Posts by Theo Spencer

Red Bull Racing mech gives you leeegs!

Zane Houston is something of a LEGO mech expert (a mechspert, if you will. You won’t? OK, fair enough). So after getting his hands on a couple of LEGO’s new Speed Champions F1 cars, the only natural conclusion was an epic racing mech! The long, spindly legs just ooze speed, and the wheels at the base are a nice touch. Zane has made deft use of the myriad printed and stickered pieces as well. Some replicate their original function – the rear wing elements, for instance – while others, like the nose cone, find a use in some futuristic-looking shaping. It doesn’t feel right to call something like this a walker – a runner feels much more appropriate!

Oracle Red Bull F1 Sprinter

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A first-CLAAS future forestry machine

It’s surely only a matter of time before we get walkers everywhere, right? Not the militarised type that you might be familiar with from other LEGO sci-fi builds. I’m talking about the more day-to-day tasks that they would be helpful with – like logging. David Roberts knows what I mean. He’s given us a neat brick-built vision of the future of forestry. Despite its clear futuristic tech, there’s plenty here for us mere present-dwellers to latch on to. There’s the Claas livery, of course, but that arm is also inspired by real-life manipulators (and is a great likeness for them, too). The shaping of the machine is also reminiscent of some modern heavy machinery. You know, apart from the legs.

CLAAS Forestry Harvester

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Don’t look at this clever LEGO build if you have aibohphobia!

What’s aibohphobia, you ask? Well, it’s an unofficial fear of palindromes – words that read the same once they are reversed. If you’ve read this far, I’m assuming you don’t suffer from it, as the observant among will have noticed that aibohphobia is itself a palindrome. Therefore, it’s safe to show you this LEGO Taco-cat built by TBB favourite Nathan Don! As well as being adorable, it’s a build that’s absolutely chockablock with clever parts use — and some very niche ones at that. The lettuce and taco itself are made from Scala parts, while the minifig hair for minced beef is inspired, too. And the cherry on the cake? This build is made of a very palindromic 101 parts!

TACOCAT

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Check out this superb sculpture of Star Wars’ modern-day superstar

Ahsoka seems to be in everything these days. She first appeared in the Clone Wars, and has since popped up in Rebels, the Mandalorian, the Book of Boba Fett, her eponymous live-action series… And now, thanks to Daniel Jackson, she’s in our LEGO feeds! It’s certainly a welcome appearance, as this bust is wonderfully sculpted. There’s great use of texture (the studs of her cloak contrasting with the smooth texture of her skin), and some choice part use (the dark blue cones are the perfect part for the tip of the montrals). But the star of the show is surely the patterns on the Togruta’s face. It’s deceptively simple, being achieved mostly thanks to layers of wedge plates. But man, it looks so good!

Ahsoka

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“No... Your father, I am”

Now, my memory is not what it used to be. Heck, only last week I found a LEGO set I forgot that I stashed in the bathroom (don’t ask). And although I recall Yoda, Dagobah, and “I am your father” from The Empire Strikes Back, I’m not sure Grogu was there… But ABrickDreamer (whom you may recognize from our This Week in Bricks features) has recreated this scene from the movie, and there Grogu is, so I must be misremembering. How did no-one pick up on that at the time? He’s even called Baby Yoda! Come to think of it, wasn’t there a Mandalorian in that movie, too…?

I Am Your Father

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LEGO motorization from an era of steam mechanisation

I love seeing old ideas for things that never got beyond the prototype stage. That’s particularly true from the early age of mechanisation – crazy ideas like steam cars or balloon ships look more like steampunk fiction than reality. Take this steam tractor, built by LEGO builder Nikolaus Löwe. Nikolaus is no stranger to sci-fi creations, and indeed that’s what I figured this was. It looks very functional, and yet like nothing I’ve ever really seen… And yet, it was real! This is a model of an early Hornsby steam tractor, of which only one was ever made. The model itself was not a commercial success, by all accounts, but early prototypes did result in the tracks being dubbed ‘caterpillar’ tracks on account of their caterpillar-like motion. Indeed, the Hornsby firm would eventually morph into the company we know as Caterpillar today.

Hornsby Steam Crawler

Oh, and speaking of motion – see all those functional-looking gears and Technic axles? They’re not just for show, you know! There’s a great video showing off all the tractor’s functions, including an impressive differential steering mechanism – check it out!

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A trip to Mongolia, via north London

It’s funny what parts of your life LEGO creations can remind you of. Here, we have a Mongolian Ger (or yurt, as we in the Western world might call it), as built by qian yj. Now it’s a fine build: the barren landscape of the steppes contrasts nicely with the colourful tent that these minifigures call home. And yet, rather than being transported to Mongolia, my mind takes me to university accommodation somewhere north of London. For some reason, my flatmates and I had taken to loudly playing Mongolian throat singing outside each other’s doors at inconvenient times. This led to scenarios as hilarious as the music is enchanting. And it puts a smile on my face even now. Thanks for jogging my memory, Qian!

Mongolian Ger

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LEGO by the Numbers: LEGO Group announces 2024 financial results [News]

As is customary around this time of year, the LEGO Group has provided an update on its finances having crunched the numbers for 2024. Following on from 2023’s solid foundation, the Danish toymaker continued its expansion, growing market share despite the continued contraction of the global toy market. As a result, both revenue and operating profit saw increases year-on-year to record levels, by 13% to 74.3bDKK, and 10% t0 18.7bDKK, respectively. There was also strong growth on the sustainability front: the share of sustainable and sustainably-sourced materials more than doubled in 2024. For more in-depth information, and a word from LEGO Group CEO Neils B Christiansen, read their press release after the jump!

Continue reading →

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Charizard, I choose you (as my backup option)

I’m always going to be a fan of the Squirtle-Wartortle-Blastoise line from the Pokémon games. But even then, I can’t deny that the coolest of the final 3 evolutions has to be Charizard. Daniel BrickSon has recreated the fire-type ‘mon in LEGO form, performing its signature Flamethrower move. The fire looks excellent, the yellow and red a great approximation of the 2D anime styling. And Charizard itself is fab, too, making use of many arch pieces in orange and teal to craft its 3D form. It makes me want to pick up my Game Boy to play Pokémon Red all over again… Oh hey, Daniel built one of those, too! (I’m still picking Squirtle, though.)

Charizard

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LEGO Icons 10353 Williams FW14B & Nigel Mansell: “And colossally, that’s LEGO Mansell!” [Review & Exclusive Designer Insights]

Modern Formula One cars are fantastically complex beasts. And yet, if you ask hardcore F1 fans what the most technologically advanced car ever is, there’s a good chance they will plump for one from 1992. The Williams FW14B is famous for enjoying its technological superiority over its rivals, with traction control and active suspension among its many innovations. This icon of 1990s F1 is now getting an official LEGO set, alongside its most famous pilot, in the form of 10353 Williams Racing FW14B & Nigel Mansell. With an RRP of US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £69.99, this 799-piece kit can be pre-ordered now ahead of its general release on March 1st. (You might also see it on eBay or Amazon thereafter.)

Our editor-in-chief Andrew Becraft visited Billund last year to talk to LEGO Icons designer (and LEGO Masters Australia victor) Gus McLaren about this set ahead of its release. So you can expect to see some interesting bits of information sprinkled throughout this review. (A shout-out too to Nicole, AKA GirlBricksALot, for joining Andrew in the interview and backing him up with some specialist F1 knowledge!)

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 here to read our review of this legendary racer!

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LEGO Speed Champions 77242 – 77251 Formula One car collection: is this peak Speed Champions? [Review]

Next week, the Formula One teams will emerge from their bases and hit the track for the first time in almost three months, with pre-season testing preceding the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. What better time, then, for LEGO to launch not one, not two, not even three – but 10 (yes, count them, ten!) F1 cars than on March 1st? These form part of a wider tie-in between the Danish brick company and the world’s premier motorsport series. All ten current constructors are represented, and with part counts ranging between 242 and 275, they can be pre-ordered now with an RRP of US $26.99 | CAN $34.99 | UK £22.99 each. On the surface, they all appear very similar – but are they? Will one stand out to take the chequered flag ahead of all the others? Or will the racing margins be too tight to call a winner? Read on as we build all 10 to find out!

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click here to race through our review!

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.

Sand-red is dead! Long live sand-red!

I really like obscure LEGO colours. That includes things like aqua, neon yellow and chrome (and once upon a time, teal, which is the best colour as we all know). But by virtue of their scarcity, they rarely pop up in custom creations. So when TBB Alum Carter Baldwin‘s sand-red mech came across my desk, I was sure it was a digital creation. Not so! This is a bona fide in-the-brick build, using parts that Carter slowly accumulated over the years – apparently, the parts you see here are almost his entire collection. On the one hand, that means we won’t see many more builds in this colour palette; but on the other, it makes this one that little bit more special!

Soviet T-177 Mobile Frame

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