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.

For the next trick I need some bricks and tiles...Abracadabrick!

Building with LEGO is very much like performing a magic show; each time you need a particular slope or a suitable minifigure torso, they just disappear! Although, this beautiful vignette by captainsmog doesn’t include more sophisticated or rare LEGO pieces, it remains very eye-catching and funny. Thanks to captainsmog’s smart use of space, tall curtains help to significantly extend the scene’s vertical field of view. This in turn places the action in the center. We don’t know if the trick went well, but let’s hope there’s a spare pair of legs in the builder’s collection…

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70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg from The LEGO Movie 2 is now available [News]

The huge 70840 Welcome to Apocalypseburg! set from The LEGO Movie 2 is available today for LEGO VIPs (membership is free for anyone who signs up). Clocking in at 3,178 pieces and twelve minifigures, the hero set is the largest of the 20 LEGO sets based on the upcoming sequel. Welcome to Apocalypseburg! retails for US $299.99, CA $399.99, and UK £279.99.

(Note on timing: VIP early access sets in the US are typically available from the LEGO Shop online starting at 8am ET time, though there has been some variability in the past.)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

That famous opening line from Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities is as good an introduction as any to Paddy Bricksplitter’s microscale diorama of the same name. The juxtaposition of the glistening white utopian towers and the smoke belching grime of the dystopian factory below creates some wonderful drama. There are nods, as he acknowledges, to the cyberpunk anime Battle of Alita as well as science fiction classics such as Things to Come and Metropolis. In the end, its Paddy’s own style that steals the show, relying on clever repeats of simple LEGO elements and atmospheric lighting to show the contradicting sides of his future city.

A castle fit for the greek gods and goddesses

This shiny microbuild by Isaac Snyder is anything but small when it comes to character. There’s a picturesque punch packed into a small space, along with a mythical quality. The way the buildings are perfectly nestled in the rocks makes it seem like these LEGO bricks were always destined to be part of the build. With the ice cream clouds, it seems fit for a snow globe souvenir from Mt. Olympus.

If you think this is cool, check out another picturesque LEGO castle of Isaac’s. Or perhaps you’ll enjoy Elrond’s House from the Lord of the Rings series.

Explore an astronomer’s tower that’s out of this world!

Sergeant Chipmunk is back with another one of his beautifully textured, fantastically displayed LEGO scenes. Some past creations from Sergeant Chipmunk featured here on the Brothers Brick include Hailstone Point, Securing the Seas and my personal favorite is the western-themed From Sunrise to Sunset!

I have some puzzling thoughts about this picturesque little scene. The titular astronomer has clearly landed already. The boat is tied up, but not unpacked. There are even freshly caught fish and a roaring fire with a pot of fruit boiling away. The telescope is propped up and ready to go. But where’s the astronomer? All of Chipmunk’s other models star minifigures in key roles. Not this time. The easiest answer might be that the astronomer is inside the tower. Or are they underwater spearfishing for more to eat? Did they become the parrot atop the roof? Have they fallen off the bridge with no one to save them? Maybe the intrepid astronomer spotted aliens through the telescope and they arrived to whisk him/her away! Share your theory in the comments!

In a few hours it’s gonna burst through your ribcage, and you’re gonna die. Any questions?

As a prize for the Space Jam contest he’s currently hosting on Flickr, Micah Beideman has built an excellent chestburster from the various Alien movies. While the Arvo Bros’ chestburster remains one of the best large-scale versions, this one might be my new favorite tiny version. Micah has used a minimum of parts with wise parts selection to capture the slithering organic shape of the nasty creature. The tan Technic gear for the creature’s teeth is particularly well-placed.

In space, no one can hear you drill.

If intergalactic asteroid mining sounds like an interesting prospect, Scott Wilhelm’s LEGO microscale New Bedlam Mining Hub delivers the goods. According to the builder, the mining colony of New Bedlam earned its name for the lawlessness and chaotic growth that comes with rapid development. Scott’s city fits the part, with foreboding dark towers covering the asteroid’s surface. Thanks to an extensive use of black and trans-neon colored elements, the colony also has all the grittiness of a red-light district in the stars.

To the moon, with steam!

I’m not quite sure how the mechanics of a steam-based industry work on the moon, or how exactly a lighter-than-air vehicle like a zeppelin would float above an airless surface, but Dwalin Forkbeard certainly makes such a fantastical idea believable with this steampunk city on the moon.

See more details of this steampunk city on the moon

Wait Wait...Don’t tell me!

Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! is a weekly radio game show series on NPR. Questions typically revolve around the news with a lighthearted take. When Dave Kaleta attended a taping of the show, he brought with him LEGO versions of the host, announcer, and celebrity panelists. After the show, he presented a model to each of them. Dave has done a great job capturing the spirit of the series, with Peter Segal’s head tilted toward the panelists as if he’s asking a question. At the same time, Roxanne appears to be doing a happy dance after giving the right answer, while Paula seems to lament hers was wrong. Dave’s figures are well-built, with cute headsets made of 14 mm tires and string with end studs. The panelists even have their complimentary water bottles. Well played!

A fairwell from Mr. Narwhal

Christmas may be over, but Buddy the elf is the kind of guy you want to hang out with all year round! This BrickHeadz rendering by Kendall Brown (headzsets) isn’t quite possible in real life with available part colors, but it sure is cute! Buddy’s pal, Mr. Narwhal, comes to the surface at the beginning of the movie to wish him luck in finding his real father. He’s a pretty adorable character, and looks fabulous in LEGO form.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 13, 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 second week of January 2019.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: 2019 is off to a great start with new LEGO Star Wars sets and the finale our our helicopter building series.

Review of LEGO Star Wars 75229 Death Star Escape – The Death Star Escape is an iconic scene from Star Wars: A New Hope. Does this LEGO playset meet the mark? Get your grappling hooks ready and swing right in to find out.
Review of LEGO Star Wars 75235 X-Wing Starfighter Trench Run – We take a look at the debut of the X-Wing from the new 4+ range of series catering to a younger audience. Does it need to be in your complete Star Wars collection?
FEATURE: How to build a Pave Low helicopter with LEGO: Part 3 – In the final installment of his three-part series, TBB’s Builder in Residence Ralph unveils his completed LEGO Pave Low helicopter. We can finally “get to the choppa!”

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:

Giant LEGO Ninjago City created by 30 people, YouTube – Beyond the Brick’s Joshua Hanlon talks with Daniel Fortine about the LEGO Ninjago City collaboration organized by The Brothers Brick at BrickCon 2018.
Meet the biggest LEGO experts and super-builders in the world, SyFy – TBB’s Editor in Chief Andrew Becraft tells us about his LEGO journey in this SyFy podcast, from being a kid playing on his bedroom floor to author and master builder and LEGO fan community member.
Madame Tussauds-owner Merlin to build Legoland Park in South Korea – CNA Lifestyle –Madame Tussauds-owner Merlin Entertainments has entered into a partnership agreement to build a Legoland theme park in South Korea by 2022.
Meet the world’s fastest LEGO Bughatti Chiron, YouTube – Donut Media souped up the LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron to go faster than the real thing (accounting for scale).

Crack it open and see that beauty lies within

I grew up in central Oregon, USA, the “thunderegg” capitol of the world. As a kid, an ultimate prize in treasure hunting was finding baseball-sized rocks that reveal beautiful crystals when broken in half. Unfortunately, giant Amethyst geodes aren’t found in Oregon. They’re not found in the Netherlands either, but that didn’t stop Koen Zwanenburg from building this exquisite replica from LEGO.

Standing almost two feet tall and containing over 7300 perfectly placed pieces, this must have been a real feat! That’s especially considering trans-purple parts are hard to come by. The unique building technique combined with those lovely curves makes for a work of art!