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.

The Romans go ballistic

I’ve mentioned before in these pages that I have a background in Roman stuff, particularly language and literature, but also some history and architecture. In fact, I compiled and annotated a Latin reader on Roman military texts for my Master’s degree. So imagine my delight when I saw this functional Roman ballista by Jerac. These things were used all over the Republic and Empire, including Caesar’s siege of Alesia. There’s no gimmickry here; just like the real deal, the force to launch the bolts comes from coiled cords, not the bow. And the whole thing is LEGO, which makes it even cooler. The Technic gear and axle connector don’t look out of place as parts of the mechanical structure, and, in fact, I believe the lip on the bushing catches on the gear to ratchet the tension. Then flip up those rods, and voilà! You have just destroyed a tower. The wooden planks and the soldiery, along with the suggestion of landscaping, are just icing on the cake to dress it up a bit; the real beauty of the build is the technological achievement.

Love Ancient Rome? Check out some more Roman-themed builds, like the whole city of Rome, an ambush, and a forum.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Low, square, and fast

With over two-hundred articles into this gig, I still approach most with about this much enthusiasm. I’m shorter and not as buff but just as bald and just as shirtless. It makes everyone here at Brothers Brick Headquarters a bit uncomfortable but I keep telling them I can’t help it if I’m follically challenged. Anyway, you can understand that I was extra giddy when I saw Chris Vesque’s LEGO ’67 Chevy C-10. It has all the things I’d be into; an old-school dragster square-body with ground-scraping stance, a striking color scheme, a blown engine, copious silver bits and a racing number that matches the year of this custom Chevy.

A commenter on Chris’ photostream even mentioned that this would be something I’d totally dig and his response was that indeed I was his inspiration for coming into the LEGO scene. Kinda gets you right in the feels, doesn’t it? I’m glad we can help inspire great builders like Chris in some way or another. Would it be uncouth of me to pull a Sally Field?

When you gotta go, you gotta go

While it’s best to stay indoors, sometimes you just need to go outside. Particularly when you need to “go” outside. This slice of modern LEGO life from Crises_crs is just cute enough to not be super-depressing.

There’s just the right hint of disrepair to the scene. The mix of exposed studs and 1×1 round tiles has the grass looking a little ragged. The pavement has a similar mix, leaving it just a little cracked. But both the dog and owner look pretty happy in their protective gear, all things considered. You have to wonder where they found that toilet paper, though. My local shops have been out of stock for a while.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for March 21, 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 March 2020.

Three new Star Wars models geared towards adults have been revealed. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS: This week we saw the reveal of the upcoming Series 20 Collectible Minifigures and LEGO begins catering to adult fans with three new Star Wars models.

LEGO Collectible Minifigure Series 20 official images revealed – We got a closer look at Series 20 of the Collectible Minifigures. Tell us about your favourites.
LEGO unveils three buildable Star War helmets including a TIE Fighter Pilot, Stormtrooper and Boba Fett – These three new buildable Star Wars helmets from LEGO will challenge even the best of builders.

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:

Twisting Steel with LEGO Motors, Technabob – Brick Experiment Channel loves to create LEGO machines that show off their strength.
Study finds discarded LEGOs may last for up to 1,300 years in the ocean, Slash Gear – The research involved LEGO bricks that had washed up on the South West England coastlines.
Some LEGO convention attendees at risk of coronavirus exposure, The News & Observer – Wake County is asking for help identifying who might have been exposed
LEGO House closed for a month, LEGO House – LEGO House will not open again until April 24

Wood you like to see this fire truck?

Replicas are a dangerous business. Sometimes they look too good, and people mistake them for the real thing (I think of the elder Dr. Jones breaking a “Ming Dynasty” vase in The Last Crusade), but sometimes they are horribly disappointing (see most full-size car replicas). But when the replica is made in a different medium than the original, it is easy to tell it apart from the real one while still looking good. This lovely fire engine by Jens Ohrndorf is a striking example. Made to imitate a classic wooden toy, it checks all the boxes: simple figures that slot into place; a moving ladder; the wheels really spin; and it is red. But it’s not wood, but genuine ABS plastic LEGO bricks. With nary a stud showing, it is exceptionally clean, and a casual observer could be forgiven for thinking it something else but LEGO. That’s the point. It’s a replica. And an exceptionally good one at that.

Self-isolation means more build time

This time of social distancing and self-isolation is the perfect time to build new LEGO creations. James Pegrum took this time to build a small scene from the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920. While there isn’t a whole lot going on in the picture, there are some nice little designs for rafters, hanging sheets, and early hospital beds. Aside from the build itself, the subject matter is what’s important today. The patient here is doing what the nurse is telling him to do. We all need to do the same. We’re going to get through this by listening to public health officials. One of the loudest messages I’ve heard is to stay home if you can, which is the perfect time to come up with more amazing LEGO creations!

At this research facility, the future is NOW!

Inspired by the work of Syd Mead, builder Jme Wheeler packs a lot of punch into a fairly small area, creating a sprawling, Futurist research facility in LEGO microscale form.

The builder makes great use of a limited black and blue color palette on the buildings and all light gray rocks. Restricting the colors of the structures gives the whole facility a cohesive look. It makes the green plant matter quite striking and yet doesn’t distract from the beautiful building designs. The tall, stacked building gives us some impossible architecture that somehow feels right at home in the scene and you can almost imagine workers bustling through the covered walkways between buildings. I love the use of the gray curved tiles to represent a raised road or perhaps a monorail track. The windmills are a clever addition and the tiny island with a single palm tree is a great little gem hiding in plain sight.

Whatever floats your goat

If you’re like me, you’ve probably lost plenty of sleep wondering if there will be goats in outer space. Thankfully, Andreas Lenander has built a LEGO diorama that ought to squelch our nocturnal worries. It’s a rather neat Goat Transport Facility on Epsilon IV that uses robots and other science-y stuff to make sure the future and outer space still have these lovable and occasionally delicious creatures around to chew your socks or whatever. Amazing details abound whether they be the repetitive use of ingots, well placed tire rims or flex-hoses. My favorite part would have to be the adorable goats in their own floating hermetically-sealed containers. You can say the containers are…totes-ma-goats. Tee hee. Hah! Am I right, people? Hilarious, right? No? OK, I’ll just let myself out. Sorry.

All aboard the scuttle bus

Can lots of legs get you there faster? One species of centipede is nicknamed the cheetah of the desert, so maybe. I’d like to think that if I had a whole bunch of legs I could rest some while using the others, like the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland. Well this LEGO myriapod, built by Vince Toulouse, doesn’t really have that option. Its 36 pairs of Insectoid legs have places to go and people to carry!

To see more creatures with many legs, check out this this little cutie, or this centipede mech. For the bravest, take a look at a mech from your nightmares.

Beware of the ‘borg

If you haven’t seen Treasure Planet, you must. It’s one of Disney’s most underrated films. And if you have watched it, you can probably pick this guy out from a mile away. John Silver is a partially cyborg version of the classic Long John Silver character from the famous Treasure Island stories, and this LEGO version by Jayfa is an excellent recreation. Using balloon elements to create a rum belly is top-notch parts usage. He also wouldn’t be the same without his little space-goo buddy, Morph.

We’ve featured Jayfa many times on TBB. If you’d like to see more of his exceptional work, check out our archives.

A whaley cool flying creature

If you ever watched Avatar: The Last Airbender, you probably thought that things like flying bison sounded cool. Because bison are cool, and things that fly are even cooler, right? Or perhaps you loved Fantasia 2000, with the flying humpback whales. Whales don’t fly, but wouldn’t it be neat if they did? Perhaps that was the inspiration Tim Schwalfenberg had, as he created this delightful build of one of the great flying whales of the Eastern Cloud Sea, carrying a passenger who could well be from The Last Airbender based on his looks. Rolled up cloth and vinyl elements make for a nice detail on the back, and I always love seeing barrels made from two half-barrels joined together. Add in a spectacular harness, and you have a creation ready to soar above some lands, gallivanting through some airwaves.

We could all use a little Tiki Madness

LEGO builder Paul Hetherington’s creations continue to amaze me. His latest masterpiece, Tiki Madness, draws on one of Paul’s interests outside of LEGO – tiki bars! Whether he’s at home in Vancouver or visiting a new city for a LEGO convention, Mr. Hetherington is always willing to sample a new tiki menu. And you know what, all that – ahem – research, has really paid off here. Tiki Madness would fit into any tiki bar, lounge or room, and tells a fun story too.

The main part of the model is a giant tiki mug, and if I’m not mistaken, the minifigures have tried to drown a giant pirate in it! But little do they know that pirates are especially talented at emptying mugs. Our pirate has clearly found his own mug, and started to drink his way out of there! Storytelling aside, there are some amazing parts usages on display here. For one, he’s incorporated so many different colours. And aside from the colours, a couple parts really stand out. Constractable Obi-Wan’s breastplate has been expertly turned upside down to be a nose, and a handful of white inner Bionicle masks make the perfect teeth.