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 June 5, 2020

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 first week of June 2020.

A Black Lives Matter mosaic by Dave Kaleta served as a good opportunity to provide our thoughts on racial inquality in this editorial penned by TBB Editor in Chief Andrew Becraft. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS: This week we took a hard look at equality within the LEGO community, learned a bit about LEGO photography, checked out all the new summer wave LEGO sets and more.

LEGO stands against racism and inequality by donating $4 million – LEGO will donate $4 million in support of the black community and racial equality in response to current events.
George Floyd was human, just like us – Pedro Sequeira (@sir_pierres) has built a bust of George Floyd as a fitting reminder that he was human, just like all of us.
Black lives matter, even among privileged LEGO builders [Editorial] – Dave Kaleta refuses to remain silent. So we want to know, how has your privilege or heritage affected your participation in the LEGO hobby?

TBB FEATURES:

Picturing LEGO: Using LEGO bricks to tell a story through photography [Feature] – We feature Jonah Schultz, a guest writer with a unique viewpoint and analysis of the art of LEGO and Photography.
LEGO provides instructions for your daily life activities [Feature] – LEGO expands into creating instructions beyond the brick and guiding you in your daily life.
Behind the scenes of Brick Sketches: An interview with LEGO designer Chris McVeigh [Feature] – The Brothers Brick interviewed new LEGO designer Chris McVeigh about Brick Sketches.

MORE TBB NEWS:

Your guide to the 130 new LEGO sets now available for June 2020 including the Technic Lamborghini and more – We have your complete guide to the 125+ new LEGO sets now available for June. Happy summer!
LEGO 71703 Ninjago Legacy: Storm Fighter Battle [Review] – The Ninjago “Legacy” sets are a fun way to revisit and re-issue older sets. But then LEGO went and got recursive.
The iconic Wooden Duck is the next LEGO House exclusive set – The new LEGO House exclusive is coming, the iconic Wooden Duck! But you can build one today using the building guide available online.
LEGO adds to Super Mario theme, revealing four new Power-Up expansion packs – LEGO Super Mario is coming this summer, and LEGO just revealed four new Power-Up Packs to give Mario new outfits!
Three new Powered Up Technic hubs and motors will be available from LEGO in June – You will no longer have to buy big LEGO sets to get Powered Up motors and hubs because they will be available individually starting June 1st.

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:

The Very First Harry Potter Game Was A Weird LEGO Joint, Kotaku – Today we unearth the very first Harry Potter video game.
LEGO House Live Tours – A new Initiative, LAN Network – LEGO is opening up the History Collection in the basement of LEGO House and giving free virtual tours!
How Shameless’ Emmy Rossum Used LEGO To Figure Out Certain Scenes, Cinema Blend – Rossum has revealed how she used LEGO to figure out how to direct certain scenes of Shameless.

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 May 30, 2020 [News]

We’re taking an inside tour of Baron Von Baron’s Haunted House. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS: This week we saw the announcement of the new Technic Lamborghini, celebrated LEGO’s Webby Award, heard from LEGO CMO Julia Goldin and reviewed three new sets including the Fairground collection Haunted House!

LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sián supercar officially unveiled – LEGO and Lamborghini have announced the long-awaited LEGO Technic 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37
LEGO DOTS summer 2020 sets now available – All the new LEGO DOTS sets are now available including a bracelet mega-pack with classic space tile, three sets, three individual bracelets and a second tile expansion pack.
LEGO brings home the People’s Voice Winner for the 2020 Webby Awards – Congratulations to LEGO on snagging a Webby Award for 2019’s viral video featuring an orchestra of R2-D2 droids.
LEGO Education sets now available online for a limited time – LEGO Education Sets are available generally for a limited time and also qualify for VIP points if you want a bit of LEGO to help in learning from home.
LEGO CMO Julia Goldin shares personal message to LEGO fan community – Julia Goldin, LEGO Chief Marketing Officer, thanks the LEGO fan community for sharing their creativity through difficult times.

TBB REVIEWS: New LEGO sets are coming just around the corner and we have three hands-on reviews for your reading delight.

LEGO Creator Expert 10273 Haunted House from the Fairground Collection [Review] – From Baron von Barron’s ill-gotten treasures to the clever new ride, check out all the details inside!
LEGO 40409 Hot Rod Gift With Purchase [Review] – Jump right into our review to see if this is something you’d want to add to your car collection.
LEGO 45549 Minions: Unstoppable Bike Chase [Review] – Minions: The Rise of Gru may not be out yet, but LEGO has released a couple of early sets.

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 House will soon be open, LEGO House – From 22 June 2020, LEGO House will once again be buzzing with life and cheerful guests!
Contest Winners – Music to our ears!, LEGO Ideas – The time has finally come to reveal the results of the Music to our ears fan vote!
Why it took five years to build LEGO Super Mario, GamesIndustry.biz – The only brief was: do something that only these two companies could do together.
LEGO Ventures: Digital play beyond the brick, GamesIndustry.biz – LEGO Ventures’ Robert Lowe discusses opportunities for games developers in the digital space
LEGO Group Ties With NITI Aayog to Promote Play-based Learning, India.com – The collaboration is part of the LEGO Group and LEGO Foundation’s overall commitment of $50 million globally to help children and their families impacted by COVID 19.

Take a moment to enjoy the serenity

At a time when chaos seems to be the order of the day, builder Jaap Bijl reminds us that we can still find moments of serenity if we only look for them. At first glance I thought this was a real photo but upon closer inspection it proves to be an incredible work of LEGO art. Just looking at it gives me a sense of peace and calm. The first thing I noticed was the lovely sideways built water in sand green and olive green. The lily pads and plants with a few yellow flowers peeking out and an adorable yellow duck are a perfect accent. The surrounding landscaping is a nice mix of textures and colors that bring focus to the central cherry blossom tree. To provide detail on the bridge, the builder has utilized Technic bushings and axle connectors that appear to be strung like beads onto a flexible tube. The small temple is full of detail and has a roof that utilizes a similar construction method to the bridge. I love the cleverly built Buddha statue with his large belly created by a simple 2×2 round tile. Add in a few animals and a solitary minifigure to complete the picture and you have a model that transports you to an entirely different world where quiet contemplation reigns.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for May 23, 2020

We’ve got the scoop on the new Wu’s Battle Dragon set. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS: This week we saw how Adam Savage sorts his LEGO, reviewed four new sets in various themes including Hidden Side, Creator 3-in-1 and Ninjago. PLUS: A new style of LEGO sets shows its face.

LEGO reveals Brick Sketches product line featuring brick-built portraits – Watch out BrickHeadz because Brick Sketches have arrived as LEGO’s next collectible product line.
Here’s how Adam Savage does LEGO sorting and storage – Adam Savage is joining our AFOL ranks by sorting his LEGO collection in this new video from Tested.
LEGO 10273 Haunted House is now available – LEGO fans can now get the Creator Expert Haunted House free-fall ride.

TBB REVIEWS

LEGO 71718 Ninjago: Wu’s Battle Dragon [Review] – Wu-Wu! All aboard the battle dragon express!
LEGO 31109 Creator 3-in-1 Pirate Ship [Review] – LEGO is releasing another pirate ship, this one hailing from the Creator 3-in-1 theme.
LEGO 70433 Hidden Side – J.B.’s Submarine [Review] – We’re heading deep into the Hidden Side on J.B.’s Submarine!
LEGO Ninjago Spinjitzu Burst: 70685 Cole, 70686 Kai, & 70687 Lloyd [Review] – We have early copies of this summer’s 2020 Ninjago Spinjitzu Burst sets, but were they a Burst or a bust?

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:

Amazing LEGO beehive home to 30,000 Bees, Now This – A beekeeper from Ireland built a fully functioning hive using Lego
LEGOLAND Florida to open July 1st, LEGOLAND Facebook Page – The first LEGOLAND Park to re-open in the US will open July 1 with restrictions.
Teachers launch a free ebook to help children cope with the pandemic, World Economic Forum – Lego Foundation supports ebook written by teachers to help children during COVID.
LEGO makes its coding and education kits available for all, 9to5 Toys – LEGO opens coding and education kits to the public
LEGO Mario gets four new outfits , LEGO Twitter – Everyone’s favorite plumber gets a change of fashion.

Looking good LEGO Mario! He now gets four new suits AND four new ways to play ✈️????⚒️????

Pre-order your Starter Set: https://t.co/kWpJFuzcG8 #LEGO #LEGOSuperMario #Nintendo pic.twitter.com/iaNECQbmQX

— LEGO (@LEGO_Group) May 20, 2020

LEGO 70433 Hidden Side – J.B.’s Submarine [Review]

Hello and welcome to the Hidden Side! Although the theme debuted last year, this is our first review of a Hidden Side set and I’m pleased to be your guide on this spooky journey. Today we are looking at one of the new sets from the theme’s third wave, Hidden Side 70433 J.B.’s Submarine. It is the smallest of the new wave and a fun, affordable entry into the series. There have been two previous waves with a total of fourteen sets following the ghost hunting adventures of heroes Jack Davids, Parker L. Jackson, J.B. Watt and their ghost dog, Spencer. In this outing, Parker takes a submarine, presumably of J.B.’s invention, down to the depths of the ocean to discover the Statue of Evil. The set includes 224 pieces, and while LEGO hasn’t officially revealed the price yet, we believe it should come in around $19.99 USD when it launches on June 1, 2020. Now, let’s strap on our diving gear and take the plunge down to the bottom of the sea.

Click to read the full hands-on review

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for May 16, 2020

LEGO has revealed the latest set geared towards adult builders, the Haunted House. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS: This week we saw the introduction of a whole new LEGO property with Monkie Kid, got scared in a Haunted House, and put a little LEGO in our Zoom meetings.

LEGO Monkie Kid revealed with 8 sets and a TV show based on Chinese Monkey King legend – We have your first look at the brand new LEGO Monkie Kid theme including all 8 sets and the animated show’s first trailer.
Behind the scenes of LEGO Monkie Kid – Take a look at all the work that goes into making a new LEGO theme like Monkie Kid, and learn about the designers who made it happen.
LEGO Monkie Kid sets now available for purchase – All 8 sets from the new LEGO Monkie Kid product line are now available. Which are you most interested in?

LEGO 10273 Haunted House revealed as next set in the Creator Expert Fairground Collection – Go for a terrifying free-fall in LEGO’s new Haunted House fairground ride.
LEGO 10273 Haunted House designers reveal the hidden secrets within Manor Von Barron – An adoring army of adventuring LEGO designers have donned their disguises to discuss the droves of delightful secrets hidden within the exhilarating new 10273 Haunted House.

LEGO DOTS summer 2020 sets revealed including bracelet mega pack, second tile expansion pack and more – Check out the new LEGO DOTS sets and bracelets (including a “super-rare” tile) available from LEGO May 24th.
Inject a little fun in your video calls with these LEGO virtual backgrounds – Get these official LEGO backgrounds for your Video Teleconferencing sessions to brighten up your online meetings or meet-ups.
LEGO Education and FIRST unveil RePLAY, the new FIRST LEGO League season theme – The new season of LEGO FIRST League will be all about health, sports, and fitness. Check out two new sets for new divisions of the competition.

TBB REVIEWS & INSTRUCTIONS: We got fast and furious with our review of Dom’s Charger and sped to another galaxy in the new UCS A-wing.

LEGO Technic 42111 Dom’s Dodge Charger [Review] – We build and test the new replica of Dom’s iconic Charger, which looks much better on the movie screen than in one’s living room.
LEGO Star Wars 75275 A-wing Starfighter, the latest Ultimate Collector Series vehicle [Review] – Read our review of the A-wing, the latest lineup from the LEGO Ultimate Collector Series.
Build a classic van for your everyday LEGO City needs [Instructions] – How about a classic van for your LEGO city citizens to surf around town with?

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:

Free Game Alert: ‘LEGO Ninjago’ Is On The House For A Limited Time, Forbes – ‘The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game’ is free for Xbox One, PS4 and PC this weekend.
Genius creates LEGO machine that ‘plays’ Animal Crossing, Polygon – Set it and forget it to get ahead in Animal Crossing.
That time LEGO hosted the world’s smallest Pride parade, LGBTQ Nation – While the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and riots last year with huge parades and festivals, the toymaker LEGO got in on the action.
Brickworld Offers Four New Online LEGO Expos Starting May 16, Broadway World – Brickworld, which regularly hosts LEGO conventions throughout the Midwest, announces four more virtual expos in 2020.

Spread your crazy Bionicle wings and fly

I don’t know much about Bionicle, but I know what I like and I really like this incredibly colorful LEGO figure by Patrick Biggs. Bionicle builders are a special breed. They have a mastery of the human figure and how to create realistically articulated joints. This is not a skill I possess myself so I am often in awe of these builders’ work. The story here is that the characters of Tahu and Ikir have united their powers to bring an end to Makuta’s plans for the Mask of Control. Yes, Bionicle lore is incredibly deep.

The first thing you see when you view this figure is the fantastic color scheme. The limited palette of red, gold, and dark azure is quite striking and draws you in immediately. Interestingly the figure is somehow both bulky and yet extremely elegant at the same time. The wings are stunning and have a pseudo-Art Deco/Egyptian feel to them. The pose is full of action and the downward-pointing swords create a nice balance to the upward-pointing wings. Speaking of balance, the symmetry at work here is terrific and the raised knee adds that perfect bit of asymmetry to keep it from becoming too much of the same thing. It’s exceptionally well done and transcends the Bionicle form to give us something you might see hanging in an art gallery.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for May 9, 2020

26 projects have qualified for the latest round of LEGO Ideas. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS AND FEATURES: This week we take a look at the tensegrity craze, watch an interview with LEGO Designers Jamie Berard and Marcos Bessa, continue our feature series on LEGO storage methods and see the 26 projects that qualified for this round of LEGO Ideas!

LEGO Designers Q&A featuring Marcos Bessa and Jamie Berard [Feature] – LEGO Designers Marcos Bessa and Jamie Berard had a fun time on a Live Instagram session with fans. We share the conversation they had with each other and also questions posed by the viewers.
Storage and building in small spaces: a look at LEGO organization with guest contributor Kevin Moses [Feature] – Want to know how to make your LEGO hobby work with minimal room? Read about how Kevin Moses tastefully fits his collection into a 568sqft. condo.
The art and science of LEGO tensegrity builds – The LEGO tensegrity crazy has hit the scene, evolved into even more creativity and we pick a few of our favourites.
A whopping 26 projects qualify for the first 2020 LEGO Ideas review – Not 10, not 20, but 26 new projects are about to be reviewed by LEGO Ideas board of experts during the following months.

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:

Inside innovation at LEGO, NRF – How do you make shopping for LEGO as fun as building them?
Inside The Complicated World Of Lego Fanatics, The Quicky – Our own Chris Malloy makes a guest appearance on this interesting podcast about Adult Fans of Lego.
The LEGO Group announces changes to Board of Directors, LEGO – The LEGO Group today announced two changes to its Board of Directors
FAQ on BrickLink XP Beta Release, BrickLink – Some info on the upcoming Bricklink XP.
‘Lego Masters’: Fox Eyes Midseason Return For Will Arnett-Hosted Competition Format, Deadline – Fox is building a second season of Lego Masters.

People don’t come to see the tigers; they come to see me

I’ve seen a lot of LEGO models, but I must admit that I never thought I would see one of a gay, polyamorous, gun toting redneck who keeps large tigers, but here we are. We were barely a week into our quarantine when a virus of another sort started invading the world’s TVs. Netflix’s Tiger King became an instant sensation as people lost themselves in a story about the goings on in the little known world of Joe Exotic aka The Tiger King. Add equally engaging side characters, large cats and a big dose of crazy and you have a hit on your hands. Joe Exotic minifigs have been popping up right and left, but this excellent brick built LEGO figure by SuckMyBrick deserves special notice.

This is such a fun grouping of figures, full of character and humor. The Joe Exotic figure captures him perfectly with his blonde mullet and cane. The giant eyes are hilarious and somehow fitting here and the gold earring is a great little touch. There is some great parts usage in the tiger’s face including the white croissant mouth and the minifigure pith helmets creating eyelids that give him some serious side-eye. It has a wonderfully crafted pose and a very telling facial expression. You can almost hear what he’s thinking. Seems to me this would make great fodder for a caption contest. Anyone want to give it a go?

If you’re going to create a portal, make sure you know where you’re going

My favorite LEGO builds are always ones that contain story, humor and lots of color. Builder Victor hits all three of these points perfectly and throws in a little absurdity for good measure. As the story goes, Diogenes Trexler ordered a pizza on his home planet that smelled so delicious it attracted the attention of a giant worm. Plotting his escape, our pizza-loving hero created an ill-advised portal that opened on to the bathroom of one very surprised bather.

The landscaping and colorwork in this piece are gorgeous and there is a minimum of visible studs, giving it a very slick look. The worm really pops with its blue colors and excellent shape. The alien fauna is colorful and appropriately weird and creepy. The portal is nicely rendered with transparent pieces and the change between the two universes is wonderful, going from organic shapes to the clean tiles of a modern bathroom. The surprised bather, caught in mid blow-dry is the perfect punch line with his terrified face and hair blowing toward the ceiling. In my opinion, it’s little touches like these that make the difference between a good model and a great one.

Check out the model from another angle to see all the details

This hummingbird is more than the sum of its nice parts usage

In the LEGO community, nice parts usage (or NPU) is something many builders strive to achieve. Using parts in an interesting way never fails to garner notice and compliments. Often these types of techniques are scattered throughout the model, but in the case of this hummingbird, builder Jaap Bijl gives us a figure that consists almost entirely of NPU. So, where does one begin?

The tree branch and leaves may be common, but the whips for vines and the small minifigure hammers for the flower stamens take us into unusual territory. The minifigure spanner used for the feet and the clever eye and beak area are stand outs. The wings, however, are a thing of beauty. They’re a terrific combo of flexible tubes, small wrenches and a variety of blue Technic pins and 1×1 round plates to create the wing feathers. The lavender grass pieces and purple antennae make for a nice finisher as tail feathers. They body and silhouette of the bird are quite nice as well and really bring the entire model together as a cohesive whole.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for May 2, 2020

May the 4th is just around the corner and new Star Wars sets are hitting the shelves. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS: This week saw several new sets being announced from Wonder Woman to Harry Potter and Minions. PLUS: Star Wars fever heats up with the imminent arrival of May the 4th!

NEW ARRIVALS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Six new LEGO Harry Potter sets revealed for summer 2020 with centaurs, Hogwarts expansion, buildable Hedwig and more – The LEGO Wizarding World is expanding with six new Harry Potter sets coming this summer.
76157 Wonder Woman vs. Cheetah now available from LEGO – This golden set based on Wonder Woman 1984 is now available from LEGO.
LEGO Minions sets now available including brick-built Stuart, Kevin and Bob – These brick-built Minions are now available from LEGO, with bananas included!
LEGO and Universal Music Group to create music-based toys – LEGO and Universal Music Group are about to make sweet music with a full lineup of sets headed our way.

STAR WARS:

LEGO Star Wars UCS A-wing Starfighter now available with other May the Fourth deals – LEGO’s Star Wars Day celebrations start now with the new UCS A-wing, a Death Star II Battle gift-with-purchase, and double VIP points through May the Fourth.
First look at the LEGO 75288 AT-AT from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – We get a first look at the new lineup to come with the reveal of the LEGO Star Wars AT-AT from Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the movie release.
LEGO Star Wars 40407 Death Star II Battle is this year’s May the Fourth giveaway – LEGO is giving away the Death Star II Battle starting tomorrow. But is it worth spending $75 to get the promotion? We’ve got a hands-on look to find out!
LEGO Star Wars helmets: 75274 TIE Pilot, 75276 Stormtrooper, & 75277 Boba Fett [Review] – We’re checking out the new LEGO Star Wars buildable helmets to see how they stand up. Read our full hands-on review to see all in the ins and outs of these cool prop models.

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:

IBM Engineer Builds $300 Microscope Using LEGO, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi, Interesting Engineering – IBM Research engineer Yuksel Temiz developed a $300 modular and motorized microscope that combines his three favorite hobbies: Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and LEGO.
LEGO, Amazon, Lexus & Nivea Top List As Best Global Brands For Customers, Bandt.com.au – Across the world are globally renowned brands that people recognise and love. But how good are the world’s most valuable brands when it comes to customer service?