If you’re a fan of LEGO and Transformers, then it’s almost inconceivable you wouldn’t know who Alex Jones is. His portfolio includes brick-built Autobots and Decepticons who turn into cars, trucks, planes, beasts, and some that even combine together! But for all he’s accomplished, Alex still had one building challenge he hadn’t faced – the Decepticon ninja warrior Sixshot, capable of transforming into six different modes!
Click here to have a closeup look a the dirty half-dozen.
Tired of waiting for official LEGO Pokémon sets? No problem, MitchBuilds has you covered. He recently debuted an extremely detailed build of everyone’s favorite fire-type Pokemon, Charizard. The final evolution of the Gen 1 starter is in full form here, with wide fabric wingspan (thanks to Lloyd’s Legendary Dragon) and a giant Duplo flame on his tail. The nice part usage to shape his face is expertly done, and you’ll notice unique build techniques throughout the entire model as you zoom further in. The debate over the best starter Pokémon will continue, but Mitch’s build makes a good argument for the correct choice: the Charmander line.
You can see the entire build assembled on YouTube here.
If you’ve ever seen a clip package of old, cheesy sci-fi films, you’ve probably glanced an image of the Ro-Man character from 1953’s Robot Monster. A gorilla suit with a helmet on top was all it took to captivate the audience back then. Or, at least, the filmmakers hoped that was all it took. And maybe they were right. In the 1980s, MTV aired the film and it stuck with a lot of us. Which is how we ended up with this wonderful rendition of the creature by SPARKART! The brick-built gorilla body topped with the cauldron piece from the DREAMZzz line brings Ro-Man perfectly to life. In fact, it might even be more realistic than the original.
Obviously, we’re all still reeling from the official reveal of the new LEGO Star Wars 75419 Death Star. So, while we’ve all got Star Wars on the brain, what better time could there be to travel on down to Mos Eisley for a cold glass of blue milk? Don’t know how to get to Mos Eisley? No problem. Sentinel_Brix can be our tour guide, starting with this fantastic diorama scene. Why, this sandy city has got it all, from salvaged scrap for sale to unscrupulous scoundrels and bounty hunters who’ll stop at nothing to… You know what? I’m starting to think maybe we were safer on the Death Star. Let’s get outta here.
Back in 1987, RoboCop imagined the future of law enforcement with a protagonist who was part man, part machine. Now, GolPlaysWithLego pays homage to that film with a build that comes off like a cybernetic fusion of Brickheadz build and minifigure. Which is to say, it retains that chibi charm in a rounded and slightly more anatomically accurate form. There’s even a touch of poseablity in the arms. Why, I think this could be something that spawns a whole new subline. I’d buy that for a dollar! Or, more likely, a cost of ten cents per piece.
When Kimberly Giffen isn’t helping out behind the scenes at The Brothers Brick, she’s building incredible LEGO dioramas that blend ornate architecture, impeccable landscaping, and a masterful use of color. Like this cozy cottage! What’s remarkable about Kimberly’s models is how organic they feel. Structures break the grid, and a pleasing asymmetry informs every element of the scene, like the irregular brick-built water or the shaping of the weeping willow.
My favorite feature is the rounded rooftop of ingots and tiles. Again, you can see the subtle asymmetry that makes the cottage feel more lived in.
If you’ll be at BrickCon this weekend, you can see this build in person and say hi to Kimberly and other members of the team at the Brothers Brick table, where we’re hosting a Steampunk collaborative build. She’ll also be bringing this model to Skærbæk Fan Weekend in Denmark later this month. Here it is getting ready for transport. Good luck, Kimberly!
How do you approach a set like LEGO Star Wars 75419 Death Star? LEGO’s worst-kept secret is more than just another set for collectors. It’s an escalation in testing the limits of how far fans will go to prove their commitment to the tribe. It’s a viral-ready stunt just waiting to be put on a wakeboard. It’s a totem to draw fans to their LEGO store to see it in person. It is set to make the Imperial Dignitary’s hat the must-have accessory of the season. And it’s also a remarkably well-engineered diorama that captures so much of what makes minifigure-scale LEGO an enduring delight. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First I have to build this thing.
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.
Not every Gift With Purchase is a classic, but the Flying Moon Car from earlier this year had big nostalgia appeal with its retro space stylings. Builder Andrew Lee missed out on the offer and felt lunar remorse. Fortunately, LEGO makes the instructions freely available (here’s a link to the moon car), so Andrew had a go at making his own, with a cherry red paint job.
Why stop there? Soon, one moon car became a month-long marathon of making a space city’s worth of variants, each more delightful than the last. Andrew started small with a closed-top version.
See all 19 of Andrew’s wild Moon Car variants below
What better way to celebrate the long-awaited release of Hollow Knight: Silksong than with new MOCs from an amazing LEGO artist? Joss Ivanwood (jayfa_mocs) shared a new character build from the first Hollow Knight game in the 4 days of September leading up to the release of Silksong and we’ve wrangled them all for you to enjoy.
For day 1 Joss shared the player character The Knight, as well as his alternate persona: The Knight’s Shade.
The scale is lovely (especially in context with the other character builds), and the cape usage captures his flowing movement perfectly. I especially love the intentionality of using just two pieces to represent his iconic Nail.
Delve into the Hallownest for more of Joss’ amazing bug builds
On Andor Season 2, the Emperor managed to keep his “Energy Project” a secret until it was all but ready to unleash its power on Alderaan. In this galaxy, rumors of a $1000 LEGO Death Star have been floating in the fandom all year. The price seemed both impossible and inevitable. Today LEGO confirms the rumors with the reveal of LEGO Star Wars 75419 Death Star. The set is breaking several records aside from price. The most minifigures (38!). Biggest set by weight (16.3kg, 36 lbs). Most Hot Tub Stormtroopers (1). Rather than a full sphere, the design opts for an open diorama approach that allows for intricate interior scenes. Like the first Death Star playset, the newest battle station draws on both A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, while also including easter eggs from the LEGO Star Wars video games. The minifigure lineup includes Rogue One architects Galen Erso and Orson Krennic, but sadly perpetuates Geonosian erasure with no Archduke Poggle the Lesser. We’ve been toiling away like workers on Narkina 5 to assemble our own copy, and we’ll be back soon with our full review.
Click to see more of LEGO’s massive moon… er Death Star
LEGO Ideas (nee CUUSOO) is still going strong, and 21362 Mineral Collection is the 70th (!) set in the theme. Ideas produces everything from Minecraft and Sonic sets that turn into whole themes, to one-off properties that are unlikely to ever be a full LEGO partner, to models that might pull some new builders into the hobby. 21362 Mineral Collection seems closer to that last category, similar to the lovely Insect Collection, more likely to provide inspiration for fan models in the same vein, but less likely to spawn a whole line similar to the Botanical Collection – but you never know! LEGO builds follow a grid, and crystals are formed when molecules are arranged in a regular, repeating, three-dimensional matrix… kind of like a grid. Does mixing the two work? Let’s dig into perhaps the most translucent LEGO Ideas sets yet!
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.
Spelunk to our review and see if this set rocks!
LEGO role-play communities fuse building with storytelling, and one of the biggest rpgs going is Star Wars: Factions. Sentinel_Brix has been spinning epic space opera adventures with original characters and vehicles in the sandbox George Lucas started. The builder’s latest addition is a New Republic era fighter from the Incom-FreiTek Corporation, makers of the iconic X-Wing. The C-wing is rookie friendly and sports the livery of Sentinel’s Flame of Zhar syndicate.
Sentinel’s dessign is heavily-inspired by concept art from Jason Hazelrot. My Favorite feature that the builder added is the unique landing configuration. And of course all of the encyclopedic lore!
