Posts by Kyle Keller

Note the charisma of the LEGO Chasmosaurus

Blending a mix of System and Technic LEGO elements, this lizard of the Cretaceous Period by VelociJACKtor makes for a striking silhouette clad all in black. When working in a single color, shaping is everything, and JACK applies their palette of pieces perfectly to recreate the massive frill of this ancient beast. The rest of the dino is fleshed out with a combination of slopes and wedge plates, posed thanks to plenty of hinge parts of all varieties. The only pop of color is a bed of white and pink flowers at its feet, only adding to the visage of this shadowy ‘saur.

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LEGO Icons 10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole debuts on the LEGO website [News]

There are few sports cars as iconic as the Lamborghini Countach. And after getting a taste of this design in LEGO form with Speed Champions 76908 Lamborghini Countach back in 2022, we now have a proper ode to the vehicle with LEGO Icons 10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole. With the line first debuting in 1974, this specific version of the Countach from 1985, the 5000 QV, features a redesign of the engine with 4 valves per cylinder (where “quattrovalvole” comes from). And while the LEGO model may not have that much detail, it does feature those iconic scissor doors, and access to the engine in the rear and the “frunk.” Clocking in at 1,506 pieces, LEGO Icons 10337 Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole will be available from the LEGO website on July 1st for Insiders and July 4th for everyone else. The set will retail for US $179.99 | CAN $239.99 | UK £159.99.

Check out more pictures of this new set below!

This year’s TBB sponsored collaboration at BrickCon 2024 is all about growth! [News]

Once again, The Brothers Brick is hosting a collaboration of LEGO builds at this year’s BrickCon convention in Seattle. But in order to do this, we’re going to need a little bit of a rebrand. For BrickCon 2024, “TBB” is going to stand for “The Brothers Botany” as we host a garden of botanical builds on the convention floor.

If you’re interested in participating, our tilled plot of table space will be open to botanical creations of any scale, though we’re especially interested in real-world scale plants like those found in the LEGO Botanical Collection. Any creation where the plants are the focal point is welcome to join in. We have awards and prizes planned for the collab, with some additional surprises planted in the garden as well. To help fertilize any budding ideas you may have, I’ve got a few early MOCs of my own that’ll be making an appearance in the display.

Flex those green thumbs, builders, and be sure to select the “TBB Collaboration” when registering the theme of your botanical MOCs. We’ll see you all at the Meydenbauer in September!

BrickCon 2024 tickets on sale today for the public exhibition [News]

Starting today, tickets for the BrickCon 2024 public exhibition are now on sale. With the public days of the convention on September 7th and 8th, nearly 500 LEGO builders (some of them TBB contributors) will convene at Bellevue, Washington’s Meydenbauer Center to show off their creations. This year promises to be a great show featuring the theme of “Foundations,” made to celebrate those sets and themes which have been the bedrock of so many people’s experiences in the hobby. As in past years, the tickets are for a specific entry time on the day of choice to help mitigate crowds, and will retail for $19 (with a $3 discount for the last entry time each day). After selling out last year, be sure to purchase your tickets well in advance! For more information on all the show has to offer, and pictures from past conventions, visit Brickcon.org.

The Brothers Brick is proud to be a sponsor of BrickCon 2024.

BrickLink Designer Program Series 2 – Logging Railway: A trial of timber! [Review]

LEGO is releasing a second series of sets from its BrickLink Designer Program, including a fungal cottage, a pirate fortress, a modular train station, and a coastal villa. LEGO sent us an advance copy of Logging Railway by fan designer and LEGO train enthusiast Ties van Asseldonk. With pre-orders for BDP Series 2 coming up on June 6th (for $209.99 USD), read on to find out what we thought of this inventive take on LEGO locomotion.

LEGO sent The Brothers Brick 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 below

Put this LEGO head down on your desk

I’m a big proponent for the LEGO-built desk ornament. Whether a real set (like LEGO Icons 10331 Kingfisher) or something custom built, a wealth of LEGO encircles me at my workstation as I write this. But none of these assembled curios are as useful as this Easter Island-themed desk caddy by LEGO 7. With one sporting tissues and a second ready to hold your pencil, these monolithic statues are there when you need them! It’s part of a larger collection by LEGO 7 of brick-built creations with real-world applications.

We return to a brick-built Middle Earth with LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings 10333 Barad-Dûr [News]

After several teasers released online over the past few days, LEGO has finally announced another large-scale set from Middle Earth: LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings 10333 Barad-Dûr. Set to hit store shelves this summer, Barad-Dûr rivals last year’s LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings 10316 Rivendell with 5,471 pieces. Not to be confused with 10237 Tower of Orthanc released back in 2013, this is the first time that we’re seeing the other half of the titular two towers, and it’s coming in strong at 32″ tall (83 cm). The set also includes 10 minifigures from the LotR novels/movies, including Sauron, the Mouth of Sauron, Frodo, Sam, and Gollum. LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings 10333 Barad-Dûr will hit LEGO store shelves on June 1st for LEGO Insiders (June 4th for all others), and will retail for US $459.99 | CAN $599.99 | UK £399.99.

Check out more on this icon of Mordor below!

The Empire isn’t afraid to break some LEGO bricks to get what they want

In between my day job and editing all sorts of articles about wonderful LEGO builds, I’m also finding time to work in the last season of The Bad Batch. And it must just have me in a very Star Wars kind of mood, because I am absolutely loving this creation by Jakob Kaiser. While not a recreation of a specific scene in a movie or show, Jakob says he was heavily influenced by the comic Star Wars: Purge when making this vignette. The tank is phenomenal on its own, but the freeze-frame of the statue mid-explosion is what really grabbed my attention. We’ll see if it’ll make these poor citizens comply or rebel.

Two new iconic LEGO sets announced, based on a pair of well-known European wonders [News]

LEGO has been inspired by the art in Paris, France with a duo of new LEGO Icons sets bound for release this year. From its home in the Louvre’s Salle des États, the Mona Lisa is by far the most well-known painting in the world, soon to be remade in brick and plate. LEGO Art 31213 Mona Lisa will be a little over 1:2 scale, coming in at 43 x 11.5 in (or 43 x 30 cm) and is comprised of 1,503 pieces. Moving over to the world of architecture, LEGO Architecture 21061 Notre-Dame de Paris is perhaps the best known cathedral in the world, its namesake standing tall since 1260. The LEGO version will still sit at an impressive 13 in tall (33 cm), with a removable roof and detailed interior. These popular Parisian LEGO productions will go on sale at the start of October and June, respectively. More details and pics of these new sets are below!

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Celebrate Star Wars Day with insights into the design of the UCS LEGO Star Wars 75382 TIE Interceptor [News]

Here at TBB, we’ve already shared our review of LEGO Star Wars 75382 TIE Interceptor, as well as the announcement of the set’s release a few days ago. But on this unofficial holiday when we tell one another “May the fourth be with you!”, we thought it would be a good time to talk even more about this new LEGO set. Last month, we had the opportunity to sit down alongside other LEGO websites to talk with Henrik Andersen, designer of the new UCS Interceptor and the original LEGO Star Wars 7181 TIE Interceptor from 2000. We’ve got a summary of that roundtable below, with plenty of insights into the design of both models. And for those looking for your own copy of 75382 TIE Interceptor, it’s available from the LEGO website for US $229.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £199.99

Read on for designer insights below

New LEGO sets for May 2024 now available for purchase + May the 4th LEGO Star Wars sales & deals [News]

We’re on the precipice of a LEGO holiday of galactic proportions, with May 4th right around the corner! And in keeping with Star Wars Day, LEGO has debuted a host of new sets within this great theme, while placing a number of sets on sale (with a special LEGO Insiders code you redeem). The jewel in this crown of Jedi and Sith offerings has got to be LEGO Star Wars 75382 TIE Interceptor, available early on May 1st only to LEGO Insiders. But there’s other pop culture-based sets about to hit store shelves, with a lineup from the new Despicable Me 4 movie releasing today as well. If you’re interested in either offering, or maybe the new line of space-inspired minifigs in 71046 Collectible Minifigures Series 26 (also debuting today), be sure to get on over to the LEGO website (US | CAN | UK).

As always, a portion of proceeds from purchases you make when you buy online by clicking through from Brothers-Brick.com help keep our servers and other infrastructure running, along with providing funds for our sponsorships of conventions and other community activities for LEGO hobbyists around the world.

LEGO Star Wars

LEGO Star Wars 75382 TIE Interceptor | 1,931 Pieces | Available Now for LEGO Insiders | US $229.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £199.99

We got our hands on the set early, so be sure to read up on Theo’s 75382 TIE Interceptor TBB review!

LEGO Star Wars 75381 Droideka | 583 Pieces | Available Now | US $64.99 | CAN $84.99 | UK £59.99

LEGO Star Wars 75380 Mos Espa Podrace Diorama | 718 Pieces | Available Now | US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £69.99

LEGO Star Wars 75383 Darth Maul’s Sith Infiltrator | 640 Pieces | Available Now | US $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £59.99

Collectible Minifigures

LEGO CMF Series 26 – Space | 12 Minifigures | Available Now | US $4.99 | CAN $5.99 | UK £3.49

Despicable Me 4

Despicable Me 4 75583 Minions and Gru’s Family Mansion | 868 Pieces | Available Now | US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99

Be sure to check out Daniel’s TBB review of 75583 Minions and Gru’s Family Mansion!

Despicable Me 4 75582 Brick-Built Gru and Minions | 839 Pieces | Available Now | US $54.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £49.99

Daniel was also able to give 75582 Brick-Built Gru and Minions a look before hit hit store shelves. Read on to see what he thought!

LEGO Star Wars May the 4th sales & deals

In addition to the new products launching today, LEGO is kicking off its May the 4th Star Wars festivities early by placing a number of LEGO Star Wars sets on sale via codes you can redeem through your personal LEGO Insiders page on LEGO.com. Discounts range from $15 to $35 (USD).

75357 Ghost & Phantom II ($30 USD discount) | 1,394 pieces | US $159.99 | CAN $209.99 | UK £149.99

75371 Chewbacca™ ($35 USD discount) | 2,319 pieces | US $199.99 | CAN $259.99 | UK £179.99

75352 Emperor’s Throne Room™ Diorama ($15 USD discount) | 807 pieces US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99

Plus, LEGO is offering quadruple (4x) LEGO Insiders points on the following sets:

75313 AT-AT™ (US $849.99 | CAN $1049.99 | UK £734.99)
75290 Mos Eisley Cantina (US $399.99 | CAN $499.99 | UK £344.99)
75355 X-Wing Starfighter (US $239.99 | CAN $319.99 | UK £209.99)
75354 Coruscant Guard Gunship (US $139.99 | CAN $179.99 | UK £129.99)
75364 New Republic E-wing vs. Shin Hati Starfighter (US $109.99 | CAN $139.99 | UK £94.99)

This LEGO Schloss is definitely boss!

While it’s hard not to fall in love with the LEGO Icons 10305 Lion Knights Castle, it still has its roots in imagined lore. But what about a real castle? An honest-to-goodness fortification built in 1882 by a German baron, Schloss Drachenburg has had quite the history through several owners, two world wars, near-demolition, and finally attaining “monument” status in 1986. Builder -Brixe brings the castle to life in this stunning LEGO model, featuring a combination of microscale techniques of the verdant and architectural varieties. I particularly like the ingenious use of a dark orange 2×2 brick with grooves on all sides. You can see its underside under one of the dark nougat arches in the build. Original architects for the project Leo von Abbema, Bernhard Tüshaus, and Wilhelm Hoffmann would be proud!