Posts by Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

Heroes of Fur and Feather – Challenge 1: Delving Day [Contest]

Welcome to Heroes of Fur and Feather: A “Dungeon Crossing” role-play adventure in LEGO! On Monday we put out a call for heroes and already many have answered the call. Today we’ll meet our main heroes and learn what happens on Delving Day. Today’s story ends with a challenge for our featured heroes as well as anyone who wants to play along. It’s not too late to create your own animal hero and participate in weekly challenges for the chance to win Animal Crossing LEGO sets. Share your character and challenges on Flickr or Instagram and tag it #HeroesOfFurAndFeather . Now on to the story!

Roll for initiative and read on

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Tributes roll out for set designer and pillar of the AFOL community Markus Rollbühler [Feature]

Markus “Rolli” Rollbühler is a force of nature in the LEGO world. Having made the transition from AFOL to professional set designer in 2016, Markus remains a community icon, generously giving back to and creating alongside a global community of builders. Some of his “hobby” roles, even as he designs sets (like my all-time favorite set Ninjago City Gardens), include organizing epic collabs with the amazing Rogue Bricks LUG, contributing to BrickNerd with Contest Roundups and other community spotlights, co-hosting the Iron Builder competition, offering set design commentary on BrickSet, and providing brick-built trophies for the Brickscalibur competition.

At last week’s Brickworld Chicago convention, some of the builders who have gotten to know “Rolli” over the years paid tribute to the legend with mouse-themed MOCs in reference to the tiny animal that has come to symbolize the big-hearted builder.

Kit Nugent recreates a Tom and Jerry gif with some wonderful parts usage for the popped kernels and mouse ears. Kit remembers the first time they encountered Iron Builder challenges with the crazy amounts of oddball parts – and not long after Kit would go on to compete in the competition as well!

The tributes keep rolling after the fold

LEGO Palico and feathered mount are ready to help you hunt monsters

Capcom’s Monster Hunter games have gone from niche to mega popular, so it’s high time we see some of the incredible creature designs get the LEGO treatment. Thankfully Mitch Phillips answers the call, not only nailing ornate feathers and fur from LEGO elements but sharing the process so we can train up to capture our own monsters in bricks. For the feathered mount, Mitch draws on leaves, flippers, chima wings, and so many other clever parts. Kudos to Mitch for spotlighting the technique used on the neck feathers that was learned from character-building legend Jayfa. Even though it’s a simpler build, I’m smitten by the ~~kitten~~ Palico companion.

For a breakdown of how the creatures were built, and tips on building complex and colorful characters that draw on LEGO’s broad range of parts, I can’t recommend Mitch’s video stream enough.

DeRa celebrates Kitano Ijinkan-gai landmark Weathercock House with LEGO modular masterpiece

Japanese builder DeRa has created some of the most spectacular MOCs of recent years, such as this entrancing LEGO tiger and brick-built Godzilla. But while mecha and monsters have been the builder’s calling card, DeRa’s academic focus as a university student is architecture. For their latest build, DeRa brings an AFOL’s perspective to the iconic Weathercock House from Kobe Japan’s Kitano Ijinkan-gai, a neighborhood where foreign residents created magnificent manors of Western design in the early 20th century.

Sticking to LEGO modular conventions, DeRa builds atop a 32×32 and 16×32 stud plate while allowing between 4-6 studs for sidewalk space. This pushes the build into stylized space, with both exterior and interior designed around minifig scale. But DeRa’s design holds another secret.

Like an ornate puzzle box, this modular slides apart into 12 separate modules!

Read on for details on the build process and pictures of the interior

A haunting LEGO tribute to an RPG as French as baguettes and brie

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a very beautiful and very French RPG that has captured the hearts of players and critics alike. The game has such a distinctive setting – Belle Epoque Paris by way of Final Fantasy – so it seemed only a matter of time before someone would pay tribute in LEGO. That someone is Franck Chavernac, a French AFOL and storyteller who recreates the party of heroes confronting the tragic villain, the Paintress. I love the use of a Belville doll for the Paintress, her face hauntingly obscured in “hair.” Franck created custom prints for the four heroes’ outfits, which you can see here. Scattered flowers provide a pop of color and a grim reminder of the Gommage.

Introducing Heroes of Fur and Feather: A Dungeon Crossing Role-Play Adventure! [Contest]

Calling all minifig fans and role-players! The Brothers Brick invites you to join in a new kind of LEGO adventure – one that celebrates building creativity and storytelling. For the next four weeks, follow along as intrepid heroes created by Jacob Manahan, Red Impala, and beyondb0nes embark on a fantasy adventure in a world that mixes LEGO Animal Crossing with Dungeons and Dragons. Or if you want to play along, roll your own minifig hero and join the story! Participating doesn’t require a massive collection of bricks – just a talent for creating characters at minifig scale and a willingness to get into the story. Check out our Minifig Monday features for the type of builds that we’re talking about. How does it work? Read on for the rules:

Learn how to follow along or participate in the first Brothers Brick Role-Play adventure

Can the City Core MK-Rotomix fix it? Yes he can

The mark of a great character builder is the ability to look at an odd assortment of plastic parts and find personality. Redverse is one of the best, able to animate life into LEGO characters, whether they’re built from System bricks, Bionicle, or even a DUPLO assist. The inspiration for this construction bot was the DUPLO Bob the Builder Dizzy face in orange, along with Dizzy’s drums as arms. From there, orange wheels and slopes fill out the primary color, with Redverse adding black and white accents to match Dizzy’s eyes. The cloud of smoke is a puffy delight that offsets the somewhat menacing arm that I’m guessing sprays concrete, not bullets.

Jen Feeny: On building community and bringing Pink City to life [Interview]

For builders of LEGO habitats, Jen Feeny is a familiar and beloved face. The Halloween Habitat challenges and other themed events she hosts throughout the year have become pillars of the online LEGO community that came together during the pandemic to connect with others through bricks. As an organizer with WMLUG, Jen’s latest project is a large-scale collaboration called Pink City that combines modulars, minidolls, whimsy, and a whole lot of pink bricks! We checked in with Jen to learn more about her journey and this latest delightful project.

Our interview with Jen and pics of Pink City come after the fold

LEGO Icons 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C – An iconic build [Review]

“These cars were meant to be driven,” said Carrol Shelby about his iconic roadster, the Cobra 427. This high-performance roadster’s blend of sleek design with fierce horsepower, achieving legendary status among car enthusiasts. LEGO Icons 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C makes this iconic and coveted classic car much more accessible. But does the timeless beauty and ambition of the real car carry over to the LEGO version? Find out in our review from guest writer Firas Abu-Jaber. And stay till the end to see how Firas’ earlier MOC versions of this iconic car compare the official set.

LEGO Icons 10357 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C contains 1,241 pieces and will be available July 1, 2025 to LEGO Insiders (July 4 to all). You can pre-order now for US $159.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £139.99. After release it may also be available from third-party retailers like eBay or Amazon.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Start your engines and join us as we take a look at this legendary roadster in LEGO

Mickey’s Library LEGO fan build hides a trove of Disney Easter eggs

From Princess minidoll playsets to collectible minifigures to 100th anniversary display pieces, Disney and LEGO have built up an impressive catalog of sets referencing blockbusters and deep cuts from the Disney vault. In this delightful scene, titled Mickey’s Library, builder Candy Bricks arranges dozens of uniquely Disney elements in a cozy tribute to the House of the Mouse. It’s fun to see little bigger tableaus for Snow White and Beauty and the Beast, as well as subtler tributes, like Aladdin’s carpet integrated into the floor by the fireplace. Looks like Mickey even stuffed and mounted one of those troublesome brooms from his Apprentice days to hang above the hearth! How many references can you find?

Knight finds himself between a rock and a horned face

2025 is turning out to be a banner year for LEGO dragons, with sets like 31161 Medieval Dragon,
71847 Guardian Dragon, and 10375 Toothless, but our favorite dragons are the ones hatched up by brilliant builders like FS Leinad here. This MOC on a rock pulls big personality from surprisingly few parts. Folded wings and a curved neck made from simple arches and plates pair with Bionicle forearms. The scene-stealing NPU (nice parts usage) is the dragon’s face, brilliantly made from robot arms tucked inside an Atlantean squid warrior head piece. Excellent use of verticality makes this 12×12 vignette seem much larger than the footprint would suggest. The dragon has the knight on his back, but the big lizard looks more curious than murderous. I hope these two work things out without resorting to violence.

FS Leinad built this “Encounter” as an early entry into the 2025 Summer Joust, which runs through August 1.

LEGO Icons 10375 How to Train Your Dragon: Toothless – Big smiles, no bite [Review]

When Toothless first showed up in 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon, the injured Night Fury dragon instantly stole the heart of Viking teen Hiccup as well as audiences worldwide. Over a trio of animated films, multiple TV series, and now a live-action remake, Toothless has continued to charm (and incinerate) everything in his path. Now Toothless is ready to come home in a new form with LEGO Icons 10375 How to Train Your Dragon: Toothless. Branded for 18+ and designed more for display than play, this version of Toothless looks a little different from his on-screen counterpart, with chibi proportions and no rider. Does the dragon’s loveable personality come through and is it fun to build?

How to Train Your Dragon: Toothless contains 784 pieces and will be available July 1, 2025. You can pre-order now for US $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £59.99. July 1, after which point it may also be available from third-party retailers like eBay or Amazon.

Saddle up, viking! We’re going to review this dragon!