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.

Micro Taj Mahal fits in the palm of your hand.

Building a microsocale landmark is a fine art of choosing the right miniature detail that makes your model instantly recognizable. Some landmarks are so iconic that it might seem like this would be too easy. Not so! Finding the perfect detail part can be challenging. In this model of the Taj Mahal by Jay B, several recently introduced parts provide great details, but might not be the first thing that a builder would think of.

This model reminds me of one of the very first models that I posted on Flickr over 5 years ago, using a much more limited supply of parts.

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Your bricks will travel wherever they want in this little tank [Instructions]

While we can all gaze in wonder at a huge LEGO diorama, there’s also a lot of joy that comes from building fun little models with interesting techniques. GolPlaysWithLEGO has built this fun little tank that has 61 parts and a lot of character.

Click to see the parts and instructions

Counting LEGO balls with complexity [Video]

Builder Berthil van Beek takes the easy and makes it complex, simply because he can! What you see here is a LEGO ball counter. Yes, you have that right. It’s a ball counter that actually displays a moving tally as the balls pass through.

Dropping the balls at one end of the contraption allows the LEGO balls to run through a Technic turnstile and end up in the container at the far end.

Continue reading to see the LEGO ball counter in action

LEGO City 60204 Hospital revealed [News]

This year the LEGO City is getting a new hospital building — a gorgeous 60204 Hospital set. A long-rumored set has been finally revealed today. Let’s have a closer look at the new medical center opened for the citizens of the LEGO city.

Click here for more images of the set

LEGO City 60202 People Pack – Outdoor Adventures revealed [News]

People packs are meant to complement City sets to add more life and scenes with characters and activities. The first 60134 Fun in the Park – City People Pack released in 2016 was quite a hit with the introduction of a long-awaited baby minifigure, and last year’s version, Fun at the Beach, featured lots of beach activities. This year’s pack, 60202 People Pack – Outdoor Adventures, features a new set of minifigures doing everyday things with an outdoor adventure theme, such as camping, hiking, and rafting. There are a few new interesting elements to watch out for including a baby carrier and a bald eagle. Consisting of 164 parts, we’re expecting it to cost $39.99 USD, as the previous version did.

Click to see the rest of the fun outdoor themes

Anything with a roof is good in a dank swamp

Medieval houses are a popular motif in LEGO fan creations, but that comes at a price – even though the quality is generally very high among these builds, there is less and less room for originality. Obviously, this build by César Soares is something more.

The Green Fish Inn does not look like a place where most people would want to spend their time in real life if presented with a choice, but it does look cool. The textures and exotic colours look great, most notably the recently returned legendary dark turquoise used as some strange mold all across the building. The roof is great, with a few patched holes and a nice mix of tiles and slopes that make for some subtle details. Both the island and trans-black lake add a great deal to the atmosphere of the scene.

An artistic representation of a building of art

The National Gallery of Art itself is a wonderful piece of architecture all on its own. Builder wrtyler constructed a brick-built replica of the West Building that’s more than worthy of an official LEGO Architecture set and then some. It’s amazing what a little lighting can do to bring life into a simple structure.

The actual West Building has at least 3 acres of skylights covering its roof. According to wrtyler, it was a challenge to replicate that roof with LEGO transparent tiles while having the right structure in place to hold it up. At least 500 transparent cheese wedge pieces were used in total for both wings to give the intended effect.

Click to see more photos of wrtyler’s creation, including how this LEGO museum fits into his larger National Mall project

Interview with Jeff Friesen of Cityscapes, The Brothers Brick’s Creation of the Year 2017 [Feature]

We singled out Jeff Friesen’s Cityscapes as our 2017 Creation of the Year. If you’ve missed it then, these are still very much worth a look, and even if you’ve seen them, they’re so mesmerising that you may find something you missed earlier on. It’s almost soothing and appealing to let your eyes wander around these intricate builds.

We could not resist reaching out to have a deeper discussion with Jeff to understand the mind of an artist that could create something so different and unique with the very same bricks all of us see and build with every day.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, e.g. where are you based, your LEGO history, and your work (LEGO/Photography and real life if it is different)?

I’m an award-winning photographer based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, which is on Vancouver Island. I have vivid memories of playing with LEGO from the age of 3 (that was in the early 1970s). I had a shoebox full of white and red bricks in the classic sizes, mostly 2 x 4s. Those bricks were used to make everything from aeroplanes to cities to double-decker car ferries for Matchbox racers. Recently, I was wondering why the brick selection was only red and white. After doing some research it appears the bricks must have been a hand-me-down set from the 1960s. Back then LEGO used to have basic building sets in just red and white.

The late 1970s brought with it the dual treasures of minifigures and Space LEGO. I essentially lived in a Space LEGO drama for a few years. Blue, trans-yellow, and grey were the primary colours of that era. As a child, the actual LEGO building is just the beginning of the fun, and then you get to play with what you’ve made. As an adult, I’ve replaced the play phase with photography.

It’s amazing how LEGO has been there through every stage of life, and now my daughter’s life.

Click here to continue reading our interview with Jeff Friesen

LEGO Ninjago 70657 NINJAGO City Docks revealed [News]

The success of the last year’s LEGO NinjaGo 70620 NINJAGO City exclusive set has proved that LEGO fans – both young and adult – are ready for huge and elaborate LEGO sets expanding the boundaries of the regular line-ups. Even though The LEGO Ninjago Movie premiered last September, the second direct-to-consumer set is just to be released this Summer. LEGO Ninjago 70657 NINJAGO City Docks has been recently listed in certain online stores, and now we’re having the first look at the next addition to the amazing City of Ninjago. unfortunately, there’s still no information about the pieces count or the price of the set, but we expect it to be around $250/250€.

Click here to see more pictures of the new Ninjago set!

Black Falcon’s back – a classic Castle updated

Amongst all the LEGO Castle sets, 6074-1 Black Falcon’s Fortress is a firm fan favourite. Originally released in 1986, it saw a re-release in 2002. If you missed out on those versions, why not take inspiration from Mark of Falworth and build your own take on this classic fortification? Of course, Mark’s castle is significantly larger and more complex than the official set, featuring lots of sideways-building techniques to create arrow slits and wall texturing.

Click to see more pictures of this fabulous Castle, including its detailed interior

This LEGO Lamborghini Countach is a red-hot Italian classic extravaganza

While I do love me some Speed Champions, I do really enjoy seeing fan creations using techniques that trim off most of the visible studs to give a car a sleek and smooth look. This Lamborghini Countach by Simon Przepiorka is one of those tiny wonders that make my jaw drop. I’ve always been a fan of the Countach and this is one of the best representations that I’ve seen at this scale thus far.

Click to see more details of Simon’s LEGO Countach

LEGO Creator 31084 Pirate Rollercoaster first official pictures [News]

Roller coasters are the craze of the season. While we are holding breath until the release of the new rumoured giant roller coaster Creator exclusive set, pictures of the one of the highlights of the Summer wave of Creator sets are already here. The new 31084 Pirate Rollercoaster is a very nice-looking addition to the Creator Fair sub-theme and it seems to have just the right vibes to be well-received by Pirate fans.

Click here to see alternative builds of the set…