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

LEGO unveils new line of BIONICLE sets for 2015 [News]

BIONICLE is back! At New York City Comic Con last week, LEGO unveiled detailed information and images for a new line of BIONICLE sets. The sets will be available globally from January 1, 2015 and revolve around an entirely new storyline. Prices will range from USD $9.99 – USD $19.99.

“We are thrilled to announce the relaunch of the LEGO BIONICLE franchise, which was one of our most popular LEGO franchises and our first ‘constraction’ or constructible action figure line.” said Michael McNally, Senior Director of Brand Relations. “We are eager to introduce and immerse a new generation of children in this rich character-driven world and can’t wait for fans of all ages to interact with the new story.”

The January line-up consists of six “Master” sets, and six “Protector” sets, each based around the elements of Fire, Earth, Water, Stone, Jungle and Ice. There is also a thirteenth set called the Lord of Skull Spiders. You can find photos and set details up on our Flickr stream, so go check ’em out now!

Can the Toa save Okoto from the latest threat?

The new storyline takes place on the mythical island of Okoto, where the forces of darkness are on the move, and the evil Makuta is once again materializing. Makuta is overcome by the desire for the three mythic masks that will cast the world into darkness: the Mask of Creation, the Mask of Control, and the Mask of Ultimate Power.

The desperate island inhabitants enlist six heroes called the Toa – each masters of a sacred element – to help save their beloved island. The Toa must embark on a quest for Okoto’s ancient power masks, that will allow them to unlock the full potential of their elemental powers. Only when the heroes are united, will they be able to battle the forces of evil, defeat Makuta, and save Okoto.

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Paleolithic cat food

Built for the MOC Olympics contest in a round focused on human evolution, Deus Otiosus created this scene depicting one of our forebears about to become a cat’s lunch. The sculpture and posing of both characters is perfect. And as an added bonus, you can even enjoy this build from all angles thanks to a handy spinning animated version.

Enjoy the great outdoors on a “camper tricycle”

Serbian builder Milan (Ultimate-Design Bricks) wanted to create a build that combined his passions for bikes and camping. So when he discovered artist Kevin Cyr’s Camper Tricycle project, he knew that was what he wanted to recreate.

Milan’s model is packed with details, and he provides a full breakdown on his website. The tricycle features front and back suspension, rear differential, 180 degree steering, working pedals and chain link drive. The camper has working doors, a retractable sunshade and a plethora of storage areas and personal effects.

Camper tricycles totally need to become a real thing! Oh wait, hills…

Giant LEGO tribute to Mouse Guard unveiled at BrickCon

If you’re a fan of fantasy and/or talking rodents, then there’s so much to love about David Petersen’s world of Mouse Guard. This groundbreaking and expansive comic book series, with its rich cast of characters and detailed world, has already been turned into a roleplaying game, and now even rumors of a movie version abound.

Canadian builder Paul Hetherington unveiled this enormous homage to Mouse Guard at BrickCon last week, and promptly won “Best in Show” for his efforts.

Paul is well known for his epic minifig based dioramas such as the Fabuland Fun Fair and Joker’s Funhouse. So I’m personally rather excited by his recent diversion into the weird little world of brick-built characters! It was great to see both his Mouse Guard and Tintin builds in the flesh last week.

And if just one LEGO Mouse Guard creation is not enough to satisfy you, Seattle’s ArchLUG is planning a series of Mouse Guard themed builds for Emerald City Comic Con next March, so watch out for that!

“HUMAN DECISION REQUIRED”

If there are two things we *love* at The Brothers Brick, it’s spaceships and nostalgia. And pugs (ok, three things). So unless you were watching TV in the mid-seventies, the pictures below will probably leave you scratching your head!

Last year saw the release of the book Build Your Own Galaxy by builders Joe Klang, Oliver Albrecht, and Lutz Uhlmann. And now Joe has posted images of their Space 1999 scenes from the book. And this minifig scale Eagle One is to die for! There’s even a matching moon buggy complete with astronaut occupants. Oh, and the entire command center and crew too…

I will admit that Space 1999 was one of my favorite Sci-Fi shows growing up. From the mind of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, it was like a more dramatic, more stylish, and more British version of Star Trek. With an actual special FX budget.

Spoiler alert: He’s Luke’s dad!

For a Star Wars themed building contest over at Imperium Der Steine, German builder Disco86 had to come up with a creation who’s footprint was only 4×4 bricks. Not only did he manage to stay within the letter of the law, but he also managed to recreate one of the most iconic scenes of the entire franchise. Way to think outside the box!

If music be the food of love, build on

Those crazy Swedes are at it again! Rickard & Helen from SuckMyBrick have followed up their excellent movie character quiz with another one, this time featuring past and present icons of the music industry. See if you can identify them all…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukJhm_6_Y7s
You can also check out photos of all 16 characters on their Flickr stream. Below are some of my favorites. But… No ABBA!? O_o

Grand designs

Patrick Massey builds great fantasy environments, then stocks them with entire armies of figures. But like the landscape we featured previously, much of his scenery is so gorgeous that it demands to be enjoyed unpopulated as well, to appreciate all the little details. Fortunately Patrick seems to feel the same way. The result: pure LEGO scene-porn!

Holy ravioli!

Tumbler schmumbler, if you’re an old fart like me then there can be only one true batmobile, and that’s the one from the super-camp 60’s TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward! As many of you know, this year marks the 75th anniversary of Batman, and than means we’ve seen a lot of new LEGO sets and fan builds celebrating the Batman franchise. Including one rather disappointing attempting by the LEGO company to create an exclusive “chibi” batmobile for ComicCon. So many thanks to Orion Pax for rectifying the situation with this super-accurate version!

And you can check out the full gallery of images over on Mr P’s website here.

Making a mountain out of a mole hill

Not content with just one study in triangular architecture, TBB regular Ian Spacek (who I secretly hope pronounces his surname “space-kay”) created this ingenious LEGO explanation for the creation of the pyramids, as his latest entry in the 2014 MOCOlympics. Spoiler alert: They were naturally occurring, but covered in sand!

You have arrived at your destination

Every new Apple product has it’s (well publicized) teething problems. While my older iPhone has remained un-bent, no matter how many times I put it in my industrial jaw vice, it still to this day enjoys sending me either 1 mile North or South of my intended destination. And Brick Vader clearly knows what I’m talking about, as evidenced by this beautifully put together vignette:

Mind games

Built for the 2014 MOC-Olympics contest, Delatron3000 created this LEGO self portrait that is simultaneously revealing, disturbing, and also strangely accurate (…we’ve included a photo of him so you can judge for yourself).