I must admit, when I first saw this building, I had chills run down my spine. It really reminded me of the heads of Nazgûl or wraiths from Lord of the Rings. This iconic structure built by Erwin te Kortschot is actually where one of the largest research centres to date in Russia built back in 1968. One can only imagine the kind of dark secrets that may have once filled the dark rooms of this enclave. It does seem to have a sense of an architectural uniqueness that embodies what goes on inside.
I like to see everyday things recreated in LEGO and this one is no exception. The sound of the crank and the aroma of pencil shavings just takes me back to decades of exams and homework. that really seems a lot easier thinking back now. While it’s a perfect representation by Legobyleaves, the way to make it even more awesome is a little modification can be made. Just imagine if the studs drop out only after the crank turns! Remember kids, stay in school as long as you can! Work ain’t fun as you think it may be!
Click to see the pencil sharpener in action
We’ve been reviewing the first wave of 2018 LEGO Speed Champions this week, but the new sets are now available, so you can get your hands on these new LEGO sets yourselves. The new wave includes both current racecars and iconic, vintage cars like the 1968 Mustang Fastback and 1970’s-era Porsche 911.
Help support The Brothers Brick and pick up these sweet new rides
Builder Vince Toulouse calls this out as the SL20 Streamliner. I call it Tim Burton’s modified Bat-mobile. With very sleek and stud-less shaping, it looks like it could cut through almost anything at top speed. Vince’s vehicle looks great at all angles, yet an Art Deco feel is imbued into the overall colour blocking and feel. It could almost pass off as a Bat-mobile with a black paint-job with red trimmings.
Hit here to see more of this sleek mobile
If I squeeze my brain juices and try to think hard of famous pop-culture vans that stand out, only two that come to mind — Scooby Doo’s The Mystery Machine and the GMC van from the A-Team TV Series. While they both have their official LEGO versions, nothing beats a great custom-built version. This GMC by Adam Grabowski (whose day job is as a LEGO set designer in Billund) pretty much nails it as a minifigure-scale build.
I can almost hear John “Hannibal” Smith’s very own voice calling out, “I love it when a van comes together.”
Every city needs fuel to run, and prior to 1992, real-life oil companies like Shell, Esso, and Exxon provided the energy to keep brick-built LEGO cities running. Then, a new competitor entered the market — a Danish oil company that went by the name Octan. Soon, all the other players couldn’t keep up with Octan and that led to the dominance of a single supplier monopolizing the brick fuel market. Octan were not satisfied with just the ABS market, and it seems like the fictional gas company grew into a real-life company supplying gasoline to real-world vehicles… (HOLD ON RIGHT THERE!) Yes, you read that right… How did a fictional company become real?
Well, we’re not going to give you false hopes that we know exactly how a fictional oil brand came to exist in real life, but we just wanted to share a mysterious incident that popped up on the web. A screen capture appearing to show an Octan-branded gas station in the real world went viral within the LEGO fan community recently, and we decided to find out what we could. We may not have all the answers, at least for now, but we do hope that someone will step forward to give us some background and context.
Click here to read more about our investigation into the real life Octan oil company
Builder and photographer Helen Sham built a nostalgic Hasselblad 503CX and made it functional. The only thing it can’t do is take an actual photo (just yet), but it does come with the bells and whistles. This LEGO built camera has parts that can be separated as would the real Hasselblad. It includes a mirror for the viewfinder that will actually give you a reversed image of your frame. There’s a spring-loaded shutter button that gives you a real feeling of releasing the shutter and a running counter, had the camera have actual film in there. I’m more impressed that it only took Helen about 2 hours to put it together with an assortment of 1120 parts.
Click here to peek inside the camera!
Builder Ingmar Spijkhoven builds a mean-looking truck, complete with its trailer and a payload with chains to secure them all. Though it’s not modelled after any given brand or manufacturer but purely from the builder’s imagination, it stands out enough with a very classic “truck look” that reminds me of the infamous transformer Optimus Prime — especially with the colour scheme Ingmar used.
The best part is that it’s actually motorised with Power Functions and remote control features. Details go beyond the surface with a detailed engine block, fully done up interior, and doors that function as expected. At about 3,250 elements and 3 months of toil, I’d say the outcome was worth it!
See more photos of this fantastic LEGO truck
Officially unveiled this morning, we were able to see the new 76105 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes The Hulkbuster: Ultron Edition set at Toy Fair in New York ourselves. The set will retail for $120 and includes 1,363 pieces, with a release date on March 3.
Standing at 10.4 inches (26.5 cm) tall, we can see an interchangeable weaponry arm and an arc reactor that hosts a light brick. Also unique is an exclusive minifigure of Tony Stark’s Mark 34 Iron Man armor, complete with a tiny UCS-like panel.
See more in-person photos and a video of the new Hulkbuster
According to Star Wars lore, the DL-44 heavy blaster pistol, the weapon of choice of Han Solo, is considered to be one of the most powerful blaster pistols in the galaxy! Daryl Mark Ng, known for creating all things Star Wars in a fashionably UCS (Ultimate Collector Series) scale, presents an amazing replica of the DL-44, down to a custom sticker plate and display stand.
The build, including the stand, has over 500 pieces and took about 5 days to design digitally. With the right parts in hand, Daryl built it in a day with a few modifications to his digital design. The only warning I can give to stormtroopers and bounty hunters is to stay clear if you want to live to see another day.
To keep up with cultural traditions, Chinese folks adorn their homes during the new year with decor that has deep significance. Builder Shirley Yoong creates a lovely assortment that would fit around a home easily! The red lantern is chosen to prevent ‘bad luck’ from entering homes. Red is chosen for its symbolism of being the color of prosperity, happiness, and success. The Lucky Bamboo is a considered to be good Feng Shui that brings luck and wisdom and peace into homes. Last but not least are the Mandarin Oranges, which in Cantonese or Mandarin is pronounced “kam” which also sounds like the word “gold”. When brought and offered in homes during visits, it symbolises one bringing the inhabitants of the home luck and prosperity!
From the team at The Brothers Brick, wishing all our readers a prosperous Year of the Dog with wealth, health and luck (and lots of LEGO bricks too) throughout the year!!
See more Lunar New Year LEGO creations
In addition to the main trio of LEGO Powerpuff Girls revealed yesterday, the entire cast of minifigure characters from the popular cartoon series has now been revealed. Joining the lineup up of fan-favorites includes Princess Morbucks (with perhaps the biggest molded minifgure head of all time), Octi, Donny The Unicorn, and Mojo Jojo.
The LEGO Powerpuff Girls theme will consist of at least two sets available in August, including 41287 Bubbles Playground Showdown and 41288 Mojo Jojo Strikes. The Brothers Brick will bring you photos of the sets if available this weekend from the New York Toy Fair, so stay tuned.
Image via The Geekiary