Thanks to sets like LEGO Art 31213 Mona Lisa we can experience a classic art as it be experienced by a LEGO minifig peering into our dimension. Bricko Nicko brings us one brick closer to a true LEGO reality by reinterpreting the Mona Lisa as the Renaissance minifig of Leonardo Da Vinci always intended – with a cylindrical yellow head, clamp hands, and an unambiguous smile just like everyone else’s. Truly this masterpiece belongs in the Louvre (21024).
We’re back with the another round up of LEGO creations and builder news. This week aBrickDreamer considers YouTube as a place to discover new LEGO projects. How does YouTube figure in your enjoyment of the LEGO hobby? Tell us in the comments!
Oscar Cederwall‘s sci-fi LEGO creations are consistently impressive, whether massive SHIPs or character-focused cyborgs. So it’s quite a treat to see the builder dabble in fantasy as part of the Brickscalibur competition. Challenged to create a party of adventurers, Oscar combines minifig heads with cleverly-constructed bodies of his own design. The Pyromancer, Druid, and Frost Mage on the right all incorporate Modulex bricks for their legs, a slick technique the builder came up with last year. An assortment of cloth elements and even Scala jewelry give the cast doll-like detail. The standout has to be the Spider Queen with her striking profile, wicked staff, and Galaxy Squad alien abdomen.
No stranger to big fantasy characters, from his Aztec shaman to this Warcraft-inspired orc bust, Steven Wayne Howard even has a Dwarven King currently residing in Billund in the Masterpiece Gallery. For his entry in the Brickscalibur Dwarf Tales category, Steven returns to the LEGO mines and digs deeper than ever to create his largest character yet. Weighing in at over 15 lbs and built from roughly 15,000 pieces, the Red Dwarf is a truly imposing figure, especially when lights are dimmed to let the integrated custom lighting shine. This monster build just looks heavy with all that brick-built chain mail and a beard made from rubber tires. Steven finds brilliant uses for a wide range of parts, from rail ties in the helmet to vintage wheels on the belt and shins, to Combo NEXO Power Shields on the belt buckle and shoulders. At this rate, Steven’s next LEGO character build is likely to be life-size!
Mainline Pokémon games are iconic RPGs with all of the stats, XP, and leveling up you expect from the genre, so fusing Pocket Monsters with D&D is a perfect fit! That’s just what builders Dan Ko and Gino Loshe teamed up to prove with this character collaboration called Dungeons & Pocket Monsters. Dan was responsible for giving Pikachu and Bulbasaur their mage makeovers, while Gino tackled Squirtle and Charmander. Created for the Brickscalibur competition “Elemental Emergency” category, each character wields a different flavor of magic matching their Pokémon type. Even more impressive, each sports a different type of wizard cap! Join them as they travel across the land seeking the power that’s inside.
10190 Market Street is the black sheep of LEGO modulars. Part of the pre-Ideas “Factory” line, the set lacked the innovative techniques and attention to detail of its predecessor, Cafe Corner, and subsequent modulars, but it’s a significant part of LEGO’s evolving relationship with fan creations. Marcin Dski revisits the 18-year-old set with an update that reflects the colors and intent of the original while bringing in the advanced techniques of newer modulars like 10350 Tudor Corner. Marcin leans on Art Nouveau as an architectural influence, using arches and SNOT techniques for the round entrances. The market gets an impressive upgrade with added glass paneling replacing the original open air. Even the minifigs mix sees a glow up, including a fellow with a peg leg and hook who might have wandered in from one of Marcin’s other modulars.
Speaking of LEGO’s unique relationship with fan builds, in 2026 Marcin joins the esteemed list of creators joining the Bricklink Creator program with Adventure in Transylvania. Congratulations on an amazing 2024!
It’s time to get things started. It’s time to start the quest! But will Sir Kermilot and crew even make it through the theme song before getting lost, distracted, or blowing themselves up? Gerrit Gottschalk brilliantly remixes LEGO Muppet minifigures into their fantasy alter egos for the Brickscalibur “Adventuring Party” category. Every choice and accessory is perfect, from troubadour Fozzie to Black Falconer chicken-er Gonzo to barbarian Animal. But my favorite of the bunch is definitely beleaguered dogsbody Beaker.
Last time we checked up on Katja (Palixa and the Bricks), she was taking assorted fruits on a sunny summer holiday. Now Katja’s back with holiday scenes of the winter variety with a sextet of LEGO habitats starring the neighbors of Animal Crossing. Every scene is a delight, but I think Maple’s cluttered kitchen takes the cake (or cookie) as the cozies habitat of them all. Nice work on those Snowboys, Julian!
The just-wrapped first season of Dan Da Dan, the bonkers series mashing up ghosts and aliens, is showing up on many lists as one of the best anime series of the year. Builder Chris Yu pays tribute to the buzzy series in LEGO with a bust of co-protagonist Okarun in his possessed form. The normally timid makes a pact with the spirit Turbo Granny in a quest to retrieve… the family jewels. Like I said, it’s bonkers. Chris’ bust captures the character’s split personality with bespectacled eyes peeking out above a demonic jawline. There’s lovely brick shaping, especially with the streaked hair and collar swept back to emphasize speed.
You know what they say — idle hands lead to LEGO idols. I’ve never heard of Pul’ Ohob before, but according to Mattia Careddu, if you offer this divine being an ounce of gold every day for a year, they will reward you with five years of abundance. Mattia’s idol and offerings are full of weird and wonderfully used parts, the centerpiece being the torso of Galidor alien Euripides. (Not the first Galidor-centric build from Mattia this year!) The cornecopia introduces a building technique rarely seen in LEGO: braiding! Pul ‘Ohob’s offer sounds like a pretty sweet deal, but my gold holdings are low. Does Pul’ Ohob take crypto?
Mattia has been anything but idle in 2024. Here’s a round-up of this year’s creations. No wonder Care Creations made our 2024 builder of the year shortlist!
In 2025 The Brothers Brick will be celebrating 20 years of daily LEGO posts. A lot has changed over those years – from the variety of sets we cover, to the techniques employed by builders, to the people share their love for the hobby. One thing remains very much the same there at TBB, and that’s our mission to showcase the amazing creativity within the LEGO community as inclusive as possible. That’s a mission shared by one of our favorite builders and content creators to emerge in recent years: aBrickDreamer. Every week on “This Week in Bricks,” aBrickDreamer rounds up the most interesting creations, articles, and events in the community. The video format offers a new way to expand on our shared mission, and we think aBrickDreamer’s insightful and generous takes are a perfect compliment to the site’s mission. So starting this week, we’re excited to share This Week in LEGO Bricks here on the site so you have a new way to keep up with the best that the hobby has to offer!
Santa’s not getting any bigger. It’s the chimneys that are getting smaller, honestly! A Christmas crisis is averted in this LEGO scene by Jérôme Barchietto as the local fire crew turns up just in time to extract jolly ol’ Saint Nick from a tight squeeze. Hope the family at 10267 Gingerbread Lane left out extra cookies for Santa. He’s had a rough night!
Happy Holidays from us all at The Brothers Brick!