The collaborative community of the LEGO fanbase is fed by builders sharing their techniques and designs. Builder Magnus W was inspired to build a model of his old Yamaha DT50MX based on the Technic frame of builder George Panteleon’s Yamaha XT550. Full of details, plenty of which are personal to the builder, this model makes itself distinct while still hitting all the right notes. I’m sure building it was a nostalgia-flavored treat.
In the cinematic versions of the Ghostbusters, the Ecto-1 started out life as a 1959 Cadillac. Tony Bovkoon has taken a different car out for the same ride, instead decking out a Vaz Lada 2104 from the 1980’s. This amazing cosplay has the classic color and accessories of the movie vehicle, and features a detailed interior that shows the love this creation had, inside and out.
Those look like custom stickers on the hood and doors and on the “HEKTO 1” license plate, which is an amusing pun (некто in Russian stands for “someone”). Nice details that take this model to the next level.
Want more great Ecto-1 builds? Check out our review of the UCS-scaled 10274 or take a dive through our Ghostbusters archives.
We continue our tour of the January 2022 Ninjago EVO with the first of the “6+” age range offerings. LEGO Ninjago 71760 Jay’s Thunder Dragon EVO will be available January 1st from the LEGO Shop Online for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99. LEGO designer Niek van Slagmaat shared on Twitter how the 6+ age range is the targeted demographic for the EVO line, a group that’s usually under-represented in Ninjago fans. This 140 piece set includes the Thunder Dragon and two minifigures – will that be enough to tempt the younger crowd? How about the (sometimes much, much) older Ninjago fans out there? Read on and judge for yourself!
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.
Click to read the full hands-on review
Nothing says “happy holidays” quite like Tainstvennyy glaz, a creature build by Kevin H. I mean, I think it’s saying “Happy Holidays”, but man, that’s one thick accent. Described by Kevin as the “Master of machinations, connoisseur of exotic tat, and a virtuoso of the virtual realm!”, T-Glaz is super glamourous with expertly arranged Bionicle masks, creepy black tentacles, and angelic wings. And then there’s the golden lollypop and frog under glass accessories. Bon Appetit!
This build was inspired by the creations of Ivan Martynov, and served as a very unique Secret Santa gift to Ivan from Kevin. Doesn’t that just get you into the gift-giving mood? I mean, maybe it’s a little late for that this year, but there’s plenty of time to get building for next time. And if you need inspiration, just check out our Bionicle tag for more stellar creations!
Watching the Harry Potter films is somewhat of a holiday tradition for my family. Builder Castor Troy has surely seen the films plenty of times because his model of Gringotts bank is spot on. The size and bulk of the build match perfectly to the Minifigure Ron and Harry hanging out by the large front doors. The leaning columns that make the face of the bank so distinct are wonderfully captured. The dome capping it all off is actually Yavin-4 from the second series of the Star Wars Planets. I have to commend that parts usage due to its marbling of greens and gold. It perfectly matches the gold detailing around it and the bank as a whole. The architectural style of the building is well built, full of detail and prestige.
Harry and Ron are probably off to spend their holiday money amongst the shops of Diagon Alley. Hopefully, they get something practical in addition to the sweets, Quidditch gear, and joke supplies. Then again, it is Ron and Harry.
The iconic LEGO wooden duck, which was one of the first toys produced by Ole Kirk Kristiansen and his team, has to be one of the most famous ducks in the world. Still, we don’t see modern brick-built versions that often! Based on the original toy and the last year’s 40501 The Wooden Duck, the recent mini-build by Christian Rau is simply adorable. Thanks to the great use of printed eye tiles and its open beak, this duck is as funny as an under-50-piece creation can be.
What’s peculiar, it’s not the first mini wooden duck we’ve seen; you might remember another version by Adeel Zubair. It’s amazing how different the builds are even though both are so tiny!
Sometimes when we have the opportunity to review a set, we start off only knowing the set number. Upon reading 80108, we knew that this one had to be special. In Chinese culture, 8 is a very lucky number – and this palindrome is even better! Of course, it would refer to LEGO Chinese New Year 80108 Lunar New Year Traditions. This set is a symphony of holiday customs and culture. Join us as we learn about every facet of this model. The set has 1066 pieces, including 12 minifigures. It will be available January 10th for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £59.99.
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.
I know it may be a bit confusing: the latest BX T1+ by Martin Vala looks way too clean for a Dakar rally car. There are no patches of sand all over the fenders, no dents from multiple high-speed accidents. But let’s seize the moment and enjoy the brilliant design of the car’s body and chassis before it starts its journey among the dunes. The neat combination of LEGO Technic wheel arch panels with System elements is perfect, but I genuinely wonder what the car would look like with different liveries, such as sponsors’ logos and a racing number. This would totally take this particularly realistic build to the whole other level.
And if you feel like checking out Martins’ Flickr gallery, do not miss out on the additional shots of the car revealing the chassis.
Even the most experienced squirrel would struggle to break into these pine cones! Skillfully created by Amado Canlas Pinlac, the three pine cones have realistic shapes with a sprinkling of snow upon them. Claw pieces are heavily featured in the builds and portray the segmented sections of the pine cones. Surprisingly, ice-cream parts have been used to represent the pointed tips, which provides the models with an organic look to them. These pine cones could easily be used as Christmas ornaments and would fit in comfortably with other decorations hanging from a tree.
In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the fourth week of December 2021.
TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS TBB’s intrepid writers and reviewers delivered up dissections of a batch of new LEGO sets for your reading pleasure, and put together the shortlist of nominees for Best Creation of 2021. Also, the daily surprises from LEGO’s advent calendars came to an end this week leading into Christmas.
Pascal Hetzel wants to remind us that even the evil Empire gets into the Christmas spirit. That’s why these microscale AT-ATs have been outfitted in festive sweaters and ordered to leave some presents just outside the Rebels’ base on Hoth. There’s so much life to the walkers in this vignette. The head tilts and the tracks left in the snow make it feel like a scene from a stop-motion Christmas special. Maybe they’re going caroling next. “It’s Beginning to Look AT-AT Like Christmas.”
At first glance, you might not realize this idyllic holiday scene is made from LEGO. That’s because builder aukbricks has made use of roughly 14,000 digital bricks to render a spacious living room at a scale large enough to trick the eye. I’m particularly impressed by the mosaic hanging on the wall, made using the tips of bar elements. Although this model is a computer rendering, aukbricks assures us that only existing bricks/colors were used. So, you can build this yourself in reality…assuming Santa brings you enough LEGO this year. Merry Christmas.
