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.

Ultraman

LEGO builder Moko has created an ultra-chibi version of Ultraman. Does that make this Chibi-Man? Or Ultra-Chibi? Chibi-Chibi-Spam-Ultra-Man? Well, whatever you call him, he’s a pint-sized pack of awesome. It’s the overall clean lines that make this build stand out to me. Clever use of quarter-circle and macaroni tiles create a cool take on the eyes, and plenty of slope brick helps make the figure feel streamlined.

As a bonus, there’s a lot of articulation to play with, making this guy even more action-packed. It makes me wonder if the underlying structure could be adapted for even more characters at this scale. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to have Moko give that idea a try.

In the meantime, how does this build stack up against Moko’s other featured creations? There’s just one way to find out…click and see!

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The nicest of dinner companions

I love the films of Guillermo del Toro, and Pan’s Labyrinth is one of his creepiest. In “The Feast”, mr_youm brings us a LEGO rendition of the Pale Man that’s every bit as creepy as the cinematic counterpart. Technic gears form a frightful maw, topped by minifigure legs creating the nose. Layers of wedge plates creates some great textures in the torso, and there are a lot of Mixel joints present to make him extra poseable. But don’t overlook the feast itself. I really like the silver carafe design, including that inverted tooth plate for a spout and dinosaur tail for a handle. And the mix of black and transparent red 1×1 round plate in the bowl just looks…eerie. Oh. And there are eyes on the plate. That’s not sinister at all. You know, maybe I won’t stay for dinner…

So…that “gears for teeth” thing. Is it a building trope I missed? Because it feels like I wrote about another creation with the same technique just the other day…

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for June 20, 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 third week of June 2020.

It felt like we were back at Toy Fair New York with all the LEGO product reveals this week. Read on to make sure you didn’t miss out on any of them!

TBB NEW SET ANNOUNCEMENTS: We got our first look at the new Star Wars sets including the upcoming advent calendar, a new train, a full lineup of Super Mario sets, an iconic Disney duo and some upcoming Technic sets. Which are you most excited about?

LEGO reveals 7 new Star Wars sets for late summer 2020 including Galaxy’s Edge and upcoming 2020 advent calendar – Seven new LEGO Star Wars sets have been revealed including new ships from the Clone Wars, a visual dictionary and even Galaxy’s Edge. Make sure to scroll all the way to the bottom if you want to see this year’s Advent Calendar too!
10277 Crocodile Locomotive is the newest LEGO train set for adults, plus an interview with LEGO Designer Jamie Berard – LEGO is returning to trains with the Crocodile Locomotive. Read our interview with LEGO Designer Jamie Berard to see more photos and to learn about the design process and decisions that went into creating the set.
LEGO Nintendo Super Mario full theme revealed with 16 sets and a collectible blind-bag series – LEGO’s entire Super Mario theme has been revealed with a whopping 16 sets and a new ten-character collectible blind bag series.
LEGO Disney 43179 Mickey and Minnie Mouse are 1,700-piece buildable characters – LEGO and Disney have officially revealed buildable Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters, available July 1st.
First look at LEGO Technic Summer 2020 sets – Three new LEGO Technic sets are coming this August including the first Technic set with a battery box and angular motor.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: We’ve jumped into the red zone with new Ninjago sets and saw a Technic motorcycle that was big enough to take a ride.

Review of LEGO 71720 Ninjago: Fire Stone Mech – Ninjago ninjas love their mechs, and the summer 2020 wave has another addition to their arsenal in the Fire Stone Mech. We take a hands-on look at this new set in our review and see just how nifty it really is.
Review of LEGO 71722 Ninjago: Skull Sorcerer’s Dungeons – The Ninjago theme is headed to the dungeons, but it the destination worth the journey?
LEGO shows off a real Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycle with Technic exterior – LEGO commissioned a project to replace a real Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycle’s exterior with 15,000 Technic pieces instead.

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:

Can you guess these 10 crazy LEGO builds in 10 seconds or less?, YouTube – The guys from Good Mythical Morning are playing a game watching All New Brick’s timelapse builds to guess what they will be. How many can you guess?
BrickLink is celebrating its 20th anniversary, BrickLink – The source of all the parts you could ever want is celebrating with a “20 Days of BrickLink” event to showcase the company’s history and future and how the community played a part in its success.
Which actor has the most minifigures?, Brickset – Our friends at Brickset have searched through their database of 12,000 different LEGO minifigures to see which actor has the most.
NINJAGO: Master of the Mountain Teaser Trailer, YouTube – Get a sneak peek at the all-new season of the NINJAGO TV series where the ninja travel to the fabled Kingdom of Shintaro and uncover an obscure dungeon underworld.

Sesame Workshop, LEGO Foundation partner for ‘Elmo’s World News’ Covid-19 special, Toy Book – Sesame Street and LEGO Foundation are bringing a new special to kids around the world called “Elmo’s World News” which teaches kids to care for each other.
Why every tech founder needs LEGO to keep sane, The Next Web – Leading a team can sometimes be lonely and it’s important to take one’s mind off things every now and again. So don’t feel bad about splurging on a LEGO set.
Intel’s Lakefield processors get the LEGO treatment, YouTube – Intel is building their next processor using LEGO bricks for inspiration.
Super-sized LEGO go-kart is big enough for even grown-up kids to drive, Gizmodo – Builder Matt Denton is at it again, 3D printing an extra-large version of a LEGO Technic go-kart, reinforcing it and motorizing it so it can actually work.

LEGO 71722 Ninjago: Skull Sorcerer’s Dungeons [Review]

The summer 2020 Ninjago sets offer a wide range of options, from small Spinjitzu Spinners to giant mechs. The largest set, 71722 Ninjago: Skull Sorcerer’s Dungeons clocks in at a solid 1171 pieces, including eight minifigures. Costing US $99.99 | CAN $139.99 | UK £89.99, this set is available now. But does it have appeal outside of the Ninjago theme? Are there good parts? Is it a good value? Is it…any fun? Read on and see!

Click to read the full hands-on review

Gliding in the ocean depths, not a care in the world

In a LEGO world of massive castles, spaceships, and battle mechs, sometimes I appreciate the littler oddball things. My case in point; this manta ray by DanielBrickSon. It makes me wonder what it would be like to be a manta ray just gliding in the ocean depths without a care in the world. It’s a pleasant thought, really. Daniel calls it Mantax, which my limited research cites it as being the German name for the Pokemon Mantine. It also shares the name with this old Bionicle figure. Whatever it’s called and whatever the inspiration, I think it’s pretty neat.

Back when “Modern Life” was a good thing

Nostalgia time! Builder Cameron has created a superb LEGO version of the star of 90’s Nicktoon Rocko’s Modern Life, and great part usage abounds. There are minifigure arms repurposed for the fingers, and a car hood for the snout. The nose itself is courtesy of a Dodge logo sticker. Stickers also form the pupils on those shoulder panel eyes. The Hero Factory theme is tapped for those red shoes, and Technic for the ears. But the most clever part usage? That has to the Scala dress that makes up Rocko’s shirt.

This build isn’t nearly as mysterious as the last one we featured from Cameron. Or….is it??? (Answer: No. The other build is much more mysterious. Go look.)

The better to eat you with!

We all remember the tale of Little Red Riding Hood, right? There’s a part where Little Red says to her wolf grandmother “my, what big eyes you have”. To which she retorts “the better to eat you with”. Wait, that didn’t turn out right. Anyway, the point is old people are scary! PaleoBricks mixes Bionicle with “regular” LEGO to build the wolf in grandma clothing quite nicely. The shawl is a great touch as well as the…um…grandma hat. Grandmas still wear those, right? The wolf’s expression looks like he really does want to eat you…with his eyes. It has been a while since I’ve read the story but I’m sure it also involved doilies and a dish of Werther’s Originals. And a ticking clock, a VCR, and one of those creepy pictures of Jesus that moves when you walk. Old people! Am I right?

Juggling klowns from outer space!

In space, no one can hear you laugh! Or scream in terror depending on your relationship to clowns. Builder Blake Foster brings some humor to the outer reaches of the universe with this wonderful LEGO juggling clown mech. I’ve just recently begun a fascination with mechs so I’m always excited to see them come up these days. Most mechs are so very intense so it’s always refreshing when they don’t take themselves too seriously. This one balances that seriousness and humor perfectly with its nicely detailed grey skeleton and additional primary color accouterments. I love the rounded fingertips that mimic oversized clown gloves and the little bow tie is a hilarious addition. The 50’s style bubble helmet is the perfect topper, filled to the brim with the curly green clown wig.

But that’s not all! This is just a smaller part of a much larger model.

Read on to see the rest!

LEGO shows off a real Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycle with Technic exterior [News]

LEGO has unveiled a brief video and photos of a real Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycle with a Technic exterior. The hybrid model is meant to celebrate the European launch of the 42107 Technic Ducati Panigale V4 R. The motorcycle’s exterior was created by LEGO Certified Professional Riccardo Zangelmi, who had never built with Technic elements professionally before this project. The final model weighs 400 pounds (180 kg) including the motorcycle innards, is composed of 15,000 bricks, and took 400 hours to build. Unlike other life-size models, this LEGO Ducati exterior has no glue and was created by hand and not using 3D modeling software.

42107 Technic Ducati Panigale V4 R currently retails for 54.99 GBP and will sell for $69.99 USD | 99.99 CAD when it launches in the Americas on August 1st. (Editor’s note: The press release below states that the set will cost $59.99 USD but we have independently verified with LEGO that the price will actually be $69.99 USD which is consistent with the price displayed on the LEGO Store Online.)

See more photos and video of the life-size LEGO Technic Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycle

In Star Wars, X stands for X-Tra Clean

When I think about the rebel fleet from Star Wars, “dirty and ragtag” are usually the watchwords. “Clean and sleek” don’t usually come to mind. But, as we saw with the Millennium Falcon from Solo, even the grubbiest vessels were once showroom-new. That’s what I like about this LEGO X-Wing from Sam K Bricks. Complete with redesigned triangular engines, this modification of the base design feels right at home in that blue sky. The additions of some front-facing sensors on tail fins change the shaping of the nose to make for a more streamlined look, too. It’s probably the first time a starfighter design has made me feel…relaxed.

If you like your X-Wings a bit more on the used side, be sure to check out another featured variation of Sam’s, this time with square engines.

Wizards by the Coast

According to LEGO builder Josh, this diorama depicts the abode of the Wizards by the Coast, which has me wondering, perhaps the denizens of this quaint little seaside town are best known for their gaming masterpiece, Dumgeons & Dargons? At any rate, this little village is awash in a magical air, from the crazy twisted tower and giant butterfly to the precariously perched flowerbeds. The little scoops of ice cream, long used by LEGO builders as smoke, find a great use here as sea foam. Meanwhile, the wizards are cooking up a mean fish fry courtesy of a Fireball spell. Someone invite me!

The little space rover that could

If you are planning to explore distant planets in search of scientific discoveries, You could find no more stylish way to do it than aboard this little rover by Mountain Hobbit. Not only does it have the latest in long-range communication tech, but you can even grow all your own food in the hydroponics bay, and scan the horizon with a state of the art sensor package. One of my favorite details is the wheels, which show the side usually faced toward the vehicle, with dark green tiles shoved into the spaces in the rubber.