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.

Ringing up some nostalgia on this Japanese pay phone

Bright green pay phones that supported the new prepaid phone cards began replacing the old pink rotary pay phones in Japan just as my family left for the States in the late 80’s. With public telephones a rare sight today in the US, I was shocked to see that the same phones were still everywhere when I finally went home to visit last summer. nobu_tary has captured the shapes and colors of the real thing perfectly in LEGO, with a detailed black face — complete with digital readout screen and card slot — and iconic lime green body. The black panel incorporates three ammunition pouches from the Rogue One Death Trooper buildable figure, which Tary did not use in his larger, more detailed LEGO Death Trooper figure a few years ago.

A bit of trivia on why pay phones are still everywhere in Japan: When a disaster such as an earthquake or typhoon strikes that affects cell phone coverage, all pay phones can be activated for free use so that people can call emergency services or even just to contact loved ones.

This lovely little green box doesn’t just take me back to my last few years in Japan, it also takes me back a year to what may be my last international trip in a long time…

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Taking the gasser to a car show

Earlier this year, before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was looking forward to spending three weeks away from home this summer. At the end of July, I was going to attend BrickFair Virginia. After that I’d fly to Denver, to make a road trip with a friend. I’d subsequently return to Virginia for a work meeting before finally jetting home. Now, of course, none of that is happening. Instead, I’m currently having a short “staycation” at home and will actually be working most of August. In the hope of putting myself into a relaxed vacation mood nonetheless, I built a Chevrolet Express conversion van a couple of weeks ago.

It is a very American concept: convert a regular passenger van into a luxury cruiser with captain’s seats, rear seats that can be folded into a bed, tinted windows, a raised roof, cool rims, and some snazzy graphics on the outside. SUVs have cornered much of their market in the last decade or so, but this is the kind of vehicle I imagine would work well for long road trips and family vacations. I particularly enjoyed building the pattern into the sides, with dark tan and old dark grey plates. However, as much as I enjoyed building it, the end result was a bit underwhelming. So, to fit my vacation theme, I considered building a trailer for it, with a jet ski or an all-terrain-vehicle. However, I wasn’t looking forward to building either.

I finally got a little bit excited thinking about putting a custom car on the trailer instead. Custom cars generally don’t float my boat, but since I liked building the pattern on the van so much, I relished building a car with a paint scheme with flames. To fit the van it had to be American, of course. So, I picked a “Gasser”. This is a particular type of classic drag racer. It uses a body shell of a stock car, with really fat rear tires, a stripped-out interior, an oversized engine, and a jacked-up front end. The flames are optional, but I built mine using yellow, bright light orange and orange plates. The car is a ’57 Chevrolet Bel Air, which is just about the most American car I can imagine. It isn’t quite the holiday vehicle I had in mind, but at least it’s fun.

LEGO brick shows its true colors

No matter what color we are on the outside, inside, we are all the same. If you crack us open, we spill our bright and beautiful ABS plastic filling out into endless possibilities of shapes and forms. Andreas Lenander reminds us that many beautiful and amazing things can be created from LEGO elements, which have certainly come a long way since that first 2×4 classic red brick.

BrickCon 2020 is moving online in October with a full convention for adult fans of LEGO [News]

BrickCon today announced that its 2020 convention in October will be moving from the Space Needle to cyberspace. BrickCon is TBB’s “home convention” that usually gathers hundreds of talented LEGO builders in Seattle to exhibit their creations and meet fellow AFOLs (adult fans of LEGO) from around the world. As you might expect due to the current state of the pandemic, a gathering of 500 attendees with more than 10,000 people from the general public isn’t feasible, so BrickCon organizers are translating the full convention to an online format.

BrickCon 2020 will be held online Oct. 2 – 4 with builder registration opening on Aug. 1st. The convention will feature a keynote, online MOC exhibition, building awards including Best of Show and People’s Choice, games, prizes, workshops, social events, and a virtual marketplace for LEGO-related vendors. The convention will also offer registered builders “BrickCon Bundles” for purchase that include mailed swag like exclusive t-shirts, engraved bricks, a custom LEGO kit, activities and “other surprises.”

For this year’s exhibition, BrickCon 2020 will also accept photorealistic renders of LEGO creations since the online format is capable of showcasing them well. An online convention also means that adult builders from anywhere across the globe can attend BrickCon 2020 at home without traveling. With everything going on in the world, The Brothers Brick is excited to see our fellow builders online at BrickCon 2020 in October!

The full BrickCon 2020 announcement, registration details, and contact information are included below.

TBB’s next recruiting effort for Contributors & Social Media Manager focuses on diversity, inclusion & representation [News]

Although The Brothers Brick has always been committed to diversity and inclusion in both the LEGO builders we feature and our own team members, ranging from the builders in Asia that we specifically featured on Pan-Pacific Bricks or our longstanding commitment to including LGBTQ+ staff on our team, we know that we can do better. During our interview with Ekow Nimako last month, we recommitted to ensuring that our own team better represents the real diversity of the LEGO community we’re a part of. The specific roles we’re looking to fill from members of the community are Contributor (Writer) and Social Media Manager.

LEGO 75551 Minions: Brick-built Minions and their Lair [Review]

We’ll have to wait until July 2021 to see Minions: The Rise of Gru in theaters, but in the meantime we can at least play with the LEGO sets. We’ve already taken a hard look at 75549 Minions: Unstoppable Bike Chase and found a lot of problems there. But what about the other currently available offering? 75551 Minions: Brick-build Minions and their Lair retails for US $49.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £44.99 and spans 876 pieces including three Minion minifigures. That sounds pretty good on the surface…but is it? Let’s find out!

Click to read the full hands-on review

LEGO Brick Sketches featuring Star Wars and DC Comics portraits now available [News]

LEGO’s new Brick Sketches product line featuring brick-built portraits of popular characters is now available. The first four sets in the lineup include BB-8, a First Order Stormtrooper, Batman and The Joker.

The 2D portraits are the next collectible LEGO product line following BrickHeadz and are the work of recently hired LEGO designer Chris McVeigh who created the Brick Sketch concept several years ago (read our interview with him about how Brick Sketches became an actual LEGO product).

Take a look at the Brick Sketches sets available now.

Junk speeders are what we need in a galaxy far far away

I’m a fan of the realm of possibilities in the Star Wars galaxy and especially for vehicles that could have been taken a page out of the storylines. This Junk Speeder by Thomas Jenkins gives that vibes of a single-engine mashup of what a scavenger or thrifty junkyard dealer would have up for sale or trade. For a moment, I would think this would be a perfect transport for Ewoks if they decided to venture outside of their forest dwellings. What makes this a sturdy build are likely the technic parts and pins integrated across its wingspan.

Check out Thomas’s other features that we’ve covered from a galaxy far far away.

Bring some bling to your brick: custom chrome Ferrari F12

During my research for our review of the new LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sián, I found myself reading about Ferrari’s infamous pickiness regarding the customization owners can do to their cars. But LEGO builder Lachlan Cameron has designed a beautiful Technic Ferrari F12 and then customized it in a way that I think even Ferrari would approve–a luscious cherry chrome paint job supplied by Bubul Chrome.

Click to see the interior of the Ferrari F12

LEGO 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System is a buildable NES console complete with Super Mario Bros. [News]

LEGO and Nintendo have partnered to reveal 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System, a buildable NES console and a retro CRT “tube” TV that comes with a Super Mario Bro. cartridge and a scrolling level reminiscent of World 1-1. The instant nostalgia trip is made up of 2,646 pieces and even comes with an 8-bit Mario.

The NES will be sold exclusively by LEGO through the end of 2020 then expand to other retailers starting in 2021. The set will sell for US $229.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £209.99 beginning August 1st, the same day that the other new LEGO Super Mario sets become available for purchase.

(Edit: LEGO originally listed the purchase price of US $199.99 online and in its press release and then updated the online price to US $299.99 and then updated it again to US $229.99. We have received confirmation from LEGO that US $229.99 will be the final price.)

Take a closer look at the LEGO Nintendo NES

A Helicarrier you can carry in your pocket

Ever since I missed out on 2015’s 76042 SHIELD Helicarrier I’ve been looking for a cost-effective way to add one to my collection. I’m still putting aside bits of my LEGO budget, but Didier Burtin has found a better way: A custom microscale marvel. The shape is instantly recognizable: inverted turntable tops make great turbines, and the angled flight decks are right on. Light grey ingots make for great surface details, and a variety of tiles fill in the gaps. The only thing missing is a teeny-tiny Nick Fury. Of course, at this scale maybe there’s a speck of dust on the model that’s meant to be him.

Didier hasn’t shared any instructions, but if you’re looking for a step-by-step guide for a similar model, check out this 2017 version by Wayne de Beer.

Beauty that burns from within

At first glance, I’m not even sure how this was all put together, but this candelabra sculpture by builder Sergei Rahkmaninoff is definitely one of the most unique designs of LEGO creation that I’ve seen in a while. It’s made almost entirely of silver elements, which is a very limited palette, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at this beautifully delicate sculpture. And those eyes–oh those eyes–are created so wonderfully with a single 1×2 tile with two minifigure hands clipped to it. It’s not a technique that would typically be considered as a means to create a face, but it instantly lends character to this flowing figure. I also love that while the flames would have been easily represented by a ready-made LEGO flame element, the choice to have it brick-built is certainly the right one here fitting the theme of being extremely creative in bringing something unique to life.