Posts by Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

LEGO goes Back to the Future with sleek and affordable Speed Champions set [News]

Great Scott! LEGO is bringing Doc Brown’s DeLorean, and not only is it an awesome-looking set, but it’s also priced like sets from the ’80s? This is heavy. Arriving on January 1, 2026, LEGO Speed Champions 77256 Time Machine from Back to the Future has everything going for it except for that clunker name. 357 pieces for $27? Yes please. New minifigs for Doc and Marty? Don’t mind if I do. Excellent shaping and details on the DeLorean on two alternate builds? If my calculations are correct, this set delivers. The only things not included are roads, but where this car’s going, you don’t need ’em. Coming off an onslaught of massive and expensive IP-based sets, it’s refreshing to have an affordable way to indulge in nostalgia or share a classic with a new generation. More of this please, LEGO! What do you think? Will you be picking up the new DeLorean when it flies in next year?

LEGO Speed Champions 77256 Time Machine from Back to the Future | 357 Pieces | Available January 1, 2026 | US $27.99 | CAN $34.99 | UK £22.99

If you don’t click to see more of this heavy set, Darth Vader will come down from Planet Vulcan to melt your brain.

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.

Minifigs of spooky season – the first omen [Minifig Monday]

Throughout October, spooky builds take over LEGO feeds like a Spirit Halloween store. With so many eerily good costumes and creepy characters this month, we thought it would be a treat to summon the specters early for a month of monstrous madness!

ASortaOkayBuilder kicks things off with Manny, the skeletal bard. Equipped with Héctor’s guitar from Coco and a trans neon green ectoplasmic flourish, this swashbuckling is the perfect minifig to lead us to the lands of the dead.

Captain Dark Shark captures footage of paranormal activity in medieval times. Created for the newly launched Graymane Guild Role-Play community,  this haunting is sure to kick of an epic quest when the villager enlists magical help to solve the Ahsenhollow curse.

Anotherlegoaccount has been going through the decades capturing obscure horror films you’ve probably never heard of, like the obscure 1979 Soviet sci-fi thriller “In Space” with its hideous Extroform. The scene with the mandroid was terrifying. I’m just glad the dog survives.

Trick or treat? Spooky Halloween and horror minifigs continue after the fold

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.

It’s Wolfpack vs Lion Knights in this incredible LEGO Castle collab

German AFOLs Andreas Pettau (Feanor) and Larsvader have each created impressive medieval builds on their own, but past builds could hardly prepare you for the epic collaboration they debuted at Berlin SteineWAHN! event last month. Spread across 24 32×32 baseplates, “The Wolfhunt” pits two Classic Castle factions against each other in a detailed landscape enhanced by lights and motion. Andreas built the fantastic Wolfpack Tower and the surrounding swamps, while Larsvader constructed a castle, palisades, and forest for the noble Lion Knights. The collab won the popular vote for best-in-show as well as the judges’ vote for best collab.

The Wolfhunt Castle Collab

A collaboration like this is best enjoyed in video, and thankfully, Feanor documents the build for those who couldn’t see it in person. Watch till the end to see the incredible dark mode.

Brace yourself for more pics of this epic castle collab

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.

Glorious LEGO-lution celebrates Arcane’s end in bricks

Over two seasons, the Netflix series Arcane brought the fantasy world of League of Legends to life in gorgeous animation. Like many, builder craftingcorrine wasn’t ready to let go after the final episode aired, so she turned to LEGO to recreate Viktor’s Glorious Evolution. The colors are gorgeous, matching the rich, painterly tones of the animated series with layers achieved by the use of transparent elements. I love the blend of mosaic and character model rising from the tiles and the clever parts usage, like a baby Friends turtle on the god-form’s chest. As a multi-media artist, Corrine painted a custom Jayce minifig to match the scene.

As a bonus, Corrine discovered that the mosaic glows under blacklight.

Corrine’s “Glorious LEGO-lution” was displayed at Brickworld Chicago where it was nominated for best 2D artwork. Congratulations, Corrine – we can’t wait to see where your building takes you next!

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.

How did the jaguar get its spots? For this incredible LEGO model, from tires and more

Automaker Jaguar’s mottos are “delete ordinary” and “copy nothing,” and those mottos could just as well apply to builder Sakiya Watanabe, who, over just one year of building characters and creatures, has constantly pushed boundaries with LEGO parts use. Take a close look at the builder’s latest model and you’ll find surprises throughout. The face is dense with clever solutions, like a turkey nose, fabric tongue, and minifig arms. The rock base hides a Scout Trooper helmet, Power Miners monster mold, and what I think is a DUPLO baby hippo.

Jaguar

But the most exciting technique is the Jaguar’s spots, created by inverting tires and using minifig hair or brick configurations inside to create organic shapes. Perhaps there’s a bit of homage with Sakiya’s jaguar to DeRa’s incredible tiger, current on display in the Masterpiece Gallery in Billund.

Click to learn more about how the model was created

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.

You’ll want to enable cookies for this adorable LEGO creation

Stewart Lamb Cromar is one of the nicest AFOLs you could ever hope to meet, and I was lucky to get to see the builder and his latest MOC at Skærbæk Fan Weekend last month. The creation, Milk and Cookies, of course features Stewart’s favorite theme – Fabuland – but rather than taking place at animal scale, the mice are feasting on 1:1 scale props. The brick-built chocolate milk carton is a the building highlight, but it’s the inclusion of human-sized LEGO mugs and inspired use off a paper bag as a cookie biscuit wrapper that make the build truly special.

'Milk & Cookies' (2/2)

The cheeky mice feature in this beautiful postcard illustration that Stewart commissioned from artist Kornél Pittmann that I was lucky to receive at the event.

As cheerful a person as Stewart is, I’ll never forget how dark his humor can go, as evidenced by his entry in our Dungeon Crossing contest earlier this year.

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.

A symphony of Silksong tributes in LEGO

Hollow Knight: Silksong is the rare game that delivers on the hype, blending beautiful worldbuilding with brutal difficulty. Protagonist Hornet and the bug-like denizens of Pharloom have inspired an outpouring of fan models from the LEGO community. Here are some of our favorites!

Fresh off his incredible series of Hollow Knight builds, Joss Ivanwood begins climbing Pharloom with a series of encounters. First, Hornet encounters Shakra, the mapmaker. She’s a lot tougher than Cornifer!

Shakra and Hornet

My favorite of Joss’ new builds is Sherma, just a little guy on a big pilgrimage! The party hat in golld makes a perfect miniature chime.

Sherma

Our tour of Pharloom’s bugs continues 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.

One does not simply make LEGO models of Barad-Dûr this big

Barad-Dûr, seat of Sauron’s power, is known more by reputation than by first-hand accounts in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien describes it as “wall upon wall, battlement upon battlement, black, immeasurably strong, mountain of iron, gate of steel, tower of adamant.” Peter Jackson’s films made Barad-Dûr an iconic on-screen presence with the fiery eye watching all from atop the tallest tower. It was that version that LEGO adapted for last year’s massive Icons set. For Jae Min Lee, a Korean fantasty builder who goes by the handle Saint, the official set didn’t match the picture of Barad-Dûr in his imagination. For over a year, Saint iterated on his vision of Sauron’s stronghold with the latest version debuting just in time for Korea Brick Party 2025. Saint was kind enough to talk with us about his LEGO journey into Mordor.

2025 Korea Brick Party

Our Interview with Saint follows

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 celebrates 20 years of Batman with new Batmobiles and a Bat logo releasing March 2026

Following this year’s excellent Arkham Asylum set and Batman Forever Batmobile, the Dark Knight continues his hot streak as LEGO announces four new Batman sets releasing on March 1, 2026. The sets draw on different eras of the Batman movie franchise and connect to the LEGO Batman – Legacy of the Dark Knight video game, with each set containing an unlock code for an exclusive golden variant in-game.

First, a Batman Logo offers a greeble-covered take on the iconic Batman (1989) design, and includes a bonus golden Batman minifig. The other sets are branded as part of the Legendary Batmobile Collection and feature the car and costumes featured in Batman v. Superman, The Batman, and Batman & Robin, the latter making its LEGO debut. The Batmobiles are scaled and detailed similarly to Speed Champion sets, although they aren’t associated with that line. Designed with display in mind, they lack play features and villains but feature a high degree of detail for the small profile. Each set comes with a printed gold tile celebrating 20 years of LEGO Batman.

See all the bat-tastic details after the fold

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 pirates make a scene as Umbasa LUG x Brothers Brick contest sails to an end [Feature]

Our friends at Umbasa LUG host monthly challenges focused on minifigs and dark fantasy. For September, the community tried something a little different, challenging builders to create not just characters but a brick-built vignette of between 10-16 studs on each side. The Brothers Brick sponsored this month’s contest, providing a copy of Windmill Village Hut to the winner. And without further ado, we’re excited to reveal that the winner is…

blocksofmocs!

Of the winner, Umbasa LUG organizer jdm_bricks said: “We decided that with such a small build, blocksofmocs was able to pack in such an impressive amount of character and detail, that it just had to be put on top. Highlights for us were the whimsical aesthetic, the very lively classic color pallet, the cohesive pirate crew, and the lovely shaping of the boat and waves.”

Congratulations to blocksofmocs, and thank you to all the other amazing builders who participated.

Click to see some of our favorite runners up from the Pirate Vignette contest

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.

A tale of two LEGO trees

There are few subjects I enjoy seeing in LEGO as much as trees, from the single-mold pine trees in vintage sets to the enormous redwoods of Sequoia Tree Trail. I never cease to be amazed by the creative ways that AFOLs find to make decidedly organic branches and bark out of plastic bricks. At Skærbæk fan weekend, a pair of builds from Finnish builder Niina L show just how evocative a LEGO tree can be. First up is this incredible iron tree with a greeble trunk sitting atop a pile of tires and surrounded by blood-red water. It’s a glimpse of a dystopian world where green has been all but forgotten. A lone sprouting branch offers hope in this dead world.

A second build also showcases Niina’s incredible talent for creating organic forms from irregular parts. This time the trunk incorporates incorporates a mix of Bionicle, constraction, and System parts in brown. The berry-like foliage, made from red helmets, adds a dose of whimsy to this scene where the tree’s resident is greeted by a friend or suitor.

Two amazing trees, each evoking a story of hope and connection.

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.

Epic interstellar collab builds on LEGO’s City-Space aesthetic with Mission to Thalora Prime

LEGO might not have released a stand-alone Space theme since 2013’s Galaxy Squad, but the spirit of space exploration lives on as a sub-theme of City. Two years of great sets have introduced new uniforms, personal mechs, and swooshable ships with an aesthetic closer to Interstellar than retro sci-fi. At last month’s IDS Brickworld, long-time collaborators and Rogue Bricks membrers Michael Diermann and Sascha Brüning debuted a sprawling tribute to the City Space called “Mission on Thalora Prime.”

Mission on Thalora Prime! 1

The builders adhere to the aesthetics of the line, from the nougat earth to the modular building style to the alien shrubbery, while expanding in scope and variety. The arid alien landscape is wonderfully done and provides a fun foundation for an aerial walkway to the radar module. LEGO 60430 Interstellar Spaceship has never looked better than here, with hangars to hold a squadron.

Mission on Thalora Prime! 2

Michael, aka Boba-1980, shares a video from the event on his feed.

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.