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.

Shiny hunting for a massive LEGO Pokemon

LEGO phenom Zane Houston has been on something of a Pokemon kick of late. First Pikachu, then Haunter both left big impressions on us (although we’ve seen some equally good smaller ‘mons, too). But after two Pokemon from the first generation of games, Zane has brought a touch of Gen-2 epicness to the majestic Gyarados. It’s in these games that we first encounter shiny Pokemon, with a red Gyarados popping up at the Lake of Rage. Zane has captured the moment in all its studly goodness; we make a lot of builds that hide their studs, but I like how all these statues are really embracing their studs!

The framing here is superb. The shot from below, combined with the brick-built splashes of water, really make you feel the ferocity of this powerful water Pokemon! Make sure you check out Zane’s photostream to see some fascinating insights into the build process, too.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

The low-rider you live in

At first glance, I didn’t realize this was a LEGO build, primarily due to the wonderful scaling. But I was also caught off guard by Tim Inman’s choice of model. I have seen low-rider trucks, and I have seen campers. But I have never seen a low-rider camper. While the exterior design, from running lights to the paint scheme, is great, don’t skip out on a peak at the interior.

The engine and cab fit the time period perfectly…space to jump around in both!

Continue reading →

Engineering for excellence – the Star Wars builds of Jürgen Wittner [Interview]

Today we’re joined by fan designer Jürgen Wittner, whose incredible Star Wars vehicles, built at 1:16 scale, are masterworks of LEGO engineering. We talk about his latest project, the Fall of Hoth, creative collaboration, and the process for designing and sharing these premium builds.

TBB: Hi, Jürgen. It’s been some time since the Brothers Brick checked in with you, but you’ve been quite busy. Maybe we can start by talking a bit about your latest build, the Fall of Hoth. I saw the illustration by Laurie Greasley and the 3D model by Jeff Lu. What inspired you to continue adapting this image into LEGO? Did you coordinate with either of the other artists?

Our interview with master fan designer Jürgen Wittner follows…

LEGO celebrates upcoming season 5 of Stranger Things with Brickheadz four-pack [News]

LEGO’s BrickHeadz line has proved to be one of the most enduring ways of collecting brick-built characters from your favourite IPs, with literally hundreds having been given the treatment over the years. With the fifth and final season of smash hit Stranger Things coming to Netflix this November, it’s perhaps little surprise to see LEGO return to the theme to celebrate the occasion. A four-pack of characters from the show’s first season, 40801 Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Will Figures, will hit shelves later this year. 542 pieces make up, as the name suggests, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair and Will Byer. Although we don’t yet have a confirmed release date, we do know that it will retail for US $39.99 | CAN $54.99 | UK £34.99.

Click here for a closer look at the latest in the BrickHeadz collection

A dawn of translucent dark pink

Bart De Dobbelaer uses a stunning mix of only four colors to provide a powerful piece. Illtranor, Tree of Dawn provides us with a story of creation, civilization, and pride. Bart has a wonderful poem to accompany this beautiful build. With only four colors used, they are used very well. Sitting on a dark grey base, a deep back tree trunk provides a strong depth behind the white and translucent dark pink blossoms and branches. And the city that has grown up around the tree so perfectly matches the tree’s color.

LEGO Gotham City expands with 16-minifigure-strong 76300 Arkham Asylum [News]

It takes a special kind of crazy to be a supervillain, and a special kind of prison to keep the rest of us safe. A good thing, then, that Gotham City has the Arkham Asylum. And from September 12, you can have it too – in LEGO form! 76300 Arkham Asylum has just been unveiled, with 2,953 pieces and 16 minifigures covering both heroes (such as Batman and Robin) and villains (from Mr Freeze to Killer Croc). Interestingly, the press release – which you can read after the jump – indicates that it doubles as a 24-part advent calendar as well as a nice display piece. It’s a tad pricier than your usual LEGO advent calendar, at US $299.99 | CAN $379.99 | UK £269.99, but it can already be pre-ordered ahead of its September release.

Enter the asylum below, and see if you’ll go crazy for this big Batman set!

Wizard of Oz’s Emerald City gets the LEGO treatment as part of Wicked wave of sets [News]

Something Wicked this way comes… Yes, Wicked, with a capital W! Following the theatrical release of the Disney film last year, another wave of LEGO sets is releasing this September 1. Most interesting among these is 75685 Emerald City Wall Art, a 1,518-piece display set that you can decorate your walls with, yellow brick road and all. Stylistically similar to previous LEGO Art sets, this one does include 6 minifigures: Wicked’s protagonists Glinda and Elphaba, plus Dorothy Gale, the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man from the classic Wizard of Oz adaptation. All this will be available for US $159.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £139.99 from September 1.

We may not in Kansas any more, Toto – but we still have more pictures after the jump!

Re-live your handheld gaming days with new LEGO Game Boy [News]

It’s barely been a few months since Nintendo launched the Switch 2, continuing their long line of handheld (well, kind of) gaming consoles. Of course, it all started in 1989 (or 1990 in the US) with the Game Boy. The latter is the subject of a new set in the LEGO Super Mario line: 72046 Game Boy, a 421-piece set with a price tag of US $59.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £54.99. Two buildable Game Pak cartridges are included: Super Mario Land and, although this is listed as part of the Super Mario theme, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening also makes an appearance. You can swap the screen out to reflect which cartridge you’ve got in there, too! You can pick up this icon of gaming from this October 1.

Press Start – i.e. here – to see more pictures of the Game Boy!

LEGO Star Wars 75432 V-19 Torrent Starfighter: Republic repeat [Review]

Earlier this year, we saw a Republic starfighter that hadn’t been seen in LEGO form for several years hit the market. Now it’s not groundhog day – but on August 1, we are getting another LEGO Star Wars Republic starfighter that hasn’t been seen on shelves since 2008! This time, it’s 75432 V-19 Torrent Starfighter; a craft that appeared early on in the Clone Wars animated series, but was seldom seen subsequently. With 567 pieces, it has an RRP of US $64.99 | CAN $84.99 | UK £59.99; you might see it on third-party retail sites like eBay or Amazon, too. Let’s see if it will receive a torrent of praise!

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.

Continue reading →

Castles in a modular forest

We recently shared a round-up of LEGO castles by master mason Ben Hauger, but we turned around for a minute and not only did he make a few more castles, he changed the foundation. Yes, these two new castles have all the great features of his previous ones, but now, we get a modular base.

See more of Ben’s latest castle

A John Deere built as well as the original

In recent years, LEGO has released some new, modern farm tractors, but Christoph Ellermann has delivered us a classic from the 1950’s. While the design is simple and elegant, it is the part usage that cements the look. First, we have a technic gear from the 1970’s standing in for the iconic red wheels.

Next, yellow rubber bands provide the detailed paint job, and finally simple minifigure hands give us the cutting blade.

Building on the wild side with rising MOC star Hodgepodge Builds [Interview]

Every so often, a builder shows up, seemingly out of nowhere, with a creative style so distinctive, complex, and cool that you feel shook – like walking barefoot on a pile of bricks, but in a good way. C, who posts as @hodgepodgebuilds, only started posting LEGO models three months ago, is such a builder. Of course, talent doesn’t come from nowhere. Today we sit down with C to learn more about his LEGO journey and unique style.

TBB: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us today. Maybe you could talk about your LEGO journey. What was the first set or theme that really excited you?

C: The first theme that really excited me was definitely the 2009 Pirates line, which came out when I was about 5 (and insanely obsessed with pirates). I still think that line is remarkably well-designed. My interest in nautical aesthetics and ships has morphed since then, but is still rooted in my love of it back then. A recent build that speaks to that would be the research vessel ketch sailboat that I built this past winter. It was a full circle moment for me, finally being able to build a ship I was completely satisfied with from a technical and visual standpoint.

TBB: Have you stuck with LEGO continuously or did you go through a dark age before coming back to the hobby? What inspired you to start sharing your models?

C: I’ve never had a true dark age when it comes to LEGO, but it’s always ebbed and flowed for me. It’s always functioned as a sort of calming process in times of stress, especially during the last year as a college English major. It helps me relax and express my creative ideas in a visual sense. Honestly, what inspired me to share my models was the community, I had made the account a few months earlier to follow builders I liked and got very excited by the work I was seeing. I had been building consistently for about 8 months by the time I first posted, so I was also very excited to finally get my work out there (and thank you to my dear friends who encouraged me to post!)

Our interview with rising star HodgepodgeBuilds continues