Mitsuru Nikaido has been busy creating quite a mechanical menagerie. The latest member of his mecha-petting zoo is a triceratops like you’ve never seen before. I normally find the triceratops to be an adorable, huggable creature. But Mitsuru’s trademark white armor-plating style makes him look like a machine ready for war. I imagine there’s not much the enemy could throw at this beast to slow it down. (But, I’ll be honest, I kinda still want to give him a hug.)
LEGO creations by Jonas Kramm never cease to amaze us here at The Brothers Brick. For Jonas’ latest creation, inspiration was drawn from the San Juan level of the ‘Shadow of the Tomb Raider’ game featuring Lara Croft. Jonas’ eye for detail is exquisite as usual. We get lots of architectural details including several brick built bells. The smaller bells feature the Scala round brick with flower edges. The bun slope gets used as roof top shingles and there is an intricate iron framework placed in the bell tower created out of droid arms and burnt sausages. The ingot bar is used to create some urban decay and if you look closely at the church door, you’ll notice the ingot bar is used there in combination with the pyramid tile to represent the detailed woodwork of the door. On the left we see a grave that gives access to a beach cave where we can spot a small nod to the LEGO Islanders from the nineties. Somehow I feel like booking a vacation to San Juan now…
LEGO has announced the latest set in the Ideas theme – and it’s a brick-built recreation of one of the most iconic video game levels ever – the Green Hills Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog. Conceived by Viv Grannell and packed with details and Easter eggs, the LEGO Ideas 21331 Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone comes with will 1125 pieces. It be available on the 1st of January 2022 for US $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £59.99.
Click to have a closer look at the Green Hill Zone
In my experience, bonsai trees are kind of fragile. But this sturdy specimen from Louis of Nutwood isn’t phased by harsh weather. With a snowy covering on the autumn-hued leaves, this tiny tree is ready for a long winter’s nap. I really like the evocative colors, the twisting trunk, and the tiny lantern on the edge of the pot.
This bonsai started life as part of a larger build, Louis’ Toro Nagashi Temple. It’s a great example of how removing a section of a larger creation can completely transform how its seen; in the temple scene this is “just” a full-sized tree. But recontextualize it and suddenly you’ve got a desk-sized botanical that could go head-to-head with LEGO’s own 10281 Bonsai Tree. Check out our bonsai tag for even more pint-sized greatness!
The collaborative community of the LEGO fanbase is fed by builders sharing their techniques and designs. Builder Magnus W was inspired to build a model of his old Yamaha DT50MX based on the Technic frame of builder George Panteleon’s Yamaha XT550. Full of details, plenty of which are personal to the builder, this model makes itself distinct while still hitting all the right notes. I’m sure building it was a nostalgia-flavored treat.
In the cinematic versions of the Ghostbusters, the Ecto-1 started out life as a 1959 Cadillac. Tony Bovkoon has taken a different car out for the same ride, instead decking out a Vaz Lada 2104 from the 1980’s. This amazing cosplay has the classic color and accessories of the movie vehicle, and features a detailed interior that shows the love this creation had, inside and out.
Those look like custom stickers on the hood and doors and on the “HEKTO 1” license plate, which is an amusing pun (некто in Russian stands for “someone”). Nice details that take this model to the next level.
Want more great Ecto-1 builds? Check out our review of the UCS-scaled 10274 or take a dive through our Ghostbusters archives.
We continue our tour of the January 2022 Ninjago EVO with the first of the “6+” age range offerings. LEGO Ninjago 71760 Jay’s Thunder Dragon EVO will be available January 1st from the LEGO Shop Online for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99. LEGO designer Niek van Slagmaat shared on Twitter how the 6+ age range is the targeted demographic for the EVO line, a group that’s usually under-represented in Ninjago fans. This 140 piece set includes the Thunder Dragon and two minifigures – will that be enough to tempt the younger crowd? How about the (sometimes much, much) older Ninjago fans out there? Read on and judge for yourself!
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 the full hands-on review
Nothing says “happy holidays” quite like Tainstvennyy glaz, a creature build by Kevin H. I mean, I think it’s saying “Happy Holidays”, but man, that’s one thick accent. Described by Kevin as the “Master of machinations, connoisseur of exotic tat, and a virtuoso of the virtual realm!”, T-Glaz is super glamourous with expertly arranged Bionicle masks, creepy black tentacles, and angelic wings. And then there’s the golden lollypop and frog under glass accessories. Bon Appetit!
This build was inspired by the creations of Ivan Martynov, and served as a very unique Secret Santa gift to Ivan from Kevin. Doesn’t that just get you into the gift-giving mood? I mean, maybe it’s a little late for that this year, but there’s plenty of time to get building for next time. And if you need inspiration, just check out our Bionicle tag for more stellar creations!
Watching the Harry Potter films is somewhat of a holiday tradition for my family. Builder Castor Troy has surely seen the films plenty of times because his model of Gringotts bank is spot on. The size and bulk of the build match perfectly to the Minifigure Ron and Harry hanging out by the large front doors. The leaning columns that make the face of the bank so distinct are wonderfully captured. The dome capping it all off is actually Yavin-4 from the second series of the Star Wars Planets. I have to commend that parts usage due to its marbling of greens and gold. It perfectly matches the gold detailing around it and the bank as a whole. The architectural style of the building is well built, full of detail and prestige.
Harry and Ron are probably off to spend their holiday money amongst the shops of Diagon Alley. Hopefully, they get something practical in addition to the sweets, Quidditch gear, and joke supplies. Then again, it is Ron and Harry.
The iconic LEGO wooden duck, which was one of the first toys produced by Ole Kirk Kristiansen and his team, has to be one of the most famous ducks in the world. Still, we don’t see modern brick-built versions that often! Based on the original toy and the last year’s 40501 The Wooden Duck, the recent mini-build by Christian Rau is simply adorable. Thanks to the great use of printed eye tiles and its open beak, this duck is as funny as an under-50-piece creation can be.
What’s peculiar, it’s not the first mini wooden duck we’ve seen; you might remember another version by Adeel Zubair. It’s amazing how different the builds are even though both are so tiny!
Sometimes when we have the opportunity to review a set, we start off only knowing the set number. Upon reading 80108, we knew that this one had to be special. In Chinese culture, 8 is a very lucky number – and this palindrome is even better! Of course, it would refer to LEGO Chinese New Year 80108 Lunar New Year Traditions. This set is a symphony of holiday customs and culture. Join us as we learn about every facet of this model. The set has 1066 pieces, including 12 minifigures. It will be available January 10th for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £59.99.
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.
I know it may be a bit confusing: the latest BX T1+ by Martin Vala looks way too clean for a Dakar rally car. There are no patches of sand all over the fenders, no dents from multiple high-speed accidents. But let’s seize the moment and enjoy the brilliant design of the car’s body and chassis before it starts its journey among the dunes. The neat combination of LEGO Technic wheel arch panels with System elements is perfect, but I genuinely wonder what the car would look like with different liveries, such as sponsors’ logos and a racing number. This would totally take this particularly realistic build to the whole other level.
And if you feel like checking out Martins’ Flickr gallery, do not miss out on the additional shots of the car revealing the chassis.
