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.

The top 10 best LEGO sets of 2017: What to buy the LEGO builder who really only wants more LEGO sets [News]

With the release of not one but two LEGO-themed movies in theaters, plus the re-release of two sought-after LEGO sets, 2017 has yielded a cornucopia of excellent LEGO sets across many themes. Here at The Brothers Brick, we reviewed nearly 70 of the sets LEGO released in 2017, which is still just a fraction of all the new sets that LEGO produced this year. As you wrap up your holiday shopping (perhaps complemented by more than just LEGO sets), here are our favorite LEGO sets among those we reviewed here on TBB in 2017.

#10: LEGO Architecture 21035 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

The second incarnation in LEGO of the iconic Guggenheim Museum in New York City kicks off the list at #10. 21035 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum increases the color palette for more realism, while adding innovative building techniques that take advantage of newer curved slopes. (744 pieces for $79.99, currently $63.99 from Amazon.)

#9: LEGO Star Wars 75172 Y-wing Starfighter

The best and most detailed LEGO Y-wing released since 1999 depicts a Blue Squadron starfighter from the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One. 75172 Y-wing Starfighter includes 691 pieces with 5 minifigs for $59.99, which was already a fantastic price for a Star Wars set, but is currently reduced further at $47.99 from Amazon.

See the rest of our top 10 best LEGO sets of 2017

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Time to travel to beautiful cityscapes

If you feel nervous about the future and dread the thought of grey concrete buildings taking over our cities, these beautiful microscale futuristic cityscapes by Jeff Friesen should calm your fears. Each unique scene is beautifully crafted, with buildings, transportation links, water, and features like bridges, parks, and flora. The colour schemes have been well thought-out and there are lots of clever details in each scene despite their diminutive size.

Take a closer look at these microscale cityscapes

Good morning, nice of you guys to drop by

As winter closes in up in the northern hemisphere, LEGO builders’ attention invariably turns to depictions of snow and ice — and for Star Wars fans, ’tis the season to be Hothy. Tim Goddard uses microscale building to great effect to depict the moment when Luke and Han get rescued after their impromptu overnight camping trip at the start of Empire Strikes Back. The little Snowspeeder is nicely done, but the highlight of this tiny scene is that tiny gutted Tauntaun — corpse-based sleeping bags never looked so good.

2017 LEGO Advent Calendars: Day 6

Welcome to Day 6 of our LEGO Advent Calendar countdown. Each day, we’ll reveal the three mini-builds from the LEGO City, LEGO Star Wars, and LEGO Friends 2017 advent calendars along with commentary from our team.

If you’re opening one (or more) of these advent calendars along with us, we’ve made sure the pictures and commentary on each day’s models will be behind a jump and posted in the evening every day, so we don’t accidentally ruin the surprise. What bricks will we get for Day 6?

Click to reveal today’s LEGO advent calendar builds!

Great last-minute LEGO-themed holiday gifts that aren’t just more new LEGO sets [News]

It’s been a few years since we’ve posted a LEGO holiday gift guide, so we’re a bit overdue for a refresh. While the LEGO builder in your life will always appreciate more brick to add to their infinitely expanding collection, thoughtful gift-givers might want to consider these other LEGO-related options, including many under $20.

Custom LEGO minifigs & custom building kits

We’re big fans of Citizen Brick, Brickmania, BrickArms, and Chris McVeigh here at TBB. Each of these companies and individuals creates unique, innovative LEGO-themed products that LEGO is unlikely to ever produce themselves but that fit seamlessly with our existing LEGO collections.

Case in point, LEGO will probably never make The X-Files or Breaking Bad minifigures, but our friends at Citizen Brick have produced “Eks Files” and “Lab Partners” minifigs that match the quality of official LEGO minifigs. With custom pad printing on nearly every element, CB minifigs generally run about $15 each.

Continue reading →

A gem of a garbage truck [Instructions]

This isn’t the first time that Flickr user de-marco has built a really nifty LEGO garbage truck. Hopefully, this time won’t be the last time either. In the builder’s latest exploration of the genre, there’s a push towards a more avant-garde garbage truck. From the curved sides to the grab rail on the back, this type of vehicle is certainly familiar to any city dweller.

What’s that you said? You want instructions for this build so you can make your own? Look no further…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT9J58LzBfw?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Any epic battle looks better on a beach, including Star Wars

The final battle on the beach of Scarif as seen in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was a delightful mix of soft sand, blue ocean waves and giant walking AT-ATs stamping palm trees and rebels. German builder speedyhead recreates a small fragment of the scene, however, with a little twist: the diorama was displayed for kids, so the builder included a number of small easter eggs for young audience members to spy.

Click here to discover some of the eastern eggs!

For milling your tiny grain you need a tiny water mill

Microscale is an interesting LEGO building style for a few reasons. It lets a builder recreate ideas they could not otherwise due to the constraints of their collection or time. It also presents a unique challenge of capturing shapes and textures with only a few pieces, which would be easier (but perhaps less rewarding?) at larger scales. With this water mill by Robert4168/Garmadon, the grass and the front face of the house have the characteristic simple microscale charm, but the house’s left wall, the hill with the cute fence, and especially the thatched roof have a texture to them that even larger scale creations would envy sometimes.

2017 LEGO Advent Calendars: Day 5

Welcome to Day 5 of our LEGO Advent Calendar countdown. Each day, we’ll reveal the three mini-builds from the LEGO City, LEGO Star Wars, and LEGO Friends 2017 advent calendars along with commentary from our team.

Click to reveal today’s LEGO advent calendar builds!

Shogun from the 16th century

This build of a seemingly cute warrior by John Cheng is so much more than it seems. Imagawa Yoshimoto was a feudal lord during the 16th century in Japan who was very good at not only battling but also at diplomacy and securing key alliances during his reign. His black steed and the accompanying base is quite a unique complement to the usual BrickHeadz builds that we’ve seen quite a lot of lately. Aside from being brick built, Pokémon Conquest fans may recognize him as a playable character.

Second wave of LEGO Batman Movie collectible minifigures revealed [News]

This past month we have seen a flurry of 2018 set announcements, including a new wave of LEGO Batman Movie sets with many more villains and Batman outfits. To add to the cavalcade of characters, LEGO has announced a second series of collectible minifigures from the movie.

The 20 unique figures will hit store shelves early next year for $3.99 each. Here they are below, with our initial impressions.

Click to see all the new LEGO Batman Movie minifigures!

Soldiering on amongst the trees of Ardennes in 1945

The Battle of the Bulge was the German’s last offensive of World War II. Although it initially caught Allied forces off guard, especially in the heavily wooded Ardennes region, it proved to be a major disaster for Germany that hastened its inevitable demise. Dunedain98 has build a wintry scene from this battle that depicts American soldiers preparing to attack an StuG III Assault Gun alongside a derelict, battle-damaged home.

A view closer down to the action from minifigure eye-level really shows off the atmosphere with the snow-laden trees and the offensive anticipation in the air. Continue reading →