Posts by Daniel

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for April 6th, 2024

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 first week of April, 2024.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS This weeks news includes Dispicable Me 4 sets, and a companion adventure for the LEGO Ideas Dungeons & Dragons set. Goth fans are weeping over our April Fools fake news, and LEGO announced initiatives to support neurodivergent individuals in their stores.

[NEWS] LEGO, Illumination, and Universal partner to launch Despicable Me 4 sets this spring — A new wave of sets featureing those wacky banana-loving minions and their human overlords.
[NEWS] LEGO announces initiatives to support neurodivergent individuals in stores — LEGO retail experiences are getting even more inclusive with special consideration for neurodivergent customers.
[NEWS] Bela Lugosi is dead but the LEGO Art Legends of Goth mosaic set is very much alive — An April Fools day set announcement that some of us wish was real.
[NEWS] New LEGO sets for April 2024 now available for purchase — All the latest sets now available from LEGO.
[REVIEW] LEGO Dungeons & Dragons 6510864 Mimic GWP and Red Dragon’s Tale campaign — Kyle delved deep into the adventure to see if it passes a critical hit.

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LEGO Batman 76271 Gotham City [REVIEW]

What would you get if you combined the LEGO Architecture theme with LEGO DC and threw in a splash of LEGO Art? A massive Gotham City skyline from the 90’s hit television series, Batman: The Animated Series that can either hang on your wall (if you have a stud finder) or display on your shelf. The animated show from Warner Brothers Studio aired from 1992-1995. The visual style was dark and gritty, taking much inspiration from the Art Deco movement with sharp angles for both the architecture and the characters, and a muted and dark color palette. Combined with a stellar original musical score and great storytelling, the show was instantly popular with audiences young and old, and introduced some of the franchise’ most-loved villains like The Joker, voiced by Mark Hamill, and his Psychiatrist/lover/henchwoman Harley Quinn. LEGO Batman 76271 Gotham City comes with 4,210 pieces including 4 minifigures and will be available on April 1st for LEGO Insiders members and on April 4th for everyone else for US $299.99 | CAN $389.99 | UK £259.99

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!

Tasty little LEGO Star Wars fighters leave you wanting more

LEGO Star Wars advent calendars have some pretty neat microscale ships, but it’s hard to get many good details at such a small size. Tim Goddard has no such trouble with these four microscale fighters, packing these pint-sized ships with a ton of great details and ace part usage, like screwdrivers for cannons. The iconic Y-wing and A-wing are fantastic, but the angled noses of the X-Wing and E-Wing are simple but especially effective.

Tiny LEGO trailer is some prime real estate

LEGO has given us many great profile bricks perfect for building architecture, but sometimes the best results come from using basic parts like tiles to create the look of construction materials like wood and metal. This charming trailer house by Daniel Barwegen is a perfect example. The trailer arms in front are very realistic, and the simple tile exterior combined with a bunch of black rail plates gives the appearance of panels made from corrugated metal. The narrow row of windows along the top would let in some welcome natural light. I imagine the inside would be quite cozy.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for March 9, 2024 [News]

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS It’s been a great few weeks full of reviews here at TBB, and that train ain’t stopping soon. After the last Brick Report featuring TWELVE reviews, this week we’ve got two more for you and a new set announcement!

[NEWS] LEGO announces financial results for 2023 calendar year — Despite the toy market in general having a tough year, LEGO did pretty well according to their financial report.
[NEWS] LEGO celebrates Batman: The Animated Series with 76271 Gotham City Skyline art set — Batman’s 85th anniversary is celebrated with a tribute to The Animated Series
[REVIEW] LEGO Technic 42169 NEOM McLaren Formula E Race Car – A pull-back to hold back on? — Bre burns up the road with a review of this Technic supercar
[REVIEW] LEGO Technic 42170 Kawasaki Ninja H2R – A silent assassin? — Bre takes on the final Technic release of the March 1st wave

A LEGO Victory ISD worthy of the Empire

While the original Imperial Star Destroyer first seen in the opening scene of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is much more recognizable, there are other less famous versions of the triangle-shaped warship, like the Interdictor, equipped with 4 large gravity well generators, and the Victory class like this LEGO digital render by Mm0nu. This model included large missile batteries on both sides, as well as additional turbo laser cannons along the dorsal edge.

Don’t be afraid of this LEGO shadow

Shadows in the dark can be scary at times, and this LEGO shadow creation by Patrick Biggs may seem ominous at first glance, but you could also think of it as an ever-present guardian. The many curved elements used to sculpt the tail of this shadow wolf holding a red lantern is very atmospheric, and the murder of crows launching into the night is a nice addition. Black is not the easiest LEGO color to photograph, but the warm light used here helps to set the tone.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for March 2, 2024 [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 fourth week of February, 2024.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS Wow, what a week for reviews… TBB staffers have been busy keeping you up to date on all of the March 1st sets, from Ninjago to Technic (space and Formula 1 racers) to Speed Champions. We also saw the latest exclusive LEGO House set, which is another fantastic trip down memory lane with a tribute to three of the earliest themes, Duplo, System, and Technic.

[NEWS] New LEGO sets for March 2024 now available for purchase — Wondering what LEGO sets are finally available? We got you covered.
[REVIEW] LEGO Technic 42165 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 Pull-Back — Bre breaks down the smaller version of the Merceded F1 car.
[REVIEW] LEGO House 40505 LEGO Building Systems – A historical triple threat of bricks — Kyle reviewed this microscale tribute to LEGO themes.
[REVIEW] LEGO Ninjago 71813 Wolf Mask Shadow Dojo — Daniel went behind the wolf mask to see how the clan trains.
[REVIEW] LEGO Technic 42178 Surface Space Loader LT78 — Bre gave us a look at the new smaller rover to join the Space lineup for 2024.
[REVIEW] LEGO Technic 42181 VTOL Heavy Cargo Spaceship LT81 — Bre reviews a swooshable spaceship with cool play features.

Click through to read more reviews from this last week

LEGO Ninjago 71813 Wolf Mask Shadow Dojo [REVIEW]

When it comes to the LEGO Ninjago theme, pretty much every year brings us a new dojo set for the ninja to train in preparation for their next battle with skeletons, snakes, ghosts, nindroids, and more. This latest wave mixes things up by giving the villains a place to practice. The latest season of Ninjago pits our fearless heroes against the Wolf clan led by Lord Ras, and their dojo is the perfect place for them to sharpen their claws and hone their fighting style. LEGO Ninjago 71813 Wolf Mask Shadow Dojo comes with 1,190 pieces, includes 8 minifigures, and will be available starting on March 1st for US $119.99 | CAN $149.99 | UK £104.99

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 the full review

Teal sqaudron is the best squadron

Star Wars fighter squadrons started out with colors like red and gold and then expanded to cooler names like Rogue, and Phoenix, but there are so many other colors to choose from. Sophisticated colors like magenta, and chartreuse. But if you ask me, the best color is teal. TBB alum Mansur Soeleman, who is known for his unconventional attachment methods, has cobbled together an amazing starfighter inspired by the Fireball from Star Wars: Resistance. With lots of angled sections and loosely attached plates, tiles, and slopes the fighter looks like it could break up in a strong wind, but that only adds to the salvaged and heavily modified aesthetic that was what made the original models look so interesting.

LEGO Ninjago 71812 Kai’s Ninja Climber Mech [REVIEW]

Mech design for the Ninjago theme has evolved over the years, with building techniques, color choices, and details showing the influence of anime, and other pop culture mediums. Naturally, the size of the mech also has an impact on the design choices, supporting the weight, while allowing for dynamic posability can limit the design. But one mech from the March Ninjago wave is a great example of achieving this balance. This tall and lanky 4-armed mech makes great use of fewer parts. LEGO Ninjago 71812 Kai’s Ninja Climber Mech includes 623 pieces and 4 minifigures and will be available on March 1st for US $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £59.99

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.

Find out if this rock-climbing mech rises or falls

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for February 18, 2024 [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 3rd week of February 2024.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS This week we covered two new set announcements, from Disney and the LEGO Icons themes, the next Ninjago wave landed an interesting display set, and we got ready for the release of Dune Part 2 with a review of the Ornithopter set.

[REVIEW] LEGO Ninjago 71819: Dragon Stone Shrine — The Dragon Stone Shrine is a tranquil scene in troubled times.
[REVIEW] LEGO Icons 10327 Dune Atreides Royal Ornithopter — We reviewed the iconic vehicle from Dennis Villenueve’s 2021 adaptation.
[NEWS] LEGO Disney 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Cottage set revealed — LEGO revealed a new Disney set based on the classic animated film.
[FEATURE] TBB Mailbag – Time for some answers — Our managing editor answered questions from our readers.
[NEWS] 10332 LEGO Icons Medieval Town Square unveiled with over 3,000 pieces, 8 minifigs, and a goat — The classic theme gets a highly anticipated reboot.