Yearly Archives: 2020

Doggone adorable prairie dogs [Video]

These little LEGO fellers are cute as all heck! In true JK Brickworks fashion, builder duo Jason Allemann and Kristal give us not one, or two, but four critters with entirely different movements. It’s a bit maddening that they make it look so gosh darn easy. These simple mechanisms come together in a fun and unique display of kinetic magic.

Of course, standing still in the picture above doesn’t do them justice. But as soon as you see them move, you’ll be captivated. Click the link below to watch the full video!

Click to see how it works!

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The Star Wars StarFortress is loaded and ready

The sequel Star Wars movies brought us the MG-100 StarFortress SF-17 Bomber. Nevermind trying to figure out how bombs can drop in the vacuum of zero-gravity space. Forget that they seemed to be dangerous fiery tinderboxes that would engulf its crew and anyone else within farting distance. They were neat and rather imposing visually, and when it comes to selling movie tickets and merchandise, that’s all that matters, really. Thomas Jenkins gives the Resistance bomber the LEGO midi-scale treatment and the result is quite good. LEGO sold us a minifig scale 75188 Resistance Bomber back in 2017 with, I would imagine, some moderate success. But this model, though smaller, seems to portray its shaping and proportions better. It just goes to show that you don’t need a massive payload of bricks to drop an accurate looking bomber like this one.

Picturing LEGO: Using LEGO bricks to tell a story through photography [Feature]

This week, we have guest writer Jonah Schultz who has been a fan of LEGO since he was 3 years old and became more active in the community again in 2015. He is a student of medieval and modern history and French literature and is very much into photography. He also enjoys learning about other people’s outlook on the hobby and marvels at the diversity, creativity, and warmth of the community.

Storytelling and LEGO are two terms that go very well together, don’t they? Indeed, both the LEGO Group and LEGO enthusiasts have made storytelling a key element to creating with LEGO bricks over the years.

Click to read more

George Floyd was human, just like us

LEGO builder and Instagram user Pedro Sequeira reminds us that George Floyd was…a human, just like us. George’s May 25th death, his suffocation under the knee of a police officer, has sparked outrage around the globe. This phenomenon is not new, not by a longshot. People of color have not had an easy go, or even a fair go, in the US and elsewhere. Peaceful protests, while admirable, often go unheard, and can in turn sometimes lead to violence and looting, which is also not the answer. This leaves us wondering what can be done to enact change — real lasting change. If leadership cannot address civil injustice at their level then it is often best to begin to enact change ourselves with our votes and our wallets. Treating others fairly should be a no-brainer but often this requires the help of grassroots organizations, and the SPLC and the ACLU come to mind as good places to start. Please support them if you can.

LEGO 71703 Ninjago Legacy: Storm Fighter Battle [Review]

The LEGO Ninjago theme has been around for nearly a decade and spans over 50 released sets. The “Legacy” sub-theme is LEGO’s way of bringing back classic Ninjago offerings, which is usually a win for both new and old fans. The summer 2020 set 71703 Storm Fighter Battle is interesting in that it’s a Legacy version of a Legacy set. In 2019 we got 70668 Jay’s Storm Fighter, the reissue of 2012’s 9442 Jay’s Storm Fighter. But this 2020 version is a “4+” simplified build, making this a very different take on the vehicle. This set also comes with Serpentine Quad bike (likely a call back to 2012’s 9445 Fangpyre Truck Ambush) and a temple holding the Sword of Fire. The set’s 165 pieces are rounded out by three minifigures: Kai, Jay, and Lasha. This set became available on June 1st, and retails for US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £24.99. Is this “juniorized” version worth the price or time? Read on to see what we thought!

Click to read the full hands-on review

The iconic Wooden Duck is the next LEGO House exclusive set [News]

As reported by Brickset today, the collection of the LEGO House exclusive sets is about to get one set bigger with the release of the next limited edition product, 40501 The Wooden Duck. The original wooden LEGO duck was designed in the 1930s, and since then has become one of the main symbols of the toy manufacturer.

It is safe to assume that the new set will be available only in the LEGO House brand store once it is open again from June 22. Meanwhile, you can build your own copy of the set using the building guide available online directly from LEGO.

The new Wooden Duck exclusive set is the next in the series of LEGO House exclusive sets, which started with 21037 LEGO House set in 2017 and was continued with 4000026 LEGO House Tree of Creativity and 40366 LEGO House Dinosaurs. However, this is not the first LEGO building set commemorating the bird. Another one was gifted to the company employees back in 2011 as 2011 Duck.

How many LEGO studs can you spot?

The everyday objects built with LEGO bricks can be a visual eye-candy, especially when it’s built to perfection. How many LEGO studs can you spot in this creation? Yes, go, right now, count them all before you read this article to the end. There’s a sense of ASMR even though this is a static image built by Roman. My eyes just want to gloss all overlooking for imperfections in arrangement and alignment and how they all fit together almost naturally. And, just in case you thought you found it all, don’t forget to count the one on the door knocker built with the Yellow Lantern piece smacked right in the center!

Black lives matter, even among privileged LEGO builders [Editorial]

Here at The Brothers Brick, we’ve taken “political” stands on matters of peace and justice for as long as the LEGO building community has created LEGO art that communicates an important message, whether that message was in support of marriage equality way back in 2006 or freedom of discourse in response to the Charlie Hebdo massacre in 2015. Dave Kaleta joins a chorus of people around the world who choose not to remain silent in these excruciating, infuriating times.

From a LEGO build perspective, Dave uses largely disconnected white slopes, tiles, and plates to surround solidly attached black bricks. Dave also leverages the new range of small curved tiles to create the lettering along the bottom of the mosaic. But the build and its techniques are hardly what grab my attention.

A few thoughts on the intersection of LEGO, art, politics, and privilege

What does it take to be human?

This out-of-this-worldly LEGO creation entitled “Trying to be human” by Grant Davis is a mechanical humanoid meditating and presumably figuring out what makes us all tick. What’s the lure of being a human when you can process googol calculations in a second and perhaps never die? It seems way more interesting than a fragile human life that ends so easily. My take is, if a non-human entity is able to figure out and become more human-like, I’d say we’re in big trouble!

Behind the scenes of Brick Sketches: An interview with LEGO designer Chris McVeigh [Feature]

Last week, we had a chance to talk to Chris McVeigh, the designer of the new Brick Sketches series. Chris developed the concept of Brick Sketches long before joining the LEGO Group last year. Now he tells us more about his first major release as a LEGO designer.

Read our interview with LEGO Brick Sketches designer Chris McVeigh

TBB cover photo for June 2020: The General Store with Everything

This month’s cover photo, from Andrea Lattanzio, brings us this blast from the past with an incredibly detailed LEGO general store. The diorama is littered with items you might find at a remote general store, and luckily Andrea provides a close up look at the details (see below). Candy machines, phone booths, tools, and gas, this general store has you covered no matter your needs.

Here’s that closer look at some of the items you’ll see surrounding the general store. The water tower is a clear standout, but some of the other details like the power pole, the cable holding up the chimney pipe, and the cat going after that bird nest. This entire scene is a delight to take in.

Want to see your own LEGO creation featured across TBB social media for a month? Check out the submission guidelines and submit your photo today.

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