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

Nothing a coat of paint won’t fix.

There’s a lot going on in this sculpture by Adam Betts. Gravity defying, drippy, creepy, and undeniably imaginative, Paint Pouring On A Minifig Skull is a creation that deserves a close look. I like how the underlying skull is a great match for the suggested bone structure of a minifigure head, and how the fondant-like paint overlay perfectly captures the “skin” and facial features as the paint covers the superstructure. The suspended paint bucket is also well done, and I love the tiny touch of the banana splashes.

If you like this build, be sure to check our archives for more skullful creations.

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 Ideas 21326 Winnie the Pooh: building the Hundred Acre Wood [Review]

In the writings of A. A. Milne, the Hundred Acre Wood is home to many beloved characters. LEGO  invites us all to visit these childhood friends in LEGO Ideas 21326 Winnie the Pooh. Based on an idea submitted by fan Ben Alder in March of 2019, this set will be available to LEGO VIP members starting March 18, with general availability following on April 1st. For US $99.99 | CAN $139.99 | UK £89.99 you’ll get Pooh’s home and five exclusive minifigures. Read along as we look for honey-dipped surprises, keeping a watchful eye out for any stray Heffalumps. (Spoiler alert: There are no Heffalumps in this set.)

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.

LEGO Ninjago 71747 The Keepers’ Village [Review]

Lately we’ve been working our way through the new wave of Ninjago sets based on the latest island-themed season. Today we reach our final destination of Ninjago 71747 The Keepers’ Village. This 632 piece offering features five minifigures and a playset full of surprises. It’s available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $49.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £44.99. Is this a fitting conclusion to our Island adventures? Are there interesting perks for non-Ninjago fans? 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.

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.

LEGO Marvel Avengers 76170 Iron Man vs. Thanos [Review]

Younger Builders….ASSEMBLE! The LEGO “4+” line is aimed at junior builders, with simplified designs and larger pieces. Marvel Avengers 76170 Iron Man vs. Thanos is one of them, and will be available March 1st from the LEGO Shop Online for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99. But this is a Marvel set, and that means a wider range of fans are going to consider it as well. Is there anything here to tempt them? And what about non-Marvel builders? Come along as we examine just what LEGO has squeezed into this 103 piece set.

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.

Ten years of Ninjago in a single build

How’s this for dedication? Lee Chi Wing (city son) binge-watched all 14 seasons (160 episodes) of Ninjago to make sure the stories and characters were represented correctly in this amazing tribute. The build itself was accomplished in just seven days, too.  Take a little time and treat yourself to a close look at this masterpiece.

NINJAGO (2021)

Who can you spot? Can you name everyone? Identify the seasons? Want some hints? Lee Chi Wing has you covered with a host of images as an answer key!
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 Legacy 71740 Jay’s Electro Mech [Review]

Ninjago Legacy sets are a way for LEGO to re-introduce past sets to newer fans. Usually this means taking a previous set and adding upgraded designs, new parts, and exclusive minifigures. But what happens when you cross the streams and combine a historic mech with the “Learn to Build” 4+ age range market? Come along as we explore the transformation of 2015’s 70754 ElectroMech into Ninjago Legacy 71740 Jay’s Electro Mech.  This 106 piece set will be available March 1st from the LEGO Shop Online for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99.  Can it possibly survive “junior-ization”? Adventure awaits!

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.

Weather or not you like this mech, it’s great

When looking for hyper-realistic mechs with great part usage, you know you can count on Marco Marozzi to provide the goods. The Marine N3 Mech feels even more realistic than usual, too, with that great weathering. But don’t discount the minifigure rebreather accessory in the helmet, the snowshoes in the feet, and those decidedly old-school Throwbot visors as shoulder pads. Marco is sometimes known for bending LEGO “purist” rules and incorporating parts from “other leading brick brands”, and I think I see a few of them here, too. But once again, I can’t complain because the end result is just so sweet.

MARINE N3 MECH

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 71745 Lloyd’s Jungle Chopper Bike [Review]

We’ve been sharing an early look at a number of sets based on the latest season of Ninjago. Today we tackle the smallest of the bunch, 71745 Lloyd’s Jungle Chopper Bike. This 183 piece set will be available March 1st from the LEGO Shop Online for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99. Is there enough here to be of interest to both Ninjago fans and the wider LEGO audiences? Come along as we take a close 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.

Me not Grimlock, me MechaGodzilla!

Mecha Godzilla is the best Godzilla who isn’t really Godzilla. Kelvin Low (chubbybots) shares an amazing take on this iconic monster, who seems ready to take on all comers. Described by the builder as “a fusion of King Gogulas from Zoids and Kiryu from Godzilla”, I can’t help but notice the color choices, too. Those remind me strongly of Nexo Knights, adding another fun layer of meta.  I love those huge stompy feet and the central-check cockpit. It really is a thing of beauty.

Even better, there’s a video that lets you get an up-close and personal look at this creation!

There’s more Godzilla-related fun in our archives, too.

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.

A Symbiont to watch over us

The striking Assault Symbiont Syrinx is described by Djokson as a “Surgical precision instrument.” Which reminds me of a precision timepiece. You know, like the LEGO Clikits watch that’s serving as this figure’s head. That’s just one example of the creative part usage here, too. Check out that neck ring made by a Spinjitzu rotor, or those transparent-blue garage door panels. Even the “hands” use uncommon parts like metal train axles. It’s kind of sad that “Assault” is part of this creature’s function – the colors and shaping remind me more of a medical droid. I suppose that’s just the sort of great camouflage an Assault Symbiont would lean into, though.

Assault Symbiont Syrinx

Be sure to check out Djokson’s other featured creations for even more “is that LEGO? I’m not sure” moments.

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 71748 Catamaran Sea Battle [Review]

LEGO invites you to take a tropical vacation with a number of sets based on the latest season of Ninjago. Sounds nice, but knowing Ninjago themes, by “vacation” they probably mean “a trip into very dangerous waters”. Today we’re taking a look at 71748 Catamaran Sea Battle which will be available March 1st from the LEGO Shop Online. At US $69.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £59.99 for 780 pieces, this is the largest and most expensive offering in this wave of sets. It comes with six minifigures and two pretty swanky boats. Let’s brave the rapids and take a close look at what this set has in store for us.

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.

There’s more than a trace of creativity here.

The creator of this nightmarish image, Bart De Dobbelaer, has combined cinematic inspiration from Hackers and Tron Legacy with 22 meters of EL wire in Trace initiated – a chilling image of cyberspace done right. I’m not sure exactly what’s happening here, but it doesn’t seem to be good news. Is the creepy central figure reaching out with a red data probe to track a hacker? Or is the trace running the other direction? Could this be a friendly cyber guardian about to be compromised by the outside world? We may never be sure.  Where’s Flynn when you need him?? Either way, though, it sure is a spectacular scene.

Trace initiated

At that glorious greebling makes me want to break out my collection of tiny parts and get to building myself. And I’m pretty sure I still have some light kits around here somewhere…

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.