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.

This ain’t your dad’s snowspeeder

Yet more evolved Star Wars goodness emerging from the current From Bricks To Bothans contest. I love this next-gen snowspeeder from Don Wilson. He’s taken a classic craft from the original trilogy and created his own version of how it might look 30 years later.

The model has a lovely shape, still evoking the classic snowspeeder lines, but somehow managing to look all-new at the same time. There’s some great color blocking and sticker use, and the integration of the cannons into the hull is fantastic. I’d have blogged this even if it hadn’t have been Star Wars-related, but such a classy reinvention of an old favorite just makes it all the better.

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Rust in the trees

As you may or may not have realized, I have a serious soft-spot for decaying, dying things, especially if beautifully rendered in LEGO.

Zach Bean gives us this tiny, forgotten vehicle that will never drive again. Instead of passengers, only trees sit on what remains of seats. Eventually, the forest will swallow it entirely, as it will all of us.

Where water and earth meet

Water is quite fascinating, really. It has the power to create and destroy. It has carved the earth over the centuries to create the world we see today. It continues its slow work each and every day.

A bit philosophical for a Saturday morning, but for that, I look to Anu Pehrson who posted this absolutely lovely seaside village. With her build, she focused on how water interacts with stone to create arches and the curves of the coast, which she’s accomplished beautifully.

Hoth’s Moving Castle?

This cracking Castle-themed AT-AT build by Adam Dodge properly made me chuckle. This wouldn’t be a bad little Castle tower, even without the legs. There’s a nice variety of greys, textured bricks, and jutting roofs to break up the walls. But plonk said tower on top of a set of medieval AT-AT legs, and you’ve got a really fun build. I like the cannons mounted on the side of the “head”, and those flags and line of bunting add a welcome splash of color. There’s even a skeleton hanging in a cage beneath the beast’s belly!

If I had one suggestion for improving this, it would be to change those radar dish elements at the hips. They’re too smooth for my liking. I’d have liked to see something a bit craggier, maybe some big cogs, suggesting hefty medieval machinery at work. However, that’s nitpicking – a minor niggle in an otherwise great model.

I’d like to see this creation in a mechanical battle to the death with one of my own models – this Troll AT-AT from a few years ago. Bring it on Adam! Your Crownies are going down!

Brickworld Chicago 2016 registration now open [News]

Registration for Brickworld Chicago 2016 is now open. Brickworld Chicago is held June 15-19, 2016, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center in Schaumburg, IL.

Registration
There are three registration tiers with their perks outlined on the convention page. All registration types are ages 18+; registrants under 18 years of age must have a parent/guardian register and attend Brickworld with them. All Access and Full registration is available until 5/16/16. After that date, Late registration is the only option.

All Access registration is $55 and allows access to all scheduled events and activities, and includes a name badge and the Brickworld commemorative brick.

Full registration is $80 and includes everything from the All Access tier plus eligibility for displays, door prizes, the goody bag, and Brickworld awards. Full registration is limited to 700 registrants.

Late registration is $100 and allows access to all scheduled events and activities, and includes a name badge and eligibility for collaborative displays only.

Hotel
Brickworld is held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, and attendees can choose to stay at the connected Renaissance Hotel for an event rate of $139/night. Two room types are available: 1 king bed, or 2 double beds. Phone and online reservations for this event rate can be found here.

LEGO Star Wars 75101 First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter [Review]

While we’ve largely focused on the “good guy” sets like 75102 Poe’s X-wing Fighter from The Force Awakens since their release in September, our coverage would be incomplete if we didn’t also review “bad guy” sets like 75101 First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter. The set includes 517 pieces and 4 minifigs, with a retail price of $69.99, though it has been consistently 20% off at $55.99 on Amazon since nearly its release last September.

Now that we’re nearly a month after the movie’s release, I will reference SPOILERS in this review. Again, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

I’ll share one non-movie spoiler, though: This is an unexpectedly awesome set — you need it.

Click through for the full review

Steven Universe in brick form is a gem of a LEGO creation

Spawned from the loins of mold-breaking show Adventure Time, and apparently destined for a similar kind of cult following, Steven Universe is a critically acclaimed American animation about a boy and his troop of supernatural friends, the Crystal Gems. It’s on frequently in my house, although I’ll admit I haven’t been bitten by the bug yet. But Danish builder Ilia must have, judging by his superb sculpture of the show’s titular character:

“What if the trade federation had designed the Y-Wing bomber?”

Asking (and answering) that question is space_e. The classic Y-Wing has been redesigned to have a walking ground mode and again proving my theory that turning anything into a robot makes it infinitely better. Like the evolved B-wing Andrew highlighted earlier this week, this is an entry in FBTB’s current contest, which ends in two days.

Here’s hoping that someone working on Star Wars: Episode VIII catches a glimpse of this and takes inspiration. Also: hey LEGO, could we get another official Y-Wing set? it’s been too long.

LEGO Star Wars 75132 First Order Battle Pack [Review]

Contrary to the resource-strapped organization in The Force Awakens, the First Order in the LEGO Star Wars universe certainly doesn’t lack stormtroopers, helped along by new releases like the 75132 First Order Battle Pack, which accompanies the 75131 Resistance Trooper Battle Pack we also reviewed recently. This battle pack has 88 pieces, the usual 4 minifigs, and retails for the normal $12.99.

Click through for the full review

LEGO mosaic of Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”

When Iain blogged Alanboar Cheung‘s timely sculpture of Alan Rickman earlier today, I was reminded that I’d also been intending to highlight his excellent LEGO mosaic of 19th-century Japanese woodblock artist Hokusai’s famous print of “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” For several years when I lived in Yokohama, I had a similarly distant but much less dramatic view of Mount Fuji, which I particularly enjoyed during the winter when the mountain’s peak was capped with snow. Alanboar’s mosaic uses a “studs up” technique, stacking LEGO plates rather than attaching them “studs out” on a baseplate.

Bark, bark, bark!

In November, we blogged Dennis Qiu‘s terrifying mecha beasts and his fierce Chinese lion. Now, give it up for the mythical hound of Hades, Cerberus. This pup comes equipped with one very muscular body and three mouthfuls of razor-sharp chompers. Check out how Dennis sculpted vicious snarls on each dog’s face, cleverly exposing blood-red gums. And those flexible barbs make perfect Doberman-like ears. I like to imagine that whenever Cerberus isn’t busy guarding the gates of Hell, he’s either curled up by the fire or begging his master for treats.

Point of no return

Nick Runia’s Bridge of Lost Souls is exactly what you get when you can’t decide on the final design of your brick-built medieval tower; you just build both of them! This diorama, on the one hand, is a massive tower with sturdy walls buried in verdure. On the other hand, it’s a gloomy evil tower surrounded by inanimate rocks.

But what really deserves attention is the bridge itself. It might not be that noticiable considering huge towers on the both sides, but it is the point of smooth transition between good and evil. And the way warm sandy colors flow into cold ones is truly great. Finally, let me point to astounding roofing of knight’s tower and leave you tete-a-tete with the author’s photostream.