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.

TBB posts now available via FaceBook and Twitter!

A while back, we asked The Brothers Brick fans on Facebook whether they wanted to see links to TBB posts on their Facebook walls. The overwhelming majority said yes, so for all of you out there on Facebook, you’ll start getting TBB updates right from inside your second-favorite website! :-P

And for all of you out there who don’t want to filter past my own Tweets, which frequently contain hashtags like #poetry and #archeology, to get to the ones with #LEGO in them, TBB now has its own Twitter feed, @BrothersBrick.

Follow @BrothersBrick

LEGO Twitter bird by Fredoichi

(Everything seems to be working great with Twitter, but there appears to be a bit of a delay between here and Facebook. We’ll give it another try tomorrow…)

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Cuusoo Now in Open Beta [News]

The LEGO Cuusoo website has been enabling Japanese LEGO fans to submit their ideas (cuusoo means “imagination” or “wish” in Japanese) and have them voted on and maybe turned into an official LEGO set. The site is now also open in English as a Beta.

LEGO Cuusoo satellite

For those who want to jump to the case, the link to register is here. You no longer need an invite, and are free to go and submit and vote for models. I’ve even submitted one myself. What will you make?

LEGO mecha by Dan Rubin

Here’s the press release:

Turn your model wishes into reality with LEGO® CUUSOO
LEGO consumers can now give their great ideas directly to the LEGO Group using the LEGO CUUSOO website. Ideas that collect 10,000 supporters could be selected to become part of the toy manufacturers’ product line

BILLUND, Denmark – The LEGO Group announced today that LEGO® CUUSOO, its new international web-based open innovation and crowd sourcing platform, is now available in open beta.

LEGO CUUSOO is an idea collection system that asks the Danish toy manufacturers’ consumers to submit and vote for their favourite ideas for new LEGO products. It can be found at http://lego.cuusoo.com

Ideas that are supported by 10,000 votes have a chance of being selected to become part of the LEGO Group’s product portfolio and sold in LEGO Brand retail stores and the LEGO online shop. Consumers who have their ideas chosen will earn 1% of the total net sales of the product

CUUSOO, which means ‘imagination’ or sometimes ‘wish’ in Japanese, has been developed with CUUSOO SYSTEM, a subsidiary of Japan-based Elephant Design that has worked with open innovation and crowd sourcing for more than 10 years.

The LEGO Group has worked with CUUSOO since 2008 on a Japanese site that has attracted hundreds of ideas and seen thousands of votes cast by a 20,000-strong community. Now the time has come to test the concept internationally.

The first Japanese product, the Shinkai 6500 submersible, went on sale in Japan in February 2011. The next Japanese LEGO CUUSOO model will be the Hayabusa unmanned spacecraft launched in the first quarter of next year. “Our fans and consumers have proved time after time that they have great ideas that can lead to products,” said Paal Smith-Meyer, head of the LEGO New Business Group.

“We have worked with our consumers in the past and continue to do so, for example in the LEGO Architecture series, which we developed with an architect and LEGO fan. LEGO CUUSOO is an attempt to gather more great ideas while streamlining the way we innovate and become inspired.”

“We see this as an investment in the future rather than for immediate sales gain. We are moving from a local Japanese pilot to see if the model is sustainable. We were pleased with the initial results, but we need to see how it will perform on a global platform with global distribution,” he added.

Announcing Creations for Charity 2011 [News]

The third annual Creations for Charity fundraiser has just begun. This is an opportunity for builders to donate custom Lego creations and raise money to buy Lego for underprivileged children during the holidays. In addition, it’s a chance for buyers to own an original Lego creation. MOC donations are currently being accepted until November 15, and the store will open from October 15 to November 30.

You can visit Creation for Charity’s new website for details and other exciting changes this year. Once again, I look forward to the generosity and enthusiasm of the Lego community to share our hobby with many children this holiday season.

Here’s a look at last year’s results and the amount of Lego that was donated.

A whale of a time with Mladen

It’s been way too long since Mladen Pejic posted a new mecha but he tells me he hopes it’ll be less time until his next one. In the meantime we have his latest Mobile Platform “Orca” to ogle, and, given many readers may not be aware of Mladen’s stuff his mecha back catalogue and all the rest.

Announcing LEGO 10223 Kingdoms Joust [NEWS]

As we speak, this new set is being unveiled at BrickCon in Seattle, and probably the Great Western Train Show in the UK. While most of the Brothers Brick are at BrickCon enjoying seeing this in person, the honor falls to me to share the set with our readers.

Before I saw the photos, I found myself wondering how a joust set could possibly command a price of $119 US. Now that I’ve seen them, I understand, this is more than a joust, it’s an entire medieval scene. There are little bits of buildings, some wall, and a nicely detailed royal viewing gallery (with some nice furniture and figures, shown below). There’s also a nice array of figs, and what looks like an update to the Black Falcons.

Frog legs anyone?

Here’s the official LEGO word on the set:

10223 Kingdoms Joust
Ages 12+. 1,575 pieces.
US $119.99 CA $149.99 DE 119.99 € UK 99.99 £ DK 1099.00 DKK AU 199.99 AUD
Watch the Knights battle it out at the Royal Joust!
It’s the most exciting event on the LEGO Kingdoms calendar! Join the King and Queen at the Royal Joust as the knights on horseback battle it out for the hand of the beautiful Princess. This detailed set recreates all the majesty of a medieval pageant, from the large, 6-roomed castle with linked wall extensions, 2 knights’ weapons tents, royal viewing box, jousting fence and of course 2 magnificent jousting horses. Combine 2 Kingdoms Joust sets for a scene that is truly fit for a King! Includes 9 minifigures: king, queen, princess, lion knight, falcon knight, young squire, nobleman and 2 soldiers.
• Includes 9 minifigures: king, queen, princess,, lion knight, falcon knight, young squire, nobleman and 2 soldiers!
• Knight minifigures include armor decoration, helmet, jousting pole, shield and 2 extra weapons!
• Features castle with 6 detailed rooms with lots of accessorie and 2 knight’s tents with weapon holders!
• Open back for easy access to linked wall extensions!
• Also features royal viewing box with flags and coat of arms!
• Includes 2 knight’s horses with detailed decoration, weapon holder and armored headgear!
• Explore the castle rooms!
• Battle it out for the hand of the princess!
• Combine 2 Kingdoms Joust sets for a scene fit for King!
• Castle measures 20″ (51 cm) wide and 12″ (30 cm) tall!

Available for sale directly through LEGO® beginning
January 2012 via shop.LEGO.com, LEGO® Stores or via phone

I think that it’s now safe to say that I’ll be lining up to get one in January.

BrickCon 2011 – Day 1

We’ve had a wonderfully busy first day at BrickCon 2011, starting this morning with the usual setup that happens on Thursday (and into Friday). After a round of coffee, we started pulling all our LEGO models out and putting them on tables, but were quickly distracted by the OneLug team as they began erecting their 7-foot LEGO Orthanc before our very eyes.

Over lunch, Josh and I recruited Chris Malloy (again, welcome!).

With most setup out of the way — pending the arrival of more LEGO creations by other builders — we hung out for the rest of the day, catching up with old friends and making new ones. Even though the public exhibition isn’t until Saturday, my favorite day of BrickCon every year is Thursday because it’s the most relaxed. That said, BrickCon has over 500 registered attendees this year, so I’m preemptively disappointed I won’t be able to hang out with everybody. But it’s exciting to know that we’ll have that many builders contributing their amazing creations to the con!

We probably won’t have time to post day-by-day wrap-ups after tonight, but you can follow @AndrewBecraft — I bet you didn’t know I tweeted! — and I’ll be uploading photos from my phone over the course of each day. Of course, you can follow everybody’s additions to the BrickCon pool, too.

For everybody arriving tomorrow, safe travels, and see you all soon!

Put your hands together for the newest member of the family! [News]

We would like to announce the newest member of our blogging team. Chris Malloy has agreed to join The Brothers Brick and we are very excited to see his favorite creations and to hear his opinions.

Chris is a prominent builder, well-versed in multiple themes, and has been a member of the LEGO fan community for many years. He has a very good eye for a well-built creation and has been an innovator in the photography of Lego builds. And to top all that, he is a great guy. He is well-respected on numerous fan sites and is an excellent friend. I am truly excited to have him on the team.

Please join us in welcoming our newest Brother!

LEGO Gears of War Lancer Assault Rifle with firing action and motorized saw blade

This life-sized LEGO Gears of War Lancer Assault Rifle by PLUM B already has the looks to fit a C.O.G. soldier, but it also features a clip-fed firing mechanism that shoots rubber bands — perfect for taking out the paper Locust horde. If that’s not enough, the saw blade on the front of the gun is motorized for slice-and-dice action. See it all in the video below:

Racked and ready to go

Ah, such fond memories. Playin’ pool, with the crack of the balls, the silent concentration with the angles, and the furious cursing when the ball doesn’t go were you wanted or intended. The howling frustration when you lose and your buddy gloats about their win.

Anyway, I digress.

Bruce Lowell‘s posted fifteen fabulously colored and numbered balls, along with a lovely LEGO pool stick. The little chalk-square is a lovely touch. Can’t forget the chalk.

LEGO Lord of the Rings Tower of Orthanc breaks seven feet tall

The builders of the nascent OneLUG have come together to build the Lord of the Ring’s Last March of the Ents in epic proportions. More accurately, they’ve built the battle in minifig scale, resulting in a display eight feet in diameter, and over seven feet tall.

The battle rages between an army of more than one hundred Orcs, and a force of over twenty-five Ents. The group started design and building in February of 2011, and have finished it in time to unveil it at Brickcon, this weekend in Seattle. They estimate that there are more than 22,000 bricks in the display, which weighs over 145 pounds. The tower itself is built almost entirely with studs not on top techniques, in order to capture the sculptural details of the movie version.

I’ve always enjoyed this scene in the movie, and it’s great to see it done justice here. They’ve included all of my favorite details, like the Ent partially consumed in fire, and caught the deluge from the burst damn in action.

Continue reading →

Lego victorian house decays into over 100,000 pieces

Mike Doyle finished his third masterpiece titled Victorian on Mud Heap, depicting yet another decaying Victorian house in a gigantic 5.5′ x 6′ x 3′ creation made entirely out of Lego. There are several ways to enjoy this work such as viewing the detail pictures on MOCpages, reading the builder’s interpretation of his work on Flickr, or learning more about Mike through an earlier interview.

‘The Brothers Brick’ and ‘From Bricks to Bothans’ to host joint session at BrickCon

The Brothers Brick and From Bricks to Bothans will be co-hosting a panel and Question/Answer time regarding Lego Blogging.

Andrew (TBB) and Ace (FBTB) are on the official panel, but other staff from both sites will be there as well.

This will take place at 2 o’clock, Sunday afternoon, in the Orcas room (aka Classroom A). This will only be open to attendees, not people who come in during public hours.

Also be aware that things will probably be a little quieter around here through the weekend. I know most of us always mean to post in the evenings but fan conventions are tiring affairs. I seldom feel like opening the laptop when I get back to the hotel.

Lastly, if you are attending BrickCon and see one of us walking about, feel free to introduce yourself. We love to meet our readers. See you at the Con!