Category Archives: LEGO

You’d probably expect a lot of the posts on a LEGO blog 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.

Release the... snail?!

In the old days, animals were often used in wars — most often horses, sometimes hounds and even elephants. Alexander Blais throws all the historical realism out the window with this crazy creation of an “escargoliath” with an archer tower on its shell to beseige the city of Boldiron. The animal has a sense of motion to it, and slow motion at that.

Escargoliath

The spiral on the shell is simple, but it gets the job done and the round organic shapes are captured very well, although the studs possibly give it too much of a “fuzzy” feel.

Vroom vroom chugaboom

We’ve covered our fair share of LEGO hot rods, but here’s a refreshing steampunk take on the style from Martin Redfern. The scale used allows Martin to pack loads of smart touches into this delightful dark red automobile. I particularly like the front grille, the horn, and the driver himself — his pith helmet and monocle fixed firmly in place.

V12 Hot Rod

The vehicle’s engine is an obvious highlight, so I was delighted at this view which allows us to take a closer look at all the details Martin has lavished on the model…

V12 Single seater

A woodland home with Tolkien’s bear essentials

Thorin and Company, along with Gandalf, seek the aid of Beorn after their Misty Mountains adventure — calling in at Beorn Hall, on the western borders of Mirkwood. Paul Rizzi has based his LEGO version of Beorn’s Hall on the description and illustrations from J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing rather than anything seen on the big screen. There’s a lot of detail in this huge build, the beehives on the far left, the tall oak trees, and the landscaping around this woodland home.

Beorn's Hall

A closer look shows some of the detail used to give a lot of character to the Hall. There are different textures represented with the wooden main structure, a stone opening, the green landscaping, and vegetation on the roof. It’s no surprise to learn Paul won a prize for this creation at Brickfair Virginia earlier this month.

Beorn's Hall

The LEGO Ninjago Movie’s largest set: 70620 Ninjago City [Review]

The list of largest LEGO sets ever produced is dominated by Star Wars and Architecture sets, with the likes of the Ultimate Collector’s Series Millennium Falcon and the Taj Mahal topping the charts. Now, though, LEGO’s home-brewed Ninjago theme is proving to be a serious contender. Having already brought us two sets over the 2,000 piece mark (the Temple of Airjitzu and Destiny’s Bounty), Ninjago’s latest entry has an incredible 4,867 pieces, skyrocketing 70620 Ninjago City to the third-largest LEGO set ever created.

From left, Senior Editor Chris Malloy and Founder and Editor-in-Chief Andrew Becraft with 70620 Ninjago City

The primary locale in The LEGO Ninjago Movie, which opens September 22, Ninjago City is an Eastern-inspired cyberpunk city, brimming with action and loaded with hidden details. 70620 Ninjago City will be available to VIP members in the LEGO Shop Online and in LEGO stores Aug. 16 for $299.99 USD, and will be available to everyone Sept. 1.

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What treasure lies within?

Here’s a LEGO temple to stir the soul of an explorer. W. Navarre has covered his pyramid temple with just enough foliage and texture to create an Indiana Jones adventure spirit in me. I want to scout out these ruins for anything that glitters and sparkles. The mix of greys, and the tumbledown rockwork makes for a real sense of age and decay, whilst the shaping of the structure creates the unmistakable feel of Central or South American antiquity.

Ancient Temple

Anything but junk

With the forthcoming LEGO Ninjago Movie and it’s accompanying sets, we’re fully expecting a wave of fabulous Eastern-themed creations. Ming Jin gets in on the action early with this lovely little fishing boat. The brick-built hull is well-shaped, and the black awning lends this an obvious Oriental flavour. But my favourite touches are hanging lantern and the trailing net — subtle additions which create a sense of a working boat.

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TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for August 13, 2017 [News]

In addition to the best LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick also brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the second week of August 2017.

TBB NEWS: Aside from LEGO getting a new CEO, news this week was light but included the most in-depth look at Ninjago City yet.

OTHER LEGO NEWS: In addition to that really big instruction book, this week had a few other interesting LEGO-related news articles. Here are the best of the bunch.

Huge LEGO version of the siege of Bastogne

With so many LEGO D-Day dioramas out there, it is easy to forget other important battles of the time. The siege of Bastogne was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during WW2 and an important turning point. Lasting from 21-26 december 1944, the battle took many lives, as did the frigid cold. This collaborative display depicting the battle, directed by Ekjohnson1, won multiple awards at Brickfair Virginia.

Siege of Bastogne 1944

There is so much to see in the diorama, but some of the highlights include the excellent battle damage on the houses, the church, and the forested area just outside the town. Collaborations can be very hard to do with builders of different styles and skills, but the team managed to create a seamlessly flowing whole, a respectable feat indeed.

Bastogne

The attention to detail on some of the buildings is impressive. Check out the frontage on this townhouse…

Bastogne

BB-8 rolls into action with LEGO motors and lights

Based on looks alone, BB-8 is always a little less interesting for me than R2-D2 — a couple of sphere’s stacked on top of each other and you’re good to go. But what makes him come alive is his ability to glide across any surface gracefully while looking around and making charming bleeping sounds. Jedi brickmaster Takamichi Irie cleverly constructs a body-spinning, head-turning, light-illuminating BB-8 to bring the character to life in LEGO. All that’s missing is a lighter for recreating that memorable “thumbs up” gesture!

Motorized BB-8

I, for one, welcome our robotic lemur overlords

We have a complicated relationship with lemurs here at Brothers Brick. On one hand, they’re cute, cuddly, and good at fishing LEGO bricks from down the back of the couch. But on the other hand, they’re messy, nibble on our server power cables, and smell a bit. Maybe we should look to replace our lemur with one of Mitsuru Nikaido‘s mechanical versions?

LEGO Mecha Ring-tailed lemur-01

This is a great model — natural curves and shaping, with lots of cool functional-looking robotic greeble stuff going on under the smooth plating. Nice use of a hot air balloon plate piece as the lemur’s back — a lovely sinuous curve. And that tail — magic.

Meow-nificent!

This LEGO creation from David Liu feels like a scene lifted out of a kids fable — a pivotal moment where a little kitten presents a gift to a bigger cat. Will the tiger accept the peace offering? Who knows — but while the story plays out in your head, don’t miss the interesting use of the Brick Separator. Did you spot it? Brilliant use for a pouncing pose!

I don't like fish!

Who wouldn’t want to live in this LEGO house?

Despite all the different “genres” in LEGO building, there’s something deeply satisfying when our beloved bricks are used to build a really nice house. This creation by betweenbrickwalls is stunning — a stylish contemporary home, with a hint of Modernism about the design. You might imagine a predominantly dark grey and tan colour scheme would look drab, but here it lends the model a smart contrast, and offsets the surrounding autumnal tones. I particularly like some of the details of the structure — those four brick fin-like pillars, and the raised section over the stream.

Autumn Stream House MOC front II

Don’t miss the detailed interior, including a beautiful spiral staircase…

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