About Alexander

Alexander Alekseev is an active member of the Russian LUG since 2007. Linguist by education, he believes that LEGO pieces are the most effective mean of self-expression and communication between people.

Posts by Alexander

We used to build LEGO spaceships and wonder at our place in the stars

Going by the latest reports, Christopher Nolan’s long-awaited Tenet will finally hit big screens less than a month. While we still wait, it might be the best time to re-watch another movie by one of the greatest directors of our time. CheeseyStudios suggests the 2014 epic sci-fi Interstellar. His build of The Endurance spaceship is much more complicated than it looks. Note it consists of 12 sections, which means that the angle between them is 150 degrees. Caleb managed to find just the right piece for this task, giant flex joints.

And if you are interested in the design of the Ranger shuttle, note a brilliant use of ninja swords. Thanks to the curved swords, the otherwise somewhat blocky model becomes very recognizable.

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Who coils around the ruins under the sea?

Generally speaking, all the LEGO pieces can be divided into two huge categories: bricks of strict geometrical shapes and more sophisticated, organic-looking elements. The thing is, it takes much more than just a handful of organic shapes to design an awe-inspiring creature — you have to find just the right combination of pieces. This is exactly what Tino Poutiainen achieved in his most recent 12×12 vignette. There are so many things that impressed me in this work, and I particularly like how a dark red flex tube is combined with light yellowish-green fangs. And if you are afraid of sea-serpents, keep your eyes above the water level and you’ll find a set of brilliantly designed sails made with 3×2 cupboard door pieces.

LEGO Harry Potter 2020 Advent Calendar revealed [News]

Swiss toy retailer Meinspielzeug.ch has just shared official pictures of the upcoming Harry Potter 2020 Advent Calendar set. As usual, the set consists of 24 mini-builds and includes 355 pieces and 6 minifigures. The set will be available starting September 1. Detailed pictures of the set are right behind the link to this post, so be careful not to spoil the surprise!

75981 LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar | 335 pieces (Now Available on LEGO Online Store)
US $39.99 | CAN $49.99 | UK £24.99

Click here for more pictures of the set

This is what you get when you stop sorting and start mixing

Couple weeks ago, we got the first look at this summer’s LEGO Technic sets including 42112 Concrete Mixer Truck set. One of the reasons we don’t see concrete mixers among official LEGO sets that often is that the vehicle like this one requires a special drum element — a very bulky single-purpose piece. But Kirill Mazurov proves that you don’t need big solid elements for awesome LEGO builds. Using a bunch of common and affordable panels, he managed to recreate the shape of the drum very precisely. With almost no holes, the structure looks as smooth as the one in the official set, and I love the mix of white and red colors. In case you’ve been following Kirill’s works, I believe you have already guessed that this mixer has a lot of functions. Make sure to check out the video under the cut.

Click here to see the video…

Music for my babushka

Last weekend, Timofey Tkachev went to see his babushka. There is no place like a countryside cottage to spend long summer evenings, sipping hot tea, and enjoying a slice of a berry pie. But one doesn’t simply go to babushka empty-handed. Being a very talented LEGO builder, Timofey designed something exceptional: a full-sized replica of a traditional balalaika, a Russian stringed instrument. The brick-built design looks wonderful in its simplicity. The iconic triangular shape became possible thanks to the clever use of regular slope pieces. And thanks to the hues of LEGO colors, this balalaika looks almost exactly like a real one.

Kudos to Vera Senyuta for joining the tea party and taking her camera with her. We always love to see custom LEGO creations shot in beautiful settings. For a musical instrument like this one, there is no better background than a couple of birches in the evening sun.

LEGO Jurassic World 75939 Dr. Wu’s Lab: Baby Dinosaurs Breakout [Review]

Whatever creature you create, here’s a lifehack to make everyone adore it: make it a baby. It has been proven to work with alien babies from a galaxy far, far away, but it also works with creatures populating the Earth; dinosaurs are no exception. The name of one of the latest LEGO Jurassic World sets, 75939 Dr. Wu’s Lab: Baby Dinosaurs Breakout speaks for itself. This medium-priced set comes with 164 pieces and includes two minifigures and two adorable dinosaurs. Let’s build it and see if these sweethearts are worth the set’s price tag of US $19.99 | CAN $29.99 | UK £17.99.

Click here to read the review…

LEGO reveals Seinfeld, Home Alone and a working typewriter will become next fan-inspired Ideas sets [News]

LEGO Ideas has revealed that three fan-submitted projects will become official sets including a mechanical typewriter and two sets based on TV and film properties Seinfeld and Home Alone. The three projects were chosen from a selection of 12 submissions to the LEGO Ideas platform between September 2019 and January 2020 which achieved 10,000 supporters. Notable brands not chosen as future LEGO sets include Zelda, Futurama and Ratatouille.

Get a closer look at the three new upcoming LEGO Ideas sets.

First look at LEGO Technic Summer 2020 sets [News]

As reported by our friends at Brickset, the June-December German consumer catalog brings us the first official images of three new LEGO Technic sets. LEGO collaborates with Volvo once again for this summer flagship 42114 6×6 Volvo Articulated Hauler, which is equipped with the new large angular motor from SPIKE Prime. The other two products, 42113 Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey and 42112 Cement Mixer are smaller but look very playable, nevertheless. All three sets shall be available starting August 1. Regional prices are yet to be announced.

42114 6×6 Volvo Articulated Hauler | DE €249,99

Click here for the images of the new sets…

LEGO’s new adult product strategy: Why LEGO is retiring Creator Expert [Feature]

It’s not a secret that LEGO is not just for kids. Adults and even seniors all around the world build LEGO sets with their kids and grandkids, as well as themselves. For many, the hobby of building with plastic bricks is one of the few ways to escape the stress of the modern world. In its pursuit of new consumers, LEGO has recently announced that it is making some considerable changes to its portfolio, including retiring particular themes that have historically been popular with adult builders and collectors. One of the adult-oriented product lines that LEGO has announced that it is retiring is the LEGO Creator Expert theme. However, that doesn’t mean that LEGO sets for adults are going away.

The Brothers Brick participated in a discussion with Genevieve Capa Cruz, Audience Marketing Strategist Director within the LEGO Company’s Product Group Marketing team, to learn more about the new LEGO Adult Portfolio, focused on the 18+ audience. Genevieve told us about the barriers that the new approach is set to overcome and the changes to the products that we can already see in several lineups.

Click here to continue reading…

The iconic Wooden Duck is the next LEGO House exclusive set [News]

As reported by Brickset today, the collection of the LEGO House exclusive sets is about to get one set bigger with the release of the next limited edition product, 40501 The Wooden Duck. The original wooden LEGO duck was designed in the 1930s, and since then has become one of the main symbols of the toy manufacturer.

It is safe to assume that the new set will be available only in the LEGO House brand store once it is open again from June 22. Meanwhile, you can build your own copy of the set using the building guide available online directly from LEGO.

The new Wooden Duck exclusive set is the next in the series of LEGO House exclusive sets, which started with 21037 LEGO House set in 2017 and was continued with 4000026 LEGO House Tree of Creativity and 40366 LEGO House Dinosaurs. However, this is not the first LEGO building set commemorating the bird. Another one was gifted to the company employees back in 2011 as 2011 Duck.

Behind the scenes of Brick Sketches: An interview with LEGO designer Chris McVeigh [Feature]

Last week, we had a chance to talk to Chris McVeigh, the designer of the new Brick Sketches series. Chris developed the concept of Brick Sketches long before joining the LEGO Group last year. Now he tells us more about his first major release as a LEGO designer.

Read our interview with LEGO Brick Sketches designer Chris McVeigh

Three new Powered Up Technic hubs and motors will be available from LEGO in June [News]

LEGO is releasing three new individuals Powered Up components nest week. according to a post published by the design team. Until now, the LEGO Technic Powered Up components have only been available to buy as part of the sets, like 76112 App-Controlled Batmobile, LEGO City trains 60197 and 60198, or LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader, and many builders have been interested in having the electronic components available to be sold separately–especially with sets like the new 10237 Haunted House having optional motorized abilities.

The three Powered Up components will be available June 1st from LEGO, so keep an eye out for our New LEGO Set Guide for June coming out soon. Prices range from USD $40 to $90.