Here’s a building challenge for you: Build an image of Paris with LEGO bricks. What would you include in your version? The Eiffel tower? Or maybe the famous Louvre? And how about a small french bakery? There are so many icons of the capital of France to choose from, but Markus Rollbühler nail this challenge in the most elegant way. His Parisian corner has nothing to do with sightseeing or monuments, but its every little detail says Bonjour! It takes some time to spy all the awesome elements of the diorama, but my number one pick is Citroën 2CV, ça c’est magnifique!
Category Archives: LEGO
Arrests made in LEPIN raid over the continued manufacture of counterfeit LEGO products [News]
Following the court case against LEPIN in November 2018, the Chinese counterfeiters are back in the news again and, this time, the police are involved. On Tuesday, April 23rd police raided the Shenzhen plant belonging to the notorious manufacturer of imitation LEGO products. Shanghai police orchestrated the raid, which led to four arrests including the leader of LEPIN’s parent company, Meizhi. According to a post on the Shanghai police’s Weibo account, over 200 million RMB (nearly 30 million USD) of LEPIN products were confiscated. This included more than 630,000 finished sets, 200,000 boxes, 200,000 instruction leaflets and manuals, and over 90 production molds.

Learn more about the LEPIN raid, including pictures from this breaking story
Hang in there, little plant.
We love progress. Our cities, our monuments, even our parking lots are all built for the betterment of mankind. But no matter how far we progress, how tall we make our buildings or how shiny a monument may be, one fact will always remain true. Someday Mother Nature will reclaim what was once hers. Builder Emil Lidé illustrates this notion with this creation he calls “Breaking Through”. No stranger to building beautiful flora and fauna, he clearly has a deep respect for nature. We’ve highlighted his Yin and Yang Panda House before and while this piece is less extravagant, its message conveys strength and endurance. It is important to remember that the balance between mankind and nature is precarious. Every skyscraper began with a plan and every mighty oak began as a humble acorn. I have never rooted for a plant to win more than this little guy here.
Tell Obi-Wan we found a more wretched hive of scum and villainy
Obi-Wan Kenobi once mused that you would “never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy” than Mos Eisley Spaceport, but Ben Cossy’s Nar Shaddaa Cantina might give Mos Eisley a run for its money. A moon in the Hutt system, Nar Shaddaa is known for its underworld, bounty hunters, and Hutt cartels.
The structure itself is the perfect backdrop of a suspect cantina: the mixed texture of the floors make it look rough and the windows are reminiscent of concept art for Jabba the Hutt’s palace. The cargo piled up across from the bar is an ideal spot for illicit deals, and the expression on the Cerean bartenders face implies that he could handle his own with the most dangerous of the patrons. The characters are where this creation shines. While often minifigures are a nice highlight for a model, here they are the main focus and are almost form a landscape themselves. There are recognizable characters like Aurra Sing, Dengar, Bossk, IG-88 and Embo mixed in with unidentified Humans, Mandalorians, Rodians, Twi’leks, and a whole host of other species from a galaxy far, far away. Finally, I do love that Galidor is coming to the Star Wars universe – at least according to the poster on the wall.
This magical workshop holds a secret
Builder Brick Ninja brings us a terrific homage to the classic LEGO Castle set Majisto’s Magical Workshop. In this updated version, a lone wizard protects his cottage from a group of ghostly ninjas. Bright orange fire shoots from his hands, creating a formidable opponent against the glowing katanas.
The workshop seems to emerge from the landscape, utilizing a large rock formation as its foundation. The color scheme is striking with the combo of black, dark red and brown accented with gold, silver and a pair of earth blue window shutters. While stickers can often be hit or miss, the use of the runes sticker from 9473 The Mines of Moria over the balcony is perfect. The plant-covered roof with its heavy beams is a nice finisher for this sorcerous abode. Of additional note is the wonderful tree, which makes use of upside down spiky vines, giving the whole thing a pleasing shape.
Not only is this MOC impressive on the outside, it conceals a secret as well! As with its predecessor, the whole model opens to reveal a highly detailed interior featuring a library, bedroom, spiral staircase, sitting room and attic storage. I am particularly fond of the multiple fireplaces wending their way up the side of the building. Click to check out the full interior
One fancy bike for a fancy rider
It looks like the classic chopper is never going out of style, as demonstrated by this futuristic looking bike with swooping handlebars by Eero Okkonen. I love the way that the wings on the rider’s boots are picked up as a detail on the back of the bike. One missable detail is the red bumper part used to support the rider as he’s leaning into those sharp turns.
I don’t know about you, but I am also getting a definite Akira vibe with those big red angled parts at the front and back of the bike. And speaking of red parts, the macaroni pipes give those boots quite the look.
If you like this model, be sure to check out some other creations by Eero recently featured here on TBB.
Stop the traitor on Takodana
When recreating a movie scene, a LEGO creation done right will make you feel like you’re in the scene yourself. That’s exactly what Carter Witz has done with his Dual on Takodana. Star Wars fans will remember the moment when FN-2199 (nicknamed TR-8R by the fans) confronts Finn in the remains of Maz Kanata’s castle.
The mix of different dark grey pieces recall the look of the castle, both before it was destroyed – as seen in the structures left standing – and after. The destroyed stone of the castle is highlighted by fallen trees, bent metal, and small fires dotting the scene. One of the fires even features a trans-orange snake element to give it a unique shape. In addition to looking cool, there are even play features with the figures weapons clashing and rubble exploding.
Parts for 2019 offer a new twist on an old robot
Here’s an adorable figure seemingly pulled right out of the Jetson’s. This happy-looking LEGO robot was created by Sven Franic and featured by our friends at New Elementary. For me, the highlight of the build is the pair of axles with rotation clip used for the bot’s hands. These new pieces appear in the 2019 Ninjago sets and work wonderfully. You can almost hear a mechanical voice spouting off something along the lines of, “My photo-receptors selected these white organic growths for you!”
The little gray engine that could
Trains are complicated machines, especially steam-powered locomotives, which are a blend of smooth metal curves and a myriad of moving parts. Capturing this magical combination of sleek and mechanical details at a small scale can come down to a single part choice, and Niklas Rosén has really done it with his micro-model built around this Technic spring-loaded shooter. The curved lines along the side are reminiscent of riveted sections on the boiler. Meanwhile, the creation is finished off with a pair of driving wheels represented by hubcaps from the Speed Champions theme, and the smaller wheels are represented by printed 1×1 round tiles.
A binge-worthy adventure in the clouds
You can binge-watch your favorite shows on Nexflix, or any other streaming service, all while skipping the intro. Because…who needs that nonsense, right? Or you can tune in to Markus Ronge’s flickr page for his faux “Netbrix” series entitled “Full Steam,” which revolves around a pleasure cruise turned catastrophic. The Royal Brixton Fire Brigade has rescued most of the passengers, including the Queen herself, but two remain unaccounted for. Will they be rescued in time? Airships and adventure abounds in this imaginative LEGO-built drama!
No matter which panel you click on, you are treated with intricate settings and stunning photography. My favorite is this one featuring the Queen losing her otherwise dignified composure at the sight of Van de Maersk. The microscale model ship on the desk to the right is also a nice touch.
I am caught up all the way through Season 1, Episode 10. I suggest you do the same so that we can talk about it around the water cooler at work. We have featured other models from the series, including Maersk Pier and the ill-fated Skytanic.
LEGO 80103 Dragon Boat Race officially revealed with 15 minifigures, available May 1st [News]
Adding to the flood of new LEGO sets announced for this upcoming this summer, LEGO has officially revealed the highly anticipated 80103 Dragon Boat Race. The set will be the third Asian-themed exclusive set launched this year following the two Lunar New Year sets, 80101 Chinese New Year’s Eve Dinner and 80102 Dragon Dance. The Dragon Boat Race set features two racing dragon boats, 15 minifigures and a viewing dock. The set will retail for SGD84.90 (around $65 USD) beginning May 1st.
While the previous two exclusive sets were very difficult to obtain in other parts of the world, LEGO announced earlier this week that regional exclusive sets like this one would have broader availability in LEGO retail stores worldwide and the LEGO Shop Online a few months after they launch. According to that information, 80103 Dragon Boat Race should have worldwide availability in several months, though we will post updates as we learn more.
Click to get a closer look at the exclusive Dragon Boat race set
More LEGO Friends Summer 2019 sets revealed featuring an ocean of new cute animals, a lighthouse and more [News]
We revealed the first half of the upcoming LEGO Friends Summer 2019 wave yesterday, and today we have four more upcoming Friends sets showcasing an ocean theme packed with new animals like seahorses, baby turtles, fish and even a narwhal. Standouts sets in the Friends Ocean wave include a lighthouse, lifeboat and and a seabed floor full of life.
The sets were revealed by Dutch retailer MisterBricks. As with some of the other recently revealed sets, we don’t have the exact release date for these, but we are able to provide approximate US prices thanks to the Euro prices listed by the retailer.
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 check out more images of the new Friends ocean-themed sets











