Yearly Archives: 2009

BrickMania releases custom Panzer IV Ausf. G. LEGO tank kit [News]

LEGO Blacksmith ShopThe most frequent question we get from LEGO builders is How do I get blogged? But for all of you out there who read The Brothers Brick to see what we builders do, one of your most common questions is “Where can I buy that?” The answer is usually “You can’t.”

Daniel Siskind of BrickMania was one of the first LEGO fans to create and sell custom LEGO sets of his own design, way back in 1999 or 2000. After a five-year hiatus, Dan recently began producing new custom kits.

The Panzer IV Ausf. G. tank kit from World War II comes in Afrikakorps tan, with a unique BrickArms prototype MG42 machine gun.

LEGO Panzer tank

Dan’s Panzer tank kit includes 690 pieces and sells for $99.95 with instructions on CD.

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LEGO Star Wars 2009 7753 Pirate Tank and 7778 Midi-scale Millenium Falcon revealed on StarWars.com [News]

Apparently, StarWars.com is getting all the exclusive details about the upcoming 2009 LEGO Star Wars sets. I didn’t notice when I blogged 7754 Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, but the site also has articles about 7753 Pirate Tank and 7778 Midi-scale Millenium Falcon.

From the Clone Wars animated TV series, 7753 Pirate Tank could be at home in the 2009 LEGO Space Police theme.

LEGO Star Wars 7753 Pirate Tank

The pirate figs (Hondo Ohnaka and Turk Falso, apparently) look unlike any other LEGO Star Wars minifigs I’ve ever seen.

LEGO Star Wars 7753 Pirate Tank minifigs

7753 Midi-scale Millenium Falcon is the third fourth scale in which the Millenium Falcon has been released, following 7190 and 4504 at minifig-scale, 4488 at mini-scale, and 10179 at UCS scale.

LEGO Star Wars 7778 Midi-scale Millenium Falcon box art

Read the interviews with Jens Kronvold Frederiksen in the articles about the Falcon and tank on StarWars.com.

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They be sleeping with the fishes

Brickshelf user B-idea crafts an artistic diorama depicting the forced perspective sinking of a pirate ship. The foreground features the dynamic action of the sinking ship in minifig scale while the background floats a micro-scale rendition of an imperial flagship.

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Star Cruiser Benevolence and Battleship Azuker by Steef de Prouw

Steef de Prouw recently joined MOCpages and posted this huge white spaceship, a large luxury cruiser called Benevolence.

The large white dishes on each side of the ship are apparently “used frequently to scan for missing passengers, who didn’t return from their shopping trips.” Ha! Excellent.

Thanks for the tip, David B!

UPDATE: Steef has just added an even cooler mega-ship, the USS Azuker (“LL-813 class battlecruiser”):

LL-813 battlecruiser

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

ICON Class Command Mech by Brian Kescenovitz

Brian Kescenovitz (Mondaynoodle) contributed a number of mecha and vehicles from his Dawn Forge theme to Keith Goldman’s Zero Hour on Highway 44. Among the ones he’s posted so far, my favorite is this ICON Class Command Mech:

ICON Class Command Mech

Those feet and the Gatling gun are awesome. See more on MOCpages and Brickshelf.

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StarWars.com interviews 7754 Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser designer Jens Kronvold Frederiksen [News]

We first saw prototypes of LEGO Home One at Toy Fair 2009 a couple months ago, but StarWars.com has an interview with Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, who designed the upcoming LEGO Star Wars set 7754 Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser.

The article also includes our first look at high-resolution shots of the box art and minifigs.

LEGO Star Wars 7754 Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser box art

In fact, Jens tells StarWars.com that “all the mini-figures except the A-wing pilot are brand new!”

LEGO Star Wars 7754 Home One minifigs

Read the full interview on StarWars.com. For those of you wondering what a “Toys R Us Exclusive” means, it just means that TRU is the only store other than the LEGO Shop online and local LEGO Stores that will carry the set.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Ean’s titanic Titanus looms over lesser Bionicle creations

BioniBlogger Ean H. (Arpy) is a talented Bionicle builder himself.

Bionicle Titanus by Arpy

The large wheels from LEGO Power Miners vehicles on Titanus’ forearms give a sense of how huge this mecha is. See more on Brickshelf.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Rock Band game confirmed for Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, & DS; due holiday 2009 [News]

LEGO Rock Band logoAlthough LEGO Rock Band has been rumored since January, with a major leak earlier this month, the game was nothing more than speculation. A press release today, however, confirms that LEGO Rock Band is very real.

LEGO Rock Band Guitarist

The console versions will be co-developed by TT Games and Harmonix, while the Nintendo DS version will be developed by TT Games, Harmonix, and Backbone — all for release during the 2009 holiday season.

Naturally, players will be able to customize their little plastic rock stars, as well as support staff like roadies, managers, and the ubiquitous entourage. Interpret “entourage” how you will, but I plan on making a bunch of minifig groupies that look like they staggered off of the Rock of Love bus.

The press release states that the game will feature “brilliant chart-topping songs and classic favorites suitable for younger audiences,” and goes on to list several:

  • Blur: “Song 2”
  • Carl Douglas: “Kung Fu Fighting”
  • Europe: “The Final Countdown”
  • Good Charlotte: “Boys and Girls”
  • Pink: “So What”

What, no Iron Maiden or Black Sabbath? Claims to suitability for “families, tweens and teens” makes me think we won’t see the same sort of set lists I love from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, but I hope having TT Games involved will ensure the same level of excellence we’ve experienced in the LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Indiana Jones video games.

As alluded to in the press release, the list of parties involved in this game is mind-blowingly complex:

  • TT Games
  • The LEGO Group
  • Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
  • MTV Games
  • Harmonix Music Systems
  • Backbone Entertainment
  • Foundation 9 Entertainment

Click the thumbnails below for larger versions of screen captures from the game:

You can read the full press release on Business Wire.

Via Joystiq, Kotaku, PC World, and just about every other tech/gadget site out there, with hat-tips to about five thousand of our readers. Hey, we can’t always be the ones to break major LEGO news. ;-)

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

That’s one cuddly mechanic!

Victor Vitale has set his sights high with this adorable treehouse. And there’s a cuddly teddy bear mechanic too!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

UCS Speederbike...oh yeah

Guybrush just posted pics of another incredible UCS model. This time its an amazing rendition of my favorite Star Wars vehicle. Check out the detailing on this gorgeous thing!

Sweet!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Halo Hornet shoots down enemy Banshees

Stephen Chao (obscurance) constructs an accurate model of the Hornet aircraft from Halo. As someone who enjoys the game, seeing one of these makes me want to take it to the skies and shoot down some enemy Banshees.

A quick update for all of you clicking through from Bungie.org: If you like this, don’t miss the dozens of LEGO Halo creations we’ve featured here in the past, as well as all the other LEGO creations inspired by video games.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam I Am.

I missed a lot of stuff while I was away for the last two months. One was this tribute to Dr. Suess’s iconic green food by Chris Howard.

This was built for Dr. Suess’s 105th birthday in March. I miss him. I probably always will.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.