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

LEGO Technic 42179 Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit – Finally an orrery! [Review]

As time goes by and LEGO Technic adds more and more elements to its repertoire, it becomes more and more of a force to be reckoned with in the world of STEM toys. Nowhere is this more evident than in the recent addition to their lineup: the LEGO Technic 42179 Planet Earth and Moon in Orbit. Some form of orrery (a model of the orbit of planets and moons around the sun) has been on many wish lists for a long time, and finally the wait is over. The kit will be available March 1st and retail for US $74.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £69.99. Join us as we build the 526-piece model and see if it’s everything we’ve hoped for.

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.

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LEGO Technic 42171 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance – A winning replica? [Review]

Almost exactly two years ago to the day, I wrote a review of the orange and blue LEGO Technic 42141 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car. Recently, I looked back to find that I had been fairly critical of the model, considering it overpriced and underwhelming at the time. However, I had little recollection of that, feeling maybe I was too harsh, and it made me all the more intrigued as to how I’d feel about the new LEGO Technic 42171 Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance. At 1642 pieces and retailing for US $219.99 | CAN $289.99 | UK £189.99, the price per piece is even higher than the McLaren. But how about the rest of it? Does it hit the mark that the McLaren missed? Come along as we take a deep dive into Technic’s latest 1:8 scale supercar, which will be available March 1st.

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.

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LEGO Disney 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Cottage – A beloved classic [Review]

The partnership between LEGO and Disney has been long-running, featuring sets across the gamut of Disney’s collection for years. That has included many appearances by the Disney princesses. However, we’ve only seen a couple of the first one ever – Snow White. It’s been a long time coming, but wishes have now been granted! LEGO Disney 43242 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ Cottage brings us the cottage we’ve long-awaited. Come with us as we step inside this 2,228 piece set, which will be available March 4th, retailing for US $219.99 | CAN $289.99 | UK £189.99.

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.

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LEGO Icons 10331 Kingfisher – An iconic bird in brick [Review]

The LEGO Botanical Collection has been a huge success, with loads of adult fans scooping those sets off shelves to decorate their homes and offices in a fun and cheerful way. The LEGO Ideas Insect Collection was also a hit, giving a bit of variety to these similar types of adult-oriented sets. It only made sense that the company would try to branch out into some of the more elegant representatives from the animal kingdom. Speaking of “kingdom” they picked an excellent candidate with the LEGO Icons 10331 Kingfisher. Join us as we swoop in for a closer look at this 834-piece set, available February 1st, and retailing for US $49.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £44.99.

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.

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Ace Parts Usage: TBB’s favorite LEGO build techniques of the second half of 2023 [Feature]

It’s been nearly six months since our first “Ace Parts Usage” article. In it, we sifted through hundreds of LEGO creations to determine our top 10 favorite build techniques from January through June of this year. If you’re unfamiliar, builds that feature particularly cool techniques are said to have NPU (Nice Parts Usage). We’ve seen everything, but occasionally we’re extra impressed by something new and unique – an “ace” parts usage. Although we’re about to announce our overall favorite builds (using several criteria) in the running for the TBB Creation of the Year , we want to honor some ace parts usage right here, right now. There were too many awesome considerations over the past 6 months, so we decided to give you our favorite 15 instead of our favorite 10. Join us as we count down the best of the second half of 2023!

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LEGO Fortnite – A video game match made in heaven? [Review]

The LEGO Group has had its hand in the video game industry for a long time. From its first PC games in the 90’s to popular, cross-platform, licensed titles in Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jurassic World, Harry Potter, DC, Marvel, and of course, Star Wars, it could be said that the company has had a prolific mark on gaming. But, like anything, there have definitely been games along the way that didn’t hit the mark. Join us as we dive into the latest partnership with Epic Games’ Fortnite to see if it’s a flop or winner. Plus, we’ll look at some loot! LEGO Fortnite is free and available now across multiple gaming platforms.

The LEGO Group and Epic Games sent The Brothers Brick some items for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

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LEGO Icons Botanical Collection 10329 Tiny Plants – Lots of itty bitty pots [Review]

With the great success of the LEGO Botanicals Collection, it’s obvious the line is here to stay for good. It’s a smart move, seeing as there are a bazillion plants out there to act as inspiration. The latest kit in the series, LEGO Icons Botanical Collection 10329 Tiny Plants, is certainly keen on checking a handful off the list. In this installment, nine miniaturized plant favorites find themselves immortalized in brick. Join us as we determine if LEGO did them justice. The 758-piece set is currently available for pre-order and will be widely released December 1st, retailing for US $49.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £44.99.

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.

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LEGO Ideas 21342 The Insect Collection – Botanicals meets animals [Review]

The LEGO Group is right in the thick of pounding out Ideas sets. At this point, the completionists are probably having a hard time keeping up with collecting the entire line. But there are definitely some you don’t want to miss. Under the microscope next is LEGO Ideas 21342 The Insect Collection. While it looks a fair bit more detailed than the original fan submission by José María Pérez Suero, it holds onto the spirit of that design. Join us as we get out our magnifying glasses and take a closer look at this seemingly beautiful build. The set, which contains 1111 pieces, will be available Sept. 7th and retail for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £69.99.

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LEGO Icons 10321 Chevrolet Corvette C1 – A classic car reimagined [Review]

The LEGO Group made a good choice when they changed the Creator Expert line into the Icons theme. It brought a level of sophistication and exclusivity that hadn’t quite been seen before. In addition, it brought out some true world icons. And one of those icons comes from a great legacy of classic cars. The LEGO Icons 10321 Chevrolet Corvette C1 appears at first glance to be a real winner. Come along as we fire up the engine and see how this one drives. The 1210-piece set will be widely available August 4th and retail for US $149.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £129.99.

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.

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Ace Parts Usage: TBB’s favorite LEGO build techniques of 2023 so far [Feature]

Over the course of the last six months, we’ve featured literally hundreds of excellent LEGO creations. While all of them are already the best we’ve found, there are a handful that stand out above the rest. Usually these creations feature the coolest techniques and exceptional NPU (Nice Parts Usage), and have us talking about them more than the average build behind the scenes. We’ve seen everything, but occasionally we’re extra impressed by something new and unique. Although we do feature our overall favorite builds (using several criteria) in the running for the TBB Creation of the Year in December, we’ve decided it would be fun to honor some ace parts usage right here, right now. Join us as we count down the best of the first half of 2023!

Click to see the full lineup!

A warrior with a face only a builder could love

Whether you’re a fan of the LEGO Ninjago theme or not, you have to give it props for surviving for so long. Some kids that grew up with Ninjago are now adult fans making fabulously inspired and skilled creations. Now, while I can’t speak to the history of the builder known as Woomy World, I can certainly say that this Oni Lloyd-inspired build is top-notch, and a solid tribute to the theme. The entire thing is riddled with fantastic parts usage, from the dragon-headed weapons, to the clothing and body armor. What really takes the cake, though, is the expressive face. It utilizes a hat for a nose, a hood for a chin, and even a tan crab holding horns for teeth/tusks. The character is both menacing and cool all at once!

While you’re here, stick around for more builds and sets related to the LEGO Ninjago theme. We also have plenty of articles about brick-built characters in general too!

A little Scala for your microscale

Every style of LEGO building has its challenges, but I think microscale stands out as one of the most difficult things to build, yet epic when done well. This piece, built by Ids de Jong, uses a pop of orange to pull you in, and some clever parts usage to keep you looking. There are things to admire such as the minifigure epaulet element for the ship, half a rock piece for an island, decorative swirls for water, and even a dome made from a pumpkin and topped with a trophy figure. But what really drew me to this build were the Scala perfume bottles. (Actually found in orange in the LEGO Orient Bazaar game.) They make excellent building toppers!

While you’re here, check out some of our other featured LEGO microscale model.