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.

Vampire gets his crypt redecorated

In 2002, LEGO released the studios sets in which the heroes battled the classic monsters. Vampire’s Crypt was one of the 2002 sets featuring Dracula. Dracula has been doing more than fighting heroes and biting necks for the past few years. In 2012 the exterior of his castle got a serious upgrade with the Monster Fighter theme. The interior however stayed quite simple. In this creation by GunnBuilding it looks like Dracula hired the Fab Five to redecorate the inside of his castle. If you take a close look at the 2002 sets you’ll notice that it came with two cardboard backdrops. The brick built backdrops GunnBuilding created for the build match the original backdrop’s aesthetic perfectly. Elongating the candelabras with some gold parts is a very nice idea. The best thing about this little build however, has to be the torches mounted on the wall using 1×1 round plates with a hole in the stud and a minifigure screwdriver . The cross shaped pedestal for the coffin is a very nice touch.

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The houses of blues

This is a street that makes me feel the opposite of the blues! Kristel Whitaker built a collection of identical townhouses inspired by the colours of the world’s oceans – and also LEGO’s many blue colours. Titled “Ocean Drive”, this build is not only the modular houses but an immersive scene of its residents. The children – currently on summer holiday – are playing outside with the cats while their grandma sits on the front steps. The others come and go, both for work and leisure, and the resident flamingo watches the neighbourhood amongst the flowers. Life is good in the big city.

I love how this is reminiscent of London’s famous Portobello Road, which features similar Victorian-terrace houses. Each of LEGO’s common blue colour looks good – especially teal! This scene radiates a certain warmth, both because of the inclusion of light aqua and medium azure, and also the flowers in each garden. I also like the architectural detail of white flowers in the crest that separates the first and second floors. It’s definitely a street that I would love to live in!

Check out more of Kristel’s lovely builds here!

Soaring Swordfish is one sharp looking fighter

With the live-action version of Cowboy Bebop scheduled for release later this year, it’s great to see a build which harkens back to the original anime. The Swordfish II is one of the main ships from the show, often pushed to its limits as it chases bounty targets. Christopher Hoffmann has created this incredible rendition in Lego form and demonstrates his inventive usage of parts. The ship almost looks like a dagger, ready to pierce through the sky. To achieve this aesthetic, Christopher has used wing pieces to create the ship’s blade-like nose cone. Wheel cover parts emphasise the round proportions of the cockpit, encircling the domed viewport.

At first, it’s easy to mistake the main gun to be made up of black candlestick pieces but it’s actually created by connector parts with a bar piece running through the barrel. The stand is also a great addition making this build feel as though it is an official model. The edges of the stand are created by angled bumper pieces which nicely compliments the proportions of the ship. And with that, the Swordfish II is ready to blast off into space. See you, Space Cowboy.

Draw your sword from Fiona’s Forge

This is one of the best fantasy LEGO builds I have seen all summer. Check out ForlornEmpire‘s recent creation, “Fiona’s Forge.”

Wow. Just, wow. Everything about this is a world unto its own. How did ForlornEmpire cram in so much detail so subtly into such a small space?

Let’s start at the bottom: the molten metal flowing under the steps into the casting racks is just unbelievable. I would have never thought to use window bricks to showcase the flowing metal beneath it.

The chain on the bucket looks like it was painstakingly made, using bucket handles, and… wait a minute, are those headlamps from the 2009 Clone Walker Battle Pack? Who would have thought to use such obscure LEGO pieces as a chain? While we’re talking about obscure bricks, I have to mention the Unikitty tail pieces used as supports for the shelf near the roof in this build. Such creativity! Such inspiration!

My only regret is that there aren’t any other images of this build. You’ve done it again, ForlornEmpire.

75,000 parts and six feet of sand green awesomeness

2021 has been a great year for sand green LEGO brick. But did you know that the celebration started well before the release of the LEGO Ideas 21327 Typewriter? Builder Jordan Morgan had already completed an amazing labor of love in that rare color – a 75,000 part, six-foot-long spaceship sure to leave you impressed. Featuring a fully detailed interior, working lights, and motorized functions, this build really lives up to the “Seriously Huge Investment in Parts” definition of “SHIP”. Keep reading for an in-depth look at this colossal creation!

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Fightin’ Falcon to the Rescue!

If you are a UNSC soldier in need of close air support, the Falcon will fly to your aid! Created by LEGO builder ZiO Chao, this low-altitude combat aircraft from the Halo video games has been recreated in brick form.

The legendary Falcon aircraft were first seen in the game Halo Reach. ZiO’s model comes with the autocannon mounted under the cockpit, as well as the troop bay in the middle that can ferry soldiers and Spartans to the battlefield. The smooth design of the propeller engines and main aircraft body is a testament to ZiO’s skill with LEGO bricks. I really like the yellow lights on either side of the central intakes as well.

What I appreciate most, however, are the details in this build that ZiO didn’t have to do but included anyway. For example, I think the white stripes on the prop tips matching the stripes on the cockpit canopy was a deliberate choice. The angled wings on the tail are also a nice touch. It’s the little things like these that make this an incredible LEGO creation.

A box full of nightmare fuel. How jolly.

Spooktacular builder Corvus Auriac is back with another creation determined to haunt your dreams. I’ve never liked the concept of a Jack in the Box – to me, they were always a thin veneer of playfulness over a dark core of “who hurt the toy designer as a child.” As such, it’s kind of refreshing that this one isn’t even trying to pretend to be friendly. There are plenty of complex techniques in use here, but the most chilling has to be the use of minifigure epaulets to form those terrifyingly real teeth.

The picture above is a computer-generated render, meaning this doesn’t exist for real. Yet. Corvis has said that a real-world version is on the way soon. We can’t wait. (Oh, wait, yes, we can.) If you’re looking for other builds that cross the line between reality and imagined, check out our render tag.

A Vic Viper worthy of royalty

Oh, the depths of space have so much to offer. As vast as the human imagination itself, nothing tickles my soul more than a great spaceship, especially one built from LEGO. Seeing how builders mold their abstract forms, creating engaging structures and silhouettes under the constrictions and limits of the LEGO system, builds a sense of absolute awe. Gaming fans of the modern era can escape into any number of epic worlds from Mass Effect to No Man Sky or the vast realms of Homeworld, EVE, or Star Citizen. As such, there is a wealth of designs that inspire wonderful builders around the world. This model was built by Carter Baldwin as a homage to a Hiigaran ship from Homeworld 2, but he diverged a bit from the original design. Take a look at the Imperial Interceptor, a marvelous Vic Viper for the Royal House of Sol. The stand-out color blocking achieved in this model depends greatly on the triangular tiles that hug the sharp edges of the ship’s body and wings. Contrasting the dark blue slopes and tiles, the gold gives the ship an eye-catching allure worthy of royalty.

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Escape in a escape pod. Guaranteed almost completely Alien free!

The Aliens franchise has seen its share of high and low points, but there are certain moments that have been well and truly integrated into the pop culture world. One of them is Ellen Ripley’s escape at the end of the first film aboard the Narcissus, the escape pod from the larger USCSS Nostromo. Michael Steindl has created a truly remarkable digital scale model of the craft, full of complex angles and movie-accurate styling. My favorite touch is the 1×1 round brick used to create the textures on the rear quarter panels, with a close second being the use of 1×2 ingot bricks along the engine exhausts. In space, they say, no one can hear you scream. But maybe if you listen close enough you can hear some applause for this build. But probably not, since physics doesn’t play favorites like that.

If you’re looking for more extraterrestrial-ly inspired treats, check our our Alien tag!

I am Maktooti, the bionic man!

This is what happens in the Multiverse of Madness! Over ten years ago, the story of Bionicle was as convoluted as some of the Marvel comics – full of overlapping story threads and alternate dimension-hopping shenanigans. At one point, it is revealed that there exists a version of the Bionicle universe where Makuta – the franchise’s big bad – isn’t big bad, but big good. Matt Goldberg built this alternate version of Makuta, with a bright colour scheme and elegance that oozes raw not-evil power.

Matt combines elements of LEGO’s original Makuta set and a build by Yannick Godts that was inducted into official Bionicle canon. As both of those were over ten years ago, and recent innovations in building made it possible for this character to be refined. For instance, LEGO introduced most of the current “constraction” pieces after Bionicle’s ending, and Matt uses them to great effect. He also includes regular LEGO elements in gold which match golden armour pieces from Legend of Chima buildable figures. Despite Bionicle having an aesthetic of greebly details, the clean look gives this Makuta a slick yet ancient look. And this is why many Bionicle builders love revamping old sets and characters.

*title is in reference to an actual Bionicle commercial from 2003

Flames amongst the ocean

Myleth Dorei is under attack by a vicious dragon. His terrible flame breath has bisected the island, cutting off the small fishing village from the castle with a trail of charred forest. Will the islanders survive this brutal attack? Only builder Andreas Lenander knows for sure. Andreas has done an excellent job at rendering a complex story in a small space with this microscale vignette. It’s full of lots of clever details, like using some Harry Potter wands still connected to a spur as the castle gate. And the dragon is effectively rendered in very few pieces, so that it’s light enough to be suspended in the sky by the fire that its breathing. But my favorite detail is the hollow space in the center, covered with trans-clear plates that allow the light from an iPhone to shine upwards, creating a true sense of a raging inferno.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for July 17, 2021 [News]

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 third week of July 2021.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS What a week for reviews here on TBB, we covered new sets from Four themes, including Star Wars, Marvel, Creator, and LEGO Ideas. There was a call for new contributors to join our growing TBB team in social media and news, and breaking news about the return of in-person LEGO conventions starting with Brickcon 2021 in Seattle.

BrickCon 2021 celebrates 20 years with hybrid in-person and online convention – LEGO convention fans (especially local US ones) got some great news as BrickCon 2021 announced that the longest running LEGO fan convention, celebrating 20 years, will be in-person again this year (and virtual too)
LEGO Star Wars reveals 75309 Republic Gunship as next Ultimate Collector Series set – We revealed the new Star Wars UCS set to drop into the line-up
LEGO Ideas 21328 Seinfeld features Jerry’s NYC apartment – Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment is packed with so many easter eggs you need a basket, for the easter eggs.
LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series 75309 Republic Gunship – We dropped in on the newest addition to the Star Wars UCS line, the Republic gunship, voted on by fans last year.
LEGO Marvel What If…? 76201 Captain Carter and the Hydra Stomper – We reviewed the new LEGO Marvel What if…? set featuring Captain Carter and Steve Rogers from an alternate universe.
The new LEGO Star Wars UCS set, Republic Gunship to be unveiled – LEGO revealed a teaser of the new UCS Republic gunship.
LEGO Marvel Infinity Saga 76200 Bro Thor’s New Asgard – We took a look at the slice of life set where Bro Thor shuts down a gamer troll and puts Storm-breaker to use slicing pizza.
LEGO reveals new 10279 Volkswagen T2 Camper Van for 2021 – We got our first look at the newest large scale collectible vehicle, the Volkswagen T2 camper van.
Join the The Brothers Brick team as a Social Media Specialist or a News Contributor – We sent out a call to invite applicants to join our growing international band of Brick Brothers and Sisters as social media and news contributors.

Click through to read more LEGO news from around the world