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

A sequel to the “Chromalagous” dragon

If you have no knowledge of “Chromalagous” by awesome LEGO designer, Wes Talbott, stop right now and check it out. It’s one of my most favorite builds of all time! Now, if you’re familiar with that build, you might see similarities to this one. Wes hopes to create a rainbow of dragon busts at a slightly smaller scale to that of their predecessor – starting with this Red Chromatic Dragon. As with the last one, this dragon’s shaping is gorgeous and organic. It’s also inspired by D&D.

I’m a huge fan of the shape of the horns in particular, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the collection looks like! Stay tuned for more, but while you wait, check out some other builds of dragons. We’ve also created content surrounding some of Wes’ official designs for you to discover. For example, take a peek at the 21325 Medieval Blacksmith review and the modular 10270 Bookshop designer video.

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LEGO Technic 42139 All Terrain Vehicle – A vehicle that really does have it all [Review]

The LEGO Technic theme is all about the fun of engineering, and what’s more fun and filled with mechanisms than a utility vehicle? But not another tow truck or crane or piece of construction equipment. No, we’re talking about the LEGO Technic 42139 All-Terrain Vehicle! It’s about time we’ve had a solid-sized ATV in the Technic lineup! So let’s not beat around the bush. Instead, let’s hit that throttle and get in the thick of it! Come along with us as we build and test this 764pc model’s many features. It just became available today, and retails for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £64.99.

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 read our in-depth review of the rad ATV

Frogs on candlestick pond

There really aren’t enough candlesticks in the world. Well, LEGO candles, anyway. They’re so useful! Take this wonderful build by Eli Willsea, for example. It uses over 50 of them to create the look of bulrushes. Excellent execution! But that’s not the only excellent parts usage here. I love how he used those 1×2 hinge plates to create adorable frog eyes and the center of the waterlily. Those flies and that incredible tongue are awesome too!

If you like these techniques, check out more builds by Eli (AKA Forlorn Empire). Also, if frogs are your thing, we even have a collection of builds that feature frogs!

LEGO Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car – A replica worth buying? [Review]

We all know that LEGO is the best toy company in the world. And in the Formula 1 community, one of the most (if not the most) popular teams is that of McLaren. As the second-oldest competitor, they have a lot of clout under their belt. They’re also known for being innovative in the world of racing vehicles. So it was only natural that the two joined forces to introduce the LEGO Technic 42141 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car. This 1432-piece set will be available beginning March 1st, and retail for US $179.99 | CAN $239.99 | UK £159.99. Come along as we hop in the driver’s seat to take a closer look and run her through her 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.

Read our hands-on review of LEGO Technic McLaren Formula 1 Race Car

A “painted” tiger that prowls right off the canvas

Tigers are one of the most impressive animals in all of the animal kingdom. Regal, mysterious, intense… They inspire a plethora of bold descriptors. In Chinese culture, the tiger symbolizes power, fearsomeness, and majesty. This beautiful LEGO-ized “ink” sketch by Dad’s Bricks couldn’t convey that majesty any better. The multidimensional artwork truly comes off the “canvas” to bring this animal to life.

What’s more, is that this piece isn’t even the whole artwork. Upon completion, the tiger is given an exceptional mountainous background with vibrant pops of color in the plant-life. The forced perspective and depth are truly inspiring. I’m particularly fond of the wing elements used to fill out those fuzzy cheeks.

If you like this style of 3D paintings, check out some unique “sketches” by Tobias Munzert, as well at the official LEGO Brick Sketches (Star Wars, DC Comics, and Disney). And if you’re a fan of these big cats, we have plenty of them in our tiger-themed builds and animal archives too!

LEGO fun in the summer sun

Up here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s that dreary time of year. It’s a gorgeous place to live, but gloomy, bone-chilling rain continues for weeks at a time, making even those who love rain crave the sunshine. I can’t wait for summer, and this adorable LEGO sand castle is a cheerful reminder of what’s to come. Built by fellow Seattleite Peter Zieske, it uses clever angles to give it that classic shape.

I’m a big fan of this playful creation, which includes an excellent shovel and a colorful spinning pinwheel. (Yes, it’s actually motorized to spin!) But this isn’t even my most favorite build from Peter! While you’re here, take a look at his awesome record player and adorable wind-up penguin!

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.

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!

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!

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!