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

A seedy little workspace

It may seem like an ordinary day to you or me, but in Kit Nugent’s (KitKat1414) world, things are a bit more interesting. In this masterfully built LEGO slice of life, a man is confronted by the fact that 25 Friends Horse Saddle in Dark azure has infected his home. As you may have guessed, this is part of the Iron Builder competition, where the challenge is to incorporate the seed part (in this case the aforementioned saddle) into a build in the most interesting ways possible. Not only are there the “easy” wins of a flower pot or bookshelf, but Kit has incorporated them into a standing lamp and even a chair’s backrest. But the best use to me is turning a bunch of them into floor trimming.  Oh, and that rug made of carrots is pretty sweet, too.

Closed for Business

More inspired part usages (include more saddle-y goodness) await in our Iron Builder tag!

Nothin’ says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven

I love unusual subject matter for LEGO builds, and Maxx Davidson has picked a great one – a vintage oven! The four-burner gas-powered beauty is instantly recognizable, with great use of curved slopes and SNOT building to evoke memories of Grandma’s kitchen.

Vintage Oven

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There’s still Life On Mars

Sand purple; there’s a color that doesn’t see a lot of use in LEGO creations these days. But Djokson refuses to be limited by convention – or that fact that the purple elements used in Grappler SuGork haven’t been seen since 2001’s Life on Mars theme. And don’t let that friendly face fool you, either. That’s a Bionicle Krana mask from 2002. And those odd shoulder bits? Hovercraft skirts last seen in a 2006 Batboat. I don’t know what SuGork is up to, but it’s clear he’s been working on that armor for a very long time.

Grappler SuGork

Sadly there aren’t a ton of other Martian throwbacks in our Life on Mars tag. Why not dust off some old pieces and try making a tribute yourself?

A microscale visit to Ukraine: Verkhovna Rada Building, Kyiv

Normally I try and make up some silly commentary to go along with the builds we feature here. This, time, though, I’m going to let builder Christian Rau do the talking:

My 1:700 LEGO model of the Verkhovna Rada building (Будинок Верховної Ради) in Kyiv, Ukraine, the seat of the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada). Originally built in the 1930s in neo-classical style for the parliament of the Ukrainian SSR, it has been the meeting place for the parliament of the independent Ukrainian nation since 1991 and has borne its flag ever since. The photo shows the view from the south.

Verkhovna Rada Building, Kyiv - Let's Build Ukraine!

This and other models can be bought on LetsBuildUkraine.co. All profits (minus material and shipping costs) will be donated to front-line workers and organizations caring for Ukrainian children suffering from the ongoing war.

It’s a classy model, and tied to a good cause. Check out our recent feature on more ways the LEGO community has been getting involved.

LEGO Ninjago 71769: Cole’s Dragon Cruiser [Review]

After a long wait, the summer 2022 line of Ninjago sets are available world-wide. We’ve taken a close look at several so far, but there’s still a lot of fun left to explore. Up next is Ninjago 71769 – Cole’s Dragon Cruiser. This 384 piece set can be yours for US $44.99 | CAN $59.99 | UK £39.99, and comes with four minifigures in addition to the vehicle.  What do you say? Ready to take a ride?

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.

Cruisin’ right along

Looks like candy, tastes like plastic

I love a good collectible crossover, and Maxx Davidson shares a great one combining LEGO and PEZ. These brick built beauties capture the charm and character of the iconic candy dispensers, with an added treat of refill packs spilling their chalky goodness all over the table. I know I’d be happy to add these to my collection, and hopefully others will be inspired to make their own characters to add to this theme.

PEZ dispensers

What’s also neat is that these are very close to 1:1 scale with real PEZ dispensers. You know what else is cool? The other 1:1 Scale goodies in our archives!

Got your goat right here

LEGO has released a lot of great minifigure-scaled animals over the years, but one of the rarest is the humble goat. Released in only one set,  2011’s 7189 Mill Village Raid, it currently commands an aftermarket price that is frankly kind of silly.  Richard Young (IamKritch) has a suggestion – why pay high prices for a single piece when you can make a giant brick-built version for a fraction of the cost? Built for the  “Going Big” category of the Summer Joust competition, this oversized darling makes great use of curved slopes to accurately mimic shaping of its smaller counterparts. We just hope it’s friendly.

A Large Goat

Want more goats? Sure, we all do. No kidding, go check our archives. Or maybe opt for a recently released set with slightly smaller brick-built alternatives.

The USS Goldsmith is ready for some boldly going

When you’re looking to join the Federation, be sure to ask for Tim Goddard‘s USS Goldsmith by name. This Overture class starship’s crew specializes in first contact and related negotiations. It also specializes in some high-grade LEGO building techniques to create the seamless front saucer section and iconic nacelles. One of my favorite details are the Technic gears just barely visible under the transparent neon orange domes, a nice nod to the classic Enterprise model’s visual effects.

USS Goldsmith

Multiple viewscreens active after the jump

I’m sensing a theme here. Like...eight of them.

Mechs are a common focus for builders, but Djokson takes things a step further with CORE.seeker. Loaded with unusual parts from all over the LEGO universe, this one really satisfies. There are yellow box straps from Vidiyo, a black DOTS bracelet, a wheel from the Chima theme, a teal ball from the classic Technic 8269 Cyber Stinger set, and chest armor from a BigFig Tie Fighter pilot. Plus great sticker usage and some great macaroni fingers. There’s nice part usage…and then there’s CORE.seeker, my candidate for RNPU (Really nice part usage.)

CORE.seeker

Does this inspire you to create your own unusually-outfitted mech? Need more ideas? Check our archives for more fantastic builds.

It’s not Amazon Prime, it’s a Prime Amazon

Seeing nature transformed into plastic bricks can be an amazing experience, and Maxx Davidson shows us just how it’s done with this 1:1 recreation of a Yellow Crowned Amazon. This green and yellow parrot has some gorgeous curves to it’s body, and some beautiful plumage to boot. I admit, though, that it was the 1×1 round bricks and “jumper stand” handles that form the talons that first caught my eye. It’s a neat solution that successfully mimics the real biology’s textures.

1:1 Yellow Crowned Amazon

Like what you see here? Well there are a lot more realistically sized creations in our archives!

LEGO Icons 10305: Lion Knights’ Castle : Part Two – The Minifigures [Review]

In Part I of our review of LEGO Icons 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle, we explored the building at the center of this massive, 4514-piece love letter to the Castle theme. Here in Part II we’ll meet each of the twenty-two minifigures that accompany it. This set will be available to VIPs on August 3rd (and everyone on August 8th) for US $399.99 | CAN $499.99 | UK £344.99, but you can continue your early look now!

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.

It takes a village