Posts by Adam Jacobs

An old bomber, a new paint job

There are few other fictional space ships that are as easily identifiable as the BTL-B Y-wing, seen here during the Clone Wars. LEGO builder simon-wild showcases his new take on one of the most classic starfighters to be seen on the screen.

Covered in armor and loaded with freedom, the mighty Y-wing was a staple of the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars era. It was retired during the Republic’s transition into the Galactic Empire but regained its status as a formidable bomber for the Rebellion, eventually earning the title, “The starfighter that broke the Empire’s back.”

In his build, Simon elaborates on the 8037 Anakin’s Y-wing Starfighter set released way back in 2009. He smoothed out the fuselage and engines, improved the paint pattern and traded the yellow for red. He also beefed up the size of the bomber to minifigure-scale, nearly reaching the size of the 75181 UCS Y-wing released in 2018. I admire all of the extra armor plating seen in Simon’s model. It helps separate the Y-wing from looking like a fighter and more like a bomber. Perhaps we’ll see an armor-less version of Simon’s Y-wing fighting for the Rebellion in the future?

LEGO 40499 Santa’s Sleigh – Santa Claus is coming to town [Review]

Hang up the stockings because Santa Claus is coming to town! Flying down from the North Pole this Christmas is the new LEGO 40499 Santa’s Sleigh! We had the opportunity to get an early look at Santa and his holiday ride, the perfect accompaniment to this year’s Winter Village Collection set, 10293 Santa’s Visit. With 343 pieces, the set will be available October 1st for US $36.99 | CAN $49.99 | UK £34.99. Read on to see our review of the unboxing and building below.

Click to read the full hands-on review

Silently striding the seven seas

Upon the seafloor walks the oblong mechanical LEGO creation known as the Barents Sea Strider, built by Ivan Martynov. So yes, this creation is based on the actual Barents Sea Spider. And yes, I looked it up. And no, I’m not going to post the picture here. It’s gross and I’m trying not to have arachnophobic nightmares.

Anyways, aside from the creepy spider it’s named after, this is a super cool build. The long green legs remind me of the Bionicle Dark Hunter Nidhiki set that came out in 2005. I like the gray train wheels (perhaps custom colored) used as the leg joints and the small yellow bricks used in the leg supports (hailing from another brand, like the occupant). It’s the tiny details in every build that make it stand out. I also like that the transparent piece is a dome, giving the robot operator a 360-degree view of its surroundings so it can more easily see its prey. Perhaps this underwater arachnid has plans for a crab dinner?

Imperial by birth, Rebel by choice

Did you know that the Rebel Alliance’s Medical Frigate began its life in the service of the Empire? LEGO builder Remco Rohaan shares his latest masterpiece, the Imperial Nebulon-B Frigate.

Lego Star Wars Imperial Nebulon MOC

It’s an established fact in the Star Wars lore that the Nebulon-B Frigate, first seen at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, was a ship built by the Empire but stolen by the Rebellion. Yet we’ve never seen the Nebulon-B during its time as an Imperial warship. Thanks to fan art creators like EC Henry and Fractal Sponge, we’ve been able to get a glimpse of what the Nebulon-B must have looked like before it fell into the hands of “Rebel scum.” Now, we have the privilege of seeing the ship in LEGO form.

Clearly, this looks like an Imperial warship. The armor plating, command bridge, and TIE fighter-style wings give off really strong Empire vibes. Speaking of armor plating, I just love how much there is. The Rebel version of the Nebulon-B has a considerable amount of armor removed, which is typical of Rebel spacecraft.

Builder Remco Rohaan also included digital instructions of his Imperial Nebulon-B on his Flickr page but also check out this quick video of it being assembled

https://www.flickr.com/photos/remcorohaan/51408124868/

Here’s an image of his Imperial Nebulon-B to scale with the Rebel version, an Imperial Gozanti freighter, and an Imperial shuttle.

Lego Star Wars Imperial Fleet

A really cool tree next to a nice house

Yes, the building is a work of art but have you seen this incredible tree? LEGO builder Ayrlego shared a recent creation with us, the Villa. Plant life, thy name is beauty. Just look at that tree! It might take the cake as the most realistic LEGO deciduous tree I’ve ever seen. The vine work is also fantastic with the way it crawls across the roof. I also admire the small potted plants and the garden shrubbery. It’s all a testament to Ayrlego’s skill with bricks.

Villa, Terraversan Interior

Of course, where would this creation be without the villa itself? I mentioned that it’s a work of art because it truly is, incorporating styles from American Colonial to Spanish Mission. Though the lore behind Ayrlego’s creation is fantasy, one could easily see such a villa existing somewhere in the early days of North American settlement.

Imperial Soviet Nuclear TIE Bomber

Yes, you read that right. And your eyes are not deceiving you. LEGO builder Ghalad managed to combine an obscure nuclear seaplane from the Soviet Union with a classic Star Wars TIE fighter. The resulting digital build is something you could have expected to appear in the sequel trilogy of Star Wars films.

Tiekranoplan Heavy Assault

It’s unlikely you’ve heard of the Lun-class Ekranoplan, a Soviet-era seaplane capable of launching nuclear warheads through tubes based on top of the plane. It was developed before the age of ballistic submarines, filling the gap between land-based nuclear bombers and sea-based launch platforms.

From Wikipedia

Click to see more pictures

A lonely retreat from battle

As the black knight remorsefully crosses the river, the pale light of the Moon casts a shadow across his reflection. His horse, head bowed as in mutual loneliness, carries him onward as they both trudge towards whatever fate awaits them. Such are the emotions so vibrantly shown in the fantastic LEGO creation by builder Robert4168/Garmadon.

Melancholy/Loneliness

No one knows who the lone knight is or why his countenance is so down-spirited. Yet it’s clear that this LEGO build is meant to show everything about who the knight is feeling. His emotions are not just manifest in the minifigure itself, but also in the night sky, the bright moon, and the fact that there’s almost nothing else that draws your eyes away from the knight’s walk across the water. Emotions can be difficult to pull off in a LEGO creation, so seeing it managed so well in this build is a testament to Garmadon’s skill.

A few other mentions: the waterfall is spot on. The way the pieces change color and transparency to give off the appearance of cascading water is very advanced. I also like that the Moon is a full sphere and not just a flat brick circle. Finally, the variations of green in the plant life were a nice touch. It’s clear that nothing was done by shortcut when building this.

The fiery third Pokémon form: Charizard

If you gotta catch ’em all, then you gotta get Charizard. The final stage of the fire-lizard Pokémon, this LEGO Charizard is seen flexing his muscles as depicted by builder nobu_tary.

Charizard

Nobu_tary is well known for their craftsmanship of animals and birds in LEGO form, as well as objects and characters from Japanese culture. Charizard is another testament to their skill with bricks, using a minimalist method to capture defining features without having to cram in every detail. Yet here, every edge and corner is perfectly fitting of the mighty dragon Pokémon. The use of orange minifigure legs is an example of that: you don’t see claws exactly, but you know they’re there.

I’m also really digging the flaming tail that is characteristic of Charizard. By using a few random red sloped bricks, nobu_tary is able to quickly convey the sense of fire without having to use flame bricks. You get the same experience with Charizard’s head. No eyes, yet its still obvious who this Pokémon is.

If you’re struggling to build a highly detailed LEGO animal or robot, I have good news for you: don’t. Nobu_tary is proof that less is more. Also, if you haven’t seen nobu_tary’s parody of the Year of the Ox LEGO set, you should. It’s hilarious.

The inn in the forest

After a long day walking through the woods, a place of rest is the one thing you’ll need. Perhaps “The Peaceful Shrub” Inn would suit you well, created by LEGO builder Jesse van den Oetelaar. Meanwhile, I’m resting my eyes on one of the most lovely little cottage inns I have ever seen. I admire Jesse’s use of color in the plants, the path leading to the inn, and the inn itself. I can spot four different uses of green, all of which work perfectly in this build. The bricking that makes up the inn is especially detailed, with dark tan and sand tan colors referencing the patchwork style of many fantasy world buildings.

The Peaceful Shrub [GOH]

I also like the barrels of ale next to the feasting minifigures. I hope the chickens walking about don’t mind that chicken is also what’s on the table!

The Peaceful Shrub Inn [GOH]

The back of the inn is stuffed with plant life. The pine tree and the large leafy tree are some of the best examples of greenery that you can find. The way these tree trunks are designed helps show the unevenness of the bark while pulling your eyes upwards towards the foliage. The mix of flowers and shrubbery is likely what gives “The Peaceful Shrub” Inn its name.

The Peaceful Shrub Inn [GOH]

Have a drink on us!

Thirsty? Then head over to Marvin’s Mead Shoppe, created by LEGO builder Hubba Blöoba. I feel like this could be something out of Harry Potter, with the tiny beer booth actually containing the best pup in all Wizardom. The printed wooden slats and the brick base work perfectly with the white umbrella bricks as a mug of frothy beer. The use of grey roller skates as the door hinges was especially clever. I’m also a huge fan of the beer keg, which I will definitely be coping for my own build soon. When you’ve gazed at this LEGO build long enough, come inside and have a drink!

Marvin's Mead Shoppe

Fighting Relics from the Republic

Even after the fall of the Republic, remnants of that bygone era continued to exist in the service of the Empire. LEGO builder Malen Garek shows one example of this with the Venator-class Star Destroyer.
Venator Star Destroyer Indomitable

The first word that comes to mind when I look at this Star Wars capital ship is smooth. There are relatively few brick studs on the hull, helping me see the armor plating that I would expect to see on an Imperial warship. I’m thrilled to see all of the angles on this Venator look exactly like we see in Revenge of the Sith. So many LEGO models of the Venator try but fail to get the angles just right (looking at you, LEGO set 8039). Malen managed to pull it off while building it on a super cool base. Is it lava on Mustafar? Is it molten slag from an orbital bombardment? Regardless, it looks incredible.

Venator Star Destroyer Indomitable

But wait, there’s more! The engines on the Venator can be tricky to make, but again here’s another success for Malen. The use of hinge plates to build the cowling around the engine was a great choice. Additionally, Malen chose to add the smaller engines that are often forgotten in other Venator models.

Skirmish over Imdaar

Speaking of other models, Malen used his Venator alongside creations from other LEGO builders, including an Imperial light frigate and a couple of V-wing starfighters, all of which are attacking a Rebel starship. I think the winner of this battle is clear: the Venator lives on!

Winter carols warm the heart

Despite the summer heat, LEGO builder Lukasz Wiktorowicz created a winter wonderland scene of carolers bringing seasonal joy to a lonely cottage. The tree almost steals the show, with leafless branches spindly pointing towards the sky. The use of brown minifigure hands to create additional branch points is fantastic and adds age to the tree. I also really dig the snow work, with clumps of snow slowly falling off the roof and much more piled on the ground.

Winter - Carols Time

Yet it’s the minor details that truly make this a wonderland of LEGO. Did you see the crosscut saw laying in the snow near the base of the tree? Or the wood hacked out of the trunk? Or the stump next to the house? Or the hinges on the cottage’s front door? You can’t fully appreciate what Lukasz has built without zooming in for a closer look. And that’s why we’re happy to showcase his creation here on The Brother’s Brick.