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.

Take the time to watch this real working clock made entirely from LEGO.

Akiyuki has a knack for creating elaborately engineered LEGO creations. But this latest creation is possibly the most complex yet. Using a mangle rack system that converts the spinning of gears into rectilinear motion (i.e. straight lines), Akiyuki was able to create an accurate second hand on a giant LEGO clock frame. From there, the minute and hour hands were a breeze…well maybe not a breeze, but Akiyuki sure makes it look easy.

Check out the video below for a full breakdown on the construction and operation of the clock, including a timelapse next to a standard clock to demonstrate its accuracy. Make sure you turn on the closed captioning for Akiyuki’s full commentary.

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Mischievous Minions and Mandalorian mashup

Somewhere in the Minions universe, there’s probably a galaxy far, far away with its own Mandalorian and Child. It’s certainly a fun idea builder Damian Thomas explores in this cute LEGO build. What screams Minions are those big ol’eyes! The printed eye pieces are in fact from the LEGO Minions sets. Besides the eyes, the spirit of the Minions is captured in the shape of the bodies, done with slopes and round bricks. The Child even has their little cradle so they can zip around the Mandalorian. The little barb pieces standing out on the Child’s head are secured with clips for that tuft of hair. The Mandalorian’s belt and armor are chock full of interesting details. The definition is a nice balance between the Star Wars elements and the Minions style. This is a well-done mashup, and I can imagine all the hijinks these two are going to get into on their adventures!

LEGO sandworm might just inspire you to chant the litany against fear

Frank Herbert’s Dune has inspired movies, television shows, comic books, video games, and many amazing LEGO creations over the years, and this diorama by muad_brick is among some of the best that I have seen. Where many builders, myself included, give Shai-Hulud its iconic shape by building ring segments, muad_brick used a series of curved slopes arranged in a textured pattern. The rows of teeth fading into the dark gullet of the beast lends the scene an extra level of drama, and that ornithopter made with only a handful of parts is amazing!

A personified plant ponders piece potential

Builder Eero Okkonen taps into something that I think most LEGO fans can relate to: looking for a new way to use an old piece. Where Eero might differ from those of you reading this is in depicting that struggle as a tree. But this wonderful self-portrait turns a few pieces upside down to deliver a wonderful image of an Ent-like being confounded by a gear. It’s no surprise Eero’s self-portrait would be a fantasy creature looking for new parts usage. Check out our Eero Okkonen archives for a look at his past builds, and you’ll know what I mean.

Obi-Wan Kenobi rides through the desert on an eopie with no name

Native to the sands of Tatooine, eopies are a great way of traveling the desert planet. Builder Shaun Sheepa gives us LEGO Obi-Wan Kenobi with a cute brick-built eopie, the former Jedi’s only companion in his exile. Shaun uses an angled cone piece to capture the iconic snout of the desert dwelling creature. The eyes are absolutely adorable with those printed round tiles, and I do like how the legs are rendered. The use of bars for the slender front legs is a clean approach. Linked bar holders standout for those rear legs, giving them the thicker appearance. The greebling of the harness and saddle is simple and effective. I do like those quarter round tiles for that back saddlebag. A nice usage of another Star Wars piece is the poncho Obi-Wan is wearing–this part is from a Luke Skywalker minifigure.

Black Panther? No, this is the melanistic Panthera Pardus

LEGO builder Sandro Quattrini has been knocking it out of the park with their character builds of late (check out our Sandro Quattrini archives). The newest addition to the roster is a heroic-looking black panther, although this one hails from Rome rather than Wakanda. I guess technically that means we should use its Latin name, Panthera Pardus. For a static build, it’s phenomenally dynamic thanks to the aggressive stance, roaring head, and the swaying belt tassels. (Tassels doesn’t feel like the right word for something so militaristic… Reader, answers on a postcard if you know the proper name!) These use microphones and dumbbell weights for the detailing, and this centurion’s equipment features plenty more clever highlights. The shield makes use of a Ninjago hat and — perhaps ironically — swords, while the armour chestplate is broken up with a Speed Champions hubcap and minifigure shields. Armour with shields on it? Nothing is getting through that!

If we’re going to talk about clever parts use, though, we need to talk about that head. The shaping is simply stunning! There’s loads to enjoy here, but I do like the solution for the ears, which involves a tyre squeezed over a headpiece from a Star Wars battle pack. Alongside the mean eyes and those fearsome jaws, it gives this particular panther heaps of personality.

Amid record profits, LEGO announces price increases for second half of 2022 [News]

Today LEGO is announcing that it will be raising the base MSRP on many of its products for the second half of 2022, rolling out in August and September. LEGO reported its annual operating profits grew by 32 percent in 2021, resulting in the company earning a record nearly $2 billion USD net profit last year. New sets will have the price increase factored in, and about a quarter of existing sets will also be affected. The company has not released details on the specifics of how much we can expect prices to increase, but says that smaller sets may only go up by a few percent, while larger sets will be affected more drastically. LEGO is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, also known as ABS, which is a type of petroleum-based plastic, and LEGO says the recent world events affecting the price of oil have impacted its supply chains. Although LEGO is working toward creating plant-based renewable plastic for its bricks, only a few elements are currently made with the non-petroleum-based product.

Here’s the official press release from LEGO:

The current global economic challenges of increased raw material and operating costs are impacting many businesses.

Putting consumers first is at the heart of what we do as a company, and for some time, we have absorbed these costs to keep pricing stable. However, as these costs have continued to rapidly rise, we have taken the decision to increase the price on some of our sets. This increase will come into effect in August and September.

The increase will differ depending on the set and prices will change on around a quarter of the portfolio. On some sets we will not alter price, on others there will be a single digit increase and on larger, more complex sets the percentage increase will be higher.

We will continue to work to ensure our products offer great value and full recognise how important this is to our fans and everyone who love our products.

This Octan drone is a real gas!

In a world where shows like Robot Wars and Battlebots have already come and gone, the sport of drone racing has got to be in our near future, right? And here’s hoping the robots look as good as this LEGO Octan Drone by Devid VII. I love all the striping on this machine, fitting within the standard Octan color palette. The angles, relying mainly on bar-to-clip shenanigans, give this bot the poise of a mechanical gazelle. And I just can’t get over the excellent use of the square-rimmed BrickHeadz glasses under its fuel tanks.

An unexpected parts use

I love it when the Iron Builder contest rolls into town – every year we see creations that push the creative boundaries of the LEGO brick. That said, I must confess that it creeps up on me every time, much like Gandalf rocking up to Hobbiton ahead of an unexpected journey. This very event is the subject of Dan Ko‘s latest entry into his Iron Builder round, using a green minifigure hand as the seed part. They are used here at a tiny scale to convey the rolling hills and bushes of the Shire from JRR Tolkien’s Hobbit books. This is a clever enough use, but an opposing pair is also used upturned for the Baggins’ hobbit-hole. The miniature Gandalf is the cherry on the cake – the Grey Wizard is made from just three pieces! Another six (including an ingenious use of a slingshot) make up his horse and cart. The whole scene is a masterclass in microscale building!

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 76223 Nano Gauntlet available for pre-order [News]

Looking for a snappy new Marvel set to display? Today, LEGO has debuted on their website 76223 Nano Gauntlet, Iron Man’s ultimate, universal remote control from the movie Avengers: Endgame. Coming in at 675 pieces, this maroon mitten bears some resemblance to the existing 76191 Infinity Gauntlet set, but is notably designed for the opposite hand…and possibly for a Hulk. If you’re looking to pick one of these up, they’re available for preorder right now in the US and Canada. The release date is set for August 1st, which is also when it’s available for purchase in the UK. It will retail for US $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £59.99.

Click to see more pictures of the Nano Gauntlet

Monkey sea, monkey do

Here’s a bit of toy nostalgia for you. Remember the Sea-Monkeys? What, before you time? Well, how about the glorious days of LEGO’s X-Pods? Still no? Well, just work with me here. Brandon Jones has created a wonderful tribute to questionable comic-book marketing with this aquarium made from stacked X-pod containers. It has the look of a water cooler – but you probably don’t want to top off your glass with water from this tank. The quality brick-built castle is offset by just a touch of greenery, with red horn elements serving as the brine shrimp of legend. The craggy rock of the display stand elevates the build in both a literal and physical sense. Too bad the real Sea-Monkey kits weren’t nearly this amazing.

Fishing for more fun? Cast a line into our archives!

Tune up your mech in this miniature hangar

The perfect place to prepare for a battle. Kosmas Santosa has created this wonderful build of a mechanical repair area in a microscale form. The mech has an impressive muscular shape with the nice touch of a skate used for the horn on its head. The hangar floor also has some inventive features such as gear racks representing ladders. Small vehicles use upside-down roller skates as wheels, with the stud connected to the mesh plate underneath.

There is also a great tutorial video, allowing you to build your own mech storage area. It’s definitely worth having a go at building this superb display!