Category Archives: News

Stay current on the latest news and information about LEGO, from sales & deals to new set announcements. We also cover LEGO events and conventions all over the world.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for December 31, 2017 [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 December 2017.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: Another year here and gone, but the news still keeps on coming. We have a few reviews for your review as you revel in the revelry.

Review of LEGO Architecture 21039 Shanghai skyline – The Shanghai skyline is among the most entertaining builds of the skyline Architecture subtheme, contains 597 pieces and retails at $59.99.
Review of LEGO Star Wars 75205 Mos Eisley Cantina – The third version of the Mos Eisley Cantina is on its way, with 378 pieces for $39.99.
Designer video for upcoming modular 10260 Downtown Diner – Mike Psiaki and Carl Merriam, former fans and now LEGO designers, show off the latest modular building.
Only a few days to Bricks LA, Southern California’s premier LEGO convention, Jan 6-7 – Builders from around the country will gather at the Pasadena Convention Center to showcase more than 13,000 square feet of amazing creations to eager LEGO fans of all ages.

TBB 2017 YEAR IN REVIEW: Let’s look back at the year that has past, and see some of the amazing things that have been built out of LEGO.

Shortlist announced for Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2017 – To celebrate 12 months of great building, The Brothers Brick team has looked back over everything we’ve featured and pulled out the best LEGO creations of 2017.
Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2017 – After much discussion, The Brothers Brick is delighted to announce the winner. Click to find out what it is!
Brothers Brick LEGO Builder of the Year 2017 – Who made it to the top and claimed our coveted Builder of the Year? The anticipation is killing me.
Top 10 LEGO set reviews of 2017 on The Brothers Brick – We had fun building and analyzing many sets for you, but these ten ranked as your favorite.
Top 10 most popular LEGO creations featured on The Brothers Brick in 2017 – What were the custom creations that you clicked on most? They are pretty spectacular indeed.
Top 10 LEGO news articles of 2017 on The Brothers Brick – With re-releases and some massive sets available, what news stories made the biggest waves this year?
Click here to read the rest of the Brick Report

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Brothers Brick LEGO Builder of the Year 2017 [News]

Every day the team here at The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO models from the global community of LEGO builders. Their creations amuse, inspire, and excite us on a daily basis. However, each year there are a handful of builders who take things to new heights, able to turn their hands to a wide variety of building styles, and wow us with their mastery of building techniques and parts.

Brothers Brick is delighted to name Jonas Kramm as our LEGO Builder of the Year 2017.

Jonas has had an astonishing year of building — multiple models, many of them featured here, across a range of building styles, not to mention an excellent performance in Iron Builder (the highest-profile and most stressful LEGO community building competition out there). We’ve loved seeing everything he’s put together during 2017, and we hope you’ll enjoy this retrospective look at his last twelve months…
Click to see some of Jonas’ models from 2017

Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2017 [News]

Developing a shortlist of the best LEGO creations of 2017 was a tricky task, but narrowing it down to a single “best creation” proved even worse! However, after much discussion, some arguing, and a few tears, the Brothers Brick is delighted to highlight Jeff Friesen‘s Cityscapes as our LEGO Creation of the Year for 2017.

Jeff’s microscale cityscapes are simply beautiful. They don’t rely on access to a vast collection of LEGO parts, nor on a handful of particularly esoteric or rare pieces. They are great examples of how incredible things can be built from LEGO with “regular” bricks and plates, in common colours.

Although Jeff’s models are fantastical, and undoubtedly evoke a sci-fi feel, they also display an appreciation and understanding of key elements of differing architectural styles. The Miami-Art-Deco-Meets-The-Jetsons styling of the city in the main image above is a mash-up of 30s and 50s futurism, with a dash of what feels like Disney’s Tomorrowland. Whereas the cityscape below offers a different flavour of retro-futuristic architecture — New-York-Meets-Gotham-City with more than a whiff of Steampunk about it. It also showcases Jeff’s attention to detail and sense of fun — don’t miss the little trains in their subway beneath the streets…

We felt these models represented something genuinely exciting and new on the LEGO scene, executed brilliantly, and with a scale and selection of parts that we felt would inspire LEGO builders of all levels. That’s why Jeff Friesen‘s Cityscapes are our LEGO Creation of the Year for 2017.

Top 10 most popular LEGO creations featured on The Brothers Brick in 2017 [News]

We feature a lot of amazing LEGO fan creations here at The Brothers Brick, lovingly constructed by builders from all over the world. As 2017 comes to a close, we have been taking a look back over the past year with our Top 10 LEGO set reviews, Top 10 Custom LEGO Build Instructions and our shortlist for The Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2017 . Now it’s time to look back and reminisce once more, as we count down the top 10 most popular LEGO creations featured on The Brothers Brick.

Click to see our top 10 most popular creations

Top 10 LEGO set reviews of 2017 on The Brothers Brick [Reviews]

Stop for a moment. Let’s go back to the very beginning of 2017. What were your expectations for new LEGO sets in 2017? Most of us had no idea what the LEGO company was preparing for us fans. Little did we know that in 2017, the top 11 largest LEGO sets of all time would all be available for purchase from LEGO simultaneously. These are exciting times, with more large LEGO sets targeting adult fans than ever before, and we’ve had the pleasure to review many of them for you. And while we can’t yet tell what 2018 will bring us, let’s have a look at our Top 10 most popular reviews during the last 12 months.

It’s no surprise that several of these sets also made our 10 Best LEGO sets of 2017, so be sure to also check out that list to see what we think are the very best LEGO sets of the year.

Click to see the Top 10 Reviewed Sets for 2017

“I just get inspired by LEGO bricks” — 10260 Downtown Diner designer video [News]

The latest addition to the range of modular sets, 10260 Downtown Diner, features some new and unique design elements not seen in earlier sets in the series. With the recently released designer video and the glimpse it gives to the designers behind the set, it’s pretty easy to see why. Mike Psiaki and Carl Merriam are two well known builders from the fan commmunity who now work as official LEGO designers, and it’s great to see their talents being put use on sets like the Downtown Diner.

While the video is full of fun moments and insights, one line from Mike probably resonates with all LEGO builders out there:

“Honestly it sounds it sounds silly to say, but I just get inspired by LEGO bricks. I start to look at things around me and I just think ‘oh man that you know the the 1×6 sloped brick inverted bow – it would be perfect to recreate the back of that bus.'”

10260 Downtown Diner will be available from LEGO Shop at Home starting on Jan. 1 for $169.99 USD. Add it to your wishlist now in their US store as well as their UK one.

Only 10 days to Bricks LA, Southern California’s premier LEGO convention, Jan 6-7 [News]

Bricks LA is Southern California’s premier LEGO convention, open to the public January 6-7. Builders from around the country will gather at the Pasadena Convention Center to showcase more than 13,000 square feet of amazing creations to eager LEGO fans of all ages. Vendors will be selling vintage LEGO sets, LEGO-themed jewelry, custom gifts, and more. Tickets are only $5, with kids under 5 free, and are available online.

Bricks LA also offers a special experience for adult LEGO fans, beginning January 5. Participants will enjoy LEGO-related games, panels, prizes, and more, as well as be able to display their custom creations for the public. For more information, click here.

The Brothers Brick is proud to be a sponsor of Bricks LA.

LEGO Star Wars 75205 Mos Eisley Cantina: How does the 2018 version stack up? [Review]

As it begins to arrive, the January wave of LEGO Star Wars sets brings old familiar scenes as well as new ones. Along with numerous vehicles and locations from The Last Jedi, this wave also returns all the way back to 1977 with a new version of the Mos Eisley Cantina. Set 75205 Mos Eisley Cantina includes 378 pieces and comes with a sticker price of $39.99. It’s also the third LEGO version of the watering hole in the galaxy’s most wretched hive of scum and villainy, so we’ll see how it stacks up, both on its own and in comparison to previous versions.

Continue reading →

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for December 24, 2017 [News]

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: We’re diving deep into Star Wars: The Last Jedi, reviewing a new set and analyzing everything we now know about the movie. Spoilers, dead ahead!

Review of LEGO Star Wars: The Last Jedi – 75202 Defense of Crait – Let’s kick up some dirt and jump right into this set that is arriving soon with 746 pieces for $84.99.
SPOILERS! Fun facts we learn about LEGO Star Wars sets in The Last Jedi – Based on the movie and Lucasfilm-approved reference books, what have we learned about the LEGO sets? What did LEGO get right? What errors are in the LEGO sets?
The LEGO Ninjago Movie now available on Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital – Arriving just in time for the holidays, The LEGO Ninjago Movie is now available so dust off those dragons!

TBB 2017 YEAR IN REVIEW ARTICLES & INSTRUCTIONS: What are some of the most life-like builds we saw this year? Also, we have a few seasonal instructions too, just for you.
Click to see the rest of the Brick Report.

LEGO Star Wars 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon available again (likely very briefly) [News]

LEGO has just announced that 75192 Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon is available again in “limited quantities” at local LEGO stores. Expect the set to be gone quickly. Unsure whether you want to drop $800 on a LEGO set with 7,500 pieces? Check out our hands-on review of the new UCS Falcon.

[Update] 75192 Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon is now available for purchase online. You must be logged into an account with a VIP card in order to purchase it. This is also the last chance to get a special black Star Wars-themed VIP card, which comes free with the purchase of the Falcon. LEGO says the card will have special offers through the coming year, though there’s no word yet on what they will be.

LEGO Star Wars: The Last Jedi – 75202 Defense of Crait [Review]

Although the Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi has only just arrived in theaters, LEGO is already preparing to release its second wave of sets for the film. The largest of these is 75202 Defense of Crait, which has 746 pieces and retails for $84.99, and it will officially arrive in stores January 1. This review will contain only mild spoilers for the movie, but consider yourself warned.

Read our full review of 75202 Defense of Crait

The Brothers Brick

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