Monthly Archives: July 2019

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for July 14, 2019 [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 July 2019.

TBB News and reviews:

This week is full of Comic-Con exclusives, but there are some gems for the rest of us too, like the new Creator Expert Harley.

LEGO Creator Expert 10269 Harley Davidson Fat Boy revealed – LEGO took the wraps off the newest Creator Expert set, bringing the iconic motorcycle to its lineup.
LEGO Creator Expert 10269 Harley Davidson Fat Boy review – That’s right, we’ve already got our mitts on the new set, and we’ve broken down all the details, plus we even did a comparison with LEGO’s original Harley set.
LEGO Harry Potter 75945 Expecto Patronum review – Harry’s patronus makes its first appearance in LEGO form, and we’ve got a hands-on look at how it stands up.
LEGO Star Wars 77901 Sith Trooper San Diego Comic-Con exclusive set revealed – this red trooper bust will be available exclusively to fans at the mega convention.
LEGO Batman Zebra Batman San Diego Comic-Con exclusive minifigure – A classic character for those versed in Batman lore, this exclusive figure makes one more for your huge hall of Batman costumes.
LEGO Stranger Things Barb San Diego Comic-Con exclusive minifigure – LEGO continues its annual tradition of creating special minifigures for eBay entrepreneurs at SDCC with this awesome Barb figure, making it only the third Stranger Things branded LEGO set.
Amazon Prime Day LEGO deals – There’s actually a fair bit of LEGO in the Prime Day sales this year, so if you’re bargain hunting for LEGO (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?) then we’d love if you’d support The Brothers Brick by using our affiliate links, so we can continue doing what we do and bringing you awesome LEGO models each day. Bonus props if you use our links for non-LEGO Amazon shopping, too

Don’t miss our special Stranger Things contest, where you could win your own copy of the brand-new, $200-set The Upside Down.

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.

Castaway’s paradise

By far one of my favorite LEGO builders that I have discovered since becoming a contributor to TBB is Sarah Beyer, who consistently builds well-designed dwellings inside and out, no matter what the size or scale. Even when going in a more whimsical direction, like in her latest creation which she calls a loner’s paradise.

The level of detail deserves a much closer look, starting with the base. Multiple shades of plates below transparent blue tiles give the sense of hidden depths among the soft sandy shore. I also love how she used an upside-down dry vegetation part below the palm leaves. The different shades of brown used to build the house’s stilts gives it the perfect weathered look.

The verdant vegetation continues up the backside of the house and the top-most of many porches and balconies includes a winch for reeling in the catch of the day.

And if you want to see more beautiful houses by Sarah Beyer, be sure to check out some of her many models we have featured on TBB over the years.

A spirit to bring your lonely soul home

Constraction figures have been a source of contention among LEGO fans for years, starting with the launch of Bionicle in 2000. Are they really LEGO? Are they just a subset of Technic? Or are they something else entirely? Obviously, the correct answer is yes (but to which question?), and they are a gift that keeps on giving with their many unique and surprisingly versatile pieces, not to mention the cult following they acquired among certain parts of the fan community that routinely churn out awesome builds. Builder Patrick Biggs is one such fan, if his photostream is anything to go by. His latest creation blends System, Technic, and Constraction parts together so seamlessly and organically as to lay to rest the earlier questions. It is all LEGO. And speaking of laying to rest, the centaur-like figure, capped by a deer skull, is a spirit that cares for broken, lost, and lonely souls, finally shepherding them home. I’m not sure that this spirit is one that I would like to see were I broken, lost, and alone, but perhaps some people would find it comforting.

There are many great parts usages here, from the torso armor used for the lower abdomen to the Hero Factory blades used as calves on each of the four legs. But far and away the best, and even inspired use, is the shin guards as hooves and lower legs. It looks the part perfectly and almost seems made for the job. I must point out, too, the beautiful color arrangement and work in contrasts; the black body with the white deer skull and the green plants with the red flowers, on top and bottom, make the image pop. Everything is balanced, just right for a spirit to lead your soul home, I suppose. It is beckoning. Will you follow?

In search of...unsolved mysteries

The only things I could readily glean from Cameron’s write-up was that this was built from plenty of Bionicle parts and it was inspired by the moon. The rest of the description, even the title, is written in some crazy moon-language. But is it Morse code, Hexadecimal, Dewey Decimal, or the ravings of some crazed lunatic? The world may never know. Add to this mystery the fact that this seems to be the first thing he has built since 2016 and you have a quandary that proposes more questions than answers. Was he replaced by a robot? Is he some sort of patron weirdo saint? Has he been affected by the tides or some monolithic alien presence? Your guess is as good as mine. Will the readers at home have better luck deciphering this mystery? If not, here’s some video instructions on how to build your own doggie desk buddy.

Keep out, nothing to see here, go away!

If the small “keep out” sign to the left doesn’t get the message across, then maybe the two hanging dead pirates will. Greg Dix built a scene inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean and has made it clear that he doesn’t want you to mess with whatever is beyond this natural arching structure. It looks like a nice clean wall that he probably doesn’t want your grubby fingerprints on. We will stick around just long enough to admire the clever build techniques that make up the slanted, rugged arch, that was surely no easy feat. Greg tells us this will be his last build for awhile as he is moving out of country, so soak it in, dear readers, but don’t get too close. In fact, you should check out his previously featured Island Fortress instead as it is much more inviting. Now go away. Scram! Git!

Get ready to rumble with this riot control mech. Or get ready to run

If you are planning on making trouble for the government in Marco Marozzi‘s world, you better be prepared to face the music. And by the music, I mean this manacing crowd control mech, who if you are unlucky and he runs out of ammo, will instead stomp you to paste without breaking a sweat.

Marco is a mech builder who uses lots of amazing mechanical details in his models that root them in the practical world, with joints that feel like they actually work, and this mech is no exception. The back of the legs use the helicopter ski element to anchor several greebly bits to maximize stompiness.

Another highly detailed section is the head and chest, which use the main torso part from many Nexo Knights power mechs to provide a richly textured look. But one of my favorite parts is half of an old hinged claw used as the back part of the foot.

Bonding over Modulex

When taking a deep dive into LEGO history, you’re bound to run into Modulex – a spin-off line from LEGO started in 1963. Designed for architectural planning, these tiny bricks can be hard to come by–but they certainly do work well to create images of the workplace. Elspeth De Montes noticed two of the human figures in this classic line were also very reminiscent of another classic series. Naming this image Good Morning Moneypenny transforms this well-built office into a tiny slice of life from a James Bond film.

My favorite detail is Moneypenny’s computer. I’m certain the Modulex team didn’t have a desktop workstation in mind when they made those parts!

We haven’t seen the last of Darth Maul just yet

I had such high hopes for Darth Maul. Everything from his double lightsaber, to his black hooded cloak, to his red and black tattooed face, exuded seething menace. However, just as quickly as he was introduced, he was sliced in half at the waist by Obi-Wan. He was fighting like a boss right up to that point but then it was like he forgot his super-jitsu skills for a minute there. Just like Boba Fett’s unceremonious demise, I was rather disappointed in how Darth Maul went down and imagined him piecing himself together again to seek unholy revenge on those Jedi do-gooders (and it seems those running Lucasfilm/Disney agreed). Apparently Jarema had a similar notion for the fallen Sith Lord that takes an even more menacing stance.

Here we see a shirtless Darth Maul flexing his Deltoids, his snarling face like some kind of voodoo tomato. His bottom half is a horrific mechanical six-legged spider body with each leg terminating in a sword blade. A complex network of chains seem to fuse his upper and lower body together. The end result is madness, which incidentally is what the builder calls this piece.

LEGO Shop at Home US Christmas in July deals now live [News]

Hot on the heels of some great LEGO deals on Amazon.com ahead of Prime day, LEGO has rolled out their Christmas in July sale, where you can get set 40292 Buildable Holiday Present free with purchases over $99. From July 12th until July 14th LEGO will also be offering a daily deal, with today’s being 30% off on the Creator Pirate Rollercoaster. Multiple other sets are also being offered at 20% off, including the Ninjago Movie Destiny’s Bounty, and the Kessel Run Millennium Falcon.

Click the image above to see all of the sets on sale, and as usual, using these links to purchase sets will provide The Brothers Brick with a small commission to help support the site and the events and contests we sponsor, such as our current Stranger Things LEGO contest where you could win a copy of The Upside Down!

Have carrots, will travel

Sometimes something so different comes along that you can’t help but smile. Oliver Becker calls this “The Wandering Temple of the Last Flame” but I call it the coolest mode of transportation ever. Speed, performance, practicality, safety; all are unimportant when you’re riding in this much style. This viney bit and this other leafy bit make for excellent gold filigree while the sloping roof and red and black color scheme embodies an exotic Asian feel to the traveling temple.

The pièce de ré·sis·tance, however, has to be the tortoise’s head which utilizes a Euripides Galidor torso. See, we all chuckled when the infamous Galidor sets came out but who is chuckling now? Still us, but for different reasons.

It turns out, this is far from the first time Oliver has made us smile or even chuckle. Be sure to check out his previously featured Donald Duck roadster and fabled stork creations for more whimsy and wonder.

Build, plug, work

On a day like today, when most of my colleagues are on their annual vacations, I dream about a desktop assistant to help me with all the increased workflow and put a positive spin on the daily grind. Now, I know exactly what I need: a cute VectroCo. SMILEY office companion as designed by Djokson. The inner structure of this tiny robot is nothing out of ordinary among the similar LEGO creations, but there is a lot of character in this build. Its funny face peeking through the blue screen, cute pointy ears and its natural posture create an image of a very joyful and chatty colleague. But, of course, the best thing about SMILEY is that it can be plugged into a USB port. Obviously, a USB Type-C connector is the one that you’d expect in 2019, but, well, it is just a prototype.

Amazon Prime Day is just around the corner, and we’ve spotted some great LEGO deals [News]

Amazon Prime Day is just around the corner, and we’ve already spotted some good deals. These are great deals if you don’t already have the LEGO sets in your collection.

When you click through this link (or any of the links in this article) to shop at Amazon, The Brothers Brick receives a small amount back — at no cost to you — which helps us bring you the quality content you’ve come to expect. So if purchasing anything on Amazon — not just LEGO — please consider supporting The Brothers Brick when you do so.

Click to see LEGO Amazon sets on offer