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.

Microscale LEGO beacon of civilization

When building microscale, a certain eye is needed to find unusual uses of LEGO elements designed for a larger scale. Uncharted Fabrications demonstrates this with their masterful use of minifigure accessories in this ancient city nested among waterfalls and rocks. From the teapots used as gates to coffee mugs “holding” up the main angled roof to various bowls turned domed roofs, this build is packed with expert-level part usage. The rockwork which serves as a backdrop is also quite nice. Building with studs in multiple directions and a variety of curved elements, the terrain is almost as interesting as the city.

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LEGO Technic 42173 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Grey Hypercar [Review]

LEGO loves fast cars! The Speed Champions and Technic lines are both pounding them out at record speeds. And with the summer wave of Technic sets, we add a few more to the growing list. Join us as we take a closer look at the latest in the series, LEGO Technic 42173 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Grey Hypercar. This 801-piece model will be available August 1st and retail for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £46.99.

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

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LEGO Technic 42182 NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle – LRV – A top notch replica? [Review]

The LEGO Group’s partnership with NASA has been a fruitful one, giving us loads of epic space sets. Misses don’t really come to mind as far as delivering accurate replica models. So the anticipation after hearing about a possible lunar rover has been intense, and we couldn’t wait to see it in person. Now that we have it in our hands, it’s time to give this 1913-piece kit a thorough inspection. Come with us as we do some data collection on the LEGO Technic 42182 NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle -LRV, which will be available August 1st and retail for US $219.99 | CAN $289.99 | UK £189.99.

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

Continue to our in-depth review

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for July 20, 2024 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders worldwide, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the 3rd week of July 2024.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS What a fun week, from LEGO Masters to Jaws to another killer McLaren car, get caught up on the news and reviews of the last few weeks right here. And if you want even more excitement, be sure to check out our last Brick Report for more great LEGO coverage.

[NEWS] LEGO reveals set inspired by LEGO Masters US Season 4 Winners — Build and display a fun map to celebrate family vacation memories and photos.
[REVIEW] LEGO Ideas 21350 Jaws: You’re gonna build a pretty big boat — Sink your teeth into Chuck’s review from this classic movie.
[REVIEW] LEGO Technic 42172 McLaren P1: Does this hypercar live up to the hype? — Theo reviews the latest McLaren Technic set to see how it stacks up.
[NEWS] The Ultimate Car Concept Series gets another addition with LEGO Technic 42172 McLaren P1 — McLaren fans have a lot to be excited about with the latest set revealed.

And in other LEGO News…

42177 Mercedes-Benz G 500 announced! – [Brickset.com] — Coming close on McLaren’s heels is the newest Mercedes Technic set revealed.
LEGO Technic P1 Logo (5008946) GWP for McLaren P1 Revealed – [Brickfan.com] — New Gift-with-purchase for the McLaren P1, a rotating P1 logo.

Take a break in this courtyard of calm

Hot on the heels of one great immersive Arabic LEGO scene, comes another courtesy of Ids de Jong. Although made on a slightly smaller scale, it shares some similarities in scope, giving us a view into the courtyards that are so typical of this style of architecture. The arch pieces framing the entrance immediately set the tone for where we are, and the minarets and towers in the background employ forced perspective to give the impression that we’re somewhere in a bustling city. And that’s all great – but what my eye is drawn to is that mosaic at the front. It uses some clever LEGO geometry: the ridges on those inverted slopes are a half-plate thick, which combines with two more plates to give the exact width of the tiles on the corners!

Pensive Paul Atreides contemplates the future of the Dune-iverse in this LEGO mosaic

Using only seven colors of LEGO 1×1 round plate, mosaic master Ethen T captures the very essence of Timothée Chalamet’s turn as Muad’Dib. With filt-plug equipped and the background of Arrakis displayed in orange and yellow, this singular image goes a long way toward conveying the emotion of Dune: Part Two. And the way that Ethen manages to create the collar of the stillsuit using only grayscale is impressive at this scale and in this medium.

Stairway into shadows

The Summer Joust building competition challenged builders to create “stairway stories,” and most participants assembled their LEGO stairs upward. Isaiah Kepner takes a different approach with his model “The Shadowed Temple,” in which a wandering wizard approaches an ominous flight of stairs descending into the unknown. The surrounding wall features some impressive brickwork, mixing profile bricks, tiles, and ingots in every direction. For the trunks of the aspen trees, Isaiah borrowed a technique from Markus Rollbühler and incorporated Stormtrooper shin armor. Most impressive is the technique Isaiah devised for the cave itself, with a gradation of ever-darker bricks accentuating the darkness within. It’s an evocative scene and showcase of Isaiah’s growing skills as a castle builder.

Prepare to meet thy (map) maker!

Some of the best LEGO builds are the ones that not only have a story behind them, but that subvert expectations somewhat. Now I’m not talking about all the Nice Parts Use (NPU) in Eli Willsea‘s little vignette – although it is absolutely chock full of it. A wrench is used as a very sturdy-looking door handle, doors make for an elegant staircase, and candles mimic scrolls on shelves made out of Duplo elements. The bucket handles shoved into lever bases for the bookstand are cool too. This creation is titled “Madeline the Map Maker”, but is that really all she is? Look how brooding this place is… The dark red evokes something a little sinister to me. And it’s not helped by Madeline’s black robes. Perhaps we should be wary of where these maps might lead us!

Welcome, foolish mortals, to this detailed Haunted Mansion

Can’t make it to Disneyland any time soon? While this eerily detailed LEGO replica of the Haunted Mansion ride by legocellus doesn’t come with the smell of churros wafting over New Orleans Square, it does come crowd-free, which feels like a fair trade. Our tour starts outside the stately old manor. Enter if you dare!

You don’t need a Ghost Host to step inside and see more . . .

Playing with perspective in LEGO “painting”

Here at The Brothers Brick, we love when LEGO builders play with depth and space through forced perspective. For his build “Stairway to Memories,” forestArcher creates a clever trompe l’oeil effect with a framed shadowbox that houses yet another framed image within. Layers upon layers of depth, rendered flat as a painting. I appreciate the added detail of a gold ring hidden behind the potted plant, seen only in reflection. forestArcher credits TBB favorite W. Navarre as an inspiration for using forced perspective, and with this creation he proves an apt pupil.

forestArcher built his stairway illusion for the Summer Joust competition. Check out some of our other favorite entries in this castle-themed building tradition.

The cutest cherry bomb this side of the Mushroom Kingdom

When you think about it, the Super Mario world has a lot of role reversal in it. Suddenly, humble plumbers are superheroes, mushrooms become a deadly nuisance, and cherry bombs are made to look so harmless you could almost describe them as cute. Make no mistake, those wide eyes are those of an explosive killer: the Bob-omb, as recreated here by Łukasz Alagierski. The bulk of it uses a technique known as the Lowell Sphere, with a few additions to recreate the features of this cold-blooded killer. The cherry on top of this cherry bomb is the fuse, made by twisting LEGO string into a rope!

Rock Raiders return in epic Onyxx Expedition Diorama

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Rock Raiders, a theme that for many adult fans of LEGO is always worth celebrating thanks to the evocative subterranean setting, cool colors (teal!), and wonderful vehicle designs. LegoMathijs still carries a torch for the theme and his latest project takes us deep beneath the planet Onyxx with a truly massive celebration of the Rock Raiders theme.

LegoMathijs’ diorama is pure, high-grade nostalgia, incorporating many elements unique to the Rock Raiders theme and working mostly with parts and techniques of the late ’90s, minus the BURPs (big ugly rock parts). With dozens of minifigures, an array of vehicles, and a motherload of crystals, the scene shows the promise on the package of Rock Raiders sets writ large.

Drill down with us for a closer look!