If you haven’t yet seen A LEGO Brickumentary, find a theater playing it or rent it on Amazon or iTunes. It’s a fascinating look at the impact that our favorite toy brick has on the lives of fans and regular non-fans alike. The documentary covers all aspects of the intersection of bricks and people, from custom models like we feature here at TBB to LEGO being used as a therapy tool. Full disclosure: several of our contributors, including myself, have cameos in the documentary (here’s a picture I took at Brickcon). Just chalk that up as another reason to go see it! The film will be available for purchase Nov. 3, but is now available on Amazon for streaming and pre-order: just click the picture below. You can read the official press release after the jump.
Category Archives: News
BrickCon 2015 only 2 weeks away [News]
That’s right, the grand pappy of LEGO conventions opens its doors soon in Seattle, Washington. For builders, it’s time to finish up those creations and make final preparations – the most important of which is to REGISTER! Regular builder registration ends September 18th (this Friday) after which the fee jumps from $75 to $100. As well as saving you money, registering before this deadline also secures your engraved badge bricks and goodie bag, so don’t delay. Visitors to the public exhibition (October 3rd and 4rd) can buy tickets either at the door or online, but we strongly recommend online to reduce your wait time on the day.
The theme of BrickCon this year is MOCking History, so expect some interesting mashups of the past, present and future. All the usual building categories (Space, Town, Castle, and so on) will be represented, as well as several new ones… Alongside a new Wild West display will be the Battle of Bricksburg, a civil war collaborative diorama sponsored by The Brothers Brick. BrickCon is also pleased to introduce Screen Scenes, an area dedicated to mini-fig based builds inspired by film, TV, and videogames.
As well as registering themselves, builders should also remember to register their creations. Table space is not infinite, and theme coordinators need to know what people are bringing ahead of time, so that layouts can be properly planned. Bringing an oversized, unregistered MOC during setup is considered very bad form, and may result in your build not being accommodated.
Now is a great time for builders to explore the BrickCon website to find out about all the games, sessions and other activities being offered. There’s always a lot going on, so it helps to plan ahead so you don’t miss out. This year’s parts draft sets are 41085 Vet Clinic and 41075 The Elves Treetop Hideaway. There are also 26 different vendors peddling all kinds of LEGO wares. And if you like scoring stuff, consider supporting the BrickCon Video Kickstarter by our pals over at YouTube channel Beyond the Brick, to guarantee a souvenir video of the whole event and some cool one-of-a-kind rewards.
The Brothers Brick is a proud sponsor of this event. If you have any general questions, we’ll certainly do our best to answer them in the comments. Or you can contact the Con organizers directly. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you all – and your creations – in a couple of weeks. Make sure to come find us and say hi! But please do NOT pet, feed, or make eye contact with the lemur…
…it’s his mating season.
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens 75099 Rey’s Speeder [Review]
One of everyone’s favorite vehicles from the trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the speeder that shoots across the sands of Tatooine in front of the crashed Star Destroyer. Fortunately then for all of us, 75099 Rey’s Speeder is one of the first wave of LEGO sets from The Force Awakens released today in advance of the movie’s opening in December. I picked up a copy at my local LEGO Store, and here’s a brief review — it is, after all, the smallest of the new Star Wars sets at $19.99 and 193 pieces.
Read the full review after the jump!
Star Wars: The Force Awakens LEGO sets available now [News]
The LEGO sets for Star Wars: The Force Awakens are hitting hitting shelves and online sites today, three months ahead of the movie’s release in December. It’s apparently “Force Friday” or something to that effect. As a result, the world has gone insane.
If you’re not insane and would like to help The Brothers Brick out by purchasing the sets through us, you can do so by clicking through from the links below.
- 75099 Rey’s Speeder ($19.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
- 75100 First Order Snowspeeder ($39.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
- 75101 First Order Special Forces TIE fighter ($69.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
- 75102 Poe’s X-Wing Fighter ($79.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
- 75103 First Order Transporter ($89.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
- 75104 Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle ($119.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
- 75105 Millennium Falcon ($149.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
First Ever Danish Astronaut takes LEGO to Space [News]
Space news typically makes me giddy. When LEGO is in the mix, it’s all the better. On September 2 the Russian Soyuz rocket launched a new crew to the International Space Station for Expedition 44. This new crew will join astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, who are spending one full year on-board the ISS as we study the effects of long-term space travel in preparation for future deep-space missions.
Image courtesy of the European Space Agency and CollectSpace
Expedition 44 includes veteran cosmonaut Sergei Volkov (Russia), Aidyn Aimbetov (National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan), and Andreas Mogensen (European Space Agency). Why are we telling you all of this? Andres Mogensen is Denmark’s first ever astronaut and has brought LEGO with him aboard the ISS to mark the occasion. Along with the crew and supplies for their mission, 20 minifigures flew aboard.
Image courtesy of the European Space Agency and CollectSpace
According to Mogensen, “ESA and LEGO Education have partnered together for this mission, and among other things, we are running a competition for Danish schoolchildren to tell a story about my mission using Legos.” Mogensen recently completed a fantastic AMA on Reddit, if you wish to read more.
For more information on the mission and Expedition 44, check out Collect Space, the European Space Agency, NASA, and follow Andreas Mogensen on Twitter.
TBB Cover photo: September 2015
The kids are back in school, and the weather in some parts is changing. Yes, I guess Summer is slowly on the way out! So in a desperate act of defiance, this month’s chosen cover photo is a model of the pier at Brighton (a traditional British seaside resort) built by Greg Dlx:
Wanna see your creation featured across TBB social medial for a month? Then submit a photo of it today! Just make sure to read the rules first – we’re getting tired of submissions that won’t work as cover photos.
You can keep up with the Brothers Brick by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter. And for occasional extra goodies, you can also follow us on Flickr or subscribe to us on YouTube.
Do you want to blog for The Brothers Brick? We’re recruiting! [News]
Have you ever wanted to tell the whole world about the awesome LEGO model you just saw? Are you the person your family and friends look to on Facebook or Twitter for the latest LEGO news and the best LEGO creations? If you have a passion for LEGO and want to share it with the world, The Brothers Brick might be the place for you.
As a TBB Contributor, you’ll get to highlight the news you find, your favorite LEGO models from other builders, and even whatever you build yourself. We’ll expect you to write 3-4 new posts each week. That sounds easier than it actually is. Want to know what life is like at The Brothers Brick? Watch this video…
To help make sure that you’re successful as a new Contributor, here’s what we’re looking for:
- Adult LEGO builder (AFOL) aged 18 or older.
- Established track record in the AFOL community, whether on Flickr, a LEGO fan forum, or somewhere else.
- Good communicator and writer, as evidenced in comments and forum/group discussions.
- Previous blogging experience a strong plus.
TBB Contributor positions are unpaid — all joking about secure compounds and million-dollar yachts aside, The Brothers Brick is run by a bunch of passionate volunteers who blog about LEGO in their spare time. All money the site earns through the support of our loyal readers goes toward server and bandwidth costs, purchasing products to review, sponsoring contests and fan events like BrickCon, and helping out the LEGO fan community wherever we can.
Even though it’s a volunteer role, being a TBB Contributor provides a genuine opportunity to participate in one of the top hobby sites in the world. If you don’t have prior blogging experience, you’ll have the opportunity to learn or improve on tangible professional skills such as writing for the web, headline writing, search engine optimization, and social media strategy.
To apply, fill out the form on our TBB recruiting page. Questions? Ask us here in the comments.
P.S. We are not a cult!
2015 LEGO Advent Calendars: Star Wars, City, Friends [News]
For 2015, LEGO is rolling out 3 themed Advent calendars: Star Wars, City, and Friends. As with previous years’ Star Wars Advent Calendars, an exclusive holiday-themed Star Wars minifig is included. This time it’s C3-P0 dressed as Santa Claus, riding a sleigh pulled by an R2-D2 with reindeer antlers. The City calendar has a mini Santa train and loads of toys, while the Friends calendar includes parts for a small hockey match and a lot of accessories – both pretty par for the course.
UPDATE: Didn’t get your hands on this year’s Advent Calendars? Follow along with our virtual LEGO Advent Calendar starting December 1st!
75097 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar includes 292 pieces (available from Amazon.com and the LEGO Shop)
60099 LEGO City Advent Calendar includes 278 pieces (available from Amazon.com and the LEGO Shop)
41102 LEGO Friends Advent Calendar includes 233 pieces (available from Amazon.com and the LEGO Shop)
For those who’d rather wait to reveal all the surprises inside the Advent calendars, I’ve placed the full set images after the jump. Click to reveal.
Prepare for a swarm of TIE/D automated starfighters
I really enjoyed the growth of the Star Wars Expanded Universe back in the 90’s, from the gorgeous Dark Empire graphic novels by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy to the stellar Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. Though I stopped paying attention following the Prequel Trilogy, I’ve always liked seeing the unique vehicles and vessels from the EU. Dead Frog, Inc. built this compact little TIE/D droid fighter, capturing the iconic look of the larger, manned TIE fighters while reducing the size to match the EU source material. Now imagine thousands of these spewing out of a World Devastator, swarming a Mon Calamari city…
Exclusive review of LEGO Ideas Wall•E set designed by Angus MacLane [Review]
Last July, the LEGO Wall-E designed by Pixar director/animator Angus MacLane achieved 10,000 votes on LEGO Ideas, and its approval as an upcoming official set was announced in February. LEGO officially unveiled the set just yesterday, but thanks to the good people of Billund, we already have a copy of the set for a hands on review!
Spoiler alert: Wall•E is a a fantastic model with some great building techniques, lots of parts in an unusual color, and quite a good value for the money. I expect strong popularity from the subject matter alone, so I strongly recommend you pick up your LEGO Wall•E while supplies last.
Read the full review after the jump!
First official images of Star Wars: The Force Awakens LEGO sets! [News]
Here’s your first look at the lineup of sets for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. No word yet on precisely when these will hit stores, but you can probably look for them in the next month or two. See the full list below the jump (mild spoilers possible).
75101 First Order Special Forces TIE fighter ($69.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
75099 Rey’s Speeder ($19.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
75100 First Order Snowspeeder ($39.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
75102 Poe’s X-Wing Fighter ($79.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
75103 First Order Transporter ($89.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
75104 Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle ($119.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
75105 Millennium Falcon ($149.99): Available from Amazon.com & LEGO Shop Online
LEGO official Wall•E set finally revealed [News]
LEGO has raised the curtain on its latest set, 21303 Wall•E. This is our first official glimpse of the finished product since an official Wall•E set was announced over a year ago, and we’re excited to bring our readers a full hands-on review of this set tomorrow!
LEGO Ideas member MacLane is an animator and director at Pixar Animation Studios, and built his original WALL•E model around the same time the character was being built digitally at Pixar in late 2005. Since then, Angus has refined his model, most recently by collaborating with LEGO Designer Steen Sig Andersen and WALL•E director Andrew Stanton to bring the official LEGO Ideas version to life.
You’ll be able to purchase your own WALL•E starting September 1, for a recommended retail price of $49.99 / EUR 49,99.
You can read the rest of the press release over at the LEGO Ideas blog.