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)

Featured Blog: American Comics LEGO Archive


I think I’ll start something new: Every so often, highlighting a blog I like.

Since I just blogged custom minifigs (the humanity!), it seems only natural that I highlight Xeuren’s American Comics Lego Archive. Back in December, I highlighted Xeuren’s blog on Pan-Pacific Bricks. And I quote:

You’ll never see modified minifigs on my other blog, but in the interest of objectivity, I absolutely must highlight Xueren’s American Comics Lego Archive blog.

Well, both Josh and I have blogged custom minifigs at this point, so that first bit no longer applies.

Xeuren updates his Brickshelf gallery irregularly, but if you want a near-daily dose of comic book-inspired custom minifigs, check out his blog.

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Colors of the Samurai by NickGreat

Cool enough to blog on a purist LEGO blog, customizer NickGreat’s “Colors of the Samurai” project is fantastic indeed.

Here’s Nick’s latest, the Black Samurai. I love all the kanji characters, the mask (a chopped-up Green Goblin mask), and the naginata spear:

Since I’m blogging his newest, I might as well blog his previous two samurai. Nick’s White Samurai has a shoulder decoration that also uses the Green Goblin head, and an excellent double-sword carrier thingie for her back:

Nick’s first color samurai was Red. I can’t get enough of that mask:

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My dad can totally take your dad!

I picked up a couple of Racers sets yesterday morning, planning on testing my own in-bag building skills. After Thanksgiving dinner today, I pulled them out and told my dad he could build one of the sets, and he insisted on trying an in-bag build himself. How cool is that?

Here we are with our completed in-bag builds:

A close-up of our amazing accomplishment:

My stepmom was kind enough to play photojournalist for this special family event, so check out the full set of pics on Flickr.

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Where Minifigs Come From

CNET Japan has a brief story (in Japanese) on how LEGO gets from the factory to our homes (via I Love Cute LEGO). The story’s not especially enlightening, but I thought this picture was pretty cool:

Obviously, the picture’s pretty old (Wolfpack is a theme from the early to mid-1990’s), but I hadn’t seen this before.

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News: Time names LEGO one of world’s best inventions

Allan Bedford over at his Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide Blog reports that Time magazine has named LEGO one of the best inventions from Europe in the last sixty years.

Well, duh. :-)

Link (not on Time.com, where I can’t find it).

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.

Izzo + Sugegasa’s Mecha Frame = Wicked

I don’t blog each one he posts, but it seems Sugegasa builds and uploads a new mecha just about every week — all based on a frame he designed himself. But when Izzo posts an “examination” of Izzo’s frame, combining the talents of two great mecha builders, I’ve got to post that (link, via Builder’s Block v2):

(Click for full gallery, with break-apart pictures from Izzo you can use to build your own Sugegasa mecha.)

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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.

Springfield Tire Fire by Adrian Drake

Among many striking landmarks in the town of Springfield, (immortalized in The Simpsons) is The Tire Fire. Its hauntingly beautiful, ethereal plumes are visible as far away as neighboring Shelbyville. Adrian Drake immortalizes this Modern Marvel in plastic form:

LEGO Springfield tire fire by Adrian Drake on Flickr

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.

News: 7-year-old girl steals LEGO at knifepoint

A few days old, but amusing (well, more like disturbing) enough to be worth the wait? Let’s hope so:

Largo Police are looking for a little girl who pulled a knife on a Wal-Mart clerk as she tried to steal two boxes of Lego toy blocks…. Police say the little girl then opened her jacket and displayed a combo carving knife with a forked point and a 10″ blade, saying she was armed for protection.

(Full story, first posted by Anthony Sava on Classic-Castle Forums.)

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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.

Miniature Japanese Construction Vehicles by Masahiro Yanagi

Spaces are tight and land is at a premium in Japan. Sure, there are enormous construction projects like the Akashi Kaikyo bridge (the longest suspension bridge in the world), but most projects are on a much smaller scale. Always a nation that solves just about any problem with technology, a company named Chikusui Canycom manufactures construction equipment and utility vehicles the size of golf carts and riding lawn mowers (which they also make).

Always one to build just about any real-world vehicle in LEGO, Masahiro Yanagi has recreated several of these — what other word can I use? — adorable vehicles (click for full gallery with individual pictures and action shots):

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.

MS-14A Gelgoog by Soren

Soren is an inspiration to us all. Sigh…

Here’s his latest, an MS-14A Gelgoog (info):


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Lukas giving us a look at steampunk

Lukas has written (is in the process of writing?) a short article on what steampunk generally is considered to be. It is one of the best introductions to the theme I’ve seen lately, so I’d recommend having a look. Good work, man!

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Honda CX500 by Nathan Proudlove

Regular readers of this blog should be familiar with Nathan Proudlove‘s steampunk work, but I ran across this little beauty in Nathan’s Flickr photostream a couple days ago:


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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.