Posts by Daniel

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for September 17, 2023 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the 2nd week of September, 2023.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS This was a very exciting week for Star Wars fans as the latest UCS set was announced, The Venator-class Republic Attack Cruiser and it continues the Clone Wars era trend for this year, with the Coruscant Republic gunship announced in August. We also reviewed the only new set for the upcoming Marvel movie, The Marvels. LEGO also revealed 3 new sets for the movie Wish, and I reviewed the new LEGO Ideas set, the Viking Village. And if this batch of news recap leaves you wanting more, be sure to check out our last Brick Report.

OTHER NEWS Aside from our usual news and reviews over the past 2 weeks, here are a few other stories worth checking out.

A charming pair of scavengers

If you are stuck in a post-apocalyptic LEGO world scratching out a living recovering unusual salvage from the before-time, there can be no mode of travel more reliable than a beast of burden who can also defend your stash. This duo of ride and rider by Justus M. are ready for anything as they scour the landscape for supplies to trade. Built for the Iron Builder challenge, the golden handcuffs are used 40 times, most noticeably in the feet, and as a woven blanket under the beast’s saddle. One of my favorite details is the gas mask, made with only 6 parts, and that roller skate is the perfect part usage!

Scavenger

A new take on a LEGO house boat

If you ever wondered what you would get if you crossed climate-change, Star Wars, and the legend of Baba Yaga (c’mon, we’ve all been there) then this wandering house on giant robot legs by Mountain Hobbit may just answer your question. The house itself may not be as terrifying as that chicken-legged shack, but it is certainly as visually interesting. There is everything you need in a post-apocalyptic setting where fetid swamps have covered the land, with great mechanical legs that would give an AT-AT a run for its money, a collection of radio dishes, a utility pole, not to mention a steady source of food from fishing. Even the swamp is wonderfully detailed with a variety of green plates, bricks, and slopes, with a few well-placed plants.

The Swamp Walker

Tiny LEGO model of El Dorado hides a surprising secret

This LEGO microscale model of El Dorado, the legendary city of gold, by Justus M. packs a lot of tiny details into such a small scene. I love how the leaf element here takes on a different size at this scale. The builder adds many small colored plates and other parts in pastel that are common with South American cultures. But there is more to this model than meets the eye. Subtly included ramps turn this scene into a GBC (Great Ball Contraption) module. See if you can spot the 20 gold handcuffs used in this Iron Builder entry.

El Dorado [GBC]

LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village – Hearty and sturdy, or a real cold fish? [Review]

Over the years since the launch of LEGO Ideas, there have been a lot of submissions that gained enough supporters but just didn’t make the final step of being selected by LEGO to be turned into sets. Among those submissions, there was one builder who kept submitting ideas for a viking village inspired by a favorite childhood set. Well, LEGO fans of viking culture who have supported his submissions in the past can now look forward to LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village, which is based on two separate submissions combined to create a wonderfully detailed scene that celebrates the many cultural roots of the Nordic people. LEGO Ideas 21343 Viking Village includes 2,103 pieces and will be available on October 1st for US $129.99 | CAN $169.99 | UK £124.99

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read on for our full review

A dark LEGO knight of a different feather

This armed and armored knight by Dan Ko may look simple at first glance, but there is lots to crow about — starting with the beak made with swords paired with a large claw part. The wide wings made with angled bow pieces give the perfect impression of feathers. But the hero of this build would have to be that great sword that is giving me major Final Fantasy vibes.

The Crow Knight

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for September 2nd, 2023 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the last week of August, 2023.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS This week we covered new sets from Marvel, Star Wars, and LEGO Ideas. We saw LEGO announce a slow down in growth, and featured our 28th Creation of the week! And if you haven’t had your fill of news and reviews, be sure to check out last week’s Brick Report for more.

LEGO Star Wars 75371: Chewbacca [Review]

LEGO Star Wars sets have come a long way from the blocky X-wing and Tie Advance set that may or may not have brought a swift end to my dim age (I never had a true dark age, where adult LEGO builders stop buying or building LEGO sets). The new parts and the building techniques they unlocked, along with a wide variety of new set types which met with varying levels of success, like “buildable” planets, constraction figures, and the new helmet series have been excellent offerings from the theme. But LEGO continues to push the envelope to draw more and more Star Wars fans to LEGO, and LEGO Star Wars 75371: Chewbacca is another such set. Coming in at about 18 inches, it just might be one of the tallest Star Wars sets yet… And it is definitely one of the most unusual. LEGO Star Wars 75371: Chewbacca includes 2,319 pieces and will be available for sale starting on Sept. 1st for US $199.99 | CAN $259.99 | UK £179.99

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Continue reading →

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for August 27, 2023 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the 4th week of August 2023.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS We may not have had much news coverage from big themes recently, but we still had some juicy news, including the announcement about the new LEGO loyalty program which will make it much easier for customers to access their rewards from a single log-in. We also covered the latest LEGO Ideas set: Insects, which looks like an awesome set. More Marvel collectible minifigures were announced, and braille bricks, to bring LEGO fun to visually impaired fans. We also took off for an amazing feature about the LEGO airplane sets based on real aircraft. While you’re catching up on LEGO news and reviews, be sure to check out our last Brick Report for more.

A meandering LEGO microscale metropolis

I’m a sucker for pretty much any sci-fi movie. Add in architectural design and I’m in LEGO nerd heaven. Movies like Bladerunner, Elysium, and the Fifth Element combine story and unique perspectives on cities of the future. I recently watched a Korean sci-fi movie called Jun_E, which was set in a post-apocalyptic city built above the flooded remains of a major metropolis and I was inspired to build my own microscale city based on the concept. You can find more of my LEGO creation pictures on Instagram at koffy_kat

I purposely built the waterline above the frame to enhance the feeling of the water barely contained. Starting with all of the ruined buildings, I then built the pillars. I built each block one at a time, but often went back to add more just like the architects of this city would do with no more solid ground to build on.

Read on to see more details about each of the three sections

This seemingly tranquil scene hints at a much larger story about to unfold

With so many things to look at in this wonderful build by Kit Nugent, it might be easy to miss the drama unfolding on the steps of this pastoral scene in the forest. While the somewhat blocky trees are stars of this build, I like the little details, like using the underside of plates as roof tiles, and the dappled light filtering through the trees to land on the face of a mysterious woman. Showing the scene at an angle, and filling in the base with black really draws your eyes to the center of the scene.

The Face Which Launched a Thousand Ships

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for August 12, 2023 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the second week of August, 2023.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS This week we went supersonic with the announcement of the Concord jet to the LEGO Icons lineup. We also covered new products from Star Wars and Marvel, as well as a relaxing garden. If you want even more news and reviews, check out our last Brick Report from 2 weeks ago.