Yearly Archives: 2019

Bricks Cascade 2019, Portland’s premier LEGO convention, is this weekend [News]

Portland’s premier LEGO convention, Bricks Cascade, will be open to the public this weekend, March 2 – 3. Beginning Saturday, builders from around the country will gather at the Oregon Convention Center to showcase thousands of square feet of amazing LEGO creations. There will be activities for kids of all ages including play areas, car racing, photo booths and more. Vendors will also be selling minifigures, rare LEGO sets, LEGO-themed jewelry, custom gifts, and more.

Tickets are $11 each or a $40 for a family four-pack (kids under 3 are free) and are available either at the door or online. The show hours are 10am to 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

The Brothers Brick is proud to be a sponsor of Bricks Cascade.

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A distinguished wizard of the eighth level

If you’re familiar with the Discworld novels, you likely know exactly who this is: Archchancellor of the Unseen University, Mustrum Ridcully. I must admit, I am not familiar with the books, but if you’re like me, that doesn’t lessen my enjoyment. This bust, created by the exceptional builder Eero Okkonen is gorgeous. The lines and features of people are hard enough to capture in drawings or clay, let alone LEGO bricks. Take a guess how he built those scowling lips. Genius!

We feature Eero’s incredible (and prolific) work often. Just take a look at his Slimefoot or an archer inspired by Lyndis from Fire Emblem.

TBB cover photo for March 2019: Out of bounds

This month for TBB’s social media cover image, we’re going way out of bounds with this sweet team van by Frost. Who knew that space orcs were footballers? (We’re not talking about those orcs or that football, you Blood Bowl fans.) These friendly orcs hail from Mars, and their Martian Minivan just might be cool enough to make us stop buying SUVs and go back to sliding doors and tank treads.

Want to see your own LEGO creation featured across TBB social media for a month? Then read the submission guidelines and send us your photo today. Photos that do not meet the submission guidelines will not be considered, and will be removed from the group.

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10265 Ford Mustang now available from LEGO plus new gear and a cool keychain gift with purchase [News]

The Creator Expert 10265 Ford Mustang, a car we’ve said is one of the best ever made by LEGO, is now available for for $149.99 USD | $199.99 CAD | £119.99 GBP. If you get the set in the first few days, you’ll also receive a very cool gift with purchase: a LEGO VIP/Ford Mustang keychain (available until supplies run out).

LEGO has also launched new themed gear including an adorable minifigure head ceramic mug, Xtra sticker pack, a birthday card/set, Unikitty night light, 4×4 brick magnets, and a LEGO keychain rack, as well as a Friends name sign set and a Duplo Toy Story train.

A classic cartoon captured in Classic Space [Instructions]

With the recent release of the 70841 Benny’s Space Squad set from The LEGO Movie 2 and the upcoming 40th anniversary of Classic Space, there is bound to be a spike in popularity for what is already one of the most popular LEGO themes. Contributing to this spike is this creation by Miro Dudas, a rover that is heavily inspired by a classic car most of us are probably familiar with… The Flintstones‘ car!

The build captures the angular and minimalist style of Classic Space sets, but its simplicity has an added bonus – why not make your own with the instructions provided by the builder? Miro has built the rover in a few alternative themes himself, both digitally and physically, as seen below.

A laser axe for felling enemies, not space trees

If you have been following the Brothers Brick for a while, you are probably familiar with the figure-building madman known as Eero Okkonen, who is known to often produce his masterful figure builds on a weekly basis or faster. This time Eero brings us a creation that he built a while back, but only recently shared online. It is a part of a series of Japanese video-game inspired characters we have been following on the Brothers Brick for a while now.

The build is faithful to the series, using the striking colour scheme and Clickits strings as laser blades on the amazing space axe. On the other hand, it is unique and a clear improvement on previous installments. There are so many exotic pieces used in unique ways that I can not even begin to cover, but what stands out most is the wildly flowing hair made of balloon panels in earth orange.

Space is the place for a base, of course

In the future world of Boris Schneider, the moon’s got a colony and it’s pretty rad. This mash-up of real-world-inspired design and LEGO’s famous Classic Space aesthetic makes for a fantastic extra-terrestrial outpost. The moon’s surface is made from a jumbled mix of grey plates and slopes with exposed studs, a combo that works well to recreate the scattered regolith on the impact-dotted lunar fields.

The Apollo-era lunar lander has received a serious upgrade in the form of this moon-earth transport vehicle. The printed flag and USA elements from the official Saturn V set work excellently both here and on the base to give a bit of real-world tie-in to this Classic Space scene. Continue reading →

Palm oil is made of orangutan tears

When LEGO announced their first plant-based plastic elements, some people were concerned how the plant material would be sourced and whether LEGO would clear rainforests for farm land. The irony of the situation is that most people who complain about LEGO’s alleged ecological crime (which the LEGO Group denies) also eat food made using palm oil, which is proven to be a major cause of tropical deforestation. One thing is for sure, with this oranguan build by Simon Pickard and the right context, LEGO bricks may benefit the rainforests through raising awareness of what is happening to our planet.

The use of earth orange and studs shown on all sides really captures the furry look of an orangutan and the dark gray parts are a great contrast as the skin, both in colour and texture. The proportions are spot on and the pose is quite expressive too. The build’s seeming simplicity is a strong point too; I can really imagine this creation sitting on a desk or on a shelf, reminding us of the diversity of life.

When butterflies flutter without care, spring must be in the air

It’s been a long and bitter winter for those of us in the northern hemisphere. But the official start of spring is just a month away and signs of this most rejuvenating of seasonal changes are already in the air. Dario Minisini has an idea of what awaits us with a colorful scene featuring two of spring’s dramatis personae, the butterfly and seeding dandelion. The windborne seedlings add a sense of movement to the creation, almost photo-like in its composition. For the spring people out there, there’s no doubt this bright image will have them hankering for more.

Candy-colored weapon of mass destrucion

Well, let’s face it: the citizens of Heartlake City must be hiding something. A city full of happy minidolls swarming around cafés, parks and shops has always seemed to me to be extremely suspicious. Now, The LEGO Movie 2 brought us a completely different perspective on amiable minidolls – General Mayhem, who’s been attacking the movie’s protagonists from the very first sight. Lu Sim looks inside the General’s warlike character and brings this stunning ARMT-H08SM Havoc — a mech that would suit Mayhem just fine. Azure and pink accents look very sharp on the mech’s white body, while missiles made with round pieces with 4 petals is a perfect choice of weapon.

Flying the skies in old-school style

A good piece of Sky-fi art never gets old, and this alternate-WWII Tomahawk Kaiju Interceptor by Albert is a wonderful example. Making ample use of sand green slopes and tiles, this twin-tailed LEGO fighter is skillfully built with angled wings lined with forward-facing cannons and outrigger engines. One of the neatest details is the moveable inset rudders. It may not be the most aerodynamic design, but it sure looks cool, and after all, that’s what Sky-fi is all about.

The future is bright, colourful and apocalyptic

Maybe it’s the light blue water or maybe it’s the cheerfully bright photography of this LEGO creation by lokiloki29, but it looks almost like a postapocalyptic world would be quite the place to live. Minus the whole probably being dead thing.

The overall scene looks mostly simple, combining few large monochromatic sections like the water, the grass, and the containers. The real details are hidden inside the containers and around them in the shape of a little tree, a very well made gradient of the oozing toxic waste, and a cute shelter inside the upper container.