Category Archives: News

Stay current on the latest news and information about LEGO, from sales & deals to new set announcements. We also cover LEGO events and conventions all over the world.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 21, 2017 [News]

The Brothers Brick publishes so many stories that we’re giving you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our Weekly Brick Report for the third week of January.

TBB NEWS: From a life-sized Batmobile to a tiny Baby Groot, we have all the news you need to know along with a builder interview and a deep dive into a fascinating new part.

Life-sized LEGO Batmobile made from over 300,000 bricks – LEGO and Chevrolet teamed up to build a life-sized version of 70905 The Batmobile, and it is exactly as awesomely black (and very dark grey) as the Dark Knight might hope.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 LEGO sets revealed – Retail giant Amazon has published images of the new LEGO sets for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, so take a look at Baby Groot!
An interview with Romanian super-builder Vitreolum – We had a deep conversation with Pacurar Andrei, who made our short-list of the year’s best creations.
New NEXO Knights “Nexogon” part analysis by New Elementary – Enjoy this excellent analysis of a unique new part available now in NEXO Knights sets, which originally appeared on New Elementary.

TBB REVIEWS & INSTRUCTIONS: We reviewed Creator and Ninjago sets, and have some instructions for yet another cute cat. (We might have an addiction here at TBB with brick-built pets…)

31065 Park Street Townhouse 3-in-1 – LEGO’s latest set in the Creator theme is the Park Street Townhouse, which is a lovely addition to the mini-modular line.
Ninjago 70621 The Vermillion Attack – This set is packed with interesting parts and play features, and some of the most detailed armor we’ve ever seen.
Instructions to build a cute LEGO cat called Jiji – Make your own pet from Kiki’s Delivery Service, the 1989 Japanese animated fantasy by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.

OTHER NEWS: There was a massive amount of LEGO news from other places around the web this week. Here are a few items we noticed and thought you might enjoy.
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Last chance to win the LEGO Death Star from The Brothers Brick

The biggest LEGO Star Wars set currently made is 75159 Death Star, and The Brothers Brick is giving away one copy of this massive 4,016-piece set to celebrate our readers! Today is your last chance to enter to win by clicking this link or the image below, or by clicking the Contests section on our Facebook page. The winner will also receive an awesome TBB logo T-shirt, stickers, and some really sweet A. Lemur buttons. The contest ends tomorrow, Jan. 20, so don’t delay!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 LEGO sets revealed [News]

Retail giant Amazon has published images of the new LEGO sets for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, which hits theaters May 5. As with previous films in the Marvel cinematic universe, LEGO will release a small wave of sets prior to the film’s opening, and in this case the sets are slated for release April 25. We don’t have word yet on the US prices, but expect them to run just slightly less than the Pound and Euro prices.

76081 The Milano vs. The Abilisk, 460 pieces, £44.99/49.99€

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Room with a View, Baby Doll and Building in Bed: a conversation with Romanian super-builder Vitreolum [Interview]

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Pacurar Andrei, also known as Vitreolum (Letranger Absurde). Pacurar lives in Romania and builds in a wide range of styles and genres. His work is highly regarded and his build, Room with a View, made our short-list of the year’s best creations. Please walk with us as we explore the mind of a builder!

TBB: How did you get into the LEGO hobby and what inspires you to build?

Pacurar Andrei: I got into the hobby when I decided to sell my childhood collection. They were all mixed together in two large bags, so I had to sort and build everything… by the time I was done with this I ended up buying sets instead of selling. Everything inspires me, from someone else’s build to things that surround me. Sometimes just looking at a certain part will be enough. Or just an idea that suddenly pops in my head. Although my biggest source of inspiration has always been movies, games and literature. The challenge is whether I can translate it into bricks.

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Life-sized LEGO Batmobile made from over 300,000 bricks [News]

Apparently Batman drives a Chevrolet, as LEGO and Chevrolet have teamed up to build a life-sized version of 70905 The Batmobile complete with Chevy bowtie emblem, and it is exactly as awesomely black (and very dark grey) as the Dark Knight might hope.

This huge “Speedwagon” from upcoming The LEGO Batman Movie was unveiled today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It was built as a life-sized, 1-1 scale replica of the LEGO Batmobile, much like the Star Wars X-wing from a few years ago.

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LEGO 31065 Park Street Townhouse 3-in-1 [Review]

LEGO’s latest set in the Creator theme is 31065 Park Street Townhouse, which was recently released in both the UK and the US. This set contains 566 pieces and retails at UK: £44.99 / US: $49.99 / EU: €49.99. The main build is the townhouse, but there are alternative instructions for a city café and a suburban home. The set comes with 2 minifigures, a moped, and the parts to build a little blue bird and a white dog. This type of Creator set is often called a “mini modular” and interestingly one of the images at the back of the first instruction booklet shows this set linked with 31050 Corner Deli to form a mini street scene. Other examples of so-called mini modulars include 31026 Bike Shop & Café or 31036 Toy and Grocery Shop, both of which are now retired.

Read the full review of 31065 Park Street Townhouse

One week left to win the LEGO Star Wars Death Star from TBB [News]

As we announced just a few weeks ago, The Brothers Brick is giving away one copy of the massive LEGO Star Wars set 75159 Death Star. Enter to win from this link, or by clicking the Contests section on our Facebook page. The winner will also receive an awesome TBB logo T-shirt, stickers, and some really sweet A. Lemur buttons.

TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 14, 2017 [News]

The Brothers Brick publishes so many stories that we’re giving you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our Weekly Brick Report for the second week of January.

TBB NEWS & REVIEWS: This week we took a deep dive into the minds of some amazing builders (Batman and Bionicle!) and even shared some instructions for a cute bug.

Interview with Paul Hetherington, builder of TBB’s Creation of the Year – Take a tour inside the mind behind our Creation of the Year 2016.
Exclusive photos of Henry Pinto’s massive Sentinel – This X-Men Sentinel stands a meter tall, weighs 16.5 lbs, is built from at least 7,000 pieces, and took over three months!
Interview with the LEGO Bionicle design team in Billund by New Elementary – Please enjoy this excellent interview with LEGO’s outgoing Bionicle design team that originally appeared on New Elementary.
Build your own Catbug from Bravest Warriors – Here are instructions to build the adorable Catbug from the cartoon Bravest Warriors.

OTHER NEWS: There was a massive amount of LEGO news from other places around the web this week. Here are a few items we noticed and thought you might enjoy.

Full-size tractor built from 800,000 bricks, CLAAS – France’s first museum of agriculture, the Musée du Compa, has a full-scale CLAAS tractor, and it looks like LEGO set 42054 CLAAS XERION 5000 TRAC VC (20% off at the moment), right down to those beautiful red hubcaps!
LEGO Boost earns WIRED’s Top 10 Best of CES, WIRED – LEGO’s newly unveiled Boost robotics system racked up the awards at CES in Las Vegas last week. (Also read TBB’s hands-on with LEGO Boost).
NINJAGO World grand opens at LEGOLAND Florida, Inside the Magic – Do you wanna be a ninja? Well, now is your chance, at LEGOLAND Florida’s new themed world.
LEGO CITY Undercover game unveiled, LEGO YouTube – Join the chase! This existing game just got the blockbuster treatment, up-scaled for major videogame platforms.
Why does stepping on a Lego brick hurt so darn much?, CNET – Stepping on a LEGO brick feels like being shot by a knife soaked in bullet-ant venom. But why? Science explains!
The LEGO imitation HALO Mega Bloks game that never came to be, Destructoid – Take a look at this test footage from the abandoned Mega Bloks HALO videogame.
LEGO- inspired wedding cake built from tasty bricks, Huffington Post – If Lego is your true love and you’re also getting married this year, we’ve found the perfect cake for you.

That’s your Brick Report. See you next week!

Interview with the LEGO Bionicle design team in Billund by New Elementary [Guest Post]

Here at The Brothers Brick, we tend to specialize in certain kinds of news, LEGO creations, and reviews, but thanks to our partnerships with other LEGO websites, we’re able to bring you more kinds of content. Please enjoy this excellent interview that originally appeared on New Elementary.

To conclude our farewell to LEGO® BIONICLE® “Generation 2”, we have an interview with three members of the team. This was actually recorded prior to the announcement that the theme would be ending, but of course these guys continue to make Constraction figures with The LEGO Group, so whilst BIONICLE is dead (or perhaps merely dormant), the elements live on!

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Batman, The Day of the Dead and Pickles: a chat with world-class LEGO builder Paul Hetherington [Interview]

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Paul Hetherington and take a tour inside his head to see how he invents such fantastic creations. Our readers will recognize him as the builder of our Creation of the Year 2016, Gotham Theater Showdown, but his creations span a much greater range in subject and technique than many people may realize. Let’s get to know Paul, shall we?

TBB: Can you give us a little background on how you got into the LEGO hobby and what inspires you to build?

Paul: I’ve been into the LEGO hobby since before you could reasonably use the word “classic” to describe old space and castle sets. I bought my first set as an adult in 1991, which was the Space M-Tron Pulsar Charger. Little did I know back then that I had just taken the first step on an epic journey — one that would introduce me to so many amazing people, and have my LEGO creations be recognized around the world. Because back in 1991, as far as I knew, I was the only crazy adult who bought LEGO sets.

There are so many things that inspire me to build. My first creations were just built for my own enjoyment, as there was no way to share them. Then when the internet came along, all of a sudden a local LEGO club formed which I joined. From that point I had a reason to build. The first years of creating were mainly spent recreating local buildings, trains and hot rods for train shows and museums. I found I really enjoyed doing research to ensure that my creations were historically accurate and to scale. I soon became inspired to add some fantasy elements into my creations. I discovered Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and the works of Antoni Gaudi. Theme parks, Mardi Gras floats, and parades were also a great source of inspiration.
More recently, I had the pleasure to work with the artist Douglas Coupland on an installation and came to the realization that Lego has a place in the Art world. I find the Surrealists, especially Dali, and Pop Art, and Comic book art to be particularly inspiring. In recent years my creations have had more of an artistic twist and I see myself going more in that direction. Architecture will always be at the heart of what I do and is usually the catalyst for my creations.

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TBB Weekly Brick Report: LEGO news roundup for January 7, 2017 [News]

The Brothers Brick publishes so many stories that we’re giving you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our Weekly Brick Report for the first week of 2017 (and the new year is off to a great start).

TBB NEWS: Holy moly, Batman, there was an avalanche of news this week. From the unveiling of Boost at CES to sending a plane to the South Pole, we have all you need to know right here, including the winners of TBB’s Builder and Creation of the year!

LEGO Boost unveiled and Hands on with LEGO Boost at CES in Las Vegas – TBB brings you exclusive information about LEGO’s newly unveiled Boost robotics system from CES.
LEGO Hercules travels to the South Pole – Read all about how TBB sent a model of a LC-130 Hercules to the South Pole and the LEGO fans that live there.
Brothers Brick awards Builder of the Year to Grant Masters and Creation of the Year to Paul Hetherington‘s Batman vs. Joker Theater Showdown – See the work of these builders that wowed us so much that we awarded them TBB’s highest honors.
Top 10 LEGO news posts of 2016 and Top 10 most popular LEGO creations of 2016 – What was the most popular content on TBB this past year? We have the results!
LEGO IDEAS 2016 roundup and 2017 preview – 2016 was quite the busy year for IDEAS, and the next deadline for projects reaching 10,000 votes is coming soon.
January 2017 LEGO sets available now including Assembly Square, Adventure Time – The new year means new sets! What are the hottest items that just hit shelves?

REVIEWS & INSTRUCTIONS: TBB had its hands full creating mascot instructions and reviewing a new set from Star Wars: Rogue One.
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The LEGO Batman Movie Batman in the Phantom Zone & The Joker Training Battle [Review]

As we approach The LEGO Batman Movie‘s February release, LEGO is launching scores of sets to accompany its first feature film of the year and we’ve been covering them as quickly as we can. Today we’re bringing you two more mini sets, 30522 Batman in the Phantom Zone, and 30523 The Joker Training Battle. Both are minifigure scale, unlike the microscale sets we covered recently of The Mini Batmobile and Batwing. Both are expected to retail for $4.99 USD.

30522 Batman in the Phantom Zone, 59 pieces

Click to read the full review of both sets