Posts by Nathan Schroeder

Traders on the sea of bricks

When I first saw Andreas Lenander’s Ancient trade I thought the skiff was moving across the sea of tiles. With one look at the skiff’s bound pontoons, you can hear the creaking and feel their texture. But past the boat, there is still a full island to explore…

The open-air structure is not only true to the Polynesian-inspired setting, but it allows us to see more of island life. Like coconuts being harvested, cleverly made from minifig acorn hats. Andreas has long been sharing amazing island builds with a more Mediterranean flavor, so it’s refreshing to see the builder branching out with new palm tree techniques, like these chunkier trees made from stacked barrels.

The footpath down to the beach showcases Andreas’ skill at rockwork. The nested, with SNOT curves makes for an inviting place to gather crabs or conduct trade.

If you like this ocean oasis, be sure to check out Andreas’ other island builds, like the Falcon Chapel.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Majisto’s magical island retreat

This magical island by Ids de Jong is framed by a shimmering trans-light blue base. But don’t let this small island fool you, it is home to quite a few animals (nine after I triple checked). After the great base, the feature that calls to me is the small, sandy beach. It fits snuggly in the build and offers just enough room to sit-down and do your reading. The impressively tiled rooftop and SNOT stonework is a step up from Majisto’s other hangout while keeping to the wizard’s color scheme.

Small pirates hit the high seas in LEGO

V (minifiguring it.out) assembles one of the all-time great tales of adventure: a pirate crew braving curses and danger in pursuit of gold. A storyteller at heart, V’s builds are filled with lore and recurring characters, like the captain of this vessel, Jasper “Tidebreaker” Vane, a serial source of bad ideas. V’s excellent photography showcases a brilliant shrinking of the classic pirate ship into the keel of a rowboat, with a few bits of foliage in the background helping sell the illusion of a miniature world.

I love how V’s scenes, working with a limited scale, still feel boundless and epic. And her cast of characters always make use of LEGO’s growing range of skin tones to create a more inclusive fantasy world.

V’s buildings are just as charming as the tiny ship, like this miniature mill with a straw roof, climbing vines, and a great half-timbered effect.

V is a member of dreambuilderslug, “an inclusive community of builders of all skill levels, inspiring, supporting, showcasing black/ brown excellence” that is well worth a follow.

Before his Vader turn, Anakin chose a ride with color

Swan Dutchman recreates the XJ-6 Airspeeder from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, not seen in LEGO since 2002’s Bounty Hunter Pursuit. Oddly enough, this is my favorite vehicle from that movie, just as it was also Anakin’s favorite for the “open cockpit and the right speed capabilities.”

Swan has captured great detail on both those fronts, showing us nice big seats with a good steering column and nicely greebled engines. Truly UCS worthy. Swan chose a great scale to capture the distinctive lines of this memorable speeder.

Mind the gaps in this glorious, shambling LEGO medieval market

A medieval market will always be the busiest at harvest, and Jesse van den Oetelaar has built a scene to make you feel the commotion. While the castle walls are built straight, everything else shows its age and wear, or as Jesse says, “worn down by carts, feet, and time.” I particularly enjoy the low camera angle as it brings us right into the market.

Upon closer inspection, the nice part usage can really be seen. Technic pins with a bar inside create a gathered bundle of grain. The precariously stacked harvest looks ready to topple.

And a mix of hammers and ingots cause an uneven surface for people to travel, as this aging minifig found out the hard way.

Jesse’s diorama marks a welcome return to posting after a two year absence. It’s great to see that the builder has lost none of his talent for half-timbered houses and depictions of bustling medieval life!

The popcorn here is fantastic

The recent trend of collectable popcorn buckets has divided film fans – you either love them or hate them. But henry_gouw has solved the debate amongst the crew at The Brothers Brick by building the bucket from LEGO. But, of course, we’re all in total agreement about The Fantastic Four’s adorable robot sidekick, H.E.R.B.I.E., present with his ticket to enjoy the show.

LEGO is perfect for fantastic retro style

One of the most notable attributes of The Fantastic 4: First Steps is its retro style. And Joey Klusnick uses the hard corners of the LEGO brick to wonderfully recreate this retro feel. Joey has kept the hard corner of bricks and plates the create the main shape of each character, keeping curves to draw out notable features: Reed’s hair, Jonny’s flame, Ben’s big legs. As Joey asks, who is your favorite member of the team?

This hippo is hungry for unusual LEGO parts

First and foremost, LEGO is a toy, and sometimes, you use it to build…other toys? filbrick (Loïc Brun) has made us the namesake of the classic boardgame, Hungry Hungry Hippos. As a part of the current round of Iron Builders, Loïc has made the blue hippo, but in the shade of Dark Azure, per the round’s seed part, Technic Rotation Joint Cylinder (1994), specifically in Dark Azure. While the color of the hippo was pre-determined from the seed part, the supporting colors lock in on the classic boardgame design.

The low-rider you live in

At first glance, I didn’t realize this was a LEGO build, primarily due to the wonderful scaling. But I was also caught off guard by Tim Inman’s choice of model. I have seen low-rider trucks, and I have seen campers. But I have never seen a low-rider camper. While the exterior design, from running lights to the paint scheme, is great, don’t skip out on a peak at the interior.

The engine and cab fit the time period perfectly…space to jump around in both!

Continue reading →

A dawn of translucent dark pink

Bart De Dobbelaer uses a stunning mix of only four colors to provide a powerful piece. Illtranor, Tree of Dawn provides us with a story of creation, civilization, and pride. Bart has a wonderful poem to accompany this beautiful build. With only four colors used, they are used very well. Sitting on a dark grey base, a deep back tree trunk provides a strong depth behind the white and translucent dark pink blossoms and branches. And the city that has grown up around the tree so perfectly matches the tree’s color.

Castles in a modular forest

We recently shared a round-up of LEGO castles by master mason Ben Hauger, but we turned around for a minute and not only did he make a few more castles, he changed the foundation. Yes, these two new castles have all the great features of his previous ones, but now, we get a modular base.

See more of Ben’s latest castle