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.

Bleak but beautiful

If I had to pick one element of the LEGO world where building styles and expectations have changed the most in the last few years, I’d suggest landscaping has seen the biggest transformation in techniques and general quality. The level of detail, clever brickwork, and creativity on display in a good piece of landscaping now is amazing. EdgelessAbyss provides a great example — a scene where the rockwork is the absolute star of the show. The restrained use of colour, the way the tumbledown ruins blend into the surrounding earth, the solitary figure — the elements all comes together to make a bleak and beautiful fantasy scene.

The builder says this was based on the style of the Dark Souls III and Berserk videogames. However, I’d love to see them use these techniques and styling on a version of Ahch-To, the Star Wars planet whose distinctive rocks and twisting stairs were filmed on the Irish island of Skellig Michael.

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Ta Davy Jones’ locker with ya!

There is no doubt that William Navarre is one of the best and most active LEGO builders out there, churning out build after build of great quality almost every week. This one and his previous creation were built for the Colossal Battle Contest.

This naval battle has a lot going for it; the positioning of the ships is very expressive and dynamic, not to mention how well they are constructed. The scale is deceiving and the details are amazing — from the burning elements of the sinking ship to the rigging on the victorious side, each vessel is worth looking at individually. What I like best though, is the surrounding water, achieving a realistic look with two layers, a top textured one, and the bottom for colour (and a great look from the side!). William’s creations seem to have a theme of their simpler environment ending up capturing my attention even longer than the build’s focal point…

LEGO Dimensions Wave 9 now available, including Beetlejuice, Powerpuff Girls and Teen Titans Go! [News]

With all the UCS Millennium Falcon craziness going on this week, LEGO also quietly released the next (and most likely final) wave of LEGO Dimensions sets. Wave 9 is now on store shelves featuring Beetlejuice, Powerpuff Girls and Teen Titans Go! Unlike past releases, none of the sets is a retailer exclusive, so all should be available from most major retailers.

See more of the latest wave of LEGO Dimensions after the jump

Don’t worry, this is just a test

I’m not sure if these still even exist on television broadcast channels anymore, but for me this build by Jason Cichon brings back a flood of childhood memories of waking up early in the morning to catch my favorite weekend cartoons. And on the other end of the spectrum, during my teenage years, this is what we dreaded at the end of the day, when TV broadcasts would go off-air.

Consisting of roughly 530 pieces, this is quite an accurate build of the PAL PM5544 test pattern that often is broadcasted before or after the closing of a TV channel. For you young ones: yes, there was once a time when TV channels did not broadcast round the clock and operators actually had to go home and sleep, leaving us to figure out how to entertain ourselves during those periods.

WIN A UCS MILLENNIUM FALCON! [Exciting News]

Unless you’ve been hiding from the Empire on a remote desert planet for the past few decades, you’ll know that LEGO recently unveiled its massive new 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon set. But in the all the excitement you may have missed the fact that to celebrate this event, The Brothers Brick is currently holding a Millennium Falcon themed building contest!

Well, it’s time to add to that excitement: We are pleased to announce that LEGO has graciously donated a copy of the new UCS Falcon set as an additional prize in our contest. That’s right, you can now win* one of these monsters, rather than dipping into your kids’ college fund (again). All you need to do is wow us with an amazing Falcon-themed LEGO model or scene of your own creation!

Four winners will still each receive a super rare limited edition Escape the Space Slug set. But the 1st place winner will now receive a 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon, and the 2nd place winner will receive the smaller 75105 Star Wars Millennium Falcon.

We are also extending the competition deadline to Sunday, October 15th. That gives you a whole month from today to dream up something really special …so get building! Any style, scale or idea goes so long as it features the Falcon or something Falconesque, in whole or in part. For example, it might be a re-themed version of the Falcon, a movie crossover space battle, or even a mini-fig scene that takes place inside the ship. The more imaginative and original the better.

RULES FOR ENTERING: Contestants must be 18 years of age or older. Once you have built your entry, post a single photo of it to the contest Flickr group. Only one entry is accepted per person. All entries must be new builds, that have not been previously posted online. They must also be physical models — no digital renderings will be accepted. However, use of custom accessories and stickers is permitted. Entries must be submitted by October 15th to be considered for judging.

*Please note that the grand prize UCS set will be shipped directly from LEGO, who have stipulated that they cannot ship to addresses in China or PO boxes.

Beasts from Bricks [Review]

Beasts from Bricks: Amazing LEGO Designs for Animals from Around the World is the latest LEGO instructional book from Quarry Books, authored by LEGO artist and designer Ekow Nimako. This is the second book in the series following Birds from Bricks. The 144-page book presents illustrated step-by-step instructions to build 15 animals from around the world: Africa, Europe, Asia, Antarctica, Oceania, Central/South America, the Caribbean, and North America. Each set of instructions includes a couple of paragraphs of information about the animal’s characteristics and habitat. Also included is a bonus gallery of Ekow Nimako’s more complex, large-scale animal designs.

Read the full review after the jump

Oh ship, we’re in trouble now

What happens when an English frigate faces a French 64-gun battle ship? Well much as we all love to support the underdog, it seems that the English captain may be regretting his bold move against the larger vessel. Sebeus and Rick Bewier have built a LEGO scene full of action as the French guns fire upon the English frigate as it broadsides causing fire, destruction and death. The ships have been really well crafted with lots of attention to detail, but I love the atmospheric smoke, giving a sense of action to the whole scene.

A close up look at the damage to the frigate shows some deck hands frantically fighting fires while one sailor appears to be jumping ship into the blue water far below.

Looks like the English are going for an early bath.

The chirping of the birds, announcing spring

I am not sure whether Geneva Durandlives in the southern hemisphere or not, but spring is starting for some people out there and this creation of a mother bird feeding its baby definitely captures the feelings of the season.

Geneva says the bird is some sort of lark, but she could not get the colours of the feathers accurate enough. There are some interesting part usages in the baby bird, but even more so the elephant tail/trunk pieces used as the nest (a requirement for the ABS building contest, for which this creation was built). I have mixed feelings about the tree though. On one hand, the leaves are, understandably, not perfect and the textures may be a bit too intense. On the other hand though, the very idea of building a segment of a tree in 1:1 scale and the complex shaping and angles involved are very impressive.

Mamma mia! Che bella città!

If your haven’t travelled to Italy this Summer, Luca Di Lazzaro is bringing a piece of Italy to you. This stunning diorama is full of Mediterranean sun thanks to a brilliant choice of colours — tan, dark orange, reddish brown, and some touches of dark green and sand green. However, the unique irregular shaping of this tiny street is what makes the build look totally Italian. No wonder why that tourist minifigure looks so lost and delighted!

Dress like you’re going to meet your worst enemy today

It doesn’t matter how unique and powerful your weapon is, you armour must always shine bright. And there is no colour brighter than gold. Japanese builder Moko continues experimenting with LEGO pieces of chrome colours. Just like the last time, he skilfully decorates his new mech with shiny chrome-gold rings — along with a ton of chrome-gold tiles. What is especially remarkable is brilliant implication of old chrome pieces like Sun Disks and Dragon Heads.

When you cross a dragonfly with The Matrix

What does September mean to you? Perhaps it signals the end of summer, when the days are noticeable shorter and leaves start to change colour. For a significant number of LEGO builders, September is SHIPtember when the aim is to build a large spaceship of at least 100 studs in length. Marcin Grabowski completed this huge dropship on 10 Sept after 29 days of building. His DragonFLY class dropship is certainly eye-catching with its lime and yellow hull. I love those central wings with the ball of complex machinery, wiring and ducts at the connection point.

Sometimes is is hard to get a sense of scale with this type of large model. I am happy to report that Marcin did exactly what any self-respecting LEGO SHIP builder should do…he swooshed it!

Git along now, little dogies

Continuing with his circle motif, Sergeant Chipmunk has brought us another slice of LEGO adventure. This time, we’re given a glimpse into the old wild west. While the covered wagon, rockwork, and dusty landscape are beautiful, it’s the little details that truly bring this scene to life, like the horses’ reins and bedrolls. Not to mention, the sleeping cowboy on the ridge, with his hat cocked down to block the sun.