About Chris

Chris Malloy (porschecm2) has been a LEGO fan nearly all his life, having started with System bricks at age 3. He is the co-author of Ultimate LEGO Star Wars, and his creations have been featured in several books and The LEGO Movie. He also helped develop the first LEGO Minecraft set, 21102 Minecraft Micro World: The Forest, which has gone on to inspire a whole theme of sets. He's been active in the online community since 2002, and regularly attends LEGO fan conventions such as BrickCon and BrickCan. He enjoys building in a wide range of themes, but keeps returning to Castle, Space, and Pirates. Check out his LEGO creations and photography here.

Posts by Chris

Elvendale is more beautiful than you realized

The LEGO Elves theme was retired not long ago, and sadly it never quite gained the popularity among adult fans that I think it deserved. Thankfully, though, there are a handful of builders who’ve been designing beautiful creations in the brightly colored world of Elves, and this gorgeous diorama by Stilly Bricks shows how delightful Elvendale can be. They built it a few years ago, but only recently got around to photographing it, which is understandable given that the massive village is over 5 feet long from end to end, and more than 2 feet deep.

Elvendale 2 Panoramic

Click to check out more details of Elvendale

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I am the future. The Tiberian Sun has risen!

Just like LEGO builder Gregory Coquelz, I was a huge fan of Commander & Conquer: Tiberian Sun when it debuted in 1999. So as soon as I saw this excellent pair of dioramas depicting GDI and Nod forces, I knew we had to feature them. First up is GDI with an iconic ore harvester sweeping through the fields of blue Tiberium Vinifera, accompanied by a Wolverine mech and a few soldiers. The diorama is simple, but it captures the bleak wastelands of the game. A blossom tree adds some interest (as well as a renewable source of Tiberium).

GDI - C&C Tiberian Sun

Of course, no C&C creation would be complete with the insane machinations of Nod, and so Gregory has also made an iconic scene with a Hand of Nod, along with a turret, buggy, and a few more soldiers. The broken road is a great touch, with the wedge plates fitting together perfectly to create the uneven edges. Continue reading

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LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71029 Series 21 Feel Guide [Review]

The new year is here, and with it comes a new series of minifigures. LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71029 Series 21 are now available, and with just 12 unique minifigures this time around, be sure to read our full review to get the scoop on which you’ll want. The good news is that if you want a full set, that’s easier than ever. Long-time collectors know that with some nimble fingers and bit of patience, you can tell what each pack contains before you pay a dime. This means you can get full set with no duplicates, saving your hard-earned cash for other stuff (like the 100+ new LEGO sets for 2021). We’ve compiled a handy Feel Guide to help you on your quest that contains all the info you need to get started.

LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71029 Series 21 are available now for US $4.99 | CAN $4.99 | UK £3.49. They may also be available from third-party sellers on Amazon and eBay.

Click to see the Feel Guide

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Ideas 40448 Vintage Car gift with purchase set [Review]

LEGO Ideas, the company’s crowd-sourcing platform that turns fans’ ideas into real-life sets, is best known for products like 21322 Pirates of Baracuda Bay or 21323 Grand Piano. But LEGO Ideas isn’t just for massive sets that will break the bank. Last May LEGO tested out a small Ideas set as a giveaway, resulting in 40335 Space Rocket Ride. And now the latest Ideas set, 40448 Vintage Car, follows in its footsteps as a giveaway. Based on a design by LEGO fan Versteinert after it won the fan vote in last year’s LEGO Ideas vintage car contest, it’s modeled after a classic 1950s-era sedan with a two-tone teal and white paint job. The set contains 188 pieces and is available this month from LEGO as a free promo between Jan. 1 and Jan. 17 with orders over US $85 | CAN $85 | UK £85. There are over 100 new LEGO sets for 2021, so you’ll have plenty of options.

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read our full, hands-on review of 40448 Vintage Car

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO 10280 Flower Bouquet from the Botanical Collection [Review]

In LEGO’s pursuit of older fans, the toy manufacturer has overhauled their adult product strategy, resulting in an immediate expansion of adult-focused sets. One of the ways this has manifested is an attempt to bring in new adult buyers with sets focusing on non-traditional subjects that might fit better into a grown-up decor. Enter the LEGO Botanical Collection, first announced last month, which includes two sets designed to seamlessly blend into a modern aesthetic with models that will look equally at home on your desk or in your den. Earlier today we looked at the beautiful 10281 Bonsai Tree, and now we’re turning our eye on 10280 Flower Bouquet, which as the name implies, constructs a variety of life-size flowers meant for display rather than for play (vase not included). The set contains 756 pieces and will retail for US $49.99 | CAN $TBD | UK £44.99 and is available starting Jan. 1.

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 our full, hands-on review

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Tiny and tossed about

Here’s a little diorama that captures what it must have felt like to be a sailor during the Age of Exploration. Ferdinand Magellan’s ship Victoria was the first vessel to circumnavigate the globe, and it was a mere 69 feet long. No doubt rounding the horn in a ship that small must have felt a bit like aboard the ship in TonyFlow76‘s little kinetic sculpture.

Using trans-blue garage doors pieces to simulate the undulating sea, a tiny ship is held in place while it rides up and down the massive swells.

 

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO BrickHeadz, Creator, & Iconic sets revealed for 2021 [News]

LEGO has revealed a number of new sets today from the BrickHeadz, Creator, and Iconic lineups, ranging from buildable roses to a yellow taxi. The sets include two kits with buildable flowers that expand on the recently announced LEGO Botanical Collection 10282 Flower Bouquet, though unlike those flagship sets these don’t bear the new 18+ adult-focused black packaging, instead wearing LEGO’s generic “Iconic” packaging. Another pair of sets brings two of the most widely recognized for-hire vehicles, with a classic yellow New York City taxi and a Tuk Tuk, a small auto rickshaw widely used throughout the world, and especially popular in India and Southeast Asia. Several BrickHeadz also join the fray, with duos of a Dog & Puppy and Cat & Kitten, along with a trio of adorable Pandas for Chinese New Year. And finally, rounding out the crowd is a buildable teddy bear with hearts for Valentine’s Day. All of the new sets will be available starting January 1.

Don’t miss these other upcoming 2021 LEGO sets:

Check out more images of the new BrickHeadz, Creator, and Iconic sets below.
Continue reading

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Collectible Minifigures 71029 Series 21 [Review]

After 10 years and 20 numbered series and numerous special series, LEGO’s insanely popular Collectible Minifigures are changing up the formula a bit. Clad in vivid green packaging and first announced just two weeks ago, Collectible Minifigures 71029 Series 21 breaks from tradition by including just 12 unique characters, which come packed in new case sizes. The figures themselves tread the same ground as previous series we’ve enjoyed, with a wide variety of characters from different periods and walks of life, as varied as a boy with a violin and an Aztec Jaguar warrior. Officially dropping January 1, they’ll be available from LEGO for US $4.99 | CAN $4.99 | UK £3.49. Let’s take a look at what all this dynamic dozen brings us.

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 our full, hands-on review of Minifigures Series 21

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO City 60304 Road Plates: A whole new system for your town [Review]

For most of my life, if you wanted streets in your LEGO town, you either cleared a path on your floor or table or used some LEGO baseplates printed with the road pattern. These big baseplates predate even the minifigure, and are a classic staple of the LEGO system. But for 2021, LEGO is changing things up, introducing a new design for roads that uses a modular plate and tile system. To kick things off, the new core system is 60304 Road Plates, which retails for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99 and includes 112 pieces. Let’s take a look at the new system and see if it stacks up.

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 of the new LEGO Road Plates

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

A tale of two GTOs

The Ferrari 250 GTO may be one of the most beautiful cars ever built. It’s certainly one of the most valuable, with a 1963 example currently holding the record for the world’s most expensive car having sold a few years ago for $70 million. However, with its shapely curves and swooping lines, it’s a challenge to translate to LEGO, which makes it quite a surprise to come across not one, but two stunning renditions in brick debuting online within short order. First up with have the 250 GTO wearing its iconic red paint job by builder Lennart Cort.

Ferrari 250 GTO

And then we have a gorgeous version by Jens M. which is modeled after a specific real example that bears the blue-and-yellow livery of its former Swedish driver.

Ferrari 250 GTO

What’s fascinating to look at here is how the two builders–both excellent in their craftsmanship–have approached the model differently. Both cars are roughly the same scale (about 1/15th, according to Lennart) and despite being built completely independently of one another, employ the same tires, hubs, windscreen, and even headlights. But that’s about where the overlap ends. For instance, the front fascia is radically different between the two versions, although both clearly evoke the source material. Continue reading

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Technic 42122 Jeep Wrangler: the ultimate 4×4 to fit your wallet [Review]

The most iconic offroader of all time has now joined the LEGO pantheon. The LEGO Technic 42122 Jeep Wrangler is the first time in decades LEGO has licensed the classic brand whose name is nearly synonymous with 4×4. (A few old very old sets bear the Jeep name, but are so rudimentary the resemblance is weak at best.) When I first heard about the new Jeep set, I assumed it would be the American counterpart to last year’s excellent Technic 42110 Land Rover Defender, a massive 2,500-piece set. However, the Jeep has more modest aims, coming in at just 665 pieces. It features functional steering, suspension, and a winch. It will be available starting January 1, 2021, for US $49.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £44.99.

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.

Click to read the full, hands-on review of the LEGO Technic Jeep Wrangler

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Going for the gold

Sometimes you see a LEGO model that uses an odd piece, and you can immediately tell–no matter how well it is integrated–that the model was designed specifically to showcase that piece. And at first, I thought that was the case with this striking gold and trans-blue Vic Viper from LEGO set designer Chris Perron. I glanced at it and thought, of course, it’s built around the use of those giant trans-blue Aquazone doors from 1995! But then I saw the Insectoid wings on the front and had to reconsider. Or wait, it’s absolutely covered in gold Nexo Knight tiles. Maybe those? I don’t know, I give up. What I do know, though, is that as zany as this ship is, somehow it works. The fact that there’s really only two colors visible ties it all together in a truly remarkable way.

PHENEX VV-335

Oh, and Chris says it was the gold tiles that kicked the whole thing off.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.