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 40386 & 40428 Brick Sketches: Batman and The Joker [Review]

LEGO Brick Sketches are a new collectible series of brick-built portraits of popular characters. A departure from the standard “building toy” concept, but in many respects similar to the collectibility angle of LEGO BrickHeadz, these are small pieces of art meant to be hung on the wall or displayed on a shelf. Slated to be available July 15, they will retail for US $19.99 | EU €19.99 each. The first four sets in the series are split between DC and Star Wars characters, and this time we’ll take a close look at the two comic book offerings, 40386 Brick Sketches: Batman and 40428 Brick Sketches: The Joker.

Click to read the full hands-on review

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Enter the underworld, if you dare

A haunted forest, a ruined castle, an underground cavern — a lost world awaits. Eli Willsea‘s LEGO scene is a masterclass in microscale, creating a sense of epic scale and mystery with a tight colour palette and a small footprint. The forest ruins were a treat to begin with, but the vast underground chamber beneath the structure is where the excitement lies. We’ve got everything an adventurous explorer expects, from arching masonry and rickety wooden stairs, to perilous drops over deep dark water. My favourite detail is the section of the castle, poking from the water beneath the hole its collapse created — lovely stuff. I’ve obviously played too much Tomb Raider in my time — my immediate thought was that a jump to the hanging chain would surely activate some ancient mechanism to drain the water allowing access to a hidden chamber.

A closer look at the LEGO Marvel Avengers 76165 Iron Man Helmet [News]

Last month, toy retailers first revealed an image of the upcoming LEGO Iron Man Helmet that only offered a flat front view and did not showcase the entire model. Now that LEGO has published the official photos and product details, we can appreciate this helmet in a better light including a 360° video spin. The LEGO Marvel Avengers 76165 Iron Man Helmet comes with 480 pieces and will be released on June 21st for US $59.99 and CAN $79.99 and on August 1st for UK £54.99.

Click to see the images and video with the full product specifications

LEGO’s new adult product strategy: Why LEGO is retiring Creator Expert [Feature]

It’s not a secret that LEGO is not just for kids. Adults and even seniors all around the world build LEGO sets with their kids and grandkids, as well as themselves. For many, the hobby of building with plastic bricks is one of the few ways to escape the stress of the modern world. In its pursuit of new consumers, LEGO has recently announced that it is making some considerable changes to its portfolio, including retiring particular themes that have historically been popular with adult builders and collectors. One of the adult-oriented product lines that LEGO has announced that it is retiring is the LEGO Creator Expert theme. However, that doesn’t mean that LEGO sets for adults are going away.

The Brothers Brick participated in a discussion with Genevieve Capa Cruz, Audience Marketing Strategist Director within the LEGO Company’s Product Group Marketing team, to learn more about the new LEGO Adult Portfolio, focused on the 18+ audience. Genevieve told us about the barriers that the new approach is set to overcome and the changes to the products that we can already see in several lineups.

Click here to continue reading…

What a great day for a spacewalk

Just because there’s no air in the cold vacuum of space, doesn’t mean there is no style. CheeseyStudios proves this with a space outpost which is not only colorful, but it has a wonderfully eclectic aesthetic, as though a product of many different peoples coming together. The blue and yellow sections are giving me a classic space vibe, while the white top could be right out of Cloud City, and the scaffolding on the right could be NASA surplus. Wherever these disparate parts came from, they certainly come together nicely.

LEGO Technic pendulum clock that can run accurately for more than a year

I came across this interesting YouTube video by Dillon Sharlet that showcases a pendulum clock that’s been running for more than a year, and more recently, it’s starting to stop unexpectedly. He documents this video to tear apart his build to investigate which parts have worn out over time, but before that, gives a brief description of how it works and a closer look at the clock escapement design and mechanism.

Click here to read more…

Something to ponder

I’m old enough to remember when things were simpler, and LEGO Tensegrity builds were all the rage. This sculpture from Bendrig evokes the calm and peaceful state of a nearly forgotten age. Arch bricks and curved slopes create an organic trunk, and there’s just the right amount of foliage. I also like the simplicity of the two-tone base where a layer of loose 1×1 round plate makes for a nice zen-garden feel.

It’s nice just to take a break and ponder the natural levitation of this sculpture. Maybe one day more things will be in balance like this.

A Bomb Diggity Mech

Italian LEGO builder Marcoi Marozzi is back with another mechanical marvel. This time it’s the AK Bomber Mech, a lumbering beast in earth tones that looks ready for just about anything. Like most of Marco’s creations there are custom stickers and a wealth of creative part usage. This go round I had easy victories recognizing Kakama Bionicle masks for shoulder armor, and Bionicle shields in the torso. But those funky curved brown bits in the legs threw me. Tuns out they’re Belville horse saddles. Now that is an unusual part.

If you like this mech, be sure to check out some of Marco’s other amazing robotic builds.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for June 5, 2020

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 June 2020.

A Black Lives Matter mosaic by Dave Kaleta served as a good opportunity to provide our thoughts on racial inquality in this editorial penned by TBB Editor in Chief Andrew Becraft. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS: This week we took a hard look at equality within the LEGO community, learned a bit about LEGO photography, checked out all the new summer wave LEGO sets and more.

LEGO stands against racism and inequality by donating $4 million – LEGO will donate $4 million in support of the black community and racial equality in response to current events.
George Floyd was human, just like us – Pedro Sequeira (@sir_pierres) has built a bust of George Floyd as a fitting reminder that he was human, just like all of us.
Black lives matter, even among privileged LEGO builders [Editorial] – Dave Kaleta refuses to remain silent. So we want to know, how has your privilege or heritage affected your participation in the LEGO hobby?

TBB FEATURES:

Picturing LEGO: Using LEGO bricks to tell a story through photography [Feature] – We feature Jonah Schultz, a guest writer with a unique viewpoint and analysis of the art of LEGO and Photography.
LEGO provides instructions for your daily life activities [Feature] – LEGO expands into creating instructions beyond the brick and guiding you in your daily life.
Behind the scenes of Brick Sketches: An interview with LEGO designer Chris McVeigh [Feature] – The Brothers Brick interviewed new LEGO designer Chris McVeigh about Brick Sketches.

MORE TBB NEWS:

Your guide to the 130 new LEGO sets now available for June 2020 including the Technic Lamborghini and more – We have your complete guide to the 125+ new LEGO sets now available for June. Happy summer!
LEGO 71703 Ninjago Legacy: Storm Fighter Battle [Review] – The Ninjago “Legacy” sets are a fun way to revisit and re-issue older sets. But then LEGO went and got recursive.
The iconic Wooden Duck is the next LEGO House exclusive set – The new LEGO House exclusive is coming, the iconic Wooden Duck! But you can build one today using the building guide available online.
LEGO adds to Super Mario theme, revealing four new Power-Up expansion packs – LEGO Super Mario is coming this summer, and LEGO just revealed four new Power-Up Packs to give Mario new outfits!
Three new Powered Up Technic hubs and motors will be available from LEGO in June – You will no longer have to buy big LEGO sets to get Powered Up motors and hubs because they will be available individually starting June 1st.

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:

The Very First Harry Potter Game Was A Weird LEGO Joint, Kotaku – Today we unearth the very first Harry Potter video game.
LEGO House Live Tours – A new Initiative, LAN Network – LEGO is opening up the History Collection in the basement of LEGO House and giving free virtual tours!
How Shameless’ Emmy Rossum Used LEGO To Figure Out Certain Scenes, Cinema Blend – Rossum has revealed how she used LEGO to figure out how to direct certain scenes of Shameless.

It’s a good thing robots don’t have feelings

If you ever felt like just a cog in the machine, take heart. At least you aren’t a disposable worker-bot spending your short and miserable life testing deadly trap/puzzles for Aperature Science, and suffering endless verbal abuse from GLaDOS, like P-Body here, built by M. Squid and featuring a skillfully constructed frame combined with an outer shell that is very accurate to the source material. You can do it, P-Body! [CRASH!] well, better luck next time.

The answers you seek lie within the bricks [Video]

Like Zoltar, ask this guy a question or make a wish, and you’ll actually receive answers. Well, maybe not the best answers, but how many fortunes lay it out straight? You won’t be able to fault Teun de Wijs once you watch the video of this extraordinary LEGO build. This mechanical fortune teller doesn’t just move his arms and bend over the crystal ball. Oh, no, my friends, this guy is the real deal. Inside his box is an ingenious mechanical randomizer. You heard that right, folks. An internal block with four answers will spin and be stopped at random, like a coin flip. It’s up to the powers of the universe to provide an answer to your question. Like a Magic 8 Ball, they may not be the most helpful answers, but beggars can be choosers. Don’t question the man with the epic batarang mustache, he’s just the messenger. And careful what you wish for, because we all know how that turned out in the Tom Hanks movie, Big.

Scratching your head trying to figure out what I’m talking about? Click below to watch the video of the automaton in action!

See the video of how it works!

Make no bones about it

LEGO builder Mitsuru Nikaido is back with another one of his animal mechs and this time he’s left off the protective exoskeleton. Instead, you have a fish that has a…regular skeleton. This fishy mech follows the same white and gray color scheme that his other animal mechs have so it makes for a great new addition to the line. As always, Mitsuru has demonstrated some very nice parts usage. I’m particularly fond of the repeated use of these handlebars along its backbone. I advise you clear your schedule, settle in, and check out these mechs by Mitsuru and others.