Posts by Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

These ripping good Chainsaw Man MOCs are a cut above

Chainsaw Man is the latest global anime hit to prove that no concept is too weird to break out. Pochita, a diminished devil who takes the form of an orange pooch with a chainsaw nose and ripcord tail, is an adorable mascot and makes the transition to brick with charm thanks to builder Agung Syam. In bright orange with googly eyes, he would make a perfect Creator 3-in-1 set!

When Pochita merges with human host Denji, they become the titular Chainsaw Man. Mexican builder Brayan Xavier is the latest AFOL to give the character the LEGO treatment. Brayan strikes the perfect balance between shaping and articulation, with a highly poseable body and a gruesomely detailed head. The builder gets an editing assist from David Ainza for a cinematic touch.

 

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.

2025 LEGO Advent Calendar Spoilers: Day 4 [Feature]

Our favorite holiday tradition is opening all six LEGO Advent Calendars, one day at a time, with you, our readers! Along with spoiler pics of the daily gifts, we include commentary and alternate builds to celebrate the season and creativity.

We have an all-star cast of custom minifig creators leading our Advent adventure this year. Fool’s Figures is wizarding his way through Harry Potter and Frozen calendars. ExpansionBricks is launching Star Wars and Friends. And beyondb0nes is digging into Minecraft and City. Now let’s open some doors and see what gifts are in store for today!

Click here for spoilers of today’s builds!

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.

NovHENber hatched a new challenge, now let’s count the LEGO chickens! [Feature]

This November saw a new LEGO challenge: NovHENber. Participants were invited to build chickens during the month, and many AFOLs answered the call. With the last chickens hatched, we checked in with builders behind the challenge – Syrdarian and Carson Lacy – and cooped up all the hens from the inaugural event.

Introducing NovHENber

See the full roundup of egg-celent birds below

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.

Knights of the Mineral Collection

When approaching new minifigure designs, I’ve always found myself drawn to the dark fantasy aesthetic and take a lot of inspiration from the Dark Souls series. When that can be paired with a little bit of whimsy, that’s even better! I started imagining these six characters as soon as I saw the new Mineral Collection from LEGO. I loved the idea of an order of knights who could be paired with each of the crystals in the set. As lore is also important to me, I had a really fun time writing little poems and such to go along with my builds. I hope you’ll enjoy!

Rhodochrosite:

Should you find yourself
Unsure
Let not your wariness of spirit become all-consuming.
Many fears are born out of reluctance to question
Be at peace with yourself
Knowing
That things unfold as they should.

Pyrite: 

Foolish to think that
Things of gold might be
Best.
I swear to you I’ve seen more
Beauty trapped beneath
Grit.

the Knights of the Mineral Collection continue after the break

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.

2025 LEGO Advent Calendar Spoilers: Day 3 [Feature]

Our favorite holiday tradition is opening all six LEGO Advent Calendars, one day at a time with you, our readers! Along with spoiler pics of the daily gifts, we include commentary and alternate builds to celebrate the season and creativity.

We have an all-star cast of custom minifig creators leading our Advent adventure this year. Fool’s Figures is wizarding his way through Harry Potter and Frozen calendars. ExpansionBricks is launching Star Wars and Friends. And beyondb0nes is digging into Minecraft and City. Now let’s open some doors and see what gifts are in store for today!

Click here for spoilers of today’s builds!

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.

LEGO announces “Editions” imprint and kicks off new partnership with FIFA ahead of 2026 World Cup [News]

In 2025, the LEGO Group’s biggest play for audience expansion was a partnership with F1 that led to a range of sets and even a real-world racing team with F1: Academy. In 2026, LEGO begins a partnership with FIFA around the biggest sport in the world: football (soccer to you Americans). The collaboration begins with a 2,842-piece brick-built version of the World Cup trophy, which goes up for pre-order today. Football fans can admire this iconic replica as a display piece, but MOC builders will likely be more attracted to the plethora of gold elements – the most ever contained in a single set. We have mixed feelings about this collaboration, as while it’s amazing to see LEGO connecting with the world’s biggest fandom, FIFA is an organization beset by corruption and human rights violations. Is this the sort of partnership we want from our favorite brick-maker?

LEGO Editions 43020 FIFA World Cup Official Trophy| 2,842 Pieces | Available March 1, 2026 | US $199.99 | CAN $249.99 | UK £159.99

Hidden in this announcement is the creation of a new LEGO imprint: Editions. LEGO describes it as “a new platform that will connect young people with their icons and passions.” Following partnerships with Nike, F1, and now FIFA, we can assume LEGO will continue to expand beyond pop culture into other sports and entertainment collaborations using this new imprint.

LEGO’s press release and additional details follow

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.

Final Iron Builder challenge of 2025 pits defender Miscellanabuilds against challenger CRCT Productions

The Iron Builder competition, finishing its seventh season, pairs two LEGO artists in a battle of builds featuring a “seed part” that must be highlighted in each build. In this round, returning champion Eann “Miscellanabuilds” McCurdy (who previously reigned supreme against Geneva Durand) takes on challenger Drew “CRCT Productions” Cazenave-Tapie with the seed part of flower bell in light blue.

Eann opens with a magical scene of a witch’s home in the woods. “Mrs. Cheeseman’s Sanctuary” is built into a beautiful grey trunk topped with pink and white leaves and peppered with toadstools on hot dog stems with caps using the seed part. Another flower bell is used for the sanctuary’s lamp, for a total of 5 uses.

Mrs. Cheeseman's Sanctuary

Drew starts strong with the microscale blue bell monastery. The seed part is used three times – for the titular bell and, cleverly, for the fountains in the plaza. The build is perfectly scaled around the bell. I’m also smitten by the wanderful windows in the monastery.

Blue-Bell Monastery

Be sure to follow both builders or the Iron Builder page to follow the builds as they come. We’ll be back with the results next month!

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.

Takuya Fukugawa’s chilly pixel penguins warm the heart

When Takuya Fukugawa first started building pixel art models in LEGO, he took inspiration from video games, often with stunning results. More recently, the builder has been turning to nature as muse. Last year, it was a blue whale that took our breath away. The builder’s latest features an Emperor penguin and chick.

The build is actually a remake of the artist’s previous take on the subject, swapping “realistic” colors for impressionist ones. It’s a beautiful evolution of style that shows how much vitality there is in pixel art as an aesthetic. The wider range of colors have an emotive quality – a warmth that captures the truth of the moment.

Later this month, “Pixel sculptor” Takuya is receiving his first public exhibition in Tokyo at the America Bashi Gallery.

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.

Stranger Things returns with 2593-piece transforming Creel House set [News]

The last time Netflix teamed up with LEGO for a Stranger Things Icons set, we got the incredible Upside Down, one of the all-time great display sets with an incredible gimmick befitting the name. On January 1, the day after the series finale airs, LEGO returns to Hawkins with LEGO Icons 11370 Stranger Things: The Creel House. Befitting a grand finale, the set features a whopping 13 minifigures as well as two vehicles – the WSQK van and Steve’s car.

It’s a perfect companion to the first set – another iconic location with a mind-bending twist. Designed by LEGO legend Mike Psiaki, the house transforms when you pull the corners to reveal Vecna’s Mind Lair. I had a chance to try it in Billund, and it’s a brilliant trick! But is it enough to justify the $300 price tag? We’ll be back shortly with our hands-on review from Jarrett to see if the build lives up to the show’s legacy.

LEGO Icons 11370 Stranger Things: The Creel House| 2,593 Pieces | Available January 1, 2026 | US $299.99 | CAN $399.99 | UK £249.99

See more pics of the Creel House below!

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.

2025 LEGO Advent Calendar Spoilers: Day 2 [Feature]

Day 1 got off to a fun start with a figure behind every door! What surprises does Day 2 have in store across this year’s calendars? Let’s find out with our intrepid team of Advent explorers!

Harry Potter and Frozen calendars are being covered by Fool’s Figures, who also provided the cover image below. ExpansionBricks is launching Star Wars and Friends. And beyondb0nes is digging into Minecraft and City.

Click here for spoilers of today’s builds!

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.

All LEGO Star Wars sets sets coming January 2026 – Midi-scale AT-AT, buildable BB-8, Cobb Vanth Speeder, and more

2025 was a rocky year for LEGO Star Wars fans. While there were a few highlights, like Jango Fett’s Slave OneK-2SO, and the surprising Gingerbread AT-AT, these were overshadowed by some grossly overpriced sets, including a Death Star that became the most expensive set to date. Will this partnership change course in 2026? It certainly seems like we’re off to a better start with LEGO offering a mix of reasonably priced sets in January for builders of all ages. For adult bulders, a new Midi-scale Venator and AT-AT both look impressive, and BB-8 joins Threepio, Artoo, and Chopper with a new playful build. After the absurd cost of this year’s battle packs, a new Siege of Mandalore pack brings prices back down to earth. Fan favorite Cobb Vanth makes his minifig debut, and Grogu goes buildable for younger fans. It’s a promising mix, and we’ll bring reviews in the days to come.

See the full list of sets below

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.

24 Days of Brickmas – A holiday challenge for builders of all ages starts today!

Opening advent calendars is one way to celebrate the holidays with LEGO (which you know we love!), but at The Brothers Brick, we’re even more excited by fans who use the occasion to create their own jolly builds. The 24 Days of Brickmas challenge on Instagram is a tradition about just that! Organizer Jessica (@dontbrickmedown) provided a list of daily prompts if you want to join in!

There are plenty of prizes for participants, including some exclusively for children. The Brothers Brick will be contributing two sets of six collectible Minifigures from the upcoming series – one set for AFOLs, one set for KFOLs (Kid fan of LEGO). It’s not too late to try for a 24-day streak, or pick your favorite themes and join in the fun for a snow day.

Here are a few of the early entries for this year’s challenge for inspiration:

snarkybrixx offers up this delightful greeble mosaic full of holiday cheer.

Here are a few more Bricksmas builds that have us seeing red!

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.