About Flynn

Flynn is builder who hails from Oakland, California. His relationship with LEGO is long, but like all good relationships, it has had its ups and downs. After a long absence from the hobby, he started up again 4 years ago with an X-Men vs. The Sentinel. Since then he has won multiple Best in Show and People's Choice awards at various conventions. He is also a cake decorator, knitter, ukulele player, singer, actor, director type. He has a soft spot in his black heart for anything horror or fantasy related.

Posts by Flynn

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for October 19, 2019

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the third week of October 2019.

We review the new LEGO Ideas 21320 Dinosaur Fossils set. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS, REVIEWS AND INSTRUCTIONS: This week we reviewed three new sets including Dinosaur Fossils, a Land Rover Defender and a redux of the Star Wars Y-Wing. Meanwhile, we showed you how to make our very own Iron Man Mark 1!

LEGO heads into the wilderness with the Technic 42110 Land Rover Defender [Review] – Read our hands on review of the highly anticipated LEGO Land Rover!
Head to the Cretaceous period with the newest LEGO Ideas set: 21320 Dinosaur Fossils – The newest LEGO Ideas set, 21320 Dinosaur Fossils, features the skeletons of T. rex, Triceratops, Pteranodon, and even a LEGO Sapien!
LEGO Star Wars 75248 Resistance A-wing Starfighter from The Rise of Skywalker[Review] – How does this latest LEGO Star Wars A-wing stack up against the previous A-wing from 2017? Read our review to find out.
Build your very own Iron Man Mark 1 in Chibi style [INSTRUCTIONS] – Be an Avenger! Build the Iron Man Mark 1 and remember to give 3000 love to hachiroku24.
LEGO Ideas 21320 Dinosaur Fossils – assembling T. rex & Triceratops & Pteranodon, oh my! [Review] – Dig into our full review of the LEGO Ideas 21320 Dinosaur Fossils!

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:

LEGO sets I designed (Dream Job), YouTube – Designer Tiago Catarino discusses the many sets he designed while working for the LEGO Group
Friends Fans Can Now Sit in a Life-Size Version of Central Perk Made Out of 1 Million LEGOs, People.com – Nathan Sawaya, an artist whose medium is LEGOs, created a life-size, interactive version of the iconic coffee shop to debut in Las Vegas
Lego’s Latest Green Initiative Wants to Put Old Bricks to New Use, Forbes – Lego, as part of its ongoing effort to become a greener toy company, is launching a pilot program to make it easier to donate unwanted Lego bricks.
How Building a Gymnastics Routine is Like Building with LEGO Bricks, LEGO – Simone Biles draws parallels between building anything you want with LEGO bricks and her world class gymnastic techniques.

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.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for October 12, 2019

A life-size LEGO Star Wars™ X-Wing has landed on the Jungfraujoch. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS: This week we saw an X-Wing land atop a mountain and got a peek at 8 new Star Wars sets released for Triple Force Friday!

8 new Star Wars sets and discounts galore arrive for Triple Force Friday – Triple Force Friday sales may be over but you can still check out all 8 new Star Wars sets, which are on sale now.
Close to the stars: LEGO Star Wars X-Wing lands on the top of Europe – LEGO GmbH kicked off Triple Force Friday with a life-size LEGO Star Wars X-Wing starfighter landing high on the Swiss Alps.
Introducing the Like Launcher [Video] – Learn how to get more likes with janbenedict_yap’s LEGO Like Launcher

Continue reading →

Everybody scream! Everybody scream, In our town of Halloween!

Halloween is just around the corner and builder monstrophonic is bringing the spooky with this excellent rendition of Jack Skellington’s house. The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite holiday movies and it pulls double duty as either a Halloween or a Christmas movie. Of course in my house we watch it at both times. And sometimes, just because.

Tim Burton’s visual style is so unique and I was thrilled to see this pitch-perfect rendition of Jack’s kooky domicile. The skinny stone steps are just great and the builder’s skill in creating a building that seems to defy gravity is fantastic and not an easy feat. The tile work on the house and shingles of the roof give a nice ramshackle feeling to the whole thing. The chimney is wonderfully creative, being made from different sizes of barrels. All of the little details employed to flesh out the final look work beautifully including the yellow bat topper, a decorative window treatment utilizing printed Unikitty tails and the curvy supports on the front porch.

Read on for more eerie fun.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for October 5, 2019

We review the new LEGO Technic Liebherr-R-9800-Excavator, but is it worth the hefty price tag? Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS: This week we saw LEGO and Top Gear partner up, a new car was added to the Speed Champions line and we reviewed the new LEGO Technic Liebherr-R-9800-Excavator. Plus, we’re looking for a few good folks to join our team in a variety or roles. Do you have the skills?

LEGO adds Jaguar Formula E and I-PACE vehicles to the Speed Champions lineup – LEGO and Panasonic Jaguar Racing are teaming up for the newest Speed Champions set, which features Jaguar I-TYPE and I-PACE vehicles.
Moving mountains with the new LEGO Technic 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator [Review] – We are building, testing and enjoying the biggest LEGO Technic set to date. Despite its outstanding playability, the set still deserves a lot of criticism…
LEGO Star Wars 75252 UCS Imperial Star Destroyer and 10267 Winter Village Gingerbread House available now – Two of the latest LEGO sets are now available. We also have details about upcoming “Triple Force Friday” deals later this week.
LEGO partners with BBC’s Top Gear for new Technic set – LEGO is joining with the BBC to create a brand new Technic set based on the popular TV show Top Gear.
TBB is recruiting for Social Media Manager and DevOps Engineer roles – If you’d like to be part of the team that supports a diverse, global audience of highly engaged LEGO fans, TBB is looking to fill two very special roles to help support our growth.

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:

LEGOLAND NEW YORK RESORT ANNOUNCES IT’S OFFICIALLY OPENING ON JULY 4, 2020, LEGOLAND – LEGOLAND New York Resort will be the largest LEGOLAND theme park ever built.
Creativity is being “brushed aside” by digital media says Lego’s head of design, Dezeen – As the LEGO Group launches its “Rebuild the World” campaign, Matthew Ashton, the toy company’s VP of design, explains how it is embracing digital technology and licensing agreements to encourage children to play.
Hershey’s, Levi’s And LEGO – Big Companies That Are Giving Back, CEO World – More and more big corporations are stepping up to demonstrate that they are good corporate citizens that will support and invest in the communities that made them what they are.
3D printing community hit by LEGO takedown notices, 3D Printing Industry – Last week, 3D Printing Industry learned that the LEGO Group is targeting the 3D printing fan community with a series of takedown notices.
Ai Weiwei: ‘I’m surprised more artists don’t use Lego’, Evening Standard – Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei says he is “surprised” that more artists do not use LEGO bricks after making his latest works of political protest with it.

8 new Star Wars sets and discounts galore arrive for Triple Force Friday [NEWS]

Triple Force Friday is here and Star Wars fans are already out in… force to grab up all the best deals. You can get in on the action all weekend at your local LEGO store or online at LEGO.com. You can find discounts on over 40 different Star Wars sets, including the 75212 Kessel Run Millennium Falcon for $135.99 (down from 169.99) and 75251 Darth Vader’s Castle for $103.99 (down from $129.99). You’ll also find 8 newly released sets and the Battle of Endor Micro build gift with purchase. Plus the always helpful Double Points on all your Star Wars purchases.

Read on to see all the new sets.

We all float down here, Georgie!

Our more sensitive readers who suffer from Coulrophobia may want to look away from bbchai‘s latest killer clown creation. Pennywise is here to lure you down to the sewers where you will get cotton candy, and rides, and all sorts of surprises! And balloons too… all colors. I suggest picking the red one.

While my black heart will always belong to Tim Curry as Pennywise, there is no doubt that the current incarnation is terrifying in ITs own way. This LEGO version is just as frightening and implements some wonderful parts use to create the famous clown’s costume and face. I really like the teeth used to make the frilly collar and the use of the actual minifigure frilly collar as cuffs is smart and clever. I’m also quite fond of the white lipstick pieces as fingers and the interpretation of his oversized forehead utilizing the curved wedge piece. Not to mention those eyes! Jeepers creepers, what scary peepers!

Of course, no IT collection is complete without Georgie. The hapless victim is wonderfully rendered here in his iconic yellow rain slicker. The builder has even included the toy that started the whole mess, the humble paper boat. But does it float? Oh, yes, gentle reader, it floats. And when you’re down there with Pennywise… YOU’LL FLOAT TOO!

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for September 28, 2019

We take a an in-depth look at the massive Imperial Star Destroyer. Does it measure up? Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS, REVIEWS AND GIVEAWAYS: This week we saw the announcement of three new LEGO Ideas sets, reviewed the Imperial Star Destroyer and saw a slew of new Star Wars sets revealed. Meanwhile, there’s still time to participate in the TBB Banquet project coming up next week at BrickCon 2019!

The Pirate Bay, 123 Sesame Street, and Playable LEGO Piano projects are the new LEGO Ideas sets – The Pirate Bay project by Bricky_Brick, 123 Sesame Street project by bulldoozer21, and Playable LEGO Piano project by SleepyCow have all been announced to become the next official LEGO Ideas sets.
New LEGO Star Wars sets announced for Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian – LEGO announces 8 new sets from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Star Wars: The Mandalorian.
Free tickets to BrickCon 2019 LEGO Exhibition in Seattle [Giveaway] – BrickCon will be in full swing next weekend, so we are giving away some tickets to the LEGO exhibition.
Announcing the TBB Banquet brick-built food collab for BrickCon 2019 – Do you like brick-built brunches? Studded snacks? How about AFOL appetizers and MOC munchies? Then you’ll want to attend the TBB Banquet!
LEGO and Amazon launch a Mindstorms voice-powered robotics challenge – LEGO and Amazon are giving away some serious prizes in their Mindstorms voice challenge.
LEGO Star Wars 75252 Ultimate Collector Series Imperial Star Destroyer [Review] – We take a hard look at the new LEGO Star Wars 75252 UCS Imperial Star Destroyer. Is it more than a big gray wedge?

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:

A new exhibition features classic art masterpieces recreated with Lego bricks, TimeOut – If you’ve ever wanted to see some of art history’s greatest masterpieces re-imagined in LEGO blocks, now’s your chance: Starting September 28, the New York Hall of Science.
Interview with Jamie Berard, Design Manager for 10267 Gingerbread House, Brickset – Brickset had an opportunity to speak with Jamie Berard at the Fan Media Days in Billund earlier this year, discussing several Creator Expert sets from 2019.
The LEGO Group is ranked first place in Corporate Responsibility Study, The LEGO Group – The LEGO Group is ranked first place in Reputation Institute’s 2019 Global Corporate Responsibility Study
‘Haunted’ Lego and Fortnite blaster tipped as top Christmas toys, The Guardian UK – Hamleys unveils 10 expected bestsellers amid efforts to mix physical play and internet

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea

After wowing us with his circus model, Ian Hoy is back with another incredible scene. This time he’s trading in performing animals for some fun times at a beach fun fair. The scene is filled with little details and it features, among other things, a brick mosaic backdrop and a drop ride with a shark theme. Having spent a lot of time at boardwalk carnivals as a kid, this piece really speaks to me, bringing back fond memories of haunted house rides, rollercoasters and boardwalk french fries cooked in peanut oil. Just looking at it, I can almost smell the salty air and hear the funnel cakes sizzling away in the deep fryer. There is so much great stuff packed in here, it’s hard to know where to begin, so let’s start at the bottom and work our way up, shall we?

The beach area is populated by a variety of beach goers engaged in the many activities. I love that the word “ocean” not only tells you where we are, but is incorporated into the overall design by having it being created as a sand sculpture by a bathing suit-clad minifigure. I also enjoyed checking out some of the smaller details like the treasure chest buried underground and the baby sea turtle and mini sandcastle by the shore. Continue reading →

Explore Chinese mythology with this Zhongli Quan figure

Builder Cindy Su invites us to find out more about Chinese myths with this wonderful little figural model of Zhongli Quan. Chinese mythology is rife with humans turned immortal, but perhaps the most famous among these is The 8 Immortals. Dating back to the Jin dynasty in the 12th and 13th centuries, the 8 mystical figures are part of the Taoist pantheon. They have been a subject of Chinese art and mythologies for centuries and are still popular today.

The subject of this particular build is Zhongli Quan. He is pictured here carrying his traditional large fan, imbued with the power to turn rocks into precious gold or silver and even resurrect the dead. The sculpting of his body shows off his rotund shape and the use of satellite dishes is perfect for his exposed chest and belly. His hairstyle, utilizing round balls gives the whole thing some wonderful shapes and texture. The hot dog buns as his ears is a particularly clever use of parts.

On her Flickr page, Cindy notes this figure as 1 of 8. I look forward to seeing her depictions of the other 7 immortals and their journey across the East Sea.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for September 21, 2019 [News]

LEGO launches a new worldwide campaign. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS: This week we got a look at some new holiday Brickheadz, reviewed the delicious Winter Village Gingerbread House and puzzled our way through LEGO’s new ad campaign.

LEGO Star Wars UCS Imperial Star Destroyer and Winter Village Gingerbread House now available for VIPs – Two new LEGO sets are now available, so act fast to get the Star Wars UCS Imperial Star Destroyer and Winter Village Gingerbread House before they go out of stock and have to be backordered.
Christmas themed BrickHeadz LEGO 40353 Reindeer, Elf and Elfie revealed – We’ve spotted another Brickheadz coming to celebrate the winter holidays. Will this set be in your Christmas stocking?
LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71025 Series 19 Feel Guide [Review] – Whether you’re hunting for a whole Series 19 set or just a few special characters, our Feel Guide will help you get exactly what you want!
Devour the delicious LEGO 10267 Winter Village Gingerbread House [Review] – Join us as we take a bite into the delicious Winter Village Gingerbread House and give a taste of what you can expect from this savory build.
Announcing the TBB Banquet brick-built food collab for BrickCon 2019 – Do you like brick-built brunches? Studded snacks? How about AFOL appetizers and MOC munchies? Then you’ll want to attend the TBB Banquet!
LEGO launches “Rebuild the World” campaign to inspire creativity in kids around the globe – See how many Easter eggs you can find in this video launching LEGO’s new “Rebuild the World” initiative.

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:

LEGO Legacy: Heroes Unboxed FAQ , Facebook – LEGO® Legacy: Heroes Unboxed is currently in soft launch. What does that mean?
How To Get The Entire Batman Arkham Trilogy And The Entire Lego Batman Trilogy For Free, Right Now (On PC), Forbes – Right now the Epic Games Store is offering the entire Arkham trilogy for free in addition to the entire Lego Batman trilogy.
LEGO launches first book for adults promoting mindfulness and wellbeing, iNews – First LEGO book that is not for children joins host of self-help mental health tools.
Overwatch’s Bastion Gets LEGO Makeover With New Skin, Screen Rant – Blizzard revealed a new Overwatch LEGO Bastion skin, which makes the lovable robot appear as though it were made entirely of LEGO bricks.

Whatever they offer you, don’t feed the plants!

Builder Frost takes us to a forbidden planet where the plants have a mind of their own. We’ve featured some of his terrific space builds here in the past and he doesn’t disappoint in this latest offering. While this couldn’t be considered “Classic Space” in the LEGO sense, it exudes a wonderfully vintage vibe.

I’m a big fan of old science fiction pulp novels. Their covers, painted in lurid colors, have a certain take on weird fantasy visuals that doesn’t really exist anymore. This model really captures the feeling of those old covers with its oversized alien-looking, tentacled plants. I appreciate the thoughtful use of transparent pieces that really help sell the bizarreness of the landscape. In particular, I’m quite fond of the blue and purple lighting pieces and the pink half domes. The decision to use the Flash Gordon style suits on the space travelers further drives home the whole 1940s look.

Not satisfied with a purely stationary LEGO creation, Frost has built animation into it and as an added bonus, the large green egg-like centers glow under blacklight. As you can see in this video, the large tentacled plants move and sway, beckoning our heroes ever closer to what may be a gruesome fate.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for September 14, 2019 [News]

LEGO serves up a freshly baked gingerbread treat this holiday season.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS: This week we saw the reveal of two new Technic sets, reviewed the Series 19 Collectable Minifigures, took a look at the newest entry in the Winter Village line and got a peek at the design process of the Disney Train and Station.

- LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 19 (71025) are back to the basics and better than ever [Review] – ere’s what we think of LEGO’s new Series 19 minifigures (hint, with 4 brand-new animals, it just might be the best series in a while!)
- Announcing the TBB Banquet brick-built food collab for BrickCon 2019 – Do you like brick-built brunches? Studded snacks? How about AFOL appetizers and MOC munchies? Then you’ll want to attend the TBB Banquet!
- LEGO Technic 42110 Land Rover Defender officially unveiled – This LEGO Land Rover Defender comes with more than 2,500 pieces and is the first Technic model ever to be released in olive green.

LEGO Technic’s biggest set ever now available for pre-order: 42100 Liebherr R 9800 Excavator – The massive LEGO Technic Liebherr excavator is now available for pre-order. This huge 4,108-piece set is the biggest Technic set ever!
Free Star Wars mini droid VIP exclusive with Droid Commander set purchase and a free LEGO lunchbox – There are two promotions at the LEGO Store online right now, a mini droid set and an awesome retro lunchbox.
LEGO celebrates 10 years of the Winter Village with 10267 Gingerbread House – LEGO is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Winter Village line with a sweet treat, the new 10267 Gingerbread House.

TBB FEATURES AND VIDEOS

Behind the scenes of the new LEGO 10267 Gingerbread House – Watch a hands-on tour of LEGO’s sweetest set yet, 10267 Gingerbread House to find out what was the hardest part of the model to design.
Tom Servo and me – a journey, part 3 [Feature] – Chris Doyle has been working on a new version of his Tom Servo replica, his first big build in nearly a decade. Come along on part three of this journey of LEGO rediscovery.
LEGO designers of the new Disney Train and Station talk about their inspirations – LEGO designer Marcos Bessa and graphic designer Austin Carlson talk about the details of the Disney Train and Station.

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:

We’ve made updates to LEGO Ideas!, LEGO Ideas – LEGO has made quite a few changes to the way LEGO Ideas works.
Python for EV3, LEGO Education – You can now use your EV3 Brick to unleash the power of Python programming using MicroPython.
Making Minifigure Dioramas – San Diego Comic-Con 2019 – LEGO Model Shop, LEGO – LEGO interviews two designers (including yours truly!) on their process of making dioramas for San Diego Comic Con 2019.
Are you ready for the world’s largest display of LEGO art? Here’s the scoop, TimeOut – Venture to one of your favorite kids’ museums, the New York Hall of Science, beginning Sept 28 for a glimpse at this record-breaking exhibit.
Towers of Tomorrow With LEGO® Bricks Arrives at The Henry Ford Oct. 12, The Verge – The exhibit features 20 of the world’s most astonishing skyscrapers.
Lego movie and game bundles are coming to PS4 and Xbox One, Engadget – Watch the film, then play the game (or vice-versa).