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.

Solo: A Star Wars Story – LEGO sets vs. the movie [Spoiler Review]

Solo: A Star Wars Story opens in theaters today, but if you’re like many of us here at The Brothers Brick, you already saw it yesterday evening at an opening night event. With the movie now in theaters, we’re taking a look back at our reviews of the LEGO Star Wars sets that accompany the movie, comparing them with the real characters and vehicles.

Obviously, the nature of this follow-up analysis is that it will be full of spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, by all means go out and do that — it’s not a perfect movie, but it’s certainly a fun adventure in the broader Star Wars universe — before coming back and reading this.

Read our in-depth analysis of the LEGO Star Wars sets from the Han Solo movie

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HispaBricks 10th Anniversary Set [Review]

As we mentioned in our recent interview with the HispaBrick staff, our friends over at HispaBrick are celebrating their 10-year anniversary. One of the ways this free digital magazine for LEGO fans are celebrating is with the release of a limited edition custom set. Although HispaBrick is online only, the set itself channels a more historical form of magazine and newspaper distribution — the kiosk.

Click to read the full review

The violinist villain

I don’t know exactly why, but a villain playing a violin just seems so much more intimidating! Whatever the reason, Leonid An seems to agree, giving a violin to a Bionicle bad guy that is classic in all meanings of the word. Although the builder photographed a number of poses for this villain, named Teridax, this particular photo is what makes it so unique.

The model relies heavily on constraction armor elements, but what they hide is a more complicated skeleton than one would expect, supporting the tuxedo and smaller bits that hide the gaps. The inverted tyres add a nice sense of flow to the figure, and there are just enough little details to break up the black monochromy, most notably the keys on Teridax’s belt and a ring on his finger. The infected Hau mask in the fireplace is an integral part of the photo, giving the Makuta an environment without the need of building a larger scene for it.

This space drone will take your life, not your pictures

Drones are becoming an everyday occurence in our society, as touched upon earlier either to take pictures, or in more tragic examples lives. Considering the progress of drone technology, it is somewhat strange that we still mostly see manned space fighters in science fiction, both LEGO and otherwise. This much needed variation is provided by Marcin Grabowski with his Paladin class Space Drone.

My eyes have been trained to see a microscale capital ship in this, but the weapons add a sense of scale that does not correspond with that initial impression. The spacecraft really does have a very drone-like appearance with a smooth front without a cockpit. Marcin achieved this shape by using a large inverted ship hull piece. The element is blue with a dark gray lining which dictates the colours the builder had to use, although he managed to masterfully combine different grays, black and even a touch of yellow in a situation where most builders would try to exclude one of these additional colours.

Click to see and read some more about the Paladin class Space Drone!

Swoosh it – swoosh it real good

“Swooshable” is one of the finest compliments that can be paid to a LEGO aircraft or spacecraft model. Does it make you want to lift it up and swoosh it around the room whilst making engine noises? This cracking air racer from Red Spacecat could serve as some sort of dictionary definition of the term. The smooth lines, the rear-mounted contra-rotating prop, the colour blocking and stickers — all magic.

Couple all that with a folding undercarriage and a touch of Octan sponsorship, and you’ve got an absolute belter of a little LEGO plane…

Take a spin in this rad, red Chevy

Back in 1957, LEGO was making various plastic and wooden toys, some of which were licensed by Chevrolet. Among LEGO’s Chevy products were an array of 1:43 scale plastic trucks, but the holy grail of this partnership would probably be the 1956 model year Bel Air convertible. Considering the toy was advertised in 1957, it is curious as to why LEGO did not represent the 1957 model year vehicle. It’s a shame because the 1957 Bel Air has become one of the most popular and iconic collector cars of the 1950s, which is probably one of the reasons why Robson M decided to make this sporty red convertible.

See more of this lovely LEGO Chevy Bel Air

A beautiful killer

The Orca is the largest of the dolphin family, one of the planet’s top predators, and a majestic sight. Ken Ito has put together an excellent LEGO model of one of these amazing creatures breaching the surface. The model is nicely shaped, particularly those fins, and I like the restrained use of a custom sticker for the white facial marking. The upsurge of water around the orca’s flanks is well done, as is the spattering of white and trans-clear pieces — it creates a sense of movement, and of the rest of the creature’s bulk just beneath the surface. I’d love to have this oceanic treat on my desk at work.

Celebrating 10 years of HispaBrick Magazine [Feature]

HispaBrick is a free digital magazine for LEGO fans that is published in both Spanish and English. There are three full editions of HispaBrick released each year, packed with technical articles, interviews, and features on almost every aspect of LEGO. The very first edition of HispaBrick was released back in 2008, making 2018 the 10th anniversary of the magazine, and there are a few surprises planned to mark the occasion.

Within the 10th anniversary edition, there’s an interview with Carlos Méndez, the LEGO fan who proposed the idea of HispaBrick Magazine ten years ago. You will also find a timeline spanning magazine’s ten years, along with interviews with the current staff members. Other features include Andrea Valcanover showing how to build a beautiful tree, Pau Padrós explaining the secrets behind Modular buildings, an interview with the LEGO Technic team and a report of the latest LEGO event in Bilbao.

Click here to see more from the 10th Anniversary Issue and an Exclusive Interview

Disaster at the Daily Bugle

This diorama of Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus or “Doc Ock” in battle by Thorsten Bonsch is quite stunning. The scene takes place smack in the middle of the famous fictional lobby of the Daily Bugle. What stands out is the amazing detail around the circular lobby, which in itself is quite impressive in a block-based world.

See more of this Amazing LEGO Spider-Man diorama

Aggretsuko: Twenty five, single, Scorpio, blood type A

Say hello to Aggretsuko (アグレッシブ烈子), the latest character from the creators of Hello Kitty. By day, this red panda is a gentle and kind accountant, doing the best she can in a job she loathes. But by night, she blows off steam by shedding the cutesy look for that of a raging death-metal karaoke enthusiast!

Originally aired as a series of shorts on Japanese television, the adventures of Retsuko have finally arrived on Western shores in the form of a Netflix original series. Taking inspiration from this unexpectedly kawaii take on the modern condition, I decided to try and capture Retsuko’s struggle using LEGO bricks:

Click here to see LEGO Retsuko with all her accompanying accessories

LEGO Ninjago 70653 Firstbourne [Review]

Over the seven years that LEGO has been releasing sets from their very popular Ninjago theme, there have been a lot of dragons across a wide variety of sizes. The quality of design and play features has improved over the years, and I thought the recent 70612 Green Ninja Mech Dragon from The LEGO Ninjago Movie was about the coolest dragon so far. Until now. In our recent announcement of the summer wave of LEGO Ninjago sets there were two new dragons, and I got my hands on an early copy of 70653 Firstbourne, which is now my new favorite Ninjago dragon. The set includes 882 pieces and 6 minifigures, and it will be available in August for $69.99 USD, along with the rest of the new Ninjago wave and the Ninjago City Docks.

Click to read the full review

Seems like it’s a long way from home

Artist AdNorrel creates with his brick-strokes a unique composition of a surreal scene with a character making her way through the mountains. The texture of the bricks both below and above the ledge gives off a scary feeling of great heights to the path of this mysterious traveller. The placement of the distant mountains is a nice play with perspectives giving it a larger than life look. If this was my path home from work every day, I’m pretty much sure I wouldn’t get tired of this picturesque journey.