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

Escape in a escape pod. Guaranteed almost completely Alien free!

The Aliens franchise has seen its share of high and low points, but there are certain moments that have been well and truly integrated into the pop culture world. One of them is Ellen Ripley’s escape at the end of the first film aboard the Narcissus, the escape pod from the larger USCSS Nostromo. Michael Steindl has created a truly remarkable digital scale model of the craft, full of complex angles and movie-accurate styling. My favorite touch is the 1×1 round brick used to create the textures on the rear quarter panels, with a close second being the use of 1×2 ingot bricks along the engine exhausts. In space, they say, no one can hear you scream. But maybe if you listen close enough you can hear some applause for this build. But probably not, since physics doesn’t play favorites like that.

If you’re looking for more extraterrestrial-ly inspired treats, check our our Alien tag!

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The key thing here is that this is a key thing.

You have to wonder what sort of portal this eerie LEGO key from Mihai Marius Mihu is designed to unlock. Something tells us that it’s a door better left unopened. I love the organic curves in both the gold and black elements, and the chain wrapped around the shaft is a clever touch that adds some unusual texture. But the main thing that interests me is what appears to be an eye set into that golden Ninjago Spinner. Should this creation be winking at me like that?

If you’re in the mood for more spooky looking builds, check our our Horror Tag!

LEGO Marvel What If...? 76201 Captain Carter and the Hydra Stomper – Multiversal mayhem![Review]

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been branching out lately…into the various branches of the Multiverse. These alternate realities feature familiar heroes and villains reimagined around the idea of “What if…” something in the past had happened just a bit differently. We’re getting a whole show about it on Disney+, but more importantly, we’re also getting a bunch of great LEGO sets based on that show. The 343 piece Marvel What If…? 76201 Captain Carter & The Hydra Stomper will be available from the LEGO Shop Online August 1st for US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £27.99]. Come along as we take a close look at this set and see if this is a timeline worth ~~visiting~~ purchasing!

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 Marvel Infinity Saga 76200 Bro Thor’s New Asgard – A slice of pizza, a slice of life [Review]

Not every Marvel LEGO set has to be a tense action scene. A recently revealed set, 76200 Bro Thor’s New Asgard, captures one of the quieter moments from Avengers: Endgame with tons of movie-accurate details and some very interesting exclusive minifigures. This 265 piece set can be pre-ordered now at LEGO.com, and will be generally available starting August 1st for US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £27.99. Come along as we take a deep dive into the unique squalor of this Marvel Man-Cave!

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

And up from the ground came some bubblin’....well, I’m not sure exactly.

It’s a science fiction trope most of us are familiar with – the rumblings under the ground subside for just a moment. Then, suddenly, there’s an eruption and not only do you have have to deal with a an outflow of lava, but also the emergence of some truly terrifying underworld creatures. Bart De Dobbelaer captures just such an event in this stunning creation, aptly named Emergence. The beasts include some unusual part choices, including one of my absolute favorites elements – the X-Pod container. But obviously they’re just part of the scene. The spewing lava is captured by a wealth of transparent orange elements, including Dimensions base discs. The techno-organic vent provides a great contrast to the mayhem elsewhere, while still adding a great deal of mechanical texture. And then Bart had to go and add lighting effects. Because if you’re going to build at this scale, you might as well go all in.

If you want some great contrasting color to this build, check out another of Bart’s creations: Trace Initiated. Or maybe just peruse some great Sci-Fi builds from creators from around the globe.

This cat’s really out of the bag

Recently we featured a group of spaceships that were born out of the Spacegoose Collab. And, yes, they were all amazing creations. But I love me some bonus builds, and Tom Loftus (Inthert) provides a stellar one with Space Cat. Described as “something of an encore”, this little feline is a perfect blend of fantasy and cat-attributes. Cat owners know how even the most upscale bedding is shunned by cats in favor of cardboard boxes, and this preference apparently extends to their choice of jumpship. And sure, that upcycled box is cute, and the almost-legal connection of clipped together quarter circle tile is ingenious. But look at that expression. Never before have Mixel eye prints captured the insanity of a frenzied midnight tear through the universe quite so well.

If this creation brightened your mood (or maybe if it didn’t), check out other humorous builds caught by our Funny tag!

Carrot Top, Idol of millions

Idols are meant to inspire, but all too often they’re shown after centuries of wear and neglect, stripped down to the wood or stone that serves as their core. But Markus Rollbühler shows us a totem in full splendor in Jungle Idol. The bright colors are all sourced from uncommon parts like red paddle-ends and wakeboards, blue wrenches, and, yes, a halo of carrots. There’s also a splash of teal in the central disc and arms that makes me grin.

Markus notes that Emil Lidé came up with the technique for the palm trees – a gracious touch that speaks to how the LEGO community can inspire each other, even at the highest levels.

You light up my life. You know, because you’re a lamp.

There’s something extra cool when LEGO crosses paths with Art Nouveau. This amazing wasp-winged table lamp, designed by Ted Andes, was inspired by antique Tiffany lamps. And as cool as that lampshade “glass” is, I admire the twisting metalwork accents the most. Although the small details like the gracefully curving wall plug and period-accurate light-switch are also in the running.

Taking off the top, you can better see the brick-built vintage lightbulb and the complex construction that went into the shade’s base. Seen out of context, that lampshade could easily double for a Matrix-inspired robotic vehicle. Amazing work, there.

Built as part of the Bio-Cup contest, Ted was limited to using 100% LEGO elements. That means that this lamp doesn’t light up…yet. Ted says that he plans to add that “non standard” functionality in the future, with an eye on displaying it at an in-person LEGO convention. You know, when those are a regular thing again.

Everything is melting! Also everyone!

The new Everyone is Awesome set is, well, awesome. But inclusivity and cool monochrome minifigures aren’t exactly new ideas. Just ask Andreas Lenander – they’ve been building in those themes for a while now. Andreas has combined earlier builds into a stellar group display that showcases the full range of melty creative possibilities. Out of the group, my favorites are still the black and white builds, even if the stark contrast there doesn’t lean into the more colorful…hold up. Is that Batman I see hiding behind the red waterfall?

Don’t think that Andreas is limited to one thematic style, though. Check out a full range of great builds that we’ve featured in the past!

Building an Iron Man Gauntlet? It’s a snap! (maybe)

Building large-scale movie prop replicas actually isn’t easy at all, but Flickr builder Claudio Tavella makes it look like a snap. This 702-piece, Infinity-Gem-laden Iron Man gauntlet looks every bit as impressive as the real thing. There’s even a great video of it, showing off the full “in the round” view. My favorite details are the curve at the wrist and the transparent cheese slopes as the gems. And, of course, that movie-accurate “snapping” pose. Getting human shaping like that to read correctly is another tricky thing to reproduce well.

It feels like this would be a great companion set to the upcoming 7619 Infinity Gauntlet. We can only hope that when and if LEGO takes its own stab at this, the results are equally stellar.

Who’s that guy with the big, big head?

M.O.D.O.K. — Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing. Easily one of the most distinctive Marvel villains out there. And boy is he out there. Anyway, this uniquely shaped baddie is given his just due in LEGO thanks to Big Easy Bricks. I’m particularly fond of the nested arch/curved slopes to form his signature grimace, as well as the range of motion provided by those Mixel ball joints in the arms. The clouds of jet exhaust are also smartly rendered, with some nice use of 1×1 dome tile to create interesting texture.

M.O.D.O.K. also looks great “in the round”. The rear-facing engine and the ridges of his chair are both very nice, and the use of Hero Factory armor for the shoulder pads scales up perfectly.

One of the best things about the popularity of Marvel characters is all the great LEGO creations that are inspired by them. Check out our archives for more stellar builds!

This tree is deer to me.

Have you seen the film Annihilation? It’s one of my favorites; a great mix of storytelling and really gorgeous (if disquieting) visuals. alex-mocs has perfectly captured the eerie beauty of biologic mutation seen there with their creation The Shimmer. There’s some very creative work in the base, with animal-oriented LEGO elements melded seamlessly into the greenery. The star of the show, though, is the central tree/deer creature. My favorite touch is the Bionicle ball-joint connector that forms the mouth. You can almost hear the sound this being is making, but is it a cry of pain or celebration? Like most things in the Shimmer, it’s really hard to say for sure.

The biologic themes of this creation are very apt, considering this was an entry to the Bio-Cup challenge. Check out our archives for more featured builds inspired by that contest!