Sometimes a single piece can set the stage for a LEGO build, and in this case, it was a sand-green rooftop element which inspired Duncan Lindbo to create an entire scene around it, and in the same color as well from a winding stair, to a bench and a teapot to provide a relaxing respite from spell-casting.
What were you doing in the early 90s? If you said marveling over the collapse of the Soviet Union to the tune of Smells Like Teen Spirit, you’d be correct. Also, if you happened to have been a LEGO maniac at the time, M-Tron probably rocked your world with all it’s magnetic red and black glory. Chris Yu packs up and takes us back to a simpler time with his newest edition to his line of Classic Space-theme luggage. As usual, Chris’s luggage doubles as a secret base and this one is brimming with vehicular goodies. The M-Tron logo is ace!
He makes it clear that this is bag 7 and even renders our research easy by providing an image of all his space-base luggage since 2017.
Be sure to click the video to see this fabulous luggage become the best piece of M-Tron gear this side of the Information Superhighway!
Now normally, when we feature LEGO creations on the Brothers Brick, we like to lead with some nice clear photos that really show a build off. But sometimes we have to make an exception, such as when the scene is set as fantastically as in Kyle Collard (LordofVador)’s colossal Mustafer diorama! This of course depicts Anakin and Obi-Wan’s duel at the climax of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The moody lighting and bright blue lightsaber blades instantly evoke that epic scene on Mustafar.
But it doesn’t look half bad in daylight either! This was a heck of an effort by Kyle: over 26,000 pieces and close to 300 hours of building and re-building. It has real meaning, too. Kyle tells us that this same scene was the subject of one of his first MOCs, some 14 (!) years ago. So this build doubles as a showcase for his growth as a builder, and a celebration.
And every celebration needs a present, right? You might have sussed out from the above photo that this diorama made it a convention (which is an achievement in its own right, taking something this big on the road!). And it’s at Brick Rodeo that this build received the Best Star Wars Scene award. Congratulations, Kyle, and happy LEGO anniversary!
Before The Witcher became a global phenonmenon thanks to the GOTY winning third game and a hit Netflix series, the adventures of Geralt of Rivia were the pride of Polish fantasy fans with elaborate worldbuilding infused by the folktales of Eastern Europe. Polish builder Mihał Ch brings the famous monster hunter to LEGO for an immersive battle scene in which the Witcher takes on a Zeugl in the sewers beneath Vizima. Mihał’s creature design is wonderfully loathsome with its wide maw of teeth and crasping arms. My favorite technique is the copious ichor splattered throughout the scene as both discolored brickwork and goopy pools.
Mihał created this fantastic diorama for the “Where No One Dares to Go” category of the Summer Joust competition and to honor the 10th anniversary of The Witcher 3 from Polish game studio CD Projekt RED. It’s not his first time exploring Geralt’s world in LEGO. Here is Mihał’s take on the game’s core characters:
Hong Kong-based studio Three Zero creates incredibly detailed designer action figures for a premium price, like a deluxe version of CHAPPiE that would have set you back $230 if you’d ordered in time. Too rich for your blood? Then consider making your own from LEGO, like Wang Juan, a builder who only just debuted on socials. Wang’s character builds are incredibly detailed and articulated. For Chappie, the builder works mostly with System parts to recreate the Three Zero version of the character.
Wang’s account includes a mix of incredible character models – mostly renders – inspired by games and street art. We’ve reached out to the builder to learn more. For now, as a fan of Neill Blomkamp’s gritty South African mash up of Short Circuit and Robocop, let’s help Chappie live again.
Mosaics are an amazing entry point into LEGO creativity, but the sky’s the limit for how you can create beautiful patterns with bricks. Every week, dozens of new designs are shared as part of #MosaicsOnMonday. A few weeks back, I was struck by this design from the event’s co-host Dana (virginia_bricks) which uses SNOT bricks to add more depth and negative space.
Dana credits Onibabalego for leading her to the technique, and no wonder. The French builder has pioneered mesmerizing mosaics from SNOT bricks and unconventional pieces. Her kaleidoscopic builds are truly inspiring.
There’s a joy and a magic in finding surprising ways that LEGO elements can jigsaw together into tight patterns. What I love about onibabalego’s mosaics is how they incorporate gaps of negative space into the design. And the colors!
Back in the halcyon pre-COVID days, Timofey Tkachev was one of TBB’s most featured builders. With a catalog of works that includes massive spacecraft, modulars, props, cartoon characters, and mind-bending artistic sculptures, Timofey defies categorization. Back in 2023, Timofey’s prolific run seemed to come to an end as the builder stopped posting for a couple of years. Now he’s back with a rootin’ tootin’ take on Yosemite Sam the third Looney Tunes tribute from the builder. It’s a spot-on likeness of the trigger-happy toon, making good use of orange tiles in that magnificent moustache. The canted cacti are quite impressive too.
In honor of Timofey’s return, we’re reposting our interview with Timofey from 2017, which you can read below.
Continue to our interview with Timofey from 2017
Jakab Kovács doesn’t color inside the lines when it comes to castles. Sure, he built a traditional tribute to the Black Falcon fortress that was hosted at LEGO House, but he’s also made a purple castle, cloud castle, and, for his latest project, an undersea castle.
Jakab eschews the typical Atlantis or mermaid tropes, finding a look that draws on an almost Czech Baroque style with its pointed domes. I love the subtle angle of the castle wings, the orange and yellow accent colors, the undersea garden plots and their fences, and the minifig faction with the wispy bodies and white hair. I wonder what a full series set in this world would look like? Are there manta ray mounts and pet eels? Do these folk trade with surface dwellers? I’d happily spend more time in this undersea haven, but alas, it’s time to come up for air.
In my opinion, the U-Wing, introduced in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, is easily one of the most interesting fighters since the X-Wing. So I was excited to see this model by Matt showing this iconic fighter at a smaller scale, but in no way skimping on details. Taking a closer look at the front wing assembly, you can see a very interesting combination of modified plates with upward brackets to form the wing along two building angles. The choce of the modiefied slope with the cut-outs is the perfect canopy as well.
Oh, and in case you were wondering if the wings swing back for atmospheric flight mode… Yes they do.
Before joining LEGO as a set designer, TBB alum Carter Baldwin was an influential AFOL in the military sci-fi theme who fused elements of Aliens, anime, Mechwarrior and the occasional LEGO throwback theme. Recently Carter has been revisiting the Exo-Force theme with a serious upgrade to the line’s iconic robots.
Introducing the Constructobots….
The Sentries…
See all of Carter’s Exo-Force upgrades and lore
Minifigure habitats are fun, but I prefer microscale vignettes like this minimalist scene by Nannan Zhang. Here, the Grand Canyon is depicted in a three-dimensional scene that feels like a Polaroid picture extruded by a 3D printer. The sky background, combining plates and bricks in stripes, reminds me of the fantastic LEGO set Visions from the Space Age.
Seen from the top, the striations of the rock faces are made by stacking wedge plates of a variety of sizes and shapes. And the wandering river along the bottom, made from light azure tiles, really pops.
You can practically hear the hoof beats emanating from this amazing build by Jan Woźnica. Jan has captured a sense of speed and power in a surprisingly compact, minifigure-scaled steed. The horse’s organic shapes, and even the posing of its mid-gallop legs, are perfectly recreated with just a few pieces that a lot of builders would consider table scrap. Why, there’s even a pair of brick-built legs for the minifigure rider astride the animal, adding to the realism of the scene. Giddy up!
