Brickheadz releases are on a roll with LEGO recently. We now have Jack Skellington and Sally from Tim Burton’s Nightmare before Christmas in the lineup. While there isn’t any release date announced just yet, we expect the price to be consistent with the other double pack sets at $19.99. Will this be part of your must-haves? Tell us what you think about them below.
It’s always fun when we find builds that come with a little bit of a story. This scene, “Alliance Against the Invader,” by Jon Stead, is one of those builds. According to Jon, the year is 1178 and a medieval kingdom has been rocked by an object falling from the sky. A flaming saucer smashes into the forest and the alien invader it contains is ready to kill. Now it’s time for warring factions to come together to fight the beast and save the kingdom!
Click to see more of this war of worlds
This sleek craft by CK-MCMLXXXI is a study in symmetry. Not only left to right along the central axis, as is more common in spaceship design, but also top to bottom. It feels like that solid white canopy at the front, combined with that 45-degree wedge plate was the central element to inspire this design. Regardless of where the idea came from, this craft is jammed with great greebly bits in a variety of colors, some really nice connections, and plenty of curved elements that give the vessel a refined, yet functional look.
When it comes to Japanese art, one of the most iconic pieces produced during the late Edo period was Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa.” This masterpiece helped to inspire the character of Hatsusika Hokusai, found in the free-to-play role-playing-game (RPG) Fate/Grand Order. Mike Dung has made two versions of this character, including a cute chibi figure. In the chibi-build, Mike’s brick-built wave is instantly recognizable and beautiful representation of Hokusai’s artwork. The wave in the other model is cleverly built with several trans-light blue garage door pieces.
![[Fate Grand Order] Hatsusika Hokusai](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/media.brothers-brick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/28661791918_883c782a7a_b.jpg)
A marriage signifies two people coming together to build a shared future, and what better metaphor than building that future with LEGO bricks! After the rings and vows have been exchanged, it’s time for the couple to drive off into the sunset. Why not end the momentous occasion by getting behind the wheel of a luxurious antique car made by Pixeljunkie?
Pixeljunkie has made some wonderful cars in the past, but this one is probably my favorite. Elegant curves, custom chromed elements, and the white body feel inspired by a classic Rolls-Royce. For me, the icing on the cake includes the whitewall tires, velvet red interior upholstery, and the bugle elements as car horns. You can almost hear them let out a piercing “Ahoogah!”
In the West, the process of getting married is sometimes known as “getting hitched.” In Pixeljunkie’s case, his minfig couple and car are both getting hitched. In this case, it is the car getting hitched to a cute little trailer. Sounds like the honeymoon consists of some serious camping. Thankfully, the bride’s veil probably also doubles as a mosquito net.
The summer wave of LEGO City Arctic sets were released on June 1st, and we’ve already taken a look at the two highlights from the theme — the mammoth in 60195 Arctic Mobile Exploration Base and the saber-tooth in 60196 Arctic Supply Plane. But are there other hidden treasures in this chilly series of LEGO sets? The smallest set is 60191 Arctic Exploration Team at only $9.99 ($12.99 in Canada | £9.99 in the UK). The set includes 70 pieces with three minifigures, plus a husky dog.
Read our hands-on review of 60191 Arctic Exploration Team
Sometimes, a relatively simple build can have a big impact. This scene built by Lennart C and inspired by nature is a great example. This black widow spider looking to make a meal of a nearby fly is both beautiful and terrifyingly realistic, which is no easy accomplishment considering how few parts are involved. One of my favorite details is the simple choice of using that longer arm piece for the two back legs, giving the body a more pronounced slope. And speaking of the fly, only six parts are used, but the effect is perfect.
Just one warning. I wouldn’t stomp on this spider if I were you, it would probably hurt you more than the spider.
We’ve been slightly giddy about the return of LEGO Harry Potter, especially after our chance to get a close-up look at the Fall Preview Event 2018 in New York. Well, now we’ve managed to get our hands on a copy of 75956 Quidditch Match and we’ll see if this set at least lives up to our high expectations of the returning line…
Read our hands-on review of the new LEGO Harry Potter 75956 Quidditch Match
A long time ago, in this galaxy far, far away, you won’t find lightsabers and droids, but you’ll certainly spot princesses and knights. Built by Koen, this precariously perched castle has a wonderfully Disney-like aesthetic with some clever techniques mixed in, if you take some time to study it. Note, for instance, the second-tallest turret, which has windows made of pulley wheels and Technic pins.
Personally, I’d like to think this is where the Little Prince lives after he grows up.
The 1920s witnessed the birth of some beautiful boats, such as the Olmaha, built by J.M. Martinac of Washington state in 1926. Markus Ronge has artfully recreated this classic yacht with impeccable detail, complete with convincing curves from bow to stern. In the cabin, 2×2 “crate” pieces have been used to great effect and give off the impression of ornate woodworking. The surrounding waves feel organic, and I love the way Markus has used white bricks to form the ship’s wake.
When not in the water, Markus props the Olamaha up to show off its bright red hull.
Get your quarters and tokens prepped, because it’s time to hang out at the arcade! This impressive collection of minifigure-scale machines by Kale Frost has everything a LEGO gamer could want, from classics like Pac-Man and Kong to Street Fighter and air hockey. See if you can identify all of the machines!
A closer look at the skeeball machine shows just how perfectly they fit with minifigures. These machines would look great in an expanded version of the arcade in Ninjago City Docks, which featured official LEGO-designed minifigure-scale arcade cabinets. Or if something bigger is more your style, check out this 1/2-scale working arcade cabinet.
Going in to see Solo: A Star Wars Story with managed expectations, I loved this movie! And the speeder sets for Han Solo and Moloch released in the first wave were some of the best speeders to come out of the franchise, in my opinion. Apparently, h2brick is also a big fan, having built this great street scene featuring Han and Qi’ra careening along pursued by a patrol speeder. There are a lot of nice details throughout this dark gray scene, including a few toppled containers spilling something unhealthy onto the street, and plenty of discarded debris.
