Posts by Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

The Force is strong with these miniaturized Star Wars vehicles

There has been an Awakening in the Star Wars building scene. John (J.R. Snotly Builds), an AFOL from Utah, just started sharing their LEGO creations a few weeks ago, and already they’re a force to be reckoned with. The builder’s style is based on embracing minifig scale while preserving maximum detail. That means Star Wars vehicles that are decidedly smaller than most official sets, but look perfectly proportioned next to a minifig. This Snowspeeder is barely 12 studs long and can still seat 2!

By working at this scale, John makes ships that we’ve seen in LEGO hundreds of times feel fresh again, using surprising parts and connections to solve familiar build challenges in new ways. Take, for example, the engine cones on this N-1 Starfigher made from Castle helmets!

Purists might note that the windscreen used on the A-Wing and N-1 isn’t a LEGO part, as the builder found that the WANGE windscreen was better for keeping a minifig pilot enclosed at this scale. John also has a version with a LEGO alternative.

What an exciting debut, and perfectly timed for Star Wars Day.

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May the 4th – TBB’s Top Ten LEGO X-Wing MOCs [Feature]

In celebration of May the 4th, we’ve scoured our ~~Jedi~~ archives to appreciate the hundreds of Star Wars fan models featured on this site over the years. On the cusp of our 20th anniversary, those archives run deep. (You heard that right. If the Battle of Yavin was happening right now, The Brothers Brick would have been founded right around the time Senator Palpatine was kidnapped by General Grievous!) There is one Star Wars vehicle that has been recreated and shared by adult fans of LEGO more than any other – the X-Wing Fighter. Just as each Jedi must construct their own lightsaber, creating an original X-Wing design is almost like a rite of passage for builders. Here are 10 of our favorite designs from builders who regular readers of the site will definitely recognize. We even have free instructions for the model featured in the cover.

Cut the chatter, Red two. Let’s see those X-Wings!

Brothers Brick picks – Our favorite sets for May the Fourth

May the 4th has exploded (like Yavin 4) into the second biggest shopping event of the year for LEGO fans with a dozen new sets and a multi-day event offering perks like double Insider points, set discounts, and exclusive gifts with purchase. This year’s LEGO Star Wars 40765 Kamino Training Facility (free with LEGO Star Wars purchases totalling US $160 | CAN $210 | UK £145) will be a big draw for many fans thanks to three exclusive Clone Cadet minifigures. We’ve scoured the sale and selected our ten favorite Star Wars sets that are available now.

See our top ten Star Wars sets for celebrating May the Fourth

Holey rusted metal! 76304 Batman Forever Batmobile is on the way!

Chicks love the car. Not the Jag or the Bentley. The other car. LEGO fans also love Batman’s iconic ride from 1995’s Batman Forever, and this summer, you can crank up Seal’s Kissed by a Rose and build it for yourself. 76304 Batman Forever Batmobile joins LEGO’s growing lineup of the Caped Crusader’s car from across Bat-media, perhaps the best corporate synergy since Batman took these wheels for a spin to get drive-thru. With its oversized fins, ribbed sides, and glowing blue engine, the vehicle is just as over-the-top as Jim Carrey’s Riddler performance, and we’re here for it. We also get our first version of Val Kilmer’s Dark Knight (the cape is rubber of course). Releasing on August 1, LEGO 76304 Batman Forever Batmobile contains 909 pieces and can be pre-ordered now for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99.

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Take a trip through the LEGO looking glass for two very different spins on Alice

When LEGO introduced a new scale of buildable figures for characters like Wednesday Addams, the sets introduced interchangeable printed faces with big eyes. As builder lavishlump points out, these faces are quite similar to the ones used for the popular Japanese Nendororoid figures and work great for LEGO anime characters too. Lavishlump used the Glinda face for a model of Alice Margatroid, a magical puppeteer from a Japanese PC game.

LegoWyrm uses the same techniques for a very different video game Alice – the heroine of American McGee’s Alice. Wednesday’s goth expression is a perfect match for this dark spin on Wonderland.

Time will tell if LEGO continues to release buildable figures at this scale and expand the face options for anime fans, but for now it’s great to see a specialized part spur creativity in the community.

Take a trip to Kyoto for a postcard perfect build of the Golden Pavilion in LEGO

Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, is a jewel of Kyoto with a storied history. It burned down several times since the site became a Zen Buddhist temple in 1399, most recently in 1950, but it was always rebuilt with its top stories covered in gold leaf. Now it’s been rebuilt in LEGO as well, courtesy of Lasse Vestergård. Unlike the original, Lasse’s version isn’t just gilded but uses pearl gold bricks. With a limited range of elements in that color, the builder had to find creative solutions and work with small 1×1 and 1×2 plates to build the large structure. (Lasse has some experience with golden temples!) The temple looks incredible as it sits at an angle on a placid lake surrounded by gardens. I appreciate the brick-built hills in the distance, keeping every element on screen made from LEGO.

This isn’t the first time we’ve featured a MOC of Kinkaku-ji. 18 years ago we presented a version by Japanese LEGO legend Jumpei Mitsui.

Doubling down on Friends to make a sweet modular candy shop

The Heartlake City Candy Store is a sweet addition to the LEGO Friends line built from bubblegum colors and packed with fun printed elements and sporting adorable mascots. But while it’s a good value for a playset, the shop is only a facade. Builder Suzies_bricks was inspired to give it a major upgrade to integrate into her Suzieville city of colorful custom modulars. Combining two copies of the Friends set and a whole lot more pieces, Suzie added an en extra story and adapted the interior to be minfig-friendly. Speaking of, Suzie assembled the most colorful characters possible to try out the new sweets. The building stretched Suzie’s supply of dark azure elements to the limit (nice assist from Ninjago City Gardens with that lovely pointed arch).

The best part of this sweet shop? There’s a slide into the ball pit that loops outside the building, a feature sorely lacking in LEGO’s official modular sets.

Alternative builds, Iron Builders, and international buildings in this Week in Bricks! [Feature]

This week LEGO news is a blur with all the summer set announcements, but there are a lot of other great stories by and for LEGO builders to seek out. Thankfully, ABrickDreamer has gathered them into the latest This Week in Bricks. My favorite feature this week? In honor of May the Fourth, I have to go with this incredible Bespin diorama from Hypolite Bricks! I also found Jesse Gros’ story of rediscovering LEGO to be relatable and inspiring. What is your highlight of the week?

Pull up a seat and apprecaite this next-level LEGO furniture [Building Techniques]

LEGO modular interior decor can be pretty cozy, but this next-level furniture setup by Oshi Builds could be straight out of a high-end design catalog. The builder employs a mix of familiar and new techniques while drawing on a very on-trend color palette to make a move-in-ready living room ensemble. Just look at those bowl chairs, formed from flower petals, and that console with bucket handles tucked away and slim legs held in place by rubber band. The only drawback to the room is there’s not much space for displaying one’s LEGO collection. We’re going to need a few more of those wonderful bookshelves.

Spreading joy and crossing cultures with LEGO legend Dicken Liu [Interview]

TBB: Your LEGO creations first came to our attention after your appearance on LEGO Masters China, when you started a Flickr gallery. From the start, you were building at a very high level. I’m sure there was a long journey between when you first discovered LEGO to where you are today. When did you first discover LEGO?

Dicken Liu: Lego hasn’t been in the Chinese market for very long, and the price was a big reason why it wasn’t a toy for the average person when they first appeared in China. I first saw Lego in a shopping mall in the 90s. But it was more than a decade later that I actually bought my first Lego set.

TBB: How did you discover that LEGO was more than just a toy? When did you become “serious” about making your own creations?

DL: It was probably from 2016 that I started to try my hand at making small pieces. (Before that my interests were more focused on models, drones, and film.) I started to look around for information and learn techniques to enrich my MOC knowledge, but at that time the actual LEGO MOC pieces I saw were quite limited. Here are a few pieces I’ve kept. They’re pretty rough to look at now, but it was really the start of my MOC journey.

Our interview with Dicken Liu continues

Light and shadow play in this jungle temple where crystal water flows

Over the last year, generative AI images based on LEGO prompts have unleashed countless colorful images of jungles, ruins, and temples that lack the grace of a designer’s hand but sometimes hint at what could be built. It was images like those that prompted Syrdarian to build a jungle temple in real bricks, complete with the bright colors and flowing water that’s so appealing. I’m impressed by how well the mix of tan, peach, and orange shades blends together, and how two shades of azure blue works better than one. The scene suggests the play of light and shadow. The stonework is nicely accented by subtle details, like the wooden scaffolding and a lone duck peeking out from the corner. Syrdarian’s model makes a good case that while AI slop will never replace the work of a master builder, it can still inspire.

Duel of the Fates: Tim Goddard and Bousker face off in latest Iron Builder battle

The Iron Builder competition pits two creators from the LEGO community against each other to make amazing models that must incorporate a surprise “seed part.” Like in the show Iron Chef, creators are judged both on their overall creativity and on how they showcase the signature “ingredient.” For Season 7 round 5, which starts this week, the contenders for the Iron Builder crown are Bousker and Tim Goddard. The seed part is Airplane Door in White, a tricky part indeed.

Tim is a TBB legend whose stellar Star Wars creations have made him one of our most featured builders for well over a decade (not that we’re taking sides!). The first builder to create a model, Tim kicks off the competition with a sporty little spacecraft that wouldn’t seem out of place in the expanded Star Wars universe, with the seed part used four times to house the engines.

Bousker is also a Star Wars builder and has been quite active in LEGO competitions in recent years, continually impressing us with innovative parts usage and incredible use of perspective and immerisve photography. Bousker steps into the game with a perfectly staged shoe store scene that features at least 30 uses of the door by my count. There are so many clever techniques on display, from high heels and sandles where the seed piece makes up the majority of the model, to the ingenious pair of Converse All Stars with the doors sunken into the brown shelf so that only a strip appears for the rubber sole.

We’ll be back to cover the results of this latest battle, but for now be sure to follow the Iron Builders instagram to see the builds as they come in, complete with the playful and pun-filled trash-talking that the event is known for.