Want to get a HUGE head start on that Christmas shopping instead of doing it the day before? Did you miss out on the 40254 Nutcracker set during the last Black Friday promotion? Well you’re in luck, because this weekend from July 28-29th, LEGO Shop at Home US is hosting a “Christmas in July” sale where you will receive the nutcracker set free with purchases over $99 US. There are a couple of sets on sale as well including the popular 10259 Winter Village Station and the Ninjago Quake Mech. Use this link or click the image below to see the sets on sale and make your purchases while supporting The Brothers Brick at the same time!
Category Archives: News
Newsweek Special Edition: LEGO – The toy that changed our lives [Review]
When you play with LEGO, it’s a birthday party every day! Throughout 2018, the LEGO Group has been celebrating two very special birthdays in the form of the patented LEGO brick (60 years) and minifigure (40 years). To celebrate the occasion, LEGO has given us Wal-Mart exclusives, a special 60th anniversary set, and a series of collectible minifigures dressed for a party. Thanks to Newsweek, we now also have a special edition magazine that is entirely devoted to our favorite interlocking plastic building bricks. We finally got our hands on a copy and are eager to share our thoughts with you.
Read our full review of this Special Edition magazine about LEGO
LEGO Star Wars 75218 X-wing Starfighter – the return of the classic Incom T-65 [Review]
Despite — or perhaps because of — the release of two different T-70 X-wings produced in support of The Force Awakens in late 2015 and mid-2016, it’s been over six years since LEGO has released a version of the iconic T-65 starfighter featured in the Classic Trilogy. With the release of 75218 X-wing Starfighter on August 1st, the most recognizable Rebel fighter in the Star Wars universe becomes available to a new generation of LEGO builders. The latest X-wing includes 731 pieces and four minifigs and will retail for $79.99 in the US (CDN 99.99 | GBP 89.99).
How does this latest LEGO X-wing stack up against the previous X-wings released over the years?
Read our hands-on review of 75218 X-wing Starfighter
New 6,000-piece LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle 71043 revealed as 2nd-largest LEGO set ever [News]
Today LEGO has unveiled the flagship playset from this year’s Harry Potter franchise. Consisting of a massive 6,020 pieces, it’s the largest set to be revealed this year and by far the biggest Harry Potter set ever. In fact, it’s the second-largest LEGO set of all time, coming in behind the Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon. The set will be available August 15 for VIP members with a general release on Sept. 1 for $399.99 USD.
The set includes the most complete layout of the Hogwarts castle yet including the Whomping Willow and Hagrid’s Hut, all created in microscale and populated with numerous microfigs of students, teachers, and Dementors, along with Aragog, the Basilisk, and even a Hungarian Horntail. It also includes four minifigures of the Hogwarts house founders: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw, none of whom have appeared in LEGO form before.
Click to see more of the Hogwarts Castle
LEGO 21311 Voltron now available [News]
The largest LEGO Ideas set to date, 21311 Voltron is now available. Long anticipated by fans nostalgic for the iconic giant robot from the 1980s TV series of the same name, Voltron stands over 15 inches tall and includes 2,321 pieces, and costs $179.99 USD. But most impressively, it’s actually assembled from the five lions, and transforms with remarkable ease. Voltron will be widely available beginning Aug. 1, but if you’re a VIP member you can go ahead and purchase the set now from the LEGO Shop Online. VIP membership is free.
Buy LEGO 21311 Voltron from the LEGO Shop Online [USA | UK | CAN]
If you’re still on the fence about Voltron, or just want to know before spending your hard-earned cash on a giant transforming robot, check out our review. We go in-depth in our text review of Voltron, and give a thorough breakdown of the transformation process in our video review below.
TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for July 22, 2018 [News]
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 fourth week of July 2018.
TBB NEWS, REVIEWS AND FEATURES: When it rains, it pours! This week was packed with LEGO news, featuring reviews, trips back in time, and even some decent deals.
- Review of LEGO’s largest-ever Ideas set, 21311 Voltron – With 2,321 pieces, Voltron is available to LEGO VIP members beginning July 23 (global Aug. 1) for $179.99 USD.
- LEGO Voltron designer video shows behind the scenes effort to make the set a reality – Designer Niek van Slagmaat and graphic designer Mark Tranter share that the leg and arm connections were the most challenging part and even kept them up at night.
- Review of LEGO Architecture 21042 Statue of Liberty – Lady Liberty is arguably the most complex and satisfying builds, with 1,685 pieces and available for $119.99 USD.
- Feature: LEGO CL!CK – A social media experiment that failed – We take a look at LEGO CL!CK, an obscure social media effort in our new series, LEGO Ventures that Vanished.
- Some Amazon Prime Day deals still available – Amazon Prime Day has come and gone, but some discounts on LEGO still remain.
- BrickCon 2018 Public Exhibition tickets on sale now – BrickCon 2018 is coming the weekend of Oct. 6 and 7 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, and tickets just went on sale.
TBB ASTON MARTIN NEWS AND REVIEW: The top secret reveal of the week was the brand new James Bond Aston Martin DB5, and we have all the coverage you need right here.
- Review of LEGO 10262 James Bond Aston Martin DB5 – The $149.99 USD set is packed full of features, including rotating license plates and even a working ejector seat.
- 10262 James Bond Aston Martin DB5 revealed as next LEGO Creator Expert vehicle – The 1,290 piece-Aston Martin DB5 is available now for LEGO VIPs (worldwide August 1).
- Aston Martin DB5 set designer reveals the piece that set the scale for the super spy car – LEGO senior set designer Mike Psiaki tells-all about the new James Bond car.
- TBB Live from London: Exclusive interviews with LEGO designers at the Aston Martin launch event – Check out our coverage of the LEGO Aston Martin DB5 launch.
TBB SDCC NEWS AND REVEALS: San Diego Comic-Con wraps up this weekend, but we are still getting new sets revealed as well as some instructions for those fantastic exclusives. Hooray!
- LEGO releases instructions for San Diego Comic-Con 2018 exclusive sets – LEGO is being a bro by releasing instructions for all three SDCC exclusives, a trend we hope continues!
- LEGO 76115: Spider-Man Mech vs. Venom Mech unveiled – This set swings onto shelves December 1 with a piece count of 604, four minifigures, and priced at $49.99 USD.
- LEGO 76095 Aquaman Black Manta Strike revealed – The set with three minifigures and 235 pieces dives into stores August 1 for $29.99 USD.
OTHER NEWS: There were quite a few other interesting LEGO news articles from around the web this week. Here are the best of the rest:
Check out the other LEGO news of the week
LEGO releases instructions for the San Diego Comic-Con 2018 exclusive sets [News]
Fans will be pleased to know that LEGO has released instructions for all 3 of the San Diego Comic-Con 2018 exclusive sets. Many of the sets in previous exclusives have had unique printed pieces or parts that make them hard for fans to build without paying the hefty secondary-market price. This year LEGO has taken the additional effort to show that they’re listening. While you still won’t get the exclusive packaging with comic book-style box, the rest of the parts should be available in other sets, or maybe already in your collection, and that’s a fair compromise.
Click on the images below to download the PDF instructions.
LEGO Architecture 21042 Statue of Liberty [Review]
The Statue of Liberty is perhaps the most recognizable American icon and has been rendered in LEGO bricks many times. From a massive version towering over the original LEGOLAND Billund to a much-sought-after collectible minifigure variant, Lady Liberty is a longstanding favorite of LEGO designers. The newest addition to the LEGO Architecture line 21042 Statue of Liberty is arguably the most complex, accurate and satisfying renditions, containing 1,685 pieces and available now for $119.99 USD.
Click to read our complete review of 21042 Statue of Liberty
LEGO 76095 Aquaman Black Manta Strike revealed as the latest LEGO DC Super Heroes playset [News]
With the Aquaman slated to hit the big screens on the 21st of December, LEGO will be releasing 76095: Aquaman™: Black Manta™ Strike playset for the movie on the 1st of August priced at $29.99 USD. It will include 3 minifigures, featuring Black Manta, Aquaman and Mera. Mera is the Queen of Atlantis and wife of DC Comics superhero Aquaman in the comic series.
Click to see the press release
LEGO James Bond Aston Martin DB5 set designer reveals what piece set the scale for the super spy car [Video]
The newest LEGO Creator vehicle, the 10262 James Bond Aston Martin DB5, was revealed in London today with surprise instant availability worldwide. The iconic car is packed with hidden features, gadgets and includes an ingenious way of making the LEGO car’s doors open and close like a real car.
We learned an interesting fact from the designer video included below, that scale of the vehicles in the Creator Expert line is determined by the size of the LEGO wheel that best fits the car. LEGO senior set designer Mike Psiaki said that since there are only a few set wheel sizes, the rest of the LEGO car is then sized accordingly by comparing it with reference photos of the real vehicle. He also talks about the hardest part of creating the set, and how working on a James Bond car was a childhood dream of his.
The LEGO James Bond Aston Martin DB5 is now available for LEGO VIPs with general availability August 1st for $149.99 USD.
Exclusive interviews with LEGO designer and Aston Martin Creative Director at London LEGO Creator Expert 10262 James Bond DB5 set launch event [News]
Earlier this morning, The Brothers Brick attended what was supposed to be a top-secret launch event at LEGO’s flagship UK store in Leicester Square, London. The silver Aston Martin DB5 parked outside the main entrance was a bit of a giveaway that today was all about the new Creator Expert 10262 James Bond DB5 set.
TOP SECRET: LEGO 10262 James Bond Aston Martin DB5 [Review]
Despite a long sequence of cars from Lotus, BMW, Ford, and others, no other car maker featured in the James Bond movies can come close to the iconic status of Aston Martin, starting with the 1963 Aston Martin DB5 first featured in Goldfinger. Long rumored and officially announced at a special event in London earlier today (see our complete coverage here on The Brothers Brick), the latest vehicle in the LEGO Creator Expert series is 10262 James Bond Aston Martin DB5, which includes 1,290 pieces and is available now for LEGO VIPs and will be available worldwide August 1st (USD $149.99, CDN $179.99, 149.99€, £129.99, 1399DK, etc.).
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