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.

LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary sets and minifigures revealed [News]

A long time ago… twenty years to be exact, The LEGO Group teamed up with Lucasfilm Ltd. to begin production of sets based on the Star Wars universe. It was the first time LEGO had ever created products based on someone else’s story and characters, translating those fantastic tales into the LEGO world. That partnership has since spawned more than 500 sets, a hit video game franchise, television shows, and countless minifigures that have inspired multiple generations. LEGO Star Wars not only helped save the company from the brink of bankruptcy, but has become one of the top-selling global themes every year since.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of LEGO Star Wars, the company is launching five special sets featuring iconic ships with exclusive throwback minifigures in tribute of the storied history of the franchise. The sets will be available later this year (likely in April), and we will bring you exact release information when it becomes available.

Click to take a closer look at the LEGO Star Wars 20th Anniversary sets

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LEGO DUPLO celebrates 50th birthday with a look into the past [News]

50 years ago in 1969, LEGO unveiled DUPLO, its larger-sized bricks made for younger children which were twice the length, height and width of traditional LEGO elements but still compatible within the larger LEGO system. To this day, DUPLO has provided an early entry point to younger builders as well as creative detail (and filler brick) for older builders too.

What follows is a treasure trove of history sent to us by LEGO to celebrate DUPLO’s 50th birthday, including a press release and massive gallery of international patents, early DUPLO products, a look behind the scenes of DUPLO’s production and more. So sit back and enjoy the journey through the last 50 years of DUPLO, starting with this new video showing DUPLO’s rigorous quality testing, then read on.

https://youtu.be/9etW56WtQdY

Click to read about the past, present and future of LEGO DUPLO

Temple’s crowning glory

What is serenity? One definition — perfection of form, coupled with a strong and simple colour scheme. That’s exactly what we’ve got in this temple building by jaapxaap. The standout feature is the purple and gold roof, adorned with beautifully shaped corners and nicely offset tiling. Don’t miss how the shaping flows perfectly around the golden decorative elements, almost as if they were designed to fit the spaces, rather than the other way around. The stark grey structure is striking and forms a robust backdrop to the ornate roofing. There’s nice landscaping and foliage, along with some minifigures, placed around the model, but the colour choices are perfect — complementing, never distracting, from the model’s central subject.

Series 62 Cadillac: building an American classic

When you think of the classic American car there’s a good chance you’ll be dreaming about the Series 62 Cadillac. This large scale LEGO version built by Robson M is a brick-perfect rendition of an automobile icon. As in real life it’s all about the lines, which have been perfectly formed here, with special attention being given to the emblematic fins.

Incorporating full interior, opening doors and trunk, the model is a love letter to vintage Americana, and one of the finest LEGO Cadillacs I’ve seen.

The only good cat is a stir-fried cat

ALF, short for Alien Life Form, was a sitcom that ran in the ‘80s for almost 100 episodes. ALF comes from the planet Melmac, and throughout the series, he longs for the taste of savoring the family cat as a meal, since cats are the equivalents of our cattle in his home planet. The instantly recognizable ALF is covered with brown fur and has a rippled snout, which means being built with LEGO bricks is not an easy feat to pull off, but it’s executed nicely by Marcel V for this scene. The core and atmosphere from the series are captured quite nicely with the familiar pastel-themed walls and TV stage prop windows with horizontal shutters in the foreground and part of a refrigerator at the back.

LEGO 40186 Year of the Pig gift with purchase available now [News]

LEGO is giving away a free 40186 Year of the Pig set with eligible purchases over 88 USD, 80 GBP, or 88 CAD. The set celebrates the 2019 Lunar New Year, and comes with a rotating head, movable ears, arms, and legs. Also enclosed is a red money envelope with traditional gold color prints.

The offer is only available through February 7th or while stocks last. Links for the various regional stores are as follows: LEGO US Shop Online | LEGO UK Shop Online |LEGO Canada Shop Online

Happy 61st International LEGO Day from The Brothers Brick! [News]

Sixty-one years ago today on January 28, 1958 Godtfred Kirk Christiansen submitted a patent application for a toy building brick which was approved six months later. Little did Godtfred know that his “highly sophisticated inter-locking brick system” would lead to LEGO becoming one of the largest toy companies on the globe.

So let’s celebrate our love of LEGO today however we can, by building a new set or seeing what LEGO was doing the decade we were born. Sort some parts, create something new and amazing, or re-build that one set you loved as a kid. Play well, everyone.

Want to know more about the history of LEGO and the fan community? Check out our LEGO History timeline!

Behold the purposeful lines of the pugnacious Prowler

For decades, the Long Island-based Grumman Corporation was the US Navy’s primary aircraft supplier. They built a range of now-famous aircraft, including the Wildcat, Avenger, Hellcat, Cougar and, of course, the Tomcat. Starting in the early seventies, they also built the EA-6B Prowler; a four-seat electronic warfare aircraft for jamming enemy air defenses. I’ve had a model of one of these since 2007. In recent days I rebuilt it using new parts and techniques. Thanks to curved slopes and a lot more sideways building, I’ve been able to improve the shape.

Prowlers entered US Navy service in 1971 and, after a career of more than 40 years, the US Marines have only just retired their last examples. Their longevity is a testament to the quality of the design. Because its products were famously well engineered, Grumman was also known as the “Iron Works”. Their aircraft, however, aren’t exactly famous for their elegant looks. Even the Tomcat, arguably one of the prettiest fighters ever to grace an aircraft carrier’s deck and certainly one of the company’s prettier products, looks quite ungainly from some angles. Also known as the “flying drumstick”, the Prowler is no exception. It has a fairly large front end, which houses two separate cockpits, each with side-by-side seating for two crewmen. The large “football” on top of the vertical fin contains jamming equipment, as do wing-mounted pods. The wings fold up for use aboard aircraft carriers. For air-to-air refuelling, it has an oddly-cranked probe just in front of the windscreen. It all makes sense, but it’s not pretty. I think “purposeful” is more appropriate.

The greatest brick hits from the ’80s

There was nothing quite like living in the 1980s. Back then, having a single cassette tape on-hand meant being forced to listen to a full album of music and nothing else. It was just one of many technological shortcomings we had to deal with. These two nostalgic builds by Ralf Langer certainly bring back some of those memories. At first glance, the headphones look so realistic. Ralf used LEGO rubber tires to form the ear cushions, and I’m still puzzled by how he incorporated them into the build.

The compact cassette tape is also shaped perfectly, right down to the placement of the capstan and pinch roller openings. My favorite parts are the chain links used for the magnetic tape supply reels. While writing this article, I was inspired to play music from the ’80s over my 21st Century Bluetooth headset; talk about instant gratification!

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 27, 2019 [News]

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 fourth week of January 2019.

Is it possible to make a LEGO set actually fly? Read on to find out more.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: The LEGO Movie 2 rules the week with a new blue set, minifigure reviews, and more. Only two more weeks until it hits theaters!

Review of The LEGO Movie 2 70840 Welcome To Apocalypseburg – The biggest set from The LEGO Movie 2 has over 3,000 pieces and is a dystopian future we enjoyed building.
Review of 71023 The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures – The LEGO Movie 2’s Collectible Minifigures are here, and we’re opening all 20 for an in-depth review.
Review of The LEGO Movie 2 – No spoilers here, but what did we think of the highly anticipated sequel, new characters and sets?
70839 The Rexcelsior revealed as 21st set from The LEGO Movie 2 – The set has 1,826 pieces, micro-raptors, rapid-fire missiles and “Stubble Trouble Emmet” for $149.99.
Last eight finalists of LEGO and BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program revealed – Crowdfunding begins February 1st, so which projects will you support?

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:

Everyone’s childhood dream, flying their LEGO, YouTube – FliteTest pushes the boundaries of the LEGO 60193 City Arctic Air Transport set, but does it get airborne?
Full-scale LEGO Renault F1 car to be auctioned for charity, Motorsport Week – A full-scale Renault Formula 1 constructed from LEGO bricks will be auctioned in Paris next month with all proceeds going to charity UNICEF.
Ed Sheeran surprises Laxfield school Lego club with donation, BBC – A surprise gift from the singer means kids will be able to build their own LEGO House, inspired by the star’s hit.
A Look Inside Lego: How They Utilize Storytelling and The Power Of Play, Customer Think – Listen to this hour-long interview with LEGO Chief People Officer Loren Shuster about building the right culture and leadership st the company to reach more kids around the world.

The LEGO Movie 2 is a fun, familiar celebration of play [Spoiler-free Review]

As the fourth entry in the LEGO cinematic universe, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part has the tricky task of following the established formula for LEGO movies while also trying to stand apart as a unique experience. It passes the first test with flying colors. The movie is full of the requisite witty gags, clever animation, unexpected cameos, heartwarming lessons about family, and those awe-inspiring builds that translate into wallet-draining products. However, the film strains under the weight of expectations and an abundance of characters that doesn’t quite reach the heights of The LEGO Movie.

If you’ve enjoyed previous installments in this franchise, I definitely recommend seeing this movie without reading any further. The less you know, the more delightful and unexpected this movie will be. But if you want to know more, then read on, my friend.

Click to continue reading our review of The LEGO Movie 2

The LEGO Movie 2 Collectible Minifigures 71023 [Review]

With LEGO having just announced its 21st set for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, it’s safe to say they’re betting big on the film franchise. And just like the first movie in the series, that means there’s also a tie-in wave of the infinitely popular Minifigures theme (commonly called Collectible Minifigures, or CMFs). 71023 LEGO Minifigures – The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part will be officially available beginning Feb. 1, though they’re already beginning to pop up in retail stores. They’ll be priced at US $3.99 | CAN $4.99. Remember to check out our Feel Guide if you’re on the hunt for these figures.

This series features the main movie crew of Emmet, Lucy, Benny, and Unikitty, along with newcomers like Rex and a newly happy President Business. There’s also a contingent of characters from Apocalypseburg and The Wizard of Oz, plus Lucy’s all-girl band is ready to rock with all four members in the series. Finally, a sprinkling of the ever-popular costume characters is present with a giraffe and crayon. Let’s take a look at these figures one by one.

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