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.

A black and blue Tytharer swoops in

Let’s start with the obvious; this monster Tytharer by Aiden Rexroad is incredible. The combination of traditionally mechanical parts like black Hero Factory armor and hoses actually feels organic here, thanks in large part to the medium azure Technic axle connectors flowing along the back. But it’s the subtle curve in the water below the beast that makes this LEGO creation feel alive to me. There’s an impression that the same wind keeping the creature aloft is churning the sea below it. And even though the base of this creation is only a fraction of the length of the centerpiece beast, it’s impossible for me not to imagine an entire ocean stretched out below him.

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Somber castle tower in a placid swamp

This LEGO castle tower creation by Roger Cageot is a fun exercise in creating round walls and combining muted and vibrant colors. I love the green color of the lake and the way the yellows are combined. The simple wooden drawbridge is a fun feature, and the morose tree adds a somber feeling to the creation. This could easily live in the world of the LEGO Ideas 21325 Medieval Blacksmith with its dilapidation, colors, and energy.

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LEGO Creator Expert 10292 Friends: The Apartments [Review]

Following up on the LEGO Ideas set 21319 Friends: Central Perk released in 2019, LEGO recently announced LEGO Creator Expert 10292 Friends: The Apartments. Full of details designed to recreate memorable moments from the TV series, the set includes 2,048 pieces with 7 minifigs, and will retail for US $149.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £134.99. The set will go on sale June 1st, with early availability on May 19 for LEGO VIP members.

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.

Read our hands-on review of LEGO Creator Expert 10292 Friends: The Apartments

It takes Ingenuity to fly a craft on Mars

What does NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Stephen Pakbaz do for fun when he’s not working on real-life Mars vehicles? Well, it turns out he builds Mars vehicles in LEGO. Here is a 1:1 scale, motorized model of the Ingenuity Helicopter that spans about four feet (1.2 meters) across. In case you’ve been living under a meteorite this past month this craft has made headlines with a number of historic flights.You can keep up with the latest real-life shenanigans of the helicopter on Mars on Nasa’s official website. As for LEGO-life shenanigans, you may notice that Stephen has also built the Ingenuity a leeetle friend in 1:3 scale. That one he has launched on LEGO Ideas in hopes of gaining the votes needed to maybe make it an official set at some point. This isn’t Stephen’s first orbit with LEGO Ideas. He was successful in turning the Curiosity Rover into an official set back in the early days when LEGO Ideas was called Cuusoo. Check out our interview from 2013.

This temple of the rising sun is shining bright

There’s something mysterious about ruined temples weathered by years, and the forces of nature, like this sun temple by Mountain Hobbit, while the steps and the path have fallen apart and the broken pillars no longer hold up whatever it was they help up, the symbol of the sun is completely undamaged. The patchwork arrangement of plates and bricks at 90-degree angles gives a very man-made touch to the wall, and while the sun may be the focal point of the model, I think the real star of the show are those rocks, constructed with multiple separate assemblies with studs pointed in all directions, intertwined with brown vines.

A tambour drawer conceals hidden treasure [Video]

The simple yet mesmerizing features of a roll-top desk have always been interesting to me. I’m not sure why we’ve found creating round shapes out of smaller straight ones so amusing, but nevertheless we can’t help ourselves. More intriguing still is the tambour desk or drawer. Named such for the typical design of wooden slats glued to stretched canvas, opening one drawer reveals two! And it’s even cooler in LEGO form. This version by Jason Allemann couldn’t be better executed – at first glance it doesn’t seem all that exciting…

But how do you open the top? Don’t let the treasure-chest look fool you – it doesn’t lift it like a lid. Just pull the front drawer and you have access to both top and bottom compartments! See? Mesmerizing.

Thankfully, the tag-team duo of JK Brickworks loves to show how they build things, and often post instructions too! While you’re here, check out more of their LEGO creations!

Updates on the LEGO VIP program; next VIP Collectible Coin available May 20 [News]

This morning, we had the chance to participate in a discussion with Jason Whiting, LEGO’s Global Director of the VIP Program, and were able to learn some interesting insights into the program and future plans for it as well as discussing some of the issues that fans have experienced. This comes as LEGO announces that the fifth and final VIP Collectible Coin will be available on May 20, as well as announcing that previous coins will be available again in the future. While LEGO has not yet confirmed when the rest of the coins will be back in stock or what the quantities on them will be, we did learn that LEGO intends to re-stock the previous coins (including the wildly popular Classic Space Coin) using the same listing, so VIP members who redeemed them already will not be able to redeem them again. This should give fans who missed any of them the first time a better chance at getting them this time around. LEGO did not rule out the possibility that if demand falls short on the second run, they may remove the 1-per-account limit. There is no word yet if LEGO also plans to re-stock the coin holder, which was a separate reward from the coins.

The LEGO Coin Collectible series is an ongoing VIP Reward and is released featuring a coin each month since January 2021. The 5th and final LEGO collectable coin will be available in the LEGO VIP Rewards centre (US | CAN | UK) on May 20, 2021.

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Let’s go window shopping

Ralf Langer teased us a while ago with the stern of a beautiful LEGO ship. In the comments he mentioned that it was actually never going to be a full ship, but a city made out of ship parts. And here it is in all it’s gloomy glory. This creation might as well be called a study of ship windows as are several lovely techniques for you to choose from. Let’s zoom in on them.

Both brown ships feature the same technique using a net between a layer of trans plates and trans tiles. This creates a stained glass effect which is just stunning. A lot of variation in colour can be achieved by using different colored trans elements. The dark brown ship with the blue glass windows uses a different technique. Here we have the 1967 fence filled with bars stuck through a technic pin.

The last window technique I want to highlight is the one on the building on the right. It uses small smooth tires filled with trans cheese slopes. This city of ships also features a lot of cleverly designed lanterns with some clever parts usage. I can spot wands, link chain and link tread. The only question I have now is: Will this connect to my Ninjago City?

We’re ready to receive you

LEGO custom creations that play with scale and perspective remind me of old-fashioned movie special effects. There’s something magical about matte paintings and models and perfect camera angles combining together to make the viewer believe they’re watching a vast expanse of space when it’s really all set up in a parking lot in Culver City. Mountain Hobbit has produced a little classic sci-fi Hollywood magic of his own with this Iron Builder submission. The seed part is the Crane Grab Jaw with Axle and Pin Hole, which he used to create the “teeth” on the hangar door. He’s also used orange ingots to bring a little pop of color detail to the largely gray interior. The complementary hues of color on both the spaceship and the landing bay give us a sense that they’re part of the same sci-fi universe.

And the best part is, the doors are functional.

I’m looking for my son Nemo... oh, nevermind, he’s right here.

If you suffer from coulrophobia, you have nothing to worry about, cuz this clown…fish by Joffre Bricks is not that kind of clown. Known for their bright orange bodies with white stripes, the clownfish, which also has a fancy Latin name (Amphiprioninae), is such a happy little fish that wouldn’t scare anybody. The gently swaying tendrils of the anemone may be deadly to other fish passing by; the clownfish has nothing to worry about.

This flea is too hot to handle

When you think of fleas, you might think of those tiny insects that bite your pets and feed off of their blood. And occasionally star in a tiny circus. Well, not anymore. There is a new fleet of fleas causing a riot across the internet, and these fleas are fearsome! Take this Riotflea 29, codenamed Scorch, by Anthony Wilson, please take it, and take it far away. As the name implies, this bot is flaming hot, from the bright orange color scheme to the numerous flammable fuel tanks on its back. The series of angled pipes around the mid-section is a great detail, and the pipes are used again to wrap around the upper legs. The four eyes flanking the face give the bot a particularly alien look.

LEGO Marvel Spider-Man 76178 Daily Bugle revealed with 25 minifigures, including Blade, Punisher & Daredevil [News]

Today LEGO has taken the wraps off the biggest Spider-Man set to date, 76178 Daily Bugle. This massive 3,772-piece set features the headquarters of Spider-Man nemesis (and Peter Parker’s boss) J. Jonah Jameson’s newspaper, the Daily Bugle. The high-rise features a full interior with offices and lots of superhero action, but the set’s real draw is likely to be the minifigures, with a small army included. Altogether, there are 25 minifigures included, including several new superheroes that haven’t appeared in minifigure form before, such as Blade, Punisher, Daredevil, Black Cat, and Firestar. The Daily Bugle will be available for LEGO VIP members starting May 26, with a general release on June 1. It will retail for US $299.99 | CAN $399.99 | UK £274.99.

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