About Andrew Becraft (TBB Editor-in-Chief)

Andrew Becraft is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Brothers Brick. He's been building with LEGO for more than 40 years, and writing about LEGO here on TBB since 2005. He's also the co-author, together with TBB Senior Editor Chris Malloy, of the DK book Ultimate LEGO Star Wars. Andrew is an active member of the online LEGO community, as well as his local LEGO users group, SEALUG. Andrew is also a regular attendee of BrickCon, where he organizes a collaborative display for readers of The Brothes Brick nearly every year. You can check out Andrew's own LEGO creations on Flickr. Read Andrew's non-LEGO writing on his personal blog, Andrew-Becraft.com. Andrew lives in Seattle with his wife and dogs, and by day leads software design and planning teams.

Posts by Andrew Becraft (TBB Editor-in-Chief)

Octan Racing Le Mans prototype race car by LegoExotics

This Le Mans race car by Jens M. (LegoExotics) goes so fast we missed his red, white, and green streak of awesome when he first posted it.

C 01-11 Le Mans Prototype

The Technic scale lets Jens achieve a lot of detail in a relatively small space, like the lovely blue and tan square or those little antenna thingies.

Via LEGOBLOGGEN.

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.

Kwi-chang’s LAB-001 SRAM buggy gets the job done

Ryuhei Kawai (Kwi-chang) recently saw TRON Legacy and was inspired to create this four-wheeled sci-fi buggy as his first LEGO creation of the year.

LAB-001 SRAM

The buggy has four-wheel suspension, and looks like it’ll go just about anywhere.

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.

Schfio’s adorable baby LEGO bunnies celebrate Chinese New Year

Hong Kong LEGO fan Schfio recently posted a pair of rabbits that are so cute I’m not sure what could be cuter.

DSC_0088x

Although we welcomed the Year of the Rabbit with our Japanese readers back in January, most of the rest of the world celebrates the Lunar New Year alongside our readers in China. To all our readers in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xi’an, Taipei, and everywhere else in the Chinese-speaking world, we wish you all 恭喜發財! May the new year bring peace, prosperity, and happiness wherever life takes you.

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.

Defending the Fort at Isla D’Or

I recently finished re-reading Treasure Island for the first time in more than twenty years, and went looking for some Pirate LEGO to blog. Rod Gillies (2 Much Caffeine) was happy to oblige, with his many entries for the Jolly Roger Contest over at Forbidden Cove.

I particularly like the light blue water accenting the shore and boat in this little diorama:

The Fort at Isla D'Or

I also love the cascading water in “The Fountain of Youth”:

The Fountain of Youth

Check out the full photoset for more gems.

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.

Alex Eylar gives Oscar-nominated 2010 movies the LEGO treatment

It’s always wonderful to see a fellow LEGO builder get well-deserved exposure from the non-LEGO world. With the Academy Award nominees just announced, Alex Eylar‘s awesome LEGO versions of the Best Actor/Actress and Best Picture nominees are popping all over the place, from The Daily Telegraph to the front page of Yahoo!.

I’m surprised to see any sci-fi movie nominated, and I love Alex’s rendition of Inception, which we highlighted in our interview with him back in August.

Inception

James Franco’s character cuts off his own arm in 127 Hours.

And The Nominees Are

Colin Firth gets nervous in front of crowds in The King’s Speech.

And The Nominees Are

See all ten of Alex’s LEGO movie scenes in his Flickr photostream, and do check out the gallery on Telegraph.co.uk as well, which has a couple photos of Alex at his LEGO table, talking about his building and photography process.

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.

2011 bounces in on rabbit ‘tocks

かわいいレゴずき (“I Love Cute LEGO”) has their annual roundup of New Year greetings from Japanese LEGO builders up on the blog, replete with adorable bunnies to honor the Year of the Rabbit.

LEGO Year of the Rabbit nengajyou

But most unique of all this year’s New Year creations is this set of osechi cuisine by mumu from the resident builders at かわいいレゴずき:

LEGO Osechi-ryori

I always thought osechi food was a bit of an acquired taste, but I’ve said the same thing about traditional American holiday food. (In both cases, it doesn’t help that my choices are further limited by being a vegetarian from birth.) Whether you appreciate the source of inspiration or not, the LEGO version is a lovely evocation of a uniquely Japanese tradition.

Happy 2011, LEGO fans of the world! Scientists, please provide a status update on your abject failure to give us flying cars and personal robots. We are, after all, living in The Future…

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.

LEGOLAND California gets Star Wars Miniland in March 2011 [News]

Home of LEGO Star Wars Days for the last several years, it’s only natural that LEGOLAND California should get a section of Miniland dedicated to Star Wars. That’s finally happening this March, as announced this morning. From Bricks to Bothans was there today covering the press event, and has all the details and photos, including the ever-awesome Mr. Gary McIntire (with Miniland tauntaun and Han Solo).

Gary McIntire with Miniland Tauntaun 2

Read the full coverage and press release on FBTB.

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.

Plausible deniability

Photographing a low-contrast LEGO creation in low light seems like a recipe for disaster, but Brandon Bannerman (Catsy) manages to pull it off in this top-down shot titled “Long Way Down”:

Long Way Down

The photograph itself rewards closer examination, and be sure to click through for the backstory.

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.

10152/10155 Maersk (Sealand) Container Ship re-released [News]

From the “Wait, what?” department, LEGO has just re-released the 2004 set 10152 Maersk Sealand Container Ship as the 2011 set 10155 Maersk Container Ship.icon

iconicon

The new version has two more pieces and the sticker/decal says “Maersk Line” instead of “Maersk Sealand,” but the set appears to be otherwise identical. 10155 Maersk Container Shipicon costs $120 (compare to the original at $75 seven years ago) and is available from the LEGO Shop online now.

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 delicious slice of orange

The LEGO Speeder Bikes contest over on Flickr is picking up steam, with more than 70 entries so far. There are dozens of notable entries, but one that jumped off the page for me is this orange and dark gray bad boy by Peter Taylor (darkblne).

Speeder Bike

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.

Seven Disney princesses in LEGO Miniland scale

Builder Matt Armstrong created these seven inspiring Disney princesses with an amazing and unique brick-built style that he has dubbed “bricklings”.  The magic of this scale is evident as no explanation is required as to who they are. On closer look, you can see the careful selection of parts is only the first sign of creativity, the colour selection is spot on! From parts usage to colour selection Matt helps us all re-live the individual tales found within this collective. What can best be described as micro Miniland people, don’t be fooled by the scale, as these figures remind us all to keep dreaming big.

 

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.

Your mistletoe is no match for my T.O.W. missile!

Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, Robot Santa from Futurama will wreak havoc in your house. This LEGO version by Mark Anderson of Andertoons is sure to put the fear of Xmas in every child’s heart.

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.