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)

Citizen Brick custom minifigs bring the Beastie Boys, Bob Ross, & more for Black Friday 2019 [Review]

Our friends at Citizen Brick have been cooking up a new batch of brand new, pad-printed, custom minifigures for Black Friday this year. They kindly sent us the full assortment to share with everyone ahead of their availability on Friday morning. One of the things we love about Citizen Brick is their cheekily named product names, and this batch is no different, with “Party Rights Enthusiasts,” “Painting Enthusiast,” and many more — all cleverly named but instantly recognizable.

Read our hands-on review of the latest Citizen Brick minifigures

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: The LEGO Group acquires BrickLink from Nexon founder Jay Kim for undisclosed sum – interview with LEGO CMO Julia Goldin

The LEGO group announced today that it is acquiring LEGO marketplace website BrickLink. BrickLink was founded in 2000 by the late LEGO fan Dan Jezek, and was purchased from Dan’s family in 2013 by mobile game company Nexon founder and entrepeneur Jung-Ju “Jay” Kim. Over the past six years, the new owners, via Mr. Kim’s investment company NXMH, have taken the website in a number of new directions, including a “MOC Shop”, Stud.io virtual LEGO design software and the AFOL Designer Program earlier this year.

Although the official press release is fairly light on details, prior to the announcement today, LEGO invited The Brothers Brick to conduct a one-on-one interview with Julia Goldin, Chief Marketing Officer for the LEGO Group. We asked Ms. Goldin about potential conflicts of interest in LEGO now owning a large proportion of the secondary market for its own product, the future of the community-driven BrickLink catalog, and more. Read our in-depth interview in the article below. We’ll also have more analysis and discussion in the coming days.

Read the full interview and press release about LEGO’s acquisition of BrickLink

LEGO Star Wars 75250 Pasaana Speeder Chase from The Rise of Skywalker [Review]

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters in almost exactly a month, but Star Wars fans have been treated to scenes from the movie in several teasers and trailers over the past year, including a speeder chase scene featuring our Resistance heroes aboard a vehicle that look like the post-apocalyptic offspring of the desert skiffs in Return of the Jedi and Enfys Nest’s Cloud Rider swoop-bikes from Solo. 75250 Pasaana Speeder Chase is the smallest LEGO Star Wars set released so far to support the upcoming movie, at 373 pieces with three minifigs and one droid.

The set was released at the beginning of October so is available now ($39.99 US | $49.99 CAN | £44.99 UK | currently 20% off from both Amazon.com and Target).

Read our full review of LEGO Star Wars 75250 Pasaana Speeder Chase from The Rise of Skywalker

Remote-controlled Soviet KV-1 and KV-2 heavy tanks roll out in defense of the Motherland [Video]

Polish LEGO builder Sariel is famous for his huge LEGO models that incorporate LEGO Technic and Power Functions elements for working features without sacrificing details or the overall look of the model. His recent MAZ-535 artillery truck was no exception, and it reminded us that we had overlooked his fantastic KV-1 heavy tank and KV-2 heavy artillery tank. I’ve built LEGO KV-1 and KV-2 tanks myself, so I have an appreciation for the challenging angles of these early WW2 Soviet tanks.

LEGO Star Wars 75254 AT-ST Raider from The Mandalorian [No-Spoiler Review]

The Disney+ exclusive TV show The Mandalorian just debuted, so we’re taking a look at the single LEGO Star Wars set released to support the show so far. Although the TV show didn’t debut until November 12th, 75254 AT-ST Raider was released alongside the first wave of LEGO Star Wars sets from The Rise of Skywalker at the beginning of October. The set includes 540 pieces with four minifigures and retails for $49.99 US | $69.99 CAN | £49.99 UK (it’s also available at 20% off from Amazon.com right now as well).

This latest AT-ST is one in a long line of “chicken walkers” that LEGO has released, following up on the 75153 AT-ST Walker from Rogue One released in 2016. Of course, that doesn’t count the utterly awful half-walker pawned off on LEGO Star Wars fans in the form of 75201 First Order AT-ST (arguably the worst LEGO Star Wars set ever).

Note about spoilers: Unlike the abominable First Order AT-ST released well in advance of The Last Jedi, this LEGO Star Wars AT-ST does not reveal any spoilers about the TV show. Out of respect for readers who have not yet seen the show (or can’t due to regional release differences), this review of the set will also avoid spoilers. We ask that commenters respect each other and do the same.

Read our full review of LEGO Star Wars 75254 AT-ST Raider from The Mandalorian

LEGO Star Wars 75257 Millennium Falcon from The Rise of Skywalker [Review]

The ninth and final film in the Skywalker Saga is due in movie theaters in about a month and a half, and we continue to look at the first wave of LEGO Star Wars sets released in advance of the film. So far, we’ve looked at 75248 Resistance A-wing Starfighter, and today we’re reviewing the largest set in the first wave, 75257 Millennium Falcon. The set includes 1,353 pieces with five minifigs and two droids, and is available now (US $159.99 | CA $179.99 | UK £149.99).

Not counting the monumental UCS Falcon released in 2017, this is the third Millennium Falcon released since Han & Chewie’s Falcon The Force Awakens (2015) and Lando’s Kessel Run Falcon for Solo (2018). Other than minifigs, let’s find out what’s new about this latest iteration.

Read our hands-on review of LEGO Star Wars 75257 Millennium Falcon from The Rise of Skywalker

LEGO Ideas 21320 Dinosaur Fossils – assembling T. rex & Triceratops & Pteranodon, oh my! [Review]

Even though my primary fascination with the past has always been through archaeology, the science of paleontology has also provided a wonderful source of inspiration about the amazing world we live in. Officially unveiled today, the latest LEGO Ideas set is 21320 Dinosaur Fossils, so I was especially excited to get building with an early copy of the set that LEGO sent The Brothers Brick. The new set includes 910 pieces with two minifigures and will go on sale November 1st (US $59.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £54.99).

Editor’s note: This LEGO Ideas set identifies and labels the individual species of each extinct creature included in the set, so you’ll find that we refer to them using binomial nomenclature, with scientific names in italics and abbreviations like T. rex for Tyrannosaurus rex rather than “T-Rex”. If you think Andrew gets pedantic about Star Wars lore, just wait until he digs into a scientifically inspired LEGO set like this!

Read our hands-on review of LEGO Ideas 21320 Dinosaur Fossils

LEGO Star Wars 75248 Resistance A-wing Starfighter from The Rise of Skywalker [Review]

LEGO has released the first wave of LEGO Star Wars sets from The Rise of Skywalker, and we’ll be reviewing each one between now and the movie’s release on December 20th. First up here on TBB is 75248 Resistance A-wing Starfighter, which includes 269 pieces with minifigs and is available now ($29.99 USD | $39.99 CAD | £24.99 UK).

Read our hands on review of LEGO Star Wars 75248 Resistance A-wing Starfighter

LEGO Star Wars 75252 Ultimate Collector Series Imperial Star Destroyer [Review]

The LEGO Star Wars line’s latest massive set in the Ultimate Collector Series is 75252 Imperial Star Destroyer, clocking in at a whopping 4,784 pieces and two minifigures, with a price to match the part count (US $699.99 | CAN $849.99 | UK £649.99). Depicting Darth Vader’s flagship Devastator seen at the end of Rogue One leading into the first moments of A New Hope, this is the first UCS ISD since 10030 in 2002 and the first UCS set since 75181 Y-wing Starfighter nearly 18 months ago. But is there more to this huge LEGO set than gray wedge plates? Let’s find out…

Read our full review of LEGO Star Wars 75252 Ultimate Collector Series Imperial Star Destroyer

A lovely home far from Arrakis

Author Frank Herbert was first inspired to write the epic Dune novels by the sandy dunes on the Oregon coast in the United States. As a struggling sci-fi writer early in his career, it seems doubtful that Herbert would have had the means to live in such a wonderfully architected home as this exquisite LEGO house among the dunes by Sarah Beyer. Sarah’s house features stone walls built from plates, plus geometric white sections and a garage door built on its side. The square stone arch at the roofline is particularly striking.

The landscaping around the home is no less noteworthy, with an irregular base that looks exactly like sand spilling all around the base of the structure and scrubby plants rooted in the loose soil.

And be sure to check out all the other LEGO Architecture by Sarah that we’ve featured previously.

The minions of hell just got an upgrade

Japanese mecha builder Moko has been charming the world with his LEGO creations for more than a decade, but this latest character takes a darker turn. Moko’s “Hell Warrior” is an evil cyborg that uses mostly black Bionicle and Hero Factory (or “Constraction”) pieces, accentuated by an undead, half-hidden face built from several Krana masks. The overall effect is truly diabolical.

日本語を読める方はどうぞモコさんのブログを読んでください。