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.

A charming LEGO dwelling fit for a dwarf

This humble Dwarven home by Isaac Snyder may look like a fairly simple construction, but if you take a closer look, there are quite a few techniques worth mentioning that bring this dwelling to life. The black roof uses small slopes in an asymmetrical pattern which is quite unexpected. Also, the corner pillars blend seamlessly with the walls. The inset alcoves for doors and windows have a very strong castle fortification vibe, and speaking of doors, this one is a gem, made from various brown plates stacked simply, and adorned with hinges made from one of my favorite “new” parts, the modified 1×1 round plate with handle.

But there is one more thing… an interior.

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Circle: a brick-built tribute to Finland’s finest

Building a tribute in LEGO to Finland’s finest progressive rock act Circle, Eero Okkonen proves once again that he is the master of the brick-built figure. Each band member has been designed with full articulation in mind, and posed according to their distinctive performance stances.

At TBB we often pick up on standout techniques, but in this case the build is simply littered with too many clever ideas to choose from. Perhaps it’s the way Mika Rättö’s facial expression and distinctive facial hair has been formed from arched mini-figure hands and elaborate horn element?

Or then perhaps it’s the way the amplifiers have been lovingly crafted? Dive in and look for yourself — there is so much to discover.

You can read more about Eero’s love for Circle, and see many more photos on his Cyclopic Bricks Blog.

LEGO Star Wars Betrayal at Cloud City and Winter Village Fire Station now on sale [News]

LEGO VIP members get early access to two sets today, the 75222 Star Wars Betrayal at Cloud City and the 10263 Winter Village Fire Station.

Both sets will be available generally starting October 1, though since technically anyone can sign up for the LEGO VIP program, anyone could get them today as long as they are still in stock.

75222 Betrayal at Cloud City includes 2,812 pieces with 18 minifigs and retails for $349.99 in the US ($399.99 in Canada | £299.99 in the UK). Check out our review of the first set in the Master Builder Series.

10263 Winter Village Fire Station includes 1,166 pieces with 6 minifigs and baby and retails for $99.99 in the US ($129.99 in Canada | £84.99 in the UK). Check out more pictures of this year’s Winter Village set.

LEGO Star Wars 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City – the first Master Builder Series set [Review]

LEGO has been producing large models in the Ultimate Collector Series of LEGO Star Wars sets since 2000, which was only the second year of the LEGO Star Wars theme. But on October 1st, 2018, LEGO will be releasing 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City, the first in a new “Master Builder Series” focused more on playsets based on locations than on large vehicles like the 7,500-piece 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon. This first set in the series includes 2,812 pieces with 18 minifigs and will retail for $349.99 in the US ($399.99 in Canada | £299.99 in the UK), and it’s available early to LEGO VIP Program members today.

LEGO tells The Brothers Brick that the new Master Builder Series branding will be applied to “complex” sets that include “many play features and functions, interior details as well as a range of minifigures.” Let’s dig in and find out if the set lives up to that description.

Read our hands-on review of LEGO Star Wars 75222 Betrayal at Cloud City

Wherever you are, no one can hear you scream if you are a giant fish

They say space is full of stuff of all sorts — Death Stars, teapots orbiting the Sun and even a red roadster. Sheo. explores some of the most distant corners of the outer space to find an interstellar… fish. Yes, he calls his latest LEGO creation a giant space fish, and it’s hard to argue since we have no idea what else can be floating up there! The real highlight of the creation is, of course, a gray sphere right in the middle of the body secured with some crazy amount of red tentacles. Does this creature look intimidating? Absolutely. But can a lonely traveller escape its attraction..?

Awesome LEGO makeover series of Sweden’s Dala horse

A Dalacarlian horse, also known as a Dala horse, is a common trinket in Sweden that’s almost become a national symbol. The history of these tiny carved wood sculptures dates back to the 1600s, and they’re often decorated with a wide variety of colors and patterns. Builder Mark Anderson built a cute little version out of LEGO, with a body only six studs long.

The original horse features traditional decorations with a bold main color and careful ornamentation.

However, after building a few Dala horses featuring the traditional markings, Mark decided to mix things up and expand the decorations to more contemporary themes, which is where they get really fun. Here’s Mark’s Batman Dala horse.

Click to see more Dala horses in other costumes!

LEGO and Bricklink will sell fan-designed sets through new AFOL Designer Program [News]

Today LEGO launched a new initiative in cooperation with Bricklink called the AFOL Designer Program where fans can submit custom designs which will be then be produced and sold by Bricklink. (The term AFOL is an acronym that stands for “Adult Fan of LEGO.”) The creations will be judged by current LEGO designers, “crowdfunded” through pre-sales, then released as limited edition 60th Anniversary sets.

The one-time program will accept submissions through November 18, and the designs must be created in Bricklink’s new Studio 2.0 software. Up to 20 finalists will be selected for judging. The eventual release of the fan-designed sets is slated for April 2019, with 10 percent of the sales going to the designer.

Do you live to eat, or eat to live?

In modern times, “eating good food” has become a hobby of sorts around the world. There are hotspots for foodies to relish in simple and local food sold on the streets or pushcarts, just like this huge LEGO scene from Malaysia depicting such a location, where food lovers hang out and where a few dollars can go a long long way.

This build is a collaborative effort by members of SynergyLUG Malaysia, led by Bruce Lee, along with a large team which includes Junious Tan, Chua Chee Yan, Marco Gan, Tommy Tong, Michael Choy, Zi Quan, Foo Wen Yao, Leroy Pang, Vincent Kiew, Cheng Heng Ching, Wong Chee Keong, Zac Wong, Daphne Gan, Jack Tan and Terry Lai.

Click to see more of the Avenue 4 Street scene

A collection of fantastic LEGO South American feathered fauna

As a zoology nerd, my favorite things to write about are, of course, animals. When I saw these lovely LEGO birds by Luis Peña, I just couldn’t resist! The creative build features iconic species, including the Hyacinth Macaw, Scarlet Macaw, Andean Condor, Black-Necked Swans, Ringed Kingfisher, and Magellanic Woodpecker.

I adore Kingfishers, but I’d have to say that my favorite bird in the series is the Woodpecker. There is some clever parts usage here, giving it character. I love that mohawk headpiece, and the worm that is formerly an “Insectoid” (13757) from 70709 Galactic Titan.

Luis is a talented builder who we’ve featured before. If you like these animals, check out his recent Paleozoic sea creatures!

The dark art of LEGO building

I completely understand YOS Bricks‘ fascination with the black brick, having been featured myself on TBB before for this reason. You can see the appeal in his build of a Thestral from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which uses the black elements to capture the creature’s eerie silhouette.

Again, in a more complex form such as this giant horned dung beetle, the dark colour allows individual bricks to read together as single forms — the insect’s antenna and wings being particularly good at showing this.

Black also works marvellously against brighter colours. The turquoise eyes of the Mooncalf from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, glow magically in YOS Bricks’ final example.

“How can you build this? There’s no pictures!”

“Well, some people use their imagination.” Mike Nieves has used his imagination to create a wonderfully whimsical representation of Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Mike’s character build may not have a defined face, but the pose and setting is iconically Belle. Thanks to her outstretched hand and head tucked in a book, I can almost hear her singing.

Thanks to an extensive use of curved and angled slope elements, Mike has done a great job of capturing the look of Belle. As we can see in this shot, sloped elements are also used to convey a sense of motion with the flow of Belle’s dress. There is some incredibly nice detailing here, including the clever ribbons for the hair and dress.

If you like Mike’s model of Belle, you won’t want to miss his other LEGO Disney character builds.

TEEN TITANS (LE)GO!

Although I’m up to date with all the movies in DC’s cinematic “Extended Universe” it’s not the part of their media empire I’m most familiar with. Instead, I get to blame my kids for every episode of Cartoon Network’s “Teen Titans GO!” that I’ve had to suffer through (and then eventually succumb to). It is unapologetic in its juvenile humor and will break down your will to resist and then begins to hammer home with clever gags, running jokes, and surprise DC comic character cameos.

Which brings me to this humongous LEGO scene from builder Living Rave in Canada. The cacophony of the show is perfectly encapsulated in this diorama that features the iconic Titans Tower just offshore from Jump City, which is appropriately under attack from every direction.

The elaborate build is enhanced with the addition of official characters thanks to the waves of minifigures released with LEGO Dimensions and the LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigures series. I also love the giant brick-built TTG logo in the background. There’s even a brick-built version of their strongest enemy, the demonic Trigon, who also happens to be heroine Raven’s father.