As much time as I spend following the LEGO hobby, there are always amazing builds and stories that I would have missed without ABrickDreamer’s weekly This Week in Bricks videos. Like this video tour of Ben Cossy’s incredibly LEGO collection that is sure to fill any AFOL with awe and envy. Or Harry Jo’s final epic build before joining LEGO next month as a set designer. Lots of amazing builds this week!
There’s something hopelessly romantic about travelling through Mediterranean towns where medieval walls and ancient ruins mingle with modern life. Y.R. Bricks captures that contrast and charm with a slice of seaside life LEGO. The builder’s stonework is flawless, with a mix of profile bricks, SNOT and subtle offsets for a texture that looks like it’s endured for centuries without crumbling into rubble. The use of color is phenomenal, such as carrying the pink accent from the cherry blossom tree over to the flowers in pots and climbing vines.
As an extra challenge, the builder also fit in a cafe interior, which looks so specific and detailed, I feel like I’ve been there! Tips for any visiting American minifigs – coffee = espresso, asking for “half and half” will only get you confused looks, and why would you ask for your drink to go when you can grab a spot and savor it by the sea?
If you’re a fan of the post-Bionicle LEGO character scene, you might have noticed a spike in monochrome silver creations that look like liquid metal exiles from a Cyberspace graveyard vibing to Nine Inch Nails as they hack the planet.
They’re rad. I poked the building beast who started the trend, Djokson, to find out more about this collab called “Silverpuke.”
Originally, this started with a few of my builds: Psychopomp Alloy, Sinew and Silver Fog. In an attempt to revisit the aesthetic of metallic Y2K renders (metalheart stuff in particular) I used the often maligned palette of silver pieces from Bionicle to achieve that feeling.
The term silverpuke itself used to be a derogatory phrase thrown around on certain fan forums to refer to builds utilizing an overabundance of such parts. The aim with the collab title was to reclaim it. For the longest time, Bionicle builders bemoaned the excessive usage of silver blade pieces in sets, and many called them unusable outside of weapons. So it also serves as a fun challenge when building.
From there, some of my friends were inspired to make their own, and it sorta snowballed into a recurring collab. The builds tend to come together very quickly when inspiration strikes.
A selection of models from of the growing collab follows:
The Silverpuke MOCS go Halcyon and on and on
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim debuted in the era of the Xbox 360 but has remained an essential game across three console generations. With all those remasters and mods, of course Skyrim would inspire LEGO tributes as well. What I love about this version from Gabriel Midgley is how the builder distills everything about this epic open world into a compact LEGO scene. Not a small build, mind you – it’s quite epic, but also dense with details that fans of the game will appreciate.
From the dragon soaring above the peak to the Dwemer ruins that wind through the mountain’s roots, the scene yells “adventure” with the intensity of a Dragonborn’s shout. Even though the game is single-player, Gabriel packs in references to many player races and classes, like the Argonian lizard man chilling at the camp. This LEGO take is such a fun way to experience Skyrim again, it just might tide me over until Elder Scrolls VI finally arrives… in 2042, if we’re lucky.
It’s a travesty that Monsters, Inc. hasn’t appeared in an official LEGO set yet (outside of a sly little reference in the recent Luxo Jr. lamp). Thankfully we have fan builders like Ben Wick (Brickswick) to remind us how great these Pixar character designs are. I love Ben’s flat characters and the custom decals on Sulley and the door, which evoke the fun 2D art featured in the film’s credits. Boo’s mop head disguise is perfect. Does Mike Wazowski look a bit like a green Patapon? Yes, and I fully support this. It’s an excellent tribute that shows how you don’t need a huge collection of parts to make MOCs that can bring screams smiles to all.
After a modest five sets in July, August is shaping up to be one of the busiest months of the year for new LEGO releases. Today LEGO adds to the already impressive Clone Wars era Star Wars sets, while also rolling out new Mario Kart racers, Botanical plants, and the latest animal-themed Creator kit. All this on top off previously revealed One Piece, Spider-Man, Architecture, Technic and more. Which sets are you most excited for?
Details follow for this next batch of upcoming August releases
Back in my delving days, adventurers only ate the food they brought with them into a dungeon. Lately, a growing number of would-be heroes are following in the footsteps of tall-man Laios Touden and creating meals based on locally-sourced monster meat. LEGO builder Syrdarian joins the movement with this mouth-watering meal of sea serpent steak, complete with all the trimmings. Syrdarian spares no expense on the brick-built meal, pairing the delicious dish with a frothy mug of brick beer (love the shells and other bits for foam) and setting the mood with candles. The builder offers a fine LEGO fork, but no knife is necessary as the entree is quite flaky and easy to eat, considering it appears to be a cleverly arranged mosaic of elements that aren’t technically connected. With a meal this tasty, maybe I should consider eating monster meat after all.
Teacher and Adult Fan of LEGO Andrew Redfern has spent the last four years recreating 1,200 years of British history in LEGO. What started as a modest MOC project depicting the Kings and Queens of England blossomed into Minifigure Monarchs – 332 pages of LEGO builds and custom minifigures depicting both the royals and the people of Great Britain. Great Brits in little bricks indeed! As the Kickstarter goes live, we chat with Andy about his passion project, which you can back now.
Hear ye, hear ye, our Interview with Andy about Minifigure Monarchs begins after the fold
July’s LEGO releases are a calm in the storm between a busy June and what’s shaping up to be an absolutely stacked August. We’ve reviewed all five sets and our pick of the month is the Shelby Cobra, which guest reviewer Firas Abu-Jabber praised for the innovative techniques and highly satisfying build process. If car’s don’t get your motor running, Toothless might not be the take on the Night Fury that we wanted, but it’s a very cute set with broad appeal. To sweeten the deal this month, LEGO’s latest GWP – Friendly Snails – is one of the most delightful free sets we’ve seen all year. If you’re planning to purchase any of this month’s new releases, consider using our affiliate link. Your support is what has kept us going for 20 years of daily LEGO updates. Thank you! LEGO US | LEGO CAN | LEGO UK.
All of your July 2025 new releases follow
Simon and Dan, better known as Two Gay AFOLs, are vibrant voices in LEGO fan media, sharing their love for the hobby on social media and at fan events. The pair are also pillars of the Minifig Habitat community and sigfig scenes, helping build community and ensuring that everyone feels welcome. We sat down with Dan (the talkative one!) about the pair’s rise and the importance of GayFOL visibility (Gay fan of LEGO) in the hobby.
our interview with Two Gay AFOLs follows
Perched atop the foothills of Alps, Neuschwanstein Castle is a real-life fairytale destination and the cream of Bavarian landmarks. This icon of 19th-century Romanticism inspired Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle and now it inspires the next essential display set: LEGO Architecture 21063 Neuschwanstein Castle. Featuring 3455 pieces, the set marks a return to the architecture line’s microscale roots after the larger-scale Trevi Fountain, and should make an excellent companion set for Himeji Castle. Neuschwanstein Castle will be available on August 1, 2025, and can be pre-ordered now for US $279.99 | CAN $349.99 | UK £239.99.
Will you be booking a Bavarian vacation to this fairytale palace? Let us know in the comments.
Additional photos and set details follow
When it comes to LEGO mechs and brick-built characters, Zakar.ion is one of the most prolific and distinctive builders in the scene. They’re also one of the most collaborative and generous builders around, joining and starting collabs every week. One of my favorite traditions is the “swap collab” where zakar and another builder each pick a model from the other’s catalog of creations, then remake it in their own style. For zakar’s latest swap, the builder teams with neo_mocs. Here we see zakar’s take on neo’s Luna and Misty characters.
Below, you can see the inspiration and the remake side by side. Some of the elements, like the cat face elements from 11034 Creative Pets, carry across builds, while the body construction is a total re-engineering. Constraction pieces out, macaroni tubes in!
the other half of the collab follows