Posts by Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

White sails, black hearts on a sea of bricks

Contrary to what you may have seen in popular films and TV, pirates wouldn’t sail under black sails. They’d more likely rig their ships with sails like the ones in this incredible tall ship from Luke (@cathedralofbricks). Luke has been building with typhoon intensity these past few months, but so far all of his works have been castles (as he shared with us in our interview last month). For a change of pace, he tests out new waters and rekindles an old love for the golden age of piracy. Luke proves every bit as adept at sea as he is with gothic stonework. While incorporating many modern elements and techniques, some elements, like the hull pieces and the mast over the stern are straight from vintage LEGO Pirate ships. Having just finished building the One Piece Going Merry, I feel a powerful nostalgia for these dedicated nautical pieces from LEGO’s past.

While the brickwork is all LEGO, Luke finishes the pirate vessel with custom sails and well-researched rigging. Tying all those tiny knots must have been as much work as building the ship itself! And for the water, it’s smooth sailing over azure sea with frothy white bricks trailing in the wake. I love the mix of curved white parts around the hull conveying the speed of a ship under full sail.

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LEGO to put you in a Roman Empire state of mind

2025 has been a great year for Italy and LEGO with both Trevi Fountain and 21359 Italian Riviera, but for former Junior Classical League kids like me, what we really crave is a trip back to the SPQR. The classical world has only shown up in LEGO via the Coliseum Architecture set and a handful of collectible minifigs, but thankfully, we have fan creations from builders like Michael Crewe to keep the flame alive. Michael shares two minifig-scale scenes of ancient city life on the Ideas platform that I would gladly clear out shelf space to bring home. First up is a magnificent library that could be the famed Library of Alexandria, pre-sacking. The impressive columns evoke a Corinthian style with their ornate fern tops.

Inside the two-story building stand an impressive statue. I might have gone with Athena/Minerva rather than this more muscular fellow, but those marble abs are impressive.

Click for more pics of the ancient world in LEGO

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate fig look-see! A custom minifig creator reviews the new One Piece Minifigs [Review]

In Japan, One Piece popularity is as big as it gets, with the best-selling manga of all time and box office revenue equal to the entire run of MCU films. The Netflix live action series bucked the trend of awful anime adaptations with a faithful retelling that embraced everything that makes the series wonderful, no matter how weird it might sound on paper. Now LEGO continues the streak of expanding One Piece’s global domination with a line of sets that show that the vibrant pirate fantasy is an ideal fit for bricks. Today we’re joined by a special guest reviewer, a legendary scoundrel from the custom minifig scene with a penchant for peglegs and all things pirate: Captain Dark Shark. So hop aboard for reviews of the figs from One Piece 7536 Windmill Village Hut, 7537 Buggy the Clown’s Circus Tent, and 7538 Battle at Arlong Park, as well as custom creations from the Cap’n using the new elements.

Next stop, the Grand Line and our review of the new One Piece minifigs

Remarkable bird, id’nit, squire? Beautiful LEGO plumage

We’ve seen some incredible LEGO bird creations in recent years thanks to the explosion of molds and colors that can be interpreted as feathers, like this magnificent owl from TBB alum Nannan to this soaring eagle from Sakiya Watanabe. Now Sakiya (aka N.A.B.E._mocs) takes wing again with a brilliant scarlet macaw. The starring LEGO element for this feathered friend is the blue thruster blast from the Dreamzzz line, but the NPU doesn’t stop there. Sakiya makes excellent use of shells and feathers for the parrot’s face, with rubber bands on the cheeks and around the eyes for detail. As with the builder’s eagle, the bird is captured in a lifelike, dramatic pose. It’s a beautiful model from a builder with an impeccable eye for shape and form.

To learn more about the young builder and his passion for excellence, check out our interview with talented LEGO creator Sakiya Watanabe.

Now this is Pod Racing! The most wizard LEGO Pod Racers in the galaxy [Feature]

Whatever your feelings about Star Wars Episode I’s convoluted plot, clunky dialogue, and over-reliance on slapstick, when the Boonta Eve Classic kicks off, the movie soars. Podracers – typically a small cockpit yoked to massive engines – are an homage to chariot racing, Formula 1, and muscle cars. The simple formula has proven a perfect platform for creativity among LEGO builders over the years. Today we’re rounding up some recent builds featuring incredible podracers from some of our favorite builders (including a trio of LEGO set designers!)

Earlier this summer, brickbot_studio hosted a podracing contest and the resulting builds are truily inspiring. rebel.p.u.n.k‘s entry is a favorite for the clean engine designs and little details like the cloud of dust as the stabilizer fin grazes the gound.

Zakar.ion‘s entry doubles down on greebling. Surfboards and skis look great on the engines. I’m not sure if I trust that pilot, though. Somebody call the Space Police!

Check out the rest of the podracers after the fold

Minifig Monday: These golden K-Pop Demon Hunter LEGO creations are sweet as soda pop [Feature]

The surprise hit of the summer, with its eye-catching animation and a soundtrack of earworms, is K-Pop Demon Hunters from Netflix and Sony Animation. It has a LEGO connection, as the film’s creator, Maggie Kang, was also head of story for the Ninjago movie. This week on Minifig Monday we round up some creative LEGO takes on the demon-slaying pop idols of Huntr/x and their rivals, the Saja Boys, along with instructions to build your own adorable Derpy the Tiger.

Markus (@Bricks of Maze) gets us started with half-demon Rumi with a minifig-scale build of Derpy. The shadow raven from Elves makes a fitting appearance in the hat that it stole from Derpy.

Natashia (@_motherofcatdragons_) mashes up the idol band with Star Wars for a Jedi take on Huntr/x.

In this reimagined universe, Huntr/x walks the path of the Jedi — seekers of balance, guided by the Force yet never losing the edge that defines the hunt. With lightsabers in hand and instincts sharper than any blade, this is what it looks like when rhythm meets destiny in a galaxy far, far away.

It’s no wonder they’re climbing up the galactic pop charts. Watch out, Sy Snoodles!

Oh-no! Someone is running off with the band’s manager, BB-Y! This could only be the work of…

More sweet as soda pop creations follow

Moko’s LEGO Dragonzord merges with Mighty Morphin’ Megazord

While 10358 Soundwave is making waves as LEGO’s best transformable bot to date, old-school AFOLs know that when it comes to poseable and functional mecha, Moko‘s models can’t be beat! Last year Moko wowed us with an uncannily accurate Power Rangers’ Megazord in LEGO. Enter the Green Ranger as the Godzilla-esque Dragonzord roars in as Moko’s latest Morphin’ mech. Standing an impressive 44cm and weighing 2kg, the Dragonzord is comparable in size to the retired LEGO Voltron.

This “DragonCaeser,” as it’s known in Japanese, is looking sharp with its high degree of articulation and shiny gold accents, and standing on its own is nearly as large as last year’s Megazord…

But the laurels go to Moko for how the metal beast combines with his previous Zord lineup using only the hinges and rotations integrated in the model.

The Dragonzord’s combiined forms follow after the jump!

Zen and the art of building LEGO Castles with Cathedral of Bricks [Interview]

There’s no time like the present to find your creative voice with LEGO. Today’s guest is another builder who only recently began sharing their works online and already they are making quite a splash with fellow AFOLs. Luke, aka cathedralofbricks, creates castles and vignettes that blend gothic architecture and fantasy through a romantic lens.

Over just a few months, Luke has created an impressive body of MOCs. We’re excited to sit down with Luke to learn more about how he found his creative voice in LEGO as someone coming to the hobby later in life.

Our interview with cathedralofbricks follows, along with a gallery of the builder’s incredible castle creations

Engineering for excellence – the Star Wars builds of Jürgen Wittner [Interview]

Today we’re joined by fan designer Jürgen Wittner, whose incredible Star Wars vehicles, built at 1:16 scale, are masterworks of LEGO engineering. We talk about his latest project, the Fall of Hoth, creative collaboration, and the process for designing and sharing these premium builds.

TBB: Hi, Jürgen. It’s been some time since the Brothers Brick checked in with you, but you’ve been quite busy. Maybe we can start by talking a bit about your latest build, the Fall of Hoth. I saw the illustration by Laurie Greasley and the 3D model by Jeff Lu. What inspired you to continue adapting this image into LEGO? Did you coordinate with either of the other artists?

Our interview with master fan designer Jürgen Wittner follows…

Building on the wild side with rising MOC star Hodgepodge Builds [Interview]

Every so often, a builder shows up, seemingly out of nowhere, with a creative style so distinctive, complex, and cool that you feel shook – like walking barefoot on a pile of bricks, but in a good way. C, who posts as @hodgepodgebuilds, only started posting LEGO models three months ago, is such a builder. Of course, talent doesn’t come from nowhere. Today we sit down with C to learn more about his LEGO journey and unique style.

TBB: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us today. Maybe you could talk about your LEGO journey. What was the first set or theme that really excited you?

C: The first theme that really excited me was definitely the 2009 Pirates line, which came out when I was about 5 (and insanely obsessed with pirates). I still think that line is remarkably well-designed. My interest in nautical aesthetics and ships has morphed since then, but is still rooted in my love of it back then. A recent build that speaks to that would be the research vessel ketch sailboat that I built this past winter. It was a full circle moment for me, finally being able to build a ship I was completely satisfied with from a technical and visual standpoint.

TBB: Have you stuck with LEGO continuously or did you go through a dark age before coming back to the hobby? What inspired you to start sharing your models?

C: I’ve never had a true dark age when it comes to LEGO, but it’s always ebbed and flowed for me. It’s always functioned as a sort of calming process in times of stress, especially during the last year as a college English major. It helps me relax and express my creative ideas in a visual sense. Honestly, what inspired me to share my models was the community, I had made the account a few months earlier to follow builders I liked and got very excited by the work I was seeing. I had been building consistently for about 8 months by the time I first posted, so I was also very excited to finally get my work out there (and thank you to my dear friends who encouraged me to post!)

Our interview with rising star HodgepodgeBuilds continues

Build your own Star Wars AT-RT Scout Walker with these free instructions from Creativbricks [instructions]

Does the sticker-shock of the 327th Star Corps Clone Troopers Battle Pack have you lamenting that a decent LEGO AT-RT is out of reach? While we found the official LEGO version to be an improvement over past incarnations, this fan design from French builder Creativbricks is even better, and with these free instructions, you can build your own from common LEGO elements.

Free instructions for the AT-RT follow

All-Terrain transports for every occasion from Star Wars legend Tim Goddard

Need to traverse an alien world with variable terrain? Do swoops and speeders leave you motion sick? Can’t handle the smell of the local creature mounts? Sounds like you’re in market for a scout walker! While LEGO does offer a rerspectable new version of the AT-RT, this fan design from prolific Star Wars builder Tim Goddard is in a league all its own, with a nimbler frame with actual articulation in the legs. The front blaster, made from a pin held in place by spoons sticking out from binoculars, is galaxy brain NPU.

Does the open-air seating of the AT-RT leave you feeling too exposed? Then consider upgrading to Tim’s AT-PT, a heavily plated walker that debuted in Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy and has yet to appear on screen outside of a defunct mobile game. The Stormtroopers look amazing too with their expressive head tilts. (Tim shares how to make your helmeted characters more expressive with a rubber band here.)

Additional pics of Tim’s Star Wars walkers follow…