Posts by Norm Harper

A different kind of alley in LEGO city.

Bowling is one of the great underappreciated sports – if I can’t drink a coke and eat a basket of cheese sticks between my turns, it’s not a sport I want to play. That’s why I love this tribute to the game by Andrew Tate. The blend of earth tones and bright blues captures a mid-20th Century feel, during what was probably bowling’s heyday. And, speaking of cheese, Andrew has made incredible use of cheese wedges throughout. Obviously, the designs built into the wall and floor are strike-worthy. But stacking the slopes on the shelves for a quick and clever rental shoe display is perfection.

Atom Bowl

But every alley needs an iconic retro logo to go with it. Check out what Andrew came up with to advertise his lanes. I can smell the rental shoes already!

Atom Bowl

LEGO Marvel 76281 X-Men X-Jet; is it too X-Pensive? [Review]

Let’s just deal with the major issue right away. When the official reveal for set 76281 hit, you could practically hear the collective gasp from LEGO fans around the world. An average of ten cents per piece tends to be the benchmark for judging the value of a set, but the X-Men’s aerial transport clocks in at nearly twenty-five cents per piece. I saw a lot of comments online from people writing the set off because of the price alone. So, exactly what is it that’s commanding such a lofty price tag? Back in the 90s, superhero cartoons were all the rage, and one of the most popular was X-Men. And Disney+ is about to debut a new animated series called X-Men ’97, a direct sequel to that previous animated adventure. And a new series means new merchandise, including a LEGO tie-in set featuring four of the most popular mutants as well as the X-Men’s main mode of transportation, the X-Jet (aka The Blackbird). We got our hands on a copy and we’re determined to give it a fair shake. So, for now, put thoughts of price out of your head and let’s find out if the X-Jet can soar or if a crash landing is inevitable. 76281 X-Men X-Jet comes with 359 pieces and will be available on January 1st for US $84.99 | CAN $109.99 | UK £74.99

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

LEGO 71045 Collectible Minifigures Series 25; is this series the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)? [Review]

A new year often means a new set of Collectible Minifigures from LEGO, and 2024 brings with it the landmark 25th set (not counting the licensed lines, like Marvel, DC, and the Muppets). Over time, a lot has changed about LEGO’s approach to this line – like new packaging and a more even distribution of figures. But hopefully, what hasn’t changed is LEGO’s commitment to quality, with the CMFs brining extensive prints, fun new accessories, and plenty of charm. So, let’s take a look at this newest set and see how it compares to the two dozen sets that came before it. 71045 Collectible Minifigures Series 25 will be available January 1st for US $4.99 | CAN $5.99 | UK £3.49.

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.

Click here for the full review!

Meet the most menacing mutants in the making

This LEGO duo of Bebop and Rocksteady, maybe the most iconic henchmen pair in the history of villainy, are ready to trounce some turtles, courtesy of builders Maxx Davidson and Áron Gerencsér. Maxx’s Bebop perfectly captures the horrible hog’s sense of style. The unmistakable mohawk and glasses cap off a perfectly shaped boar’s head that makes fun use of a minifig pretzel as the nose. And Áron’s Rocksteady brings the reprehensible rhino to life with dismembered minifigure arms to help shape his brow, repurposed Koopa shells as Rocksteady’s turtle trophies, and some cleverly connected vehicle mudguards to form the upper legs. The complete effect is a pair of brutes I wouldn’t want to run into in a dark New York alleyway, even if I did have ninja training.

Bebop

This gingerbread house requires some real dough…

Stilly Bricks has paid tribute to my favorite holiday tradition: crafting miniature houses out of cookies. But this particular house isn’t quite so miniature. Rather, it’s a luxurious candy-covered manor suitable for the upper crust of gingerbread society. The use of staggered teeth plates gives the impression of realistically runny icing, while the use of star and heart pieces perfectly replicates those hard candies that seem to exist only in gingerbread architecture. And I can practically taste the peppermint railing on the porch.

Gingerbread Manor

LEGO 40603 Wintertime Carriage Ride and 40604 Christmas Décor Set [Review]

It’s the holiday season, and the mall is total chaos. But your kids need to find those latest Friends and Ninjago sets under the tree. Well, LEGO has a holiday present for you because they’re offering up two holiday themed gifts with purchase to make the shopping worth it. 40603 Wintertime Carriage Ride and 40604 Christmas Décor Set will be available this December with qualifying purchases. Let’s unwrap things a little early and have a sneak peak at these sets.

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.

Don’t open until Christmas? Nah, click right now.

Honey, I Shrunk the Grayskull

When I was 4 years-old, my Castle Grayskull playset felt gigantic in my hands, but when I found it packed away in the garage in my teens, I was surprised by how small it felt. Grantmasters has triggered that memory with a miniscule Grayskull so small that the in-scale Battle Cat and Panthor are mostly just a collection of minifigure hands. But the hands aren’t the only creatively used minifigure parts. A ring of minifigure legs make up the top of the tallest tower, and the castle’s namesake skull is making use of some arms. It’s some NPU that totally has the power.

Sorcery and Diminution!

I can’t see the trees for the forestman.

There have been a couple of official sets that turn the iconic LEGO minifigure into giant, brick-built models. This has, of course, inspired builders to craft their own jumbo versions of their favorite minifigs. And Casey McCoy has hit a bullseye with this take on the classic Forestman Archer. The original figure’s printing has been recreated in amazing detail, from the neck frill to the belt buckle. And the bow and arrow combo and feathered cap take me right back to the LEGO Castle adventures of my youth. The only downside is, this particular forestman won’t have much luck hiding in the woods from the Black Knights. Then again, he might cause the Black Knights to go looking for a hiding spot themselves…

Jumbo Forestman - 1

The school day is saved thanks to this stationary spacecraft

Who among us hasn’t spent time daydreaming and doodling during those particularly boring days in school? It’s a fair bet that Maxx Davidson certainly did, because this school supply spaceship is a perfect homage to those classroom fantasies. The notebook paper wings are loaded up with pencil missiles and highlighter engines. The push pin lasers mounted to the rulers help keep boredom at bay. And the whole thing is structured around a pencil case cockpit with a LEGO built zipper that we grade as an A+. The pilot is even sitting on an eraser seat!

The Bic Viper

A solitary outpost on a foreboding moon

I love when a futuristic LEGO build treats space as a hostile environment, and this lunar station by Dan O’Connor is a prime example. With lots of unique window areas, you get the impression these explorers are trying to see as much of the alien landscape as they can, while knowing they’re resigned to only going outside on rare occasions. Thankfully, they’ve got a few space suits and even a droid to assist in any outside-the-airlock activities.

Space Base Overview

See more views of this space base diorama

Fangs for the memories

Part of the fun of Halloween for me was always the cheap plastic trinkets; pumpkin buckets, spider rings, and especially the vampire teeth. But Josephine Monterosso has put those dollar store dentures to shame with this set of blood sucking biters. A pair of Dots bracelets make a perfect base for Dracula’s gums, and the resulting creation is perfect for anyone practicing to become a dentist of the undead.

Vampire Chompers

Home is where you hang your hat…or sometimes it just is the hat.

The Iron Builder competition has already taken us on a LEGO tropical vacation. But Duncan Lindbo is upping the ante with a natural beach setting for this hermit crab build that uses 8 of the required red Technic Rotor Blades. But this crab isn’t content with your everyday shell. He’s making his home in a brick-built replica of the Rebel pilot helmet from Star Wars. Makes you wonder what’s on that note in the bottle. Perhaps the plans to a secret weapon the Empire is about to bring online?

Message in a bottle