Yearly Archives: 2016

Reporting the news as the crow flies

Mike Dung has brought Aya Shameimaru from the Touhou Project to life in LEGO. Aya Shameimaru is a character who appears as a reporter in many of the games within the Touhou Project series. Aya covers the news in the fictional realm of Gensokyo and also belongs to the Crow Tengu species, giving her a height advantage when taking photographs. Mike manages to convey character details and also the fantastical nature of the game within his build.

I have to admit that I really like all the crows, Aya’s wings, the crow seen flying just below Aya, and the clever use of the black hotdog part to show a crow flying in the background. Forced perspective is utilised particularly well in the microscale Shinto shrine that appears to lie far below Aya as she enjoys her birds-eye view of the world. The overall feeling is one of movement, distance and height, something that is not easy to achieve within a small build.

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As long as there are sovereign felines possessing great power, war is inevitable

And by the looks of it, these two heavily-armed hounds are ready to take down an entire battalion of fluffy foes. All kidding aside, if these dog warriors by LEGO 7 were sold as a Mixels-like series in stores, I’d scoop them into my shopping cart by the armfuls. Just look at them! I can’t get over the perfect floppiness of the terrier’s ears or the squat, powerful stance of the pug.

Check out more photos of these valiant pups on Flickr.

LEGO Star Wars Microfighters 75127 The Ghost [Review]

I’ve never watched either Star Wars Rebels or The Clone Wars animated TV shows, but I’ve appreciated some of the minifigs and bought a few of the sets on discount for parts. I regret not picking up 75053 The Ghost when it went on pretty deep discount late last year, given the ship’s great design, reminiscent of bombers and naval patrol aircraft from World War II like the B-17 or PBY Catalina. I’m mildly consoled by the release of 75127 The Ghost, part of the latest wave of LEGO Star Wars Microfighters. 75127 The Ghost includes 104 parts and 1 minifig, and retails for $9.99.

Click through for the full review

Achieving inner piece

In his quest for true LEGO enlightenment, British builder Simply Bricking It has incorporated parts from such ancient and powerful LEGO themes as Belville, Avatar and Click-It to create this whimsical version of that most recognizable of Hindu deities, the elephant-headed Ganesha:

You are filled with determination (and spaghetti)

First it was Angry Birds, then Minecraft, then Five Nights at Freddy’s. Now the latest fad videogame phenomenon (if my teen’s current free time and fashion choices are any indication) appears to be the retro roleplaying runaway hit UNDERTALE. Such is the charm of this game, that even this old fart found himself playing …until I realized it had taken me a week to get just 5% of the way through!

Not surprisingly, LEGO versions of the game’s characters have started to appear online. I’ve picked out my favorites in the gallery below, and even created a LEGO Undertale Flickr group so we can all keep up with what I hope is gonna be a popular new building theme in 2016.

Flowey and Papyrus by Dylan Mievis

Click here to see the full gallery

LEGO SW Microfighters 75125 Resistance X-wing Fighter [Review]

LEGO continues its Star Wars “Microfighter” series with Wave 3, released in January. With new sets from The Force Awakens, 75125 Resistance X-wing Fighter is the first Microfighter we’re reviewing here on The Brothers Brick. This set includes 83 pieces and the usual solo minifig, and retails for $9.99.

Click through for the full review

This ain’t your dad’s snowspeeder

Yet more evolved Star Wars goodness emerging from the current From Bricks To Bothans contest. I love this next-gen snowspeeder from Don Wilson. He’s taken a classic craft from the original trilogy and created his own version of how it might look 30 years later.

The model has a lovely shape, still evoking the classic snowspeeder lines, but somehow managing to look all-new at the same time. There’s some great color blocking and sticker use, and the integration of the cannons into the hull is fantastic. I’d have blogged this even if it hadn’t have been Star Wars-related, but such a classy reinvention of an old favorite just makes it all the better.

Rust in the trees

As you may or may not have realized, I have a serious soft-spot for decaying, dying things, especially if beautifully rendered in LEGO.

Zach Bean gives us this tiny, forgotten vehicle that will never drive again. Instead of passengers, only trees sit on what remains of seats. Eventually, the forest will swallow it entirely, as it will all of us.

Where water and earth meet

Water is quite fascinating, really. It has the power to create and destroy. It has carved the earth over the centuries to create the world we see today. It continues its slow work each and every day.

A bit philosophical for a Saturday morning, but for that, I look to Anu Pehrson who posted this absolutely lovely seaside village. With her build, she focused on how water interacts with stone to create arches and the curves of the coast, which she’s accomplished beautifully.

Hoth’s Moving Castle?

This cracking Castle-themed AT-AT build by Adam Dodge properly made me chuckle. This wouldn’t be a bad little Castle tower, even without the legs. There’s a nice variety of greys, textured bricks, and jutting roofs to break up the walls. But plonk said tower on top of a set of medieval AT-AT legs, and you’ve got a really fun build. I like the cannons mounted on the side of the “head”, and those flags and line of bunting add a welcome splash of color. There’s even a skeleton hanging in a cage beneath the beast’s belly!

If I had one suggestion for improving this, it would be to change those radar dish elements at the hips. They’re too smooth for my liking. I’d have liked to see something a bit craggier, maybe some big cogs, suggesting hefty medieval machinery at work. However, that’s nitpicking – a minor niggle in an otherwise great model.

I’d like to see this creation in a mechanical battle to the death with one of my own models – this Troll AT-AT from a few years ago. Bring it on Adam! Your Crownies are going down!

Brickworld Chicago 2016 registration now open [News]

Registration for Brickworld Chicago 2016 is now open. Brickworld Chicago is held June 15-19, 2016, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL.

Registration
There are three registration tiers with their perks outlined on the convention page. All registration types are ages 18+; registrants under 18 years of age must have a parent/guardian register and attend Brickworld with them. All Access and Full registration is available until 5/16/16. After that date, Late registration is the only option.

All Access registration is $55 and allows access to all scheduled events and activities, and includes a name badge and the Brickworld commemorative brick.

Full registration is $80 and includes everything from the All Access tier plus eligibility for displays, door prizes, the goody bag, and Brickworld awards. Full registration is limited to 700 registrants.

Late registration is $100 and allows access to all scheduled events and activities, and includes a name badge and eligibility for collaborative displays only.

Hotel
Brickworld is held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, and attendees can choose to stay at the connected Renaissance Hotel for an event rate of $139/night. Two room types are available: 1 king bed, or 2 double beds. Phone and online reservations for this event rate can be found here.

LEGO Star Wars 75101 First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter [Review]

While we’ve largely focused on the “good guy” sets like 75102 Poe’s X-wing Fighter from The Force Awakens since their release in September, our coverage would be incomplete if we didn’t also review “bad guy” sets like 75101 First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter. The set includes 517 pieces and 4 minifigs, with a retail price of $69.99, though it has been consistently 20% off at $55.99 on Amazon since nearly its release last September.

Now that we’re nearly a month after the movie’s release, I will reference SPOILERS in this review. Again, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

I’ll share one non-movie spoiler, though: This is an unexpectedly awesome set — you need it.

Click through for the full review