Category Archives: People

LEGO fandom is a worldwide phenomenon, a vast community. Whether you consider yourself an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO), ALE (Adult LEGO Enthusiast), some other crazy acronym, a parent of a young builder, or even just a casual fan who appreciates all the amazing models LEGO builders create, there’s more to LEGO than just the models themselves. Here at The Brothers Brick, we bring you the stories behind the models, with interviews, builder profiles, and more.

LAML Radio August wrap-up

In August LAML Radio has taken on an ambitious project and interviewed 28 amazing builders. Here is the final round-up post, featuring the following builders:

Lino Martins
Magnus Lauglo
Gary McIntire
The Arvo Brothers

In the meantime, James, the host of the show, has put together a CD of all of the August interviews. If you have enjoyed LAML radio and would like to show your appreciation for his contributions to our wonderful LEGO community, you can purchase the CD for only $12.

As a bonus, here is a news podcast recorded live this past Sunday where Dan from the LEGO® Model of the Day blog and I join in to discuss the most current LEGO news. Click here to listen to this fun little number.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Masoko Tanga interviews Lukas

Brenden Wilson of Masoko Tanga recently interviewed talented young builder Lukas Winklerprins.

Lukas talks about the difference between the hardcore adult fan community of a few years ago, discovering that world, and the much more diverse LEGO fan community today:

The starting group in toy chat rooms, LUGnet, and ultimately Classic-Space was started by men pretty much over the age of 30…. We weren’t aware of this more intense way of building until we were old enough to get on the internet and realize we could participate too….I realized how much people really cared and how much work other people put into the hobby

And on building microscale:

Once you toss the minifig out the window [*shock* -AB] really anything can be made…. it lets extraneous parts get unique uses and doesn’t destroy my collection. It also allows for a myriad of unique shapes unrestricted by gravity or that pesky thing known as “common sense.”

Read the full interview on Masoko Tanga.

Pictures are finally leaking out of BrickFair!

If you’ve been wondering where all the Lego fans have gone, they’re at Brickfair! Here are a few galleries of pics, to satisfy your Lego craving. If, like me, you didn’t get to go….

There is also a Flickr Brickfair pool, if you need more…

Celebrating GO MINIMAN GO – “30 Years: The Story of the Minifigure”

David Pagano, Nate Burr and myself were all recently asked by the LEGO Company to make a brickfilm to celebrate the LEGO minifigure’s 30th birthday. This is my contribution, 30 Years: The Story of the Minifigure. How many historical figures/events can you name?

Don’t forget to check out GOMINIMANGO.com for more videos and a contest (details coming soon to a blog near you!)

Interior decorating by minifig

I had the pleasure of hanging out with Thom (aka minifig) on my recent trip to London. Over non-alcoholic drinks at a lovely neighborhood pub far from the tourist crowds, the conversation inevitably turned to LEGO.

Thom apparently decorates his home with great little LEGO scenes. On arrival back in the States, I was pleased to see that he’d uploaded several of the scenes we talked about, including this intrepid streaker:

And these Technic figures with their AT-AT pet:

I was going to close with a sarcastic comment about the obscurity of the British people that Thom’s been honoring in ABS lately, but it turns out that Townes Van Zandt was an American, and I’m just ignorant. :-P

LAML Radio August interviews (Part 3)

If you’ve been keeping up with LAML Radio, you know that James the host is presenting a podcast interview with a talented builder each day in August. Here’s yet another update of the featured builders in the past few days.

Lee Magpili
Matt Hamann
Eric Harshbarger
Lukas Winklerprins
Mike Psiaki
Chris Doyle
Ralph Savelsberg
Chris Giddens

Happy 30th birthday to the LEGO minifig!

The LEGO minifigure turns 30 today. The very first minifig I got was in 1978, when I was 3 years old. Mr. Policeman had a stickered torso (right).

Today, minifigs are of course my favorite aspect of playing with LEGO, mainly because minifigs represent infinite possibilities.

Former LEGOLAND Master Model Designer Mariann Asanuma puts it best: “Minifigs, in all their countless varieties, are one of the best things that LEGO ever invented.” Indeed.

Naturally, the Internet is abuzz with congratulatory messages for our little plastic friends.

Here at The Brothers Brick, we’re hosting the GO MINIMAN GO Photo Contest, and Gizmodo is hosting a GO MINIMAN GO Video Competition.

If you’re interested in reading all about how the minifig was invented, you can read Minifig History on Minifig.co.uk.

It may just be another day at the office for Justin Vaughn:

But Michael Jasper, the Leonardo da Vinci of minifig builders, conveniently updates his “Things” folder with a pair of tricycles:

There’s a surprising turn of events in this birthday scene by J.R. Schwartz:

So, a very happy birthday to the LEGO minifig! I hope I’m still playing with minifigs when I’m 63, and then again when I’m 93.

LAML Radio August interviews (Part 2)

If you’ve been keeping up with LAML Radio, you know that James the host is presenting a podcast interview with a talented builder each day in August. Here’s an update of the featured builders in the past few days.

Patrick Biggs
Rocko (take two!)
Ed Diment
Mister oo7
Andrew Lee
Arthur Gugick
Peter Morris
Legohaulic

Geekdad wants you! [News]

We have recently been contacted by John Baichtal of the Geekdad blog, on Wired. He is writing a book on our extremely addictive hobby and he wants you in it! Why you? Because you are charming, pretty, and you collect Lego.

He wants to profile as many adult builders as possible. While not everyone will make it into the book, he is planning on including a bunch of you crazy people. The more interesting the better, he said. And I know you folks are interesting. I’ve hung out with you at Cons, in chat rooms, and in forums. “Interesting” may be putting it mildly.

Anyway, are you in? If so, send the following info to John (brickbook@yahoo.com):

1) Headshot

2) Your name as you would like it to appear, your location and your age.

3) Answer as many of the following questions as you’d like:

What are you building?

Favorite set?

Favorite brick color?

Favorite genre?

What music do you listen to when building?

When’s your best building time?

If I left off a question you’re dying to answer, feel free to include it.

So there you are! Its your chance at those coveted 15 minutes of fame. Get cracking!

(BrickCon people pics by Caylin Fiering and John Langrish)

LAML Radio August interviews (Part 1)

As you may know, LAML Radio is making a special effort to feature one talented builder in a podcast interview each day in the month of August. James is on schedule and has turned out seven episodes featuring the following builders:

Nnenn
Steven Marshall
Shannon Ocean
Bryce McGlone
Nick Dean
Tim Gould
SlyOwl

I will be posting a roundup of the interviews each week.

Nnenn on LAML Radio!

James Wadsworth, host of LAML Radio, has audaciously reached the most mysterious builder on the internet – Nnenn. As a highly prolific space artist, Nnenn has astounded LEGO fans with his polished and stylized spacecrafts. As a person he remained nameless and faceless online. Now LAML Radio has a detailed and comprehensive podcast interview with Nnenn, enjoy!

Furthermore, throughout the month of August, James will attempt to interview one builder each day! Check back often at LAML Radio; you’ll never know who’s next.

More LEGO Sport City details and behind-the-scenes photos from HKLUG

We recently highlighted HKLUG’s LEGO Sport City display, with huge models of the venues we’ll be seeing in the Beijing Olympics next month.

Thanks to LEGO Ambassador and HKLUG member Tsang Yiu Keung (better known as Chiukeung), we have lots more information on the models, including behind-the-scenes photos.

Chiukeung gives a sense of just how large the display is:

Venues recreated in LEGO include the National Stadium (nicknamed “The Bird’s Nest”), National Aquatics Center (“Swimming Cube”), and Olympic Village.

The finished display is certainly impressive, but the behind-the-scenes photos reveal the true scale and impressive techniques that went into the LEGO Sport City.

The iconic National Stadium was designed by Ming, an architect by trade. It took him over 100 hours to complete, and is 128×154 studs in size (that’s about 40″ x 48″). The outer shell includes thousands of hinge plates.

The National Aquatics Center was built by Vincent Cheung over the course of 120 hours, and has a three-tier design with a cell-like structure in the transparent blue walls.

The Swimming Cube is illuminated with a fluorescent lamp inside, and measures 148 by 148 studs, or 46″ on each side.

Chiukeung built the Olympic Village, which is 160 x 224 studs (50″ x 70″). Chiukeung spent 100 hours on the project.

There’s lots more to see (56 pictures in all) in the HKLUG LEGO Sport City photoset on Flickr, including the Equestrian stadium by Hudson, Greek temple by Wai Kee, and various Chinese and European buildings by Andy. The mosaic was built by Hot, who also coordinated the entire project.

If you’re in Hong Kong, you can see this LEGO display for yourself at Grand Century Place between now and August 31, 2008.

Thanks again to HKLUG and Chiukeung for the behind-the-scenes info and photos!