About Bre Burns

After living in the LEGO mecca of Seattle for 9 years, Bre is now home in her native state of Oregon. She briefly worked for the LEGO Group as a Brick Specialist before she left to pursue her career in Zoology, and LEGO remains a huge part of her life. She and her partner Jessie are active members of SEALUG, SPSLUG, FabuLUG and SquatchLUG, and enjoy building creations big and small that span across many themes. Their build handle is Renegade Bricks. Both are also members of the Event Team for BrickCon, and Bre has previously been the Theme Coordinator for Technic/Mindstorms.

Posts by Bre Burns

And the fierce dragon awaits

Earlier this year we wrote an article about two builders from Australia who came together to create an epic mythical scene. Their inspiration came from a Nordic legend about a pair of warriors who slay a fiery dragon. One of the builders, Ben Cossy, continues the tale with the dragon he calls “Yddreig the Red”. Now we have a snapshot diorama of the confrontation about to take place. It must have taken countless hours to create the incredibly detailed landscape, which features amazing rock work. Everything is positioned in a way that really brings it to life and sucks us straight into this fantasy world.

One thing is for sure: our heroes look like they have quite the battle ahead of them to survive.

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.

Get your minifig arms and armor at this medieval weapons house

It doesn’t take a big creation to pack in a lot of detail, and this build by Ah Ki is a great example of that! His LEGO “Medieval Weapons House” sits on a small base but has big character. It demonstrates the use of a cool patch-working technique to give it that rustic feel. There are a few neat uses of parts, like the 1x4x1 fence in the windows and wheel covers (hubcaps) for accents. It also has a fun color scheme.

My favorite part is the forge with its little awning and blacksmith at his anvil. The whole structure has a pretty nice shape to it, especially the roof, which makes a perfect little swoop. I just wish that we could get a tour inside!

A tiny house on a tiny street

Sometimes simple creations can be the most fun and interesting. This one by Eddy Summers is so cute and clever that I’m jealous I didn’t have the idea! I have built a large scale micro-build diorama myself, but there is something really neat about this small snapshot. You can probably imagine making a whole bunch of them, in this perfect square shape, lined up in a row. Of course, with LEGO and a little imagination, the possibilities are endless!

A near-perfect double

Some might say that there are two kinds of LEGO creations: those that are pure imagination, and those that are modeled after something specific. You could argue that the former is harder because you have to come up with a design out of thin air. The latter at least has a sense of direction! On the other hand, if you’ve ever tried to recreate a non-LEGO subject in detailed LEGO form, you would know that it’s really difficult to get it to look just right. But one builder, wes_turngrate, has managed to pull this off in exceptional fashion! His LEGO version of a Great Western Railway 8750 Pannier Tank Engine is just about as close to the original as you can get!

Obviously a lot of love and attention to detail went into this train. You may notice there are a couple slight differences between the two pictured, but they’re actually that way for a reason. The O-gauge model train in the background is his late father’s original GWR 5700 Class engine. Apparently this LEGO version is modeled after a minor variant (8750). Even so, these are incredibly close and we’re very impressed either way! Wes, I’m sure this is one build your father would be proud of!

LEGO 75928 Pteranodon Chase from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom [Review]

When the original 2015 wave of Jurassic World sets retired, some people thought the theme wouldn’t return. But with the new Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom movie coming out in June, this popular line has been brought back to life. As The Brothers Brick has already reported, there will be 8 regular sets releasing next week. In addition, there will be related sets under the Brickheadz, Juniors, and Duplo themes. For this review we will focus on one of the smaller sets under the main theme: 75928 Pteranodon Chase. This set contains 126 pieces, including two minifigures and a Pteranodon dinosaur, and will retail for $19.99 USD.

Continue reading our full review

Chulkaa Spinebeast

There are some people out there that give Bionicle a bad rep. To be honest, I used to be one of them. But as soon as I started looking into some of the things that can be done with those parts, I was completely amazed. Bionicle is able to help accomplish things that System bricks simply can’t achieve on a small scale, such as lifelike body lines. One builder, Djokson, is an expert at these lines. His latest creation, the “Chulkaa Spinebeast” is a phenomenal example of bringing LEGO to life.

The body shape really gives the impression that this guy is about to pounce. But this build is not without regular System pieces! Two of my favorite parts, the eyes and the feet, demonstrate a great fusion of these elements. This is a truly beautiful use of parts that brings our imagination to life. The symbiotic relationship between them makes for an incredibly visually appealing creation.

LEGO Juniors 10760 Underminer Bank Heist from Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2 [Review]

Until our review of 10759 Elastigirl’s Rooftop Pursuit yesterday, The Brothers Brick had not done a review on a LEGO Juniors set. But with the new Incredibles 2 movie coming out this June, there’s a small wave of sets being released in May that will not be featured in their own regular theme. Juniors sets also often include some pretty nice parts, so we thought this would be a good opportunity to share our reviews. In this article we’ll take a look at one of those sets: 10760 Underminer Bank Heist. This set retails for $24.99 USD, with 149 pieces, including three unique minifigs: Elastigirl (Mrs. Incredible), Mr. Incredible, and Underminer.

Click to see the full review

LEGO 10759 Elastigirl’s Rooftop Pursuit from Pixar’s Incredibles 2 [Review]

Until now, The Brothers Brick hasn’t done a review of a Juniors themed set. But LEGO’s small wave of tie-in sets for Disney Pixar’s new Incredibles 2 movie will only feature Juniors sets, and since we can’t help but cover LEGO’s official sets based on one of our favorite superhero universes, we decided to pick up them up and see what Juniors has in store. We’ll start with 10759 Elastigirl’s Rooftop Pursuit. This set retails for $19.99 USD, with 95 pieces, including two unique minifigs: Elastigirl (Mrs. Incredible) and Screenslaver, and is available from LEGO Shop at Home.

This review will be mostly spoiler-free, but we can’t guarantee the set doesn’t give anything away.

Continue reading →

A little aquarium comes to life as these LEGO fish really move [Video]

Brick-built aquariums are often extremely cool, but how many can say their LEGO sea-creatures actually move? My guess is not too many. But one clever builder, Mark Smiley, has managed to create an adorable little “LEGO Clockwork Aquarium” that does just that! With the turn of a crank, the fish move in a circle along the tank perimeter. There’s also a crab that hops up and down, and a starfish that spins! If you look closely, you can even see a little Easter Island head in the corner, and a shrimp in the helmet. The whole thing is modular and customizable. But just wait until you see it in action!

Click to watch the video of the tank coming to life!

A beautiful pair of red-crowned cranes

If you’ve never seen a red-crowned crane, they are certainly a site to behold. Standing at 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall, with a wingspan of 7-8 feet, and weighing up to 25 Lbs (over 11 Kg), these endangered creatures are among the largest birds in the world. Their mating dance is also incredible! Native to East Asia, the sacred cranes have significant symbolism in Japanese tradition. They represent luck, longevity, and fidelity, and they often show up in art, like this elegant diorama by ggwingx.

The background and base are a perfect tribute to the homeland of these beautiful animals. But what really stands out is the terrific use of those white clamshells, and black and white feather pieces to really give them dimension. The legs, necks, and heads are also clever. Altogether it’s a great use of simple parts to make something that truly embodies the gracefulness of these creatures.

Shinmizu Village

Some of the best builders are the ones who are constantly trying to push the envelope of what LEGO can do. And arguably, some of the best builds are a tale of two parts. When you get two great builders together, there is no telling what innovative works of art they might come up with. Shinmizu Village by the brother-sister duo of Geneva (Kai NRG/Geneva) and Isaiah (Robert4168/Garmedon)is a great example of such a creation. At first glance, it’s a beautiful little village on a cliff. But there is more to the story! According to the builders, it’s a mash-up between Venice and Japanese design. And apparently, achieving the angles of the layout was quite a feat!

Click here to read more about the two halves of this collaboration!

An Orchid for Spring

Easter is here! For many of us, that means we are bouncing right into spring; one hop closer to summer! Alongside all the festive bunnies and eggs, we’re beginning to see flowers poke their heads out to say hello to a new world. One of the most beautiful and delicate groups of flowers are those we love to have inside our homes: the Orchids. In addition to bringing life and happiness to a room, they can be a lovely conversation starter! White orchids, for example, are a symbol of innocence, purity, and elegance. And now James zhan has engineered one that isn’t even high-maintanence! He used some incredibly clever building techniques to create this gorgeous plant.

Click to see more photos of this work of art!