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.

Cooking up a storm in the Iron Builder competition

There’s another round of Iron Builder going on at the moment between Jonah Schultz and Maxx Davidson. As you’d expect, they’ve both been knocking it out of the park, and that’s at least partly helped by the seed part: a LEGO minifigure baseball bat! Maxx’s kitchen is what’s caught my eye. There’s some nice retro styling here, and of course you can see the bat used in the fridge handles and as a utensil handle in the pot. Less conspicuous, but no less ingenious, are the uses as an oven tray and what I believe is a pepper mill or grinder. The latter also makes clever use of a Technic clutch part in red!

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A new gate to an ancient LEGO city

For some LEGO builders, each creation is a stand-alone work, but the castle creations of Andreas Lenander are an exercise in world building spread over years. Andreas has added to his Middle East-inspired city of Mophet, a medieval oasis of tan and teal, in various competitions and collabs over the years. The latest addition, The Blue Gate, is a great showcase for how much Leander’s talent for Islamic Architecture in LEGO has grown since he first introduced his fictional city. I love the flowing arch of simple 1×2 bricks and the anti-studs in alternating colors, examples of creating beauty from the simplest LEGO elements, and the use of colors – especially nougat and medium blue – is outstanding. Here’s hoping Andreas will continue to reveal Mophet’s many secrets for years to come.

Reflect on this robust LEGO rhinoceros

Sad but true fact: only two northern white rhinos remain in the world. While members of the southern subspecies are more numerous, both animals have seen their numbers depleted by poachers seeking their ivory. We’re not told which subspecies David Manfred‘s LEGO model belongs to, but his tribute to this endangered beast is a marvelous sight nevertheless. Prepare to be impressed by the layers of bricks stacked to get the rhino’s body just right, or the interlocking wedge plates that form the head, or the arch piece used for a nostril. And here’s a less sad but true fact: according to the builder, the inside of the rhino model is filled not with standard LEGO bricks, but with much-larger Duplo bricks to save money. All in all, both the model and the animal itself are majestic specimens.

If I ran the zoo, it would be filled with LEGO animals

Something’s not right in this LEGO scene by Jonah Schultz. Maybe it’s the fact that these zoo animals should be in their enclosures. Maybe it’s that evil look we’re getting from the giraffe. But most likely, it’s the baseball bats that have been fashioned into a wonderful turnstile. Jonah pushed the limits of that part thanks to the ongoing Iron Builder competition between himself and Maxx Davidson.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for July 28, 2024 [News]

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the fourth week of July 2024.

TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS Did you catch last week’s Brick Report? This week we’re back with FOUR new set reviews and news about upcoming LEGO releases!

[NEWS] LEGO Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, Super Mario and more among LEGO sets revealed at San Diego Comic Con 2024 — The annual geek celebration SDCC is the source of some LEGO set announcements
[NEWS] LEGO’s Fortnite collaboration extends to four new sets, all available now for pre-order — So much loot! The Fortnite collab expands with a variety of new retail products.
[REVIEW] LEGO Icons Botanical Collection 10369 Plum Blossom — Daniel Greenthumb digs into the growing Botanicals Collection with a Plum Blossom review
[REVIEW] LEGO Icons Botanical Collection 10368 Chrysanthemum – more than another pretty potted plant? — Digger Daniel cultivates a review of the new Botanicals Chrysanthemum
[REVIEW] LEGO Technic 42173 Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut Grey Hypercar — Theo takes the wheel of the new Hypercar. Is it a winner?
[REVIEW] LEGO Technic 42182 NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle – LRV – A top notch replica? — Is Bre over the moon for the new LRV?

So much metal in Tony Stark’s wardrobe!

The first one may have been made in a cave from a pile of scraps, but Tony Stark now assembles his LEGO Ironman suits in the most technologically advanced garage in the entire Marvel universe. We get a peek into this workshop of wonder all thanks to br.ickelangelo. Featuring six Iron Man minifigure suits in total, there’s plenty of detail packed into this vignette, whether it’s the old Stark Expo plans in a crate in the corner or the battery charging a suit on a stand in the background. I particularly like the robotic arms in the front-and-center apparatus, ready to peel our favorite superhero out of his souped-up tin can.

LEGO Icons Botanical Collection 10369 Plum Blossom [Review]

LEGO Botanical Collection sets have featured iconic flowers from around the world, and the vases included have also reflected some of their real-world counterparts’ popular styles using various unique building techniques. Paired with 10368 Chrysanthemum, the second set in the summer 2024 wave is the iconic plum blossom, which has a very similar Chinese-inspired vase and wooden base. These two flowers are part of four Asian flowers known in Chinese culture as the four gentlemen, one representing each season. The plum blossom represents winter. LEGO Botanical Collection 10369 Plum Blossom contains 327 pieces and will be available on August 1st for US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £24.99

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read our full review of LEGO Icons Botanical Collection 10369 Plum Blossom

LEGO Icons Botanical Collection 10368 Chrysanthemum – more than another pretty potted plant? [Review]

Since first launching in 2021 as part of the LEGO Icons theme, the LEGO Botanical Collection has consistently produced high-quality, realistic models of popular plants like 10311 Orchid and 10289 Bird of Paradise. While the plants themselves are the stars, the vases and pots have been pretty great too. This summer’s wave of sets is no exception, with the first two sets being the chrysanthemum and the plum blossom. These two flowers are part of four iconic Chinese flowers known as the four gentlemen, one representing each season. We’ll be taking a look at the spring flower first, represented by the chrysanthemum. LEGO Botanical Collection 10368 Chrysanthemum comprises 278 pieces and will be available on August 1st for US $29.99 | CAN $39.99 | UK £24.99

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read our full review of LEGO Icons Botanical Collection 10368 Chrysanthemum

Excavating massive mining machines

Despite having no prior mining experience nor the know-how to drive anything larger than a regular car, I am fascinated by Beat Felber’s new LEGO creations. Maybe the size and power of these giant earthmoving machines tickle my fancy. Whatever the reason, here’s the 400-ton Terex Unit Rig MT 6300AC dump truck. The real deal has tires that are four meters or well over 13 feet in diameter. The-um-LEGO deal has custom tires that are not official LEGO parts but suits this beast quite well.

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Collecting Canada’s finest stamp

LEGO builder Philippe Moisan demonstrates some serious mosaic chops with the Canadian Bluenose postage stamp. If you see one of these affixed to your post, you can consider yourself lucky. The stamp was first issued in 1929 and depicts a fishing schooner called Bluenose. It has been called “Canada’s Finest Stamp” and is a favorite among collectors. One individual stamp can garner quite a bit of money but a complete sheet of 100 had auctioned for for US $52,580 in 2017! Even barring its history and value, this LEGO mosaic is chock full of exquisite detail and textures evoking the hand-painted blue tiles popular in many Mediterranean countries. It was built for a contest going on over at QuéLUG, making it a lovely Canadian creation indeed.

Exciting excavation awaits with this O&K RH 120 C backhoe created in LEGO

LEGO builder Beat Felber sure loves construction equipment! Whether Liebherr, Komatsu, or in this case Orenstein & Koppel, Beat gives them their due in brick form. This particular model in the O&K livery of red and white is a 1/28.5 recreation of the RH 120 C excavator, fully motorized for the toughest jobs. And despite this functionality, there’s no skimping on the details either! Check out all the intricacies around the treads and where the boom meets the front of the cab.

Introduce a little LEGO anarchy

Prepare to be unsettled as one of cinema’s greatest villains gazes up at you in LEGO form. In “Why So Serious,” Gino Lohse uses an assortment of plates and tiles to convey the cold insanity of the Joker’s visage. One of the MVPs of the portrait is the humble 1×1 curved brick, a few of which stand in for his smudged makeup. A few more contribute to the messy red of his iconic smile. Beyond that, a snarl of foilage elements brings just the right amount of chaos to his green hair, while vent elements make a suggestion of scars. You wanna know how he got those scars? Best if you don’t ask.