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.

An Atlas to take your personnel further

Sometimes I come across LEGO builds that add a new wrinkle to my brain as I’m scanning all the details while trying to spot all the exquisite parts uses. Markus Rollbühler tends to be a name synonymous with said builds. His newest addition to Mech Monday, #22: ATLAS – Multipurpose Carrier, is absolutely no exception. The first question I thought was, “Where do I start?” and the first elements to grab me were the Minifig Jet Pack and 1×1 Decorated Tile with Telephone Speaker Pattern. That combination is pure greeble at a tiny scale. Next, the new(ish) Minifig Blaster with studs on all sides. Not only did they get used for legs, they were also used for its well-armored head stock. It took me a few seconds of admiring Bucket Handles and Minifig Hands, to realise Markus is even hiding segments from a Yoda Wristwatch for the mech’s back.

All of that without even mentioning the paint job. The militarised tone is well balanced between its shell of sand green and its industrial framework of bluish greys. Add some touches of Dark Tan into the mix and its complete. I am curious to see it in other colour schemes though–adaptations for different purposes perhaps?

If you missed it, check out Markus Rollbühler’s last LEGO Mech we featured.

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This Jem concert is truly, truly, truly outrageous!

You can feel the Synergy emanating from this bright and cheerful Jem set by Samuel Hatmaker. You may remember him as the creator of the popular Golden Girls project on LEGO Ideas (It reached 10,000 supporters but failed to pass the review). This time, he has built a complete playset that includes four separate pieces capturing all the glamour, glitter, fashion and fame of the 80’s hit cartoon, Jem & the Holograms.

What’s cooler than cool? This spaceship.

Ice Planet 2002 might not generate quite the same level of nostalgia among adult fans of LEGO that Classic Space does, but for a certain generation of builders it surely evokes fond memories of trans-neon orange chainsaws and the coolest visors that LEGO helmets had yet seen. It does for me, at least. Bob De Quatre certainly knows how to balance the distinctive white and blue color scheme, with the trans-neon orange accents, that made Ice Planet so distinctive and immediately recognizable back in its heyday. This planetary explorer uses its extensive monitoring equipment to scan the surface in low orbit, looking for whatever it was that these frosted spacemen were trying to find. I never knew what I was supposed to be finding with those chainsaws and ski/snowshoes, but I knew my crew looked good doing it.

The angled faces and down-swept wings show Bob to be a master spaceship builder. Fun highlights are the feathered sections of the wings in front of the air intakes and the opening pods on either side of the tail fin, which can deploy probes to the planet’s surface for added reconnaissance. Nexo Knights’ greatest gift to builders as a theme was perhaps the introduction of many new elements in trans-neon orange, especially the angular canopy used so effectively here. But that is not all that Bob has used well; don’t miss the DUPLO radar dish beneath the cockpit and the Bionicle armor behind it. Now that’s one ~~cool~~ ice-cold spaceship.

Beautiful microscale model of Saint-Tropez

If you have ever visited the charming seaside village of Saint-Tropez on the southern coast of France, then this model by Thilo Schoen will be instantly recognizable. There are so many details that make this LEGO scene by the sea come alive, including colorful shops along the marina, terracotta roof tiles, and the yellow-topped bell tower of the church (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunció). Topping everything off is the citadel, which towers majestically above the town. Another enjoyable detail includes boats filling the marina, built studs-down using the new modified 1×2 rounded plate in white.

A flock of freaky feathered friends

Who is more curious, the flock of crazy LEGO birds or the bemused kitty? Whatever the answer Morlon Empire’s build has me grinning from ear to ear. Working from a single seed part, in this case a banana that doubles as a beak, he’s created an expressive feathered character. They look fabulous en masse with their necks craning at different angles. Morlon deserves a feather in his cap for creating such an amusing scene from such a simple idea and only a handful of bricks.

A picture’s worth a thousand bricks: vintage LEGO photography [Feature]

When it comes to collecting LEGO items, there are plenty of avenues to pursue. While vintage LEGO sets and gear are perhaps the most obvious choices, I prefer collecting LEGO ephemera. I have spent many hours scouting out old catalogs, brochures and instructions. Out of all the ephemera I have, period photographs of children enjoying LEGO sets are among my favorite pieces. Owning a retired set is enjoyable, but images from the past help contextualize LEGO products in a way a set alone cannot do. Photographs provide a window into the past when now-retired LEGO products were new, which is why I am sharing some of my favorite photographs with you!

See more vintage photographs of children and adults enjoying LEGO bricks

A LEGO tower that stands as tall as some people

In the Chinese city of Wuhan, you can find the 51.4 m Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼). The current iteration of the tower was completed in 1985, but the tower has existed in various forms since at least the year 223. Chinese LEGO fan Smoker Nie (聂汉卿) has built a beautiful replica of the tower, which took a painstaking eight months to design and 1,400 hours to build. It consists of 163,100 pieces and stands at a massive height of 158 cm (≈5.2 ft). This is made all the more impressive by the fact that this is only his second LEGO model. (His first was the Aiwan Ting Pavilion.)

See more images of this beautiful Chinese tower

Lean, green and mean.. Built for separating the pack.

Early in May, we showcased Inthert’s previous Speeder, and now barely a month later he shares another great one. His new LEGO Speeder Bike comes with the feeling of a deluxe personal outrigger, capable of some spectacular turns. Impressively bold in colour, Victor-Vine’s Bike looks striking with the simple but well-balanced gradient running through its core. The main body, built from twin green brick separators, gives way to its sleek design and powerful rear end. The steering pinion-shafts lead to the lengthy upper-stock, reaching the nose rudder with ease. It makes me wonder what sort of G’s it would pull taking a tight corner. The front end is held together with a couple of 2×2 white Rubber Bands, giving enough pressure to keep the nose assembly in fine form.

Towards the engines, we see some nice parts usage, tightly constructed and predominantly in black. I was personally pleased to see the white 1/2 Technic Bush and the Modified 1×2 Plate with Ladder. Such a simple element like this ancient ladder plate, tends to be abandoned for the 1×2 – 2×2 Bracket and a couple of 1×2 Grills, so it’s good to see it pop up here.

Massive monastery in the mountains meets the ‘mancers

Necromancers, that is. The story is that druids once lived here in Ard-darragh with their magical tree, but when they left, eventually Christian monks settled the cliffs and build a monastery; but they too left, and necromancers took over the site. At least, that is how builder Michal Herbolt describes the evolution of the place. And what a place it is, too! Large castle dioramas are always impressive, if for no other reason than the sheer volume of parts needed to bring them to life. But this one is exceptionally well done, with the brilliant textures on the walls, the large cliffs, the glittering water, and the nicely contrasting roofs.

While there might not be many particular elements here to make you say, “Ooh, I never thought of using that piece for that purpose,” it is nonetheless a masterwork of architectural design and landscape integration. No part of the structure is aligned to the stud-grid of the base, and most of the towers join with the adjacent buildings at non-right angles, too. The way the buildings fade into the rear cliff is perfect, too. My absolute favorite detail, though, is the way the smooth white and rough light bluish grey parts of the walls blend organically together, creating a level of texture that is just right without being either too little or too much. This is a build that is definitely worth a closer look, so check out Michal’s full album on Flickr for all of the detail shots.

Wide wings with golden detail brings new frontiers

Another wide streak of light, this time called Refraction R/99, has taken off from the mind of Nick Trotta. After following his amazing LEGO creations for a while, you may pick up on the seamless transitions between each section of his ships. In that regard, he holds true to his craft. Though in others, he spreads his wings a little more. On the one hand, he has built a flying wing, and on the other, he has started playing with a selection of gold elements. Both are styles which he hasn’t explored before.

$Refraction R/99$

His shaping creates a strength of form built off a shallow frame, allowing the pilot to be flanked by its impressive set of wings. Having no fuselage means squeezing all of his incredible details into its wingspan. The medium blue throughout the engine housing, alongside those deep-set grilles following suit, bring out the almost skeletal dark blue within the wings and midsection. As in many of Trotta’s builds, the carefully chosen colours are exceptionally complimented by some bright splashes, this time it’s Bright Light Yellow, Orange, Trans Neon Green and his new addition: Drum Laquer Gold.

$Refraction: Fly-by$

He has used his gold sparingly even though its spread throughout his ship, most effectively as a housing for some fine greebling on either side of the cockpit. This greebling, as squished as it is, has some great parts use going on in there, from the two sunken Megaphones, the red roller skates, to my personal favourite, the black paint roller handle. Yet the clean repetition of the black Grille Guards, installed as cooling vents on the two engines, seem to tie off this brilliant ship.

Burton-era Batmobile blasting off

When it comes to movie Batmobiles, few versions are quite as iconic as the extra-long, jet engine powered model from the Tim Burton films. This sleek, finned creation by Riskjockey manages to combine luxury and high tech with its smooth curves, intake vents, sliding canopy and those giant signature batfins. The use of arches for the side intake vents is one of my favorite part usages. It’s also worth noting the subtly angled headlight assemblies on either side of that lovely jet engine intake on the front.

All the world’s a stage, and all the minifigures merely players

Many of the best LEGO creations are carefully composed scenes which tell a story. MorlornEmpire takes this thought one step further — building a delightful LEGO Castle scene which depicts a medieval theatre with a play in progress. The theatre walls are nicely chunky and use the classic technique of scattered dark grey tiles to simulate stonework, with an added splash of colour from the well-positioned climbing foliage.

However, appropriately enough, it’s the on-stage action which commands the attention — don’t miss the scenery flats of rolling countryside and hilltop castle, and the smart use of curved tiles to create an impression of a curtain backdrop for the sky. All this creation is missing is a rowdy audience of peasants chucking vegetables at the actors during boring sections of the play–a regular feature of theatrical performance until relatively recent times!