Posts by Norm Harper

LEGO 71039 Marvel Studios Collectible Minifigures; the Marvel CMF line got renewed for a second season [Review]

There’s a lot of talk on the internet about “superhero fatigue” setting in at the box office. But, if you’re a fan of LEGO and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the fatigue you might be feeling is the exhaustion that comes with waiting for your favorite hero to finally be rendered in minifigure form. Thankfully, the latest wave of LEGO Collectible Minifigures is here to save the day with 12 new figures. Like the first series of Marvel CMFs, this line focuses on characters from the numerous TV projects on Disney+; Moon Knight, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Hawkeye, and the upcoming X-Men ’97 animated series just to name a few. But is the combined might of these superheroes strong enough to fight your fatigue? Let’s crack open a box and find out. 71032 Marvel Studios Collectible Minifigures Series 2 will be available on Sept 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 to read the full, hands-on review

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The perfect place to go when your battery’s running low

Everyone needs to recharge every now and again; especially robots. And builder Rubblemaker has just the thing for a drowsy droid. This marvelous robot req. room comes equipped with plenty of charging devices and even a serving of a delicious Blue Alcobot to take the edge off. And you can’t beat that view!

LEGO DC 76265 Batwing Batman vs. The Joker [REVIEW]

If you’ve ever wondered how Bruce Wayne got to be a billionaire, the answer is simple: this is a man who understands branding. Why else have a plane in the exact shape of your own symbol? Branding. It’s simple. It’s perfect. It’s pure Wayne, baby! And it’s coming to toy store shelves soon in the form of LEGO DC 76265 Batwing Batman vs. The Joker. At first glance, this companion piece to the 76224 Batmobile set might seem redundant. Just another Bat-vehicle with the same two characters as minifigures? But the Batwing might be hiding a few surprises in store for you. And I’m not just talking about a giant pair of scissors. (In fact, this set explicitly does not include the giant scissors.) This 357-piece set will be available Aug 1st for US $37.99 | CAN $49.99 | UK £31.99.

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 DC 76224 Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase [REVIEW]

Believe it or not, there was a time when movies about superheroes were few and far between. Comics were seen by the general audience as cheap and disposable children’s entertainment. But all that changed in 1989, when Tim Burton’s Batman conquered the world. From clothing to video games to breakfast cereal, it seemed like there was nowhere you could go without getting a bat-logo shoved in your face. And we loved it. Batman would continue to dominate the cultural landscape well into the 1990s, but Michael Keaton would only reprise the character for the follow-up Batman Returns and then never play the character again ever in any movie at all. (No need to fact-check that statement, I’ve done the research.) And, while LEGO recently celebrated Batman Returns with the impressive 76252 Batcave Shadowbox set, the original 1989 film that started it all is getting some more affordable love with two smaller sets featuring Batman’s iconic vehicles. The first of these is 76224 Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase. This 438-piece set will be available August 1st for US $47.99 | CAN $59.99 | UK £42.99. But is it a set worthy of the cultural juggernaut that spawned it? Let’s get nuts and find out.

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

This galactic school bus deserves an A+

And while we’re on the subject of space babies, notenoughbricks is making sure these adorable astronauts are getting the education they need to become the galactic explorers of tomorrow. This Neo-Classic rover is one part school bus and one part…well, it’s actually all school bus. But it features plenty of classic space stylings and an automatic stop sign to halt on-coming traffic. The best part is a robot-driven mini-rover that can deploy from the back and make sure all the students get inside the school safely.

This bunny is making green

They say carrots are good for your eyesight, but they’re even better for your bank account when you understand the market. And BetaNotus brings us a rabbit that knows how to capitalize on his expertise. This combo rover/carrot harvester/maybe even a carrot incubator isn’t your everyday piece of farm equipment. But that’s business. To succeed, you have to innovate.

A carry-on that can carry you away

Have you seen the chaos that is air travel lately? Well, Dan Ko has crafted the perfect solution for the weary traveler. This Pacman Speeder is a hoverbike that gets you where you need to go in a hurry. And, when you reach your destination, it’s small enough to fit on a bellman’s cart and store in the hotel closet. Now that’s traveling in style.

This hot rod really pops

Nothing says retro-future quite like a clear dome canopy. And, in the hands of 1saac W., retro-future has never looked quite so cool. There are plenty of beautiful curves to admire on this car, but the way the bubble top nestles into two sideways placed mudguards takes the cake. And those chrome details are the perfect finishing touch.

We’re caught in the web of this wonderful build.

Grant Davis has been on a quest to depict the major moments from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings saga in LEGO form. Grant’s latest vignette is of Sam’s encounter with the vicious, spidery monster known as Shelob. Rarely has an arachnid been so perfectly captured in LEGO form. The secret is plenty of inverted rubbery tires to give Shelob some organic roundness and an eerie texture.

Does anyone know how to convert 12 parsecs to Midi-Scale?

I think there’s a strong case to be made that no vehicle has been built in LEGO form more than the Millennium Falcon. There are dozens of official sets and countless more custom creations, but very few of them look as smooth as this Midi-Scale rendition by FlyInSpace. This near-studless Star Wars spaceship achieves it’s look thanks to plenty of overlapping panels connected via lots of clever Studs Not On Top construction. This is an especially impressive feat when you consider how thin the model is. And, while this ship might not be large enough for a minifigure crew, it still contains plenty of functionality, including landing gear and an openable boarding ramp.

“Smile pretty for the camera”

As we all bask in the latest LEGO Lord of the Rings news, it’s a perfect time to celebrate other amazing Middle Earth constructions. Case in point, this tribute to the Mouth of Sauron by Marcin Otreba. This scene-stealing Return of the King character is perfectly captured here with his ornate armor and trademark spooky grin. Look closely, and you’ll see those creepy teeth are actually repurposed Battle Droid heads from the Star Wars prequels, which makes this build a loving homage to early 2000s blockbuster movies of all kinds.

A bright idea to help icy explorations

What’s the biggest problem with exploring icy terrain? Ice melts. Thankfully, Andreas Lenander has devised a solution to hot lights shining on the cold terrain. This Nocturnal Ice Rover uses state of the art illumination technology (i.e glow-in-the-dark 1×2 plates) to light the way. Unfortunately, glow-in-the-dark tech only lasts so long, which keeps the exploration missions brief.

But while you’re waiting for the lights to recharge, you can check out the video below where Andreas walks you through the full vehicle specs.