Category Archives: LEGO

You’d probably expect a lot of the posts on a LEGO blog like The Brothers Brick to be about LEGO, and you’d be right. If you’re browsing this page, you might want to consider narrowing what you’re looking for by checking out categories like “Space” and “Castle.” We’re sure there’s something here that’ll fascinate and amaze you.

LEGO adds to Super Mario theme, revealing four new Power-Up expansion packs [News]

LEGO has unveiled four small expansion packs for the upcoming LEGO Super Mario theme that integrates a large digital Mario figurine with a buildable game course. These expansions, called Power-Up Packs, are priced at $9.99 USD and will require the base Super Mario Starter Pack set that was developed in conjunction with Nintendo. The new expansions add more costumes for the world’s most famous plumber, adding a cat suit, builder outfit, propeller beanie, and fire suit, but don’t include the actual Mario figurine from the Starter Set. They join three previously announced LEGO Super Mario expansions that are much larger, which along with a small polybag set bring the theme’s total to nine sets revealed so far. All of the sets are slated to be available Aug. 1, and the Starter Pack is available to pre-order now for US $59.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £49.99.

Click here to check out all the details

When we all learned to sit thought the credits

After a long, hard afternoon of repelling alien invasions, sometimes you just need to sit down for some shawarma. This virtual LEGO build by Lego_nuts captures this quiet post-credits moment from the first Avengers film in exquisite detail. I love the details hidden among the carnage like the printed 1×1 round tiles in the vending machine. And making the fries out of LEGO Rocks works pretty well, too. It really does just look like a still frame from the movie.

“Avengers shawarma”

Composed 2385 bricks, the scene took 15 hours to build. If you’re interested in how this shot was…dare I say it?….assembled, you’ll enjoy this video that goes through the entire process.

Three new Powered Up Technic hubs and motors will be available from LEGO in June [News]

LEGO is releasing three new individuals Powered Up components nest week. according to a post published by the design team. Until now, the LEGO Technic Powered Up components have only been available to buy as part of the sets, like 76112 App-Controlled Batmobile, LEGO City trains 60197 and 60198, or LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader, and many builders have been interested in having the electronic components available to be sold separately–especially with sets like the new 10237 Haunted House having optional motorized abilities.

The three Powered Up components will be available June 1st from LEGO, so keep an eye out for our New LEGO Set Guide for June coming out soon. Prices are still TBD, but we will update this article as more information becomes available.

Click to read more about new Powered Up components from LEGO

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for May 30, 2020 [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 last week of May 2020.

We’re taking an inside tour of Baron Von Baron’s Haunted House. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS: This week we saw the announcement of the new Technic Lamborghini, celebrated LEGO’s Webby Award, heard from LEGO CMO Julia Goldin and reviewed three new sets including the Fairground collection Haunted House!

TBB REVIEWS: New LEGO sets are coming just around the corner and we have three hands-on reviews for your reading delight.

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:

Pampered Panda

When you think about pandas, what characteristics come to mind? Cute, cuddly, fuzzy, playful, sleepy, chubby? If they could talk, what do think they would say? Seeing as they spend most of their waking hours eating, I’d say it’d involve food. And if a panda was able to operate a phone, he/she would almost certainly order vegetarian takeout ASAP. Ian Hou must feel the same because he built this adorable snacking panda out of LEGO for the world to enjoy. How could you not love that big round belly, sweet face, and adorable bow tie?

DOGOD_Urban_panda_s01

Click to see more builds by Ian (AKA DOGOD Brick Design).

Construct your own Connect 4 with LEGO parts [Instructions]

This brings back so many memories of a time where there were no such things as digital devices to distract us from actually engaging with family and having fun! Connect 4 is a classic game that many can relate to and I bet that’s exactly why builder Tiago Catarino put this together.

LEGO Connect 4

Click to see the full video instructions

A new dimension in wing design

I’m not exactly sure what a Guardian Symbiont Ophanim is, but by golly Djokson can sure build an awesome LEGO one. The use of the Dimension game stand disks in the wings gives this ethereal being just the right blend of “Matrix-hovercraft” and “Doctor Strange spell-casting CGI”. Flexible rods are also used to great effect in the head and add some curves to the otherwise delicate arms. And check out the use of a Bionicle Krana Mask for the upper torso.

Guardian Symbiont Ophanim

Those are some tiny little feet, though. I have to wonder how this creation manages to stay upright. Well, I suppose if you can fly on wings like those, you never really have to touch the ground.

“Oh, and keep an eye on the staircases. They like to change...”

While the Harry Potter books speak of the staircases changing, they don’t exactly explain how. Magic, obviously, but in what way is not entirely specified. It’s a little bit of interpretation and movie magic that created the incredible swiveling staircases that Percy Weasley refers to in the first film. I would guess that building one as a set prop was challenging. But it could very well be possible that this LEGO version, built by Sebeus I was just as difficult to engineer. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary build, but a turn of the crank brings the diorama to life.

Functional Moving Staircase

We’ve been teased with a video of how the staircase shifts 90 degrees (made into a sped-up GIF below), but I’m dying to see the internal mechanics! It’s one thing to build a revolving platform. But to make the banisters change brings a whole new level of complexity!

Want to see more? We have plenty exciting builds from the magical world in our archives. You can also take a look at another stunning build by Sebeus. (Hint: it’s from a completely different movie!)

I’m just gonna drop this right here

It’s funny when I imagine a cargo dropship I imagine ordering goods online, then a dropship drops them in front of my house from a mile above and shatters them all over my driveway. But I suppose the process is more sophisticated in space. Red Spacecat has built a LEGO cargo dropship and it’s precisely how anyone would imagine it. It’s like this thing already exists even though it comes from a builder’s imagination. That is a testament to its clean and practical design. I’m particularly loving its dark blue (with a flash of dark red) color scheme. The rotating engines are an added touch of brilliance. Red Spacecat seems to be an up-and-coming builder we should all pay attention to. We’ve featured another model from this same person earlier this week.

Cargo Dropship

To your planes for the brick Battle of Britain with the Spitfire!

LEGO builder Didier Burtin has designed a gorgeous Supermarine Spitfire Mk. II, along with a countryside hangar to house it. This famous aircraft was one of the most powerful weapons in the Battle for Britain in World War II, and in fact, there are two Spitfires here, one in traditional brown desert camouflage (maybe this is North Africa, and not Britain?), while the other is outfitted with the less common grey winter camouflage.

Spitfire Hangar Diorama

The concrete slabs that make up the mottled runway are actually slabs of sideways bricks, carefully spaced with enough room to slot in a variety of foliage and green clips to make up the overgrown grass. And of course the hangar itself is gorgeous, consisting of two grey baseplates gently curved to form the arched roof of the hangar. It’s an exceedingly simple technique that is perfectly suited to the task. But if one scene with Spitfires isn’t enough, Didier has also presented a diorama of a less fortunate Spitfire, having been ditched in a snowy landscape, where it plowed an impressive trail before breaking apart.

Spitfire Emergency Landing

Want to see more LEGO World War II models? Check out our archives: LEGO WWII models

You mess with the bull, you get the horns!

Brothers Brick regular Aido K. has built a LEGO mechanical bull but not the kind you ride at your local whiskey bar. In fact, you’d probably want to steer clear of this one. (See what I did there?) Aido has taken an animal that is chock full of rage, muscle and testosterone and mechanized it because apparently that’s what the world needs. All kidding aside, this creation is as magnificent as the real beast. The posturing, the horns, even the flared nostrils are a sight to behold. LEGO chains add texturing to the underbelly and I spy a few tires used in creative ways. My favorite part has got to be the tail comprised of feathered wings. The light brick illuminating the eyes is an added touch of brilliance. This bull joins a long line of mechanized animals we’ve enjoyed featuring over the years.

Bull

LEGO brings home the People’s Voice Winner for the 2020 Webby Awards [News]

LEGO has been awarded the Webby Award People’s Voice Winner for the viral video with the LEGO Droid Orchestra video incorporating R2-D2 from 75253 LEGO Boost Droid Commander. The Webby Award is one of the oldest awards on the Internet for recognition of mastery and labelled as the Internet’s highest honour of excellence or the Oscars of the Internet. It’s presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences on an annual basis judged by industry experts and technology innovators honouring the best of the Internet.

Click to see the video of the winning entry