About Bre Burns

Bre is an Oregon native who came to Seattle with her partner, Jessie, in 2015. She briefly worked for the LEGO Group as a Brick Specialist before she left to pursue her dream of being a Zookeeper. Now she works at Woodland Park Zoo, but LEGO continues to be a huge part of her life. She and her partner are active members of SEALUG, FabuLUG and SquatchLUG, and enjoy building creations big and small that span across many themes, under the name Renegade Bricks. Bre is also the Theme Coordinator for Technic/Mindstorms and a member of the Senior Staff for BrickCon.

Posts by Bre Burns

Exploring LEGO Chinese New Year 80109 Lunar New Year Ice Festival [Review]

A couple days ago we took a look at LEGO 80108 Lunar New Year Traditions, the second in a trio of this year’s Chinese New Year series. The whole collection of these sets (including years past) has been fun, adventurous, and feature-packed. They’ve also often been filled with interesting and new elements. 2022 brings us to another Year of the Tiger in the 12 year cycle, and with it we have LEGO 80109 Lunar New Year Ice Festival. Join us as we slide into the skating rink to take a closer look. This set has 1519 pieces, including 13 minifigures. It will be available January 10th, retailing for US $119.99 | CAN $149.99 | UK £89.99.

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 take a closer look!

LEGO Chinese New Year 80108 Lunar New Year Traditions [Review]

Sometimes when we have the opportunity to review a set, we start off only knowing the set number. Upon reading 80108, we knew that this one had to be special. In Chinese culture, 8 is a very lucky number – and this palindrome is even better! Of course, it would refer to LEGO Chinese New Year 80108 Lunar New Year Traditions. This set is a symphony of holiday customs and culture. Join us as we learn about every facet of this model. The set has 1066 pieces, including 12 minifigures. It will be available January 10th for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £59.99.

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.

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The crash scene from a beloved Tintin story

The cover art of one of the best Tintin stories is perfectly recreated here in LEGO by Dark Small. If you’ve never read anything from the Tintin series, you should. The adventures of the clever young man, told in a comic book style, are fun and heartwarming. And one of the most heartwarming stories of all is Tintin in Tibet. This installment has the hero and his comrades searching the mountains for a plane crash in hopes to find and rescue his lost friend.

Tintin au tibet

Click to see the original artwork

Everyone’s favorite charitable outlaw

Growing up, one of my most favorite movies was Disney’s version of Robin Hood. After watching it, my cousin and I would run around pretending to be the famous archer, shooting our toy arrows at impossible targets. Apparently superb builder and LEGO designer, Markus Rollbühler loves the hero too. This sculpture of Robin Hood is excellent, with particularly great posing and parts usage. I’m partial to the bow, myself, but the minifig shoulder armor for the sword guard, palm tree segment for the boots, and large figure shin element for the log are all great too!

Brickscalibur 2021 Trophy: Robin Hood

Stick around to see more creations by Markus, and well as plenty of builds featuring the man in tights.

Mutation looks pretty good in purple

While Despicable Me is a great series of quotable movies in general, we all know that the true stars are the banana-obsessed Minions. That’s why they have their own titled movie, of course! The recent line of sets has been a popular addition to the LEGO family. One builder, Palixa And The Bricks, has had so much fun with the giant brick-build Minions, that she felt an evil mutated Minion had to be made. True to the movie, this guy is freaking awesome in purple. I love the caveman-style dragging hands and the chains for suspenders!

Evil Minion

If you’re a fan of the movies, check out all of our other Despicable Me and Minion news, reviews, and custom creations! You can also see more builds by Palixa in our archives.

LEGO Technic BMW M 1000 RR K66 – A massive motorcycle for ultimate collectors! [Review]

LEGO has been making buildable motorcycles for ages. The first one, in fact, came in 1978 with 603 Motorbike, a 26-piece, minifigure-scale System model. Suffice to say, the company has come a long way since then. Sets are becoming decisively more giant and complex with each passing year. And the 44-year-old Technic theme has worked its way into a significant portion of all current sets. Flagship models in this theme have been fancy for a while, but now the theme is giving the “adult” VIP treatment to a collectors-style motorcycle. The company has teamed up with BMW Motorrad to bring their new superbike into homes everywhere with LEGO Technic 42130 BMW M 1000 RR. The 1920-piece set will be available January 1st and will retail for US $229.99 | CAN $299.00 | UK £174.99. Come along as we run it through its paces!

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 see the full, hands on review!

LEGO BrickHeadz Chinese New Year 40540 Lion Dance Guy – #151 is a tribute to tradition [Review]

Last year, LEGO released 80104 Chinese New Year Lion Dance, a colorful, playful display set. Many of you already know that the Lion Dance is a tradition performed by acrobats to bring good fortune. The legendary lions make their appearance on various occasions, but none more impressive than during Chinese New Year. This year LEGO continues their tribute to the holiday, starting with a new BrickHeadz. Number 151 in the line is aptly named LEGO BrickHeadz Chinese New Year 40540 Lion Dance Guy. The 239-piece set will be available January 1st and retail for US $9.99 | CAN $12.99 | UK £9.99. Join us as we take a closer look at this special little character.

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.

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Reinventing the printing press, LEGO style

One of the most influential inventions of all time is the printing press. First created in Germany circa 1440 by Johannes Gutenberg, it revolutionized communication. The ability to quickly produce copies of literature made information dramatically more accessible and shaped the future of society. And in honor of that original machine, LEGO builder Mate Szabo (fan designer of LEGO Ideas 21317 Steamboat Willie) has recreated the press in minifigure scale. The build shows the early process of creating print.

What’s even better is that this little guy actually works! Load up the tile “dies” and press them to a plate to create words! Clever, right?!

These days, while printed newspapers and books still certainly exist, those machines are a lot more automated. We also obviously get most information digitally. But we continue to call news outlets “the press” and perhaps always will — a small nod to the birth of modern, widespread communication. While you’re here, enjoy the fruits of Gutenberg’s efforts by taking a look at some of the recent LEGO “press releases” and other news we have to offer.

This lovely aurora has the aura of Christmas magic

The Northern Lights (aurora borealis) are one of nature’s most beautiful miracles. Recreating it in LEGO is difficult, but I can’t think of a more marvelous idea than dragon wings. Yep, Malin Kylinger has used multiple sets of marbled dragon wings to recreate this lovely phenomena. The rest of her night sky is beautiful too, with raised diamond tiles used for stars. The scene is made complete with an adorable elf cottage, a fire, reindeer, and a decorated Christmas tree.

Aurora Borealis on the Night before Christmas

It’s that time of year where we start to see lots of great Christmas builds. Check out some past wintery creations we’ve featured, and stay tuned for more!

A look at the next Harry Potter GWP set: 40252 Hogwarts Gryffindor Dorms [Review]

Any fan of the Harry Potter movies can recall the iconic scene where he is introduced to his first chocolate frog. Unfortunately, it jumps out the train window before he can taste it, but the real focal point is the included trading card. All at once, Harry is introduced to wizarding candy, a hobby, moving portraits, and, of course, Professor Dumbledore. (Plus, as we recall later, the existence Dumbledore’s important friend, Nicolas Flamel.) These trading cards have now become a “collect them all” feature of recent sets – a smart move by LEGO. If you’re hunting for the cards (2×2 tiles), or completing a Hogwarts castle, you may want to consider planning your next LEGO shopping trip between October 25th and November 7th, where you can get 40452 Hogwarts Gryffindor Dorms as a free gift with any Harry Potter themed purchase over US $100 | CAN $100 | UK £100.

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 take a closer look!

Rising from the ash and fog is this incredible collection of LEGO buildings

If you’re looking for a LEGO masterclass in weathered architecture, Ralf Langer is your guy. He’s created a plethora of beautifully detailed buildings, structures, and scenes. He also kindly shares tips on how to achieve the techniques on his social media. This exquisite group of conjoined buildings is his latest addition, and it doesn’t disappoint! With a gothic vibe, they transform from a crumbling base into a colorful block you might like to visit.

to the sky

Right now, Ralf doesn’t have many pictures available for this build. But as you can see, he uses a variety of cool techniques and color combos to achieve the vibe he’s looking for. These structures include great shaping tools, like hinges, hoses, arches, and even some minifigure posing handles. Even the sides less visible are stunning! There are loads of random tidbits that are worth a zoom-in, but one of my favorite part usages is the unique design created with mini copper Exo-Force legs. Gorgeous!

While you’re here, stick around for more of Ralf’s work. And if this isn’t your style, try out some other great architectural builds we’ve featured!

In the belly of the bass

Okay, so maybe it’s not a bass – it’s a European perch. But I couldn’t help using the alliteration there. This LEGO recreation of the perch, built by Jannis Mavrostomos, has some nice body-shaping and a good use of parts. But it’s really what’s on the inside (or flipside) that makes this build unique!

Click to see what the other side looks like!