Yearly Archives: 2020

Your guide to the 130 new LEGO sets now available for June 2020 including the Technic Lamborghini and more [News]

Summer 2020 has arrived, and LEGO has launched 130 new sets and items available today. Fans of Technic, Creator 3-in-1, City, Friends, Architecture, Hidden Side and more have a lot to choose from. The new Technic Lamborghini is also available today as well as a slew of exclusive polybags not previously available from LEGO’s online store and a Hogwarts Students booster pack. Nearly every LEGO theme has some new sets–it can be a lot to process!– so we have your complete guide right here detailing each and every new set and item.

Because LEGO releases summer waves at different times across the globe, the majority of these sets are available now in the UK. You can see the complete list of all 130 sets and items after the jump. Sets with a Red Indicator are currently available in the US and Canada as well (61 in total). The Americas will get access to the rest of the sets later this summer.

LEGO is also offering a free gift-with-purchase of 40409 Hot Rod with purchases more than US $85 | CAN $85 | UK £85 through June 21st or while supplies last. You can check out our review of 40409 Hot Rod to see if you want to add it to your collection.

See the entire June 2020 wave of new LEGO sets now available

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A cozy cabin where you can play through the winter

We might be heading into the summer up here in the northern hemisphere, but this LEGO model by Little John is all about cuddling up by the fire as the cold nights draw in. This rustic cabin makes for a cozy home for a family and their pets. They seem to be LEGO fans too, maybe even collectors, judging by the set boxes on display around the room. There’s an excellent use of printed tiles as pictures throughout the scene, and the furniture is simple but in keeping with the rest of the interior. I dread to think how long it took to put that floor together; it’s made entirely of brown plates in a selection of shades — an effective way to create a wooden floor look. My favorite detail is the boy playing with the toy castle — check out the wonderful little dragon with which he’s threatening the ramparts.

Nothing fishy about this sushi ship

Hungry? Grab your chopsticks and get tucked in to Anakin Skywalker 2012‘s LEGO sushi. Brought to your table in a classic serving boat, there are all kinds of sushi delights to enjoy. This looks like a complete feast, with the palette of bright LEGO colors making for an appetizing spread — and who’d have thought shiny black tiles (normally so difficult to photograph well) would look so good as the gleaming seaweed wraps on the maki rolls. The serving boat is excellent, too, with a smattering of discolored tan bricks included to create the impression of a well-used piece of serving ware. And if you’re thirsty, there’s nothing better than a flask of sake to share with a friend. Presented all together, this is one tasty piece of LEGO building.

Stalking through the night with the MH-47 Chinook

Way back in 2008, I built a LEGO US Army Chinook helicopter. It was one of my first models to be featured on The Brothers Brick, long before I became a contributor. While I do take older models apart every now and then, I kept this one around. It has been sitting on one of my shelves almost unchanged for years. It still looks decent, but LEGO has moved on and so have I. A lot of new parts offer possibilities that I simply didn’t have more than a decade ago. In 2018 I completely rebuilt my Pave Low helicopter, also originally from 2008, using new parts and techniques. Now I have turned my attention to the Chinook.

There was a bit of snag, though. I built the original using old dark grey, a color that LEGO stopped making in 2004 because it looked unattractively dirty or muddy. Muddy is great for a military model, and old dark grey was a nice match for the olive drab color of most US Army helicopters. Unfortunately, since LEGO stopped making this color, none of the new parts, such as curved slopes, cheese slopes, and brackets, that are so useful when building aircraft and helicopter models exist in old dark grey. So, I had to pick a Chinook variant in a color in which these are available.

Fortunately, the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), nicknamed the “Night Stalkers,” has been flying special operations versions of the Chinook, called the MH-47, for decades. Most of these are black, which is perfect in terms of parts. They also have a lot of features that regular Chinooks usually lack, such as much larger extended-range fuel tanks alongside the cabin, an air-to-air refueling probe and radar and laser warning receivers and various other antennae dotted around on the outside. Adding all of those details made this a more challenging and interesting build. The end result looks like an angry beast.

A pretty pair of parakeets

Ah, love is in the air! In India, it’s the tail end of the breeding season for the ring-necked parakeets. These sweet birds are busy raising this year’s youngsters, and looking good while doing it! Leave it to Felix Jaensch to immortalize a pair in LEGO. Many times over, we’ve seen gorgeous animals from Felix, but they continue to impress us. For me, I think I’m most appreciative of the fact that he can show us the same bird in twenty different poses, and they’ll all look great. The realism is exceptional.

While you’re here, I definitely recommend taking a look at Felix’s other animals. We’ve featured many of his creations, but in the spirit of this avian duo, how about some birds? To list a few, check out a magpie, a blue and gold macaw, a kestrel, and even another parrot with a baby (plus a toucan for good measure).

Do you even lift, bro?

I was just blasting my quads when I saw this little LEGO diorama by NS Brick Designs. And by “blasting my quads” I mean laughing at dachshund videos, checking out creations for potential write-ups, and updating my Netflix queue. While I may be a master of multi-tasking, there is no actual quad-blasting in this household. Despite having no children I have a bit of a “dad bod” thing going on here. But this minifig has abs you can grate cheese with, whatever that means. He dedicates much of his time to building muscle mass and cardio and not so much watching Netflix. Kudos to you if you’re into it. I’ve tried running once but all the ice kept spilling out of my cocktail. Anyway, sweet kettlebells though. I actually know what those are. Are you surprised?

LEGO adds to Super Mario theme, revealing four new Power-Up expansion packs [News]

LEGO has unveiled four small expansion packs for the upcoming LEGO Super Mario theme that integrates a large digital Mario figurine with a buildable game course. These expansions, called Power-Up Packs, are priced at $9.99 USD and will require the base Super Mario Starter Pack set that was developed in conjunction with Nintendo. The new expansions add more costumes for the world’s most famous plumber, adding a cat suit, builder outfit, propeller beanie, and fire suit, but don’t include the actual Mario figurine from the Starter Set. They join three previously announced LEGO Super Mario expansions that are much larger, which along with a small polybag set bring the theme’s total to nine sets revealed so far. All of the sets are slated to be available Aug. 1, and the Starter Pack is available to pre-order now for US $59.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £49.99.

Click here to check out all the details

When we all learned to sit thought the credits

After a long, hard afternoon of repelling alien invasions, sometimes you just need to sit down for some shawarma. This virtual LEGO build by Lego_nuts captures this quiet post-credits moment from the first Avengers film in exquisite detail. I love the details hidden among the carnage like the printed 1×1 round tiles in the vending machine. And making the fries out of LEGO Rocks works pretty well, too. It really does just look like a still frame from the movie.

Composed 2385 bricks, the scene took 15 hours to build. If you’re interested in how this shot was…dare I say it?….assembled, you’ll enjoy this video that goes through the entire process.

Three new Powered Up Technic hubs and motors will be available from LEGO in June [News]

LEGO is releasing three new individuals Powered Up components nest week. according to a post published by the design team. Until now, the LEGO Technic Powered Up components have only been available to buy as part of the sets, like 76112 App-Controlled Batmobile, LEGO City trains 60197 and 60198, or LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader, and many builders have been interested in having the electronic components available to be sold separately–especially with sets like the new 10237 Haunted House having optional motorized abilities.

The three Powered Up components will be available June 1st from LEGO, so keep an eye out for our New LEGO Set Guide for June coming out soon. Prices range from USD $40 to $90.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for May 30, 2020 [News]

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 May 2020.

We’re taking an inside tour of Baron Von Baron’s Haunted House. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS: This week we saw the announcement of the new Technic Lamborghini, celebrated LEGO’s Webby Award, heard from LEGO CMO Julia Goldin and reviewed three new sets including the Fairground collection Haunted House!

LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sián supercar officially unveiled – LEGO and Lamborghini have announced the long-awaited LEGO Technic 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37
LEGO DOTS summer 2020 sets now available – All the new LEGO DOTS sets are now available including a bracelet mega-pack with classic space tile, three sets, three individual bracelets and a second tile expansion pack.
LEGO brings home the People’s Voice Winner for the 2020 Webby Awards – Congratulations to LEGO on snagging a Webby Award for 2019’s viral video featuring an orchestra of R2-D2 droids.
LEGO Education sets now available online for a limited time – LEGO Education Sets are available generally for a limited time and also qualify for VIP points if you want a bit of LEGO to help in learning from home.
LEGO CMO Julia Goldin shares personal message to LEGO fan community – Julia Goldin, LEGO Chief Marketing Officer, thanks the LEGO fan community for sharing their creativity through difficult times.

TBB REVIEWS: New LEGO sets are coming just around the corner and we have three hands-on reviews for your reading delight.

LEGO Creator Expert 10273 Haunted House from the Fairground Collection [Review] – From Baron von Barron’s ill-gotten treasures to the clever new ride, check out all the details inside!
LEGO 40409 Hot Rod Gift With Purchase [Review] – Jump right into our review to see if this is something you’d want to add to your car collection.
LEGO 45549 Minions: Unstoppable Bike Chase [Review] – Minions: The Rise of Gru may not be out yet, but LEGO has released a couple of early sets.

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:

LEGO House will soon be open, LEGO House – From 22 June 2020, LEGO House will once again be buzzing with life and cheerful guests!
Contest Winners – Music to our ears!, LEGO Ideas – The time has finally come to reveal the results of the Music to our ears fan vote!
Why it took five years to build LEGO Super Mario, GamesIndustry.biz – The only brief was: do something that only these two companies could do together.
LEGO Ventures: Digital play beyond the brick, GamesIndustry.biz – LEGO Ventures’ Robert Lowe discusses opportunities for games developers in the digital space
LEGO Group Ties With NITI Aayog to Promote Play-based Learning, India.com – The collaboration is part of the LEGO Group and LEGO Foundation’s overall commitment of $50 million globally to help children and their families impacted by COVID 19.

Pampered Panda

When you think about pandas, what characteristics come to mind? Cute, cuddly, fuzzy, playful, sleepy, chubby? If they could talk, what do think they would say? Seeing as they spend most of their waking hours eating, I’d say it’d involve food. And if a panda was able to operate a phone, he/she would almost certainly order vegetarian takeout ASAP. Ian Hou must feel the same because he built this adorable snacking panda out of LEGO for the world to enjoy. How could you not love that big round belly, sweet face, and adorable bow tie?

Click to see more builds by Ian (AKA DOGOD Brick Design).

Construct your own Connect 4 with LEGO parts [Instructions]

This brings back so many memories of a time where there were no such things as digital devices to distract us from actually engaging with family and having fun! Connect 4 is a classic game that many can relate to and I bet that’s exactly why builder Tiago Catarino put this together.

Click to see the full video instructions