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)

LEGO introduces new rollercoaster system with LEGO Batman 70922 The Joker Manor [Review]

It’s fairly rare and always noteworthy when LEGO introduces a completely new set of elements that work together as a sort of sub-system to the overall LEGO “System of Play.” With 70922 The Joker Manor, LEGO has introduced a new rollercoaster system. We’ll be taking a much closer look at the rollercoaster system and the parts in this new set with a second, parts-focused review, but first we’re taking a look at the new set on its own merits.

Joker Manor includes 3,444 pieces with 10 minifigs, making it the fifth largest LEGO set released in 2017 (after 75192 Millennium Falcon, 10256 Taj Mahal, 70620 Ninjago City, and 10255 Assembly Square). The set will retail for $269.99 and launches on Black Friday, November 24.

Read our full review of the LEGO Batman Movie’s 70922 The Joker Manor

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.

Classic Porsche 911 Targa in gorgeous black and gold

A few months ago, we featured the Arvo Brothers‘ beautiful white Porsche 911 Targa. The Spanish duo have since revamped and recolored their design in the iconic black and gold color scheme prevalent in the 70’s, and it’s definitely worth another look.

While identical in shape to the rear of the white version from this summer, we didn’t highlight the Targa’s cute little rear end with its dual exhaust, so here it is. Don’t stare.

You’re all clear, kid! Now let’s blow this thing and go home

We got breathlessly excited about a trio of mid-scale LEGO starfighters from Rogue One a few months ago, centered on the amazingly detailed U-wing dropship. Now, Tim Goddard has updated his classic T-65 X-wing and gives us a closer look. Tim has rebuilt the rear third of the X-wing’s fuselage with more detail and better accuracy, and added a cool stand depicting the Death Star exhaust port.

But what’s so striking about his X-wing design (something we just didn’t notice last time, distracted as we were by the U-wing) is the tiny details of the astromech droid, with 1×1 half-round tiles built into the body of the X-wing as the droid’s legs. Amazing!

New York Comi-Con exclusive 41498 Boba Fett & Han Solo in Carbonite BrickHeadz [Review & Editorial]

Over the last few years, LEGO has released a number of limited-run sets and sold them at non-LEGO events like San Diego Comic-Con. Invariably, the sets reflect highly collectable subject matter like Star Wars and Marvel super heroes. We reviewed Detention Block Rescue (the set LEGO sold at Star Wars Celebration earlier this year), and we recently purchased the New York Comic-Con exclusive 41498 Boba Fett & Han Solo in Carbonite BrickHeadz on eBay for $105 so we could bring our readers another review of a set you may not be able to get yourselves.

41498 Boba Fett & Han Solo in Carbonite includes 329 pieces, and while it was sold at the event for an already inflated $40, its original price during NYCC frankly doesn’t matter — it’s currently available ranging from $110 to $300 for Buy It Now listings on eBay and $112 to $145 for Amazon.com marketplace listings. This review, in addition to providing a vicarious build experience for those not privileged enough to attend NYCC or able to purchase the set on the secondary market, will discuss LEGO’s business practice of releasing limited-run products in ways that prevent most actual builders and LEGO fans from ever getting their hands on the set.

Click through to read our hands-on review of 41498 Boba Fett & Han Solo in Carbonite BrickHeadz

LEGO Ideas 21312 Women of NASA available now [News]

We reviewed 21312 Women of NASA last week, and the set is now available from the LEGO Shop starting right now (midnight Eastern time, November 1st).

The set retails for $24.99 and includes 4 minifigures with 231 pieces. We hope that LEGO makes sufficient quantities for everyone to have this lovely little set, but based on the frustratingly limited availability of highly anticipated sets like 21110 Research Institute, 21309 Apollo Saturn V, and 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon, we’re forced to expect limited availability ahead of the holiday season.

LEGO Ideas 21312 Women of Nasa [Review]

LEGO recently unveiled its latest LEGO Ideas set, 21312 Women of Nasa. The set includes four minifigures depicting women astronauts, scientists, and engineers from throughout the US space program’s history. LEGO sent The Brothers Brick an early review copy of the set, which is due out on November 1st.

While the minifigures are certainly the heroes of the set, the set also includes three mini-builds, with 231 pieces. When released, the set will retail for $24.99. Given the science-oriented, minifig-centric nature of both LEGO Ideas sets, comparisons to 21110 Research Institute will be inevitable among LEGO fans, and we’ll do our best to compare and contrast them along the way.

Click through to read our full review of LEGO Ideas 21312 Women of Nasa

Just another bug hunt

It’s not often that we see LEGO creations that incorporate the large Technic figures that LEGO included in sets back in the late 80’s through the 90’s. Similarly, most of the LEGO xenomorphs we’ve featured largely use standard System bricks to recreate the terrifying creatures from the Alien movies. Weilong Yao breaks with both of these traditions by building a work loader around a Technic figure and incorporating lots of Bionicle in the alien itself.

Announcing winners of The Brothers Brick’s Millennium Falcon LEGO building contest [News]

The Brothers Brick’s LEGO Millennium Falcon building contest ran throughout the month of September, with more than 160 entries large and small. When we announced our contest, we had no idea that LEGO would be running a Falcon contest of their own, with the new 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon as their grand prize. However, LEGO kindly leveled the playing field between the two contests, and the First Place winner of TBB’s contest will also be receiving a UCS Falcon, courtesy our friends in Billund. Each of the four winners will also be receiving the super-rare “Escape the Space Slug” set.

In First Place, taking home the UCS Falcon, Josh Fowler built a large-scale Millennium Falcon interior that depicts the creatures from the Dejarik “holochess” game that Chewie played with Threepio, but with the game’s creatures playing with minifigs instead. All of the judges agreed that the creative inversion of roles, large scale, and excellent recreation of both the Falcon’s interior and the creatures themselves deserved our grand prize.

We asked contestants to submit only one photo as their entry, but do be sure to peruse Josh’s photostream on Flickr for more close-up shots, like this one showing off the hilarious results of the game in progress.

In Second Place, winning the current 75105 Millennium Falcon set from The Force Awakens (plus a space slug), city son used LEGO bricks to create what is essentially an Impressionist painting of the Millennium Falcon. We can only think of a handful of LEGO creations that use this technique to good effect, and this is certainly the best — we just can’t imagine transporting it to a show!

Click through to see the runner-up winners and honorable mentions

Mankind’s gift to the seas from which life arose

It’s easy for LEGO builders to focus on the happy, shiny world of little plastic people surrounded by fake plastic trees, but builder Emil Lidé doesn’t shy away from making a powerful statement with his latest LEGO creation. Did you know that every piece of plastic ever produced (yes, including all the ABS that LEGO is made from) will continue to exist indefinitely in the environment? That there is a floating patch of trash in the middle of the Pacific Ocean hundreds of thousands of square kilometers in size? Emil uses LEGO as a medium to remind us of the impact that our modern lives have on the planet we live on.

As much as I love the message that Emil’s creation conveys, it’s also an excellent LEGO build on its own merits. The tranquil beach scene above the water contrasts harshly with the waste beneath the waves, from the usual tires and barrels to bicycles and even a washing machine.

Double VIP points + a cart load of freebies from the LEGO Shop [News]

The LEGO Shop online started its latest Double VIP Points event earlier today, with a number of other promos running alongside. In addition to 2x VIP points, which works out to approximately 10% off the current purchase usable toward a future purchase, LEGO is giving away a number of gifts with purchase. The main promo set is 40178, which includes a brick-built LEGO VIP card and a vignette-style section of a LEGO Store.

You can also get a free Paleolithic pair of people (the Collectible Minifigure cave man and cave woman in a special cave box), free Lloyd minifig from The LEGO Ninjago Movie (with any purchase over $50), and a free LEGO Friends Tic-Tac-Toe set (with the purchase of any Friends purchase of $20 or more).

Cast a coin into the Well of Desires

Italian builder Luca Di Lazzaro continues his wonderful series of LEGO buildings — we previously featured his beautiful LEGO street scene and Udine’s Piazza San Giacomo — with another romantic corner of paradise. What I love about each of Luca’s creations is how the buildings are all angled off the grid that LEGO studs enforce on less-innovative builders.

See more scenes and details in this lovely LEGO creation

This maneki-neko is the cat’s meow

Maneki-neko are Japanese figurines of cats that businesses all over the world have adopted to beckon customers and the money burning holes in their pockets. The cats often hold large, old-style Japanese gold coins in enormous denominations, as this lovely white cat by Taiwanese builder DOGOD Brick Design does — this maneki-neko holds a coin worth ten million yen! This lovely feline was recently installed at the Masterpiece Gallery in the LEGO House.

Maneki-neko hold their paws up in the gesture that Japanese people use to ask someone to come over — palm facing out while “scooping” the fingers toward yourself, rather than palm up as many Westerners do.