We’re used to seeing towering skyscrapers and other massive creations in Micropolis layouts. But sometimes, the most eye-catching city block in a layout is the smallest one. Tammo S. demonstrates this truth with his most recent LEGO build, a micro go-kart racing facility. Utilizing the new macaroni tiles for twisty roads, roller skates for karts, and half-sunken grille tiles for a chain-link fence, Tammo has created an adorable place for thrill-seekers of all ages.
The Green Dragon Tavern in Boston inspired Jonas Wide to create his own colonial tavern set in the fictional continent of Celestia. It is a place where the latest scientific ideas are discussed and treks to uncharted territories are planned. A few techniques add a layer of complexity to an otherwise straightforward rectangular building such as the offset windows and the use of the gold bars on the quoins.
The highly anticipated promotional set 40290 60 Years of the LEGO Brick is now available with orders over $125 from the LEGO Shop. The set includes 421 pieces, which means it would likely retail for around $40 separately.
The set includes miniature builds of the iconic yellow castle, a Classic Space ship, the much-beloved monorail, and a pirate ship that can only be 6285 Black Seas Barracuda, plus a printed 60th-anniversary tile.
But in case you don’t want to spend $125 to pick up this set, and you think you might have all the parts yourself, you can build 40290 from free instructions.
MemeLUG member LegoFin has spent the past six months exclusively building cyberpunk creations, all culminating in a large diorama. The builder has been posting teasers for the project for a while now and has finally revealed the first of three layers.
One might call the picture too dark, but I see it as atmospheric.
See more of this cool LEGO cyberpunk diorama
The first steps on the surface of Mars will be those of explorers and scientists. But how long until there are soldiers stomping around on the red planet? That’s the question put by David Zambito with his latest microscale LEGO scene. David has tackled the colonisation of Mars in the brick previously, but this neat model sees the addition of a pair of appropriately sleek-and-sinister-looking fighter craft (fashioned from minifigure ice skates no less). The little fighters might grab the initial attention, but don’t miss the excellent landscaping within the compact footprint, and the use of a minifigure helmet as a cool biodome structure.
This bowling alley vignette by David Zambito captures all the vibes of a classic pastime. There’s just the right amount of details to draw your attention to key features such as the bowling pins and the players. Even the gutters are there to remind some of us how much more practice is needed. Here’s hoping our minifig bowler scores a strike!
Ralph Savelsberg, whose collection of brick-built vehicles includes dozens of retro and contemporary exhibits, never stops perfecting his masterpieces. Even the new Beetle by Volkswagen, which Ralph had originally built 10 years ago, has recently got a makeover.
Thanks to the new curved LEGO slopes and tiles, the new Beetle has become a lot curvier. And the new 1×1 round tile with a VW logo print borrowed right from 10252 Volkswagen Beetle (VW Beetle) set sits just perfectly on the models bonnet. Here’s what the car looked like 10 years ago:
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 last week of January 2018.
TBB NEWS & INSTRUCTIONS: We had a week packed full with news from Ideas to minifigures to slick speed racers.
LEGO 60th ANNIVERSARY NEWS: Celebrate with us as we mark the 60th anniversary of LEGO’s 2×4 brick by reading some of the fun articles below or building something amazing.
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:
From wooden ducks to computer controlled creations and everything plastic in between, LEGO has come a long way since the early 1930s. To highlight the 60th anniversary of the LEGO brick patent, the company has pulled together some of its most important milestones in the timeline below.
What was LEGO up to the decade you were born in? What year did flesh color faces make their debut? What were LEGO bricks originally called? When was LEGO named the toy of the century?
Click to get a closer look at the LEGO timeline
The finale of Rogue One involved the heist of the Death Star plans from the vault in the Scarif Citadel Tower. The building is an impressive spire of Imperial tech — recreated here in LEGO bricks by Paul Trach. This huge model is no less than 1.8m tall, and took six months to complete. What could have been some big slabs of dark grey is enlivened by excellent texturing and details, and Paul has lavished as much attention on the base as the towering structure itself — the central circular plaza and its asymmetric bridges are beautifully done.
I like the way Paul has placed plenty of minifigures around the model, creating the impression of a bustling Imperial outpost. Do I spy a lonely Director Krennic all the way up at the top there? I think I do. And this view of a trooper squad shows the nice variety of figures employed, and gives a closer look at the excellent brickwork involved in creating Scarif’s signature tropical beaches…
The reason why some builds stand out more than others is that that we expect LEGO builds to be blockish and full of hard edges. This little build stands out because of its organic structure of plants and trees and a home that looks awkwardly quaint in its own way. The travelling minifigure that’s heading towards an adobe after a long and tired adventure reminds me of a longing for home after a trip. I have a feeling that builder Wesley Vaders is of similar mindset when building this, finally finding his way home after a long journey of ups and downs in his adventures in LEGO.
See more of this lovely LEGO home
To celebrate the 60th birthday of its iconic 2×4 brick, LEGO created a red 10-foot tall brick and placed it in New York City right in front of the Flatiron Building. The larger-than-life brick weighs in at 1,200 pounds, is made up of more than 133,000 individual bricks, and took 350 hours to make.
Even more mind-blowing than seeing such a plastic monolith in a concrete jungle is that a LEGO brick from 1958 still interlocks with a LEGO brick made today. This is due to precision injection molding and the original idea of using tubes to create clutch power. Before the Kristiansens settled on the familiar tube underside, they considered several 0ptions for the original pattern of LEGO bricks.
Click to take a closer look at the massive brick in NYC