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.
No, this isn’t a product shot out of an IKEA catalog. This is a LEGO creation by Heikki M. If you’re like me, though, you had to look twice to be sure. The construction may be straight forward, but there are lots of details that really sell this as a human-scale object. The variation on the heights of the candlesticks, the well-chosen seams on the metal shelving, and even the hand-hold of the storage crate match what the eye expects to see. My particular favorite is the potted plant. Those are nested Technic wheels and 3-leaf plants. Recognizing those elements made me realize the smaller-than-actual-size scale of this build, which was a moment of mental adjustment. And let’s not neglect that abstract-art print. Ribbed 1×2 bricks create interesting textures, but still “read” as a flat image thanks to that tiled frame. It’s really clever building all around.
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The nautilus is one of those amazing creatures both strange and beautiful. With a spiral shell that seems to be a natural manifestation of the golden mean. And when interpreted by Mitsuru Nikaido, this cephalopod takes on an even more usual form, as Mitsuru builds mechanical versions of living creatures. Aside from the many curved sections, and the sprouting tentacles, my favorite detail would have to be the Hero Factory chest piece for eyes.
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Master of brick-built characters Eero Okkonen has shaped this fanciful LEGO samurai, and true to his typical style, has kitted it out with splendid parts usages from top to bottom. While there are many clever building techniques that are worth highlighting, such as the lever bases around the flag on his chest, or the offset cascade of car slopes for the front of the red kusazuri (or skirt armor), in my opinion, the best technique is a very simple one that serves both form and function. The front of the Samurai’s feet are made with two red cheese slopes around a black lamp holder, and the color different would be a problem in most applications. But here it perfectly mimics the split-toed tabi (or socks) of traditional Japanese garb.
You can read more about the samurai and how Eero designed it on his website, Cyclopic Bricks.
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This month’s cover photo, from Faber Mandragore, makes you ready to put the pedal to the metal. I’m digging the simplistic clean scene, but at the same time it evokes the need for speed. The crumbling wall, with it’s great texture, draws the eye to the cola machine, bringing you right back to the bad ass hot rod. Thanks for sharing Faber!
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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 first week of July 2020.
This week, we got hands-on with the new Technic Lamborghini, looked at the new pop art mosaics line, got a tour of the Crocodile Locomotive and more. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.
TBB NEWS: This week we looked at the announcement of a new pop art mosaics line and had many new sets go on sale from Disney to Marvel, Friends to trains.
TBB REVIEWS: This week we reviewed the new Technic Lamborghini Sian and Ninjago Skull Sorcerer’s Dragon, one a speed demon and the other a dungeon demon!
Ninjago 71721: Skull Sorcerer’s Dragon [Review] – Wu’s Battle Dragon is tough, but there’s an even bigger dragon in the summer 2020 Ninjago line. Check out our hands-on review of this new massive set.
GayFOLs Virtual Pride Parade 2020 – Who doesn’t love an awesome parade?! Our good friends from the online LEGO community GayFOLs have shared this wonderful virtual Pride Parade.
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:
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We’ve already featured one dynamite LEGO build from Cecilie Fritzvold, but this one is a blast, too. (Sorry/not sorry.) This time the bundles of TNT were used for an engine mount, SCUBA tank, and a ring of coral. The great part usage doesn’t stop there, though. Check out those adorable clown fish with rubber band accents, Technic tubing and lightsaber blades as tall plants, and the variety of Clikits beads forming the colorful sea bed. All in all, it’s a soothing image that’s more rewarding the longer you look at it.
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I told myself today was going to be the day I get stuff done. This was going to be the day I didn’t procrastinate with silliness online. But then I took one of those “what kind of dog are you?” quizzes and they cited me as a basset hound when I fancy myself as more of a golden retriever and now I have that to deal with. Among all this important online research, I stumbled upon this serene LEGO scene by Carter Witz. I like the golden leaves, the haphazard texture of the roof, and the fact that the trail and river interrupt the base structure. Now I pretty much don’t want to get any work done anymore. I just want to relax in Carter’s world for a while. You can also go down the rabbit hole of unproductivity and check out Carter’s other fantastic layouts. Basset hounds enjoy rabbit holes, don’t they?
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LEGO recently introduced the Monkey Kid theme, bringing the legend of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, to a wider audience. Builder Red has created a truly regal version of Sun Wukong that’s full of character and clever building. The gold accents in the crown are nice, and the cloth pants and dark blue armor are snazzy. But the real star of the show is those toes. How cute are they? Okay, maybe the really impressive thing is that cocky expression. A tilted bit of shoulder armor adds just the right touch of grumpiness to complement those deep-set eyes.
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LEGO Designer Pierre Normandin is no stranger to trains–he grew up loving them and has designed many of the LEGO City trains available the past few years. He recently shifted within LEGO to the Creator Expert team and had the chance to flex some building muscles by designing the recent Fiat 500 and now an even more detailed train! In this designer video, Pierre talks about his love of trains, why the Crocodile Locomotive is so iconic, and how the set started off larger and eventually grew to be 7 studs wide to include more detail.
10277 Crocodile Locomotive set comes with 1,271 pieces used to create the brown electric locomotive, a buildable display base, an informational placard, and two conductor minifigures. It is now available from LEGO for US $99.99 | CAN $149.99 | UK £89.99. Make sure to read our interview with LEGO Design Lead Jamie Berard about the creation of this LEGO train and the design effort that went into it.
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I’ve been a rather prolific LEGO car builder in my day and the Pontiac Trans-Am has been on my to-do list for quite some time. I’ve never scratched it of this said to-do list as I’ve been rather intimidated at the prospect of building this icon of American muscle. Well, leave it to my friend and master car builder Firas Abu-Jaber to really knock this one out of the park! He tells us it took about a month-and-a-half to complete and it came with some difficulty, even for his considerable skill.
This alternate view shows off the opening doors, hood, and trunk as well as the seats and dashboard. The seats move forward, the armrest opens; it has all the niceties you could expect from a Firas original creation. The chrome tailpipes reflect nicely on that slick surface. And while we’re at it, let’s admire that gold steering wheel! I have just three words for this iconic classic American muscle car; alright, alright, alright!
This is not the first time we’ve been enthralled with Firas’ style. Not by a long shot.
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LEGO’s Bionicle lore runs deep, encompassing a complex world history from its inception to the heroes we all recognize as the various Toa. Even the theme’s origin story is fascinating, as David Robertson recounts in Brick by Brick the Bionicle theme was originally envisioned as a metaphor for battling cancer, with the bio-heroes (cancer-fighting drugs) being delivered to the world (body) in pill-like canisters. Builder Anthony Wilson is participating in a fan-run challenge to create the Toa Helryx, which the lore names as the first Toa in the Bionicle world.
No sets or images were ever produced of this Toa, but Anthony has sculpted this regal figure from the few descriptions. The brick-built mask, so central to Bionicle characters, is crafted from multiple elements, most notably the silver Nexo Knights shield, whose ribbed edges look marvelously organic here. Another great detail is the giant mace Helryx wields, which is tipped with a Technic differential.
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This elegant LEGO dragon by builder Mitch Phillips is inspired by the red dragons from East Asian mythology that are said to bring good luck and happiness. I think it’s working, as this build makes me happy indeed. I love the elegant curves and the fact that many of the dragon’s scales are made from minifigure flippers. The red fins are complemented by orange Technic teeth as a different texture of scaling. Blue colors in the robot arms fingers and large fins mirror the crown of three-leaf plates in the head.
A closer look at that head reveals the intricate build in the eyes–highlighted by the use of the “One Ring” from the Lord of the Rings theme to add a touch of chromed bling. This dragon is fierce, but also a thing of beauty.
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