Yearly Archives: 2018

LEGO Ideas Pop-Up Book and Xtra Accessory Bags now available [News]

The first of the month typically means new sets available from LEGO, and this November is no exception. Last month brought Star Wars and holiday sets, and this month brings the LEGO Ideas Pop-Up Book and new Xtra Accessory Bags.

Take a look at the new sets in detail below.


LEGO Ideas: This set is a stand-out of the Ideas line, showcasing the creativity of the fan designers heightened by official LEGO designers. As we mentioned in our review, this set is a good one with decent price per part value, and we are excited to see all the custom pop-up scenes that are just waiting to be made.

21315 Pop-Up Book | 859 pieces | TBB Review
US: $69.99 | Canada: 89.99 CAD | UK: £59.99


LEGO Xtra: These delightful accessory bags have been available off and on in physical LEGO Stores for a few months, but this is the first time they have been listed for purchase online. The bags include a variety of items from food and plants to bikes and lamps, any of which would be a great way to expand your LEGO City.

40312 Food Accessories | 30 pieces
US: $3.99 | Canada: 4.99 CAD | UK: £2.99

40310 Botanical Accessories | 24 pieces
US: $3.99 | Canada: 4.99 CAD | UK: £299

40311 Traffic Lights | 46 pieces
US: $3.99 | Canada: 4.99 CAD | UK: £2.99

40312 Streetlamps | 34 pieces
US: $3.99 | Canada: 4.99 CAD | UK: £2.99

40313 Bicycles | 21 pieces
US: $3.99 | Canada: 4.99 CAD | UK: £2.99

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Howling at the moon

Some guys go through more razor blades than others. Here’s a fun LEGO werewolf portrait by The Knit Knight. The staring eyes give this an appropriately intense feel, but the jagged teeth somehow make the character kind of goofy-looking, too. There’s a nice use of different shades of brown to create the impression of fur, and the textured wedge forehead and curved wedge nose make an effective combination.

LEGO Wolfman

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Frankenstein: a monster made from many parts

Taking on the mantle of the good Doctor Victor Frankenstein, Dogod Brick Designs has stitched together his very own monster. LEGO bricks, as it turns out, are extremely well suited to depicting the square-headed Boris Karloff take on Mary Shelley’s doomed character.

DOGOD_FRANKENSTEIN_10

Built in the sallow register of grey and black, the tragic creature’s heavy features are atmospherically lit from above to eerie effect.

DOGOD_FRANKENSTEIN_01

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If only all evil spirits were this cute

It is that time of year when many people around the world embrace the spooky and scary, but more often than not combine it with an element of cute. car_mp has captured this unlikely combination perfectly with these two little ghosts.

Little ghosts

The expressive faces (more precisely, holes in the cloth) are done with just a handful of pieces, but somehow this just adds to their charm. The shaping is the star of the show here; the builder uses 1×2 wedge slopes to achieve quite a nice round effect, a technique I expect to become more frequent in the coming years.

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A dead good hearse

If you’re going to hell, you may as well ride in style. At least that’s what Krzysztof Pusz appears to be suggesting with his LEGO hearse–a funeral ride crewed by a sinister band of flame-haired skeletons. The vehicle is simply done, but well put-together with a nice expanse of glazing allowing sight of the coffin within. The use of black paint rollers and golden tassel pieces make for a great set of spooky lamps down the sides.

LMC Hearse #Halloween

Krzysztof has also taken regular photos of the vehicle, manned by a more everyday set of undertakers…

LMC Hearse

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From pumpkin patch to graveside match, comes a sullen spook dressed like a duke.

Beware this long-faced LEGO Jack O’Lantern man built by Leonid An. The expression on the character’s face is spine-tingly spooky, yet chillingly captivating. His sorrow-filled eyes are convincing–would you believe Leonid achieved this look with an upside down Bionicle mask? Mr. Jack O’Lantern is dressed to kill, complete with a white shirt, midnight-black jacket, top hat, and even a gold belt buckle. What’s more, he and his raven companion are overlooking the grave of…Leonid An!

Mr. Jack O’Lantern

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Build your very own BrickHeadz Brick-o’-Lantern with LEGO [Instructions]

Celebrate Halloween LEGO style with this BrickHeadz Brick-o’-Lantern designed by stormythos. You’ve got to love the simplicity of it all with the clever usage of the cheese slopes to create that ghastly grin. The best part of it all is that it’s made with parts all from the Go Brick Me BrickHeadz Set. If you don’t already have it, it’s never too late to get one. You can get the instructions over here.

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Don’t go upstairs after midnight!

In the online LEGO fan community, Mattila Heikki is well known for his realistic miniland-scale interior designs. While his recent creation is technically still an interior design, it is markedly different from his usual style. Mattila has built in classic styles before, but we’ve never seen a creepy haunted house before.

Haunted House

Mattila’s latest scene is all about perspective, achieved by the stairway and its railing–what would often be a small part of a scene, but is frame to take up nearly half the picture here. The lights on the wall give a sense of the hallway continuing on to the left and right for an unsettlingly long time and the colours set a moody and mysterious tone. If you’re staying here and have to use the toilet at night, it might be a better idea to wait until morning.

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Protect your pumpkin!

What would the Headless Horseman look like in 2018? Patrick Biggs is re-imagining the famous character from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and now the horse is gone, replaced by an awesome bike inspired by Mel Finelli’s works. Instead of a pair of leather boots, here are sneakers, with a design borrowed from Luke Staten. But it’s the posture and the motion of the figure that makes everything work together. Even though we don’t see the face, no doubt, this guy is having the time of his life this Halloween!

Happy Halloween: Wear a Helmet

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Only two days left for double LEGO VIP points [News]

It doesn’t happen very often anymore, but LEGO is offering double VIP points for the month of October. Halloween marks the end of the month, so you have two days left to shop and maybe make bigger purchases like the Hogwarts Castle or Betrayal at Cloud City for the best discount. (Double VIP points equates to earning roughly 10% of the order price which can then be applied to a future LEGO purchase.)
Along with double VIP points, LEGO is offering a free minifigure collector frame as a gift with any purchase more than $75. The promotion runs through the 31st or while supplies last. To see all the most recent sets released by LEGO, check our list of new October sets as well as all the new sets from the summer.

(As always, when you click through from The Brothers Brick, a portion of each sale goes to support the site, so thank you in advance!)

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.

Salazar Slytherin’s slithering serpent stalks students

Robert Maier has opened the LEGO Chamber of Secrets and unleashed a fantastic beast of a basilisk! If you’ve followed Robert for a while like we have you’ll note this model, while a bit of a departure from his usual post-apocalyptic fare like a toxic wasteland and a world without trains, displays his typical knack for textured, murky worlds.

Harry Potter - Chamber of Secrets

In this scene you can see Tom Marvolo Riddle (AKA teen Voldemort) near the climax of the book/movie after he has spent months manipulating Ginny Weasley with his diary-Horcrux. Here she’s unconscious just before Harry Potter swoops in to save the day on Fawkes the phoenix in a bit of deus ex machina. The ambiance of the scene is perfect with bones of victims past, rotting plant life, and foggy water. The basilisk model itself dominates the chamber as it slithers out of Salazar Slytherin’s statue. I especially like the vertical nature of the statue against the horizontal striations of the chamber walls. You can check out some finer details of the basilisk itself in the closeup shot below. It’s a far cry from the basilisk we reviewed in the Hogwarts Great Hall!

Closer look - Basilisk

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This eco house brings the great outdoors indoors

The LEGO Group has committed itself to making LEGO plant elements out of plants. Thanks to Sarah Beyer, there is now a LEGO house to compliment them. Sarah’s eco house, named Lilium after the lily flower, has been designed with self-sustainability in mind. Electricity is supplied by roof-mounted solar panels, while large windows on the south and west walls capture warm rays of sunshine. The house looks fresh and modern, enhanced by the surrounding colorful landscaping.

Lilium Eco House MOC southern side garden

Sarah’s house has been constructed so LEGO minifigures can immerse themselves in the outdoors. The second-floor porch and vine-laced patio offer an excellent view of the garden. Click to see more, including the interior

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