Category Archives: LEGO

You’d probably expect a lot of the posts on a LEGO website 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 Ideas 21357 Disney Pixar Luxo Jr. – A fan favorite! [Review]

The June 1st LEGO wave is nearly here, and with it, some pretty neat models. One of the most anticipated of which is LEGO Ideas 21357 Disney Pixar Luxo Jr. Originally created in LEGO by fan designer Toby Brett (@toby1kenobi_lego), this adorable set made it through the selection process at the end of last year. With 613 pieces, the kit comes with the little lamp himself, his iconic ball, and a small display stand. You can get it tomorrow, retailing for US $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £59.99. Read on for our full review!

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

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High fantasy? Or mere child’s play...

What at first glance may appear to be a LEGO creation with an identity crisis is builder Nate Chiles way of reminding us that a little imagination goes a long way. This 2-in-one LEGO creation “tells the story of that imagination that we all had (or have) by showing kids playing (on the left) and the stories imagination turns that play into (on the right).”

It’s a very relatable message, beautifully illustrated. The themes, shapes, and proportions of the two scenes mirror one another perfectly, and I love the way the clouds surrounding the tower suggest an impassible floor-is-lava -type scenario being played out in these young adventurers’ minds.

LEGO Botanicals 10349 Happy Plants – Smiles in bloom [Review]

The LEGO Botanical collection keeps on growing every year, with a selection of sets that vary in sizes and prices. We’ve seen tiny plants before, but the newest addition to the line tries something new with a potted pair engineered to deliver extra smiles to green thumb builders. LEGO Botanicals 10349 Happy Plants doesn’t just bring cute pots in fun colors, but it’s a playful foundation for creative repotting. Let’s have a look at the set and let’s see if it will make you as happy as the plants on the package.

LEGO Botanicals 10349 Happy Plants contains 217 pieces and is available from June 1 for US $22.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99.

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

It’s time to repot these smiling sprouts. Read on for our review!

DORA and friends explore the post-apocalyptic wastelands

At last year’s Bricks Cascade expo, Martin Hulth shared a post-apoc behemoth on treads cheekily named D.O.R.A. the Explorer (DORA as in Deep Outpost Research and Armament.) This year, with encouragement and collaboration from Mark Cruickshank, Martin returned to Cascade with two new vehicles that expand on this emerging world that rests somewhere between Mad Max and the Mortal Engines. Leading the new pack is BIG BERTHA here. It’s a kid’s dream of a mobile base fused with a monster truck, backed with sophisticated techniques. You might call it a spiritual successor to the Rock Raiders theme. And the use of color, with bold yellow and red paired with muted sand green and blue, is striking.

Explore the wasteland with us and see more of Martin’s epic builds

Nintendo DS case finds new life in a LEGO sci-fi tower

There are so many LEGO-compatible products and accessories out there, so it makes sense that builders would find fun and interesting ways to use them in their own creations. Kevin H has done just that using a Nintendo DS case that includes some attachment points to decorate as the central element in this fun, sci-fi tower. The use of some stickers to add more detail was a great choice, as well as using a largely monochromatic palette of blue to match the case with some light green and transparent parts thrown in. Another fun detail is a pair of spring-loaded shooter bricks with dual-colored sides at the base, and those gray pyramid pieces add to the brutalist look at the base of the tower.

Ma.K.ing the most of LEGO’s wildest theme

Sometimes it pays to sit on an idea for a while. Occasional LEGO builder W.F Ikhasi tells us he had the fuselage of this Maschinen Krieger-inspired walker sitting around, unfinished, for no fewer than three years. Happily, it’s complete now – and thanks to… Galidor?! Yes, a piece from LEGO’s weirdest theme provided just the shape Ikhasi was looking for for the hind legs. So much so, in fact, that the front legs are a brick-built riff on the idea, and the end result looks great!

If you’re not familiar with the kitbashing dieselpunk world of Maschinen Krieger, why not get a taster in our archives?

LEGO + Nike = a Slam Dunk?

LEGO has always been an ideal hobby for indoor kids, one best experienced at a desk or maybe a bedroom floor, with minimal fitness requirements until you level up to UCS sets or convention collabs (don’t skip leg day, buddy). But in a new partnership with Nike, LEGO makes the bold claim that play can be both creative and active. From a corporate synergy perspective, this marks the toymaker’s biggest foray yet into the sports space, with global “activations” around play at LEGOLAND parks and beyond. LEGO has previously collaborated with the NBA, NHL, Football clubs, and most recently, Formula-1, a physically demanding sport for literally dozens of drivers. At this time, there is only one LEGO set announced with the Nike partnership, the 1,180 piece Nike Dunk set, releasing on July 1 for US $99.99 | CAN $TBD | UK £89.99. The set comes 4 years to the day after LEGO’s sneaker partnership with Adidas, but whereas that sneakerhead set was marketed to 18+, Nike Dunk is rated a kid-friendly 10+ and includes an exclusive B’Ball Head minifigure. Additional sets are promised for September.

The Nike Dunk set looks like a lot of fun, and is a surprisingly good value, with many elements in rare colors, like spring yellowish green, so even if you’re not keen to add another logo to your shelf alongside Star Wars and Marvel, it could be a good parts pack if you’re up for flexing those creative muscles.
Nothing but net and all the details from LEGO are after the fold

LEGO Botanicals 10348 Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree – A return to roots [Review]

In recent years, the LEGO Botanicals collection has blossomed in popularity with adult fans of LEGO. When the theme debuted in 2021, one of the first sets to sprout up was 10281 Bonsai Tree. The newest addition, LEGO Botanicals 10348 Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree, feels like a return to those roots, with another miniature tree potted for display in your collection, only this time with a different color scheme and an array of elements new to the LEGO parts portfolio. Let’s pull out the pruning shears and see if this might be the next Botanical kit to add to your garden of bricks.

LEGO Botanicals 10348 Japanese Red Maple Bonsai Tree contains 474 pieces and is available from June 1 for US $59.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £54.99

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read on for our in-depth review and analysis

Feeling book nook sticker shock? Take a page from Joe Lam’s itty bitty Balrog

LEGO’s Balrog Book Nook set has many Lord of the Rings fans (including our reviewer) feeling as conflicted as Smeagol, simultaneously coveting the brick-built Bane of Durin while gagging (*GOL-LUM!*) at the price. Joe Lam solved this riddle by building a Book Nook small enough for a Took, and readers, we are shook. The itty bitty Balrog’s grimspawn body towers over trophy Gandalf. Joe’s version even folds up like the real deal and is sized perfectly to rest between your matchbooks. If you like Joe’s “The one I can afford” take on the Balrog, his spin on the Luxo Jr. lamp is even more budget-friendly.

TBB Asks: Did you have a ‘dark age’? If so, what brought you out of it? [Feature]

For our weekly TBB Asks feature, nothing is off the table. We might be asking our staff and readers whimsical questions about building sets from memory, but we might also delve deep into their psyches and get really personal. Well, OK, it’ll still be light-hearted fun – but this week, we’re going dark. Dark age! TBB Asks: did you have a ‘dark age’? If so, what brought you out of it? For those unfamiliar with the lingo, a ‘dark age’ is a period in one’s life where LEGO is not present. Sounds awful, right? For many this happens between childhood and at some point in adulthood, perhaps because LEGO isn’t seen as cool when you’re a teenager. But LEGO is always cool. Right, everyone? … Anyone?

Who are we kidding – obviously it is. But even our seasoned staff aren’t immune to a dark age, so let’s see who had one. And if you did too, let us know what made you come back to the hobby!

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LEGO Icons 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook – Shall you pass? [Review]

Earlier this month, we brought you a look at LEGO Icons 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook, LEGO’s first revealed venture into the Book Nook decor trend. It turns out that that Holmes and a certain boy wizard aren’t the only nooks coming this June, and today we can delve deeper – carefully! – into the just-revealed LEGO Icons 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook. This fraught cavern passage contains 1,201 pieces and will be available on June 1 for US $129.99 | CAN $TBD | UK £109.99. Will you be adding Durin’s Bane to your shelves?

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Balrog in a book nook? Is that a bridge (of Khazad-dûm) too far?

Korra unleashes the Avatar in bricks

When the Red Lotus captured Korra, they thought they could end the Avatar cycle once and for all. Too bad for them, Korra wasn’t about to go down without an epic fight. The season 3 finale of The Legend of Korra was a series high, and builder Dan O’Connor renders it beautifully in LEGO. The mosaic mandala is wonderfully crafted from dark green tiles

Dan pairs the minifig scene with a Minilander build as the Red Lotus venom brings out Korra’s Avatar state. The larger scale captures the fiery intensity of the Avatar