We’re all familiar with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Probably everyone reading this can sum it up in just a few words: Magic beans, giant’s castle, golden goose. But how many of us could tell the story in brick form as well as Markus Rollbühler has? Considering this vignette sits on just a 12×12 footprint, it’s amazing how much technique is packed into it. From the books and their detailed pages, to the microscale farmland, to the magic castle in the clouds. I’m particularly enamored with the use of Clone Trooper helmet antennae as a windmill. And that brick built “J” replicating a medieval drop cap is the sort of detail that makes this small vignette a giant-sized success.
Yearly Archives: 2021
A wand-erfully whimsical scene in an island storm
A book can be a welcome escape in times of stress, or, for Eli Willsea, a book can also be a roof for an island hut. However, considering the gusts of wind bending those chunky trees, this roof might not make it through the night. And speaking of trees, I love the cartoonish look of these trees made from cones and gnarled trunks. The hut is held aloft as if by magic by four wands, and the nearby boat puts the plastic sprue that comes with another pair of wands to good use as a mast, demonstrating that even parts LEGO themselves consider waste can be put to good use in builds.
Warhammer Gyrobomber dishes out the ordnance
Though I’ve never dabbled in the Warhammer universe, I’ve appreciated the art, figurines, and inspiration that it’s provided to its fanbase. This render of a Gyrobomber built by Dwalin Forkbeard was inspired by the Dwarven flying machines in Warhammer Fantasy Battles. Piloted by only one dwarf, the dual-rotor machine features plenty of artillery to lay waste to the battlefield. The curves of the cockpit are wonderfully modeled with brick-built sections and angled plates. Golden and brass details embellish the body and contrast the light and dark bluish-grey pieces of the mechanical sections. The different-sized doors used for rotor blades are an inventive element of the model, as well as the golden crown used as an exhaust port.
The view of the tail reveals the main engine behind the cockpit. I appreciate the variety of pieces that Dwalin used to model this steam-powered design. The attention to detail is fantastic and the form of the model is alluring. The information he provides really shows you how formidable this bomber could be with just one brave pilot.
LEGO Star Wars 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter features Bo-Katan Kryz & Gar Saxon [Review]
In addition to all the LEGO sets from The Mandalorian, LEGO is also releasing a pair of LEGO Star Wars sets from The Clone Wars. We’ve already reviewed the smallest set in the summer 2021 wave, 75310 Duel on Mandalore, so today we’re taking a look at 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter, featuring a vehicle and characters seen in both The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series. The set includes 544 pieces with three minifigs and is available now for US $59.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £49.99.
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.
Read our full review of LEGO Star Wars 75316 Mandalorian Starfighter
Get away from it all and ponder the meaning of life
Builder Andreas Lenander gives us a place to ponder the imponderables at the Jaz’ira Monastery. This secluded island getaway has it all, including great building techniques, intricate details, and even an elusive LEGO goat. There’s also wallpaper from Wayne Manor in the tower, suggesting this island may hold some dark secrets. Or that Andreas just like making use of unusual parts and liked the pattern. Who are we to say? What we can say, though, is that the detailing on the roof tiles is stellar, and the teal and gold accents on the second tower are equally elegant. I also like the disconnected splash of transparent blue 1×2 tile around the base – sometimes you don’t need to attach everything to make a scene feel connected.
This creation was inspired by the monastery category in this year’s Summer Joust event. Check out other great builds we’ve featured from that competition!
Monster murals under a microscale urban jungle
Architects of tomorrow see solutions to many problems facing society today and modern concrete jungles often lack the greenery that people need to escape. One solution exemplified here in the sixth microscale architectural model by builder F@bz is elevated green spaces and this one seems to be thriving. The bright green vines lifted from Friends sets and the myriad of leaf pieces create overgrown foliage that contrasts the dark grey, tan, and black of the city structure below.
The slanted supports for the sky park give way to exposed bits of railway leading out from underpasses and tunnels through the metropolis. Thankfully, the dark colors of the city are accented by playful bits of graffiti achieved by using various printed bricks. The expressions and colors that F@bz used for the art work well with the textures of the walls. Tiny details of brown and sand yellow make up the area around the lower train tracks with bright red fencing along one side and a smaller guard wall at the base of the graffiti wall. The little trains work wonderfully with the scene. I wish I could sit back in one of the top seats and take in the view of the rising cityscape above me.
BrickCon 2021 LEGO fan convention tickets are now available [News]
Tickets for BrickCon 2021 are available starting today. The LEGO fan convention will take place in the heart of Seattle from Oct. 1-3, 2021, and will feature a hybrid model with in-person registration limited to the first 400 vaccinated adult fans, as well as many activities and games available for those who wish to attend virtually. BrickCon 2021 tickets to the adult fan in-person convention are $85 and grant access to the full 3-day convention, games, prizes, a goodie bag, and more. Starting Sept. 1, tickets to the hybrid virtual convention will be available for $25, along with public tickets for Saturday and Sunday.
Learn more about BrickCon 2021 in the original announcement.
The Brothers Brick is proud to be a sponsor of BrickCon.
LEGO Ideas 40487 Sailboat Adventure is the new fan-designed Gift with Purchase [Review]
A few times a year, LEGO dips into the vast sea of fan-designed content on the Ideas platform to find a smaller set suitable for a free gift with purchase for customers, such as 40448 Vintage Car. The Summer 2021 example is 40487 Sailboat Adventure, designed by fan Yan Chevalier as part of a LEGO Ideas fan competition. The 330-piece set is available to LEGO VIPs starting today with minimum US $200 | CAN $200 | UK £200 purchases from LEGO stores and the LEGO website— check out all the new LEGO sets for August 2021 available today. Starting Aug. 4, it will be available to non-VIP members as well, and the promo is slated to run through Aug. 29. Let’s take this set for a sail and see if it’s seaworthy.
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.
Read the full, hands-on review
LEGO 2021 Summer sets now available for sale including the new Volkswagen Camper Van and the Darth Vader Meditation Chamber [News]
The US summer wave of LEGO sets is now available for purchase on LEGO online store including popular themes such as Star Wars, Minecraft, Creator Expert and LEGO Ideas.
LEGO Star Wars 75319 The Armorer’s Mandalorian Forge – Mando gets his signet [Review]
LEGO continues to expand its range of sets based on the Disney+ TV series The Mandalorian, with several LEGO Star Wars Mandalorian sets launching this summer. Joining the previously announced sets, 75319 The Armorer’s Mandalorian Forge includes 258 pieces with three minifigures and will retail for US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £27.99 beginning September 1, with preorders available now.
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.
Read our hands-on review of LEGO Star Wars 75319 The Armorer’s Mandalorian Forge
LEGO 76196 Marvel Advent Calendar 2021 unveiled [News]
Earlier this year we had a partial look at the upcoming Marvel Advent Calendar 2021 countdown to Christmas. We now get a complete and detailed look at all the Minifigures and mini-builds that will be available later this year.
Something old, something new, something golden, something transparent light blue
Something just clicks in Sundown at Pheron 4Y — an eerie landscape from Bart De Dobbelaer. It might just be the Clikits rings and bracelets in the towers, but I think it’s more about the moody atmosphere and quality building. But there sure are a lot of vintage transparent light-blue Clikits parts in there if you really squint. My favorite usage has to be the Clikits beads in the golden Ninjago-hilt topped spires. Speaking of gold elements, there are a lot of interesting ones there, too. From minifigure weapons to Knights-Kingdom era shoulder armor, Bart has once again shown that imagination is the only limiting factor when it comes to finding ways to incorporate supposedly “single purpose” parts.
This isn’t the first amazing landscape that Bart has shared. Be sure to check out their other featured builds!












