Posts by Theo Spencer

Take a break in this courtyard of calm

Hot on the heels of one great immersive Arabic LEGO scene, comes another courtesy of Ids de Jong. Although made on a slightly smaller scale, it shares some similarities in scope, giving us a view into the courtyards that are so typical of this style of architecture. The arch pieces framing the entrance immediately set the tone for where we are, and the minarets and towers in the background employ forced perspective to give the impression that we’re somewhere in a bustling city. And that’s all great – but what my eye is drawn to is that mosaic at the front. It uses some clever LEGO geometry: the ridges on those inverted slopes are a half-plate thick, which combines with two more plates to give the exact width of the tiles on the corners!

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Prepare to meet thy (map) maker!

Some of the best LEGO builds are the ones that not only have a story behind them, but that subvert expectations somewhat. Now I’m not talking about all the Nice Parts Use (NPU) in Eli Willsea‘s little vignette – although it is absolutely chock full of it. A wrench is used as a very sturdy-looking door handle, doors make for an elegant staircase, and candles mimic scrolls on shelves made out of Duplo elements. The bucket handles shoved into lever bases for the bookstand are cool too. This creation is titled “Madeline the Map Maker”, but is that really all she is? Look how brooding this place is… The dark red evokes something a little sinister to me. And it’s not helped by Madeline’s black robes. Perhaps we should be wary of where these maps might lead us!

The cutest cherry bomb this side of the Mushroom Kingdom

When you think about it, the Super Mario world has a lot of role reversal in it. Suddenly, humble plumbers are superheroes, mushrooms become a deadly nuisance, and cherry bombs are made to look so harmless you could almost describe them as cute. Make no mistake, those wide eyes are those of an explosive killer: the Bob-omb, as recreated here by Łukasz Alagierski. The bulk of it uses a technique known as the Lowell Sphere, with a few additions to recreate the features of this cold-blooded killer. The cherry on top of this cherry bomb is the fuse, made by twisting LEGO string into a rope!

LEGO Technic 42172 McLaren P1: Does this hypercar live up to the hype? [Review]

LEGO has been on a bit of a roll with model cars this year. A new wave of Speed Champions sets, an iconic car from the 1980s, Technic models of Formula 1 and Formula E cars, and now, the latest entry into the 1:8 scale line of Technic supercars. Except… This one isn’t just a supercar. 42172 LEGO Technic McLaren P1 depicts one of the first hybrid hypercars from 3,893 pieces, and will release this August 1st for US $449.99 | CAN $589.99 | UK £389.99. The Technic Ultimate line has a reputation for pulling out all the stops, with a price tag to match. Will the McLaren live up to this high standard? Read on 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 continue reading our review!

Respect! Power! Banana (abs)!

Just the other day, I was singing the praises of Maxx Davidson‘s LEGO building skills courtesy of a yellow taxi-crab. However he’s raided the yellow parts bin again, and this time I don’t think I can be as complimentary. Now we’re no strangers to unsettling builds on The Brothers Brick; we’ve featured everything from Eldritch horrors to gory brick-built bloodbaths. After all that, I never expected a muscular Minion to be the thing to give me sleepless nights. I’ll admit, the bananas for chiseled abs are kinda neat. But I don’t like how seductively this guy is looking at me, particularly with that flex going on. Some things, once built, just can’t be unseen.

Maxx says he’s “truly sorry” about this one. We’ll go and cleanse our minds in our archives of Max’s less-disturbing LEGO builds, and consider it “apology accepted.”

Chronicling the history of the Octan Racing Team [Feature]

The Octan energy company holds a special place in the hearts of many in the LEGO community. On the face of it that might seem rather strange – it’s only an energy company, after all, and a fictional one at that. (Well, mostly fictional – as discussed previously on TBB.) But it has been an ever-present in LEGO’s Town and City lines, and more besides, since its introduction in 1992. Its famous red and green roundel has adorned everything from petrol stations to football jerseys in the brick-built universe.

However, there’s one Octan activity that has always held a special fascination for me personally: motorsport! Their association with racing goes back almost as far as the company itself. But how did this enormous energy mega-corp get involved with motorsport in the first place? Did their monopoly on fuel extend to a winning streak on the circuit? Inspired by a livery spotted in a video game, I thought I would take a stab at answering these questions. So join the starting grid with me, dear reader, and let’s find out about Octan’s racing heritage!

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Why crab-walk when you can take a taxi?

Aside from its charming hilarity, one of the best things about the #TimeforCrab LEGO building challenge is the huge potential for a good pun. And when it comes to brick-built puns, Maxx Davidson has form: see last year’s Bic Viper, for instance, or the Stuffed Crust-acean built for this same challenge. This one is clearly inspired by the black-and-yellow crabs – sorry, cabs – seen primarily in New York. The checkered stripes extending to the legs are a big clue for that. The ‘wheels’ in the four legs serve to drive that home, too. But the best – and cutest – detail is the flat-cap adorning that crabby taxi driver!

A slice of life in a cyberpunk city

We see a lot of cyberpunk cityscapes built from LEGO – and they’re all awesome. But Chi Hsin Wei (LEGO 7) has gone big with his vision of the future! There’s a lot going on, so let’s unpack it. You’ve got a rather dapper-looking figure in a suit, who is perhaps on his way to or from work. With those Buzz Lightyear-style wings he’s sure to get to his destination in a flash! And speaking of travelling quickly, there’s a wicked motorbike/dog/horse/speeder, er, thing on the road in the back. It makes use of a series of printed parts from 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna, which are perfect in this context. And how about those two adorable little robots on the stairs? One’s in a suit, and the other is… Wearing a traffic cone? Sure, who are we to judge. Perhaps that’s the fashion in the future!

Sailing the seven highways with Top Gear

For a show that was ostensibly about cars, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how much fooling around featured on British TV show Top Gear. Some of their challenges stick in the mind more than others, though, and LEGO builder Nard Verbong has re-visited possibly one of the most iconic in brick form. In 2006, Clarkson, Hammond and May were tasked with turning everyday cars into sea-worthy vessels. Predictably, the results were equal parts wacky, funny, ambitious and, frankly, pretty rubbish. But the designs were all very different, and the most successful (or least unsuccessful) was James May’s Triump Herald. The car model on its own here is superb, but the sailing accessories really make it.

Take a look at the other vessels after the jump!

A triple transformer that’s too tiny to transform? Try again...

In his review of 10338 Transformers Bumblebee, Kyle mentioned that the yellow Autobot’s large size was likely down to the transformation requirement in LEGO form. Clearly, Grantmasters read this and took it as a challenge. He, too, has created a LEGO Transformer. And this one is tiny! It depicts Blitzwing, a Decepticon with as many personalities as he has transformations (three). He is depicted the way he appeared in the animated series rather than in the 2018 Bumblebee film, which results in a snazzy purple-and-tan colour scheme.

But is he too tiny to transform? No! Now he can’t do all three transformations – even for a builder of Grant’s skill, that’s almost attempting the impossible. But still, being able to transition Blitzwing between his jet and robot forms is seriously impressive at this small scale!

LEGO Botanical Collection grows further with two new additions releasing in August [News]

LEGO’s Botanical collection of plant sets has proved enduringly popular. Today, two new additions to the flower garden have been announced: 10368 LEGO Chrysanthemum and 10369 LEGO Plum Blossom. Both displayed with similar vases and pedestals, these colourful plants will release this coming August 1st, but are available for pre-order today. 10368 Chrysanthemum is made up of 278 pieces and will retail for US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £24.99. For its part, 10369 Plum Blossom contains of 327 pieces at the same prices point, US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £24.99.

Click the link for the press release and more plant pictures!

Can’t find a good LEGO connection? Just add more!

I get a real kick out of seeing parts from the old Star Wars Planets line used in LEGO creations. I’m not sure why that is – perhaps it’s the round features juxtaposed with the often angular lines of other bricks, or the challenge of having only two connection points. Well, I say only two… Nuhvok_mok has come up with an inventive way to add more! In this somewhat sinister droid, the Death Star is used for the top portion, with the photoreceptors attached to it using LEGO magnets. Ingenious! Appropriately enough, the whole things reminds me of the Death Star interrogation droids from Star Wars: A New Hope. I wonder if there’s a tiny interrogation droid floating around in there…