About Iain

Iain Heath is an avid builder specializing in the "Bricks of Character" style, which he helped define. He has been using LEGO to parody popular culture since 2007, when he created the now infamous Stephen Hawking model. He is a SeaLUG member and regular theme coordinator at BrickCon. For five years he also ran a blog called The Living Brick, that showcased the best character-based LEGO creations from around the world. You can find his irreverent body of work on Flickr.

Posts by Iain

Up and downy stuff in a big blue box

The only way a show like Doctor Who can achieve the longevity it has, is through change: the Doctor changes, his companions change, and even his temperamental TARDIS changes. And that is reflected perfectly in the many Who-themed LEGO creations of Thorsten Bonsch (Xenomurphy).

Thorsten’s project to commemorate the show’s 50th anniversary using LEGO was so ambitious that it’s still a work in progress two years later. And now he has completed the pièce de résistance: the 11th Doctor’s TARDIS! Behold…

I always assumed his recreation of the 9th Doctor’s TARDIS would remain the definitive LEGO version of the TARDIS interior, but this one is just spectacular! Good luck finding any right angles in this build…

Of course, we cannot expect in our wildest dreams that the recently announced LEGO Ideas Doctor Who project will be anything like this. But if anyone from LEGO Ideas is reading this, I beg you to study Thorsten’s minifig scaled Dalek. You know, before you design something we’ll all hate ;-)

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HELP! The Brothers Brick needs a new cover photo

I knew hiring primates as interns would come back to bite us – literally. After following a bizarre trail of blue droppings through the Brothers Brick compound this morning, I discovered the Lemur had gone and eaten our Facebook cover photo! I checked our other websites too, and they’re all gone. At least he got a tummy ache, so hopefully this will be a learning experience for the pesky little fellow.

So this seems like a great time to revive the TBB Cover Photo Contest. We’re asking you, dear readers, to submit photos of your original LEGO creations to be featured across all Brothers Brick social media. At the start of each month we will pick one new image to use across our Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Google+ and YouTube pages.

Find out how to enter →

LEGO movie theme tune performance generates some of the most memorable Oscar images [News]

Despite being snubbed for a nomination in the Best Animated Feature category, the creators of The LEGO Movie seized the day with an on-stage performance of the movie’s theme Everything Is Awesome – a performance that can only be described as totally bananas.

Highlights of the segment included a troupe of breakdancing Emmets, cameos by Will Arnett (as Batman) and Mark Mothersbaugh (from Devo), “visually illustrated” rapping, and the handing out of brick-built LEGO Oscar trophies to random celebrity guests.

The trophies (which are now the talk of the town) were the work of LEGO artist Nathan Sawaya, who also created Mothersbaugh’s signature Devo hat. Everything about this performance was awesome! If you missed it, watch it now:

Your plastic pal who’s fun to be with?

Neill Blomkamp’s new movie CHAPPiE looks to contain the same gritty hi-tech dystopian fare he delivered in Elysium and District 9. I cannot wait! Although we still have a few more weeks before it hits theaters, Taiwanese builder Eric Tsai wasted no time LEGO-izing the central character:

I want to lie, shipwrecked and comatose...

Fans of classic British sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf will recognize these nifty micro creations by Elspeth De Montes as the titular mining vessel and it’s diminutive companion Starbug. Note: Any readers that complain about the absence of the Blue Midget risk being branded as a… smeeeeee-HEEEEED!

Slowly fermented over a thousand years

It’s always fun when Star Wars fans augment the official canon with back stories of their own – and even more so when they illustrate them with LEGO. In the hefty build shown below, Daniel Stoeffler explains the origins of Sarlacc’s Nectar – the original Jawa juice – which is apparently extracted from [SPOILER ALERT!] the innards of Tattoine’s infamous Sarlacc.

Daniel even claims that [SPOILER ALERT!] Boba Fett used this futuristic moonshining operation as a way to escape from his close encounter with the Sarlacc. Read the whole story over at Eurobricks, or check out many detailed photos of this creation in the Flickr album (which at 66 photos may be a new record for a single MOC).

The town of Pompeii in LEGO

If you find yourself in Sydney (Australia) at all during 2015, then head over to the Nicholson Museum at the University of Sydney and check out this amazing recreation of the Roman town of Pompeii, created by Lego Certified Professional Ryan McNaught.

The diorama represents Pompeii as it was at the time of its destruction in 79 AD, and even contains a little foreshadowing of the volcanic eruption that buried it.

Continue reading →

The Wait of the Warrior

According to his creator, this samurai warrior by MSP! is waiting for something. And given that it was built for the ongoing Symphony of Construction contest, maybe he’s waiting for some competition! The field is still wide open, but the contest ends March 1st. The Brothers Brick are providing $50 LEGO shop-at-home gift certificates for the winners, so listen to the theme music and see what it inspires you to build.

Competition entries should be submitted to the contest’s Flickr group.

An elegant vessel for a more civilized age

We see our fair share of big spaceships at the Brothers Brick, but the Crimson Pilgrim by Bob De Quatre is something special. Not only is it a beauty to behold, but it’s also built to minifig scale and fully playable, featuring a complete interior with living quarters and many other details.

But that’s not all, there’s even a cool back story to this creation: Bob has set his ship and its crew in the universe of the online game Star Wars: The Old Republic. And he’s chosen to make them Jedi Hunters, which I assume means they’re the bad guys (yeah!).

Check out the Flickr album for more images, including close-ups of the interior (which features some rather ‘Falcon-like’ details) and of course all that wonderful exterior sculpting:

LEGO unveils the Ultimate Collector Series TIE Fighter [News]

This morning at the New York Toy Fair, LEGO revealed its latest addition to the Ultimate Collector Series (UCS), the 75095 Star Wars TIE Fighter. The set will be available directly through LEGO via their online store beginning May 2015, and is expected to retail in the US for $199.99.

Here are some details, provided by LEGO:

“This large-scale LEGO-brick rendition of the classic Imperial starfighter has intricate detailing, as well as an opening top hatch and an exclusive TIE Fighter Pilot minifigure with a blaster pistol. And when you want to keep it safe from Rebel attack, mount the model on the display stand and keep yourself updated with all the key facts and figures on the included fact plaque. The Ultimate Collector Series TIE Fighter is the perfect addition to your Star Wars collection! The UCS TIE Fighter measures 18.5in (47cm) high, 12in (30.6cm) long and 12.2in (31cm) wide.”

And for an up-close and personal look at the set, here is the LEGO designer video:

Because zombies are people too

This hilarious series of vignettes was created by Swedish character-building duo Rickard & Helen – aka SuckMyBrick. They document a unique approach to curing Zombieism called the “Van Heckling” approach, whereby zombies are rehabilitated by simply encouraging them to engaged in everyday activities! What could possibly go wrong… Let’s take a look, shall we?

There’s nothing more mundane that a little grocery shopping. Apparently one of the patients needs a bit of help getting around, though. Can’t wait to see how they get on at the checkout:

Next it’s time for some work placement. Waiting tables shouldn’t be a challenge. Hey doc’, you *might* not wanna eat that:

After a long day, why not kick back at the night club? Just avoid the off-duty zombie hunters:

But don’t even think about trying to escape rehab. The medical staff will not rest until they have you safely back in custody:

Check out the complete Flickr album for more Zombie rehab shenanegans.

Flying round town

Usually when we spot an interesting build, we’re presented with the overall view and have to dig in to appreciate the details. But on this occasion curve loving Flickr member lisqr has given us the opportunity to start close up, and pull back to appreciate the full splendor of his futuristic cityscape:

Click below the fold for the reveal!