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

The Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2022: Giffen Gardens by Kimberly Giffen [News]

If every LEGO creation is a journey, The Brothers Brick team of editors and contributors have made thousands of them during 2022. From bizarre distant planets to heartwarming personal stories, each build is its own world — yet build with the very same LEGO bricks. And when debating and voting on the most best creation, the most memorable one, our team unanimously found themselves longing for something serene, calm and restful. Among the brilliant eight creations on this year’s shortlist, it is Kimberly Giffen who stole our hearts. Her enchanting Giffen Gardens is The Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2022.

Click to see more photos of the LEGO Creation of the Year 2022

Shortlist announced for The Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2022 [News]

The end of the year is one very special time for The Brothers Brick staff, and we get to recall all of our most favourite builds of the year. This year’s shortlist turned out to be a fascinating showcase of LEGO fans’ insane talent. It was insanely hard to limit it to somewhat fathomable about of builds, but we did our best and pulled together our selection of the best LEGO creations of 2022 for our sevenths annual LEGO Creation of the Year award.

Take a look at the fantastic models we’ve shortlisted, and stay tuned for the announcement of our LEGO Creation of the Year 2022 on New Year’s Eve!

Be sure to check out the LEGO Creation of the Year 2021, LEGO Creation of the Year 2020, LEGO Creation of the Year 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016 to see what honourable company this year’s nominations are keeping.

Click to see all of 2022’s nominees

As the bricks melt...

Melting bricks is a truly charming genre. It’s exactly on the border of casual LEGO building and art. And just like an artist, Andreas Lenander paints the new scene with just a touch of colours and a pair of mysterious figures. Is a first contact? Are they from the same universe? And what will happen next? From time to time we need a LEGO creation that leaves us with more questions than answers, and this is exactly one.

The beginning...prism

Lotus 97/T

This LEGO version of the iconic Lotus 97/T by Robson M is so good, you don’t want to come up with a witty title for the post. If you are not familiar with Formula 1 history, this is the car Ayrton Senna raced to win his first ever Formula 1 victory back in 1985. Back then racing cars were smaller and the designs were much simpler, with less aerodynamic elements. Maybe it’s the choice of LEGO elements, but there’s something in this build as if it was straight from that epoch. Neat execution of stickers is a massive bonus, along with tiny bevel LEGO Technic gears inside the wheels. What a lovely touch!

Lotus 97/T

Not your ordinary Amazon truck

Experts know that delivery isn’t just about time. It’s also about style. And by looking at the colossal MAN TGX41.540 8×4/4 by Dennis Bosman, it’s easy to see: this truck is made for premium delivery experience. Let me save you some time and say that there are 14 wheel axles with 54 wheels on, and most of them are capable of steering.

E-house on transport

And although the truck is the true star here, I can’t help but enjoying the enormous trailer. I love its clean look possible thanks to the scale, but there is quite a number of great building solutions for this utility look. And, of course, it looks awesome with any cargo on it.

MAN TGX "Van der Vlist"

LEGO Ideas first 2022 review results [News]

Today, LEGO Ideas revealed the results of the first review of 2022. Not one, not two, but four projects got approved, promising a stunning lineup of sets later in 2023 and 2024.

More on this fan-designed set below

A trophy that deserves a trophy

If you are a fan of big building competitions enjoyed by the global LEGO community, you don’t want to miss Brickscalibur starting next week. And if the very idea of competing side by side with the best LEGO builders isn’t enough, just look at what Markus Rollbühler has to offer! This cute orc is a custom-built trophy promised to one of the winners, and it’s such a neat build. I wonder why Markus sent it to some icy territories, but with these fancy boots and pants this orc is a star on the battlefield.

Brickscalibur 2022 Trophy: The Orc Warrior

When you want to build a Castle, but you only have pieces in white

Castles and knights are cool, but they are not the only ones who need impressive fortresses. What about grenadiers? These guys know a thing about pretty fortified buildings. Ayrlego and Evancelt Lego combine their love for historical-era creations to collaborate on a couple of sweet-looking military buildings. First, Arylego recreated the grenadiers’ parades outside their barracks in the Corlander settlement of Queenston. And it’s the massive corner tower that reminded me of the classic LEGO castles! In white, it looks stunning, bringing us to a very different place and era (compared to fantasy).

Grenadier Barracks, Queenston

Meanwhile, Evancelt Lego goes with a different layout for his armory but sticks to the distinctive architectural style of the barracks. It took me a moment to notice a totally unique design for trees: they fit so well, I nearly left them unnoticed. And, of course, the combination of various shades of yellow and orange on the walls is so good. The weathering effects bring these builds to a whole new level.

Armory, Queenston - Overview

Sentient Automated Planetary Explorer

There’s nothing equally amusing as a well-written background story for a cool goofy-looking LEGO build. This seemingly silly robot by Bart De Dobbelaer actually comes with hilarious story. Still, I’m more impressed with the building techniques! The face inside a transparent box from a LEGO VIDIYO set is a gem, but maybe its funny legs or neat landscape will impress you more..?

Sentient Automated Planetary Explorer

If you need me I’ll be in the garage

Say what you will, but fall is the best seasons for road trips. And since every trip starts from the garage door, Canadian LEGO fan and builder Jean-Philippe Leroux opens for us the doors of his newest build. Apart from perfect autumn mood of the corner, the build allured me with just perfect amount of weathering: a sheet of old newspaper in the window, dry grass, and some old rubbish by the windows. What a beauty!

The garage

But it becomes really cozy when you look inside the garage! With the wall swung open, the garage reveals “perfectly cluttered” interior full of neatest elements. What official sets does it remind you about?

The garage

If you are not hunting you become a prey

Did you notice how a bunch of building techniques can give a mech a character? This new build by Canadian LEGO fan and builder Student Scissors is a perfect example. Titled Dark Hunter Lariska, it instantly gives hunting vibes: its posture, carefully matched weapons, and even the visor on a pointy head — it just all work together really well. And, oh boy, the head comes straight from retro Robo Riders theme. If only this huntress had some wheels..!

Dark Hunter Lariska

Crouching motorcycle, hidden dragon

Joey Klusnick doesn’t let old DUPLO pieces take up space in his collection with no purpose. Instead of getting rid of them, he mixes DUPLO stuff with a modern best-selling theme, like Ninjago. The result is hilarious: now, it’s Lloyd’s newest vehicle/weapon. It might have no claws, teeth or wings, but it’s extremely swooshable. Just look at these wheels!

Duplo Motorcycle