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.

Mysterio has Spider-Man on the brain

When I was little, one of my favorites nick-nacks was filled with water, a plastic carrot and a few tiny pieces of plastic “coal,” and was labeled “Florida Snowman.” (Look, trust me here. This was hilarious when I was six years old.) I’ve always had a fondness for snow globes. In unrelated trivia, I was also a big Spider-Man fan. I never dreamed, though, that both of those childhood loves would come crashing together. Builder Flambo14 changed all that with a fun LEGO build inspired by Spider-Man: Far From Home. In this creation, Mysterio’s trademark fishbowl-dome head is a LEGO Christmas ornament filled with 1×1 round plates for snow. You’ll aslo find a simple-but-effective microscale New York City skyline and, of course, Spider-Man himself. There’s even a sand-green minifigure telescope as an itty-bitty Statue of Liberty.

Mysterio’s torso has some fun details, too. I like the use of the minifigure ring to help create the eyeball-patterns present on the cape clasps. The smoothness of the wedges used to construct the cape makes the exposed-stud build of the chest feel much more textured, just like the movie’s costume design. There’s also just the right touch of other gold elements to give him a bit of showmanship.

I’d love to see a whole series of Mysterio snow globes. If anyone else takes a swing at one, let us know!

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A TARDIS console room fit for an adventurer

The ever popular television series Doctor Who has inspired many a LEGO TARDIS, including an official LEGO Ideas set. Wanting to go for something a little different, GunnBuilding has taken the TARDIS console room and re-imagined it in the LEGO Adventurers theme. As such, it is filled with plenty of historic artifacts collected on many an…adventure. This, coupled with the tiled floor and arch-laden tan wall, makes this model feel like IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM! The camera and piles of books suggest someone has been busy and, if the hat hanging off the railing is any indication, that person is the one-and-only Johnny Thunder.

This model is a digital render and, as such, may include some pieces in non-production colors.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for October 19, 2019

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 October 2019.

We review the new LEGO Ideas 21320 Dinosaur Fossils set. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details.

TBB NEWS, REVIEWS AND INSTRUCTIONS: This week we reviewed three new sets including Dinosaur Fossils, a Land Rover Defender and a redux of the Star Wars Y-Wing. Meanwhile, we showed you how to make our very own Iron Man Mark 1!

LEGO heads into the wilderness with the Technic 42110 Land Rover Defender [Review] – Read our hands on review of the highly anticipated LEGO Land Rover!
Head to the Cretaceous period with the newest LEGO Ideas set: 21320 Dinosaur Fossils – The newest LEGO Ideas set, 21320 Dinosaur Fossils, features the skeletons of T. rex, Triceratops, Pteranodon, and even a LEGO Sapien!
LEGO Star Wars 75248 Resistance A-wing Starfighter from The Rise of Skywalker[Review] – How does this latest LEGO Star Wars A-wing stack up against the previous A-wing from 2017? Read our review to find out.
Build your very own Iron Man Mark 1 in Chibi style [INSTRUCTIONS] – Be an Avenger! Build the Iron Man Mark 1 and remember to give 3000 love to hachiroku24.
LEGO Ideas 21320 Dinosaur Fossils – assembling T. rex & Triceratops & Pteranodon, oh my! [Review] – Dig into our full review of the LEGO Ideas 21320 Dinosaur Fossils!

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:

LEGO sets I designed (Dream Job), YouTube – Designer Tiago Catarino discusses the many sets he designed while working for the LEGO Group
Friends Fans Can Now Sit in a Life-Size Version of Central Perk Made Out of 1 Million LEGOs, People.com – Nathan Sawaya, an artist whose medium is LEGOs, created a life-size, interactive version of the iconic coffee shop to debut in Las Vegas
Lego’s Latest Green Initiative Wants to Put Old Bricks to New Use, Forbes – Lego, as part of its ongoing effort to become a greener toy company, is launching a pilot program to make it easier to donate unwanted Lego bricks.
How Building a Gymnastics Routine is Like Building with LEGO Bricks, LEGO – Simone Biles draws parallels between building anything you want with LEGO bricks and her world class gymnastic techniques.

Knight’s Kingdom II is kickin’ it new school

Forgotten somewhere in the recesses of LEGO castle history is Knights’ Kingdom II. It lacks the deep nostalgia of the castle themes from the 1980s and early 90s and the surprising novelty of the Fantasy Era sets. For some people, it might rank above Nexo Knights while still remaining near the bottom of their list of favorite castle themes. What it did do well, though, was to introduce Bionicle-like buildable figures to castle, allowing builders to fight each other with action-figure sized LEGO creations. Have you ever tried to engage someone else in a duel with a minifigure holding a sword? I have. It is not easy, and it looks strange to boot. Constraction figures solved that problem, and LEGO 7 has solved the problem of clunky old constraction figures for the theme, giving Sir Adric a brilliant updating.

Many of the pieces of Sir Adric have been retained, like the shield, ax head, helm, greaves, and pauldrons. But the similarity ends there, as the builder has introduced heaps of constraction parts from Bionicle and other themes, with Darth Vader’s chest armor being among the most notable. While the original Adric was small and static, this one is the complete opposite, large and dynamic. Look at that action pose! Sir Adric could totally chop Vladek to bits with this upgrade. I love LEGO 7’s model, and I’m not even a fan of constraction!

Small gatehouse is big display of medieval architecture

LEGO castles offer builders countless opportunities to use pieces in innovative ways, but executing that variety effectively often requires quite a large castle. Atahlus’ latest creation demonstrates how you can include a variety of different techniques in a relatively small model, while still giving off the air of a large and imposing castle.

While a singular building, this gatehouse demonstrates three separate types of structures. On the right you have the red, half-timber style structure that would be just as much at home in a medieval village as it would be built onto the side of a castle. Opposite it on the left is a round tower with its tall, buttressed walls, implying a stronger, more fortified look. Contrast both sides to the delicate look of the center section, reminiscent of a gothic cathedral. Here in the center, the parts usage is particularly intriguing, with seamless integration of modified bricks, bars, and robot claws to achieve a fragile character. Grey microfigures are also used effectively here as sculpted window frames, as well as on the crenellations on the left section.

A delightfully derelict and decrepit drive-in

Post-apocalyptic builds are popular in the LEGO community for some reason. Is it because we are fatalistic about the fate of society, and are certain it is all going to go up in mushroom clouds? Is it because we play video games that are set in a post-nuclear apocalyptic world? Do we just want to watch the world burn? Perhaps it is some combination of all those. hellboy.lego brings us a scene from the video game Fallout 4, which at very least satisfies my second suggestion. The Starlight Theatre, a now decrepit drive-in movie theater, serves as the camp for some raiders, and is gloriously derelict. Vines and trees are growing up everywhere, and the buildings are all half-ruined.

Click to see more of the Starlight Theatre

LEGO heads into the wilderness with the Technic 42110 Land Rover Defender [Review]

For several decades, the LEGO Technic theme has incorporated licensed vehicles pulled from the ranks of the world’s best-known auto manufacturers. And almost without exception, LEGO has focused these sets on sports cars and heavy equipment. But now Technic has made a foray into the new class of automobile life that seems to be taking over all that it touches: the SUV. With 42110 Land Rover Defender, LEGO not only releases its first Technic SUV, but also lands its first license with renowned automaker Jaguar/Landrover in 50 years (LEGO produced diecast Jaguar models in the 1960s). Not simply a one-off, the licensing partnership also includes minifigure-scale vehicles for the Speed Champions line like the I-pace and Formula E racecar. The new LEGO Defender released Oct. 1, 2019, and was revealed in conjunction with the real vehicle’s debut, marking Land Rover’s return to the venerable Defender model. The set includes 2,573 pieces and retails for US $199.99 | CAN $249.99 | UK £159.99.

Click to read the full review

If this is my ride to jail then sign me up!

Sometimes I wish I was born sooner, but if I were I might be soiling adult diapers and yelling obscenities at the TV by now, so I’m fine being the age I am, all things considered. Had I been a bit older though, I would have seen this whole “Showrod” phenomenon first hand. Showrodding pioneers such as George Barris, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, and Tom Daniel (of Monogram Models fame) changed the definition of what a car could be with their flamboyant, over-the-top showstoppers. Certainly there is still car customization going on nowadays but nothing matches the heyday of the Showrod phenomenon in the 50s, 60s, and early 70s. There are very few car builders on the planet building this style of Showrod and even fewer people creating them in LEGO. One such LEGO artist, however, is Andrea Lattanzio who has replicated Tom Daniel’s “Paddy Wagon” with masterful build techniques and stunning photography.

To say I am impressed by this would be an understatement. I think the correct words I’m looking for are awestruck and quite a bit humbled. Everything from the C-Cab’s signature profile, to the gleaming custom chrome bits to the aggressive stance to its superb clean backdrop, even the font used are all the mark of an artist with a profound knack for presentation. With what looks like houses reflected in the rear hubcap, it would seem Andrea’s secret to stellar presentation involves, at least in part, natural outdoor lighting and a clear day.

Click here to learn the history of the term

Go big or go home, Batman!

You should always dress like the job you want, not the job you have; which would explain why I spent the afternoon sequestered in the HR Office dressed as Batman. That wasn’t my original joke but still funny nonetheless. Speaking of Batman, after a long day of driving around in the Batmobile and throwing around Batarangs, even he needs some quality time to himself to pop a bat-squat. Otherwise he’d have guano all over the Batcave; on second thought, by definition, it probably is already brimming with it. Now that you have that idea stewing in your noggins, here’s a scene built by Thorsten Bonsch depicting Bruce Wayne having a moment. The toilet is a rather Gothic throne presumably atop a hollowed stalagmite. The vehicle door used as a toilet paper roll is inspired and the rubber band around his ankles acting as pants is some next level genius stuff.

Let’s just hope he’s always well stocked with toilet paper as that would seem to be a precarious predicament to be in should he suddenly realize he wasn’t.

A tip of the hat to a great mech

When it comes to quality LEGO mechs, builder Marco Marozzi sure knows how to build them. This latest offering, UM Soldat 2 Mech, has a real sense of expensive style about it. The combination of black and gold armor nicely offset the touch of grey from the exposed mechanical parts. Maybe this mech defrays some costs by leaning heavily into corporate sponsorship. There’s certainly evidence of that based on the numerous logos, some sourced directly from LEGO sets and some from UK nail art sticker sheets.

See more of this black and gold mech

Commemorating the Peterloo Massacre

August of this year marked the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre. To commemorate the massacre, James Pegrum, Dan Harris and Simon Pickard collaborated to build a LEGO diorama of the event. In their research on the subject, the team consulted an expert historian and the creators of a graphic novel depicting the Peterloo Massacre. They tried to recreate everything as accurately as possible.

See more of this action-packed display.

Bavarian Motor Works gets the Danish Brick Works treatment

With the release of the excellent LEGO Creator Expert 10269 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy set, we appear to be experiencing a corresponding uptick in fantastic motorcycle creations. Here’s a belter of a bike from André Pinto — a brick-built version of a customised BMW R80 RT. The shaping and overall frame are spot-on, and the sticker-work is just perfect, adding little touches of detail without overwhelming the bricks. The splash of gold from the ribbed hoses adds a lovely burst of contrast against the black, as do the red forks, and the overall presentation of the model is enhanced by the wood-effect base.