Yearly Archives: 2021

This Wondering Peacock takes flight

Smooth triangular shape. Two-pronged front. Complex building techniques that form immaculate angles. The perfect balance of smooth surfaces and just enough greebling. And really big guns. This Wondering Peacock must be the work of LEGO space expert Tim Goddard. And it certainly is the centre of attention.

The co-author of LEGO Space: Building the Future once again delivers a spaceship that is a feast for the eyes both aesthetically and technically. The white, blue, and medium azure colour combination makes an icy look for this sleek racing craft, but at the same time its shaping exudes a certain tropical warmth. The combination of angled and round section bring a balance that is integral to really good spaceship designs. Tim takes that balance further with sleek hull and exposed greebling of the internals and other mechanical sections. The big grey cannons are the icing on the cake, and despite standing out, they do not look out of place.

A look on the underside reveals these elements in more details. We can just stare in awe at the masterful build.
Check out more of Tim’s creations here!

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Thomas the Tank Engine cheerfully chugs along

The popular steam engine has been brought to life in this clever build. However, many find Thomas the Tank Engine creepy, possibly due to his strange humanoid face. I’m sure we can all still appreciate the interesting techniques employed by Vakaisme in this model. At the front, the bumpers are represented by cap pieces and moving to the face, sausage pieces portray Thomas’ eyebrows. Tires have been used as segments of the steam chimney. The “1” symbol is cleverly wedged into place through placing bricks sideways. The playful build is instantly recognisable with its bright colours and accurate portrayal.

LEGO Orko has me under his spell

I may be revealing my age but I remember getting up early for Saturday morning cartoons powered by a big bowl of sugar cereal, watching Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, and Johnny Quest (not at the same time, I’m sure). And I instantly recognized Orko even if I didn’t remember his name, or that he was a Trollan sorcerer, the last of his species. Maybe I’m also remembering the black mage from the Final Fantasy franchise… anyway, this model by Alex Jones is a perfect likeness, and I must say, fantastic use of the hands from Bigfig Sandy from the Monkie Kid theme. The hat is made from separate segments joined around his bright azure ears.

A rough quickie with the Maverick RS

Martin Vala tells us he was looking for “some quick joy”. I think he found it in the Can-Am Maverick RS buggy. I would love to drive this thing hard while hopping along sand dunes! Martin tells us he whipped this up in only two nights and thankfully just in time for the Dakar Rally races coming up January 2nd through the 14th. It would seem this particular LEGO builder has been off our radar until now. However, a quick perusal through his Flickr photostream proves he’s going to be a builder we’ll surely keep a close eye on from now on.

See it in glorious detail from nearly every angle with this short video.

2021 LEGO Advent Calendars, Day 15

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!

This year we have new Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, City and Friends advent calendars to open. We will be sharing images of the new calendars every day through Christmas, and hope that you’ll join us! Let’s see what there is to open on Day 15.
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It’s time to acknowledge that elves are more than just toy makers.

It’s no secret that the elves of the North Pole are some of the world’s most proficient toy makers. But not every elf can devote themselves to the craft. To keep an operation like the North Pole running smoothly, you need elves devoted to all kinds of other disciplines. Lepralego is paying homage to the hardworking elves behind-the-scenes with this magical village build. This bridge is where North Poleians can come for some wonderful fresh baked goods, reindeer supplies, and even a stylish beard trimming. Or, they can spend their days off ice skating on the frozen river. The detailed stone work of the bridge and playful tilt of the shops’ roofs would make this feel right at home among LEGO’s official winter village offerings.

Everyone’s favorite charitable outlaw

Growing up, one of my most favorite movies was Disney’s version of Robin Hood. After watching it, my cousin and I would run around pretending to be the famous archer, shooting our toy arrows at impossible targets. Apparently superb builder and LEGO designer, Markus Rollbühler loves the hero too. This sculpture of Robin Hood is excellent, with particularly great posing and parts usage. I’m partial to the bow, myself, but the minifig shoulder armor for the sword guard, palm tree segment for the boots, and large figure shin element for the log are all great too!

Stick around to see more creations by Markus, and well as plenty of builds featuring the man in tights.

A microscale build you’ll want to check twice.

What do you get for the LEGO fan who has everything? How about a custom creation. Even a small build can bring large amounts of holiday cheer, as Dan Ko demonstrates here. As part of a Secret Santa gift exchange, Dan called upon his excellent microscale skills to create this LEGO ornament featuring Santa Claus soaring through the air in a sleigh pulled by a single reindeer. Good microscale is about creative part use, and there’s lots of that at work here. The formal minifigure collar as Santa’s beard is a particularly nice touch.

Snow Monster on the lookout for thanksgiving turkey leftovers

The expression on this little LEGO monster’s face built by James Zhan, matches my expression exactly when the Christmas dessert hits the table. Surprised, but at the same time highly anticipating the same aforementioned sweet goodness. This little cutie, is fully pose-able and there are joints in all the right places. The bar holder works perfectly for the snow monster’s fingers. Adding one tan finger is a little touch that makes this creature look extra lifelike. The round plate with bar handle make the cutest little monster toes. The fact that this little guy is cute as a button is only emphasized by its rosy cheeks. Using flesh round tiles for the cheeks is barely noticeable, but notable nonetheless.

2021 LEGO Advent Calendars, Day 14

Wintery forced perspective for the win

Forced perspective is always the way to go when you want to get noticed by TBB. Using niche LEGO parts in a clever way is another way to get blogged. John Snyder did both so I have no choice but to write an article about this amazing build. The forced perspective is created by building something that is further away on a much smaller scale than the things in the foreground. The background is too blurry for me to identify cleverly used parts, but the objects in the foreground are a lot easier to identify. The path is made of 1×2 round plates mixed with plates in dark tan. This makes the path look like it is made of cobblestones. A simple technique with a great effect. The tree is made using several limbs of Chewbacca. The print on this piece works perfectly for tree bark. When it comes to foliage John got really creative. The autumn leaves are made with toy winder keys. The fallen leaves are made using star stud holders. For the grass John used minifigure claws

Mutation looks pretty good in purple

While Despicable Me is a great series of quotable movies in general, we all know that the true stars are the banana-obsessed Minions. That’s why they have their own titled movie, of course! The recent line of sets has been a popular addition to the LEGO family. One builder, Palixa And The Bricks, has had so much fun with the giant brick-build Minions, that she felt an evil mutated Minion had to be made. True to the movie, this guy is freaking awesome in purple. I love the caveman-style dragging hands and the chains for suspenders!

If you’re a fan of the movies, check out all of our other Despicable Me and Minion news, reviews, and custom creations! You can also see more builds by Palixa in our archives.