Yearly Archives: 2016

This spaceship catches some nice angles

This lovely LEGO spaceship by The Backward One is sure to grab attention as it cruises through the galaxy with enough stylish curves to make a space pirate blush — that is, before he flees in terror from its impressive firepower.

UNEN Serditsya

Simply put, this is one pretty ship. The sharp angles of the prow contrast nicely with the sleeker curves of the fuselage and missile compartments (the differing angle of the last missile pod is a particularly aesthetic touch). Together the varying styles and color choices result in a pleasingly unique design.

UNEN Serditsya

Intended to be a Russian vessel, it’s also apparent the builder pays homage to Soviet and Russian military/space designs. It’s an interesting choice and well-executed here. So, although they can’t hear you scream in space, the crew of this stylish ship might see you gaze in awe!

LEGO P-51 Mustang roars to victory

Historical builder Milan CMadge recently shared his version of one of the most iconic and influential fighter planes of World War II, the P-51D Mustang. The P-51D was not just a spectacular fighter, outclassing most of its counterparts in combat, but a real eye-catcher too. The sleek and seductive lines that made the Mustang such a pretty plane are captured nicely here in LEGO form.

P-51D - North American Mustang

The color patterns are accurate and look really good. The stickers are conservatively applied and add a nice bit of character to the model. Overall the builder has done a fine job paying tribute to this Allied workhorse, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to swoosh it around my house all day!

Infinity in a box: Gustavo Torner’s “Mundo Interior” in LEGO

Gustavo Torner is a Spanish artist known for his abstract sculptures that pepper the urban landscape of Madrid. MSP! delves into the realm of infinity with his take on the Torner’s Mundo Interior. The builder stays largely faithful to the original work while incorporating some unique and necessary differences. Torner’s sculpture has been praised for its bare yet complex design, which explores not just geometry but human reflection and reason.

Infinity

The impression left by this elegant design is no less thought-provoking when recreated here in LEGO form. As this work suggests, infinity cannot be found just by looking outwards towards the heavens, but also inwards towards the human spirit.

Build your own LEGO Oliver Twist the pug dog [Instructions]

Even though The Brothers Brick’s official mascot is some type of strepsirrhine primate, our unofficial mascots have always been my pugs, first the late, great Mr. Pugsly and now Oliver Twist. TBB’s own Elspeth De Montes created a LEGO version of little Ollie for our recent calendar contest, and she has just posted simple instructions for you to build your own LEGO pug.

Oliver TBB LEGO Pug Instructions

The way is shut. It was made by those who are Dead

11inthewoods has used an interesting combination of newer minifig parts and accessories to create an excellent LEGO version of the Dead Men of Dunharrow from Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings. Zombie heads, Ninjago spirit “legs”, Nexo Knights armour, an Avengers Ultron jaw-piece, and a crown nicked from The Witch King of Angmar himself — it all comes together brilliantly to create an eerie army of oathbreaker ghosts.

CCC XIV Knight & Squire

I’d like to see these guys in a full build now, please — guarding the entrance to the pass at Dunharrow, or maybe gathering around the Stone of Erech?

Death of a hero

Batman’s sidekick Robin may not be the main protagonist of most stories that he appears in, but that doesn’t make his death any less tragic. This powerfully emotional scene built by Yu Chris has great atmosphere with a backlit batman symbol and intense background, but most importantly, it features great brick-built figures whose posing portrays the message of the build perfectly. A lot of LEGO creations are cheerful and optimistic so it’s refreshing to see some more diversity in form of darker themes like this one.

Robin's Death-1

LEGO Batman Movie 70903 The Riddler Riddle Racer [Review]

Now that some of the holiday craziness is past, we’re diving back into our coverage of The LEGO Batman Movie sets, and we’re kicking off with 70903 The Riddler Riddle Racer. The 254-piece set will be available Jan. 1, and will retail for $29.99 USD. It comes with a whopping five minifigures.

70903 The Riddler Riddle Racer

Continue reading

Gone but not forgotten my beautiful Princess

As we all find our ways to accept the loss of a beloved Princess, our hearts are still torn and our tears still do not dry. It is only apt at this time to listen to the wise words of Yoda and find some solace in our sadness: “Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not.”

Jeffrey Kong pays tribute using his talents to honour Carrie Fisher with this angelic LEGO creation. Part of Jeffrey’s inspiration was her lesser-known deeds off the screen. She was a leading advocate and activist for mental health awareness and the fight against drug addiction. We no longer see Carrie and Leia as two separate individuals, but as one.

Artisan Bricks by Jeffrey Kong - LEGO Princess Leia Miniland Figure - RIP Carrie Fisher (1956-2016)

Gone but not forgotten my beautiful Princess,
for you are now One with the Force.
Continue to inspire us and Awaken our minds,
and give us the strength to never give up Hope.

So what if a few people have to die? That’s show business, Baby!

Alexander Blais has perfectly captured Mettaton, the mono-wheeled, human-killing robotic television star of the Underground, from the fantastically quirky retro role-playing game Undertale. This charming rendition uses simple techniques to create the robot with a SOUL. I like the use of minifig hands to represent the dials under his screen, which cleverly uses flat plates to mimic the heart on his display. How would you fight this maniacal metal menace?

Metal Crusher

Check out the other LEGO Undertale characters that we’ve featured here previously.

LEGO Star Wars 75152 Imperial Assault Hovertank from Rogue One [Spoiler Review]

LEGO released its first wave of LEGO Star Wars Rogue One sets in October, but we’ve decided to wait until both our readers and we ourselves have had a chance to see the movie, released in most countries on December 16. We’ll be reviewing all of the current Rogue One sets, starting today with 75152 Imperial Assault Hovertank, which includes 3 minifigs with 385 pieces and retails for $30.

75152 Imperial Assault Hovertank

Now that the movie is out, we’ll be talking about the movie’s characters and plot in our Rogue One LEGO set reviews, so come back and read our review later if you want to remain spoiler-free. But if you’re just interested in our recommendation now before you see the movie, this is a great value and I recommend the set heartily to any Star Wars fan.

See the full review. WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

1:650 scale LEGO Burj Khalifa stands over 4 feet tall

After 3 months of design work and building, Yubnub presents an impressive scale replica of Burj Khalifa in Dubai (currently the tallest structure in the world). Lots of cheese slopes — over 4,000, in fact — make the unusual Y shape of the structure come to life in bricks.

1/650 Burj Khalifa

Though the skyscraper itself is impressive and definitely the highlight of the build, the detailed ground level surrounding the tower is also notable.

Burj Khalifa

Creations for Charity 2016 raises $14,000 in LEGO for needy kids [News]

Every year since 2009, Creations for Charity has sold custom creations donated by generous builders to raise funds and purchase LEGO sets for underprivileged kids during the holiday season. In 2016, they sold more than 100 creations and raised $13,877, which in turn helped them purchase and donate LEGO sets in nine cities in the US, Canada, Brazil, Hungary and Australia. You can see the massive amounts of sets they donated in the photo below.

TBB’s own Nannan Zhang founded Creations for Charity, which notably became a non-profit this year. This means future donations will be tax deductible, hopefully ensuring that such a worthwhile cause within the LEGO community continues for many holiday seasons to come.

Merry Christmas from Creations for Charity!