Yearly Archives: 2020

Not so big LEGO IDEAS

LEGO Ideas has become quite a popular theme over the last few years, and while the sets don’t really all go together, many LEGO fans have taken to collecting all the Ideas sets. All those sets take up space though, but Aido Kessler has a great solution: microscale versions!

He’s even included some larger scenery to surround the miniature sets. Between the scale and the scenery, there are some pretty fun and innovative parts usages at play. I’m particularly fond of the transparent tiles sticking out of the sideways blue water to simulate waves off the coast of the Old Fishing Store. Using Asajj Ventress’ lightsaber as a palm tree trunk gives it just the right sway. The robot hand makes the perfect little arms for the tyrannosaurus fossil. The skeleton arms and transparent antenna make excellent undersea structure for the microscale Shinkai 6500 Submarine to explore.

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Artifacts from a vintage family room

The ’50s are calling! Don’t tell my father – he was born in 1955 and would be highly offended if he heard me using the term “vintage” to describe these items. I’d love to know what inspired LEGO builder Jaap Bijl to choose this era, but I’m so glad he did. The collection inspires images of a very different point in history. A tube radio, rotary telephone, and even a WW2 medal define the time. And the old-school toys and treats mixed throughout tell the story of a young family. Jaap used a bunch of the white 4×4 flower elements to achieve the look, but a couple of my most favorite examples are the ones that aren’t as easy to see, like the racecar wheels and radio tuning sliders.

There are many more fantastic examples of Jaap’s work in our archives!

Watching Adam Savage sort his LEGO collection is your ASMR dose of the day [News]

In a previous episode had a glimpse of the famous co-host of Mythbusters, Adam Savage, building a storage solution for keeping his LEGO elements organised. The followup to that project is to get some actual sorting to be done. In this episode, Adam sorts his LEGO elements by colours and that approach works for him and his modest collection.

Click to see Adam Savage in action

A sleek homage to a timeless spaceship, spaceship, SPACESHIP!

In 1979, LEGO launched their first ever space theme, with it the Galaxy Explorer flagship that inspired generations of fans. Amongst them, builders like to recreate these classic spaceships with new pieces and designs. Tim Goddard, the co-author of LEGO Space: Building the Future, has presented us with his take on this iconic piece of LEGO history. While staying true to the original ship, Tim’s LL-928 flies with a perfect balance of smooth grey wings and a greebly hull. Through a great transparent yellow canopy, spacemen sit in a detailed cockpit complete with controls, cabinets, and cup of tea.

Though he is an experienced builder, Tim perfected his craft by implementing various advanced building techniques. He has angled the wings with slope bricks that transition perfectly between each section. In addition, the smooth wings have a curved edge that is reminiscent of modern aircraft wings. The curved nature of the wings carries over to the rear section which conveys a bit of the rounded 1960’s sci-fi design. Last but not least, Tim stepped out of his comfort zone by engineering a working landing gear using functional Technic parts.

See some more modern takes on LEGO Classic Space, and check out more of Tim’s builds here.

LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71028 Harry Potter Series 2 [Review]

The Harry Potter franchise has become one of LEGO’s most popular and enduring themes, having given fans numerous iterations of most of their favorite characters since the line’s first wave back in 2001. In 2018 LEGO pointed their wildly successful Minifigures line at the Wizarding World, introducing a biggest-ever set of 22 characters from Harry Potter as well as from Fantastic Beasts in anticipation of the second film’s release with 71022 Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts Minifigures. Now LEGO is returning with another wave, though this one is focused entirely on the classic Harry Potter series. Featuring the traditional 16 unique figures in blind bags, LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71028 Harry Potter Series 2 are available starting Sept. 1 for US $4.99 | CAN $4.99 | UK £3.49. Despite nearly 20 years of LEGO Harry Potter sets, Series 2 manages to include five characters who have never before appeared in LEGO form, along with plenty of new character designs and a nice selection of new elements.

Click to read our full, hands-on review

Quiet days in the garden

Sometimes the simplest builds are the best. Jonas Kramm is a talented and versatile LEGO artist who consistently delivers excellent creations, big and small. He is currently doing a vignette series, and this one is my recent favorite. There are so many cute details packed into a little space. The rabbit hutch, birdhouse, gnome, and picket fence are all so cleverly crafted. In particular, using skis for fence boards is a brilliant idea. Alongside the satisfyingly white-trimmed shed, it all fits perfectly.

While you’re here, you can check out all of Jonas’ latest builds in our archives. (Including the first three vignettes in this series.)

Chadwick Boseman, your legacy lives forever [News]

I woke up this morning to hear of the sad and devastating news that Chadwick Boseman had passed away after a four-year battle with colon cancer. While he may be most well known for his portrayal of King T’Challa in Black Panther and the Avenger tie-in movies, he shall also be remembered for his exceptional portrayal of Jackie Robinson in 42 where his performance was praised by the industry and film critics. In honour of his passing, Andreas Lenander has created an image of our hero walking into the distance.

An exceptional man who not only understood the struggles of the black community but also set the stage to inspire others, just as he was inspired before. One of his most powerful speeches was his acknowledgment of standing on the shoulders of giants at last year’s American Film Institute awards. I’ve watched it countless times and always marveled at how his humility shines through. Let it be known that you too, Chadwick Boseman, a true king in your own right, have set the path for future generations that would be inspired by you, and stand on your shoulders of success.

Gone but never forgotten, rest in peace, King Chadwick Boseman.

pic.twitter.com/aZ2JzDf5ai

— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 29, 2020

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for August 29, 2020

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 last week of August 2020.

Click to read the full week in review

Luke with Blue Milk exclusive minifigure revealed with LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga Deluxe Edition game [News]

Luke Skywalker exclusive minifigure has been revealed to be issued with the Deluxe Edition of the upcoming LEGO Star Wars : The Skywalker Saga to be available in 2021. The Skywalker Saga will adapt storylines from all nine movies from the entire series. The last LEGO Star Wars game, The Force Awakens was released four years ago in 2016 under the same developers and this will be the 6th game in to date released under the LEGO Star Wars series of game titles by TT Games.

Click to see more close up details

Microscale mission of mercy

A friend in need is a friend indeed, they say. Who is they? Probably Louis of Nutwood, for one, since he built this microscale LEGO scene of a relief ship unloading its supplies to help save a city near destruction. The ship itself is small and sleek, elegantly color blocked, and the harbor is great, too, with its large cranes to unload the supplies. The water deserves some extra attention, with the subtle variation in colors and the studs being used for waves near the shore. But more than that, the whole piece has an elegant composition, with the rocks, uneven edge of the water, and the clear central focus on the ship. What kind of ship? Friendship.

Well, well, well

Huge LEGO dioramas are all well and good, but sometimes you can stop and enjoy the details in isolation. This Viking-style well by Marcin Otreba would feel at home in any larger collaboration, but works just as well a stand-alone creation. Unrelated, did you ever notice that if you type the same word often enough it stops looking like a real word? Well, I have. Well. Well. Well.

Anyway, there’s a lot to admire about this build. the use of half-circle tiles and rounded 1×2 plates make for a smooth and well-rounded stone exterior. The use of robot arms on the roof add just the right touch of visual interest and Viking-style. I also like the rocky exterior to the display base. It creates the feeling of a much larger scene without making things feel like you’re looking at the cut off top of a hill.

Back in January, we featured another of Marcin’s builds that include a similar well design. Check it out to see how well it works in context!

With 100 magazine foil bags, the sky is the limit

Most builders love a good challenge, but everyone loves free LEGO. Such was my reaction when my LEGO user group, Brickish, selected me to represent them in a build challenge. In this friendly competition amongst UK and Ireland-based LUGs, the task was to build anything using the parts provided in 100 LEGO Star Wars magazine foil packs. These were provided by Fairy Bricks charity, and contained 10 each of 10 small sets. I (Mansur “Waffles” Soeleman) challenged myself to take these small Star Wars models and… not build anything Star Wars related. There weren’t much of the usual grey bits anyway. So I had my next favourite thing in mind: microscale architecture.

I had no plan going into this build challenge. But the parts provided were surprisingly good – lots of small bits that I use in my building style. I knew I was going to surprised myself with the finished results, and I did, for such is the nature of any challenge. It definitely produced a beautiful build I am most proud of: The Voyage to Cirrus Palace.