About Chris Doyle

Chris has been involved in many parts of the LEGO community for over twenty years, and has been building most of his life. A love of transparent bricks and pop culture combine in most of his creations, which tend to be pretty large scale. His website, Reasonably Clever, featured one of the longest running brick-based webcomics, as well as one of the first LEGO-themed avatar creators. His photographs and creations have appeared in several books.

Posts by Chris Doyle

DUPLO 30327 My First Duck polybag – A change of pace for the overwhelmed builder in you  [Review]

There’s no denying that LEGO can be a challenging hobby. Things have come a long way from the simple range of parts in the 1960’s – it seems every new set contains at least one new mold or color variation. Building techniques have expanded; you can’t open an instruction manual without being getting your fingers covered in SNOT. Then giant sets like the Icons 10307 Eiffel Tower empty your plastic-brick budget in seconds. It can all get to be a bit much. That’s why today we’re going to take a little bit of a breather. We’ll turn back the calendar to 2019 and visit a simple, inexpensive, and soothing model that makes the world a happier place. Yes, it’s time for us to retro-review DUPLO 30327 My First Duck polybag. 

QUACK Click to read the full hands-on review QUACK

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Icons 10312 Modular Buildings Collection – Jazz Club : A great night out on the town modular [Review]

LEGO recently announced that it’s time to expand the Modular Buildings Collection with a new set of storefronts! The 2899 piece LEGO Icons 10312 Jazz Club will be available January 4th from the LEGO Shop Online for US $229.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £199.99. This 18th set of buildings features not only the jazz club, but also a pizzeria, tailor’s shop, rooftop greenhouse, and eight exclusive minifigures. But is it a good fit for your neighborhood? Come along as we take a close look at this musical destination!

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.

Be Bopping right along

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

I don’t mean to pry, but are you separated?

It’s fun when a bit of meta humor slips into a LEGO build. For those in the know, though, the Vic Veparator by Joey Klusnick provides more than just “a bit.” The twin orange forks of this Vic Viper style craft are oversized brick-built Brick Separators.  (You can see a LEGO-issued one in use as the tail fin, if you’re not already aware of them.) The orange color is nicely offset by the yellow accents. I like the use of railings and brace elements here – the Technic bushings and macaroni brick echo the single-element shapes really well. But the best part? When Joey gets tired of this build, all the tools needed to disassemble it will be right at hand.

Vic Veparator

This isn’t the first great creation we’ve featured that use brick separators as a key element, and hopefully it won’t be the last. In the meantime, check our archives for more take-apart goodness!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Let’s sweeten the pot a little

If you’re a fan of the LEGO Botanicals collections, you’ll love this creation by Ralf Langer. Seven spectacular plants spring forth from pots that are every bit as elegant. There are great techniques everywhere you look, from the robot-arm wicker casings to sides made from layers of 1×2 rounded plate. If you look closely you can spot tank treads, Technic flex hoses, and even a few standard sloped bricks. Also noteworthy are the muted earth tones and olive-green foliage. These choices make the reds, bright greens, blues, and lavenders really stand out.  Altogether this is one of the most naturalistic-looking recreations I’ve seen in quite a while.

potted plants

Finally, take a look at that great wood-slat furniture. It makes me want to take a trip through our archives for more home furnishings. You might even spot some other builds from Ralf in there!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

It’s all about the angles

When we last featured builder David Roberts, we spotlighted their angular racer – a small, compact build that feels like the seed part used in this new Parallelogram Flying Car. There are several cool building choices to call out here -the unusual (yet successful) decision to split the number four across the angled side panels, the great angles that nestle into that large yellow canopy, and the overall color scheme that feels like a tribute to Classic space, rather than being a part of that world.

Parallelogram Flying Car

From the rear, you can see a great chunky engine, and some hose work that adds a nice touch of mechanical grit to the otherwise sleek and polished  vehicle. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to take this one out for a spin!

Parallelogram Flying Car

There’s a whole fleet of great LEGO spaceships in our archives. Why not check them out?

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Ninjago 71771: The Crystal King Temple – Tensegrity comes to Ninjago [Review]

While we wait for the first 2023 Ninjago sets to go on sale, let’s take pause and take a look at one of the larger sets from the Summer 2022 Crystalized wave. LEGO Ninjago 71771 The Crystal King Temple is available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £69.99. This 706 piece set includes the temple, a small dragon, six minifigures, and a ton of cool transparent dark pink accents. Is there enough here to keep you entertained until the new year? Read on and see!

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 reading →

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Ninjago 71770: Zane’s Golden Dragon Jet – Let’s imagine dragons again. [Review]

LEGO just revealed the first 2023 Ninjago sets, and that reminded us that we still had a little more to share from the (still available!) Summer 2022 Crystalized wave! LEGO Ninjago 71770 Zane’s Golden Dragon Jet is available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $34.99 | CAN $44.99 | UK £24.99. This 258 piece offering is one of the smaller sets in the sub-theme, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in coolness. Come along and see what we thought!

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.

How many dragon themed things can you spot?

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

This one will grow on you

You may know builder Big Stannis from their meme-tastic large character creations, but the creativity doesn’t stop there. (25+)Wise Mystical Tree features some really clever part usage. It’s somewhat easy to spot the raft forming the front of the face, but if you look very closely at the eyes you might find some surprising Thanksgiving leftovers. There are even some 1×1 round tile cookies in there if search for them. And, just to be juvenile, there’s also plenty of SNOT.

(25+)Wise Mystical Tree

This is just the latest example of the great builds you can find in our tree archives. Go take a look!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

An urban mech to spice up your next ceremonial occasion

I like my mechs to have a purpose, and the MA-3 Svipul from LEGO builder MySnailEatsPizza has some great backstory:

Armored weapons platform typically used for ceremonial purposes. While based on the mass produced MA-2 frame, the MA-3 is uniquely equipped to handle operations in cities. Its two Phase-Tech Power Trade-Offs are most often fitted with Phase Claws, though short range blasters are occasionally employed. The Svipul is piloted by Colonel Juergen Krenn.

Lore aside, I really enjoy the head design. The use of the Chakram minifigure weapon reminds me of the Ninjago 71765 Ninja Ultra Combo Mech. The transparent purple in the wrist blades is also a plus for me, as are the well-articulated feet and the inverted Bionicle mask in the torso. It looks like a great action figure to play with, too. Nicely done!

MA-3 Svipul

There are even more mighty mechs in our archives. Why not take a look?

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

What do you think about when you hear K-Car?

To some, the phrase “K-Car” evokes images of 1981 Chrysler mid-sized cars. Others, however, might be reminded of the 1987 Ford LTD Crown Victoria driven by Agent K in the first Men In Black film. I think I can guess which camp Peter Zieske falls into. This large-scale vehicle transforms from unassuming to jet-powered without any reassembly – just add some parts as you go. It’s an interesting take on a classic movie vehicle, with a level of transformation that would make even Optimus Prime happy.

Agent K's transforming jet car from Men In Black

Check out this animation to see it happen!

The build quality here is pretty excellent, too. Check out the rearview – it looks pretty screen-accurate to me!

Agent K's transforming jet car from Men In Black

Peter’s design is currently on LEGO Ideas, but if you’re wanting to get your hands on a cinematic automobile right now, though, check out our review of the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1 or Back to the Future Time Machine!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Icons 10307 Eiffel Tower on sale now! And we’ve got an updated review, too.

If you’re wanting to get your hands on the new LEGO Icons 10307 Eiffel Tower, your wait is over! This massive 10,001 pieces set is available from the LEGO Shop Online starting today, November 25th, for US $629.99 | CAN $799.99 | UK £554.99. Better yet, 11/25-11/28 while supplies last, you’ll also get LEGO Icons 40579 – Eiffel’s Apartment to go along with it.

Not sure if this set is for you? Check out our updated review and see just what this set has to offer!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Icons 40579 – Eiffel’s Apartment: A towering gift with purchase [Review]

The massive Icons 10307 Eiffel Tower will be arriving on November 25th – and LEGO has a gift with purchase promotion that is tied about as tightly to the French landmark as you can get. Gustave Eiffel’s private apartment, hidden on the third level of the tower, has been re-created in minifigure scale for Icons 40579 Eiffel’s Apartment. We’re still waiting on the official word, but our guess is it is linked to the purchase of the 10307 Eiffel Tower so getting this “booster box” of 228 pieces carries an indirect price of US $629.99 | CAN $799.99 | UK £554.99. Does this set make the overall tower more appealing? Come along as we take an early look!

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.

Click to read the full hands-on review

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.