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

LEGO celebrates 25th anniversary of LEGO video games with 10-part Bits N’ Bricks podcast [News]

December 2020 marks the 25th anniversary since the LEGO company’s first video game released. To celebrate the milestone, the company has produced a 10-part podcast series called Bits N’ Bricks that walk through the history of the plastic brick company’s foray into digital games, from Minecraft to LEGO Island and the LEGO Star Wars games, and everything in between. LEGO says they’ve been working on the show for more than a year, and have interviewed at least 120 people and researched more than 50 games in the course of production. The podcasts will be released weekly, with the inaugural episode launching today. The first episode is actually a teaser that’s not part of the main 10-part series, and along with a Christmas special in a few weeks, means the whole series will run for 12 weeks.

The podcast will be hosted by journalist Brian Crecente and documentarian Ethan Vincent. Crecente has a long history with video game journalism, having founded Kotaku and co-founded Polygon, and Vincent likewise has an impressive resume as an Emmy Award-winning documentary director for PBS.

Check out the timeline below to double-check your own LEGO video games knowledge, and you can read the whole press release and check out a gallery of images from classic LEGO games. Most of us probably thought LEGO Island was the first video game with the LEGO logo, but actually the original LEGO video game, released in 1995, was an educational game produced by SEGA for the Japanese market called Fun to Build. It was followed two years later by the much better known LEGO Island. Continue reading →

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A stilted domicile

I don’t know why these backwoods folks have decided to build their houses on precariously tall struts. Are they seeking protection from floods or zombies (or floods of zombies?). LEGO builder Andrea Lattanzio just says they’re “weird guys” which makes me think this may more of a SovCit situation, but whatever the case it’s a truly magnificent creation packed to the gills with fun details. Lots of things are worth noting, but the two that stood out to me first are the Duplo bearskin on the cabin’s roof, and the dark tan Goblin King’s arm used as a rock at the foot of the cabin. Everywhere you look, you’re sure to find another great detail. And of course, we can’t forget about that little truck, which looks perfectly suited for this pair with its 80s two-tone paint job and loads of gear strapped all over.

Stilt Houses: how to live 30 feet in the air!

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One from the Lucasfilm archives

It’s hard to build a good Star Wars vehicle from LEGO, because so many of them are dinged up and weather-worn, and that doesn’t translate well to pristine, brightly-color bricks. But Finn Roberts has done that better here than I’ve seen in quite awhile. The brick-built weathering is wonderfully executed with patches of lighter colors where the paint has worn away. You can almost tell it used to have white lettering on the side, too. This model is based on a piece of unused concept art from The Force Awakens, and now I’m just sad this monstrous desert skiff never made it onscreen, because it’s an amazing design.

Trouble on Tatooine?

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LEGO Art mosaic 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests [Review]

When we reviewed 31199 Marvel Studios Iron Man from the first wave of the new LEGO Art mosaic sets a few months ago, we talked about LEGO’s long history with mosaics, going all the way back to 1955. Despite being a considerably different build experience from the typical LEGO set, mosaics have enduring popularity, and LEGO is determined to keep up with that market, as the second wave of Art mosaic sets has already been revealed. Two new sets are launching January 1, 2021, from the Wizarding World and Disney franchises. Today we’re looking at the first of those sets, 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests, which will retail for US $119.99 | CAN $149.99 | UK £114.99 and includes 4,249 pieces. The set includes pieces to build the crests for any one of the four Hogwarts houses, and four copies of the set can be combined to build a giant Hogwarts School crest.

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.

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’s Black Friday exclusive GWP: 6346109 Roman Chariot [Review]

The new 10276 Colosseum is the biggest LEGO set ever made, with an insane part count of 9,036 pieces. The record-breaking set is making its debut on Nov 27, better known as Black Friday, where it will retail for $549.99 | CAN $649.99 | UK £449.99, and for customers who purchase it over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, it will come with an exclusive gift-with-purchase (GWP), 6346109 Roman Chariot, which contains 127 pieces. Our early review copy of the Colosseum was delayed in the mail and so our review of that set is still in progress, but we do have the promotional set to take a look at.

So slip into your sandals, toss on your toga, and grab your garum. Let’s head to ancient Rome!

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.

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.

Next LEGO Art mosaics revealed as 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests & 31202 Disney’s Mickey Mouse [News]

Today we’re getting our first look at the second wave of LEGO Art sets, thanks to European toy retailer Van Der Meulen. Expected to debut in January 2021, the pair of new sets are 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests and 31202 Disney’s Mickey Mouse. The sets follow on the heels of the first wave of LEGO Art sets which were released in September featuring Star Wars, The Beatles, Andy Warhol, and Iron Man (which we reviewed). Like those sets, the two new mosaics include the pieces for multiple designs. The Harry Potter set has 4,249 pieces and can build each of the four Hogwarts house crests, though only one at a time. Brickset reports that four copies of the set can also be combined to create the Hogwarts crest, though we don’t have any images of that at this time. Similarly, the Mickey Mouse set has two options for either building Mickey or Minnie and we presume they can also be combined in some way. This set contains 2,658 pieces.

There’s no word on the price yet. The previous four sets each cost $120 USD and contained around 3,250 pieces, so we’ll have to see if the new sets keep the same price point with the Hogwarts one having considerably more pieces and the Disney one a lot fewer.

Don’t miss the other new sets for 2021:

Check out more details of the new mosaics below.

Continue reading →

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The legend of Bubba Yaga

Forget the folklore from the Slavic steppes, this walking house comes straight from the bayou. Built by Letranger Absurde, the shanty is piloted by two women and decked out with all sorts of odds and ends that they’ve picked up in their travels. Giving off a distinct sense of post-apocalyptic salvage, the four-legged mech looks like it was cobbled together from the remains of an industrial platform and an old shed. And as good as the mech is, the base it sits on is also worth noting, with a great layered effect from the trans light blue tiles placed over what’s probably lime green or yellow plates, interspersed with olive and medium nougat for the muddy land.

Zoya's Moving Cottage

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 GWP 40410 Charles Dickens Tribute: A Christmas Carol [Review]

Two years ago, LEGO released a set based on an interesting new concept to celebrate great minds who had an influence on our childhoods. Titled Creative Personalities (40291), it focused on the famed children’s author Hans Christian Andersen. It’s taken LEGO awhile to return to this theme, but this holiday season they’re releasing the second in the series, Charles Dickens Tribute (40410). Based on Dickens’ beloved short story A Christmas Carol, the 332-piece set will be free with purchases over US $150 | CAN $150 | UK £150 from LEGO.com and in LEGO stores. It will be available first to VIP members Nov. 20-21, and then available as part of the company’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales from Nov. 27-30. Let’s take a closer look.

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.

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 reveals new Super Mario sets for 2021, bringing Tanooki, Wiggler, and more [News]

Today LEGO has taken the wraps off the second wave of its Super Mario sets, revealing five new sets and 10 new Series 2 blind bags that bring a host of new characters and locations to the build-it-yourself augmented reality game. Slated to hit store shelves starting January 1, 2021, the sets will still require the purchase of the original 71360 Adventures with Mario Starter Course US $59.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £49.99, but bring new functionality to the game system with a variety of play features.

The Master Your Adventure Maker Set adds a yellow starter pipe that enables a time-challenge mode of play, where you’ll need to rush your Mario through the course as quickly as possible. Two new Power-Up suits for Mario are also coming to the mix: Penguin Mario, which will enable sliding, and Tanooki Mario for spinning. The new wave also introduces a new biome (in addition to the water (blue), fire (red), sand (yellow), and grass (green) from wave 1. The new poisonous Soda Jungle biome will be purple.

Don’t miss the other new sets for 2021:

Check out all the new Super Mario sets below.

Continue reading →

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Holden all the cards

LEGO builder Lachlan Cameron has been making a name for himself with a stream of truly magnificent Technic cars. Many of them are adorned with custom chromed parts, as this 1977 Holden Torana A9X is, fitted with copper-colored rims that originally hailed from the Bugatti Chiron and a smattering of other shiny bits for the bumpers and exhaust.

Holden Torana A9X with gold Chrome Bugatti rims by Bubul chrome ????

This car is fully motorized with PowerFunctions and still has a full interior and engine. There’s a lot of excellent shaping work that goes into the general shaping of this Australian sports sedan, particularly the flared fenders.

Holden Torana A9X with gold Chrome Bugatti rims by Bubul chrome ????

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The tiniest Bantha you ever did see

How many pieces does it take to build a great LEGO creation? Not a lot if you’ve got a great imagination and a little bit of skill. This tiny vignette by Dan Ko of a Bantha on the sands of Tatooine consists of only around 20 pieces, but it’s perfect. The brown minifigure hair forms the furry body of the poor Bantha tied up as bait, which is a scene that may look familiar to fans of The Mandalorian. The tauntaun horns stand-in for the pack animal’s giant curved horns and a black wand serves as the hitching post.

Bantha

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This is no mine, it is a tomb

I’ve always loved this scene from The Fellowship of the Ring when the band makes their way into the Mines of Moria only to discover Balin and his dwarves have been wiped out. To me, it’s when the story first really turns an unexpected direction. Nathan Smith has beautifully recreated it in a LEGO diorama that perfectly imitates the scene’s camera angle and even lighting. From the scattered remnants of the dwarven miners, to the light on Gandalf’s magical staff, to the hobbits just barely visible in the doorway, this scene is just what I needed to take me back almost 20 years when I first saw the film.

"This is no mine, it is a tomb"

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