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.

Get your octopus on

We all have LEGO rooms or at the very least a designated work-space to build our creations. One LEGO space I’d love to see is that of Mitsuru Nikaido. Sometimes it’s satisfying to have “a thing” and Mitsuru’s “thing” is white animal mechs with dark gray interspersed throughout. If Mitsuru is the type of builder who keeps most of his creations, I bet I’d be treated with a menagerie of intricate animal mechs peering at me from his shelves. This octopus is his newest and among my favorites thus far. Whether it be for a flared fender, hot-air balloon or, in this case, an octopus head, this tapered piece is a godsend. This wily cephalopod is certainly brimming with character. Be sure to check out some of his previously featured friends including a frog, a crocodile, and a locust and crane creature double-feature.

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The Disqualifier falls short by a micro-smidgen

According to the Triassic Era LEGO gods who made this stuff up eons ago, a SHIP (Significantly Huge Investment in Parts) must measure at least 100 studs in any one direction. This craft by Filler Brick, aptly named The Disqualifier, measures in at precisely 99.9 studs. Close! So damned close! It would have been easy to take this creation to within specs but I get the hunch this builder liked being the underdog here. As someone who has often fallen short by a smidgen in so many different ways myself, I can relate. (Shut up, you!) Perhaps we could overlook its shortcomings with excellent presentation and the fact that this took thirty-one grueling days to build and somewhere between 3000-5000 pieces. It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight but rather the size of the fight in the dog. Or something. I’m feeling the love here, how about you?

The Dark Crystal Skeksis will feast on your essence

Show of hands, who is watching the new “Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” series on Netflix? Go ahead, put them up, I have Aughra’s eye and can see you. Wow, that is a lot of hands! The rest of you should get on that. Especially you, Matt Wilson of Topeka, Kansas, you’d totally be into it. With beautiful sets, masterful puppeteering and phenomenal voice talent, I am truly enthralled with the world of Thra all over again. Hongjun Youn has built a Skeksis that looks so accurate, you can almost hear them squabble and Chamberlain squeal. His ragged clothing is comprised of some of these cloth dragon wing parts. The head is so on par with the Skeksis you’d think LEGO had a license with Jim Henson’s Studio, but alas it is a Chima Vulture head. Now hold still while we drain your essence!

This T. rex doesn’t want to hunt, he wants to be fed!

Thanks to regular building contests held by the LEGO Ideas team, hundreds of fantastic custom creations have seen the light in the recent couple of years. The Unleash Your Own Genetically Modified Hybrid Dinosaur! building competition gathered some of the craziest and funniest creatures of this summer. As we continue seeing some of the best entries as the builders share them elsewhere online, we can’t help but admire this hilarious Veggiesaurus by Scott Wilhelm.

Well, we know there were a lot of vegetarian dinosaurs, but a creature like a “vegetarian Tyrannosaurus” sounds like either a freak of nature or the triumph of modern science. Looking at the pictures of this foody, I tend to think it’s a win rather than a failure. A full-length picture of the T. rex reveal the actual size of the build; the furniture and table accessories elevate the work to a whole new level. And although this Tyrannosaurus rex looks very frustrated, I hope it will feel much better once he finishes his dinner.

Thar she goes, with a hump like yellow sunshine, tis Moby Duck!

True story; due to an epic storm, nearly 30,000 bath toys were lost at sea, many of them “rubber duckies” (they’re not really made of rubber). While unfortunate, this event lead oceanographers and beachcombers on an odyssey to discover these wayward bath toys around the globe, thus proving that the oceans and currents are truly connected. You may read about it yourself in this book. I wonder if one of these yellow duckies has washed up on Anthony Séjourné’s otherwise serene bridge diorama. The ducky is comically outsized leading me to believe it’ll either destroy that bridge kaiju-style or at the very least cause a massive clog. Either way, it has made my day.

The aliens that built the pyramids probably came in this SHIP

Conspiracy theorists claim that the pyramids of various ancient civilizations were all inspired by aliens coming from outer space. Ancient peoples were clearly not smart enough to figure out engineering, they claim, so they must have had help from elsewhere. Plus, there are strange figures engraved on them, and how do you explain the striking resemblance of one pile of cut stones to another? I mean, compare those Egyptian pyramids to the Babylonian ziggurats and the Mayan temples. Exactly the same. And don’t forget the most conclusive evidence of all, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Well, builder Ivan Martynov provides us with some insight to solving the mystery. He has made an entry into SHIPtember that is both a space ship and an ancient temple.

There are the stairs to reach the summit, a shrine at the top, and what appears to be a six-legged beetle (or is that an alien form, carved crudely?). Then there are thrusters, power cores and other bits of advanced technology. It all makes perfect sense. This ship touched down in several places on Earth, inspired worship and emulation, and then left to visit other worlds. Do you believe the conspiracy theorists yet? Maybe you should.

Ape, bear, whatever... it’s an epic figure

It’s not often we see a Sigourney Weaver inspired LEGO creation which isn’t something to do with the Alien movie franchise. Well here’s a cracking build from Ian Hoy inspired by the 1988 Dian Fossey biopic Gorillas in the Mist. Oh, hang on…My mistake. Seems this is actually inspired by PANDAS in the mist, more specifically Chen Stormstout — brewer, monk, and warrior — a character in the 2012 Mists Of Pandaria expansion to World Of Warcraft.

Regardless of its inspiration, this is excellent LEGO character modelling. The clothing is great — particularly the toggle fastenings, the white strip edging, and the way the pyjama-top hangs beneath the belt. The face has the brilliant combination of cute-yet-scary which the Panda warriors carried in the game, and all the details are present and correct, including the ponytail and the sandals on those clawed feet. Nice bearclaw emblems on the knees too.

LEGO EVA Unit 02 has activated

Mathijs Dubbeldam had a goal: to build the world’s most accurate EVA Unit 02 from the anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion. The head in particular reads strikingly accurate to me, but I am also impressed with the iconic long limbs, lanky frame, and spot-on details right down to the fingernails.

See more of this intricate model, including one of the building’s interiors.

When tagging along with Hitchhikers, remember to bring a towel.

There are a lot of variation to the giant spaceships created for SHIPtember (SHIP = Significantly Huge Investment in Parts). Many of them draw inspiration from classic LEGO themes, video games, or movies. Sometimes, however, you see something new from this month long building challenge. For instance, Sheo‘s Hitchhikers has some fascinating shapes, unusual colors, and great part usage. One standout detail is the Death Star piece at the core of the Technic construction at the aft of the ship. I also really like how the main body isn’t built with a standard “studs to the ceiling” approach. The angled bricks give the Kirby-esque detailing a very energetic feel.

In a nice recursive touch, the Hitchhiker has some smaller hitchhikers of its own. These four micro ships also have some unique color choices and part usage. I particuarly like the use of a minifigure hat and flower petals on the blue and red model. The roller skates on the red cargo hauler are pretty sweet, too.

The magic inherent in transparent purple LEGO bricks

I’ve always felt that there’s something magical about transparent LEGO bricks and that transparent purple LEGO bricks are extra magical. Builder Jayfa also sees something in those elements, as evidenced by their Voidwalker. The entire build is an ode to “nice part usage.” Hero Factory ball joints and armor create the body of an elegant beast. Meanwhile, White Hero Factory armor covers the body, leading to a head that combines Legend of Chima wings with an eerie black large figure armor for the face. Even the tail ends in style, with minifigure wings at the tip.

According to the photo description, Voidwalker was built in just two days. I wish my own creations came together with such quick beauty!

Close to the stars: LEGO Star Wars X-Wing lands on the top of Europe [NEWS]

To promote Triple Force Friday, LEGO GmbH took their Star Wars celebration to the Swiss Alps, unveiling a giant LEGO X-Wing atop Jungfraujoch, also known as “the top of Europe.” While it’s not the first life-size LEGO X-Wing ever made, it is the first time one has been displayed atop the Alps!

Full press release (rough translation from the original German press release) and image gallery from LEGO below.

Close to the stars: LEGO Star Wars™ X-Wing™ lands on the top of Europe

On today’s “Force Friday,” a life-size LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing™ built from 2.5 million LEGO® elements has landed 3,454 meters (11345.14 ft) above sea level on the Jungfraujoch – “Top of Europe”.

This makes the Jungfraujoch the highest point on the planet where a LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing™ starfighter has ever landed.

As of October 4, 2019, ten new LEGO® Star Wars™ sets are available worldwide for the movie Star Wars™: The Rise of Skywalker.

With LEGO® Star Wars™, one of the most popular LEGO® product lines continues the Skywalker saga in the 20th anniversary of the licensing agreement.

Jungfraujoch, Munich – October 4, 2019: “Do or do not. There is no try,” says Jedi Master Yoda to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars™: The Empire Strikes Back. Yoda then uses the Force to lift an X-Wing™ out of the swamp, making the impossible possible for Luke. In the spirit of this message, on “Force Friday,” October 4, 2019 LEGO GmbH unveiled atop the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland a faithful LEGO® replica of the distinctive Star Wars™ X-Wing™ starfighter from the Skywalker saga. True to the motto “The Force is in your Hands,” LEGO GmbH wants to show that even things that may seem too challenging can be mastered by landing the large model at the highest point on which an X-Wing™ has ever landed – at least in this galaxy.

With the landing of the LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing™ on the longest glacier in the Alps, LEGO GmbH also celebrates a very special partnership; the licensing agreement signed 20 years ago marked the beginning of a successful intergalactic journey that has since brought people together across both generations and countries.

The LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing™ was built by LEGO® Certified Professional Georg Schmitt with his ten-member team, made entirely of 2.5 million LEGO bricks, and measures a remarkable ten by ten meters (32.8 ft x 32.8 ft). It took more than 1,500 hours to build the LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing™.

“For 20 years, LEGO® Star Wars™ has been inspiring children and adults worldwide, representing limitless play and building. Bringing a life-size LEGO® Star Wars™ X-Wing™ onto the Jungfraujoch symbolizes the power of creativity and shows that, with the new LEGO® Star Wars™ sets in our hands, it’s up to us to continue the story after the last episode,” explains Florian Gmeiner, Senior Marketing Director at LEGO GmbH. “Playing with LEGO® bricks inspires your imagination and allows you to tell stories and sometimes even master challenges. With this event we want to motivate everyone to believe in their dreams and their potential, because: ‘The Force is in your Hands.'”

Fans of all ages can look forward to ten new LEGO® Star Wars™ sets, which will be available in stores worldwide on October 4, 2019. In addition to new LEGO® Star Wars™ products for the movie Star Wars:™ The Rise of Skywalker, which will be released in cinemas in Switzerland and Germany on December 18, 2019, there will be a reissue of the Yoda™ sculpture as well as a new version of the popular Millennium Falcon™, with which young and old can create their own personal adventures in search of Kylo Ren’s™ Shuttle. With the new LEGO® Star Wars™ sets, the story is retold – it’s in your hands!

For more information about LEGO® Star Wars™ products, visit https://www.lego.com/de-de/themes/star-wars (US | CAN | UK)

What is a SHIP without a fleet?

The challenges of building LEGO spaceships is getting the different parts to work together to create something aesthetically pleasing, quasi-functional, and just plain cool. This difficulty is magnified with larger ships, especially when you enter the realm of a SHIP (Significantly Huge Investment in Parts, a LEGO spaceship 100+ studs in length). Sometimes one spaceship isn’t enough; you need to build a whole fleet, and that is what Ryan Olsen did. Ryan shared with TBB that his fleet has been slowly growing for eight years, with the mid-size one with the prominent white stripe (roughly in the middle of the formation) being his first. He also drew inspiration from Pierre E. Fieschi for the color scheme and the video game Homeworld.

The studs-not-on-top (SNOT) approach to the spaceship in the foreground makes for a sleek design, and the white stripes, including diagonals, are expertly integrated into the hull. The asymmetrical design works wonderfully, too, with the long appendages coming off the side from near the large reactor core. Hinge bricks do a great job of making a smoothly angled bridge. Everything fits so well, and nothing seems out of place. This fleet is cruising the stars in style!