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

Happy (cup)cake day

While I have gotten LEGO as a birthday present quite a few times in my life, I’ve certainly never gotten a birthday cake made of LEGO! This delightful party spread by Lego Monkey has all the right trappings for a great birthday for an Adult Fan of LEGO (AFOL), however, with not just the gift, but the cake and even the coffee also made of the brick. Of course, it’s part of the ongoing Iron Builder competition where Lego Monkey was tasked with using the teal cylinders in as many ways as possible, hence their proliferation on the cupcake and bow.

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LEGO Marvel sets for January 2023 revealed with new Hulkbuster, Quinjet, Morbius, and more [News]

Today LEGO has taken the wraps off the latest lineup of Marvel Super Heroes sets, revealing four new sets slated to launch in January 2023. The sets range from classics like the Avengers Quinjet with a scene from the original 2012 Avengers movie, to lesser-known scenes like Miles Morales fighting Morbius. New versions of the Hulkbuster and Ghost Rider’s motorcycle round out the offerings. Check out all the details below.

Click to see all the details on the new Marvel sets

LEGO Ninjago 2023 wave revealed with 9 new sets [News]

It should come as no surprise that LEGO’s Ninjago theme is as strong as ever heading into 2023 as it continues to be one of the company’s best-selling original IPs. The new January 2023 wave is being revealed today, bringing us nine new sets that will look pretty familiar to Ninjago aficionados, ranging from Lloyd’s Battle Mech to Cole’s Earth Dragon and Jay’s Lightning Jet. Most of the sets this season are EVO sets, meaning they can be evolved from a basic form to a guns-blazing, maxed-out version with the addition of easily removable modules. LEGO hasn’t clarified exactly when the sets will be available, but we expect that most, if not all of them, will launch as part of the January 1 rollout for 2023. Check out the full details on all the new sets below.

Click to see all the new Ninjago sets

Command and control your space

NPU, or Nice Parts Use, is the fan term for taking an unusual and seemingly single-use LEGO element and cleverly incorporating it into something else. It’s rare to see the NPU ethos applied to expensive electronic components, however, that’s exactly what TBB alumn Benjamin Stenlund has done with the 9V battery box controller on this Vic Viper, positioning it so the infrared emitter becomes a cool cockpit. Of course, don’t miss the carrot blasters on this greebled entry to the Novvember fan challenge, too.

LEGO reveals 71037 Collectible Minifigures Series 24 with 12 new characters coming Jan. 1 [News]

Today LEGO has revealed the next round of the popular Collectible Minifigures, 71037 Series 24. This wave brings 12 new characters in blind bag foil packs with a pink theme, including a few minifigs that are likely to catch the attention of many adult fans, such as a brown Classic Space figure and a Black Falcon soldier. Series 24 will be available for US $4.99 | CAN $5.99 | UK £3.49 each when they’re available starting Jan. 1.

Don’t miss our full review of the previous Minifigures Series 23.

Click to see the full Minifigures Series 24 lineup

A bomb delight

LEGO spaceships come in a shapes and sizes, and yes, colors too. Red and white and lime green may be an unorthodox choice, but in this little bomber by Jonas Jensen looks mighty spiffy in the tri-tone scheme. There’s oodles of fantastic parts usages to ogle here, too, but the best might be the white 2×2 foam holder behind the lower wings.

Icy winter wonderland

One of my favorite things about the winter is the beauty of a peaceful snowy mountainside, and this LEGO build by -LittleJohn looks just the part. It took me a little while to grasp the scale of this mountain, but then I spied the castle perched up on the ledge above the glassy waterfall. The ramshackle techniques used on this build come together splendidly to create a magical moonlit river.

Relaxation in the sky

I’ve seen a lot of unusual fantasy floating islands, but this has to be the one I’d like to vacation at most. This lush LEGO Steampunk hotel and spa by Kai/Geneva looks perfectly tempting to spend a few hours soaking in the infinity pool—provided you’re not scared of heights, anyway. And just like the floating island concept itself, I’ve seen a lot of techniques for water, but the addition of some subtle lights built into this pool makes it look absolutely stunning.

Now it’s a party

We’re seeing a lot of Dungeons & Dragons-themed builds lately thanks to the LEGO Ideas D&D contest, and I’m a fan of this miniland-scale build by Miscellanabuilds, which depicts a party of adventurers. A good variety of races and classes are represented from the human wizard to the orc barbarian and halfling bard. The D&D logo is what really makes the whole build shine though. And don’t miss that tiny mimic!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

There’s the age-old question of why the chicken crossed the road, but it appears it doesn’t apply at this tidy chicken farm by LEGO builder Carter Witz because there are no roads here. Instead, these birds are stuck at home with their tiny wings, because this chicken farm is on a floating island. With lovely autumnal colors and a rustic vibe, this build has everything we’d want from a floating island habitat. The stone doorframe on the house is a great detail that makes the structure feel sturdy despite its precarious location, and there are lots of other great details like the shingled roof and the adorable chicken coop.

A Vampire’s never late

It may be a little past Halloween, but a vampire’s never late. Because they’re undead! Get it? Anyway, this fantastic dungeon by Marcin Otreba has all the trappings of a ghoulish lair set into a great little vignette. The architecture is wonderfully gothic with lots of spikes and details, such as repeating batarangs. The tan highlights give it enough visual interest to offset the drab grey you’d expect. Now pardon me, I’m going to go finish watching What We Do in the Shadows.

Exciting new prospects

Sometimes you just need a little more weirdness in your day, and this little prospector craft by LEGO builder Idoneas of Hillcrest might be just the dose you need. With the faceless pilot, I’m imagining this as an ad for the next model year prospecting craft, guaranteed to increase your finds by at least 12%! Whatever the reasoning may be, though, this tiny vehicle is packed to the gills with oddball details, starting with the old-school doors as wing panels. The prospector also contains one element I can legitimately say I’ve never seen used on its own before: a small black screw (yes, the metal kind) as a detail on one of the red wheels, surely sourced from some LEGO motor component.