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

LEGO Ninjago 71767 Ninja Dojo Temple – Building on the Ninjago EVO theme [Review]

We’ve been taking a close look at the new Ninjago EVO theme – a departure from the cartoon-based series tie-ins with a return to “core” Ninjago concepts. This means a less obvious storyline, but a welcome invitation to be more imaginative with your own adventures. The largest of the first wave, LEGO Ninjago 71767 Ninja Dojo Temple is a 1394 piece set that will be available January 1st from the LEGO Shop Online for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99. Come along as we take a close look at this new headquarters…and see if we can’t spot some hints as to where the ninjas might be headed next!

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

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Mech-a-lech-a-hi-do-ho there, neighborino!

I love mechs that combine sharp edges and organic curves. Vorpal, a creation from builder Iggs, integrates those two styles with…well….style. The dark blue armor plating extensively uses wedges and Bionicle elements to create an overlapping texture that reminds me of samurai armor. The other prominent color is sliver – filled out with more Bionicle elements and a wealth of macaroni brick to create the curving tubing in the torso. Add on a giant gun on one arm, and you’ve got a mech that’s ready to rock.

The Bionicle theme gave LEGO builders a great range of interesting parts to enhance almost any creation. Check out our Bionicle tag for more great examples!

Stick a fork in this rover – it’s done. Done right, that is

Inspired by the new wheel fork elements from 76179 Batman & Selina Kyle Motorcycle Pursuit, builder Carrier Lost has repurposed them into a something a little more out of this world. The Gamma Scanner is rover is dripping with Classic Space styling combined with more recent offerings like silver ingots and that all-important driver – Lenny from Benny’s Space Squad. The chassis is indeed pretty sweet, but my favorite part of this rover is that array of transparent-green sensors along the leading edge. Will Lenny find the gamma-powered Hulk in a crossover with the MCU? One can only hope.

If rovers are your thing, then be sure to peruse our Rover Tag for more grounded goodness.

Wrapping this gift could be a little tricky

The end-of-year holidays are upon us. Some find gift giving a slog or a source of anxiety, but Patrick Biggs rose to the challenge with The Karrax’ Fang. This Secret Santa build is both a gift for and inspired by the works of TolerantAxe97. This insectoid mech has great articulation, a really slick hand design, and the ever-creepy Technic-gears-for-teeth technique. I also like the Technic spacers used for the eyes and the impressive horns. I think I’d be thrilled to see this under my tree…as long as it wasn’t moving on its own or something.

Looking for more mechanical goodness? Browse our other featured mech builds!

LEGO Ninjago 71761 Zane’s Power Up Mech EVO – Now with a frosty icing of extra weapons [Review]

Historically, the LEGO Ninjago theme has been based on the animated series – with released sets providing real-world playtime for what you saw on the screen. In 2022, however, LEGO is taking a different approach. As LEGO designer Niek van Slagmaat shared on Twitter, this wave is meant to be “a line of Ninjago that [will] not only stand on its own without content but also be the epitome of Ninjago toys.” That means no series tie-ins and a celebration of the “core values” of Ninjago. There’s still a unifying theme to this new group of sets – EVO. The idea is that a base model is upgraded with additional weapons to become more formidable. Sounds interesting, right? But how does it work out in practice? We’ve taken a look at LEGO Ninjago 71761 Zane’s Power Up Mech to find out. This 95 piece set will be available on January 1st for US $9.99 | CAN $13.99 | UK £8.99, but you can read all about it right 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.

Click to read the full hands-on review

LEGO Ninjago 71766 Lloyd’s Legendary Dragon – You want wings with that? [Review]

Most Ninjago sets are based heavily on the tie-in media, but the latest theme, EVO, takes a different direction. As LEGO designer Niek van Slagmaat shared on Twitter, this wave is meant to be “a line of Ninjago that [will] not only stand on its own without content but also be the epitome of Ninjago toys.” That’s a pretty challenging goal, but it does open up a lot of creative spaces for new adventures. We’ll be taking a close look at most of these sets, starting with LEGO Ninjago 71766 Lloyd’s Legendary Dragon. This 747 piece set will be available January 1st, 2022 from the LEGO Shop Online for US $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £54.99. Dragons are pretty safe territory for Ninjago – but how does this latest beast stack up?

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

LEGO Modular Buildings Collection 10297 Boutique Hotel – Building on 15 years of nostalgia [Review]

2022 will mark the 15th anniversary of the LEGO Modular Buildings Collection. The theme was introduced in 2007 with 10182 Café Corner, and has since added fifteen other sets including 2017’s 10255 Assembly Square and 2021’s 10278 Police Station. The 17th installment is a 3066 piece set that features a hotel and art gallery – and a ton of callbacks to just about every building on the block. LEGO Modular Buildings Collection 10297 Boutique Hotel will be available starting January 1st, 2022 from the LEGO Shop Online for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99. Come along as we explore this new corner of the neighborhood!

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

A deep dive into DeepShen’s digital designs [Feature]

We here at The Brothers Brick love creative part usage. We love mosaics. And we really love when the two come together. We had an opportunity to talk with Deepak Shenoy (Deepshen6) about the creative process behind their recent series of geometric LEGO wonders. Eye-bending and intricate, these designs really satisfy.

Continue reading →

LEGO Ninjago 71754 Water Dragon – Wherein Nya gets the blues [Review]

Ninjago is known for two main things (outside of Ninjas, anyway) – giant mechs and sweet, sweet dragons. The Seabound theme introduces another majestic beast into the mix with LEGO Ninjago 71754 Water Dragon. This 737 piece set is available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $69.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £59.99. In addition to the dragon there’s also a mini-sub, five minifigures, and a display pedestal. Sounds like a good mix, but is it really? We picked up a copy to find out – come along as we take our own deep dive!

Click to read the full hands-on review

One laid-back Viper

Anime-inspired color schemes and NoVVember are two great tastes that go great together, and Shannon Sproule is a master of that delicious combo. This classic red and white body gets some pops of yellow color with an exciting pod-cockpit design. That’s not to say that there aren’t a few odd choices made in the Powerful Owl Viper, though. In Shannon’s own words, “The prone pilot position is of course rather silly, but there you go.”

Are you enjoying the yearly onslaught of Vic Vipers? How do you think they compare to previous Novvembers?

One Faaborg-ulous boat

With the giant LEGO Titanic gracing the seas, it’s only fitting that builders like Henrik Jensen are choosing to showcase some of the great steamships of the past. This 1/87 scale model has a few custom painted elements, but also makes clever use of existing parts, like those hockey sticks as part of the lifeboat racks. I’m also fond of the compact display stand and printed flags. A recreation that, dare I say it, is certainly ship-shape.

Henrik shared this info about the origins of his model:
In September I visited the island Ærø which is located in the South Funen archipelago. In the town of Rudkøbing, they have a museum called “The Old Shipyard”. There, the restoration of an old steamship that was close to being dismantled has been undertaken. It gave me the idea to build a model of a steamship that, along with several other small steamships, has been part of the lifeblood between the islands and the mainland, in a time before World War I, when bridges between parts of the country were not common.

At “Det Gamle Værft” they restored the ship “Angelo”, or as it was previously more aptly called, “Svendborgsund”. My model of the steamship “Faaborg” is partly based on photos of the ship, partly on drawings of “Svendborgsund”.

If you’re in the mood for more nautical goodness, be sure to browse our boats tag!

LEGO 5007016 VIP 1950’s Retro Tin – A nice little perk with purchase [Review]

The mad rush of sales and events leading up to the holiday season is in full swing, and LEGO is leaning hard into “how many ways can we get collectors to shell out big bucks multiple times over a span of several days?” The first push, the VIP weekend, is drawing to a close, but there’s still a few hours (probably) for VIP members to pick up an interesting gift with purchase. LEGO 5007016 VIP 1950’s Retro Tin is available through November 25th from the LEGO Shop Online as a VIP Gift with qualifying purchases of US $250 | CAN $330 | UK £250. The details about the tin are pretty sparse at LEGO.com, but their US shipping was quick, and we now have one on hand to share with you. Come along and learn the details of this decorative object!

Click to read the full hands-on review