Okay Yaramanoglu turns the idea of a floating island upside down with this Inventor’s House in the sky. Constructed on an inverted raised baseplate, this house has an eclectic mix of visible gears and propellors that call to mind LEGO’s old Time Cruiser’s theme. Inside the home is a variety of gadgets and gizmos, work spaces and living quarters. There’s even a basement inside the baseplate. It’s a high-altitude home with attitude.
Tommaso Vedruccio invites us to celebrate the holidays with some theater. Perhaps a holiday ballet? Or would you prefer some live music? Either option is on the table with this city park stage with easily swappable sets. Each set includes plenty of details, like realistic light riggings and decorative backdrops. Surrounded by the snow and the lights, this outdoor venue makes for a serene setting for either show. There’s even a concession stand selling sugary treats and hot cocoa to keep you warm. And those are some of the best-looking LEGO pine trees I’ve ever seen. What a perfect night out.
Duncan Lindbo knows that any mode of transport is valid if your tunnel is wide enough. The T-22 Tunnel Viper races through the dark recesses in search of ore, lost miners, or just a good time. The brown railing of the cockpit calls back to LEGO’s Rock Raiders theme, but the constraction parts help give the ship some unique personality all its own.
This bulldog is the latest recruit in the series of animals in mechsuits by Moko, and it’s one of my favorites. The medium nougat dog really pops against the dark green and grays, and the eight stacked bars slotted into the shoulder cannon is an inspired technique I hadn’t seen before. Plus, the flaming skull on the asymmetrical shoulder shows that this is a watchdog you’ll want to watch out for.
We’ve seen loads of LEGO builds on TBB by Lego_nuts over the last three years. But his latest creation, allowing us to peer into the mind of the irreverent Stan Lee, has got to be my favorite yet! His large-scale office is full of references to Marvel properties, from an expertly crafted Infinity Gauntlet to Stark’s arc reactor. The use of the Constraction heads as busts on the shelf behind Lee is top notch. But it’s the big man himself that steals the show in this scene. The creation exudes that friendly charisma that Stan was known for, with his smiling face behind a white mustache. His glasses are spot-on at this scale, and I’m pretty sure Lee’s worn that exact outfit in one of his many movie cameos.
Here in the US, the turkey has now been carved, the parade has concluded, and your relatives have sufficiently inquired as to why you still don’t have a girlfriend (I’m focusing on LEGO, obviously!). But that can mean only one thing. The Christmas season is headed right for us! I find it best to ease into the festive spirit, and what better way to do that than with this kitchen scene by Sarah Beyer. The use of lighting here is exquisite, and reminds me of midnight snacks in my parents’ kitchen from years gone by. And the scene feels clean while still remaining interesting, with a bottle of bright green dish detergent next to the sink, the tree set up in the corner, and the table with baking remnants upon it. But don’t forget the gingerbread abode resting on the counter, made with the clever use of some hinge pieces. The only thing that’s missing is some Mannheim Steamroller playing in the background.
No, this isn’t Twitter’s new logo. Not that we know of anyway. Actually, we’re not really sure what’s going on with that. What we are sure of is this is a neat LEGO robot bird built by Filbrick. First glance may say blue jay, further inspection may say robotic blue jay but one detail, the black and yellow stripe along the wings, plucks the old nostalgia strings and harkens back to the Classic Space sets of yore. If you missed out on the Classic Space heyday of the 70s and 80s then check out our Galaxy Explorer set review from a few months back.
NPU, or Nice Parts Use, is the fan term for taking an unusual and seemingly single-use LEGO element and cleverly incorporating it into something else. It’s rare to see the NPU ethos applied to expensive electronic components, however, that’s exactly what TBB alumn Benjamin Stenlund has done with the 9V battery box controller on this Vic Viper, positioning it so the infrared emitter becomes a cool cockpit. Of course, don’t miss the carrot blasters on this greebled entry to the Novvember fan challenge, too.
I’m certain no one asked for this big assault VTOL called Beluga. But clearly LEGO builder ReD M is a master at bringing us what we’d love to see but never knew we wanted. Whether it be the shaping, intricate details, or striking color scheme, this hefty gunship is very suddenly the object of so many LEGO fans’ desires. It’s like something out of all the best sci-fi movies ever made. With its parameters established long ago by a legendary and influential builder who has passed some twelve years ago, there is a certain look to the Vic Viper. Click the link to check out how this big Beluga fits into it. And as tradition goes, these Vic Vipers are almost always exclusively built in NoVVember. What a great way to honor a fine tradition. We’ll surely be on the lookout for whatever else ReD M builds.
LEGO builder Jesse van den Oetelaar must have his head in the clouds as evidenced by this stunning new creation. Fall colors, hot-air ship, floating islands, great build techniques; what’s not to love, really? There’s been a good deal of floating island-themed builds gracing the pages of The Brothers Brick lately. Not that we’re complaining! Sometimes the best place to be is a fantasy world high among the clouds. Take a lofty trip into our archives to see more floating island creations by talented builders all over (or way above) the world.
It’s a matter of record that George Lucas used World War II combat footage as a placeholder for the starship battles in early cuts of the original Star Wars. LEGO builder Jordan Fridal has built on this fact by creating an inspired series of digital mash-ups; Star Wars vehicles combined with the WWII-era planes that might have stood in for them before the special effects were done. Here we see an X-Wing/P-51 Mustang trying to outrun a Tie Intercepter/Messerschmitt ME BF-109. And just like groundbreaking special effects need a team to complete them, sometimes a LEGO creation takes more than one person to bring it to life. With that in mind, Jordan credits brick_squadron and Inthert for a bit of help on the X-51.
Some people have a special talent for cooking, crafting, music making, and what have you. Esteemed LEGO builder Sean Mayo’s special talent lies in…well LEGO building but also mixing in other nerdy hobbies and making them super cool. I mean, take this treasure chest chock full of neat little Dungeons & Dragons doodads, for example. It includes a collectible silver figure, dice storage complete with dice and bag, a vertical holder for a notepad and D&D spell cards, and a gold coin. Sean tells us he has taken the classic Castle LEGO dragon of yore and combined it with the D&D logo to make the graphic. Clever!
The whole shebang can be stored neatly inside the box. What Dungeon Master wouldn’t want this at their next gaming event? If this wasn’t enough to warrant a full-on nerdgasm, then you may also be thrilled to learn that the outer panels are easily interchangeable to instead reflect a pirate theme or whatever else you’d like. What a special talent indeed! My special talent? I’m glad you asked! I write sensitive poetry about the man from Nantucket. While you’re mulling that over, check out some other Dungeons & Dragons-themed creations from other people around the world who also have special talents.
