹳 / Burung Botak) Parit Jawa, Muar. (Make use of the crack brown plate As diorama base :p

A peaceful pagoda in troubled times

I think we could all use a little more zen in our lives right now, and this peaceful pagoda by Ayrlego is the perfect blend of simple, yet elegant architecture and a serene landscape. From the sturdy brick foundation to the gently sloping roofs, this harmonious pagoda is sending out some positive vibes.

Lotii Pagoda