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

When we all learned to sit thought the credits

After a long, hard afternoon of repelling alien invasions, sometimes you just need to sit down for some shawarma. This virtual LEGO build by Lego_nuts captures this quiet post-credits moment from the first Avengers film in exquisite detail. I love the details hidden among the carnage like the printed 1×1 round tiles in the vending machine. And making the fries out of LEGO Rocks works pretty well, too. It really does just look like a still frame from the movie.

Composed 2385 bricks, the scene took 15 hours to build. If you’re interested in how this shot was…dare I say it?….assembled, you’ll enjoy this video that goes through the entire process.

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A new dimension in wing design

I’m not exactly sure what a Guardian Symbiont Ophanim is, but by golly Djokson can sure build an awesome LEGO one. The use of the Dimension game stand disks in the wings gives this ethereal being just the right blend of “Matrix-hovercraft” and “Doctor Strange spell-casting CGI”. Flexible rods are also used to great effect in the head and add some curves to the otherwise delicate arms. And check out the use of a Bionicle Krana Mask for the upper torso.

Those are some tiny little feet, though. I have to wonder how this creation manages to stay upright. Well, I suppose if you can fly on wings like those, you never really have to touch the ground.

LEGO 75549 Minions: Unstoppable Bike Chase [Review]

The Minions: The Rise of Gru movie has been pushed back to a 2021 release date, but don’t count 2020 out just yet: LEGO managed to release two themed sets before the cinematic world went into a holding pattern. Today’s we’re looking at the smaller of the two: 75549 Minions: Unstoppable Bike Chase (US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99) This 136 piece set is available now and comes with an exclusive Gru minfigure, two Minions and two small vehicles. These Minions sure are cute, but are they enough to build up some hype? Read on and see!

Click to read the full review

Invincible Steel Man says “Hello!”

One of my favorite things to come out of the 1980s was the vast array of giant Japanese robots. From Voltron to the Shogun Warriors, each mammoth mech seemed to be more impressive than the last. Similarly, Marco De Bon‘s LEGO tributes to these Super Robots also seem to just get better and better. Today we look at their recreation of Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3. I’m not super familiar with this show, but after watching a YouTube clip, I’m sold on the concept. Clocking in at am impressive 340 mm tall, Marco has managed to pack the model with clean lines, vivid details, and even multiple vehicle modes!

Click here to continue reading…

The Joy of Building with Bob Ross

These days you could do a lot worse than spending some time listening to a soothing voice and being creative. If ever there was an icon for that sort of thing, it would have to be Bob Ross. Julius von Brunk has created a LEGO version of the master painter that is just as inspiring and every bit as clever. From the metallic silver of the lightsaber hilt in the paintbrush to the mixture of tiles and various styles of 1×1 round plates as paint, the use of parts in Bob’s tools are as inspiring as the techniques in the artist himself. The use of a 3L bar and tan clip for the mustache made me smile. And did you spot the engine covers in Bob’s hair?

As charismatic as Bob is, though, he really needs somewhere to work. Julius has that covered, too, with a brick-built easel, paint selection, and canvas. That canvas is currently blank, but that’s by design.

We’ve featured several of Julius’ other creations in the past. Maybe you’ll find one of them equally inspiring as Bob, here.

LEGO Ninjago Spinjitzu Burst: 70685 Cole, 70686 Kai, & 70687 Lloyd [Review]

Our coverage of the Summer 2020 Ninjago sets continues with a close look at the Spinjitzu Burst sets. Slated for a June 1st release, these are similar (read: almost identical) to 2019’s Spinjitzu Slam sets. Each features a single ninja, an elemental-themed spinner base, and a color-coordinated launch platform. There are three different characters to collect:
70685 Spinjitzu Burst Cole
70686 Spinjitzu Burst Kai
70687 Spinjitzu Burst Lloyd

Aimed at the 7+ age range, these 48-piece sets are focused around the play factor. But at an expected $10 price point in the US, is there enough to attract adult builders and collectors, too? Read on and judge for yourself!

Click to read the full review

LEGO 71718 Ninjago: Wu’s Battle Dragon [Review]

The summer 2020 wave of LEGO Ninjago sets are just around the corner. We’re kicking off our series of hands-on reviews with LEGO 71718 Ninjago: Wu’s Battle Dragon, 321 pieces of ninja-goodness. One of the smaller sets in this wave, it is expected to retail for $19.99 in the US when it launches June 1st. Ninjago completists are going to want to pick this one up for the exclusive Hero Wu minifigure, but what if you’re not deep into Ninjago lore? Is this set worth your time if you’re just looking for a fun build or useful parts? Read on and see!

Click to read the full hands-on review

Dinosaurs are pretty retro, when you think about it

At first glance, you’d think this was just a cool LEGO creation of a dinosaur playing a guitar. And you’d be right. But as Pistash could tell you, this is also a bit of retro history in the form of a late 80’s icon. Because this is no mere musical reptile. This is Denver, the Last Dinosaur. He starred in his own animated TV series back in 1989.

Sadly, I never saw the show, but I can comment on this LEGO version. I have to admire the use of curved mudguards in the mouth, in a light-aqua color only seen in a LEGO Friends set from 2013. That same light-aqua fills in the face and the chest, contrasting nicely with the green of the main body. The organic curves of the arms are from arched and curved brick.

I may not know who Denver is, but he still looks like he’d be fun to hang out with.

Electric Boogaloo is Cyberpunk, right?

We’ve featured several of Joss Woodyard (Jayfa)‘s amazing LEGO characters and creatures in the past, but this one is probably my favorite. Cyber-Punk is a super-expressive build that feels like it stepped right out of a comic book. A Toa Okoto head is enhanced with magenta dragon horns and quarter circle tiles for a stylish hairdo. The highly poseable legs are Bionicle beams surrounded by rubber LEGO tires. And there’s a nice bit of detailing on the shoes with an ice skate for laces.

This was built for the preliminary round of Bio-Cup 2020. I can’t wait to see what else comes out of that competition!

Glowing in the deep

For my taste, we don’t see nearly enough horrific LEGO monsters here on the Brothers Brick. That’s why I’m so happy to write about the Luminescent Levviathan by Marko Petrušić. This creepy creature is based around a lot of hard-to-find Bionicle sets from 2007. In particular, it uses unique glow-in-the-dark pieces from Nocturn, Takadox, and Gadunka. These key elements are mixed with armor plating from the same sets to extend the shapes even further. The best bit, though, is that tail. The fins are made from Batmobile wings and an inverted use of glowing spines from the Nocturn set.

From the side, you can better see the build isn’t all black and blue. There’s a bit of brown on the underbelly, giving this an even more natural look. If, you know, nature was really pissed at us. Looking outside, maybe it is. At least this thing appears to be aquatic. If Marko makes a murder hornet version, I might never venture outside again.

Splish Splash

There are a couple of things that I envy about this build by Krzysztof J. First and foremost is that bathtub. Owning a giant claw-footed tub like that is long term goal for me. But, just behind that material greed, is envy of the skill involved in rendering this scene. Creating human-proportioned figures out of LEGO is no easy feat, and there are some great techniques in play here. In particular, I like the Aztec shield earrings and the wedges for hands. The way the balance of the figure is hidden beneath the surface of the 1×2 brick “water” disguises necessary seams and provides just a touch of privacy to an intimate moment.

But back to that tub. I love the gently sloping angles on the sizes, the sturdy construction of the legs, and the attention to detail in the overflow drain and hand-held faucet. Little touches like the alternation between solid and hollow studs in the detailing at the bottom of the basin add just the right touch of realism.

The rest of the scene is also worth investigating. The pump-soap dispenser makes great use of transparent 2×2 brick, and the bath mat feels like it has the right texture. Even the base is pretty sweet, with a nice inlaid tile floor. Next time I try and relax, I only hope I can do so in such nice surroundings.

Chubby Grimlock is the best Grimlock

So…anyone else finding that self-isolation has lead to needing to let a notch or two out on your belt? It can’t be just me, as this LEGO Grimlock by Andreas Lenander seems to have put on a few ounces as well. Personally, this cute and cuddly version of the leader of the Dinobots feels like an upgrade. I like the highly-articulated tail, the use of ingots to break up the the curved slopes, and those cute little arms.

At least he’s venturing outside, based on those flowers. I should probably do that, too.