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

LEGO Annual Results 2017: first annual sales decline in 13 years [News]

This morning in Billund, The LEGO Group has presented its full year financial results for 2017. Unfortunately, not everything is awesome for the Danish toymaker: the company has reported a decline in revenue and operating profit. Revenues declined 7 percent; global consumer sales remain flat.

Here are the highlights of the presentation:

Revenue for the full year decreased by 8 percent to DKK 35.0 billion compared with DKK 37.9 billion in 2016. Excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange, revenue for the full year declined 7 percent compared with 2016.
Operating profit (profit before financial items and tax) for 2017 was DKK 10.4 billion compared with DKK 12.4 billion for 2016, a decrease of 17 percent year on year.
Net profit for the full year was DKK 7.8 billion compared with DKK 9.4 billion in 2016.
Cash flow from operating activities for the year was DKK 10.7 billion compared with DKK 9.1 billion in 2016.
Decline in revenue was driven in part by clean-up of inventories across the value chain. Global consumer sales were flat and trended upwards in the final months of 2017.

First sustainable LEGO bricks will be launched in 2018 [News]

Being one of the most innovative and progressive toy manufacturers in the world, The LEGO Group is constantly looking for news of improving the manufacturing process and making it cleaner. Today it was announced that the production of the new plant-bases plastic elements sourced from sugarcane has been already started and LEGO botanical elements such as leaves and bushes made from sustainably sources plastic will appear in LEGO sets this year.

Click here to read the full press release

Explore Endor, Jakku and Hoth driving one these brilliant motion sculptures

The Star Wars saga is all about two things – machines and locations. Of course, some may say it’s also about the Force, family relationship and friendship, but none of this would work without iconic spacecrafts and mesmerizing sceneries. Chris McVeigh reveals a very special collection of three vignettes featuring our favourite pieces of machinery. But what is absolutely cool about these builds is that each of them has a motion feature, which brings an AT-ST, the Millenium Falcon and an AT-AT to life with a simple turn of the crank.

Click here to see this adorable collection of moving models!

The new 4000026 LEGO House Tree of Creativity set is yet another reason to visit Billund [News]

Tomorrow marks 5 months since the day the LEGO House opened its doors for all LEGO fans and their families. Back in September this amazing venue surprised us with the biggest LEGO creation is the world – a gigantic Tree of Creativity built of 6.3 million LEGO Bricks. Now you can get your own small scale Tree with 4000026 LEGO House Tree of Creativity set announced today. The 837-piece set will be available exclusively to the visitors of the LEGO Store in LEGO House in Billund. The set will retail for 599 DKK ($99 USD) on March, 1st. But hurry up! Only 10.000 copies of the set will be produced!

Learn more about the new Billund exclusive set…

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for February 18, 2018 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the third week of February 2018, which was marked by one of the biggest global events in the toy industry, the New York Toy Fair 2018.

TBB LEGO SET ANNOUNCEMENTS: LEGO revealed a whole bunch of new sets, from Star Wars to Jurassic World and from the Avengers to Harry Potter. Which are you most excited about?

LEGO Harry Potter returns with Hogwarts Great Hall — LEGO announced an entirely new line of sets based on the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film series, coming August 1st.
LEGO Jurassic World: Fallen Kindom sets — Dinosaurs are making a comeback this year, and we have your first look at every set from the upcoming blockbuster, Duplo included!
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes UCS Hulkbuster — We just can’t wait to review this jaw-dropping Hulkbuster set, available soon on March 3.
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers Infinity War sets — Six new sets to be released this Spring have so many Marvel superheroes that it’s impossible to choose just one set!
LEGO Star Wars 75212 Kessel Run Millennium Falcon — The 1,414 piece set comes with a young Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, a new female character called Qi’ra and a Kessel droid, available in stores on April 20.
LEGO Powerpuff Girls theme and minifigures — The LEGO Powerpuff Girls theme will consist of at least two sets available in August.
LEGO M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC rally car and 1968 Mustang Fastback — The new LEGO Speed Champions M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC rally car and 1968 Mustang Fastback will be available in March.

TBB NEW YORK TOY FAIR COVERAGE: We are coming to you live from the New York Toy Fair. Read all of our hands-on coverage about the LEGO sets coming to a store near you this spring.

LEGO Star Wars Spring 2018 sets – Besides the Millennium Falcon, several other sets will be available this spring including buildable figures and even new LEGO Star Wars merchandise.
LEGO BrickHeadz Go Brick Me – What would you look like as a LEGO BrickHeadz? This 708-piece set will help you build a custom version of yourself, glasses included.
LEGO Ninjago Boost Expansion set – Make your sets move with BOOST capabilities that integrate into sets, bring them to life with movement.
LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 18 Party Figures – Join the party and celebrate the 40th birthday of the LEGO minifigure! Cakes, balloons and a nostalgia are guaranteed.
LEGO Star Wars Kessell Run Millennium Falcon – The iconic Falcon looks just awesome in white and blue. Have a closer look at the new flagship set coming out this spring.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes UCS Hulkbuster – Hulk doesn’t stand a chance against this amazing mech of dark red and gold.
LEGO Jurassic World sets – Which is your favorite dinosaur? Because there are many new dinos in LEGO form to choose from!
LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall – Harry Potter is back and better than ever, with new pieces galore. We get a close look at an in-progress model in New York.
Wrap-up from LEGO’s booth at Toy Fair New York 2018 – We take a look back at the news stemming from the Toy Fair and give you a sneak peek into the on-site festivities.

TBB REVIEWS, NEWS AND INSTRUCTIONS: After a very busy week of set announcements, we have our latest TBB reviews and instructions for you for your building enjoyment.

Review of LEGO BOOST 17101 Creative Toolbox – Read our detailed review of LEGO BOOST and see why it was awarded the 2017 Toy of the Year Award.
Review of the LEGO Technic 42077 Rally Car – The new Technic Rally Car has surprised us with its fresh look and very enjoyable build.
Minifigure hairstyles – which styles were a cut above the rest in 2017? – Step inside LEGO’s minifigure hair salon to take a look back at some of the more interesting styles of 2017.
LEGO 40235 Year of the Dog free with orders of $88 or more – LEGO has launched their third February freebie, offering this brick-built Shiba-inu in honor of the Lunar New Year.
Build your own motorized Technic bus– This Technic bus has everything a proper bus included, functioning doors, engine and steering, all motorised!
Instruction to build your own blue Valentine rose — A creative approach to using the transparent parts of the LEGO Ideas 21313 Ship in a Bottle could get you a little V-Day love.
Ultimate LEGO Star Wars author events in Seattle Feb 23 & 24 — The Brothers Brick managing editors Chris Malloy and Andrew Becraft will be presenting insights and observations about 19 years of LEGO Star Wars at two events in Seattle later this week.
Solo: A Star Wars Story character movie posters in LEGO — The graphic designers at LEGO have created character posters for four of the main characters in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

OTHER NEWS: There were a few other LEGO news articles from varying places around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:
Click here to see how LEGOs make these drones fly

LEGO Star Wars 75212 Kessel Run Millennium Falcon finally revealed [News]

LEGO has finally reveled first official pictures of the biggest set of the Solo: A Star Wars Story line-up – a brilliant 75212 Kessel Run Millennium Falcon. The 1,414 piece set comes with a young Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, a new female character called Qi’ra and a Kessel droid, along with two additional characters that LEGO isn’t revealing to avoid spoilers. This stunning white and blue version of the fastest piece of garbage in the whole Galaxy has a price tag of $169.99 and will be available in stores on April 20.

Click here to see the rest of picture including the minifgures!

LEGO Technic 42077 Rally Car [Review]

Cars are the very essence of the LEGO Technic philosophy. Supercars, buggies, Formula 1 cars or wild futuristic concepts — there’s no car you can’t build with LEGO Technic pieces. And it’s not just about the design, but also about the models’ functionality; any car can be equipped with a gear box or all-wheel drive. This season 42077 Rally Car hits the store shelves — an amazingly well-balanced set that can serve both as a brilliant display model or as a very clever choice for anyone who’s just getting to know the world of Technic mechanisms. The set consists of 1005 pieces and retails for $109.99 / 99.99€ / £89.99.

Click here to read our review of the set…

Dashing through the snow in a old rusty tram

The month of February has already brought to Moscow, Russia about 10 inches of snow — and it doesn’t seem to stop snowing! Talented Moscow-based toy photographer brickexplorer captures the mood of the frosty night just perfectly; the whole scene in the picture looks extremely cozy in the warm light of the old tram’s headlights. According to the description of the photo the snow piles are made of baking soda, which is a perfect tip for any LEGO toy photographer.

Always bee creative!

The new beehive piece, which appeared this January in a couple of the new City police sets, was wholeheartedly approved by LEGO fans. Its simple shape is instantly recognizable, yet it has some great potential for truly creative applications. Grantmasters starts exploring the new piece with this amazing little bee — and the beehive piece looks just fantastic here. By the way, the fairy wings piece contributes a lot to the bee’s adorable character.

All small cars are not built equal

Ralph Savelsberg, whose collection of brick-built vehicles includes dozens of retro and contemporary exhibits, never stops perfecting his masterpieces. Even the new Beetle by Volkswagen, which Ralph had originally built 10 years ago, has recently got a makeover.

Thanks to the new curved LEGO slopes and tiles, the new Beetle has become a lot curvier. And the new 1×1 round tile with a VW logo print borrowed right from 10252 Volkswagen Beetle (VW Beetle) set sits just perfectly on the models bonnet. Here’s what the car looked like 10 years ago:

2018 LEGO Speed Champions sets revealed [News]

Fasten your seat belts for the first images of the new 2018 LEGO Speed Champions sets! These sets, unveiled on the website of a major UK retailer, include new cars by Ford, Ferrari and Porsche. Particularly notable are the rally championship cars like the Ford Fiesta M-Sport, as well as Italian classics like the Ferrari 488 GT3 “Ferrari Corsa” supercar.

75888 Speed Champions Porsche 911 RSR & 911 TURBO 3.0
391 pieces, £34.99

Get set to race the LEGO Speed Champions Porsche 911 RSR and 911 Turbo 3.0 cars, with a pit wall, race-position board, lap counter, checkered flag element and 3 minifigures.

See the rest of the awesome vehicles in the 2018 LEGO Speed Champions line