Yearly Archives: 2020

The Brothers Brick ultimate guide to more than 100+ new LEGO sets for 2021 [News]

A new year is upon us and we’ve compiled a mega-list of everything that is slated to be released this month in January 2021 onwards and will be available in LEGO Stores. Bookmark this page as we will be continuously updating the page as new releases hit the streets throughout the year. Look out for links to reviews that we may have covered to help you make your choices.

This is the full list of LEGO themes with new products revealed. Click on a theme to jump directly to the section of this article or simply scroll on to enjoy viewing all the sets in (alphabetical) sequence.

Click to see the themes available today

The Brothers Brick LEGO Builder of the Year 2020 [News]

Every day the team at The Brothers Brick showcases the best models put together by the global community of creative LEGO builders. However, amongst the thousands of talented builders around the world, there are always a few whose work offers inspiration to the rest of us — displaying mastery of technique and creativity across a variety of building styles.

The Brothers Brick is delighted to name Eli Willsea as our LEGO Builder of the Year 2020.

Best LEGO builder of 2020

Click to see a selection of Eli’s models from 2020

The Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2020 [News]

If it was tricky enough to put together a shortlist of the best LEGO creations of 2020, but narrowing it down to a single “best model” proved even harder. Every model on the shortlist was excellent, and there was much debate amongst the team. However, after a great deal of discussion, The Brothers Brick is delighted to announce Koen Zwanenburg‘s Tutankhamun Mask as our LEGO Creation of the Year 2020.

Best LEGO model of 2020

Looking for Tutankhamun

Click to see more photos of the LEGO Creation of the Year 2020

Building a remote control police van [feature]

As a child I literally dreamed of having a remote control LEGO car. I’m not an experienced Technic builder, though, and the LEGO electronics I had in the eighties weren’t up to the job. So actually making this happen took a long time.

I had to combine different systems for adding electrical functions to LEGO models, but now I’ve finally done it. My new Dutch National Police Volkswagen Transporter drives and steers using IR remote control. It also has a working siren and lights. Nonetheless, it has opening doors and an interior, so it looks just like any of the other vehicles I’ve been building for years.

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LEGO Star Wars 75299 Trouble on Tatooine from Disney’s The Mandalorian [Review]

The second season of The Mandalorian just wrapped up a couple weeks ago on Disney+, and LEGO continues to drip-feed LEGO Star Wars sets based on scenes from the show. Hitting stores on January 1st, 2021, 75299 Trouble on Tatooine provides a fairly low-cost (US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £27.99), spoiler-free way to pick up Mando and the Child in minifig form, with a few key pieces of equipment and scenery from season 2.

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read our hands-on review of LEGO Star Wars 75299 Trouble on Tatooine from Disney’s The Mandalorian

Now you’re just being koi!

There’s something just completely tranquil about the sight of koi carp. Location probably has something to do with it because they regularly are featured in serene garden landscapes. Ian Hou does these beautiful fish justice with this new LEGO creation. I can just hear the bubbling water and imagine these graceful koi feeding on fish pellets. The stylistic waves as a stand offer just enough visual cues to make this a truly lovely project. This is a welcome moment of zen to finish out a rather tumultuous year. If this is totally your jam then you should check out some other fish in our archives.

nEO_IMG_DOGOD_Koi Fish_05

LEGO Designer Videos share insights into the new Botanical Collection series [News]

We revealed earlier today the new Botanical Collection series from LEGO with in-depth reviews featuring the LEGO Creator 10280 Flower Bouquet and LEGO Creator 10281 LEGO Bonsai Tree. Behind each of these creations are the unique challenges for organic building, which can be a feat especially working with hard edges inherent from LEGO bricks. We take a look behind the scenes of both the sets from the LEGO designer’s lens with the video showcase.

Anderson Grubb a Senior LEGO Designer and LEGO Apprentice Adstrid Sundorf Christensen share their inspiration and journey in creation for the LEGO Flower Bouquet.

LEGO designer Nicolas Vás and Carl Merriam, Senior LEGO Designer speaks about their insights on the Bonsai Tree and thoughts around how the final evolution of the product came to be.

 

The heart wants what it wants

If you’re not that into this new LEGO creation by Corvus Auriac then here are some cute doggies for you. However, you know how some people have a tennis ball hanging in their garage that indicates that sweet spot to park your car? Well, in my household that aforementioned tennis ball is a severed doll’s head because, as it turns out, I’m one of those people. So, you can come to the logical conclusion that I’d be way into this. And if you’re even just a bit like me (you know who you are!) you’re probably way into it too. Corvus calls it Heart Artifact. This builder tends to like things on the creepy side, which is just the thing to make my dark heart go pitter-patter. If you’re like me you should still also check out the cute doggies though because even dark and brooding weirdos love puppies.

LEGO 10280 Flower Bouquet from the Botanical Collection [Review]

In LEGO’s pursuit of older fans, the toy manufacturer has overhauled their adult product strategy, resulting in an immediate expansion of adult-focused sets. One of the ways this has manifested is an attempt to bring in new adult buyers with sets focusing on non-traditional subjects that might fit better into a grown-up decor. Enter the LEGO Botanical Collection, first announced last month, which includes two sets designed to seamlessly blend into a modern aesthetic with models that will look equally at home on your desk or in your den. Earlier today we looked at the beautiful 10281 Bonsai Tree, and now we’re turning our eye on 10280 Flower Bouquet, which as the name implies, constructs a variety of life-size flowers meant for display rather than for play (vase not included). The set contains 756 pieces and will retail for US $49.99 | CAN $TBD | UK £44.99 and is available starting Jan. 1.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read our full, hands-on review

LEGO 10281 Bonsai Tree from the Botanical Collection [Review]

LEGO has a bit of an unwarranted reputation among the general public as a medium that doesn’t lend itself easily to organic shapes. Hobbyist LEGO builders have been disabusing others of this misperception for many years by sharing LEGO builds inspired by the natural world. LEGO’s in-house designers are certainly capable of creating official LEGO sets full of flora and fauna, as LEGO designer Nicolas Vás proves with the new 10281 Bonsai Tree from the new Botanical Collection. The set includes 878 pieces and will be available on January 1st, 2021 (US $49.99 | CAN $TBD | UK £44.99).

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read our hands-on review of LEGO 10281 Bonsai Tree

Year: 2020. Location: my bedroom

Stop for a moment and listen. Can you hear the whole world signing with relief as we say goodbye to 2020? There are so many things we want to be different in 2021, but probably it’s not about my bedroom, which I have to stay in since March. Changing the scene now is almost impossible unless you join Jonas Kramm and his fabulous vignettes. Earlier this year, he shared a wonderful collection of interiors, and now one more room joins the company.

08 - Bedroom

As usual, Jonas is at his best when mixing elements from different themes and eras. For instance, an old fence piece from Fabuland is used as a footboard for the bed. The whole build is a wonderful collection of ideas waiting to be borrowed by numerous fan builders.

Mag Mell can be reached through death and/or glory

You don’t have to be hip on the Final Fantasy games and/or Irish mythology to appreciate this new LEGO render by Daniel Vermeir called Mag Mell’s Gatehouse. A moment ago, I was hip to neither, but you’d be surprised how a little Googling can save and/or destroy your journalistic integrity. In the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series Mag Mell is home to carbuncles, creatures that live for thousands of years and have extensive knowledge of the world around them. But according to Irish mythology, Mag Mell was a pleasurable heathen’s paradise that can be reached only through death and glory. It’s sort of like Plato’s Retreat except with fewer stains on the shag carpeting. Regardless of where this creation takes inspiration from, I really love its eerie, dilapidated watery goodness.

Mag Mell’s gatehouse