We’ve seen ships in a bottle, and decks of cards in a bottle, but Bart De Dobbelaer is the first builder I know to combine glassware with the elder gods. Rise of Cthulhu features not only the great tentacled meanie, but also the city of R’lyeh doing a wicked impression of a lava lamp. The city was built brick-by-brick inside the bottle thanks to a small hole in the back; a process that is certainly madness-inducing.
Although summer is fast upon us, this lovely Bullfinch by Oscar Cederwall feels like a scene from early spring. The thin, organic shaping of the branch is what first caught my eye, probably because the bird itself instantly read as “bird” and let me appreciate the setting. But the Bullfinch deserves a closer look, too, with range of interesting shapes provided by clever use of Bionicle, Hero Factory, and even an old NHL Sports helmet for the head.
If you like combining your bricks with avian themes, take a nature walk through our bird archives.
Sometimes a LEGO creation just looks so mesmerising you can’t help but stare at it in complete awe. This creation by WoomyWorld looks like it is from out of this world. It reminds me so strongly of magical beings from fairy tales I used to love as a kid. None of them had birds with berry covered branches as tails in them. But it sounds so amazing that it wouldn’t have been out of place. After pondering on it for a little bit longer I realise this reminds me of the creatures that live in the Moors in the Maleficent movies. All of them are vaguely familiar animals but then again with a strange twist to them. All of this leaves me with one question, how do you decide to take a beautiful creation like this back apart?
Over at The Brother’s Brick we know a good LEGO Orc Hut when we see one. And this Orc Hut by Versteinert definitely is a good one. Do you want to know why? It’s because of all the funky parts used in original ways. We get a tree trunk suit disguised as a chimney. Complete with a Ninjago snake used for the smoke. I’ve seen this part used for smoke before and it never stops to amaze me how good this looks. Cake suit guy gets robbed of his party hat because it gets transformed into a bell. I love how the pin of the hat resembles the clapper of the bell. The flower stem pine trees are to die for. Same goes for most of the foliage. There are quite some original parts used there. If you take a closer look you can spot eggs, ice cream scoops, Minion hair and even Marge Simpsons head.
The smallest set in the summer 2022 Harry Potter wave is 76400 Hogwarts Carriage and Thestrals. The set name really sums it up here – other than the minifigures and a very small bit of scenery, a carriage and some thestrals is all you get! Is it a good pocket money pickup? Let’s take a quick look at this set, featuring 2 minifigures and 121 pieces, which will be available starting June 19th for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99.
This set is based on a license The LEGO Group has with the Warner Brothers films, not J.K. Rowling directly. The transphobic views expressed by Rowling do not reflect the values of The Brothers Brick or, indeed, those of The LEGO Group. The magical world Rowling created, in which many who felt a bit different could see themselves, meant a great deal to so many people, including those that Rowling now demeans. TBB affirms each individual LEGO fan’s choice to claim a piece of the world for themselves, or to reject it entirely.
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.
LEGO moved away from the venerable Creator Expert theme branding in 2020, transitioning to simple black boxes with set names but no theme branding–which fans have sometimes referred to as 18+ sets due to their age labels which denote their intended adult market. Internally, LEGO continued to use the Creator Expert label for most adult-focused sets, and it still appears as a category on LEGO’s website. Now LEGO has decided to formally retire the Creator Expert theme name and rebrand the category as LEGO Icons. The LEGO Icons theme will encompass Creator Expert sets as well as other adult-focused sets that aren’t part of other existing themes such as Technic. The new branding will be rolled out on LEGO’s website starting June 1, and will appear on packaging starting next year.
Here’s the official press release from LEGO:
From June 1st, 2022, we will be uniting many of our adult focused LEGO® sets under the name LEGO® Icons to help our adult consumers easily to find new, immersive builds or models that link to their interests and passions, particularly when shopping or browsing online. The name LEGO Icons will span all of our sets designed for older builders that are not already part of an existing LEGO theme such as LEGO® Technic, LEGO® Ideas or LEGO® Architecture.
Veteran builder Simon Liu made the most of an opportunity during his latest review for New Elementary. Given the chance to pick the set he wanted to write about, he jumped on the smorgasbord of glow-in-the-dark pieces available in June 2021’s LEGO Monkie Kid 80028 The Bone Demon. Making use of the angles and curves presented by parts selection in the set, Simon was able to finally execute a proper glow-in-the-dark TRON cycle. As a bit of a dream for Simon, he was excited to pull it off, no matter what the scale. Of course, that meant that things got a little more difficult once he got attached to that swoop of White Glow curve in the center of the bike. Sandwiching the two sides together at a scale he liked only left a tile’s thickness for the core of the body. The wheels were almost too easy, the clever curve using rounded 1×2 plates centered with that tile’s thickness to provide an attachment point for the glowing rims made with 3×3 1/4 arch bricks. Black detailing on the body is complemented by 45-degree cut slopes near the base and handlebars, completing that quintessentially TRON light cycle feel.
Just one of a few great builds that Simon worked on for New Elementary, this TRON cycle entices the building community to see what else they can do with a fist full of glow-in-the-dark elements. Clearly, there’s potential for tech and sci-fi models so who knows what use Simon will find for these highly UV-reactive pieces this year. It could make for one interesting SHIPtember if he was feeling adventurous.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles famously waged battle against the evil Foot Clan. Well, Dan Ko is here to remind us that the best weapon against the foot is a hand. The Iron Builder competition is back underway, with the seed part being the bright light green big fig hands in both left and right. Dan has ingeniously used at least seven of them to build Raphael, and there’s another bunch of them making up the ooze leaking from the sewer. The result is some impressive NPU (Ninja Parts Usage).
Well not quite a bunny, but actually an evil servant of Makuta! Alex Mertens has created this impressive version of Lariska from the Bionicle lore; a Dark Hunter who never got an official set. Presented in a mainly turquoise colour scheme, the character has a slim, agile looking design, fitting with the descriptions of her acrobatic combat style. A variety of pieces from the Clikits theme have been added to create pink highlights across the build. A panel piece, featured in a classic Rock Raiders set, forms part of the front section of the head. Minifigure helmets are cleverly used to cover connecting joints at the shoulders and upper thighs. Long skis represent the feet, with the implication that Lariska uses these to spring into the air for devastating aerial attacks.
Here at The Brothers Brick, we come across a lot of LEGO mechs, and I’m always looking for something different. Moko definitely delivers something different with this mech built for the inevitable Crocodile Invasion! The crocodile body has limited connection points itself, and to see it so easily integrated into the body displays a fantastic knowledge of how LEGO works. The mech’s body has a wonderfully sculpted structure, with its bulky, angled construction creating an impressive and foreboding appearance. Moko has been able to pack a lot of detail into this mech, from the dynamic colors to the powerful arm cannon making good use of the updated stud shooters. The asymmetrical nature of this build allows for the arm design to be vastly different, with the left arm ending in a powerful claw. I’m not in any rush to see this Crocodiles death roll any time soon…
You may look at that title and think; well that’s just stupid. And believe you me, this wouldn’t be the first time I drop a rock stupid article on y’all. But then when you check out this sick slammed LEGO 1948 COE (Cab Over Engine) Car Hauler built by Sérgio Batista you’re like; OK, that’s pretty dope! Right? At least that’s how it all goes down in my mind, anyway. But seriously, with copious chrome, dropped stance, mean green color, and sexy curves, this COE has probably earned a dope status from you the readers. And that rat rod you see it hauling? It turns out we featured it before as that one was penned by yours truly. I guess I’m just into rat rods and COE haulers. Check it out and another creation by this same builder in our dope archives.
Sometimes when creations get big, they lose a lot of the details which can make the build interesting. This does not apply to Tobias Goldschalt’s latest LEGO design. This Outpost Inn is so big it might as well be a Medieval version of Ninjago City. Whenever you build something this gargantuan, repetition is inevitable. The danger is that repetition is one of the key factors that can make a creation a bit boring and dull. Tobias repeated the color scheme and the architectural style of the build, however he differentiated in the details. Every section of the Tudor style mansion has a different technique. Even though all the rooftops are red, there’s a variety of texture thanks to the use of round bricks, round plates, cheese tiles and slope turrets. Additionally, the style of window construction rarely repeats itself. Avoiding repetition on this level keeps a massive creation like this interesting. You keep finding new little details every time you take a closer look at it. There is a great deal to learn from this creation if you study it closely enough.
