This xylophone built by Pistash looks just like the real instrument some of us have grown up with. Although the brick-built version probably sounds different, it still has all the vibrant colors of this traditional toy. It’s shown that LEGO has really come up with a diverse palette that makes wonderful creations like this possible.
Following the LEGO discounts for Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com has unveiled its Cyber Monday LEGO deals available now, mostly focused on LEGO Star Wars sets. The discounted sets include several of the new sets from The Force Awakens, along with a significant number of other 2017 sets. Follow this link to check out all of the deals for yourself, but we’ve found a few highlights you might be interested in. Don’t miss the LEGO.com Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals. These deals may be available in multiple regions, so check them out and save on your holiday shopping while helping to support The Brothers Brick.
75179 Kylo Ren’s Tie Fighter is 20% off at $63.99 and includes the highly sought-after BB-9E (“BB-Hate”) figure.
See all of the LEGO Star Wars deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Transparent clear is definitely not a rare LEGO colour, but the pieces that come in clear tend to be ones appropriate for windows and similar constructions. Apparently disagreeing with that, Grantmasters has built a stealth Predator figure using as many translucent parts as possible, and even the odd gray elements do not stand out somehow. While we wait for LEGO to release more diverse parts in translucent colours, this figure transpires to be one of the more impressive in its scale.
Photographing LEGO in a non-LEGO environment may be viewed as cheating by some, but I believe it adds a lot to the character in this specific example.
The Beastie Boys’ debut album Licensed To Ill is a certifiable classic. Not only is it packed full of awesome tracks, but I can distinctly remember how cool the gatefold sleeve looked when the LP first appeared back in 1986. Brick Flag is also clearly a fan. He’s recreated the iconic cover art in LEGO bricks — a Boeing 727 smashing into a mountainside, and looking more than a little like a stubbed-out cigarette. The model would be great anyway, but the fact it’s such an accurate representation of its inspiration just makes it even better. What’s the time? It’s time to get built.
Here’s a pair of cute and colourful microscale LEGO space racers from Victor. Great shaping, partly due to them being built around one of the new(ish) large-scale Nexo Knight figure torsos, but also from some smart parts choices — small angled plates, sloped tiles, and some curved Technic panels. The colour choices are brilliant, making these guys stand out from the usual crowd of grey spacey stuff. And I love the slight angle on the hull beneath the cockpit — that’s a class little detail. These wouldn’t look out of place in an R-Type or Gradius clone, and in my universe that’s a compliment indeed.
Even though brick-built airplanes cannot fly yet, designing a cool LEGO aircraft is no easier than engineering a real one. Wesley reveals a wonderfully looking copy of Albatros D.III biplane fighter, which was used by the Imperial German Army during World War I. Its design seems very simple and straightforward, but, no doubt, capturing all the proportions correctly is quite a challenge considering the scale of the build. And, of course, the picture itself is a very sweet example of a proper presentation!
The changing colour of trees and their foliage can be diverse in Alpine areas, usually making the long, steep hike with a camera well worth the effort. Inspired while hiking in the Swiss Alps, Emil Lidé has built an artistic impression of these natural foliage changes by creating a beautiful slice of LEGO mountain. As the eye ascends his build from left to right, the colours change from vibrant green and lime though the autumnal palatte of oranges and reddish browns to peak at the stark, snowy summit.
We have blogged previous builds by Emil, showcasing his skill at capturing the natural world in LEGO. Have a look at his polluted ocean, Krakatoa’s volcanic eruption, changing seasons in microscale and fall in the Avalonian countryside.
NoVVember is an annual LEGO building event — a celebration of the Vic Viper spaceship style. It’s been a fixture of the LEGO calendar for years now, so it takes something genuinely different to stand out from the Viper crowd. This interesting spaceship from Shamisenfred does exactly that, with striking colour blocking and imaginative use of hot-air balloon pieces. The excellent building continues beyond those eye-catching elements — don’t miss those engine nacelles, the little splashes of gold, and the smart use of stickers. I only wish the photos had been taken against a grey backdrop rather than white — it would have provided a far better contrast to the model.
As Black Friday is now upon readers in the UK, we thought it would be useful to give a quick summary of some of the best deals out there for LEGO fans. While some of the deals may be available in other countries, these particular deals were selected for Amazon UK customers. Discounts vary from 28% to 50%, all currently a better saving than LEGO themselves are offering.
Star Wars The Last Jedi 75179 Kylo Ren’s TIE Fighter £54.99 (27% discount)
Star Wars The Last Jedi 75176 Resistance Transport Pod £19.99 (50% discount)
see more great LEGO deals on Amazon
Every LEGO creation is a work of art. Whether it’s good or bad is a whole other discussion, where opinions are driven by personal interpretation. However, there is often a pattern amongst creations built with artistic intent — simple colours, high contrasts, and plain minifigs, a style seemingly evolved from “black fantasy” themes, popular in the building community about a decade ago. Anthony Wilson is no stranger to this expressive style, but his recent creation — c̸̡̹̉͝ţ̴̳̻͎̱̹͙̇͂͛͜ǫ̸͈̹͙͍͚͌̾̿͒̐̽ţ̴̧͔͖͙̺̈3̸̧̧̛̯̥͛͊͒̄̾̕b̴͕̦̑̈́̎̚5̴͎̱̫̺̮̪̈́4̷̢̭̰̻̯̳̖͔̅̊̃̒͛͝3̶̥͈̳̻̫̘̎s̵̟̃̀̾̐̃͒͠d̷̬̂̑́̍̕̕g̸̨̰̳̩̫͆̍̂̇͜ͅ4̵̟͉͇͈̯̩̔͌̚ͅͅ — takes it to a whole new level. It could mean anything, but everyone is welcome to come up with their own interpretation.
The angelic figure at the center is certainly imposing. It contains thematic as well as visual contrasts with the gaping blood-red mouth and tentacles. The gray path lined with braziers, and the audience of faceless minifigs give the build a sense of movement and twisted life. The figures mimic the shape and colours of the wings, and the fires extend the reach of the tentacles, enveloping the black minifig — seemingly the subtle centrepiece of the creation.
The LEGO Shop online has launched this year’s Black Friday sales and deals, supported by the release of 70922 Joker Manor. Joker Manor retails for $269.99 and includes 3,444 pieces with 10 minifigs. And if you missed it, you can read our hands-on review of Joker Manor here on The Brothers Brick.
See all of LEGO’s Black Friday 2017 giveaways and sales
The Great Wall of China requires no special introduction, and neither does Forlorn Empire. As the great wall can bee seen from space, so can mr. Forlorn’s building skills. While this segment of the Great Wall may not be the largest we have seen in LEGO, it is surely one of the best (and frankly, keeping up this level of detail and texture on an excessively large scale would turn out to be too much for pretty much any builder) in the terms of construction quality.
As I have mentioned, it boasts a high level of details and some nice angles, but what I like best is the roofed hut on the top of the tower – the roof technique is a stroke of genius. To top it all off, the builder has added a minifig on guard duty to fill the scene with life.