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

Lookie at this low-key temple of Lo’Ki

Using only 98 bricks, Markus Rollbühler takes us on a journey of wonder, discovery, and forced perspective. Could this be a scene from an upcoming Disney+ show? The high production values are certainly there. So…maybe? The Temple of Lo’Ki does seem to be dedicated to a certain marvelous god of lies. The minifigure helmet works surprisingly well as a micro-scale idol, as to the golden binoculars and window shutters. And that is one very old growth forest behind the temple, since some of those LEGO trees haven’t been in production since 1962.

This build is an entry into the second round of this year’s RogueOlympics, explaining the “under 101 part” challenge. We’ve already seen a few adventures from this contest, and I’m sure we’ll see even more. So keep an eye on our archives for more featured builds!

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Just trying to get a head

Some LEGO elements are easy to upsize, and some are a nightmare of odd angles and complex shapes that defy common techniques. This was a challenge ToM Dracone (@yannickbuildsthings) was up for, though, as this super-sized Bionicle Toa head is a spot-on likeness. I’m particularly fond of the eye ridge/side of the head angling. This statue also has a great base, with sandy colors and greenery that harken back to the Island of Mata Nui. The gold Hau mask helps provide a sense of scale, making this head feel like a massive totem on the shoreline.

If you’d like to see more photos and details, check out yannickbuildsthings’ LEGO Ideas submission. And when you’re done there, why not delve into our archives for more great featured Bionicle creations?

I wonder if his garden is in the shade.

Let’s go on an undersea adventure with this great octopus by Didier Burtin. You don’t normally associate great greebling with aquatic creatures, but if you look close there are lots of fun details here. Sure, the LEGO tires are easy to locate, but what about the hot dog? There’s also a generous helping of hinged articulation, making this one poseable critter. It looks like the octopus has claimed a treasure chest as a perch, and the brown of the chest (and the bright orange leaves festooning it) really make the red and black colors of the octopus stand out.

It’s great to see a creation that’s based so firmly on an accurate depiction of a real-life animal. That’s not to say there isn’t also benefit from a more mechanized approach. What sort of octopus do you want to build?

The Eggblaster 01 is one sunny-side-up mech

Sometimes a LEGO element can inspire a build, and that appears to be the case with the LEGO Eggblaster 01 by Marco De Bon. That oval windscreen led to an egg-shaped cockpit, which in turn led to this cute-and-stompy mech. The dark blue and red colors work well, with just the right pop of yellow from the caution striping. And check out the clever use of horse barding in those gun covers!

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LEGO DOTS 41930 Bag Tag Panda [Review]

The latest wave of DOTS branches out from bracelets to include “bag tags” – cute, cubic animals that can be clipped onto a backpack (or other things) to add a bit of LEGO flair. DOTS 41930 Bag Tag Panda is available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $6.99 | CAN $8.99 | UK £5.99, so we picked one up to take a closer look…and found some interesting new parts for our troubles! Come along as we take a 84 piece trip into the realms of adorableness.

Click to read the full hands-on review

A darker take on the concept of “Through the looking glass”

When you’re looking for a dark or spooky creation, you know you can count on Corvus Auriac. H.P. Lovecraft Tribute is another prime example of that. It’s a digital render that uses only real-life pieces, a nicely meta “twist on reality.” Seems thematic, anyway. I love the textures in play, and the way the transparent energy effect pieces around the opening portal have shapes the echo the bat wings and organic curves in the frame. Oh, and also echo the organic curves that appear in the elder god who’s reaching through that mirror.

Check our archives if you’re in the mood for even more horrific builds!

I like the shipshape shape of this ship-shaped ship.

Using only 101 pieces, Jonas Kramm creates a brilliant two-mast ship inspired by Käpt’n Blaubär. As you’d expect clever part usage abounds, but the best bit may be the rowboat that gets upscaled into the ship’s hull. The doubled white 3×4 curved panels for sails are brilliant as well, giving a great sense of motion to the build. There’s even a tiny masthead mermaid made from an orange bow and a a carrot top for a tail.

The 101 piece limit comes from the contest rules for the RogueOlympics, and Jonas has pledged to be back with even more 101 element creations. Maybe these builds can help inspire you to try your hand at your own microscale building!

LEGO Gift With Purchase – 40449 Easter Bunny’s Carrot House [Review]

For the past several years around this time, LEGO has offered an Easter-themed Gift with Purchase. This year proves no different. Well, maybe a little different. It is a new set, after all. This year’s perk is 40449 Easter Bunny’s Carrot House, a 231-piece set featuring a cute little bunny and a single-room carrot-based home. It will be available with purchases over $60 from March 15th until April 5th, or while a supplies last. Is it worth potentially filling your cart with a few extra items to hit the required total? Let’s take a look 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.

Click to read the full hands-on review

LEGO DOTS 41931 Extra DOTS – Series 4: Making Faces [Review]

It feels like it was just yesterday (Okay, it was January) when we took a look at the Extra DOTS series 3 packs. But LEGO has gone rapid-release on us, and now there’s already a whole new set of unique printed tiles to collect and rare colored elements to stock up on. Packs of 41931 Extra DOTS – Series 4 are available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $3.99 | CAN $4.99 | UK £3.99. We bought a few to see what this latest not-quite-blind-pack has to offer.

Click to read the full hands-on review

This alternate model is ALIVE – Johnny 5 made from a 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator

Making alternate models from released LEGO sets is a challenging hobby, but Rogel Dela Fuente (RJ BrickBuilds) takes things to an impressive extreme with their transformation of a 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator into Johnny 5 of Short Circuit fame. This is more than just a static creation – RJ has made a Johnny 5 that is truly ALIVE.

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A mosaic as proud as a peacock

One of the coolest things about LEGO building is how it can cross over with other art forms. This stunning mosaic by Deep Shen was inspired by a cross-stitch pattern. Translated into LEGO, it uses about 6,700 pieces to cover 160×104 studs (that’s about 50 inches x 32 inches) and took two weeks to build. The end result was definitely worth the investment in time and parts, as it really captures the majesty of the peacock.

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When remote learning is really, really, remote.

LEGO Master Builder Tyler Clites dips his toe into FebRovery waters with his Space School Bus. Tyler’s image description gives us some nice context for the theming – “I think having a kid has me thinking less about weaponry and more about the more mundane details of life in space.” Mars is far enough away for socially distanced learning, right? There are a lot of great details to enjoy here, but my favorites are the smooth curves in the rear cabin and and the dark red structural beams. And those frying pan details in the center of the layered wheels are just *chef’s kiss* levels of quality.

If space school busses aren’t your jam, then maybe you’ll like this awesome chopped rusto-mod version from our archives!