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.

“It’s not easy bein’ mean…”

Sandro Quattrini gives us a glimpse of what might have happened had Doc Hopper won his battle with Kermit the Frog. This amphibious warrior has had his legs replaced with cybernetic parts, and he’s no doubt looking for revenge against the man who deep-fried those appendages. Sandro’s robotic leg design makes great use of two different sized LEGO skis, and they look like they’d deliver powerful hopping action. The mohawk made from flags adds a decorative bit of warrior-flair. But my favorite detail is the actual LEGO frog delivering the perfect bit of shaping to the nose of this powerful polliwog.

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.

Announcing our TBB sponsored BrickCon 2022 Collaboration [News]

While we try to organize a TBB-sponsored collaborative project for LEGO builders who travel to Seattle to attend BrickCon, the last two years have been a bit strange, to say the least. With the 2020 convention fully remote, and 2021 under restrictions for how many registered attendees were allowed, we’ve had to adjust. But this year, the 90th anniversary of the LEGO brand gave us an idea. We have already seen many builders from around the world creating tributes to their favorite sets or themes from throughout LEGO’s history. So we are very excited to announce this year’s TBB collab for BrickCon 2022: MOCing Memories.

The rules are simple. Build a MOC inspired by a favorite set or part of a set from any LEGO theme, past or present. That’s it. Modernize the classic space rover? Perfect! Microscale fire station? Awesome! Giant-sized minifigure? Oh yeah! Build the ultimate elemental dragon? It’s on! So if you are a registered attendee of BrickCon 2022, and you want to be part of this nostalgic display, then join in on the fun and happy building.

When registering your MOC, be sure to select “TBB Collaboration” as the theme, and we’ll see you in Seattle.

A castle fortified with texture

This beautiful castle build by Margrabia Mokotowski brings all manner of LEGO texturing to bear. The walls of this fortress evoke so much tantalizing topography that I keep reaching into my computer screen to feel the stony stronghold. It gives the stone a worn, cobbled look, while still communicating the craftsmanship that went into the mason work. Moving down to the yard, it’s a slew of pine trees, flowers, and high grass. While properly giving off a proper “wilderness” vibe, the verdant patch still possesses some of the order we would see in nature: blotches of the same plants together, careful application of moss over the occasional crag, and climbing vines ascending the walls of the building. The wooden structure rising up from one of the ramparts has some brilliantly fashioned shingles on its roof, and I love the use of color to signify the slats comprising its walls. And the splash of blue and white striping along the hoarding is an excellent pop of color in a very green and gray scene.

Taking a look at the interior, there has been clear attention paid to keeping the wild brush out. The blues and whites continue to shine, especially at the main entrance marked with the classic shield and crossed spears. From this vantage, my favorite detail is visible: the giant chunk of wall missing on one of the tower’s corners. Such a fascinating addition that adds so much character to an already impressive build.

That nefarious man and his flying machine

GunnBuilding‘s latest LEGO offering is a celebration of one of Cartoon history’s great duo’s, Dastardly and Mutley. Faithfully representing their Wacky Racer The Mean Machine, GunnBuilding’s captured every odd angle that the beloved vehicle features from its fin above the cockpit, using a dragon wing to great effect, through to the tiny out of proportion wheels, down to the engine which is delightfully reimagined in LEGO here.

And let’s not forget the stars of the show here, the design of Dastardly is perfect with his purple coat and racer’s hat and angry, scheming expression whilst Mutley is ready with a stick of dynamite ready for their next nefarious scheme…

Multiple tears were shedded in the making of this build

Ivan Martynov shows us, in LEGO form, what happens to that one sprouting onion that has been lying in your kitchen pantry for way too long. Apparently after sprouting they grow arms and legs and a fondness of blowing things up with their grenade launchers. So my advice to you is to quickly check your pantry at home for sprouting onions and make a delicious onion soup, because you don’t want one of these bad boys to go rogue on you and blow up your kitchen.

The final fate of a doomed son of Gondor

Nobody sets a LEGO scene quite like Jesse van den Oetelaar. Just take a look at some of these past builds, and you can find some common themes showcased in this gorgeous vignette of Boromir making his last stand against the Uruk-hai. For example, Jesse’s vegetation is top notch, not to splashy such as to draw the eye away, but definitely providing a closeness to the scene. The twisted tree trunks and overgrown patches of dark green and olive contrast the occasional pile of rocks or red-capped mushroom. And the use of lighting is exquisite! The surrounding forest feels dark and eerie, with the foreground even slightly out-of-focus. Everything about this build pushes the eye to the center of the picture, all to behold Boromir’s final redemption: sacrificing himself so Frodo (and The Ring) can escape.

Dead men don’t sweat

Okay, I have to admit, I am nog a big connoisseur when it comes to LEGO big figures, technique, Bionicle and Galidor. But I do know an amazing creation using parts from those themes when I see one. This creation by Nikita Nikolsky features a lot of weird and interesting parts. I am just about sure there is even DUPLO hidden in the design of the treasure chest.

There is a lot to love about these figures. For one the expression on their faces. For two undead characters they appear to be very much alive and kicking. The attention to detail, when you look at the belt buckle or the gold embellishment on the shoes. And last but not least, the exaggeration when it comes to the size of the lock on the chest, but also the use of a plunger for a peg leg. Nikita also has been experimenting with the distance between the two characters and their scales. One is actually built on a smaller scale than the other.

A dastardly duo of freaky-deaky bots

In a LEGO world of massive castles and spaceships sometimes it’s refreshing to see little things that are well built. Take this duo of odd little bots created by the enigmatic R 194, for example. First, we see the very expressive Spear Soldier.

Next, we have my personal favorite, the Highway Disturber. It’s like a mythical creature with its unicorn horn.

What is the purpose of these two? Why does the spear soldier look so sad? How does Highway Disturber disturb the highway, exactly? The builder offers no explanation so these little bots propose more questions than answers. Pretty cray-cray, right? Sometimes ya just gotta stop asking questions and go with it.

A brilliantly built tiny temple on red rocks

Idoneas of Hillcrest opens the description of this creation by stating it’s a “super quick build”. I think that’s an understatement – I count a grand total of seven pieces here, so surely it must have taken mere seconds to build! In truth, that is underselling it slightly. The build may have been quick, but such a careful choice of parts requires a lot of thought. A piece of Hero Factory armour makes up the rocky base, while treads make up the basic shape of the temple at the top. Interestingly it’s the second creation in a row where Idoneas uses tread pieces to great effect, albeit at different sizes. That’s the mark of a great builder – a master in all scales!

A spaceship build that lifts our spirits.

Can’t you just hear the engines in action when you look at this build by OA KD? This unconventional quadruped cargo ship is a seriously cool take on the Classic Space theme. The exhaust coming out of the four landing pods definitely elevates this build to a new level, but we also have to give bonus points for the wonderfully integrated Duplo windscreen that looks right at home with the regular system bricks.

A breath of wild air in the land of Hyrule

Link travels through the wetlands of the Lanayru region of Hyrule in this LEGO vignette from builder Peter Hart. The scene is simple, but illustrates much in the hero’s journey from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Exposed studs and varying levels of plates capture the rough texture of the ground beneath Link’s feet. Transparent plates show the movement of the water, the little waves lapping around land and plant life. The pine trees stand tall over Link, their needle laden branches showing off a good use of those flower stalk parts.

From this additional angle we can get a better view of that nice boulder Link is passing by. It features sharp edges from all angles thanks to the use of strategically placed slopes. Also from this angle the ground and plants around Link can be seen a little better. The ground curves excellently down to the waters flowing by. This little vignette captures a snapshot of the game’s presence and atmosphere for this region from the game. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and boot up my Switch…

Mars needs tanks — we’re on a mission!

Nostalgia is big this year, with the 90th anniversary of LEGO inspiring lots of fans to build their own tributes to popular themes of yesteryear, and I am loving it. Shannon Sproule built an awesome homage to the Mars Mission theme that debuted in 2007. The signature color scheme of orange and white makes this tank instantly recognizable, and what a tank it is. With dual machine-gun toting manipulator arms, a missile launcher, and a high-powered laser, this bad boy is loaded for Martian bear, which probably has four arms and huge claws.