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)

The Brothers Brick now available via Apple News

One of the areas that we’ve struggled with here at The Brothers Brick in the last year or two is our technical infrastructure, including the responsive design of our site, which hasn’t worked particularly well on mobile devices. It’s something we’ll try to get fixed soon, but we do have some good news for our readers who are on an Apple device.

The Brothers Brick is now available from the Apple News app. If you’re reading this post on an iOS device (Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) right now, you can click here to open TBB’s feed in Apple News. The screenshot to the right shows what TBB posts look like on my iPhone.

You can also find us by searching for the “Lego” topic (we’re working on making sure people can find our channel by searching for “The Brothers Brick” as well).

Want to see the great LEGO photographs we post on a bigger screen? Apple News is available on your iPad as well, and here’s a screenshot of what that looks like.

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.

This rusted-out Fiat 500 is heartbreakingly beautiful

Gabriele Zannotti is one of the most talented virtual LEGO builders creating non-physical LEGO models these days, using Mecabricks.com with Bluerender to create images essentially undistinguishable from the real thing. When I saw this gorgeous, rusty Fiat 500 wreck, I zoomed in as close as I could, trying to figure out if I just wasn’t aware of some of these bricks in the colors Gabriele used, and I was convinced by the sticker on the license plate as well as what I could swear are genuine pieces of dust on the bricks. But then I was heartbroken to see that Gabriele had included this image in his Lego renders album. From the composition to the lighting, along with the design of the vehicle itself, this is a stellar piece of LEGO art, even if there isn’t a single piece of physical LEGO in it.

You can see a shiny new red version of the Fiat 500 in this other render.

The moon howls for no wolf

It’s hard to believe that dogs like pugs are descended from wolves, but DNA doesn’t lie. I love my little domesticated canines, but I deeply admire the wild ones that keep ecosystems healthy. legostrator follows up on his excellent LEGO elephants with this lonely wolf looking pensive in the moonlight. The wolf with its mix of LEGO colors and textures accurately captures the look of a wolf’s fur, but be sure to take a closer look at the excellent winter landscaping and denuded tree as well.

Through the Siq to the hidden Nabatean city of Petra

As I wrote in introducing ArzLan’s LEGO Petra, I spent the summer of 1994 on an archaeological dig in Jordan, and visited Petra for one memorable weekend. Both Petra and Jordan as a whole remain one of the highlights of my life. Letranger Absurde has built a lovely microscale version of Al-Khazneh, the “Treasury” (actually an empty tomb), that greets each visitor to Petra as they emerge from the winding gorge called the Siq.

My one critique of this excellent LEGO model is that the sandstone geology of Petra is nearly as spectacular as the many structures carved into the rock face. Although building a detailed tomb using varying shades of tan and red might not have been achievable, plain brown LEGO for the surrounding rocks seems like a lost opportunity.

Al-Khazneh is, of course best known as the entrance to the fictional, trap-filled obstacle course leading to the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The facade is the most spectacular thing about the tomb — the interior is just an empty square chamber, though the acoustics are great for singing.

New LEGO Star Wars 75159 Death Star unveiled at LEGO Store in Maryland [News]

UPDATE: LEGO has now officially announced this set, and you can find the full press release with set details, pricing and photos right here on The Brothers Brick.

Our friends over at Brickset have just shared new photos of a previously rumored new Death Star, as LEGO Store employees in Arundel Mills, Maryland build the set in advance of displaying it in their store. We’ll share the usual high-res photos and press release once we have them from LEGO, but in the meantime, here are the first photos of 75159 Death Star.

Click through to see more photos of 75159 Death Star, including the minifigs

“This most beautiful SYSTEM” – Isaac Newton in LEGO

One of the wonderful things about the LEGO system is that you can build things at many different scales, in immeasurable combinations, much like the mind-blowing complexity of the universe itself. VAkkron has built this lifelike, instantly recognizable bust of the great physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton, with his flowing hair and distinctive chin.

Click through to see a LEGO orrery and Newton’s life in microscale

Silly readers, bookshelves are for displaying LEGO!

Some builders go years without sharing any of their builds online, but the LEGO creations can be worth the wait. We featured a lovely LEGO Tardis by Alan McMorran way back in 2008 (and I had the pleasure of meeting Alan in person at BrickCon the next year). Alan is back with a fantastic bridge that spans shelves at two different levels in his study.

Alan tells me that the “Constantine Bridge” was inspired by the old London Bridge and the Ponte Vecchio in Venice — houses and their residents crowding the arch.

Click to see more of this great integration of LEGO and interior design

The height of Devonian-futurism

This mechanized, heavily armored fish looks like an unholy cross between a Dunkleosteus and the hardsuit from District 9. Japanese builder Mitsuru Nikaido has created a truly distinctive look by layering various LEGO flag elements in dark gray over a white internal structure. I’m not sure whether this belongs in the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum or the National Museum of Natural History.

“Dingo” Combat Walker stomps into an alternate World War II

As we begin ramping up over the next few weeks toward our alternate WW2 LEGO display at BrickCon here in Seattle, I’ve been keeping an eye out for inspirational builds, and this “Dingo” Combat Walker by SweStar certainly fits the bill. The feet look like the “toes” are powered by pistons, and the mech’s head is festooned with enough doodads for a naval ship’s bridge. I particularly like the judicious use of stickers and yellow LEGO pieces.

Massive Gundam RX-78-2 Mobile Suit looks stunning in LEGO

We’ve featured dozens of LEGO Gundam models over the years, but this one by JAN LEGO just might be my favorite yet. From the grills on the side of Gundam’s head to the heat vents on the chest, this LEGO Gundam has every detail you’d expect from Bandai’s “Perfect” series of challenging plastic models. Though the builder didn’t share exact dimensions, it’s also a huge model, judging from the photos — I’m guessing at least two feet tall.

Click through to see more photos of this huge LEGO Gundam model

Those goody-goody Smurfs make me sick!

I never quite understood the appeal of the Smurfs. Growing up in the 80’s surrounded by an entirely different cultural tradition, the poorly animated, cutesy TV show just wasn’t interesting. But the wonderful thing about the world of LEGO is that I can appreciate a fantastic build even if I have negative interest in the subject matter. Koen is taking a break from building a large LEGO spaceship to build something using a bunch of the rare medium blue parts in his collection — from minifig helmets for his nose and tail to a plate for his ear.

I love Koen’s description: “The Smurfs are blue humanoids who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest.” This smurf seems to be as surprised by his own existence as I am.

L’Oiseau de feu

Igor Stravinsky is easily my favorite Classical composer, and I grew up hopping around to The Rite of Spring pretending to be a ballerina, after seeing the Soviet-era Bolshoi troupe perform in 1979 when they toured Japan. Stravinsky’s earlier The Firebird is no less beautiful for being less wildly innovative. In Russian folklore, the Firebird (Жар-пти́ца) is a creature who can aid or doom those who encounter it. In this gorgeous LEGO version built by VSefrem for Russian LEGO forum Bricker.ru, pearl-gold and shades of transparent orange and red add to the underlying yellow for a stunning effect. Particularly noteworthy are the 1×1 round tiles layered on the bird’s neck with clips.

While it’s easy to be distracted by the creature alighted on its branch, the tree uses some interesting techniques to create an aged, twisted look — a perfect contrast for the stunning Firebird.