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.

Do you want tentacle babies? Because that’s how you get tentacle babies!

There was a time when LEGO builder Grant Davis was a regular here at The Brothers Brick but lately he’s been as rare as truck nuts on a Prius. That’s because he’s been away at the university. But that’s all about to change because he is competing in the ever-popular Iron Builder competition against our friend and recent TBB alumni Benjamin Stenlund. Grant calls this one “The Experiment” and, like many sci-fi movies and Florida Man stories, it features toxic goo, tentacles, and a situation that’s about to get calamitous. This is only his first entry in this competition so we can expect to see plenty more from Grant and even Benjamin soon. Iron Builder always means job security for us. Speaking of job security for us, check out the other times we were totally gaga for Grant’s stuff.

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It’s a simple idiot-proofing scheme that’s very effective. But no idiot-proofing can overcome a determined idiot.

The title is a quote from the novel Artemis by Andy Weir. It points out the wit of scientific redundancies meant to keep people safe and this suit is a testament in its own right. Space nerds like me have been blessed by the LEGO Group in recent years. Sets like the Apollo 11 Lunar Lander, the International Space Station, and recently the Space Shuttle Discovery, give the rocket scientists and astronomers in all of us a big thrill. There are so many iconic elements from the past that would make great sets but let’s take a peek at the future of scientific idiot-proofing with Spacemanship123’s NASA Artemis Spacesuit.

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Yacht else do you want from a LEGO build?

Apparently, Ed Diment doesn’t JUST build 22-foot LEGO aircraft carriers. He also makes yachts, like this one titled “Moonlight.” Ed told one follower that this was a passion build for him, and it shows. The rigging immediately draws focus, from the size to the taut roping, and the limited colors of the yacht play off each other well without becoming dull.

One element that helps this LEGO creation stand out from its peers is that Ed doesn’t just focus on the yacht itself. He includes several minifigures throughout the yacht, letting mini-stories play out from helm to stern.

On a fun note, our own Ralph Savlesberg helped build the stand that was used for the LEGO yacht. The lettering here is really well done; it looks fluid and contrasts nicely with the black.

Bulked-up Benny

When The LEGO Movie debuted in 2014, the world was introduced to Benny, a Classic LEGO Spaceman with an enthusiastic love of spaceships. In 2019, The LEGO Movie 2 gave Benny an apocalyptic upgrade which found him sporting a clawed robot arm and carrying a toolbox. Now, builder Chris Yee has upgraded Benny yet again, translating Benny’s apocalyptic minifigure look into a larger Bionicle/Hero Factory style figure. I particularly love the Classic Space logo recreated with a pearl gold conical hat and a red minifigure hand and rubber bands. I’m forced to wonder if there’s a spaceship spaceship spaceship! in all the galaxy that’s capable of containing this much awesome.

Boulevard des Lumières

I’ve been a fan of LEGO ever since I was a little boy. My sister however dabbled a bit in LEGO, had some fun with Barbie, and started collecting Playmobil. Playmobil always had my interest because they had so many different animals in their collection. Because it lacked, in my opinion, the creative building element I navigated more towards LEGO. There were however Playmobil themes that always have had my interest. I recollect going over to my niece’s house to play with her Victorian mansion. It was huge! The exterior was beautiful and on the inside, there was lots of space for the furniture. And boy there was a lot of furniture to decorate the lovely family home. Since I had already committed to LEGO I could only hope they would eventually also produce something of this kind. Although some of the modular buildings match the aesthetic, none of them match the grandeur of the Playmobil mansion. This creation by lepralego however did manage to capture the grandeur of the Victorian Playmobil building. However, it is not Victorian but Haussmann style. I do not have enough of an architectural background to know the difference. To me, they look very much alike. The building is so tall the 15 to 17 bricks tall trees look like twigs. This amazing building is fully furnished and ready for you to take a closer look inside.

Fun at the fair with Creator 3-in-1 31119 Ferris Wheel [Review]

Over the years we’ve seen a decent amount of fairground and amusement-style sets. We’re always enthralled with moving creations and what says fun more than the fair? In particular, the best sets have been those in the unofficial fairgrounds subtheme within the Creator Expert line. Such models like the roller coaster, carousels (yes, plural!), and Ferris wheel are sure to make anyone smile! We can’t wait to see if another massive set joins the party, but in the meantime, we’ll explore an “all-in-one” day at the fair with LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31119 Ferris Wheel. This set consists of 1,002 parts and the instructions to complete a swing ride, bumper cars, and of course, an 8-seat Ferris wheel. The set is currently available in Europe and will hit stores in North America beginning August 1 for US $79.99 | CAN $109.99 | UK £79.99.

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.

Click to read the full review

TBB Cover Photo for June 2021: The Tyrandal Woodlands

Ever wanted to drift away into an enchanted world filled with mystery and wonder? There is no need to venture any further with Isaac Snyder microscale build dubbed “the Tyrandal Woodlands”. This is why we are proud to set this amazing build as our Cover Photo for June.

Click to see how you can get featured

Wes Talbott and James May talk about how they designed the LEGO Ideas 21327 Typewriter [News]

LEGO Ideas 21327 Typewriter, the newest Ideas set revealed, was designed by Wes Talbott and James May. They both wanted the Typewriter to have as much functionality as possible, and say it was a challenge to create a working model where Technic and System bricks work well together.

Click to see the Designer Video!

This anti-gravity Wipeout Racer has a checkered history

You may have heard the humorous adage that if you paint racing stripes on your vehicle it’ll automatically go faster. In the case of this LEGO anti-gravity Wipeout Racer by David Roberts that might actually be true. He tells us that this ship was first in its class partly due to its powerful engine pack and partly due to its color scheme distracting other pilots and causing them to crash. He goes on to explain that this led to a rule change where the team had to paint their ship in a more sober pattern and thus the success of the race sadly and predictably waned. The lesson learned here is that racing fans like crazy stuff and now we can’t have nice things. Speaking of nice things, this would not be David’s first lap with brightly-colored ships and other awesome stuff. Check out our archives to see what I mean.

Headdresses and cocktail dresses

With his new LEGO creation, Eero Okkonen begs the question; Ancient headdresses and cocktail dresses are a nice combo, right? Wait, let me think about this. Yes. Yes, they are. Margibi Imber pulls the ensemble off nicely with her Ancient Egyptian-inspired headdress complete with a scarab ornament. She pairs that with a festive strapless cocktail dress for a surprisingly coherent outfit. Accessorize with leg-length boots and a matching handbag and you have yourselves the makings of a fabulous night on the town. (Your results may vary.) My favorite detail is the LEGO netting used for hair. While Eero is certainly capable of building other things, find out why he’s among our favorite character builders in our archives.

LEGO Ideas reveals 21327 Typewriter as a 2,000-piece life-size model with moving keys [News]

LEGO Ideas 21327 Typewriter gives the crowdsourcing theme a new taste of nostalgia. With over 2,000 pieces, the set is a life-size replica of a 20th-century portable typewriter with moving keys. The original Ideas project was designed by Steve Guinness, who wanted to create something that hasn’t been done before. The typewriter has a working mechanism in which the keys can be pressed, making the center typebar rise and the carriage move. Real paper can be fed into the platen roller as an authentic user experience. The 2,079-piece set will be available to buy for LEGO VIP members from June 16 and worldwide from July 1, priced at US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99.

Click to find out more about LEGO Ideas Typewriter!

Go anywhere in the rugged Toyota FJ40

LEGO automotive enthusiasts lost our collective cookies when they came out with the 10271 Fiat 500 set in bright lemony yellow. (I think I peed a little!) It was a previously difficult color to come by but as Jonathan Elliott pointed out, even with the Fiat, there are only 352 parts available in that shade, a large chunk dedicated to minifig hairstyles. This means building your own creations in that tasty color is still somewhat difficult. Boy, don’t I know it! That didn’t stop Jonathan from building a totally awesome Toyota FJ40 though. This model is so accurate it almost feels like you can actually go off-roading in it. While he is no slouch with building LEGO cars, his automotive chops really shined with this one. Check out the archives to see what I mean.