LEGO’s Balrog Book Nook set has many Lord of the Rings fans (including our reviewer) feeling as conflicted as Smeagol, simultaneously coveting the brick-built Bane of Durin while gagging (*GOL-LUM!*) at the price. Joe Lam solved this riddle by building a Book Nook small enough for a Took, and readers, we are shook. The itty bitty Balrog’s grimspawn body towers over trophy Gandalf. Joe’s version even folds up like the real deal and is sized perfectly to rest between your matchbooks. If you like Joe’s “The one I can afford” take on the Balrog, his spin on the Luxo Jr. lamp is even more budget-friendly.
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When the Red Lotus captured Korra, they thought they could end the Avatar cycle once and for all. Too bad for them, Korra wasn’t about to go down without an epic fight. The season 3 finale of The Legend of Korra was a series high, and builder Dan O’Connor renders it beautifully in LEGO. The mosaic mandala is wonderfully crafted from dark green tiles
Dan pairs the minifig scene with a Minilander build as the Red Lotus venom brings out Korra’s Avatar state. The larger scale captures the fiery intensity of the Avatar
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Over the last three years, builder and video creator Jason (JustBeardy)has been working on a massive motorized LEGO tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog’s Green Hill Zone. Built from roughly 30,000 bricks, the diorama draws on specific gameplay elements of the iconic level, all lovingly rendered in the 16-bit style of the classic SEGA Genesis game.
While the front view of the level is slick and studless with every pixel in its place, a look behind the Technic scaffolding reveals how much mechanical wizardry went into making the scene come alive. Jason would have been done sooner, but needed a new drive train to power so many motorized elements.
Of course, a project like this is meant to be seen in motion, so it’s best to watch the reveal video to appreciate Jason’s most ambitious work to date. And if you’re interested in how the builder solved all the elaborate mechanical functions, there’s a series of 34 behind-the-scenes videos showing the build process from the beginning. Feeling nostalgic for classic Sonic? Jason shares free instructions for Dr. Robotnik’s Egg Wrecker as seen in the diorama.
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After a long slumber, Lord of the Rings LEGO sets are back with a fiery vengeance, stirred from the shadows like a sleeping demon awoken by a Took’s tomfoolery. Just two months after The Shire had us celebrating, LEGO Icons 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook takes us back to Middle Earth. The set marks the debut of the fan-favorite Balrog in LEGO form and joins the growing list of brick-built book nooks, alongside Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter. While you can fold it closed to slip between ancient tomes on your shelves, the set seems designed to display opened up to better appreciate the Balrog with its wings spread, flanked by Morgoth’s flames. LEGO Icons 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook contains 1,201 pieces and will be available on June 1 for US $129.99 | CAN $TBD | UK £109.99. Will you be adding the Balrog to your shelves?
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HBO’s The Last of Us just wrapped season 2, but if you’re not ready to let go of a run-down world filled with murderous mushroom zombies, Greg the Gungan has your back. In this towering diorama, Greg returns to the first game/season with Joel and Ellie traversing a crumbling Boston. Greg finds the perfect balance between urban decay and nature taking root, creating a world that is so beautiful that you might risk a cordyceps bite to take it all in. True to the source, the decrepit office building hides many dangers that Greg also built in bricks.
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Since we started spotlighting minifig creations again on Minifig Mondays, we’ve been introduced to so many talented AFOLs. After covering desert sands and dieselpunk in our last installments, maybe it’s time to welcome some cozier fig creations into the mix? Grab your knitting needles and garden shears, as we’re going to explore DIY minifig fashions! The fist time the brothers brick featured minifigs wearing crocheted clothes was back in 2006! Sadly, that was the only time. Let’s fix this with a Minifig Monday dedicated to minfigs dressed in knitted and floral clothing! Because hobbies are better when you let them mingle.
Kim Schol is a LEGO photographer from the Netherlands who sets her minifig subjects in dioramas that blend LEGO with nature and crafts. Kim dresses her minifig in a fantastically elegant skirt made of real flower petals. This fairy tale scene is one of my favorites in the way that LEGO foliage mixes with seed tufts and moss to create a magical space. Here’s a glimpse of how the mix of materials came together to make a scene.
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We see a lot of LEGO rabbits and LEGO cats, and more LEGO creatures than you can shake a stick at, but one thing we don’t often come across are rabbit-cat-creature-spirit-thingies. Thankfully, builder Steve Edwards corrects this oversight with a delightful and oh-so colorful take on this beloved beast. Steve pulls in so many playful elements, from CMF Harpy wings on the tufts of the ears to the car wash scrubbers in the tail to a knit cap nose. The thingy poses atop an upscaled boom box. With ears that evoke speakers, the whole model has a very EDM vibe. This fella’s definitely going on my playlist!
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We don’t often get a large-scale LEGO creation from Geng Lei, but when a new model drops, it’s always an event. Geng’s Yu Xin Pavilion is approximately 2 feet deep, 3 feet wide, and 4.5 feet tall built from a bright yet harmonious mix of colors. The fantastical take on classical Chinese architecture includes flying eaves, paifang gates, and whimsical dragon detailing. A build this epic deserves a closer look!
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Alternate Builds have been having a moment. Between Dicken Liu’s facehugger and the Sigularity of everything either remixing into our out of a Millenniun Falcon courtesy of this guy, what used to be a small niche of the AFOL world is spawning new viral stories every day. Not long ago, Heagh B. Vane shared a MOC of Treebeard made entirely from the ports of 10281 Bonsai Tree. Thousands of builders grabbed the instructions, including LEGO photographer Chris Cosmos. That’s when the magic happened. All this spring Chris has been staging photographs with curious wildlife, for example, patiently waiting for a cardinal to pluck a seed from Darth Vader’s minifig grip. Using Vane’s instructions, Chris assembled Treebeard and set the Ent out to engage with the local wildlife. And look who showed up to sample some of Pippin’s Lembas bread!
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Where did Batman get his wonderful toys? He made them himself. The same can be said of Luke Horwath, who not only assembles expressive animals in bricks (that dog is eerily lifelike!) but also brings a makers’ ingenuity to the hobby, combining LEGO with mechanical engineering to construct a working LEGO Batman pinball machine and a lifesize LEGO claw machine. But just as Batman counts on his Bat-family, Luke is teaming with his mother, Anne, for the new season of LEGO Masters. (Sadly, there’s no Air Bud loophole on the show and dogs are not allowed to compete.)
Luke’s Pinball machine is a remarkable build, and one that I wish I could have tested in person. I wonder if he’ll get to show off that mechanical know-how on the show?
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What is art? For the LEGO Group, as with critics, art is hard to pin down. What started as mostly pop culture mosaics has grown to include LEGO-fied replicas of famous gallery works to a mural of the Milky Way Galaxy to… a relief of a Tiger head? LEGO Art 31217 The Fauna Collection: Tiger is the second set in the fauna subtheme after 2024’s Macaw Parrots. Designed to either hang on the wall or sit on a countertop with the built-in stand, the set also incorporates a dash of Botanicals. Containing 744 elements, LEGO Art 31217 The Fauna Collection: Tiger roars in on June 1 for US $64.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £54.99. But is this tiger grrreat?! Join us for a short review and stay to for some spicy thoughts on LEGO labels.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
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Some builders have a problem with sand, how it’s coarse and irritating and gets everywhere. Not Joe Cherwink. Sandy settings are this builder’s LEGO oasis, from the mummy-cursed sandstorms of the Sahara, to the majestic Shai-Hulud. Joe is joined by fellow pop culture aficionado Anthony in the new season of LEGO Masters where, hopefully, the studio is stocked with plenty of brick yellow pieces.
Joe also has a knack for motorizing his creations, like this Just Deserts medley that is packed to the sandy gills with nerdy desert tributes. Comb through it yourself or let the builder walk you through all of the references.
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