Posts by Norm Harper

LEGO Marvel Superheroes 76219 Spider-Man & Green Goblin Mech Battle [Review]

The greatest foes in comic history are always two sides of the same coin. Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) is a scientifically minded young man; an underdog driven to use his powers to responsibly serve his city. Norman Osborn (aka The Green Goblin) is something of a scientist himself; a billionaire who only craves more power, even at the expense of anyone who gets in his way. These two have been engaged in a constant struggle on the comic book page since the early 60s. Now LEGO is bringing their battle to toy shelves once again, this time arming each of them with a giant mech suit. Mechs for these two might seem weird at first glance, but both characters regularly rely on tech like web shooters and goblin gliders. So maybe this upgrade isn’t that far-fetched. Besides, putting Marvel characters into giant mechs seems to be a formula that’s working for LEGO. But does the success of the formula repeat itself here? Let’s find out. 76219 Spider-Man & Green Goblin Mech Battle is a 296-piece set available April 1st for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with early copies of these sets for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

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A small raft with a big problem

The latest build by Josh is fiercely triggering my thalassophobia. I can’t help but feel for this lone seafarer, having his world rocked by some elegantly simple kraken tentacles as they rise up from the water below. I can tell from that small, ramshackle raft that he was already on a journey fraught with hardship. And now he’s got to deal with a kraken? No way would I be as calm as that parrot. Stupid parrot, don’t just sit on that hat! Fly away! Go get help! It’s a giant monster from the depths below! Man, I hate the ocean.

It’s worth removing your helmet for a better look at this 17,000-piece Mandalorian Cruiser

Gankona is Japanese for “stubborn” or “headstrong.” It’s also the name of this ship, and we’re sure it took a little stubbornness on the part of the Jorstad Designs team to complete it. Inspired by the work of concept artist Ansel Hsiao, this Teroch-class Mandalorian Cruiser took more than two years and 17,000 bricks to see completion. With its gorgeous dark blue and orange highlights, this Knights of the Old Republic-era starship is light years ahead of the craft we’re used to seeing modern Mandalorians piloting.

Click here to come aboard.

We’re pumped to see this soap dispenser

I don’t know about you, but soap and hand sanitizer have become a huge part of my world over the last two years. Which makes this creation by Woomy World even more impressive, because I have gotten to know pump-action dispenser bottles better than I ever wanted to. And this one is barely recognizable as LEGO.

Obviously the setting for the photo helps, but the details here are immaculate. The inverted hot air balloon shape replicates the kind of decorative bottles you can find for sale in almost any big box store. And the real accomplishment here is the dispenser itself. An old Gallidor shield makes for a spot-on nozzle, and Woomy World has even engineered a near-perfect spring-action pump. Check it out in action. (To make sure you watch the gif long enough, sing “Happy Birthday” twice.)

I’ll take the next train; this one looks a little crowded…

Ben Cossy was inspired by the PS4 Spider-Man game and wanted to capture the Mr. Negative subway battle in brick form. But, with no Mr. Negative minifigure to turn to, Ben adapted his idea into a classic Spidey/Venom throw-down. The kinetic energy imbued into the combatants and the subway car battle damage is an excellent example of storytelling in vignette form. But, looking past the action, you’ll see that Ben’s captured all the details of a subway car wonderfully, from the brick-built doors to the numerous ads and posters. Although we have to wonder about the “Wayne Technology” ad. Is this a continuity error, or are the multiversal shenanigans getting that far out of hand?

This all-porpoise battle mech is ready for anything

We put on flippers to go swimming in the sea, so I guess it isn’t so weird that a denizen of the ocean would put on a pair of robot legs. But Moko has made sure this dolphin is ready for more than just a sight-seeing tour on the surface world. This mech is providing its Cetacean operator with legs, a giant cannon, an energy sword, a targeting computer, and even a prehensile tail that ends in a claw. It might feel like overkill, but when you realize what the sharks have been up to, you see that there’s an underwater arms race going on. Literally, they all have arms now.

A tree whose bite is worse than its bark

Animals often evolve to look like plants in order to avoid predators, but have you ever seen a plant that looks like a predator? You have now, thanks to Jake Hansen and his tree built primarily from crocodile parts. The seed for this idea was planted when Jake and some friends were playing around with the pieces from set 70419 Hidden Side – Wrecked Shrimp Boat. The tan crocodile that debuted in that set makes for a perfect tree trunk base. With the help of a few droid arms and plenty of leaves and flower buds – not to mention extra tails and jaws – the final model works as an eerily beautiful centerpiece to this dark swamp scene.

Get a load of this rover-loader

How many rovers would a rover-loader load if a rover-loader could load rovers? That’s the question that Tommy Frost asks us to consider with this delightful space forklift and the series of boxed lunar rovers that it’s got to pack onto (or off of?) a heavy-duty transport. There’s lots of whimsy packed into this scene of hard labor, from the jaunty tilt of the forklift’s roll bar to the hard-hatted foreman with a video monitor for a head. I wonder if the lower gravity makes the work go quicker. That would explain the huge smile on the forklift driver’s face.

A rover that can handle the harshest winters

March is here and the first day of spring is just a couple of weeks away. But Ilya T. is reminding us to prep for next winter with the Ice Shredder. With its giant rotary saw on an articulated arm, the Ice Shredder is capable of turning frozen barriers into crystal clear cubes suitable for cocktails in no time. Ilya’s use of primarily blue and white, accented by trans-neon orange, pays perfect tribute to the old Ice Planet 2002 theme. And the use of garage door sections as blades is cooler than cool.

Unmasking a clever build technique

As Febrovery 2022 comes to a close, we here at the Brothers Brick Bullpen thought we had seen every variation on space rovers there was to see. But builder Scott Wilhelm had a trick up his sleeve that we weren’t expecting: a half-track rover built from a giant Bionicle mask. That’s right, the giant curved mass of dark red that you see below is the main gate from Set 8759-1 Battle of Metru Nui. Scott has cleverly crafted a minifigure cockpit on the mask’s forehead, and cramped all manner of glorious greebles into the mask’s negative space. While the mask was only ever available in one set, this rover might have the LEGO Group looking to see if they still have the mold on file.

Hit the slopes in this busy ski resort.

After spending a fair amount of time in ski resorts over the last couple of years, Pixel Fox decided to chronicle a lot of what they witnessed in one elaborate LEGO build. With only a few exceptions, the various hijinks these minifigures are up to are all based on real events. (I’m guessing the presence of an Ice Planet explorer is one of the exceptions.) Recognizing the similarity of this scene to the Where’s Wally? books (“Waldo” to us Yanks), Pixel Fox has provided a key of objects to search for. And while you’re hunting for guitars and gnomes, make sure to linger on some of the great build details, like the larger-than-life Swiss Army knife, the gondola lift car, and the numerous ways Pixel Fox has constructed variations on minifigure legs for realistic winter game chaos.

There’s so much to do in Grandpa’s attic

As the LEGO inventory of pieces grows each year, we often end up with parts that can seem too specific to have versatile uses. But a great way to transform parts that might seem too specific is to use them in a different scale, as César Soares demonstrates with this attic scene that’s full of innovative parts usage. The potted plant on the right of the scene is made from two Carnival Dancer headdresses. The legs of the hat rack are minifigure monkey tails. And the plant next to the telescope repurposes yet another minifigure hat for its leaves. But perhaps the most innovative technique is building a hole in the floor and filling it with chopsticks to create a shag rug.

After you’re done exploring this attic, take a look at some of the other innovative LEGO parts uses we’ve highlighted right here on TBB previously.