I can think of few builders able to nail ‘cute’ quite like MikeVd; and his latest creation, Platelet from the Japanese manga series Cells at Work, is no exception. The series reimagines human cells as anthropomorphic characters, with platelets – the blood-clotting agents – depicted as helpful children. Using a modified plate to capture an innocent smile, Mike pushes the kawaii aesthetic with a carefully tilted head and flowing hair. The result: an adorable, sparkling-eyed, little LEGO girl!
![[Cells at Work!] Platelet](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.brothers-brick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/43741980521_99d5ddd1a5_z.jpg)
It appears Aaron Newman has developed an affinity for flying elements in his LEGO creations, as they appear in several of his latest builds. Floating and flying parts are nothing new, but few builders take the effort of going the extra step to make them look this good (presumably by digitally editing out the supports–or maybe learning black magic and making parts float for real!).
Aaron has used his editing and presentation magic on more than just the flying draconic skeleton. The purple light emanating from the circle on the ground was achieved with a glass table and a lot of effort, while Aaron says the backlit stained glass windows were just as difficult to get right. We should not ignore the actual LEGO build though. It is all about atmosphere here and every part helps create it. The architecture with the circular design of the hall gives a nice focal point to the scene, and the impression is finished off by the ground texture, passing from a cobblestone floor through a circular section of the tiling into a clean glowing purple area. And if you are, like me, wondering what makes the little purple gaps between the “stones” of the circle, Aaron has revealed the secret: purple quarter-circle roller coaster tracks!
“Get over here!” for a pair of cute but deadly BrickHeadz characters by Julius von Brunk. They are none-other than Scorpion and Sub-Zero from the hit arcade fighting game franchise, Mortal Kombat. The two figures are instantly recognizable, and I especially like how Julius used two different slopes to form the shapes of their masks. I can almost imagine a fatality move involving a brick separator, which begs the question…Do BrickHeadz have green or red blood?
Although LEGO hasn’t yet officially announced or listed these online yet, we picked up two new LEGO BrickHeadz sets, 41624 Mickey Mouse and 41625 Minnie Mouse at our local LEGO Store today. Both sets retail for the usual $9.99 in the US (Canada: 12.99 CAD | UK: £9.99). Mickey includes 109 pieces and Minnie includes 129 pieces.
Read our hands-on review of LEGO Disney BrickHeadz 41624 and 41625 Mickey and Minnie Mouse
When it comes to British antique cars, Sir Henry Birkin’s 1930 4 1/2 litre Bentley is perhaps one of the most iconic. Birkin’s car was known as the Blower, owing its name to that of the supercharged racing engine which was designed with the help of a former Bentley mechanic. The car has been portrayed through countless forms, from scale model kits to Matchbox cars and now, thanks to Bricksonwheels, a beautiful-looking LEGO model. Bricksonwheels has managed to pull off an amazingly accurate representation, with plenty of key details inside and out.
See more of this gorgeous vintage vehicle
August is an enchanting time of year — here in the Northern Hemisphere, people are taking summer vacations and looking forward to the heat waves ending as we head into autumn, while in the Southern Hemisphere winter begins drawing to a close. Far more enchanting than the mere changing of the seasons, this magical scene by César Soares is TBB’s cover photo for August 2018. The diorama depicts a wizard’s workshop, replete with potions, ingredients, and arcane equipment. Spend some time getting lost in the details, but make sure you get out before the wizard returns!
Want to see your own LEGO creation featured across TBB social media for a month? Then read the submission guidelines and send us your photo today. Photos that do not meet the submission guidelines will not be considered, and will be removed from the group.
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Whether you’re a veteran picker or new to the hobby, sussing out a new series of Collectible Minifigures while standing in the aisle at a store is always an experience sure to inspire a passion of some kind. Not everyone has the same level of skill when it comes to using their fingers to “see” the contents of the increasingly common blind packs, and the latest series, 71022 Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Collectible Minifigures has more figures than ever, upping the challenge even more. With 50 percent more characters than most standard series, there are more unique elements and part combos to remember. So we’ve put together a guide to help you know what’s what.
71022 Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts Collectible Minifigures are available now at the LEGO Shop Online for $3.99 each.
Click to check out the Feel Guide
The LEGO Batman App-Controlled Batmobile (76112) made its debut earlier in the year and has been quite anticipated since then. LEGO sets are pretty static in general within the System theme, with exceptions like vehicles running on tracks and rails such as trains and the recent roller coaster, so it’s pretty nice to have a free-form controlled device in the mainstream market that won’t take much time from build to play. The new Batmobile finally hits store shelves today, and we’re taking it for a spin so we can pretend to be the Dark Knight for a day.
Coming in at 321 elements and with a price tag of $99 USD and available on LEGO online stores on August 1st, let’s dive deep and evaluate if it’s worth parting with your hard earned dollar.
Click to read the full review with videos
In our review of 75218 X-wing Starfighter last week, we covered the build process, minifigures, and the finished model, but we wanted to take another look at this new LEGO Star Wars set and show off some of the play features, as well as comparisons to previous incarnations of this iconic Rebel Alliance fighter.
Watch the video and see more details about this new LEGO Star Wars set after the jump
The LEGO Technic fan community has always been as diverse as possible, consisting of kids building simple cars, teens assembling larger sets and adult fans creating incredibly complicated LEGO mechanisms. Designing a product that will be liked by an audience this broad sounds like a dreadful challenge, and one of the possible solutions is releasing a model bigger and heavier than any other set before. This way comes LEGO Technic 42082 Rough Terrain Crane, a gigantic model of 4057 pieces retailing for $299.99. The new crane becomes the largest LEGO Technic set to ever hit store shelves, but this larger scale is not without some potential flaws…
Read our complete review of 42082 Rough Terrain Crane
August is here, and the floodgates of LEGO have opened with 58 new sets available today. Fans of Star Wars, Technic, Ninjago, City & Trains, Friends, Harry Potter and even Unikitty and Powerpuff Girls have a lot to choose from. We have your guide right here of each and every new set.
Along with new sets, LEGO has two simultaneous gifts with purchase, including the brand new “Plants from Plants” box of elements sourced from sugar cane (free with purchases above $35), and the Unikitty Castle Room (free with Unikitty! purchases above $25).
There are a few sets that really stand out to us, but you can see the complete list of all 58 sets now available after the jump.
70657 Ninjago City Docks
3553 pieces | $229.99
We reviewed this set back in May and agree it is an absolutely delightful accompaniment to 70620 Ninjago City or a stunning stand-alone model.
42082 Rough Terrain Crane
4057 pieces | $299.99
The biggest Technic set of all time has arrived and reaches more than three feet high and can lift more than you expect. The set can also be rebuilt into a Mobile Pile Driver. Look for our review of this set in a couple of hours.
75218 X-Wing Starfighter
730 pieces | $79.99
After outings in orange and blue, the most recognizable Rebel fighter in the Star Wars universe becomes available to a new generation of LEGO builders. Check out our review of this must-buy set.
See all of the August 2018 wave of LEGO sets available now
The first in a new series of movies set in J.K. Rowling’s “Wizarding World,” Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released in 2016. Many LEGO fans were disappointed that the movie wasn’t accompanied by more LEGO sets — and reminded us that it had been many years since the last Harry Potter sets. Two LEGO Dimensions sets were in fact released, but many builders and collectors may have chosen to pass them up due to the high price of video game tie-ins in which you’re paying for new downloadable content as much as physical bricks. But with the sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald set for release on November 16 this year, LEGO has resurrected the Harry Potter theme overall, along with several new Fantastic Beasts LEGO sets. Available on August 1st, we’ll be reviewing both of the new Fantastic Beasts sets, starting with 75952 Newt’s Case of Magical Creatures.
Newt’s case includes 694 pieces and four minifigures, and retails for $49.99 ($64.99 in Canada | £44.99 in the UK).