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.

Mario gets a BOOSTed makeover [Video]

Who needs virtual reality when you can actually touch the players? Enter LEGO BOOST, some extra bricks, and the imagination of Japanese builder Nipe Nipe. Using adorably crafted characters and interchangeable backgrounds, the classic video game is brought to life on a circular conveyor belt.

This perfectly thought-out game is actually playable via a Bluetooth connection with a phone or tablet. The programming of the system is simple, but comes out looking terrific while in action. With the tap of the screen, you can play the levels of Super Mario Bros in 3D. Like the real game, you have to get the timing just right to avoid those pesky obstacles!

Love Mario Bros? Check out this adorable Goomba, or learn how to build your own LEGO Power Blocks!

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Getting to the pressing matter at hand

It is not intuitive, but this little article and the whole internet is really a direct consequence of the first press. German builder Michael Jasper recreates this monumental part of his national (and global) history in a build that can fit in one’s hand, and yet packs more detail than many larger builds.

There are not many names that have been so consistently present at the peak of the crop in the online LEGO community over the past decades, but Michael Jasper is surely one of them. Known for using exotic parts in unique ways, he does not disappoint this time either. Can you find the brown 2×2 magnet holder tile and the brown bar with side studs? The cutest detail for me though, is how the bed holding the “letters” slides between two panel pieces. But Michael does not stop there! The tiny press actually has moving parts, as seen in the little story below!

This one’s a real page-turner! [Video]

When you build something really interactive, you naturally want to show off how it works. At conventions you might spend a whole hour repeating a demo. Then another. And another. And another… Until you realize you haven’t eaten all day. Of course, leave it to Jason Allemann to find a truly impressive solution to this problem. After he and his wife’s arms got tired opening and closing the LEGO Ideas 21315 Pop-Up Book, she told him it was time to make an automated, page-turning bookstand. So he has! And it’s brilliant!

As usual, Jason has developed a genius and inspiring mechanism. Just watch the video for the full explanation of what’s going on behind the scenes of this elegant lectern. I don’t know about you, but I find it mesmerizing!

While you’re here, check out Jason’s excellent addition to LEGO Creator set 31088 Deep Sea Creatures!

Try to understand the gravity of the situation

Classic Space seems to be in a boom recently, probably due to the recent re-release of classic space minifigures in the 70841 Benny’s Space Squad set. This gives us quite a few opportunities to share amazing Classic Space builds to share here on the Brothers Brick, including scenes, rovers and mecha. A big fan of Classic Space, Andreas Lenander gives us an immersive piece of action in this beautifully lit all-LEGO scene titled “Gravity failure at Epsilon IV.” It uses the brand-new pink classic spacesuit.

Click to explore more areas of the Epsilon IV base

Immerse yourself in an awe-inspiring auto repair shop

Some of us here at the Brothers Brick are big fans of car builds. Yet, every good car needs an equally good auto repair shop to continue running, and this LEGO scene built by Ben Pitchford fits the bill. It has all the tools to get your motor running and on the highway. You can even beef up your favorite ride with the monster of an engine peeking out from the right. Best of all, everything is framed within an immersive, self-contained image. Columns and beams extending forward make you feel like you’re a part of the crew, so much so that you can almost smell the gasoline.

LEGO Star Wars returns to A New Hope with 1,700-piece 75244 Tantive IV [News]

LEGO has revealed 75244 Tantive IV, the Rebel corvette featured in the opening shot of Star Wars: A New Hope, the very first Star Wars film ever released. The set comes with 1,768 pieces and six minifigures including Bail Organa, Princess Leia, Captain Antilles, a Rebel Fleet Trooper, C-3PO and R2-D2. The Tantive IV will be available for purchase from LEGO starting May 3rd for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99.

Interestingly the set is not labeled as an Ultimate Collectors Series (UCS) set nor as a Master Builder Series (MBS) playset, though the packaging is similar to both. Instead it looks more akin to an up-scaled and more detailed version of the 10198 Tantive IV released a decade ago.

In addition to this newly revealed set, don’t miss the rest of the LEGO summer 2019 sets reveals, and be sure to check out the new Toy Story 4, Spider-Man, and The LEGO Movie 2 sets that just went sale a few days ago:

LEGO Architecture
LEGO Batman
LEGO City
LEGO City Space
LEGO Creator
LEGO Friends
LEGO Friends Ocean
LEGO Harry Potter
LEGO Jurassic World
LEGO Ninjago
LEGO Star Wars

Click to get a closer look at the newest Star Wars set, the Tantive IV

Characters from Splatoon 2 make a big splat

Video games are a major source of inspiration for a number of LEGO builders, and while many focus on shooter games, some prefer titles that are more light-hearted. This trio of characters built by LEGO 7 manages to celebrate both by showcasing a team of characters from Splatoon 2, a colorful game available for the Nintendo Switch. Splatoon is a squad-based shooter that uses paint instead of more lethal ammunition.

Not only has LEGO 7 captured the distinct paint drip style for the characters’ hair and clothes, but each one is armed with a different paint-spewing arsenal. Each character stands on their own pillar, splattered in paint using a number of newer tiles to create some awesome coverage. These pillars are even covered with greebly details and stickers, enhancing each model’s overall appearance.

LEGO Star Wars 75227 Darth Vader Bust now available from Target [News]

The highly sought-after 75227 Darth Vader Bust is finally available from Target for REDcard members. Originally announced as a limited-run Star Wars Celebration set going on sale starting April 11th, the retailer took its time posting the listing. The exclusive set contains 327 pieces and retails for $39.99 US.

(EDIT: It appears to have sold out in less than 15 minutes. We have reached out to Target to see if any other batch will be made available but have not heard back.)

For those of you who are either based internationally, not Target REDcard members, or just don’t want to hassle with the order system, we posted instructions on how to build the set from your own pieces, Bricklink or LEGO Bricks and Pieces service.

Two chipmunks take a squirrelly selfie

Now that the second series of Disney Collectible Minifigures are available, LEGO fans are already using them in creative ways. For example, grubaluk took Chip and Dale and turned them into a selfie image on a smartphone. To finish the scene, the builder made adorable versions of Disney’s beloved chipmunks. Dale’s goofy charm is intact here, complete with his face turned away from the camera with a toothy grin. While the image is not exactly mirrored on the screen, Chip and Dale’s expressions certainly are. The overall scene captures the spirit of Disney’s little rascals while, at the same time, bringing them into the modern age.

Whale watching without getting wet

Creating organic natural shapes using plastic bricks is not a simple thing, and making those shapes fit together into something simple and beautiful is truly an art form. Despite being monochromatic, this sculpture of a Humpback whale by Anthony Séjourné does an amazing job of capturing the majestic grace of one of the world’s largest marine mammals. I especially liked the use of so many hollow studs to represent barnacles. And the fluke is quite nice as well (that’s the whale’s tail, for those less well versed in whale biology).

This motorhead is monkeying around!

Builder Vincent Kiew presents his latest LEGO creation combining both System and Technic, and it’s an eye-catching racing scene that features a grinning gorilla gear-shifting through the grass!

There’s a convenient storage crate in back for all the accessories needed for an afternoon joyride around the jungle in the off-road racer. Continue reading →

Dragon unit LL-32167

I always wanted to make a mecha dragon, even as far back as 2012 when I fell in love with LEGO dragons. I always knew it would be gray and greebly, but it almost seemed like cheating. Light gray is the LEGO colour with most the available detail pieces, so it would make finding solutions to building problems easier than I would like them to be. Ironically, this is the most complicated dragon build I have made yet (of which there are 24 now, including some more open interpretations of what a “dragon” is). I working on building this one on and off for 2 months from late December to mid-February.

Click to read about the building process and see a few extra pictures