Yearly Archives: 2022

An organic spaceship fresh off the vine

It’s always cool when a someone builds something that looks so organic, so alive, out of LEGO. This alien spaceship by Titolian doesn’t disappoint! There are some unique curves on this build, making great use of the tentacle and horn pieces. The long tentacles, or maybe bones, break up the ship’s sections through visual lines. The cockpit of the spaceship reminds me of a predator warrior mask from the Predator franchise with that broad canopy and orange piping details. Some of my favorite parts of the ship are the circular thrusters on the wings. I just really like how they’re almost detached, as if they’re suspended by emitters in the surrounding tentacle structures. These sorts of design choices are interesting, because they push builders in their creativity to suspend but also support the elements.

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A strange new horror emerges

A huge looming shadow envelopes a city as squirming tentacles rise from the earth, while a floating monstrosity transforms all in its wake into a dark and twisted land. Or at least that’s what we can assume is happening in this awesome build created by Ivan Martynov. The main model features an odd humanoid body surrounded by a variety of cable and tube parts. One of the protruding lower sections of the creature is actually a sled piece from the Life on Mars sets. Several of the structures on the ground are cleverly made up of old Znap pieces with hints of colour wedged in between. It also seems this new overlord will always be watching with its many gleaming red eyes.

A blockbuster Classic Space ship

It all comes full circle. Builder Dana Knudson pays homage to the Classic Space theme with this recolored adaptation of the XL-15 Spaceship from Disney-Pixar’s Lightyear. Director Angus MacLane is an ecstatic fan of LEGO and, like many AFOLs, falls into the space-nerd camp. In fact while working on the designs and story of Lightyear he frequently turned to his bricks to sketch out the concepts, even choosing to make the canopies for all the ships yellow just so LEGO would be forced to make a new yellow canopy again. So it was destined that we would eventually see the ships from that film adapted with Classic Space regalia as Dana Knudson has done here. Much of the ship is practically the same as the XL-15 but Dana did have to come up with a SNOT brick and cheese slope solution near the pilot’s seat. Since the roof tiles used in the original design aren’t (yet) available in blue, Dana had to come up with a different way to mimic their structure.

Not a technically new design but a satisfying homage worth celebrating none the less, I know we can expect more space-themed redesigns of this iconic ship.

Need anything from the store?

At long last, builder Letranger Absurde has returned after an 18 month break from LEGO. And what better way to jump back onto the scene than with this beautiful Japanese store! Letranger adeptly uses textures here to emulate paneling on the wooden walls and tiled roofs. This helps to break up the mostly two-toned building, providing depth and character. Speaking of character, I love the pair of fences flanking the store. Without looking completely ramshackle, these dividers still add a hand-crafted feel to the setting. Lay on top of that other excellent details like the power pole in the background, the exquisite sign above the storefront, and the darling cart of produce in back, and I suddenly feel like going on a shopping spree.

And if Letranger Absurde is a new name for you, check out all their prior builds featured on TBB.

A monstrous mole makes mischief

Joss Woodyard puts a mammalian twist on kaiju with Molethra. No mere garden pest, this giant beast has risen up from the subterranean depths to wreck untold havoc. Joss has done an amazing job of layering the stylized wing pieces to create a furry texture. And the damaged microscale city street does a perfect job of conveying the monster’s massive size.

This butcher stand brings home the bacon

Dan Ko has packed a lot of detail into this 12×12 vignette of a medieval butcher’s stand. Inverting the tiles in the awning lets the anti-studs add a pop of texture, and the use of a few 1×1 round plates amongst the round tiles on the ground help give a sense of rough and uneven cobblestone. But the most interesting technique is the way the minifigure roller skates are holding the bars in the underside crevices of the 10×2 brick being used as the butcher’s workspace. It’s details like that which can pack a small build with a smorgasbord of visual intrigue.

This fairground ride needs more than a spring-cleaning

Pan Noda brings us to this derelict fair and its Ferris wheel in this eerie LEGO scene. Maybe I’ve been watching too much Stranger Things, but this build really called out to me! I really like how Pan has shown nature reclaiming this abandoned ride through the use of generous and well-placed vegetation pieces. As age and neglect have taken hold, we see parts of the Ferris wheel’s structure have broken off, adding to the suspense of the build. Around the base of the ride and the gondolas, we see the vestiges of the vibrant colour that once populated the fairground alongside a well placed Crayon costume piece. This serves as now-forgotten signage and I love this call out to a happier time included by Pan.

And did I mention its haunted? I’ll let you count the ghouls…

A closer look at the LEGO CMF Collectible Minifigure Series 23 [News]

A week ago we had a reveal of the complete lineup of the characters from the upcoming Collectible Minifigure Series 23, and today LEGO has just released images that give us a closer look at each individual figure.

Click to take a closer look a the new minifigure characters

This Hawkins Lab set is straight hellfire

Vol. 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 drops this coming Friday, and to celebrate KaijuBuildz has crafted a Hawkins Labs suitable for creating mysterious happenings in your own LEGO Town. This digital build does an impressive job of recreating the TV location’s unique wired windows, and the rooftop is loaded with 80s era communications equipment.

Inside you’ll find plenty of details from the show – the Rainbow Room, the sensory deprivation tank, and even a portal to the Upside Down. We’d love to see LEGO release something similar to this to pair with set 75810.

Not impressed by this build? “Shaman” you!

Toddrick has invoked his shamanic brick-building powers to bring us this intriguing LEGO character. The pose is somehow intimidating, yet there seem to be no weapons or immediate aggression on display. There is nothing in the way of an explanation from Toddrick either – he’s letting the bricks do the talking, and boy are they chatty here! The eye is immediately drawn to that colourful face mask, which really stands out against the black and brown hues of the rest of the build. I like seeing rubber bands used in designs to break up the solid lines of LEGO bricks, and they are used as detailing here as well as on the beastly horns. The leaf elements of the face are reflected by the use of more vegetation elsewhere on the mage’s outfit. This seems logical – after all, that’s likely what such traditional outfits are made of in the real world. The bushes on the sleeves in particular look really authentic. Toddrick hasn’t limited himself to system pieces either – the staff is a flexible axle, and the chest piece comes from Hero Factory. I think the necklace might even be a Scala or Clikits piece. Finally, on the back is a Duplo camp fire piece. Just about every LEGO system is represented here. Now that is magic!

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for June 25, 2022 [News]

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 June 2022.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS Our last Brick Report was a sparse entry two weeks ago, but in that time we’ve had a healthy diet of absolutely incredible LEGO news to share. LEGO Con 2022 brought us a veritable onslaught of new set news. Plus, our intrepid writers and reviewers have more to share with you including Harry Potter and GWP reviews!

[NEWS] LEGO reveals 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle and 10497 Galaxy Explorer as throwback sets for 90th anniversary — Two classic LEGO themes get lovingly crafted modern tributes. The Galaxy Explorer is available for preorder now!
[NEWS] LEGO Con 2022 reveals include Avatar, 76218 Sanctum Sanctorum, Floral Art set, and more — Check out this roundup of incredible announcements for five new sets covering the gamut of Marvel, Avatar, Art, Minecraft, and Brickheadz!
[NEWS] LEGO Con 2022 debuts new prequel-era Star Wars sets, including 75323 The Justifier from season 1 of The Bad Batch — Cad Bane’s ship gets a LEGO set debut, while the AT-TE hits iteration 5.
[NEWS] LEGO reveals Collectible Minifigures CMF Series 23 (71034) featuring Popcorn Kid, Ship Captain, Snowman and more — 12 new characters revealed for your next round of blind bag fondling.
[REVIEW] LEGO Ideas 21334: Jazz Quartet – Dig these crazy sounds, Daddy-O — Chris D reviews the latest Ideas set: have a read and decide if it’s your jam or not.
[REVIEW] LEGO Harry Potter 76402 Hogwarts: Dumbledore’s Office — Chuck enters the headmaster’s office and helps you decide if it’s worth your gold galleons.
[REVIEW] LEGO Harry Potter 76401 Hogwarts Courtyard: Sirius’s Rescue — Chuck explores another wing of the magic school. Will you spend your buck(beaks) on it?
[REVIEW] LEGO 90 Years of Play 40657: Forest Hideout – A Nostalgic Gift With Purchase — Chris D strolls down memory lane with this gift with purchase: a 2022 update to a 1988 original!
[REVIEW] LEGO VIP Rewards: Tin Signs – For the completist who has everything else already — We pretty much just don’t ever let Chris D sleep around here. Enjoy his review of VIP Rewards: Tin Signs.

LEGO Icons Fairgrounds Collection 10303 Loop Coaster – next level fun [Review]

When the first LEGO roller coaster came out in 2018, it felt as though it was long overdue. All the folks playing with K’Nex were chomping at the bit for LEGO to produce something in a way that only LEGO can. Of course, if you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll want some milk. The same people dying for a coaster were soon dying for track made for loops. Four long years later we’ve finally gotten our wish! And not only that, but something with a lot of wow factor. Join us a we take the plunge and loop-dee-loop our way around the LEGO Icons Fairground Collection 10303 Loop Coaster. This epic set contains 3756 pieces, has 11 minifigures, and will retail for US $399.99 | CAN $499.99 | UK £344.99. It will be available beginning July 5th.

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.

Continue to read the full review.