The Cyber Metal 2, a speeder bike with some highly unusual styling, is a fun creation from Julius Kanand. Sure, you’ve probably heard of Flying V guitars, but how do you like this flying Flying V? I’m particularly fond of the transparent bright green accents, the speaker cones that double as thrusters, and the use of 1×1 round speaker tiles. Part Doof Wagon, part Star Wars, this build is music to our ears.
Posts by Chris Doyle
LEGO Botanical Collection 10289 Bird of Paradise: April showers bring May flowers [Review]
Let’s start things out right with a few floral puns, shall we? LEGO has been branching out into new themes lately. Introduced in late 2020, the Botanical Collection has already taken root with amazing sets like the 10280 Flower Bouquet and the 10281 Bonsai Tree. It was a pretty safe bet that we’d see more growth in this area, and now we know what it is! The 1173 piece 10289 Botanical Collection: Bird Of Paradise will retail for US $99.99 | CAN $139.99 | UK £89.99 starting June 1 in Europe and the rest of the world, and August 1 in the Americas. I know you’re just budding with excitement, so let’s take a closer 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
Mission Impossible: Prospector Edition
With a skillful use of only 101 elements, Markus Rollbühler takes a deep dive into adventure with 101 Bricks: Dangerous Descent. There are tons fun details, but did you recognize the rocky Bionicle baseplates (turned on their side) that form the walls? I also love the use of monochrome minifigures as carved statues in the background. Looks like there’s some history behind the golden T-Rex. (Hold on. How did an ancient culture know about T-Rexes? Man, this build is just full of mysteries.)
This build is actually a continuation of the story Markus started in 101 Bricks: Discovery. The part limit comes from the RogueOlympics, a contest that has lead to a lot of great featured builds. Check our archives out for more compact goodness from the event!
Forget dragons. Imagine wagons.
There are LEGO builds that hit that sweet spot of nostalgia and realism, and this little red wagon from Ted Andes is one of the great ones. The highlight has to be those great wheels – 3×3 dishes rimmed with a rubber tire, complete with a 1×1 round plate cap. The thin rods for the axles and handle are also perfectly scaled, making this look like a product shot from a retro-toy catalog.
Ted is an expert at creative part usage and unusual builds, as you can see if you take a trip through our archives.
Some perspectives don’t feel forced at all
What’s that off in the distance? Cecilie Fritzvold has created a beautiful view of a distant bridge, or maybe a nearby view of a model train set. It’s hard to say for sure, but this stellar mix of textures and techniques is certainly satisfying to look at. I love how the fence along the left side of the scene, and that second lamp post, drop down to create the illusion of a hill leading down to the bay. The bridge itself also merits a closer look, being constructed from the rather unusual Large Figure Part Shield Holder with Axle. (That choice of part was no accident, as this is one of Cecile’s entries into the latest Iron Builder contest, which focuses on creative use of that very element.)
Making bridges out LEGO can be a challenging task. Check our our archives to see how other builders solved that problem.
An artistic stretch of buildings dedicated to the arts
Microscale buildings can be a challenge to design, but Luis Peña knows just how to make them sizzle. Inspired by the architectural work of Santiago Calatrava and Oscar Niemeyer, the custom buildings in Opera and Museum are filled with unusual elements and a ton of class. My favorite touches are the Mysterio Helmet orb/sculpture, and the Web-effect railings on the bridge. The curves from the balloon panels create a great sense of motion for the scene, too.
If tiny buildings are your thing, take a stroll through our archives for even more compact goodness.
Exploring the Hundred Acre Woods: An interview with fan designer Ben Alder and the design team behind LEGO Ideas 21326 Winnie the Pooh [Feature]
One of the most adorable sets to be released this year is LEGO Ideas 21326 Winnie the Pooh (available now for US $99.99 | CAN $139.99 | UK £89.99 ) We did a lot of exploring in our hands-on review, but the Hundred Acre Wood is a big place. We recently had an opportunity to participate in a roundtable interview with both the fan creator Ben Alder and the LEGO design team who brought his idea to life. Come along as we learn insider info like the secrets behind Pooh’s balloon, the message hidden in the bee trails, and just where Christopher Robin got off to!
There’s something fishy going on here.
A while back IKEA released a line of LEGO-compatible storage boxes. We’ve seen some creative builds based on them before, but this creation by Chi Hsin Wei (LEGO7) is a little sus. Sorry, I mean “fishy”. The white IKEA box makes for a perfect insulated container, transparent 1×1 brick makes realistic ice, and metallic silver tile and slopes add just the right sheen to the saury. The brick-built sign with pricing really elevates the build, giving everything context and letting you imagine visiting your favorite fish-monger for the catch of the day.
I don’t want to carp on about what a great build this is forever, so I suggest you go check out some other featured fishy builds.
Asteroids dead ahead! Shields up!
Creative part usage crosses over with retro-gaming nostalgia in Classic Space Arcade by brickleas. This entry into the Iron Builder contest takes uncommon Large Figure Part Shield Holder with Axle LEGO elements and mashes them up with side-scrolling in a way that’s sure to earn a high score. The use of the shield as both a part of the spaceship and the scoring counters is brilliant, but I also like the other creative touches. The smallest white stars are made from headlight bricks with white bars inserted into them, for example. And check out the similar-but-not-identical builds on the asteroids. It looks like classic Atari graphics to me!
Over the years, we’ve featured a lot of creative builds resulting from Iron Builder challenges. Why not check our archives and see what you’ve missed?
And you thought stepping on them was painful
Most of us have a few brick separators lying around, but Gino Lohse takes things a step further by building a human-scale chainsaw that seems ready to take apart just about anything. Built for Iron Forge‘s April Tools monthly challenge, this 1:1 scale wonder isn’t based on a specific real-world inspiration. I think that makes it all the cooler, as there’s no question that this could be something you’d find on the shelves of a LEGO-universe hardware store. My favorite details are the modified 1×1 pate with clip/cheese slope teeth on the chain, the tires forming the handles, and the pull-cord starter. The photography deserves some recognition, too, as this is one model that really benefits from a “lifestyle” setting.
Cool additional fact: We learned about Gino’s creation on our Discord server. Head on over and join the discussion with fellow Brothers Brick fans! Or maybe seek some inspiration from other featured Iron Forge creations.
C is for Seed Part. You know, phonetically.
The Iron Builder competition is based around taking an unusual LEGO “seed part” and incorporating in into amazing creations. brickleas is an expert at this craft, taking a huge pile of 100 blue Large Figure Part Shield Holder with Axle pieces and transforming them into Sesame Street’s own Cookie Monster. The texture of the shield elements does an amazing job of standing in for Cookie’s fur, but the techniques that create the black puppet-mouth and googly eyes are just as impressive. Even that chocolate chip cookie manages to look delicious somehow.
When I reviewed 21324 LEGO Ideas Sesame Street, I had a few reservations about the look of the Cookie Monster minifigure, and it does my heart good to see him done justice here. If you’re a fan of Sesame Street, too, then check out some of our other featured creations starring more Muppet friends!
An unusual way to take your first steps into a larger world
The world feels like a dangerous place sometimes, and it’s only logical that parents would want to keep their babies safe when they venture out. That said, this solution from Andreas Lenander seems just a little bit extreme. The Baby Bubble Mech sure is a work of art, though. There’s just enough bulk to the mech’s arms and legs to suggest a light and strong exo-suit, and that bubble cockpit does give a wide field of view. And speaking of that view, does the part selection there suggest a lunar landscape fit for Wallace and Gromit? After all, “everyone knows the moon is made of cheese“…
If you enjoyed this odd walkabout, you’ll definitely want to check out our other “baby build” featured creations. They’re all cute and only mildly creepy.
Honest.