Posts by Theo Spencer

Who says LEGO gold is hard to build from?

We often talk on this website about how hard it is to make LEGO creations out of gold. Not literal gold, obviously, although presumably that is also quite difficult. Goldsmiths, get in touch and let us know. No, gold-coloured LEGO bricks have traditionally been limited to just a few select parts, making it quite hard to build anything substantial out of them. Not that you’d know that from looking at Joe Lam‘s hall of armours! These 12 sacred Cloths form a key part of the manga and anime Saint Seiya, and are all based on the zodiac signs. Joe’s build represents each one superbly! Can you spot them all?

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

The second bird catches the fish – after it’s been rebuilt

Just because Sakiya Watanabe has been nominated for our LEGO Creation of the Year, doesn’t mean he’s going to rest on his laurels! And just to reinforce that dedication to improving his craft, here he presents an updated version of the bald eagle we featured 10 months back. We were full of praise at the time, but Sakiya wasn’t satisfied. The curse of the perfectionist! In case you can’t spot the differences, they include an updated tail, water splash and head. The photo angle also appears to have been carefully selected to better hide some of the underlying structure. There is one thing that hasn’t changed, however. We’re just as awe-struck this time around!

Shortlist announced for TBB’s Builder of the Year 2025 [News]

By now, you will have seen our shortlist for our annual Creation of the Year award. What?! You haven’t? Well head on over here to see it! It’s one thing to create one, year-defining build. It’s another thing entirely to consistently hit such heady heights in multiple builds over the course of a year. That’s what our Builder of the Year award celebrates!

This might be someone whose builds were just too good not to feature over and over again (think last year’s winner, Maxx Davidson). They might have achieved success in other spheres, such as winning contests (Jonas Kramm won his Iron Builder round in 2017) or gaining LEGO Ideas sets (Sandro Quattrini, 2021). Or perhaps they showed growth, taking their builds to new heights like Dicken Liu did in 2023. What will set our 2025 winner apart? Take a look at our shortlist and cast your vote in the comments!

Continue reading →

TBB’s best and worst sets of 2025 [Feature]

We at the Brothers Brick got through quite a lot of LEGO this year. We had 81 reviews penned by both in-house and guest writers, and that’s not even counting the sets we bought of our own volition! As you know, we’re an opinionated bunch. We all have our favourites: LEGO kits that wowed us with new parts, interesting techniques, or just downright charm. On the other hand, you can’t win them all, and there were a fair few duds this year too. We’ve listed some of our picks for both categories below. Agree or disagree? Tell us in the comments! What were your most and least favourite sets from 2025?

Let’s get the bad out the way first, shall we?

Continue reading →

Shortlist announced for TBB’s Creation of the Year 2025 [News]

We love writing about the amazing LEGO models that people create. In fact, we’ve done it nearly 750 times over the course of the past year! Remember any of them? Well, you can always look through our MOC repository if not. But to help you out, we’re going to take a look at some of the absolute finest creations to have appeared in 2025. Of this shortlist, one will be crowned TBB’s Creation of the Year. What are the rules? Apart from the fact it should be made of LEGO – anything goes! Big or small, Nice Parts Use or emotional impact… All that matters is that it’s made an impression, both on us staff at TBB Towers and on you, our wonderful readers!

Take a look at our nominees below. Pick out your favourite, or let us know what we’ve missed!

Continue reading →

This LEGO spaceship looks good from every angle – as long as it’s not the one with its guns pointed at you

When LEGO phenom Nick Trotta comes out with a new spaceship, we sit up and take note. Not least because more often than not they come equipped with great honking guns which we don’t want to get in the way of. We’re only watching out for ourselves, you know. But it does give us a chance to take a good look at the complex angles and mechanical details that have become Nick’s signature. And my word it looks fantastic.

Step this way to see more of this angular awesomeness!

LEGO Star Wars 75441 Venator-Class Attack Cruiser [Review]

Now I’m not going to claim any particular powers of manifesting. But when I reviewed 75404 Acclamator-Class Assault Ship, I mentioned that a Venator would make a great match for the existing Invisible Hand set. Fast-forward two years, and what comes across my reviewing desk? Why, 75441 Venator-Class Attack Cruiser, coming next January 1! You’re welcome, Venator fans. And there are many of you – so this set should be quite the hit. With 643 pieces and pre-orderable (is that a word? It is now) for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £69.99, it’s certainly a bit of a hit to the wallet. (Prices may be slightly friendlier on third-party sites such as Amazon or eBay after general release). But price-per-piece isn’t everything, so let’s see how the venerable Venator stacks up!

LEGO Star Wars 75441 Venator-Class Attack Cruiser | 643 Pieces | Available January 1, 2026; Pre-orders open now | US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £69.99

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.

Continue reading →

Time for an adventure in the Brickscalibur contest

Ah, Brickscalibur. A yearly contest featuring LEGO castles, knights and princesses. So loads of greys and browns, right? Not so, says Jack McKeen! This castle is from a familiar fantastical realm, specifically the Adventure Time universe. Hey, no-one said it had to be a real castle! The sculpting of the scene around Jake, Finn and the princesses Lumpy Space and Bubblegum is really nice. But I’m drawn to the character pledging allegiance to the latter, and at this point my AT knowledge runs out. Is it Huntress Wizard? Whoever it is, it looks as good as it does precarious. I’ll be making a mental note of that lever-into-skeleton-arm connection!

LEGO Star Wars 75440 AT-AT: Super little stomper [Review]

When is a starship not a starship? Why, when it’s part of the LEGO Star Wars Starship Collection, of course. This line of statues has given us plenty of microscale versions of larger ships from the galaxy far, far away. So far, they have all been true to the sub-theme’s name; but coming out next January 1 is 75440 AT-AT – decidedly not a starship! No matter, though. It should still make for a nice little model. Pre-orders are open now with an asking price US $64.99 | CAN $84.99 | UK £54.99; third-party sellers like Amazon or eBay might also have it available after general release. At 525 pieces, it’s one of the smallest versions of this walker LEGO has ever released as a stand-alone set. But size, as Yoda tells us, matters not…

LEGO Star Wars 75440 AT-AT | 525 Pieces | Available January 1, 2026; Pre-orders open now |US $64.99 | CAN $84.99 | UK £54.99

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.

Judge it by its size, do we? Click here to find out if that’s the case!

LEGO Star Wars 75452 BB-8: aren’t you a little small for a droid? [Review]

It’s a question that’s been on my mind ever since I saw Star Wars: the Force Awakens. Not who Rey’s parents were, or why the Death Star is the size of a planet now. I still wonder: when BB-8 flicks his little flame in response to Finn’s thumbs-up, is he giving a thumbs-up back? Or is he giving a slightly ruder gesture? We may never know. What we can figure out is which response a LEGO version of the droid will elicit. 75452 BB-8 Astromech Droid marks the second LEGO iteration of this roundest of droids, and is considerably smaller than the 2017 model with a part count of 569. Pre-orders can be made now for US $89.99 | CAN $119.99 | UK £79.99, with a general release date of January 1. Other sellers across the galaxy may have it too, such as Amazon or eBay. Let’s get the ball rolling on this review!

LEGO Star Wars 75452 BB-8 Astromech Droid | 569 Pieces | Available January 1, 2026; pre-orders open now | US $89.99 | CAN $119.99 | UK £79.99

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.

Continue reading →

LEGO Ninjago 71858 Four Weapons Blacksmith: Ninjago-ing back to where it all began [Review]

Nearly 15 years ago, LEGO launched a new line of action-themed sets in a theme called Ninjago. At the time it was expected to be much like other themes of the time, with a run of two to three years. As it turned out, it was successful beyond even LEGO’s own expectations – and the theme is now a beloved mainstay of their current catalogue. At least part of Ninjago’s success can be attributed to the accompanying TV series, the pilot episodes for which were broadcast in January 2011. In an apt celebration of this anniversary, January 1, 2026 sees the release of 71858 Four Weapons Blacksmith. 1,259 pieces make up the place where the Ninjago story started – yours for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99. Let’s look at it together and go back to the beginning – long before time had a name…

LEGO Ninjago 71858 Four Weapons Blacksmith | 1,259 Pieces | Available January 1, 2026 |US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | 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.

Continue reading →

Shop ’til you drop at LEGO’s newest modular: 11371 Shopping Street [News]

Done your Christmas shopping yet, folks? Not me – I’d forgotten until pretty much just now that I should probably get on that. My reminder came courtesy of LEGO’s latest set announcement: a new shopping destination in the ever-growing and ever-popular Modular Buildings series. 11371 Shopping Street includes, as the name suggests, small-s LEGO stores selling furniture and musical instruments. The distinctive design features two buildings, connected on the second floor, with an alley between. Its 3,456 pieces will set you back US $249.99 | CAN $349.99 | UK £229.99 in your next shopping spree. Jake will be back shortly with our full review.

During the first few days the set goes on sale, a Vintage Parade Car gift with purchase is also included. The accompanying banner describes the “Annual Silly Hats Parade”, which s0unds fun! Sometimes the Modular GWPs come back in other promotions, but to secure a copy, your best bet is to purchase the set at release.

LEGO Icons 11371 Shopping Street| 3,456 Pieces | Available January 4, 2026 | US $249.99 | CAN $349.99 | UK £229.99

Continue reading →