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.

Tiny tank has a leg up on the competition

LEGO Master Tyler Clites, fresh off a nationally televised victory, is already jumping back into battle with a not-so-tiny tank.

With deceptively chunky proportions (hearkening back to Metal Slug, Advance Wars, and other video game renditions) this new offering is impressive for it’s economical use of olive green pieces which aren’t available in as wide a variety of molds as many other LEGO colors.

This beauty is also notable for a unique tread technique made by stacking minifig legs. Besides LEGO’s own tread pieces, there have been a bevy of alternate techniques used by builders in the past including binoculars, coupling plates, and even behemoths so big the treads are entirely original builds.

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Torpedo Roadster pedals its wares

Idahoan Jake Sadovich, fan designer of the LEGO Ideas Ship in a Bottle, returns to the pages of The Brothers Brick with a retro throwback pedal car.

Before Power Wheels hit the streets, pedal cars ruled. This one heralds from the early 1950s, a pitch-perfect recreation of the Murray Torpedo roadster’s apple red curves.

Click through to see its kinetic function and a 360 view

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for May 2, 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 last week of April 2020.

May the 4th is just around the corner and new Star Wars sets are hitting the shelves. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS: This week saw several new sets being announced from Wonder Woman to Harry Potter and Minions. PLUS: Star Wars fever heats up with the imminent arrival of May the 4th!

NEW ARRIVALS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Six new LEGO Harry Potter sets revealed for summer 2020 with centaurs, Hogwarts expansion, buildable Hedwig and more – The LEGO Wizarding World is expanding with six new Harry Potter sets coming this summer.
76157 Wonder Woman vs. Cheetah now available from LEGO – This golden set based on Wonder Woman 1984 is now available from LEGO.
LEGO Minions sets now available including brick-built Stuart, Kevin and Bob – These brick-built Minions are now available from LEGO, with bananas included!
LEGO and Universal Music Group to create music-based toys – LEGO and Universal Music Group are about to make sweet music with a full lineup of sets headed our way.

STAR WARS:

LEGO Star Wars UCS A-wing Starfighter now available with other May the Fourth deals – LEGO’s Star Wars Day celebrations start now with the new UCS A-wing, a Death Star II Battle gift-with-purchase, and double VIP points through May the Fourth.
First look at the LEGO 75288 AT-AT from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – We get a first look at the new lineup to come with the reveal of the LEGO Star Wars AT-AT from Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the movie release.
LEGO Star Wars 40407 Death Star II Battle is this year’s May the Fourth giveaway – LEGO is giving away the Death Star II Battle starting tomorrow. But is it worth spending $75 to get the promotion? We’ve got a hands-on look to find out!
LEGO Star Wars helmets: 75274 TIE Pilot, 75276 Stormtrooper, & 75277 Boba Fett [Review] – We’re checking out the new LEGO Star Wars buildable helmets to see how they stand up. Read our full hands-on review to see all in the ins and outs of these cool prop models.

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:

IBM Engineer Builds $300 Microscope Using LEGO, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi, Interesting Engineering – IBM Research engineer Yuksel Temiz developed a $300 modular and motorized microscope that combines his three favorite hobbies: Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and LEGO.
LEGO, Amazon, Lexus & Nivea Top List As Best Global Brands For Customers, Bandt.com.au – Across the world are globally renowned brands that people recognise and love. But how good are the world’s most valuable brands when it comes to customer service?

If your troopers aren’t anything this lit, don’t bother entering the battlefield

Italian builder Marco Marozzi has proved himself as the master of heavily armed walking battle mechs. His vast portfolio includes mechs of the boldest designs, so for his next creation, he needed something special to take it to the next level. Now, it’s all about the brand of your armor if you do want to reign supreme. PNG5 Supreme Mech would be easy to spot in the heat of the battle — not just because of the branding but also because of jaw-dropping building techniques. Can you count how many various types of connections Marco used in this model? And I don’t know what looks cooler: exposed Technic pins or red mudguards from Town cars.

You came in that thing? You’re braver than I thought

Thomas Jenkins is the latest in a long line of LEGO builders trying their hand at one of -if not THE– most famous ships of all time. While others go for shocking size with accurate interiors, others like Thomas have opted to go pint-sized and adorable.

We’ve seen Han Solo’s pride and joy in this scale before in 2009’s 7778 Midi-scale Millenium Falcon. But in the 11 years since that release building techniques in the world of LEGO aficionados have evolved.

The way Thomas built the forward mandibles, for example, is a departure from every official rendition of the Falcon we’ve seen to date, and in fact many fan creations. The closest I can recall is Gol’s sleek version from late last year which also used slopes to achieve the acute angles. He’s also smartly used a smaller version of the wedge plate flap techniques of it’s larger siblings, and I also genuinely appreciate the effective choice to simply alternate between two different molds of the jumper plates to achieve The Force Awakens-era rectenna.

This isn’t even the first Falcon we’ve featured in a month or even in a week, but you can trust that as long as savvy builders keep coming up with fun and interesting ways to reinterpret the YT-1300 Light Freighter, we’ll share it with you.

Suns out, buns out

We rarely have days like this in the Pacific Northwest and certainly not in early May. However, Miro Dudas either lives in a warmer climate or is dreaming of sunbathing in the tropics. The figures, with their tanned bodies and shapely buns, are cleverly constructed using minifig legs. 1×1 round plates act as their bare feet. It’s a clever trick that can only work from this vantage point; view the figures from the front and the illusion is ruined. The simple palm trees, the towel, the beach bag, and the gentle surf makes for a relaxing scene indeed.

TBB cover photo for May 2020: Seeing Double

This month’s community cover photo features a mind-bendingly detailed alchemist workshop by Markus Rollbühler. Look carefully, and you might think that he’s used Photoshop to mirror one side of the image. A cheeky way to save bricks! However, look even more carefully at the shadows and reflections and you’ll realize it’s not a digital trick, but a full LEGO creation with perfect symmetry.

The immaculate photography complements such an expertly crafted creation. I wonder if the alchemist who resides here is creating such a symmetrical scene through some kind of magic, or are they just OCD?

Want to see your own LEGO creation featured across TBB social media for a month? Then read the submission guidelines and submit your photo today. Until next time, stay well and be safe, and practice social distancing whenever possible as we need it now more than ever!

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Retrieve Majora’s Mask before the Dawn of the Final Day

German gaming and LEGO enthusiast speedyhead takes us back to the haunting adventure of the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. This is very, very far from the only LEGO Zelda model we’ve highlighted over the years, but I’ll tell you why this one stands out to me.

First: colors. The in-game mask is certainly colorful, but seeing it in LEGO form is an explosion of hues. The dorsal fin piece featured here in no less than four distinct shades combines with the contrasting dark red and blue of the mask face to create a pop of color.

Second: look into those eyes! The mysterious, evil artifact is a key element of the game, and looks suitably possessed with malice here.

Finally, parts usage. I’ve already commented on the colorful fins, but the perfect use of croissants deserves a shoutout as well.

LEGO Star Wars UCS A-wing Starfighter now available with other May the Fourth deals [News]

LEGO is kicking off Star Wars Day celebrations early ahead of May the Fourth by launching the 75275 A-wing Starfighter. In addition to the UCS A-wing becoming available, LEGO is offering 40407 Death Star II Battle as a free gift with Star Wars purchases more than US $75 | CAN $75 | UK £75 (available through May 4th or when supplies run out).

LEGO is also offering double VIP points on all Star Wars sets (like the new helmet series) and various deals on other Star Wars sets throughout the weekend. The new Star Wars sets join several other LEGO products that have recently become available including Wonder Woman vs. Cheetah and the buildable Minions (which both have 2x VIP points for the entire month of May).

Click to get a closer look at each new LEGO Star Wars set now available for purchase

First look at the LEGO 75288 AT-AT from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back [News]

Revealed by retailer Amazon Japan, we get a first look at The LEGO 75288 AT-AT that comes with the label of the 40th anniversary of Star Wars Episode IV: The Empire Strikes Back. It’s been a while since an AT-AT was released at this scale with LEGO 75054 AT-AT back in 2014. It comes with 1,267 pieces, six minifigures and is scheduled to be released on Sept. 1st 2020 for US $159.99 | CAN $199.99 | UK £139.99.

Click to see more images

Don’t leave me hanging

One of the hottest LEGO fads right now is tensegrity sculptures. These builds use tricky physics to create models with sections suspended in mid-air with no obvious means of support. I’ve seen a lot of different approaches, but captainsmog has come up with one of the best. Invocation features a giant flying dragon, suspended in the air by taut lengths of LEGO chain. There’s no Photoshop trickery here. It’s just science. But I’m willing to admit there’s just a bit of magic, too.

Even if there wasn’t mind-bending suspension going on, this would be a great build to look at. The dragon’s belly is constructed of minifigure arms, creating an eerie organic feel to that armor. And the invocation platform is pretty swanky, too. I like the use of minifigure beards to create different versions of drippy candle wax, and the use of glow-in-the-dark tile for lines of mystic power is inspired. There are even tiny little touches, like the candle flames all blowing outward from the downdraft from the dragon’s wings. I love that attention to detail.

LEGO Star Wars 40407 Death Star II Battle is this year’s May the Fourth giveaway [Review]

Every year for the increasingly merchandised “May the Fourth” Star Wars holiday, LEGO has produced an exclusive item to include for free when you buy other Star Wars products. This year’s promotional set is 40407 Death Star II Battle, a microscale vignette from Return of the Jedi featuring an A-wing and TIE Interceptor skimming the battlestation’s surface. The set includes 235 pieces, and will be included with Star Wars purchases between May 1 and May 4 from LEGO’s website over US $75 | CAN $75 | UK £75. LEGO is also offering double VIP points on all Star Wars purchases over the same timeframe. LEGO lists the set for US $14.99 | CAN $19.99 | UK £13.49, but it isn’t available to purchase directly, and likely won’t ever be unless LEGO ends up with a lot of extras after the promotion ends.

Click to read the full review