Yearly Archives: 2018

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for November 11, 2018 [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 second week of November 2018.

TBB NEWS: This week had big legal news on the future of knockoff LEGO, as well as some awesome gifts with purchase now on sale.

LEPIN ordered to stop making and selling LEGO imitation products by Chinese court – The company must stop producing infringing products and pay damages.
LEGO Harry Potter Diagon Alley gift with purchase now available – The set has 374 pieces and one minifig, and is available until November 21 with orders over $99 USD.
LEGO Forma pre-orders close on Indiegogo – The new experimental product line featuring kinetic sculptures of fish appears to have had a successful crowdfunding.

TBB EDITORIALS & FEATURES: What does the Brothers Brick think about the new changes to Flickr? Read on to find out.

Changes coming to Flickr following acquisition by SmugMug – here’s how it affects LEGO builders – With Flickr starting to charge, what is the effect on the LEGO community?
LEGO auctions on Catawiki include a 100,000-brick Italian tower – Other auctions include vintage 1950’s LEGO and some rare Technic sets.
Feature: Epic 4-scene collaboration by Shobrick and Cole Blaq, plus an exclusive look behind the scenes – Shobrick’s swan song from the LEGO scene is something to behold.

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:

Check out the other LEGO news of the week

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.

How to tame your dragon

This LEGO dragon tamer by Jayfa may not be a reference to everyone’s favorite dragon-taming movies by Dreamworks (or the books that preceded them), but it’s nonetheless epic. The tamer himself is a mashup of claw- and tooth-shaped elements that somehow weave together into awesome armor, and there’s no denying that having greaves made of dragon skulls must give you an edge in intimidating the beasts.

But the real masterpiece here is the dragon with its vivid magenta highlights. From the exceptionally clever brick-built eye (made with a white rod element flanked by two yellow minifigure hands) to the armor plating down the neck made of robot arms and teeth, everything works together beautifully to give the creature grace and personality.

Metal Gear Solid V’s Pequod UTH-66 Blackfoot in LEGO

When you need to get somewhere fast in Metal Gear Solid V, you can always count on Pequod, the callsign for the Solid Snake’s chopper transport. Seen here in its sea-grey color-scheme, the fictional UTH-66 Blackfoot is a huge helicopter that draws heavily on real-world inspiration, and nowhere have we seen a better LEGO version than this one by Marius Herrmann. He’s has made sculpting the compound curves of the accurate minifigure-scale cockpit look easy.

Outfitted with multiple weapons and a long refueling probe, this LEGO chopper is one of the best pieces of realistic military machinery we’ve seen recently.

Bringing back monorail

It’s time to turn back the clocks, then turn them forward again, as we travel to a retro view of the future where flying cars totally exist and all mass transit is in stylish monorails like this sweet LEGO version by Tammo S. With nifty brick-built lettering adorning the sides and a crazy bit of fantastic retro aesthetic with a prop and fins on top, this monorail is ready to guide us to the future. While my favorite design element is the rounded corners of the passenger windows, don’t overlook the fact that the cockpit is built at a crazy angle, which is no mean feat.

LEGO Bumblebee buzzes his way into your heart

There have been many Transformers movies released over the last decade, and many LEGO Transformers have been featured here at TBB, some that actually transform, and some that are so detailed they boggle the mind. With the upcoming release of Bumblebee, this highly detailed model by ekownimako closely resembles its on-screen inspiration. From the gently curving eyebrows fashioned from the flexible stretcher harness to the handlebar parts that form the separated front fender.

Check out some of the many other Transformers LEGO creations we have featured recently.

Who says vinyl is dead?

Artist and graphic designer Arran Hearn makes real world objects modelled in LEGO. His latest model is an L44-7 Stylus & Headshell modelled after Shure’s M44-7. Notice the clever use of arches to model the holes in the structure. Also use of the crowbar as the needle is quite brilliant. Unfortunately, Shure has discontinued this particular stylus, but it is an impressive, scaled-up version. Now if only there was a vinyl record to go with it…

Magnificence on a mini canvas

If there was ever a “Master of Microscale” it would be Jeff Friesen. As the author of LEGO Micro Cities and builder of our 2017 Creation of the Year, he knows how to pack a big punch in a small space. It’s incredible how he is able to create a whole world on a 20 x 20 stud baseplate. I love this latest piece, a medieval village and castle, for its levels, layout, and lovely parts usage. This time around, Jeff used several flick missiles to help form the lower towers.

I’m also a big fan of Jeff’s consistently perfect color palette. While this one is more simple in terms of colors, it holds true to form in the fact that there is zero monotony. The two-tone base gives it dimension and a slight complexity. If you love this build as much as I do, stay tuned for our review of the book, LEGO Micro Cities. Also, check out our interview with Jeff Friesen about his “Cityscapes” series.

A superior interior with décor to die for

Clever uses of standard LEGO elements are a mark of a great builder. This elegant interior, of what looks to be an Edwardian-era hallway by Heikkei M, is a case in point. For example, the twin uses of the grooved 2 x 1 bricks create both zigzagged and vertical bevels on the staircase. Another simple design solution hides the diagonal joins of the banisters behind its pillars. The Art Nouveau lamps made from islander hair elements are superb too. This combined with the careful colour choice of dark green walls and a rather wonderful geometric patterned carpet, results in an exceptionally stylish build.

A fantastical fairy to leave you breathless

If you are a fan of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you are probably familiar with Titania, queen of the fairies. Loosely influenced by the bard’s play, Ben Cossy whipped up this lovely LEGO fairy stretching out on the curled leaf of a flowering plant. Ben’s fairy is well-built, with a calm-looking pose and skirt flowing to the side. While the fairy herself is visually stunning, she is made all the more impressive thanks to some detailed landscaping. The sculpting of the flower is breathtaking, including an excellent use of the natural flex of 1×2 plates and 1×1 round plates to form curves in the leaves. It completes the scene in such a way that feels bright and magical.

LEGO auctions on Catawiki include a 100,000-brick Italian tower, vintage 1950’s LEGO, and rare Technic sets [News]

Catawiki is an auction website that focuses on rare and interesting items, and they’ve been featuring unique LEGO lots for several years. Unlike eBay, Catawiki’s lots are curated, with LEGO experts on staff who work with sellers to ensure the lots are interesting and have detailed information.

One of the most unique LEGO auctions I’ve seen in a while is happening this week, with a custom LEGO version of the Bell Tower of Florence built from over a hundred thousand bricks! Built by Luca Petraglia over the course of more than three years, the tower stands 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) tall.

Luca has displayed his tower at LEGO conventions such as the LEGO Fan Weekend in Skærbæk, Denmark. You can get a better sense of the tower’s massive scale with the builder standing next to it.

Catawiki also has a number of other interesting LEGO-related auctions this week, including some 1950’s vintage LEGO.

See more rare and unusual LEGO auctions on Catawiki

Changes coming to Flickr following acquisition by SmugMug – here’s how it affects LEGO builders [News and Editorial]

Change is inevitable within any community, and the online LEGO fan community has certainly weathered its share of major disruptions over the past 20 years.

Ever since the future of LEGO photo sharing website Brickshelf.com became unclear in July 2007, the majority of the LEGO building community has made its home on Flickr. But with Yahoo! failing to keep up with the times, the venerable web company has begun shedding its online properties, leading to the acquisition of Flickr by SmugMug earlier this year. Unlike the hysteria back in 2007, the reaction to the SmugMug acquisition among LEGO builders has been fairly muted, and generally positive given the sense that Yahoo! had effectively abandoned Flickr several years ago. This changed recently when SmugMug announced changes it would be making to Flickr’s Pro and free accounts at the beginning of 2019.

Learn more about the changes and how they affect the LEGO community

Whether by sea or by air, this pod is ready for action

This skillfully built pod by Anthony Wilson combines Technic panels with system elements to create a stylish vehicle that would look equally at home deep underwater, as it would in space. One of my favorite details is the gently curving collection of steering handlebars peeking out behind the cockpit. Bright colored trim and tubes also lend a Tron vibe to this single pilot pod. And speaking of pilots, I tip my hat to Anthony for the excellent condition of his Technic figure which is 20 years old, but looks like he’s fresh off the assembly line.