The LEGO castle building contest, Summer Joust, got underway recently. And one of my favourite categories this year is that of Silhouettes. The brief is simple: make whatever you want, but at no more than 6 studs depth. Considering LEGO’s inherently three-dimensional nature, it’s quite the challenge – but one that’s no match for Ids de Jong. He’s built this atmospheric castle scene that really leans into the theme of the contest. The mostly monochrome scenery is offset by the sunset in the distance, which emphasises the forced perspective at work. You could also see a deeper meaning here. The dark colours and creepy-crawlies in the foreground, coupled with the knight walking away from them towards the sunset and brighter pastures, indicate to me this soldier has overcome a great challenge. Perhaps that’s how Ids feels about this build!
Category Archives: LEGO
A villain who’s darkest when alight
Each year, the Bio-Cup competition brings forth some of them most inspired LEGO character creations in the business. Case in point, check out the Ghostlight Sovereign by Eann (Miscellanabuilds). Looking like some kind of Lumiere from the Mirror Universe, this waxen wight elicits some superb spookiness from the eerie blue glow of its candles. The real work done in this build doesn’t come from any part made of plastic, though. The use of LEGO-official cloth pieces, whether in the cape adding volume to the figure or the tattered rags in place of legs, somehow simultaneously add and subtract “weight” from the Sovereign, showing it to be of two worlds.
And if you’d like to see more from Bio-Cups of yesteryear, you can check them out in our archives.
Birds of a feather save Sam and Frodo together!
With all the winged beasts transformed into sets for the LEGO Harry Potter line, let’s hope that the creatures of Lord of the Rings can get the same treatment soon. And the place to start would certainly be with a minifig-scale Great Eagle, just like this one built by Shaun Sheepa. The texturing here is a real treat! quarter-round tiles, rock textures, and even this fairly awkward wing piece all come together to give the Eagle quite the plethora of plumage. And the magmatically-colored base pops nicely underneath the brown bird, while reminding the viewer of the “peak” of the tale’s drama around Mount Doom. Just hold on, Gandalf. Frodo and Sam have got to be there somewhere….
LEGO Creation of the Week (#21): The Lost Temple by Jake Hansen and Eli Willsea
Every week readers of the The Brothers Brick Telegram channel choose the Creation of the Week: one project that impressed all of us the most. Neither a Pokemon, nor a fancy Fabuland starfither could crush a charming lost temple by Jake Hansen and Eli Willsea during our last week’s vote! Congratulations!
Meanwhile, the new vote is already on! Join our Telegram channel to follow all the best LEGO creations, latest news, and, of course, vote for your favorites. See you there!
A little Scala for your microscale
Every style of LEGO building has its challenges, but I think microscale stands out as one of the most difficult things to build, yet epic when done well. This piece, built by Ids de Jong, uses a pop of orange to pull you in, and some clever parts usage to keep you looking. There are things to admire such as the minifigure epaulet element for the ship, half a rock piece for an island, decorative swirls for water, and even a dome made from a pumpkin and topped with a trophy figure. But what really drew me to this build were the Scala perfume bottles. (Actually found in orange in the LEGO Orient Bazaar game.) They make excellent building toppers!
While you’re here, check out some of our other featured LEGO microscale model.
This Mech means business
There are MOC builders, and then there are Mech builders and their knowledge of crafting exquisite robots from the humble LEGO brick is worth praising often. Here, Mohamed Marei delights with his latest offering. Blending system bricks with constraction figures isn’t always a straight forward task but Mohamed often does so with ease. I love the colour palette of this Mech with the Sand Blue pieces serving as armour, overlaying the various greys of the mechanical parts. They perfectly compliment each other here with the trans pink pieces adding suggestion that this fella isn’t afraid to defend itself. My favourite detail has to be the Bionicle mask serving as chest armour, and whilst we’re calling that out, the use of the armour piece from the Jango Fett buildable figure adds the suggestion that this mech means business too.
TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for June 3, 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 end of May 2023.
TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS This last week was a big week for DC, Marvel and Harry Potter, and a big week for fans of classic arcade games with reviews and news, and a classic LEGO icon gets sized up like Hank Pym’s tank keychain.
- [NEWS] LEGO Marvel Superheroes 76262 Captain America’s Shield now available for pre-order — In case Thor’s hammer was feeling lonely in your superhero gear display case, Captain America’s iconic shield can now be pre-ordered on LEGO.com (shield does not return to you when thrown, unless you throw it up ;-)).
- [REVIEW] LEGO 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure – Magnifying an icon — The Classic LEGO icon joins the ranks of large figs like Harry and Hermione.
- [REVIEW] LEGO Batman 76252 Batcave Shadowbox – more than a big black box of bricks? — We reviewed the largest Batcave yet. Find out how it stacks up.
- [REVIEW] LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade – Reinventing a beloved classic — This tabletop tribute to an arcade classic has a lot going on for Pac-Man fans.
- [REVIEW] LEGO Harry Potter 76414 Expecto Patronum — 2 Patronis charms in one set, the classic buck and a wolf… no rabits included.
OTHER NEWS
- LEGO IDEAS THIRD 2022 REVIEW RESULTS – [Ideas.lego.com] — LEGO Ideas announced two new sets approved to become official sets based on fan creations: build a cat, and a tribute to the film Jaws, both made the cut in the lates LEGO Ideas program review.
Camera shopping in dystopian District 7
Clad in the octagonal LEGO bricks from the Aquazone theme, the Nakano Camera Corner by Ids de Jong is a beautiful bit of cyberpunk cityscape. The seamless integration of such an awkward part is very well done here, as are all the little details accompanying the famous “NCC.” All the essential pieces of cyberpunk are present. Stripes of tiled kanji adorn the agglomeration of shops, each one created in its own style. Technological tubing and futuristic adverts are peppered throughout. Even the minifigs are tricked out for the depicted dystopic future!
While the view from the corner is quite impressive in all its yellow glory, I appreciate this alternate angle of the model even more. It really showcases all the fine details Ids crammed into this urban chunk-ola. The gutter pipe that snakes down this side of the structure is absolute genius! Color changes showcase the haphazard wear on the conduit, and the elbow that’s now supporting some plant life feels so natural amid the jumble of this decaying metropolis.
A true blue Ridge Runner
LEGO builder Duncan Lindbo invites us to take this mech for a walk; or rather, a run. It’s a Ridge Runner racing mech built for speed. He tells us that this is basically a rocket ship on legs. But Duncan, is it an ACME brand rocket ship? For some reason, I now have Roadrunner cartoon scenes running through my brain. Meep meep!
The Metropolitan is an Art Deco marvel that really swings, baby!
This breathtaking LEGO creation by Andrew Tate doesn’t hit the nostalgia feels, but rather gives me a powerful sense of anemoia. In case you haven’t memorized the entire English dictionary, anemoia is the proper term for nostalgia for a time one has never known. Still, that doesn’t stop me from wanting to don a bowtie and ring-a-ding-ding the night away in this swanky nightclub. The colors, shapes, repetition of forms, and rich Deco craftsmanship really make the heart sing. That delivery van though; mmmm, that is a beautiful thing indeed!
Just when you thought Andrew has maxed out on architectural brilliance; this swanky club has an equally posh interior where well-dressed patrons sip their hooch and listen to that lovely canary sing. Sing, baby, sing! It turns out this isn’t the first time Andrew has swept us away to another time and place. Why not hit up the Andrew Tate archives to see what I mean?
LEGO Marvel Superheroes 76262 Captain America’s Shield now available for pre-order [News]
LEGO has just launched the product page for a new lifesize version of the iconic shield carried by Captain America. 76262 Captain America’s Shield will go on sale August 1st for US $199.99 | CAN $259.99 | UK £179.99, although it’s available for pre-order starting today.
The set includes 3128 pieces and a Captain America minifig. The shield’s face appears to be made mostly from plates and wedges (Sadly, LEGO has not yet begun producing vibranium bricks). The video provided features a 360-degree spin and thus reveals that the backside of the model is a complex network of plates and Technic beams but alas the shield cannot be held or worn as part of a costume without some custom rigging.
LEGO 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure – Magnifying an icon [Review]
More than the 2×4 brick, since their introduction, LEGO minifigures have always been the embodiment of the company. And in recent history, LEGO has realized there is a major fascination with, and demand for, giant replicas of the little characters that have made them famous. Come along as we meet the latest of these maxi-figs, the 654-piece LEGO Iconic 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure. This set is available starting today, June 1st, and retails for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99.
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.