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.

Zamor spheres, Clikits, and candlesticks, oh my!

Sometimes a handfull of the right LEGO elements can make you look at your collection in a whole new light. This “Midnight Mushrooms” vignette from Eli Willsea is just such a build, invoking a whole matgical world on a base just 8 studs in diameter.  The bulbous tree tops are made from Zamor Spheres, bygone Bioncle ammo, while the mushroom caps come from the Clikits jewelry line from the early 2000s. At ground level, the smiling salamander is a Friends recolor of Elsa’s magical pet and provides the perfect contrast to the cool blues. It’s a fantastic mix of unusual parts.

Midnight Mushrooms

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Next LEGO Art set revealed: 31214 LOVE [News]

LEGO has announced the latest iconic work of art to become an official set: LEGO Art 31214 LOVE, based on the sculpture from artist Robert Indiana. LOVE joins other classic works in LEGO like the LEGO Ideas 21333 Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and 31213 Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. Keeping with the love theme, the set is designed as a collaborative experience  for two adults to build together. You can buy LOVE starting January 1st or pre-order now for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £69.99.

Check out the full details to see if LOVE is all you need!

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Epic LEGO Moonshade Cathedral is a midnight masterpiece

Over the past three years, Jakob Kaiser and his LEGO building community, The Workshop, have an annual castle collaboration themed on Gothic builds and time of day. First Gothic: Mistlands focused on dawn. Gothic II: Twilight explored dusk. Now, comes the grand finale: Gothic III: Noctural, with Jakob’s showstopper contribution: Moonshade Cathedral. The massive diorama is a masterclass in medieval brickwork, landscaping, and presentation and the builder’s most impressive work to date. Let’s take a closer look!

Gothic: Nocturnal - Moonshade Cathedral

Click to see more of Jakob’s impressive cathedral!

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LEGO kicks off their Build to Give initiative for the 2024 holiday season [News]

First started in 2017, the Build to Give initiative is a yearly event put on by LEGO to help get our favorite building sets into the hands of the children who need them. This is done each year with the help of LEGO fans across the globe who use social media or shop in physical LEGO stores. Repeating the same goal as was used in 2023, every LEGO heart made in-store or shared on social media (or on the LEGO Play app) with the hashtag #BuildtoGive sends a LEGO set to children in need of play all around the world.

The donation process is done through a network of charities partnering with the LEGO Group this holiday season, which has resulted in helping more than 9.1 million kids over the last 7 years, and can help up to another 1.5 million in 2024. Here at TBB, we’ve got some ideas pumping with an appropriately-themed heart of our own. What kind of heart will you make for #BuildtoGive?

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Once upon a dream I walked through a castle like this

While LEGO has released several versions of the iconic Disney Castle in various scales, but those all focus on Cinderella’s Castle from Disney World. There are five other Disney castles around the globe, each charming in its own way. Some argue that Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (or rather, Le Château de la Belle au Bois dormant) at Disneyland Paris takes the crown, and it’s easy to see why in this Microscale version from Jean Paul Bricks. Inspired by the Architecture line and previous builds from Koen Zwanenburg and Dario del Frate, Jean Paul puts his spin on the pink and blue landmark.  Jean Paul employs SNOT techniques (Studs Not On Top) to work white stripes into the pink tower. As in Koen’s version, a Gungan shield doubles as stained glass. Someday I’d love to see this version of the castle at minifig scale.

Disneyland Paris_1

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“It looks like you’re trying to build a LEGO creation...”

Keep your Siri, Alexa, and chatGPT powered agents. There’s only one digital assistant for me, and he lives exclusively in Microsoft products between 1997-2003… and in hour hearts. And now in LEGO thanks to Piotr Gierwatowski! Assembled from just a few dozen bricks, LEGO Clippy is just as adept as his digital inspiration at recognizing when you want to write a letter. Better yet, LEGO Clippy is never afraid to voice wrong-headed guesses about which pieces you might want to include  in your next creation.

Clippy

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A winning woodland hero awaits a champion builder

There’s something irresistible about seeing tiny woodland creatures as brave heroes in the medieval mold, whether in books like Redwall, board games like Root, or comics like Mouse Guard, the latter captured here in LEGO by Markus Rollbühler. The blue jay riding member of the guard keeps to Markus’ unmistakable style of character build, with a strong focus on geometry and color with no eyes or mouth. The balloon panel is a clever solution for a dramatic cape. The acorns and fall leaves create a cozy stand.

Brickscalibur 2024 Trophy: The Guardian

This mouse rider isn’t just a tribute to a beloved comic. It’s also a trophy for the 2024 Brickscalibur competition, which is currently open to build submissions. One lucky builder in the “Tails from the Meadow” category will go home with this one-of-a-kind work from LEGO senior designer Markus. May the best mouse win!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Solarpunk BOTanist spreads saplings and smiles

Between OpenAI and Tesla bots, I’m not feeling so rosy about the automated future promised by Silicon Valley these days. I’d much prefer autonomous machines of the Wild Robot variety, decoupled from capitalism and just out to help. Like this LEGO fella from Maxx Davidson! Inspired by the art of Victoria Orolfo, this BOTanist is programmed to help its precious plant cargo find the perfect place to take root. Maxx’s robot design is a spot-on tribute to his inspiration but it’s the little patch of terrain that hints at a bigger story. Maybe this little bot could help WALL-E with repairing a neglected future Earth.

Solarpunk BOTanist

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Crusading LEGO knights get a horned visitor

While LEGO’s official Castle sets have stuck to European and fantasy inspirations, adult fans have been increasingly inspired by Middle Eastern architecture for medieval builds. This immersive scene from Alberto Ulfhednar has Classic Castle knights playing crusaders in a grand walled city. The arches, weathered brickwork, and clever supports (love the use of roller skates!) are all excellent, but the standout technique is the cracked street. The camera work is beautifully done, with the angle and depth of field putting the viewer in the scene. It could almost be a historical build if it weren’t for one mysterious rider. Is the rider hinting at epic worldbuilding in Alberto’s imagination, or is this the D&D city of Al-Qadim, and the rider is a canonical Tiefling looking for a quest?

MOC arabic medieval, new creation

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Beginner’s Guide to Adventuring – Always bring your harpoon

I let LEGO phenom Bart De Dobbelaer title this passage. I merely copy/pasted it from his Flickr page because sometimes the builder’s own idea is by far better than whatever silliness I had in mind. Building bizarre alien worlds is not bizarre for Bart. It’s kinda his thing. But each time I’m enthralled with the level of imagination and storytelling. To further copy/paste from Bart (Is it good journalism or just laziness? You decide!) “Dear diary, today I went treasure hunting at the old temple ruin. Luckily I brought my harpoon with me as the place was swarming with crustaceans. I guess I’m having shrimp cocktail this evening. Pete.” But Bart-or-um-Pete, I have a question. Are they still called shrimp if they’re the size of a city bus?

Beginner's Guide to Adventuring - Always bring your harpoon

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Bet you can hear this picture in your head

Everyone’s favorite cantina band (and apparent one-hit wonder) Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes gets a jazzy replay in “Cantina Quartet” by Jonah. The DNA of the set that inspired it (21334 Jazz Quartet) is clear, but Jonah makes it something new by paying close attention to the individual instruments (which real fans—or at least those who took time to look stuff up on Wookieepedia—will know to be the bandfill, kloo horn, Dorenian beshniquel, and Ommni box). Despite having basically one good song, the Modal Nodes really know how to wail.

Cantina Quartet

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LEGO Master Michal Horáček’s medieval village is a towering, teetering triumph

Czech builder and LEGO masters winner Michal Horáček is a true artist at erecting big, rickety stonework in LEGO. It must help that he lives in Prague, one of the most architecturally exciting cities in the world. Over the past year, between contributing to a Tim Burton exhibition and collaborative builds with others like poMOCník & dirigent, Michal has been working on a massive medieval city showcasing his unique style. The central building in the tableau — the red town hall and adjoining tower and astronomical clock — is heavily inspired by Prague’s own Old Town Hall.

Ramshackle brickwork and half-timbered buildings have long been in vogue with castle builders, but usually with a Norman or Tudor influence. Michal’s buildings incorporate Gothic flare with elaborate (bordering on chaotic) detailing that captures the flamboyant style that swept through much of Europe during the late Medieval period. Michal draws on a wide range of parts to add texture, with stone facades that rival Star Wars ships for greebly goodness.

While Michal recently debuted his town at a local event, he plans to keep expanding the scene, including adding a church and more houses. We can’t wait to see how his village grows!

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.