Yearly Archives: 2021

Prickly pine cones of winter

Even the most experienced squirrel would struggle to break into these pine cones! Skillfully created by Amado Canlas Pinlac, the three pine cones have realistic shapes with a sprinkling of snow upon them. Claw pieces are heavily featured in the builds and portray the segmented sections of the pine cones. Surprisingly, ice-cream parts have been used to represent the pointed tips, which provides the models with an organic look to them. These pine cones could easily be used as Christmas ornaments and would fit in comfortably with other decorations hanging from a tree.

Pine Cones

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TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for December 25, 2021

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the fourth week of December 2021.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS TBB’s intrepid writers and reviewers delivered up dissections of a batch of new LEGO sets for your reading pleasure, and put together the shortlist of nominees for Best Creation of 2021. Also, the daily surprises from LEGO’s advent calendars came to an end this week leading into Christmas.

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Walkers in a winter wonderland

Pascal Hetzel wants to remind us that even the evil Empire gets into the Christmas spirit. That’s why these microscale AT-ATs have been outfitted in festive sweaters and ordered to leave some presents just outside the Rebels’ base on Hoth. There’s so much life to the walkers in this vignette. The head tilts and the tracks left in the snow make it feel like a scene from a stop-motion Christmas special. Maybe they’re going caroling next. “It’s Beginning to Look AT-AT Like Christmas.”

My Micro AT-AT wishes you a Merry Christmas ????????

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This large-scale Christmas scene looks like a cozy place to enjoy some eggnog.

At first glance, you might not realize this idyllic holiday scene is made from LEGO. That’s because builder aukbricks has made use of roughly 14,000 digital bricks to render a spacious living room at a scale large enough to trick the eye. I’m particularly impressed by the mosaic hanging on the wall, made using the tips of bar elements. Although this model is a computer rendering, aukbricks assures us that only existing bricks/colors were used. So, you can build this yourself in reality…assuming Santa brings you enough LEGO this year. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

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Happiness is a puppy under the Christmas tree

Dog owners know how much joy a new doggie brings to the household. They can be a lot of work at times, they get into things you wouldn’t even imagine, but when your new pup finally settles in that’s when the magic happens. LEGO builder Timofey Tkachev likely knows what I mean as evidenced by this darling little fur baby under the tree. That playful expression, the squeaky ball, even the DOTS watchband used as a collar are all brilliant details.

Puppy 3

You can see this precious little scamp from all angles with this short video.

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Moon Train Station is in a theme of its own

The latest LEGO build by Ilya Zubashev appears to be a theme of its own. We get a train station which would qualify this build as a train-themed build. But then again there is a model of the moon on top of the train station. The ground is rocky, grey, and filled with craters, just like the moon. So this is either a train station to the moon or a train station on the moon. Which would qualify this as a space build. When we take a closer look at one of the figures, we find a dwarf. The architecture of the station looks Victorian or older and quite castle-like, which would make this a castle-themed build. Could it be steampunk?

Moon Train Station

I don’t know, but I do know that I really like it. One of the things that stand out the most to me is the use of the raised snake as an architectural detail near the door. The combination of the viking wheel and the Big Ben clock dish. And last but not least, the design of the lamp posts using the fishbowl helmet.

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Get cosy with this comfy winter cottage

Daniel Cloward has constructed this charming winter scene featuring a cottage on a snow-covered hill. This LEGO build has an organic feeling about it, created through the curves in the rounded hill and the sloping angles of the cottage. The use of light purple on the roof is unusual but effective, as it blends in with the background sky. Claws form the leaves of the trees with the white pieces portraying snow steadily dripping off the leaves. It’s probably best to get inside quick and snuggle down by the fire, with a cup of hot chocolate at hand.

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2021 LEGO Advent Calendars, Day 24

Happy holidays to all of our fellow LEGO builders! As is tradition, we at The Brothers Brick will be opening our advent calendars as we count down to Christmas. We’ll also be sharing commentary on each one, which we hope will provide insight and hilarity to your holiday season!

It’s finally Christmas Eve, which means today we’ll be opening the last Advent Calendar door on all five LEGO calendars: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, City, and Friends. Let’s see what was in store for Day 24!
Continue reading →

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Shortlist announced for The Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2021 [News]

The year 2021 was challenging in many ways, to say the least. However, LEGO builders also took on new challenges like never before, channeling their creativity in new and delightful ways. The year brought us thousands of fascinating models, from tiny dioramas to the largest collaborative projects. The Brothers Brick team has taken a look back over the last 12 months and pulled together our selection of the best LEGO creations of 2021 for our sixth annual LEGO Creation of the Year award.

Take a look at the fantastic models we’ve shortlisted, and stay tuned for the announcement of our LEGO Creation of the Year 2021 on New Year’s Eve!

Be sure to check out the LEGO Creation of the Year 2020, LEGO Creation of the Year 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016 to see what honourable company this year’s nominations are keeping.

Click to see all of 2021’s nominees

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Taking nice part usage a bridge too far

Eero Okkonen isn’t a stranger when it comes to using LEGO parts in an interesting way. For this episode of LEGO nice parts usage the star is the rope bridge. A part first used in 1989 that only appeared in 13 sets. In this case, Eero used the rope bridge as an architectural detail over a gateway. Using trans clear 2×2 slopes for windows is a really smart little detail. We often see trans bricks used for windows but never slopes. Mostly because the side of the slope that is placed at an angle isn’t as clear as the rest of the brick due to its texture. Also, the tube in the middle of the brick is quite noticeable. Something you do not want if you are looking for a piece to represent glass. But not all glass is transparent and smooth. Sometimes glass is textured and semi-transparent or decorated in one way or another. The brown tower rooftop looks like an absolute hell to construct and it is nice to see how it matches the other little turrets with its sand green tip. I can not finish this article without mentioning the ingot bars used for brickwork.

Mesilinna

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What do you get when you cross an elephant and a fountain?

Sometimes you just want to have fun, like LEGO builder W. Navarre clearly did when building this amusing vignetter of a hunter getting his comeuppance from a delightfully chibi elephant. The scene playing out here is great, but I’m mostly enthralled by the excellent elephant, who is completely adorable right down to the toenails. I’m also loving how good those grey Mixels eye tiles work turned sideways.

The Risks of Elephant Hunting

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Will you find this magnificent insectoid creeping around in your garden?

LEGO builder Djokson has constructed this model of a striking white insectoid. The creature has a spindly frame, with thin arms and legs, however there is a sense of a threatening aura in those gleaming red eyes. The magnificent crown of horns on its head implies that this creature is the leader of a hive and even looks as though it could have potential for being a type of Pokémon, I’d want one on my team! One of the most interesting techniques used is the application of handcuffs to create the chest as they are stacked up and placed on horn pieces.

Dissector Dam'nakk

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