It’s the third week of August, and we’re ready to give away another copy of LEGO Star Wars Build Your Own Adventure, signed by TBB’s own Rod Gillies, who designed all of the models in the book. To win the third copy we’re giving away, click here.
We’ll also send each winner a snazzy TBB T-shirt and other cool swag, but thanks in particular to Rod and our friends at DK for the books!
This excellent LEGO courtyard scene by David FNJ reminds me of an ancient Greek temple. Probably due to those amazing round columns and the open air design of the building. All this scene is missing to complete the Grecian theme is a couple of nude sculptures. In addition to those great columns, the roof on this structure is also quite nice. I’m not sure how David constructed it. But maybe you can figure it out by looking at the bird’s-eye view photo for the roof details.
Peel Engineering on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea manufactured the P50 microcar at the height of Mod fashion in the heyday of “Swinging London.” Vimal Patel (vmln8r on Flickr) has lovingly handcrafted a beautiful blue LEGO P50 that’s fully motorized, with great curves that make the little “bubble car” instantly recognizable.
Click through to see an adorable pug dog play with this adorable LEGO car!
Maarten W is proving himself the master of the LEGO street scene. We’ve previously featured his Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and desert market creations, but this WWII-inspired diorama is his best yet. It’s a recreation of the moments when Allied forces liberated the Dutch town of Venlo on 1st March 1945.
The damaged buildings are beautifully done, giving a sense of what the townsfolk must have endured as the battle raged around them. Maarten has included numerous small vignettes throughout his diorama, such as the American GIs interacting with the survivors.
The details of the left-hand house are particularly poignant — the remnants of the upper-floor telling a tale of shattered domesticity. And whilst I’m not a “dog person” myself, even I can appreciate the message of hope for the future as one of the townspeople finds his pet amidst the ruins.
On a bright spring morning, troops from two nearby castles converged at one of the bridges of County Madison. Fat trout could be seen swimming in the creek below, and all agreed that it was a prime spot for fishing. But no one could decide who should make the first cast. As things often went in the era of Castle, violence ensued and blows were traded. By the time the melee was finished, all the fish had been scared away. The moral of the story? Isaac S. makes pretty awesome medieval bridges.
Farwin Castle by Brother Steven is one of the most striking pieces of castle architecture I’ve seen recently. This exceptionally tall, spindly tower still manages to capture an elegance of proportions, looking mysterious yet stately. Unlike many contemporary medieval themed builds, Farwin Castle doesn’t employ much of the precariously complex stonework that’s in vogue. Instead, its strength lies in its solid geometry and fascinating dimensions. You have to wonder what purpose this tower serves. The home of a lovesick, ascetic prince? The prison for a lunatic mage? The guard tower on a dangerous border? Whatever it is, we like it.
Brother Steven says this castle is part of a larger collaborative display, where multiple builders created locations from the same world, so don’t miss the fantastic stable from the collection that we already highlighted.
Some builders write lengthy backstories for their LEGO creations, making sure to share with viewers every detail of why their model is the way it is. Other times, the model just speaks for itself, leaving you wanting to know more. Personally, I prefer a bit of mystery. LEGO 7 presents this adorable character who looks like he stepped out of a manga or anime series, though I think the little fellow is entirely original. With an owl-shaped helmet, impish grin, and weapons pointing in every direction, he looks ready to take on the whole world.
The character’s purple eyes are from LEGO Elves sets, and LEGO 7 has provided him with a range of equipment, including a gas mask and sniper rifle.
Kenny Baker, the diminutive actor who played R2-D2 in all Star Wars films except The Force Awakens, died peacefully in his sleep today. The 3′ 8″ actor operated Artoo from inside, sealed up “like a boiled egg.” In addition to R2-D2 Kenny Baker also played Paploo the Ewok in Return of the Jedi as well as key roles in movies like Time Bandits and The Elephant Man. To honor this actor who had such a huge impact on Star Wars, here’s a roundup of some of the best LEGO R2-D2 models we’ve featured here on The Brothers Brick over the years.
One of my favorite LEGO Artoos is this small LEGO R2-D2 by Jeffery Kong.
Click through to see more of the best LEGO R2-D2 models
Rogue One continues to inspire new Star Wars LEGO creations. Check out this fantastic beach battle scene, lifted from the Rogue One trailer and “chibified” by Boba-1980. The microscale vehicles are really good — I particularly like the versions of the U-Wing and the TIE Strike Fighter.
Aside from the good landscaping and figure posing, there’s a whole ton of action packed into a tight space in this diorama — justifying the builder’s choice to go with an unusual scale for the vehicles. Nice work.
If you’re interested in LEGO, you’ve got to know everything about toy stores in your town or city. But Adeel Zubair knows about toy stores a lot more than any of us; he knew to build the perfect one.
Not only is this an outstanding modular building with an exterior worth being placed in one lane with the legendary Green Grocer, but also a masterpiece of store marketing — just have a look at what is hidden inside!
Here are the lovely wooden duck and the lovely green dragon on the first floor, while the ground floor is all about shelves full of the newest sets. And don’t forget to check out the awesome Pick-A-Brick wall! Many more pictures are in the album on Flickr!
Isaac S. proves Castle models haven’t all moved into a world of ramshackle angled walls and twee color-schemes. Ignoring the prevailing fashion pays off wonderfully in this excellent little build — there’s great landscaping, a lovely depth of texture in the walls, and even a nice splash of color which manages to look realistic. To top it all, it looks like this model might stay in one piece if you turned it upside down — something you couldn’t say of many of the “wonky-style” Castle builds.
The model looks almost as good from the rear. Check out that smart little stained-glass window…
Today we’re finishing up our look at the second wave of Nexo Knights sets. Check out the previous reviews here. The remaining sets are the two big sets in the Nexo Knights theme, 70322: Axl’s Tower Carrier and 70321: General Magmar’s Siege Machine of Doom.
Click to read the full review!