Posts by Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

MOCs of the LEGO Masters: Building Kindness one brick at a time

Justin (bradyjoynerbricks) covers the LEGO community with joy and an eye for inclusivity. The motto #BuildKindess sums it up perfectly. Justin is also a big musical fan, creating tributes to favorite musicals like Wicked or this habitat stack celebrating Luisa from Encanto.

Justin’s builds aren’t just delightful, but they remind us to have compassion towards others and towards ourselves.

Justin will be joined by their friend John in LEGO Masters Season 5 where they can spread their joyful message to an even larger audience.

This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.

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MOCs of the LEGO Masters: Travelling together, rain or shine

Corey and Rebecca Maxfield travel the world together, sigfigs and kids in tow, but in between voyages they find time for original creations. Corey’s tribute to Singing in the Rain certainly puts a smile on my face as the brick-built figure sings a happy refrain. The travelling couple’s next stop? LEGO Masters Season 5.

Just the other day Theo asked about the role that LEGO plays in peoples travels. No doubt Corey and Rebecca have plenty of stories to share about that playful combination!

This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.

MOCs of the LEGO Masters: Sisters bricks prepare to cast a spell

Niki has been working her way through the Harry Potter series with cinematic dioramas built in LEGO. My favorite is this twisty recreation from the first film with Ron trapped by the Devil’s Snare plant. The scale of the vines as they stretch across the enormous cobblestone floor makes for a striking contrast of chaos and ordered angles. For her next journey, Niki leans on a bond stronger than those forged at Hogwarts – the bond of sisterhood! – as she enters LEGO Masters Season 5 with her sister Brittain. As Dumbledore always says, may the odds be ever in your favor.

This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.

MOCs of the LEGO Masters: Finding joy in friendship and colors

Have you ever tried following the instructions for an iconic LEGO set, only subbing in colors from your own collection? It’s a fun way to experience an iconic build while expressing your own artistic voice (and thanks to LEGO making instructions free to download, you can save money too!) That’s just what Marcella did with this alternate take on the Birch Books modular apartment unit. Marcella’s bright colors bring a funky San Francisco vibe and pair perfectly with the new artist resident. Marcella and her best friend Krista are bringing that free spirit to the new season of LEGO Masters. Best of luck, you two!

This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.

LEGO Ideas Minifigure Vending Machine brings a treasure trove of nostalgia and 16 minifigs

Minifigure fans are in for a treat when LEGO Icons 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine arrives this June. LEGO pulled out all the stops in celebrating popular themes from the past, including Fabuland, Paradisa, Pirate, Classic Space, and of course, Castle. Even the set’s fan designer gets the minifig treatment! The set contains 16 minifigures in total, some of which are duplicates, but I doubt many will mind as they’re the ones fans could vote on and are likely to be the most popular figures: Classic spacemen in teal and gold, and perhaps most excitingly, two new Castle Factions – Kraken and Griffon factions. Of course you’re not just getting 16 figures with the set. Most of the 1,343 parts go towards the fully-functional retro vending machine in cherry red. It’s a very fancy Kraken Knight delivery device that no doubt many LEGO fans will have fun filling with custom gachapon prizes. LEGO Icons 21358 Minifigure Vending Machine will be available early to LEGO Insiders on June 1 and to everyone else from June 6 for US $179.99 | CAN $219.99 | UK £149.99.

Read on for the full gallery of pictures and details on this amazing retro set

MOCs of the LEGO Masters: Cullen House designer sparkles with sister

Nick Micheels (aka LobsterThermador) sent many a Twilight fan swooning with his Cullen House MOC that became an official LEGO Ideas set earlier this year. The builder shows that he’s as nimble as Edward, switching from minifig to miniland-scale with ease. He brought that versatility when to the cast of LEGO Masters Season 5, alongside his sister Kyndall.

Worried that Nick’s mostly-bloodless vampire builds mean his builds lack bite? Yeah, right. Nick has a wicked sense of humor in his LEGO subjects.

This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.

MOCs of the LEGO Masters: Other brothers brick get ready for the big day

Ben Grayson has been featured a few times on The Brothers Brick, but this week the builder is taking brick brotherhood to another level as he joins LEGO Masters season 5 alongside his brother Michael. Ben completed this pre-show piece as a color challenge, contrasting yellowish green foliage with lavender moss. We’re big fans of floating rocks around here, and Ben makes this motif soar on a small footprint with excellent verticality and crisscrossing vines as a dynamic flourish. Ben pairs the build with a little narrative. Fisherman Bjorn Clidestine is journeying far from home, an old man alone into the Aether on a desperate mission to help his starving village. Good luck, Bjorn, and good luck to the brothers Grayson!

This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.

Dominique Boeynaems joins LEGO as set designer – This is Fine!

Usually, the “This is Fine” dog gets dropped when things aren’t going well, but for the builder of this scene, Dominique Boeynaems, things are actually very fine indeed. Spectacular, even! This September, Dominique joins the LEGO Group as a set designer, joining Jiwoo Seon as a member of the AFOL community making the jump to creating the sets that we will all be building in years to come.

Dominique’s builds continually impress us with the ingenious parts usage, the wide range of themes and scales that the builder works with, and a joyful approach to building. Earlier this year, we watched with rapt admiration as Dominique earned Iron Builder status, winning the Iron Forge competition. His entries into the Rogue Olympics (Like the meme here) have been equally delightful.

Dominique shares the news:

I’m incredibly excited to share that starting this September, I will be a Product Designer for LEGO!

While I’ve not been part of the online LEGO community for very long, I have spent most my life with and around LEGO, and this is quite literally a dream come true. This has been something I have wanted to do and have been steadily working towards, since the very day I realised that there was someone at the other end, actually creating all these sets I’ve spent my entire youth playing with.

I’m so excited for this next step in my journey with the LEGO group, that started with a simple yet rewarding retail job in our local LEGO store, and I can’t wait to see a set that i design on the shelves, some years(?) in the future, and to help inspire a new generation of kids, as so many of us were once inspired.

Congratulations, Dominique, and may all your days as a designer be fine.

MOCs of the LEGO Masters: Summers siblings get on the LEGO Masters diet

Ian Summers is a wizard transforming LEGO elements into tiny objects that barely look like bricks at all. His miniature food is especially magical, like this sushi tray with translucent tuna wrapped gently in skirts of rice and rubber-wrapped maki aligned ever so neatly. Ian made these micro meals a couple of years back, and now a steady diet of LEGO ingenuity has landed the bricktacular builder and his sister Sage a spot on LEGO Masters season 5.

Is sushi not to your taste? Ian has you covered with this amazing diner food that looks a whole lot more wholesome than what they’re selling over at Krusty Burger.

We can’t wait to see what the Summers siblings cook up on the new season!

This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.

MOCs of the Masters: Bringing Bionicle Back

LEGO Masters contestants come from a broad mix of backgrounds, but one corner of the LEGO world that doesn’t get much of a spotlight these days is Bionicle fandom. Alex Bailey is a builder whose preferred elements hail from Mata Nui and who brings in influences from anime and skate culture to his large-scale characters. Like Tachayah, “he who gives life,” an original character inspired by Inuyasha. Finn’s face looks impressive with a Bionicle mask becoming white cornrows. Alex is joined by his brother Tone, a multi-media artist and musician. I’m excited to see what creativity they’ll bring to the LEGO table!

This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.

MOCs of the LEGO Masters: Medieval farm brings buckets of charm

Maia (mbbricks) is one busy builder! She and her father are making their LEGO Masters debut next week, representing Canada in the US edition of the show. She’s also prepping an epic elven village for next month’s Brickworld Chicago that sends Rivendell-style architecture into the mountains. But the build I’m most excited by is this medieval farm, with a slick half-timbered top atop a rocky foundation.

Maia says this is her first time using the SNOT (studs not on top) technique for the irregular stonework. It’s always a joy to see builders stretching their wings with new skills. The woven fence technique is always a favorite of mine as it’s a technique still used to this day in some farms near where I live in Sweden.

Good luck on LEGO Masters, Maia and Jamie (BricksDad)!

This is part of our series on MOCs of the Masters where we preview the work of the newest batch of LEGO Master contestants. Have a look at creations from other builders in the lineup.

Self-Portrait of LEGO’s next designer: Jiwoo Seon

Jiwoo Seon’s stunning modulars, like this gilded opera house, put her in LEGO Ideas 10k club three-times over. LEGO House is currently displaying her builds in the Masterpiece Gallery. In Seoul, her ornate framed floral works earned her a gallery show. But starting this August, Jiwoo’s building is taking her to someplace most builders only dream of – a seat in Billund as a set designer. Jiwoo’s models are consistently ornate, finding classical beauty in constrained colors. It will be fascinating to see how her distinctive style will translate into future sets. As she begins the next phase of her life’s journey, the artist shares this brick-built self-portrait.

And here’s the artist in her own words:

A fleeting moment never stays.
A candle burns and disappears, its flame vanishing too quickly.
But I believe—when I respond with instinct, the moment doesn’t vanish.
It remains, as light.
⠀
This piece is not a portrait of who I was, nor who I hoped to be.
⠀
It is the moment, the gaze that answered it, and the essence that sustained me, and the instinct unfolding through motion upon it—all brought together as a self-portrait shaped through my present gesture.
⠀
On the left, the candlestick and scattered matches represent the fleeting moment—a sharp, vivid instant that called for instinctive response.
⠀
At the center, a lavishly adorned frame holds my self-portrait blooming like blossoms.
It captures the gaze and emotions that responded to each moment, and the me who longed to bloom in the now.
⠀
To the right stands a solitary pillar—a symbol of the inner essence that has long sustained me.
Atop it, a ballerina spins in a quiet pirouette.
She is the embodiment of my present self,
built upon that essence.
Her movement is the convergence of instinct and gaze—a graceful expression of transformation, and the form of my will made visible.
⠀
Now, I stand—facing the moment, the look, and the instinct within me—shaped into one self-portrait.