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.

What’s black and white and rad all over?

Sometimes a single piece can cause the imagination to snowball. LEGO designer Robert Heim wanted to build something with the trans-purple canopy that debuted in the Pop-Up Party Bus from The Lego Movie 2. But all he knew for sure was he wanted to make a space rover with it. That led him to design a semi-truck configuration. And the trailer had to haul something, right? Which meant he had to build a rocket…and thus, the “ORCA” rover was complete.

Flatbed trailers can understandably sometimes be a little visually uninteresting, but Robert’s combated this by including some great detail on the undercarriage, including ray guns acting as suspension on each wheel. But let’s not overlook the cargo. The angled thrusters nestled between hot air balloon shells make the rocket a stand-out build all on its own. The fact that it can be hauled into launch position by such a cool-looking rover is icing on the cake.

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LEGO Ideas First 2021 review are in: three new products are coming [News]

Today, LEGO Ideas reveals the results of the most recent review. In case you missed it, the Review Board had to evaluate a whopping 57 projects, including ideas based on sitcoms, fairy tales, and even some unusual concepts. According to the announcement published on the blog, there is great news about three projects, one from each of the mentioned categories.

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Praying Mantis-inspired mech that won’t bite your head off... or will it?

When the apocalypse finally happens, and a new intelligent species rises from the ashes to rebuild the world, this mantis mech load lifter will be an essential part of the re-construction. Built using the HOME DEPOT brand palette by G rammaticul, at least you won’t have any trouble seeing it rolling through the jungle to drop a heavy crate on your foot. Or your head. The legs look super-sturdy using a double ball joint at the abdomen, and that leather seat made from brown ingot pieces looks like it might even cushion your bum, except I don’t think the driver of this mech would need to worry about that.

This spaceship is cool as shaved ice

Sometimes the motivation to build a SHIP (Seriously Huge Investment in Parts) comes from a really cool part, like a Minifig boat, or a tooth-shaped shield. Other times, the inspiration comes from a pile of bright-colored parts. This ice-cream wrapper-looking SHIP by Don Wilson uses a whole bunch of azure and yellow parts that make it really stand out against the inky blackness of space. Like any decent SHIP, there is no shortage of greebly details along the sides of the main body, and the asymmetrical disk thingy (I’m not at all sure as to its purpose) attached to the starboard side has some mind-blowing LEGO geometry at work. One of my favorite parts, though, is the dark gray plate at the front top, which stands out in a ship with very few visible studs.

Glow-in-the-dark spookiness intensifies with this LEGO skull mosaic

The Brothers Brick contributor Chris Doyle returns yet again with more Mosaic Madness.

Just in time for Halloween, I’ve adapted artist Christopher Cooper‘s Voodoo Glow Skull image into LEGO form. And, yes, it glows in the dark. Keep reading to see it in action, and learn a bit about the build.

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The Rock Raiders theme gets an upgrade

Rock monsters beware! Deus Otiosus has constructed this fantastic tribute to the classic LEGO theme, Rock Raiders. The models mimic the colour scheme featured in the original sets which makes these creations feel all the more authentic. Snowshoes form the upper part of the dragon’s head with spear guns representing horns. The brown piping across the chest is similar to the style of the windscreen piece that was frequently used in the original sets. The wings have an unusual construction, with large fans at the upper areas and stacked clip pieces at the lower sections. There is also a fun speeder build which uses a Bionicle mask to form its front section. It seems the Rock Raiders have a powerful new ally, ready to pierce through layers of stone in order to find precious energy crystals.

Rock Raiders was one of those fantastic LEGO themes with rich lore and intriguing storylines. Check out more articles on custom LEGO Rock Raiders models, inspired by the boulder-breaking heroes.

When you have a lot of DUPLO and need to use it

I tend to shy away from integrating DUPLO into my LEGO collection as I perceive it as being cute, clunky, usually covered in toddler puke, and just not for the likes of serious builders like me. But then again in the hands of a talented builder such as Dwalin Forkbeard he can turn something cute and clunky into a masterful work of art. Take this currier vehicle, for instance. It uses a couple of clunky DUPLO parts and mixes “regular Legos” into it for a cohesive feel. The end result is like something out of The Fifth Element or Blade Runner. Check out the other times we’ve been totally smitten by this builder’s work. And if you’re inclined to build with DUPLO yourselves, then you’re in good company.

These brick-built blades are looking sharp.

At first glance, you might think Aiden Rexroad has traded in LEGO bricks for a swordsmith forge. But don’t despair. It turns out these swords aren’t metal after all, but rather some amazingly realized life-sized recreations.

First up, Aiden’s katana was built to celebrate 10 years of Ninjago, which makes sense because the curvature on this blade feels like a bit of Garmadon’s sorcery at work. And the way the handle is detailed with the diamond shapes that replicate the traditional wrapping is outstanding.

Aiden’s long sword is equally impressive. While the blade is a little more straightforwardly built than the katana’s, there’s still a lot of technique at play here. The inverted sloped wedges, for instance, do an impressive job of creating a realistic shaping to the crossguard.

This Super Nintendo Entertainment System is more than meets the eye

There’s a worry that when someone builds something in LEGO that looks so much like the real thing folks may simply pass it up when scrolling through social media. We at The Brothers Brick, on the other hand, are slightly more astute than the average bear when it comes to spotting clever LEGO creations. I can assure you, fellow bears, that this creation by Julius von Brunk is a clever one. It likely would have been featured anyway if it was merely a well-built LEGO facsimile of the Super Nintendo Game Console. Normally, we’d highlight this or that sweet build technique, point out a nice parts usage here or there then move on with our day. Shampoo, rinse, repeat. But then. But then upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that each element, the game console, cartridge, and both controllers transform into robots!

Click here to see more. You know you want to!

The perfect combination of Star Wars and Gundam

This stunning model was created by Grammaticul with incredible renders by Tong Xin Jun. The build features elements of a classic X-Wing fighter incorporated into a Gundam mech. The red head crest is actually built to simulate the Rebellion symbol with a kunai piece creating the pointed centre. The X-Wing cockpit is embedded within the mech’s torso and features all main colours of a typical Gundam design. In this first image, there is also the nice touch of a snake piece representing smoke ascending from the barrel of the gun.

The wings and boosters are splayed out on the back of the model with vibrant pink engine details. Ninja daggers represent the tips of the laser guns which extend from the main wing segments.

With all that weight, it is no wonder that the model would need a stand. Perhaps we will see this build face off against a TIE fighter combined with a Zaku in the future. The intricate details of the model provide it with a slender and elegant style while having recognizable features of both an X-Wing and a Gundam.

Intercity Express or modern day Magic School Bus?

Some parts LEGO produces seem to have a single purpose, the purpose they were designed for. However, most of the time these parts have studs or anti-studs so they could be used to build with. Vince Toulouse managed to incorporate the Life on Mars air pump The pump isn’t the only interesting piece Vince used. There is Bionicle seaweed and dragon tails used as engine exhaust pipes and the headlights are Clickits flowers. The round and curvy shapes of the dark green parts complement the shapes of the air pumps wonderfully. It’s nice to see the colour sand purple pop back up in a creation as it is a fairly rare colour. Somehow this model reminds me of the Magic School Bus which also always is a good sign.

Eroded rocks and wand fences

I love a good Tudor style build. And since LEGO is slow when it comes to producing castle themed sets we love to feature medieval fan creations here at The Brothers Brick. This creation by Robert features some lovely techniques. The one that really catches the eye is the use of upside down 1×2 dark blue plates for roof shingles. The roof needs the texture added by the plates because it is quite present in the build and without it the roof would look quite bland. The waterwheel is ingeniously made with a lot of A-shape wedges. For the rocks they used a variation of round bricks. This makes the rocks look like they got smoothed out by the eroding water traveling down from them. Also the cute fence made out of wands with sprue attached deserves a quick mention.