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.

Tianfeng Pagoda stands tall in history

The Tianfeng Pagoda is situated in the centre of Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. With a height of about 167 feet, this hexagonal building is an ancient landmark within the city. It was named after the time period it was built, between Tiancewansui (reign title of Empress Wu Zetian AD 695) and Wansuidengfeng (reign title of Empress Wu Zetian AD 696) in Tang Dynasty. Tianfeng Pagoda’s hexagonal shape has been beautifully captured in LEGO by qian yj and the 7 levels of pagoda are almost as impressive in LEGO.

This LEGO version sits peacefully in a park with trees, gardens and even a small pond. While Tianfeng Pagoda does sit in Tianfeng park, it represents the fusion of history and present day as the actual tower is located next to a shopping mall and bustling streets cross just beyond the park.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Winter Olympics venues built from LEGO bricks

The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in South Korea have already provided their fair share of drama (gale-force wind snowboarding anyone?) and now they’re providing some excellent microscale LEGO models. Jae Won Lee has put together tiny versions of the stadia and event venues. First up, the towering Alpensia ski jump arena…

The curves at the base of the hill might be a little steep for nailing the perfect Telemark landing, but the rest of the creation is spot-on — immediately recognisable from the TV coverage. Beyond the twin hills of Alpensia, the builder has also created an impressive reconstruction of the main arena in Pyeongchang itself. A pentagon isn’t the easiest shape to capture in bricks, but this little model does it well. Nice job on the outer-wall textures too…

There’s a range of models in the series, from the speed skating arena through to the ice hockey stadium. Whilst some of them are quite simple in their execution, they make a lovely set, as seen in the image below, which also provides a nice view of the main stadium interior seating…

Speeder or spider?

I think Halfbeak has misread the contest rules for the annual LEGO Speeder Bike contest and built a spider instead of a speeder! In all seriousness, this is a very original design. The competition is looking tough though, but luckily this police speeder has more than just originality going for it.

A conservative colour scheme that is unmistakably police-like combined with some stickers and a compact, complex design are all great, but Halfbeak did not stop there; the little accompanying drone really adds a lot to the general idea of police control while the colourful base helps the build stand out more. A touch of digital editing at the engines rounds off the picture as quite a treat to look at.

Build your own vintage Bugatti from LEGO [Instructions]

A while back we featured this delightful vintage Bugatti discovered in a dilapidated roadside barn. It looks like its new owners have gotten the old gal up and running. Creator Norton74 has built another scene, this time featuring the Bugatti at a filling station.

In addition, you can now build your very own vintage racecar thanks to instructions from the builder, following the jump.

See step-by-step LEGO Bugatti instructions

Keep Calm and Truck On

Builder Ingmar Spijkhoven builds a mean-looking truck, complete with its trailer and a payload with chains to secure them all. Though it’s not modelled after any given brand or manufacturer but purely from the builder’s imagination, it stands out enough with a very classic “truck look” that reminds me of the infamous transformer Optimus Prime — especially with the colour scheme Ingmar used.

The best part is that it’s actually motorised with Power Functions and remote control features. Details go beyond the surface with a detailed engine block, fully done up interior, and doors that function as expected. At about 3,250 elements and 3 months of toil, I’d say the outcome was worth it!

See more photos of this fantastic LEGO truck

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for February 18, 2018 [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 third week of February 2018, which was marked by one of the biggest global events in the toy industry, the New York Toy Fair 2018.

TBB LEGO SET ANNOUNCEMENTS: LEGO revealed a whole bunch of new sets, from Star Wars to Jurassic World and from the Avengers to Harry Potter. Which are you most excited about?

LEGO Harry Potter returns with Hogwarts Great Hall — LEGO announced an entirely new line of sets based on the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film series, coming August 1st.
LEGO Jurassic World: Fallen Kindom sets — Dinosaurs are making a comeback this year, and we have your first look at every set from the upcoming blockbuster, Duplo included!
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes UCS Hulkbuster — We just can’t wait to review this jaw-dropping Hulkbuster set, available soon on March 3.
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers Infinity War sets — Six new sets to be released this Spring have so many Marvel superheroes that it’s impossible to choose just one set!
LEGO Star Wars 75212 Kessel Run Millennium Falcon — The 1,414 piece set comes with a young Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, a new female character called Qi’ra and a Kessel droid, available in stores on April 20.
LEGO Powerpuff Girls theme and minifigures — The LEGO Powerpuff Girls theme will consist of at least two sets available in August.
LEGO M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC rally car and 1968 Mustang Fastback — The new LEGO Speed Champions M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC rally car and 1968 Mustang Fastback will be available in March.

TBB NEW YORK TOY FAIR COVERAGE: We are coming to you live from the New York Toy Fair. Read all of our hands-on coverage about the LEGO sets coming to a store near you this spring.

LEGO Star Wars Spring 2018 sets – Besides the Millennium Falcon, several other sets will be available this spring including buildable figures and even new LEGO Star Wars merchandise.
LEGO BrickHeadz Go Brick Me – What would you look like as a LEGO BrickHeadz? This 708-piece set will help you build a custom version of yourself, glasses included.
LEGO Ninjago Boost Expansion set – Make your sets move with BOOST capabilities that integrate into sets, bring them to life with movement.
LEGO Collectible Minifigures Series 18 Party Figures – Join the party and celebrate the 40th birthday of the LEGO minifigure! Cakes, balloons and a nostalgia are guaranteed.
LEGO Star Wars Kessell Run Millennium Falcon – The iconic Falcon looks just awesome in white and blue. Have a closer look at the new flagship set coming out this spring.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes UCS Hulkbuster – Hulk doesn’t stand a chance against this amazing mech of dark red and gold.
LEGO Jurassic World sets – Which is your favorite dinosaur? Because there are many new dinos in LEGO form to choose from!
LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Great Hall – Harry Potter is back and better than ever, with new pieces galore. We get a close look at an in-progress model in New York.
Wrap-up from LEGO’s booth at Toy Fair New York 2018 – We take a look back at the news stemming from the Toy Fair and give you a sneak peek into the on-site festivities.

TBB REVIEWS, NEWS AND INSTRUCTIONS: After a very busy week of set announcements, we have our latest TBB reviews and instructions for you for your building enjoyment.

Review of LEGO BOOST 17101 Creative Toolbox – Read our detailed review of LEGO BOOST and see why it was awarded the 2017 Toy of the Year Award.
Review of the LEGO Technic 42077 Rally Car – The new Technic Rally Car has surprised us with its fresh look and very enjoyable build.
Minifigure hairstyles – which styles were a cut above the rest in 2017? – Step inside LEGO’s minifigure hair salon to take a look back at some of the more interesting styles of 2017.
LEGO 40235 Year of the Dog free with orders of $88 or more – LEGO has launched their third February freebie, offering this brick-built Shiba-inu in honor of the Lunar New Year.
Build your own motorized Technic bus– This Technic bus has everything a proper bus included, functioning doors, engine and steering, all motorised!
Instruction to build your own blue Valentine rose — A creative approach to using the transparent parts of the LEGO Ideas 21313 Ship in a Bottle could get you a little V-Day love.
Ultimate LEGO Star Wars author events in Seattle Feb 23 & 24 — The Brothers Brick managing editors Chris Malloy and Andrew Becraft will be presenting insights and observations about 19 years of LEGO Star Wars at two events in Seattle later this week.
Solo: A Star Wars Story character movie posters in LEGO — The graphic designers at LEGO have created character posters for four of the main characters in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

OTHER NEWS: There were a few other LEGO news articles from varying places around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:
Click here to see how LEGOs make these drones fly

Solo: A Star Wars Story character movie posters in LEGO [News]

We got our hands on the Kessrel Run Millennium Falcon at Toy Fair in New York City yesterday, and the movie’s release is coming up in May. Naturally, the hype is ramping up, and one of the things we’ve always enjoyed about each new Star Wars movie has been LEGO versions of the movie posters. The graphic designers at LEGO have created character posters for four of the main characters in Solo: A Star Wars Story. There are posters for young Han Solo, the new Chewbacca design, new character Qi’ra (played by Emilia Clarke of Game of Thrones fame), and young Lando Calrissian.

Han Solo

See all four of the Solo movie posters in LEGO

Ultimate LEGO Star Wars author events at Third Place Books in Seattle Feb 23 & 24 [News]

The Brothers Brick managing editors Chris Malloy and Andrew Becraft will be presenting insights and observations about 19 years of LEGO Star Wars at two events in Seattle later this week. On Friday, February 23 at 7:00 PM, the authors of Ultimate LEGO Star Wars will share a presentation and autograph books at the Seward Park location. Then, on Saturday, February 24 at 7:00 PM, they will do so at the Ravenna store.

The previous event at Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon (pictured here) was well-attended, so be sure to arrive early for seating and copies of the book.

For those of you lucky enough to be attending the sold-out Emerald City Comic-Con the first weekend in March, Chris and Andrew will also be doing a panel and signing in the Writers Block area on Sunday morning (March 1st at 10:45 AM).

Shoretrooper ready for action on Scarif

When the first Star Wars movie not part of the epic series, Rogue One, was released, people had a mixed reaction. Personally, I loved it, and a lot of great characters were introduced. LEGO creator Nobu_tary has been building some amazing creations of a few of them using key parts from the official buildable figure sets, but making a number of delightfully unique design choices to give them personality. Take this shoretrooper, for example.

More LEGO Star Wars characters from Nobu_tary

Who says pirates never do anything for their community?

This lighthouse on a tiny island by William Navarre is by far not the first time the concept is represented with LEGO bricks and I can guarantee it will not be the last — lonely lighthouses of all styles and sizes are an evergreen theme with a lot of expressive value, so it is no surprise one pops up every now and again. What distinguishes William’s build from others is a mix of simplicity and complexity.

His signature highly detailed style with intense textures is obviously apparent not only within the lighthouse’s walls and the rock below it, but also the sea and the small dock. Still, the overall design of the building remains simple, which diverts attention to more important segments. There seems to be just enough vegetation on the island so we can know it is indeed a natural island, but not too much to make it nicer than a pirate would deserve. Using natural sunlight for photography can be a risky move, but William has managed to pull it off well, additionally facilitated by the digitally added background.

Wrap-up from LEGO’s booth at Toy Fair New York 2018 [News]

Well folks, this is our final article from here in midtown Manhattan at Toy Fair New York 2018. Today we’ve brought you hands-on coverage of LEGO’s latest, including new Harry Potter, Jurassic World, and Star Wars sets, among others. Our day started this morning at 7AM when LEGO gave us an early-access tour of their booth before the Toy Fair officially opened.

Continue reading →

LEGO Merchandise revealed at Toy Fair New York 2018 [News]

LEGO is introducing a number of new merchandise items, from backpacks and patches to flashlights and display cases, and some of them are pretty awesome. We got a hands-on look at a few of the new items at Toy Fair New York today. Continue reading →