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.

LEGO Star Wars 501st Clone Troopers Battle Pack [Review]

Today we’ll take a quick look at the last of three new LEGO Star Wars sets for January 2023. 75345 501^st Clone Troopers Battle Pack returns to the popular 501^st Legion, with their distinctive blue markings. In fact, the 501^st was the subject of the most recent battle-pack-like set to feature clone troopers, 501^st Clone Troopers. Let’s see if it’s a worthwhile return to the subject matter. The set comes with 119 pieces and 4 minifigures and will be available Jan 1st for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99.

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 the full review

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The Man of Tomorrow will handle it tomorrow.

Every superhero deserves a relaxing day off, and Dicken Liu has given us a glimpse into the leisure time of the most super superhero of them all. Clark Kent, aka Kal-El, aka Superman has been popular for decades because he’s so relatable, and what’s more relatable than a delicious hot dog lunch after a productive shopping trip at the LEGO store? Dicken has filled the scene with plenty of great details – from the sidewalk texture to the clever construction of the soda lid and straw. And, besides the Big Blue Boy Scout and the two dogs, there’s a fourth character in the scene you almost need x-ray vision to spot.

In the Realms of Unreality, your wish is my trophy

Even if this wasn’t for a contest we’d feature this LEGO Genie anyway because: 1) it was built by Markus Rollbüller and whatever that guy does turns to gold and 2) see reason 1. I mean, do you really need another reason? He was named The Brothers Brick Builder of the Year in 2021 so you know he’s got to be good. But if you need another reason to love this Genie, it is a trophy that can be had over at Brickscalibur if you enter and win in the Realms of Unreality Category. Be sure to refine those rendering skills as this is a digital-only category. Despite this fact, this trophy is not merely smoke and mirrors but actual LEGO bricks that you can presumably rub in the privacy of your own home. While you’re mulling over those possibilities, check out why, as TBB writers, Markus Rollbüller makes our wishes come true.

LEGO 90 Years of Play 40580: Blacktron Cruiser – Classic Space is back in Blacktron [Review]

To celebrate its 90th anniversary, LEGO released some updated versions of classic sets, such as 1978’s Galaxy Explorer. And it looks like the celebration is going to continue into year 91, because for a limited time beginning January 1, 2023, LEGO is offering another classic space update as a gift with qualifying purchases. This time it’s the 6894 Invader set from 1987 that’s getting an update (and a name change), in the form of 40580 Blacktron Cruiser. This 356-piece set will be available free with purchases of about US $190 | CAN $190 | UK £170 or more. Does this set capture the spirit of the original? Is it a fitting companion piece to the 10497 Galaxy Explorer? Let’s blast off 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.

Click to read the full, hands-on review

Here’s some LEGO Muppets, but the question is, what is a mahna-mahna?

You know those LEGO builds that you see and get a song stuck in your head? Well, this one from j-p-30 will either look like a fever dream, or will have you going “mahna-mahna” periodically all day. It’s the instantly recognisable Snowths with Mahna-Mahna himself (yes, that is his name, canonically) front and centre. You know, as usual. The characters all have the mad genius of Jim Henson’s puppets in evidence and look very lifelike. The use of leaves in both sets of characters is perfect for their fuzzy features, and the clam for Mahna-Mahna’s big mouth is inspired!

j-p-30’s flair for LEGO muppets doesn’t stop there. The use of a sharpie does help with some of the character’s distinctive features, such as Kermit’s eyes. How good is his slightly miffed “:3” expression here though? It’s a perfect representation of the way the puppets would deform under the puppeteers’ hand.

We still have Christmas cheer so long as the eggnog is good

Before you give us gruff that Christmas has passed, you don’t take down your holiday tree right at midnight on the start of the 26th, do you? No, of course not! We keep Christmas in our hearts at least until the holiday food expires. In the case of fruitcake, you could be reluctantly sampling it right up through July. The calendar you bought for Christmas is now 50% off but that doesn’t stop us from featuring this LEGO Christmas stork built by Pascal Hetzel. I don’t want to be the one to explain the birds and the bees to you but almost everyone knows that babies are delivered by storks. The same holds true for Christmas presents for instances when the usual fat man can’t be bothered to stuff himself down your chimney. I love the snow, the roof tiles, and the Wolverine claws used to texture the nest. Frankly, I don’t care who delivers my Christmas gifts, so long as the eggnog is tasty. Is mentioning eggnog around a stork considered insensitive?

LEGO Avatar 75578: Mako Submarine [Review]

When James Cameron’s Avatar premiered in 2009 it set a new standard for movies, telling an original story with a visually stunning spectacle best experienced in IMAX. 13 years later the first of several planned sequels set on the colorful planet of Pandora aims to equal that ground-breaking feat. LEGO recently released a wave of sets from the first movie letting fans new and old return to Pandora in advance of the new movie Avatar: The Way of Water, and after announcing 5 new sets from the sequel, LEGO sent us a copy to review. The first set in our coverage is 75577: Mako Submarine, which includes 553 pieces and will be available on January 1, 2023, for US $59.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £49.99

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 our full review

Not everything in space is as it seems

The following is an extract from Beginner’s Guide to Space Adventures, by Lunar & Extraterrerestrial Geography – Outerspace (L.E.G.O.) expert Bart de Dobbelaer.*

“When exploring space, it is important to remember that not everything is as it seems. On strange worlds, what you might think are tasty space mushrooms could be anything from energy crystals to the appendages of a colossal planet-dwelling man-eater. It is analogous, if you will, to using LEGO pieces in interesting ways. That part you thought was a space egg? It’s actually the eyeball of a space monster. Remember what we learned in the chapter on basic planetary survival: just because you can’t see the colossal planet-dwelling man-eater, does not mean it cannot see you! The chances that they have more eyes than you are extremely high. And for goodness’ sake, if you suspect it is something that could eat you, don’t try and take it home. The best tool in a space explorer’s survival kit is a brick separator, but the second best tool is caution. Always keep an eye out!”

*Not a real book. Please don’t attempt to buy one from Bart. But do check out his other work.

Shortlist announced for The Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2022 [News]

The end of the year is one very special time for The Brothers Brick staff, and we get to recall all of our most favourite builds of the year. This year’s shortlist turned out to be a fascinating showcase of LEGO fans’ insane talent. It was insanely hard to limit it to somewhat fathomable about of builds, but we did our best and pulled together our selection of the best LEGO creations of 2022 for our sevenths annual LEGO Creation of the Year award.

Take a look at the fantastic models we’ve shortlisted, and stay tuned for the announcement of our LEGO Creation of the Year 2022 on New Year’s Eve!

Be sure to check out the LEGO Creation of the Year 2021, LEGO Creation of the Year 2020, LEGO Creation of the Year 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016 to see what honourable company this year’s nominations are keeping.

Click to see all of 2022’s nominees

A build that delivers on two counts

It’s sometimes easy to spot where the inspiration for a particular Pokemon comes from. It’s safe to say that Delibird – “the Delivery Pokemon” – is one such case. ‘Tis the season, then, for this super facsimile of Delibird from Woomy World! Much like the “real-world” bird, this build really does deliver. The spiky white feathers are superbly recreated using loads of similarly spiky pieces. The use of feathery wings for the ears and face adds some texture that is only implied in the original 2D sprite, but looks great nonetheless. The eyes and beak are also fantastic. So full of life!

LEGO Avatar 75579 – Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit [Review]

With the recent theatrical release of Avatar: The Way of Water, fans of the franchise are returning to Pandora. And with the recently announced wave of sets from the sequel, LEGO fans can return to Pandora as well, but in brick form. The LEGO Avatar sets are full of colorful plant and animal parts, as well as plenty of new molds for the creature heads. It’s a perfect blend of sci-fi and fantasy. The biggest creature set of the wave is LEGO Avatar 75579: Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit, which features a whale-like creature and a very cool crab-inspired submersible. The set includes 761 pieces and will be available on January 1, 2023 for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99

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

Strike while the plastic is yellow, orange, or red

Texture is the name of the game in this blacksmith scene by LEGO Master Andreas Lenander. We can see the worn stone of the walls of the smithy, the rough grain of the wood beams holding up the room’s roof, and a floor cobbled with round tiles of various sizes. Small details like the chains hanging from the ceiling and the tools leaning up against the walls add to the vignette. But Tashk’il is the star of the show, slowly manipulating hot steel with his smithing hammer. The work on the figure is impressive, relying heavily on the 1×2 ingot tile and the 1×1 plate with bar to properly express the muscle and concentration being applied to that sword.

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