Yearly Archives: 2019

Where does he get those wonderful toys? The LEGO Store, obviously

One of the highlights of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie was the design of the Batmobile. Its sleek lines, dramatic fins, and ludicrous rocket power was a perfect match for the film’s “Jet-Age Art Deco vs Gothic Noir” design vision for Gotham City. This LEGO version by Centuri is a suitably dark and sinister brick-built tribute — proof that even non-LEGO Batman only builds in black and (sometimes) very dark grey. The curves over the front wheels are perfect, and the fins on the engine vents look sharp enough to cut. And it took me a minute to place the part, but the use of witches cauldrons for the angled round intakes is surprisingly effective.

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Yeah, I’ll have a dozen of everything!

You may have seen the LEGO modular building sets, the newest being the 50s Downtown Diner and the Corner Garage. More than a dozen have come out since 2007, and while each is unique, they follow a certain set of rules. Once mastered, builders can use them to imagine new modular buildings of their own to construct a cohesive town layout. Diabetics may want to turn away now because you’re about to watch a writer lapse into a sugar coma as Tong Xin Jun has rendered the perfect doughnut shop to sweeten any town layout. Here Eastern meets Western design elements, as many buildings do in crowded cities. The left section of this modular boasts the aforementioned doughnut shop (mmmm doughnuts) and the apartments above are adorned in rare sand red while the right side sits a cozy Asian noodle shop.

Each floor lifts for maximum playability within, and like all good modulars should be, each interior space is well appointed. The added sun rays in the last photo adds warmth to this cozy and inviting interior. I can just smell the fresh-baked doughnuts wafting through the air.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to be alone with an entire box of doughnuts. Don’t judge me, I am not proud of what I am about to do. Go check out the builder’s photostream or something or better yet, here is a previous time we featured this same builder. Now go on, stop gawking at me. I am not an animal, I am a human being!

A warren for the Weasleys, built of more than bricks

This amazing LEGO family home for the Weasleys has been beautifully constructed out of approximately 5000 bricks by the talented team of Martin Latta and Camille Jongy. The Burrow, as its fondly called, is a magical masterpiece of constructed quandaries. This rendition pays excellent homage to the fictional homestead found on the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon, England. It’s the texture work here that really does it for me. The meshing of vertical and horizontal sections throughout gives an unmistakable feeling of the hodge-podge expansion of their family home. Presumably held together by assorted masonry, magic and carpentry, the colour palette used over this impressive build is marvelously apt. The earthy tones and techniques involved in texturing the Burrow are only one side to a plethora of perspectives through you could look at it.

Click here to see more of this magical homestead

Public tickets for BrickCon 2019 LEGO Fan Exhibition in Seattle on sale now [News]

Every year the best LEGO builders in the Pacific Northwest gather for BrickCon in Seattle to show off some of their amazing creations. BrickCon is the country’s longest-running LEGO fan convention. The event is open to the public the weekend of October 5th and 6th at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, and tickets just went on sale. Last year tickets nearly sold out, so if you plan on going we recommend getting yours well ahead of time.

Adult fans who wish to get the all-access treatment can sign up for the full four-day experience, which includes the ability to display their own custom LEGO models, along with workshops, prizes, games, drafts, access to the friends-and-family night, and more. Signups for the full adult fan convention, which runs Oct. 3-6, are available now as well. Tickets for the full event are $75 if purchased before Sept. 18. After that, you’ll need to pay the late registration price of $100 or sign up at the door if any space is available (though that will cost even more).

We hope to see you in person in October for BrickCon 2019!

The Brothers Brick is an official sponsor of BrickCon.

An extra-mobile home

Ah, the joys of the great outdoors! Nothing like getting out on the road at the weekend with your caravan in-tow. Or, you could take a leaf out of Markus Rollbühler‘s book and take your caravan off-road and into previously inaccessible territory with this insane van-bearing walker setup! This bonkers LEGO creation is wonderful — packed full of nice little building touches. Check out the whips as pneumatic cables, the smart little camping chair, and the shaping on the caravan itself. And there’s a great balance of colour going on in the composition too, with the dark green legs providing a lovely contrast to the pale blue caravan.

VESTIGE – A LEGO space exploration short film documentary [Feature]

Most of us can probably think of iconic LEGO advertisements from when we were kids, whether it was the little red-haired girl proudly holding her creation, or the Brick Maniac’s zany exploits from the 90s. But it’s not very often that you get to see a LEGO campaign pitch that didn’t come to fruition. In 2016, Brian Ellis pitched a new branding concept to LEGO that unfortunately wasn’t chosen. However, Brian has shared not only the video pitch, but also a full 20 minute documentary of a behind-the-scenes on how it was created. With 5 years of effort put into this bringing friends and like-minded individuals together, it also offers an insight into just how much work needs to be put in for a 60-second production.

If you’re thinking, what so special about it all? There are several. For one, it’s always admirable and insightful to see how fans of LEGO go the extra mile — putting more blood sweat and tears into a production for the toy company whose products we love so much. It also features no computer-generated graphics (CGI), something rare in this age of digital. The stage and models were built by hand, including the costumes, and put together in post-production with traditional non-linear editing software. The LEGO builds were made by LEGO Designer Mark John Stafford, who we recently interviewed for the Jurassic Park: T-Rex Rampage release. Everything down to the soundtrack, which has a Blade Runner-esqe feeling, was composed specially for the one minute feature.

Click to read our interview with the creator and watch the full video production and documentary

A dragon that is also a crane and an excavator and a wrecking ball and...

So I have been building again. This one was quite a stress-free build, inspired by my other recent dragon, Dragon Unit LL-32167. I was struck by a moment of inspiration about a month ago and realized that I have a yellow 24-toothed gear that would work perfectly in the dragon’s neck. The thought process continued with the idea that if I build a dragon using no light gray and (almost) no blue, I could keep the previous one assembled for a longer time. This means that everyone visiting my tiny local LEGO shows/conventions may have a chance at seeing the two mecha dragons side-by-side. I name this awesome construction worker mecha dragon Workhorse.

Click here to read more about my latest build and a comparison with my earlier similar build

LEGO Collectible Minifigure Series 19 revealed [News]

The 19th series of LEGO Collectible Minifigures has been revealed, thanks to German retailer jb-spielwaren. Get ready for adventures in space, in the bathroom, and also online. The new 16 minifigures bring a ton of new accessories, including a rubber duck in green and a gamepad tile. The series goes on sale later this month. Check out the gallery in our post and let us know which character is your number one pick.

Click here to check out all the minifigures…

A little dirt never hurt: LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader [Review]

Here is a simple truth: these days LEGO remains one of those few common activities that give you a rest from a smartphone. For me and for many of our readers, building with LEGO has always been a pastime that requires no downloads, installing or updates; you open a box and the play begins. Obviously, winning over modern-day kids who love digital entertainment and touchscreens is a tough challenge for a toy manufacturer. They say if you can’t beat them, join them, but LEGO thinks differently: if you can’t beat them, build them into the play experience. Along comes LEGO Technic Powered Up — the first generation of LEGO Technic electric elements that bring smartphones and tablets into play. With a whole lot of sensors and features, the new smart hub and motors are among the most advanced LEGO pieces ever produced. LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader introduces the new play system. The set includes just 958 pieces, but the new expensive electric elements are to blame for the price tag of US $249.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £199.99. It is available starting today, so we are building and testing the model in an attempt to discover the limits of the new Powered Up system and Control+ smart app.

Click here to see our impressions…

In memory of Ingmar Spijkhoven [News]

Our friends over at The LEGO Car Blog have shared sad news with us today. Legendary builder Ingmar Spijkhoven has lost his battle against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He is best known for building highly detailed trucks and has been featured here several times, the latest being an incredible 18-wheeler and trailer. His work has even been published in The Art of LEGO Scale Modeling.

ALS currently has no cure, with sufferers expected to live no more than five years from diagnosis. (Dr. Stephen Hawking was perhaps the most notable exception). You can learn how to help fight this debilitating disease through the ALS Foundation.

Igmar was an inspiration to many of us and will surely be missed.

LEGO Hidden Side now available with more than 65 other new LEGO sets and gear [News]

The brand new LEGO Hidden Side augmented reality product line is available starting today, as well as more than 50 new sets from Architecture, Harry Potter, City, Friends, Jurassic World, Technic and more. LEGO fans in the U.S. have had to wait patiently for this new wave of sets which has been available in Europe for a few months now.

LEGO is also offering two promotions including a reversible VIP tote bag and a LEGO Jurassic World polybag. If you combine this wave with the newly available LEGO Ideas Treehouse, Jurassic Park T-Rex, Creator Expert Harley-Davidson Motorcycle and Star Wars Droid Commander, there is an incredible amount of new LEGO sets just waiting to be built!

Click to see all the LEGO themes with new sets now available

Black IKEA bath mats? I thought you said Baphomet The Black Goat!

How many times has this happened to you? You call up IKEA customer service and in botching up the admittedly difficult names of one of their do-it-yourself furniture offerings, you unwittingly summon some demon hell-beast from the underworld. Wait, never? I can’t count the amount of times it has happened to me. Avery Robertson knows what I mean. Probably. Using some clever build techniques, she has conjured up Baphomet The Black Goat and now he’s here to loaf on your Söderhamn sofa for awhile. The LEGO wings and star hair clip usually come in pretty pastel colors but with a red filter the whole shebang is made to look scary as hell. Tattooed on his arms are the words “solve” and “coagula” which either means “dissolve and coagulate” or “loveseat and ottoman” in IKEA speak.