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.

We abhor the abysmal Abyssal Abhorrence

Once again Fedde Barendrecht presents a LEGO creation so upsetting we don’t know whether to throw up or run. Maybe a little of both. Live a little, right? This time we have the Abyssal Abhorrence; a creature so vile that living a little would likely be all we’d have time for if we ever encountered this beast for real. Actually, it closely resembles a real-life jellyfish or a giant squid; two reasons why I generally avoid any body of water deeper than a bathtub. For not the first time Fedde’s creations evoke an imagination worthy of H.P. Lovecraft. At least he’s interesting, right? If he was boring he’d instead likely evoke the spirit of writer Walter Scott.

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A pottery studio in the sky

This LEGO creation by Abe Fortier has it all; great textures, excellent parts usage, and a fantastic color scheme. Lately, I’ve been interested in creative spaces that are separate from the home such as a detached art or music studio or even a LEGO building space. So this scored points for being a pottery studio and even more awesome points for being a floating pottery studio. I totally want a pottery studio now, which is interesting considering the only thing I know about pottery is the vase you are spinning can sometimes be ruined by an overly handsy and shirtless Patrick Swayze if that movie Ghost is to be believed. But still, who wouldn’t want that? In a floating studio, no less!

Abe says he pushed himself with the rockwork, tree, different angles, and the use of unusual colors. I just hope he didn’t push himself over the edge of that floating studio because that would be a mess to clean up. Or would it? I suppose he’d just float off until he arrived at Patrick Swayze’s floating bungalow or something.

Look, up in the sky, it’s a LEGO hero!

What I love about this LEGO build is its toy look and feel! The alien invader Circuitron and the hero Brickman, by Nikita Nikolsky, feel like they’re stepping out of Pixar’s Toy Story. Part of this is the color choices and the other part is the shaping of the alien invader, both of which are exquisite. I really like the use of the Trolls hair piece for the plasma weapon. The superhero is pretty cool too, with a LEGO brick for a head, but the alien invader is the star of the scene. The parts usage and shaping of Circuitron are fantastic, and there’s a cool play feature in there too. If you turn the bit on Circuitron’s left-side Brickman will deliver the final blow in their epic duel! You can check out the feature in action here.

Even by Ewok standards, this village is really small

This year celebrates a very important Star Wars anniversary. One that brought the Ewoks and their home on the forest moon of Endor to everyone’s living rooms. Huh? Return of the Jedi? What’s that? No, I’m obviously talking about 10236 Ewok Village‘s tenth birthday! LEGO builder ABrickDreamer knows what I’m talking about. To celebrate, he’s recreated this legendary set in a more diminutive form. The original is pretty expensive on the aftermarket, so this is definitely a more wallet-friendly alternative. It’s a faithful recreation, even including the catapult and a very cute little speeder bike alongside the iconic treetop village. Happy birthday, 10236! If you want to keep celebrating Star Wars anniversaries, why not peruse our Return of the Jedi archives?

Familiar ideas on unfamiliar planets

The fun of science fiction is to imagine how things could be, and LEGO is a great medium to realize these ideas. Take for example this bright build from Bart De Dobbelaer and its fantastic mining machines. These devices can mine the ore and resources of delicate planets with minimal destruction to the environment. This is the best hope for extracting resources from other worlds should we travel the stars. LEGO is wonderful for this build, given the fun shapes and colors of the bricks and pieces. The purple and transparent blues give the planet a unique presence, while the machines themselves look almost insect-like with their rounded edges and curved backs holding all the extracted minerals.

The Tarakava and its rider

Originally depicted by LEGO as a “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robot”-esque Bionicle creature, the Tarakava gets a serious overhaul here by alex_mocs. Losing the treads and bopping arms, the creature now sports a raptor-like design, while maintaining the startling lizard visage. I love how the builder leaned into some of the printed parts and stickers from the Jungle Dragon Ninjago set, as well as the seamless integration of Technic and System LEGO parts, both in the mount and rider. But the details in the reins and saddle are what really set this build apart.

Oodles and oodles of LEGO doodles

One look at filbrick‘s colourful collection of LEGO critters, and suddenly I’m transported back to my school days. I had a nasty habit back then of not really paying attention to whatever the teacher was saying, and instead doodling in my school diary. Da Vinci it was not – mostly stick figures, actually. (I never did make it as an artist.) But occasionally, in really boring lessons, I’d start drawing characters in much the same way as filbrick has here. Mind you, I think I prefer this version, aptly titled “Doodle Art Burst”. I only had a four-way Biro to hand, but the wide range of colours on display here does make the whole thing pop. And there’s a good variety of pieces too. These guys use everything from coral and beehives to leaves and engine blocks to give them heaps of character!

LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade – Reinventing a beloved classic [Review]

In 1980, Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. released a little arcade game revolving around a pizza-shaped character eating his way through a maze, being chased by ghosts. They knew they had a good thing going, but they probably didn’t realize it would be one of the most beloved games of all time and a pop-culture icon. Now, over 40 years later, they teamed up with The LEGO Group to bring us an epic tribute to the original game. Join us as we chomp our way through the 2651-piece LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade, which will be available June 4th and retail for US $269.99 | CAN $349.99 | UK £229.99.

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.

Click to WAKA WAKA WAKA!

LEGO Harry Potter 76414 Expecto Patronum [Review]

LEGO has given us large-format winged creatures from the Harry Potter series, each with an integrated flapping mechanism, and with 76414 Expecto Patronum, the series continues at least somewhat in spirit. There is no movement mechanism, but the “Expecto Patronum” is similar to the name plates on the winged creatures. And in a bit of a surprise, it’s a 2-in-1 set, offering the option of building either Harry’s stag patronus or Remus Lupin’s wolf. Here’s our review of the set, which contains 754 pieces and 2 minifigures, and is available now for US $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £62.99.

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

What’s cookin’ in the kitchen?

I’m always so impressed by the level of awesome parts usage in some of these LEGO vignettes people are producing lately. Just when you think all the good ideas and designs are taken, someone else does it all over again. This particular build by Marcin Otreba is one of my all-time favorites. It’s just so quaint and cozy. The color palette is lovely as well. While common great parts usage abounds, like the axles, wands, and small horns used as furniture legs, and skates for drawer pulls, there’s also plenty of unique stuff too. I love what this builder did with the clam shell behind the sink. I’m also a fan of the stove burners, the bread pan on the table, and even the simple, tan, “window glass” cutting board tucked under the window sill.

While you’re here, check out some other builds by Marcin, as well as more awesome vignettes.

This one-color cottage is a real “passion project”

In an effort to improve my LEGO building game while I continue my endless sort, I’ve been doing some deep dives recently into color. And right on the heels of finishing The Secret Lives of Color (by Kassia St. Clair and a very good read), I spy this beautiful cottage scene by the one and only Ralf Langar. The build speaks to the importance of the color red, and how we interpret it in our lives. While it can be the color of leaves, as in his darling ruby tree here, it also can symbolize such energizing things as life, heat, and love. Of course, as Ralf knows, you can sometimes have too much of a good thing: what once was love can quickly turn into passion, danger, war, and even blood. And a cottage with red-splattered windows doesn’t bode well for its occupants….

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for May 27, 2023

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 fourth week of May 2023.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS Did you catch our last Brick Report? Check it out and then join us as we review the past two weeks of news, which included multiple set reveals, blockbuster reviews, two Creations of the Week, and other news from the wider world of LEGO.

[REVIEW] LEGO 43227 Disney Villain Icons celebrates the characters we love to hate — Chuck reviews this nostalgia-packed display piece and helps you decide whether to take this trip down memory lane.
[REVIEW] LEGO Harry Potter 76423 Hogwarts Express Hogsmeade Station — Chuck explores the newest rendition of the famed Hogwarts Express and determines whether to board or be bored.
[REVIEW] LEGO Monkie Kid 80049 Dragon of the East Palace — Daniel dives deep to decide if this set is worth your dollars.
[NEWS] LEGO Icons reveals 10323 Pac-Man Arcade — The 80’s strike back with this lovingly recreated arcade cabinet with functionality!
[NEWS] LEGO brings the black bat brick base back as Batcave Shadowbox — A new take on the Batcave emerges from the shadows.
[NEWS] LEGO 40634 Icons of Play revealed featuring female soccer superstars — The announced set features famed footballers Megan Rapinoe, Yuki Nagasato, Asisat Oshoala, and Sam Kerr!
[NEWS] LEGO Technic 42158 NASA Mars Rover Perseverance officially revealed as latest real-life space set — Perserverance and Ingenuity get the Technic treatment!
[FEATURE] LEGO Creation of the Week (#18): Wild West by W. Navarre — Our eighteenth entry celebrating the best model of the week, voted on by our readers!!
[FEATURE] LEGO Creation of the Week (#19): What did the egg do when it saw the frying pan? It scrambled by Bricktacular Builds — Our nineteenth entry celebrating the best model of the week!