Yearly Archives: 2017

SPOILERS! Fun facts we learn about LEGO Star Wars sets in The Last Jedi [Reviews]

We hope that everyone who wanted to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi on opening weekend was able to do so. Many of us at The Brothers Brick have seen the movie (some of us twice already), and we’ve been furiously discussing little factoids and pieces of trivia from the movie that affect our understanding of details in current and forthcoming LEGO sets based on characters and vehicles in the movie. I’ve also been poring through the official reference books from DK, the Visual Dictionary and Incredible Cross-Sections for further insights.

Based on the movie and Lucasfilm-approved reference books, what have we learned about the LEGO sets? What did LEGO get right? What errors are in the LEGO sets?

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! Find out what we’ve learned about LEGO Star Wars sets from The Last Jedi

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Even Santa Claus needs a bit of sunshine

So what does Santa do before he has to deliver all those presents? He takes a break in the sun of course. yu chris‘ LEGO scene uses parts to great effect, building at a larger scale than you might first think. The bushy beard built from angel wings is a particular highlight, but the furniture and surf-board are nicely-done too. One detail which really caught my eye was the blue glass on the table — so simple, made of only three pieces, yet perfect at this scale. I hope Santa’s enjoying his drink, and his short getaway — he’s going to have plenty of work to do in the next few weeks.

2017 LEGO Advent Calendars: Day 17

Welcome to Day 17 of our LEGO Advent Calendar countdown. Each day, we’ll reveal the three mini-builds from the LEGO City, LEGO Star Wars, and LEGO Friends 2017 advent calendars along with commentary from our team.

If you’re opening one (or more) of these advent calendars along with us, we’ve made sure the pictures and commentary on each day’s models will be behind a jump and posted in the evening every day, so we don’t accidentally ruin the surprise. What does Day 17 have in store?

Click to reveal today’s LEGO advent calendar builds!

Christmas chopper uses a hot rod

If you’re in a hurry to get your Christmas tree, then a hot rod flat-bed makes for the fastest delivery. Sanel Lukovic‘s snowy scene shows a LEGO woodsman making use of a somewhat unconventional vehicle for fetching his festive fir. The trees themselves are nicely composed from flower stalk parts, and the snowdrifts to either side of the road create a sense of a larger snow-dusted world beyond the irregular edges of the diorama. But it’s the truck’s engine which steals the show: a smart construction full of imaginative parts use — crutches, pirate hooks, and welding equipment are amongst the silvery pieces used to create the engine’s pipework.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for December 17, 2017 [News]

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 third week of December 2017.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: We’ve got a few exclusive reviews and news of a handful of new LEGO sets coming your way, complete with new colors and parts.

Review of LEGO Star Wars BrickHeadz 41489 Rey & Kylo Ren Limited Edition Collector’s Pack – We picked up the Target-exclusive to see if the next iteration of Star Wars-themed BrickHeadz are all they are cracked up to be.
Review of The LEGO NINJAGO Movie 70656 Garmadon, Garmadon, Garmadon – Garmadon’s shark mech has 830 pieces, six minifigures, and is priced at $79.99.
LEGO Star Wars 75205 Mos Eisley Cantina set revealed – The third official version of a certain “wretched hive of scum and villainy” is headed your way, music not included.
Elves 2018 sets are revealed with new colours and new parts aplenty – New colors! New flowers! New leaves! New plant stems! New pieces galore!
2018 seasonal LEGO BrickHeadz revealed: 6 new original characters starting with 40270 Valentine’s Bee – The holidays are about to become a bit more blocky with these themed seasonal BrickHeadz, including a bee, bunny, witch, turkey, Santa and Mrs. Claus.

TBB 2017 IN REVIEW POSTS & INSTRUCTIONS: What is the top LEGO Star Wars set of the year? We have your definitive answer, as well as a bunch of instructions to make your holiday bright.

Top 10 LEGO Star Wars sets released in 2017 – Which LEGO Star Wars set takes the cake as the best of the year? It may be different than what you think!
16 of the best custom LEGO Star Wars creations featured on The Brothers Brick in 2017 –We’ve been inspired by the Star Wars universe for years, but 2017 was a stellar year for custom creations. Take a look at the best of the best from a galaxy far, far away.
Instructions to build your own LEGO porg from The Last Jedi – Hopefully this version will be just as tasty as the cute creatures from The Last Jedi.
Instructions to build a serene outlaw spaceship, courtesy of The Brothers Brick – As a holiday gift, we commissioned LEGO artist Tyler Clites to design a model “Outlaw Spaceship” that should make any sci-fi fan’s heart twinkle like a firefly in the depths of space.
Instructions to build the iconic Jeep from Jurassic Park – This Jeep Wrangler from hachiroku24 is much more intricate than most sets we’ve seen.

See the rest of this week’s LEGO news

Large-scale LEGO Spitfire wins the air battle

Whilst the Battle Of Britain saw the RAF fly more Hawker Hurricanes, the Supermarine Spitfire’s beautiful lines marked it out as the signature British fighter of WW2. This large LEGO model by Lennart C manages to capture the iconic shaping and curves perfectly — no mean feat in the brick. The 1:18 scale employed is impressive — with the model stretching to over 50 studs long by my count — allowing the creation of accurate brick-built camouflage. This, coupled with some simple stickers makes for a wonderful re-creation of the famous fighter.

The attention to detail on show is impressive, with 8 Browning machine guns built into the wings, and nice use of “macaroni pipe” pieces for the engine exhaust cowls. Don’t miss the underside, with its working undercarriage — excellent work.

Retro truck ready to roar into life

Loosely based on a 1950 custom Ford, Martin Redfern‘s latest LEGO vehicle is a retro delight. The shaping around the bonnet is sheer class, and the use of chromed parts adds visual pop, particularly around the distinctive grille. The details are great — twin high-rise exhausts, windscreen wipers, rear-view mirrors, and indicators all present and correct.

Best of all, Martin has included a beautifully-tuned engine beneath that curved bonnet. Lovely stuff.

Something fishy going on

Piranha fish have something of an undeserved bad reputation. But this unfortunate creature, built from LEGO by Sebastian Gren, certainly looks like he come off worst in an argument with his fellows. This is a fun model, but it’s well-built too. The bones of the skeleton are perfectly-arranged, with the use of a LEGO fibre-optic cable to provide a flexible spine, and the face has plenty of ugly piranha character. The presentation helps as well — the simple base, with its touches of greenery, effectively suggests an appropriate river bed base.

2017 LEGO Advent Calendars: Day 16

Welcome to Day 16 of our LEGO Advent Calendar countdown. Each day, we’ll reveal the three mini-builds from the LEGO City, LEGO Star Wars, and LEGO Friends 2017 advent calendars along with commentary from our team.

Click to reveal today’s LEGO advent calendar builds!

How lovely are thy branches

With it’s pile of beautifully-wrapped presents, and its gleaming white angel, Andrew JN‘s LEGO Christmas tree is sure to get those festive feelings flowing. Those tree branch pieces are sometimes not the easiest LEGO parts to work with, and ironically don’t always make for great tree designs. However, Andrew has used them to good effect here, and the smattering of Technic balls as baubles, coupled with the golden crowns creates a sweet seasonal scene.

Massive, breathtaking castle defends from a dragon’s attack!

This grand build of a castle titled “The Cliff” by Cao Mianyu is simply breathtaking in not only scale but detail. While most large builds feature a plan to be showcased for a convention of sorts, this build was built without any intention of a showcase! This labour of love took one year to build and an estimated 3 days a week of effort with 3 very focused hours on each of those days. One just wonders where does a person amass such patience and accumulation of bricks. Believe it or not, it started out with online inspirational views of castles, and with an intention to just build a castle with a waterfall, while working on the rock landscaping. Soon enough one thing led to another, the cliff and gate and… Well, the results speak for themselves. The final build consists of a grape vineyard, a pumpkin patch, a blacksmith, and even a tavern!

Hit the jump to see more details behind this stunning build

Elves 2018 sets are revealed with new colours and new parts aplenty [News]

LEGO Elves sets have always been a rich source of beautiful colours and interesting parts for builders who prefer to make their own creations. Five sets due for release in 2018 have been revealed, and there are some great new parts and colours to be found. The largest set, 41194 Noctura’s Tower & the Earth Fox Rescue looks to have a nice supply of Zombie Teal (a colour that is returning in 2018 after being ‘killed off‘ back in 2006). Let’s take a closer look.

41194 Noctura’s Tower & the Earth Fox Rescue

A closer look at the the tower shows a new kite-shaped, transparent part, decorated with Elves elemental icons.