It’s not usually our thing to feature LEGO works in progress. But when ZiO Chao posted a sprig of plum blossom, we featured it. Who could blame us, really? The subject was expertly crafted and photographed with utmost care. The sprig alone was rather breathtaking, actually. So you can imagine our thrill to learn the sprig was a mere teaser for this entire Bonsai plum tree. The builder tells us that the plum blossom is one of the most beloved flowers in China and has been frequently depicted in Chinese art and poetry for centuries. They can bloom in the winter and have therefore come to symbolize perseverance and hope, as well as beauty and purity. In my opinion, the official Botanical Collection has been the best new idea LEGO has come up with in a while. They have been the inspiration for so many beautiful creations such as this.
Category Archives: LEGO
The Star Wars Clone Wars unfold on a massive light-up Naboo diorama
Say what you will about the Star Wars prequels, Naboo is a planet that everyone agrees is beautiful. Inspired by its appearance in 2017’s Battlefront II videogame, Belgian LEGO Star Wars YouTuber Axidroid spent eight months building a Clone Wars battle scene in the streets of Theed. With 121 minifigures, with most of them being from the popular 501st Battlepack, there are also custom vehicles such as the Gunships, AAT tank, and AT-RT walker. While large Star Wars dioramas are not uncommon, the 140cm by 77cm size dwarfs the largest LEGO Star Wars set, the UCS Imperial Star Destroyer, which is 110cm by 66cm.
While the size of this build is impressive, the real kicker is at nighttime. Using Christmas LED lights inside the buildings and street lamps, Axidroid lights up the Theed plaza into a lovely atmospheric scene. The battle droids and clone troopers now look like they’re lined up for an evening festival, and bring the Mediterranean setting of Naboo even closer to home.
Axidroid even documented his 8-month long build process in a YouTube video series. In the finale below he shows off all the details in the expansive build.
Explore more builds of Naboo here.
LEGO BrickHeadz 40441 Pets Shorthair cat and Kitten [Review]
LEGO recently introduced a new sub-theme to the BrickHeadz line, Pets, and so far, there have been 4 sets released… A German Shepherd and puppy, A budgie and chick, and a pair of goldfish. Today we’re taking a look at the shorthair cat (number 120) and kitten (121), and they are available on lego.com and LEGO retail stores for $14.99 US (CAN $19.99 | UK £13.49),
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.
But... will it blend?
Isn’t it funny that kids use LEGO bricks to build things that don’t exist in our world, but adult fans adore brick-built models of real-life objects? This pretties kitchen blender by Joffre Zheng has no ion engines, no laser guns, and does not breathe fire; still, it instantly captured my attention with its clean, neat look. And I know its secret! Did you notice the new corner bricks with bow 2×2? These are perfect for smooth transitions between vertical and horizontal surfaces. Although the bowl’s design may not be as perfect as the rest of the blender, I haven’t seen anything similar before. And now, here is the question… will it blend?!
A little light amidst a lot of dark
Is it a Tim Burton movie set? Is it a miniature fit for a museum about Medieval times? No, it is another fantastic creation from Ralf Langer. Ralf always surprises us with his super realistic medieval Tudor-style buildings. His creations are filled with tons of interesting techniques which he kindly reveals in tutorials not long after posting a creation. His latest model is called ‘A light in the dark’.
As far as I can tell Ralf didn’t use any special lighting to make the archway light up. He created the effect by using a range of yellow tones amidst a lot of grey, dark grey, dark brown, and black. The effect looks stunning. Another effect Ralf managed to get across beautifully is the calm after a storm. The streets look like they are covered in puddles. This is achieved by using chain link for the pavement. The puddles are made with black brick shapes which are placed between the chain links. The difference between the textured chain links and the smooth bricks really looks like rain puddles.
The T-70 X-wing of Poe Dameron’s dreams
There is always one LEGO creation where it’s “love at first sight.” You never expect that build to leave you breathless, but when it does, it does. This UCS-scale T-70 X-wing by Jared Reisweber is the one that stole my heart. Instantly recognisable from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this massive model is the most accurate representation of Poe Dameron’s starfighter that I’ve seen so far. It helps that this build is larger than it appears, capturing even the tiniest, most intricate details, and replicating the complex shapes and curves, which even the best of builders struggle to get accurate. Sometimes all it takes to build the perfect X-wing is to go big or go home.
Click here to get a closer look at the starfighter…
LEGO Ninjago 71747 The Keepers’ Village [Review]
Lately we’ve been working our way through the new wave of Ninjago sets based on the latest island-themed season. Today we reach our final destination of Ninjago 71747 The Keepers’ Village. This 632 piece offering features five minifigures and a playset full of surprises. It’s available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $49.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £44.99. Is this a fitting conclusion to our Island adventures? Are there interesting perks for non-Ninjago fans? Read on and see!
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
LEGO to stop using black backgrounds in instructions [News]
As reported by our friends over at Brickset, LEGO appears to be making plans to transition away from the use of black backgrounds in instruction manuals. Earlier today, LEGO customer Sam Walker posted an image in a Facebook group of a response he received from LEGO customer service, in which the company states “we’ve been listening to feedback about the background colour in our building instructions. We’ve done lots of testing already and have plans to move away from the black backgrounds entirely.”
The dark backgrounds have been part of the theming for 18+ sets in LEGO’s newly rebranded adult product portfolio that began rolling out last summer. The black manuals have been the source of much frustration for builders, as the low contrast has made it very difficult to discern darker-colored elements, with some disappearing entirely, as we noticed in our review of 10275 Elf Clubhouse.
LEGO has been trying a variety of things to combat the issue, including adding more outlines to elements. Some recent sets, such as 10295 Porsche 911 Turbo & 911 Targa, shipped with black backgrounds in the instruction manual, but the version available for download from LEGO’s website has been updated to include traditional light backgrounds. Other recent 18+ sets, such as 21325 Medieval Blacksmith, included light backgrounds in the printed manual that shipped with the set, though it’s unclear if this is a result of the change already being put into action, or because that set is part of the Ideas product line rather than Creator Expert.
In the response to Sam Walker, LEGO also says that it is working with LEGO designers with color impairment in creating revised manuals.
Waia Konekta
Joss Woodyard shows us that he is not afraid of using color in his LEGO creations. His creation titled Waia Konekta is very vibrant and lovely. There are a few parts in this creation that are used very creatively. The wire connector is used to create a grass necklace of the Waia Konekta. Next to that the wing with feathers gets used quite a lot in a range of different colors. It is used in the grass skirt and in an elaborate headdress. The use of the 12 tooth gear for teeth is quite ingenious, and there is just something about those eyes. They appear to follow you, and it looks like the Waia Konekta can see straight through you. Did I mention this creation reminds me of the mask in Crash Bandicoot?
Cable Clip Chameleon
Builder Joss Woodyard has made a chameleon out of LEGO and it’s simply a small work of art. There are a lot of axle connectors used in this build for the tail and the spine of the creature. I love that it manages to stay true to the color scheme of an actual chameleon. White wedge plate create gaps that resemble the mouth and there is great part use with the pumpkin part used to portray the characteristic eyes which bulge out the side of their head and appear to swivel about in all directions.
The next LEGO House exclusive set revealed: 40502 The Brick Moulding Machine [News]
Today, LEGO reveals the new 40502 The Brick Moulding Machine set. The set becomes the second LEGO House Limited Edition product (joining 40501 The Wooden Duck) and will sell exclusively at the LEGO House starting March 4 for 599 DKK (approximately US $99).
LEGO Marvel Avengers 76170 Iron Man vs. Thanos [Review]
Younger Builders….ASSEMBLE! The LEGO “4+” line is aimed at junior builders, with simplified designs and larger pieces. Marvel Avengers 76170 Iron Man vs. Thanos is one of them, and will be available March 1st from the LEGO Shop Online for US $19.99 | CAN $24.99 | UK £17.99. But this is a Marvel set, and that means a wider range of fans are going to consider it as well. Is there anything here to tempt them? And what about non-Marvel builders? Come along as we examine just what LEGO has squeezed into this 103 piece set.
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