Posts by Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

NPU’s better down where it’s wetter, take it from this Tidepool Princess

From jellyfish to deep sea monsters, underwater settings have long been a favorite subject for NPU flexes. LEGO’s recent Tropical Aquarium boasts one of the most colorful and eclectic mix of parts ever found in an official set, but this Tidepool Princess from nu_montag says “Hold my Beerracuda.” Some of the amazingly diverse elements on display – a DUPLO skirt, a Bionicle Barraki headpiece, and, most impressively, a gaggle of legs from a McDonald’s Galidor Happy Meal toy.

More Galidor and Bionicle elements are visible on the back side of the moc. These weird and organic-looking elements feel alien and out of place in today’s LEGO lineup of parts, so it’s always a treat to see them integrated into modern builds.

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LEGO Skeksis extracts essence from Galidor parts

I’ll always be partial to Labyrinth when it comes to Jim Henson fantasy worlds, but the creatures of The Dark Crystal, especially the deliciously wicked Skeksis, are undeniably rad. Margit (one of the talented builders to make our shortlist for Builder of the Year) consulted her LEGO orrery and found a great conjunction of elements to make this spot-on take on the simpering Chamberlain. The head comes from the unhinged Nepol and Shimmel set and perfectly captures the Chamberlain’s totally trustworthy smile. He’s just here to help! The staff was snatched from Euripides and complements the Skeksis aesthetic like a dream.

Construction comes alive with these epic CityCore bots

Creating a badass mech in LEGO takes skill. Instilling that build with personality is the work of a master builder. Doing so while working in DUPLO elements, now that is next level! Redverse first introduced the “CityCore” theme, blending kid-friendly construction with sophisticated mechh design, with the orange MK series. Now the builder is back with the RW series:

Before any road is paved, before any path is cleared, the CityCore RW-Series is on the job… Whether it’s pushing debris, digging deep, or hauling heavy loads, these machines know the value of getting things right the first time – no shortcuts, no hesitation.

First up is Rumblejack, a Quattroid on the smaller side who pounds the ground flat before paving. Not only does Redverse brilliantly employ oversized Quateo blocks for the tamping tool, Fabuland arches also make an appearance in the bot’s feet.

Next we have Duplon bruiser PushWell, an anthropomorphic dozer. The expressive face clinches this bot as a winner, thanks in large part to the DUPLO antennae element used for the grille mouth and nose.

Finally, there’s Grubjaw, a gruff and hard-working digger. The jutting dozer jaw and sunken eyes sell the bot’s silent resolve in such a fun way.

Redverse’s bots seem like they rolled straight out of a cartoon and leave me wondering what other DUPLO parts are waiting for new purpose in tomorrow’s mechs?

A coastal kingdom in decay, dreaming of past glory

Imagine building a story as sprawling as Game of Thrones in LEGO one vignette at a time. That’s just what the builders behind French LEGO RPG Feodalis are doing! Guillame (@gui.lego) is the creator behind House du Messny of Rivermer, a once great kingdom rebuilding from ruin. Here we see the great gate shut tight after the sighting of an ominous bird. Guillame is an accomplished builder of kingdoms in decay, as seen in this latest model, where brickwork is pockmarked and full of stones coming loose.

See more of Guillame’s medieval kingdom below

Talking mechs, music, and LEGO fashion with Mexican creator Tenkyuu.mocs

LEGO fandom is global and here at The Brothers Brick, we strive to feature creators from every corner of the world. Access to bricks and local support isn’t evenly distributed, though, as the recent changes to Bricklink’s service reminded us all. For Mexican builder Zazil Yakín Xipé, who shares LEGO creations as @tenkyuu.mocs, not amassing a huge collection of bricks hasn’t stopped her from creating a string of impressive and innovative mechs. Today we’re excited to share an interview between Tenkyuu and Zakar.ion that covers LEGO-inspired fashions, Exo-Force, and that one time a worker at a Mexican LEGO factory went rogue and made black market Vaders with the official molds!

Our interview with Tenkyuu.mocs begins here

“And I thought they smelled bad before the race!”

Everyone knows Tauntauns are the Star Wars universe’s most adorable arctic ride/sleeping bag. But did you know they make great racing beasts, too? Will (@montivalbricks) leaves icy Hoth to assemble a sorrel Tauntaun gelding, tacked up and ready for the derby. The builder does a phenomenal job capturing the tauntaun’s features from small elements. A roller skate nose offers perfect nostrils, and minifig hands kick off as toes.

Will created this impressive racing beast for the Star Wars Factions RPG, a LEGO storytelling universe where builders can compete in challenges tied to a shared story world. That means we get plenty of lore to accompany the build, so we know that the mount is named Dicastery and that the jockey is Tur C’otte, a NeuroSaav employee. Will’s excellent build won first prize in the Canto-Key Derby. Congratulations to Dicastery and his builder both!

These wearable builds are a crowning achievement in LEGO

It’s easy for minifigures to get dressed in their LEGO finest, but for humans looking to wear their hobby on their sleeves, one has to get creative, as outside of rings and wristbands (and Nike collabs), LEGO hasn’t provided many official offerings for the brick-built wardrobe. Finnish artist Heidi Aulikki Puumalainen is one of a small but growing number of builders focused on wearable builds, like this jewel-encrusted crown that is both elegant and sturdy enough to wear dancing.

Heidi’s headwear first shone on LEGO Masters Finland where she partnered with Satu Aaltonen, whose work is currently on display in LEGO House’s Masterpiece Gallery. For this bridal-themed headpiece, Heidi led the build while Satu wore it down the runway. I love how elegant the trans-yellow chains become when draping from a floral crown.

See more of Heidi’s wearable creations below

This Ghibli minifigs are more than they’re stacked up to be

LEGO Masters Germany winner Alex (Brix Tales) has quickly become one of my favorite habitat builders. This quartet of tributes to Miyazaki films epitomizes why, with their dynamic shapes that eschew convention and a bold use of color.

Princess Mononoke (newly restored in 4K – go see it!) is uses only foliage to house minifig hero San, who makes perfect use of this Ninjago headpiece to evoke the character’s forest mask. Using ghost faces as Kodoma is a brilliant choice, and I always appreciate a green sprue used for a vine.

See close-ups of the other scenes after the break

Talmudic Academy in LEGO celebrates stained glass and tradition

With the exception of Notre Dame, LEGO has shied away from depicting places of worship in official sets, leaving AFOLs to provide religious buildings for minifig believers. Church mocs are quite common, as evidenced by our extensive archive, and lately we’ve been seeing a lot more mosques as well, but synagogues are rarely seen in brick. Builder Matthew Sklar provides a rare look inside a LEGO synagogue from the medieval era, based on the Talmudic Academies of circa 10th Century Babylonia. The Torah ark, framed in blue tiles, is beautifully constructed, but it’s the stained glass windows that shine brightest – fitting as Matthew created this model for the Colossal Castle competition’s stained glass category, as well as Brickscalibur’s Arabian Knights theme.

LEGO unveils Smart Play system – LEGO bricks and minifigs that play back [News]

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) isn’t the usual venue for LEGO to break big news – techies love displaying LEGO, but the bricks themselves aren’t your typical cutting-edge gadgets. That’s about to change with the announcement of the Smart Play system. Smart Bricks communicate with Smart Minifigures and Smart Tags that integrate sensors and spatial awareness into your builds, thanks to microchips smaller than a single stud. You can read about LEGO’s design process for the Smart Brick here.

As rumored, the new system debuts with the Star Wars theme with three all-in-one sets coming this March. Each of these will include a Smart Brick, charger, and at least one Smart Minifigure and Yag. The all-in-one sets include: 75421 Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter (69,99 EUR / 69,99 USD / 59,99 GBP), 75423 Luke’s Red Five X-wing (89,99 EUR / 99,99 USD / 79,99 GBP), and 75427 Throne Room Duel & A-wing (159,99 EUR / 159,99 USD / 139,99 GBP). Presumably other sets will expand the Minifigure and Tag range but wouldn’t include a charging station.

LEGO has, of course, experimented with ways for bricks and circuits to talk to each other before. Mindstorms empowered curious builders to experiment with robotics and programming as early as 1998. The Dimensions toys-to-life video game platform let gamers scan physical toys to activate the models in-game. Vidyo and Hidden World sets played with augmented reality apps. Most recently, the Super Mario line uses a smart figure and sensors to let players assemble courses, collect coins, and playback sounds and expressions.

As the sensors in Smart Play are smaller and more powerful, they seem primed to make it easier for kids to integrate sound effects, music, lights, and game behaviors into physical sets that are much closer to your typical LEGO models. Just how robust those behaviors are, we’ll have to see. Right now it looks like the primary focus here is on imaginative, physical play rather than the more STEM focused initiatives like Mindstorms and Spike. I’m very curious to see how adult LEGO fans integrate these new functions into creations.

LEGO’s press release follows

Shinto tradition, Swedish horses, and Danish bricks to celebrate the New Year

Japanese builder umemaruko uses LEGO to charming effect as part of seasonal decor and holiday traditions (we previously covered her beautiful fall collection). To usher in the Year of the Horse, the builder presents a trio of models. Hanging on the wall is a Nehiki Matsu, a pine sprig charm that is a precursor to the kadomatsu traditional display, where the items symbolize wishes for the new year. Umemaruko’s wishes for the year: to stay grounded and to keep growing! Also in the display, a pair of horses inspired by Swedish Dala horse wood carvings and a kagami mochi – mochi with stacked with dried persimmon. Traditionally, the branch would be burned and the mochi eaten, but I hope umemaruko still has good fortune even if these bricks don’t meet that fate.

Tranquility in teal

Noah (H2brick) has created so many incredible vignettes over the years, from sunny villas to snowy planets. After a prolific 2024 with series dedicated to Darth Vader and Adventure Time, Noah was strangely quiet during 2025, without a single build until the last day of the year. Thankfully, Noah hasn’t lost the spark for crafting beautiful scenes like this freeform vignette set in the magical Teal Valley, where the diminutive acorn folk dwell. I’m a big fan of innovative tree techniques, and Noah doesn’t disappoint. Large teal trees with stocky trunks and bushy white foliage of flowers on their sprues are undeniably majestic, but the smaller tree with angular dark blue branches is also a winner. Welcome back, Noah – we’re excited to see where your miniature worlds will take us next!