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.

LEGO Ninjago Legacy 71737 X-1 Ninja Charger [Review]

Ninjago is celebrating it’s 10th year, and LEGO has released several new offerings in the Legacy theme updating favorite sets from the past. The Ninjago Legacy 71737: X-1 Ninja Charger hails from the long-ago Season 3, but is available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $49.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £44.99. This set qualifies for double VIP points through January 31st, and it’s bigger and bolder than its initial version. But is bigger and bolder actually a good thing here? We take a close look at twists and turns as we race to a conclusion. Come along for the ride!

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

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A Quaint Season’s Greetings Scene

Winter is here, and I’m sure many folks are transitioning from holiday cheer to some peace and quiet. This little A-Frame micro-scale build by KitKat1414 certainly embodies the more quiet nature of early January.

Although this model is on the smaller side, there is so much to love. The base is built using the SNOT (studs not on top) technique, while the cobblestone pathway leading to the small home utilizes slopes and tiles placed on their sides, not making connections to studs. The use of the crutch element as a doorway is particularly clever, and I also enjoy the croissant piece in white used to render snow. The little builds comprising snow-covered evergreens and the brown leafless tree add the perfect winter touch to this mostly snowy white build. This model certainly feels a lot like winter.

Blood, sweat and tears – behind the scenes of a medieval construction project

I always wonder what it takes to build a beautiful, weathered LEGO building like the builds of Ralf Langer. His creations always leave me with the same questions. How are all these parts connected? How sturdy is it? Can you pick it up and move it around without it falling apart? What does the inside look like? How does he manage to create such amazing builds? Well, the answer is simple: All it takes is some blood, sweat and tears (and a couple of beers). Ralf’s latest build shows us a little behind the scenes. We can see a castle style building with the scaffolding still next to it. The scaffolding itself is quite cleverly made using lightsaber handles, plates, and a lot of tools.

The building itself is pretty as usual. Ralf uses a lot of different types of bricks to give his builds a weathered look. This also helps to avoid the “big grey wall” effect. The stained glass window is quite cleverly made by attaching transparent round tiles to transparent plates with a string net between them. Unfortunately for me, this behind-the-scenes creations answers none of my questions.

Top 10 most popular LEGO set reviews of 2020 on the Brothers Brick [News]

The year 2020 has been an interesting one indeed with most of us remaining indoors and glued to whatever form of entertainment we could get keep busy with. It’s also been a year where LEGO pushed the envelope further to target more adults by revamping their packaging and product strategy. The result of that action has definitely had some impact on this list.

Do you have a favourite set that you’re hoping to see on this list? Counting page views as a frame of reference, read on to find out if it made the Top 10 most popular set reviews of 2020. These were selected by you, the readers with your visits to the Brothers Brick set reviews.

Click for the top 10 countdown

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 2, 2021

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the last week of December 2020 and the kick off of January 2021.

We’re keeping track of all the new sets being announced for 2021. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS: This week we rang in the new year with multiple reviews of brand new 2021 sets, got a glimpse of the LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith set, heard from the designers of the Botanical Collection and more! Plus, we name our staff picks for The Brother’s Brick’s 2020 Builder of the Year and Creation of the Year.

LEGO Designer Videos share insights into the new Botanical Collection series [News] – Go behind the scenes and learn from the LEGO designers on the exquisite LEGO Botanical Collection featuring the Flower Bouquet and Bonsai Tree
The Brothers Brick ultimate guide to more than 100+ new LEGO sets for 2021 [News] – The TBB Ultimate LEGO Guide for 2021 showcasing every set that we know that’s released for 2021 and more!
First look at the upcoming LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith set [News] – Judging by the first official render, the original idea was considerably altered by the LEGO Ideas design team.

TBB REVIEWS:

LEGO Star Wars 75299 Trouble on Tatooine from Disney’s The Mandalorian [Review] – January 2021 brings us Mando in his shiny beskar armor. Read our full review of 75299 Trouble on Tatooine.
LEGO Technic 42123 McLaren Senna GTR [Review] – Check out our review of the new LEGO Technic 42123 McLaren Senna GTR and see if it can be the start of your own collection of LEGO supercars.
LEGO Ideas 40448 Vintage Car gift with purchase set [Review] – This month’s free gift-with-purchase from LEGO is a sweet vintage car in teal and white!

LEGO 10280 Flower Bouquet from the Botanical Collection [Review] – Read our full hands-on review of these gorgeous flowers that just might cost less than a real bouquet.
LEGO 10281 Bonsai Tree from the Botanical Collection [Review] – Will LEGO’s new 10281 Bonsai Tree bring a moment of Zen into your life?
LEGO Ninjago Legacy 71735 Tournament of Elements [Review] – The Ninjago Legacy theme lets you return to Ninjago Season 4 with a minifigure-heavy offering.
LEGO Ninjago Legacy 71738 Zane’s Titan Mech Battle [Review] – We take a look at one of the January 2021 Legacy sets, Zane’s Titan Mech Battle.

TBB BUILDER & CREATION OF THE YEAR 2020:

The Brothers Brick LEGO Builder of the Year 2020 [News] – The Brothers Brick LEGO Builder of the Year 2020 is Eli Willsea (@forlornempire) – join us as we take a look at a selection of his creations.

The Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2020 [News] – Tutankhamun’s Mask by Koen Zwanenburg (@swandutchman) is the Brothers Brick LEGO Creation of the Year 2020.

OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:

Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ gets the LEGO treatment, GeekSpin – Prepare to get Brickrolled
Lego Games: A Look at Some of the First Lego Entries, Fiction Talk – These ’90s Lego games should not be forgotten.
Shanghai Higher People’s Court Upholds 6-Year Prison Term and 90 Million RMB Fine for Lego Chinese Copyright Infringer, National Law Review – On December 29, 2020, the Shanghai Higher People’s Court announced the upholding of a criminal conviction for infringing the copyright of Lego toys.

Meaner than a junkyard...er...dog?

When I think of a junkyard dog, I think of something big and terrifying, like a mastiff, Doberman, or pit bull, one of the dogs with big teeth and a nasty (if mostly undeserved) reputation. But Joe here keeps something even scarier on hand at his scrapyard: a Chihuahua. You might think I’m joking, but I’d rather face down a raging pit bull than a feisty bug-eyed ankle-biter. That’s why I’m quite content to view Faber Mandragore‘s latest LEGO creation from a safe distance, behind a screen with a keyboard in between. I love the depth of field created with the massive heap of tires and rusted junk behind the fence, with a blurry excavator ready to pick stuff up with its claw; it gives the picture a sense of realism, allowing it to fill the frame. Then, of course, there are the piles of rusted cars in the yard, perfectly aged in a difficult medium to show weathering. I just hope those workers have had their tetanus boosters!

This is not Faber’s first attempt at classic cars; check out our articles on others of Faber Mandragore’s LEGO builds.

Vibrantly colored Elven Passage

With his latest creation Chris Perron proves a castle build doesn’t have to consist of mainly grey bricks. It can be vibrantly colored and still look stunning. Chris’s build is sand blue and dark blue with elements of gold. My guess is this windscreen with bubble cutout was the main inspiration for this LEGO creation. Such a smart way to use this part which was designed to be used as a cockpit for a vehicle. The single hinge finger has been cleverly hidden in the base of the model. The model is finished with some lovely trees in funky colors and a diagonal roof pattern I’ve so far only seen used as flooring in other creations. So that’s a nice little bonus right there.

Thanksgiving and NoVVember- two great times for leftovers!

Wami Delthorne: better late than never! Wami’s most recent creation is not the only time-displaced Vic Viper variant we’ve seen since November ended, but its striking color scheme is sure to leave an imprint. The red color striping inset from the edge of the wings is a slick touch achieved with old style finger hinges that allow for more cleaner angles than the current plates with bars+clips. The open studs on the old hinges also allow for more offsets, allowing the colors to tightly wrap around the wings.

LEGO Ninjago Legacy 71738 Zane’s Titan Mech Battle [Review]

The LEGO Ninjago theme has been around for ten years. Hard to believe, right? In that time, there have been a ton of cool and interesting sets, and LEGO has been bringing back some of the best in their Ninjago Legacy theme. We had the chance to take a look at one of the January 2021 0fferings, Ninjago Legacy 71738 Zane’s Titan Mech Battle. This set is available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $59.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £54.99. The 840 parts span four exclusive minifigures and the Titian Mech. But is it a “battle” that can interest more than die-hard 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

First look at the upcoming LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith set [News]

The first official picture of the soon-to-be-released LEGO Ideas Medieval Blacksmith set can be found right now on the Amazon.co.uk page. Although the set has not been unveiled yet, the online retailer used a rendered image of the set as the title one for the Ideas theme.

Continue reading →

LEGO Ideas 40448 Vintage Car gift with purchase set [Review]

LEGO Ideas, the company’s crowd-sourcing platform that turns fans’ ideas into real-life sets, is best known for products like 21322 Pirates of Baracuda Bay or 21323 Grand Piano. But LEGO Ideas isn’t just for massive sets that will break the bank. Last May LEGO tested out a small Ideas set as a giveaway, resulting in 40335 Space Rocket Ride. And now the latest Ideas set, 40448 Vintage Car, follows in its footsteps as a giveaway. Based on a design by LEGO fan Versteinert after it won the fan vote in last year’s LEGO Ideas vintage car contest, it’s modeled after a classic 1950s-era sedan with a two-tone teal and white paint job. The set contains 188 pieces and is available this month from LEGO as a free promo between Jan. 1 and Jan. 17 with orders over US $85 | CAN $85 | UK £85. There are over 100 new LEGO sets for 2021, so you’ll have plenty of options.

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read our full, hands-on review of 40448 Vintage Car

The Brothers Brick ultimate guide to more than 100+ new LEGO sets for 2021 [News]

A new year is upon us and we’ve compiled a mega-list of everything that is slated to be released this month in January 2021 onwards and will be available in LEGO Stores. Bookmark this page as we will be continuously updating the page as new releases hit the streets throughout the year. Look out for links to reviews that we may have covered to help you make your choices.

This is the full list of LEGO themes with new products revealed. Click on a theme to jump directly to the section of this article or simply scroll on to enjoy viewing all the sets in (alphabetical) sequence.

Click to see the themes available today