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.

Wyrms: like dragons, but cuter

Supposedly, the difference between dragons and wyrms (and wyverns, and drakes) lies in the number of limbs they have, and whether they have wings or not. That may be so, but the name “wyrm” just sounds cuter than the others, don’t you think? Maybe that’s why Jonah Schultz refers to this adorable little LEGO guy as a wyrm, even if it technially has too many limbs to be one. That minifigure-leg snout is too cute to belong to a fire-breathing monster! How do we square this particular circle? Maybe Wyrm is its given name? Wyrm the Dragon. Yeah, that sounds fitting! If a little confusing…

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Winning at Minecraft, fatherhood, and LEGO

You may have noticed that the LEGO corner of the internet is currently awash in builds featuring the Drowned trident from Minecraft sets. And that must mean we’re amid another round of Iron Builder. Defending champ Caleb Schilling channels his love of LEGO minecraft with this tribute to the wholesome meme known as “Are ya winning, son?” The perfect recreation of the pixelated game on the son’s computer monitor is spot-on (and a great use of the skeleton head 1×1 plates I was drooling over in this recent review). The look of the two brick-built characters is wonderful, especially the little details like how the kid’s shoes bend outward slightly at the ankles, or the 1×1 brick with a stud on the side for the father’s mouth. And the trident part definitely takes center stage, used brilliantly in the legs of the desk. Intertwining the prongs to form a right angle is quite the pro LEGO move!

LEGO Dreamzzz 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny and 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot [Review]

So far we’ve looked at some sets from the larger end of the Dreamzzz line, but the eleven set range has a wide range of price points. The less expensive sets feature some of the same fantastic minifigures and imaginative builds, so let’s take a closer look at two of them: 71453 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny and 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot. These mech-like sets each come with a hero, a large companion, and some sort of nightmare villain. 714543 Izzie and Bunchu the Bunny comes with 259 pieces, 1 minifigure, and 1 Grimspawn, and can be preordered now for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £18.99; 71454 Mateo and Z-Blob the Robot has 237 pieces and 2 minifigures and can be preordered for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £18.99. Both sets will be widely available on August 1st.

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.

Read the full review

LEGO DC 76265 Batwing Batman vs. The Joker [REVIEW]

If you’ve ever wondered how Bruce Wayne got to be a billionaire, the answer is simple: this is a man who understands branding. Why else have a plane in the exact shape of your own symbol? Branding. It’s simple. It’s perfect. It’s pure Wayne, baby! And it’s coming to toy store shelves soon in the form of LEGO DC 76265 Batwing Batman vs. The Joker. At first glance, this companion piece to the 76224 Batmobile set might seem redundant. Just another Bat-vehicle with the same two characters as minifigures? But the Batwing might be hiding a few surprises in store for you. And I’m not just talking about a giant pair of scissors. (In fact, this set explicitly does not include the giant scissors.) This 357-piece set will be available Aug 1st for US $37.99 | CAN $49.99 | UK £31.99.

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.

Read on for our full review

A pair of ripping LEGO railcars, with scenes to match

Builder Pieter Post has a history of some excellent LEGO railcar productions, and this pair of scenes adds two more to that list. First up is a rail weigh station, featuring a beautiful hopper car in brown. Here, his wonderful technique relies heavily on jumper plates to create the reinforcements along the sides of the car. I also applaud his use of brackets and cheese slopes to get the perfect clean slope up the sides of the hopper. The surrounding vignette is almost as detailed as the car, showing a daredevil railworker falling from a ladder while trying to change a lightbulb. What an unlucky fellow!

He’s almost as unlucky as the night watchman in Pieter’s other scene. Featuring a boxcar clad in dark green, the creation employs some brilliant tiling technique to provide a smooth, slatted look. The use of depth to break up the sides of the railcar, just as on the hopper car, is truly inspired. Hopefully the bandit in this scene doesn’t give the guard too much trouble…

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for July 15th, 2023 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the 2nd week of July 2023.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS Bats, magic, dreams, oh my! We’ve been covering all the latest summer sets announced in many popular themes, from DC to Harry Potter, to the brand new LEGO theme Dreamzzz, as well as new Creator, new Icons, Disney, Minecraft, and more. But if this collection of news and reviews leaves you wanting more, be sure to check out our last edition for news and reviews from Disney, Star Wars, Architecture, and more.

[REVIEW] LEGO DC 76224 Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase — The classic Batmobile from Tim Burton’s Batman, at a more affordable price than the Batcave Shadowbox.
[REVIEW] LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf: Bad Dobby or good Dobby? — Cake does not levitate, but does look good enough to eat.
[REVIEW] LEGO Creator 31142: Space Roller Coaster — A super-cool coaster that is out of this world.
[REVIEW] LEGO Icons 10321 Chevrolet Corvette C1 – A classic car reimagined — An american classic joins the line-up of iconic vehicles.
[NEWS] 42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP is the latest LEGO Technic vehicle coming this summer — A new LEGO motorcycle revs up.
[FEATURE] Engaging with Ukrainian POWs and their families via LEGO — Our founder shares how he met Ukrainian POWs and their families through LEGO.
[NEWS] Continuing the LEGO Disney100 celebration, 43230 Walt Disney Tribute Camera now available for pre-order — An interesting tribute to the man behind the mouse.
[REVIEW] LEGO Harry Potter 76422 Diagon Alley: Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes — Diagon alley gets a little bigger with the addition of the joke shop and owl post.
[REVIEW] LEGO Minecraft 21189 The Skeleton Dungeon — We take a closer look at a decent parts pack set from the theme about building things with blocks… so meta.
[REVIEW] LEGO Dreamzzz 71457 Pegasus Flying Horse — This is not your usual flying horse, from the new Dreamzzz theme.
[REVIEW] LEGO Dreamzzz 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures — An interesting dwelling in the land of dreams.

When LEGO and basketball mix, it’s nothing but net!

You can keep your LEGO minifigures, because I’m an absolute sucker for brick-built people. And Cecilie Fritzvold provides two teams-worth with this homage to b-ball. In this first shot, we see a player going up for a dunk, with his outstretched arm palming the ball as he ascends upward over the defender. Bar and clip connections, angled parts, and ball joints are all employed to bring this scene to life. I can almost hear the labored mid-air shout followed by an inevitable crash of that outstretched hand as it grabs the rim.

But this is only one side of the court made by Cecilie. At the other hoop, we have a spirited game of 3-on-3. I love the unique takes on athletic wear and jerseys on all the players, each one sporting their own style. I also appreciate the intentional positioning of the players: the guy in black and yellow setting a pick, while the player in red calling for the ball down on the post. And all of this great action takes place in front of a gorgeous bit of wall art, spelling out “HOOPS” with an appropriately-themed double-O. Even the court is LEGO, utilizing an interesting technique to form the top of the key. Forgive me, but I can’t wrap up this post without calling this build an obligatory “slam dunk!”

A boatload of gluttony

Meet Gourmand; he’s a demon so gluttonous, he needs a throne made of the front half of a boat. He’s also the newest LEGO creation by alex_mocs built for Biocup and their Nine Circles of Hell competition. Just in case you didn’t read the fine print because you’re too busy winning the Nathan’s Hotdog Competitive Eating Contest for the sixteenth time, Joey Chestnut, this demon represents the deadly sin of Gluttony. If you like what you see, then open a pint of ice cream, toss out the lid, and hunker down to feast on our Alex_mocs archives.

LEGO DC 76224 Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase [REVIEW]

Believe it or not, there was a time when movies about superheroes were few and far between. Comics were seen by the general audience as cheap and disposable children’s entertainment. But all that changed in 1989, when Tim Burton’s Batman conquered the world. From clothing to video games to breakfast cereal, it seemed like there was nowhere you could go without getting a bat-logo shoved in your face. And we loved it. Batman would continue to dominate the cultural landscape well into the 1990s, but Michael Keaton would only reprise the character for the follow-up Batman Returns and then never play the character again ever in any movie at all. (No need to fact-check that statement, I’ve done the research.) And, while LEGO recently celebrated Batman Returns with the impressive 76252 Batcave Shadowbox set, the original 1989 film that started it all is getting some more affordable love with two smaller sets featuring Batman’s iconic vehicles. The first of these is 76224 Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase. This 438-piece set will be available August 1st for US $47.99 | CAN $59.99 | UK £42.99. But is it a set worthy of the cultural juggernaut that spawned it? Let’s get nuts and find out.

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.

Read on for our full review

Drathax the Covetous wants all your stuff. Even that. You know what I mean!

Guard your belongings. With “Covetous” in his name, this Drathax The Covetous LEGO figure built by Matt Goldberg can’t help but want all your stuff; even that thing you’ve kept hidden in a shoebox under your bed for years. You know what I’m talking about. I don’t need to say it out loud and embarrass you in front of God and everybody, do I? Apparently, there’s a circle of Hell for souls who want all that you have, even that one thing under your bed. It seems old Drathax is guilty of the deadly sin of Greed. It’s kind of a trending thing over at Biocup; they’re building LEGO creations based on the Nine Circles of Hell. So you may see other dirty, filthy, sinful entries to titillate your shameful senses. You filthy, saucy minx, you!

This moody piece gives us the blues. Several shades of it.

When describing this LEGO creation, a commenter on Casey McCoy’s photo stream said it best; “I’ve never had a lego model stir my heart the way this one does. Absolutely fantastic composition and beautiful use of color. This is art.” When something like this evokes such profound emotions, it is art indeed. This piece is called Die in Your Arms and I’ve found myself gazing at this image for long moments at a time. Perhaps the dead being was already white when they were alive but I imagine that, as its soul drains from its body, so does the blue color. Casey tells us that this model only uses the following colors: Black, Dark Blue, Dark Azure, Medium Azure, Dark Bley (bluish gray), Light Bley, Light Aqua, and White. He also went on to say that it won Best Vignette at Brickworld Chicago 2023. The folks of Brickworld most certainly made the right choice.

LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf: Bad Dobby or good Dobby? [Review]

The June 2023 Harry Potter wave includes one sculpture-style set, 76421 Dobby the House-Elf. Dobby does not have wings, or other animation, but does seem in the same vein as other larger-than-minifigure-scale creations. Here’s our review of this very, very light-nougaty set, which contains 403 pieces, and is available now for US $34.99 | CAN $44.99 | UK £24.99.

This set is based on a license The LEGO Group has with the Warner Brothers films, not J.K. Rowling directly. The transphobic views expressed by Rowling do not reflect the values of The Brothers Brick or, indeed, those of The LEGO Group. The magical world Rowling created, in which many who felt a bit different could see themselves, meant a great deal to so many people, including those that Rowling now demeans. TBB affirms each individual LEGO fan’s choice to claim a piece of the world for themselves, or to reject it entirely.

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.

Read the full review