Barad-Dûr, seat of Sauron’s power, is known more by reputation than by first-hand accounts in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien describes it as “wall upon wall, battlement upon battlement, black, immeasurably strong, mountain of iron, gate of steel, tower of adamant.” Peter Jackson’s films made Barad-Dûr an iconic on-screen presence with the fiery eye Continue reading →
The Dark Knight continues his hot streak as LEGO announces four new Batman sets releasing on March 1, 2025 – Three new Batmobiles at a scale similar to Speed Champions, and a bat logo. The sets draw on different eras of the Batman movie franchise and connect to the LEGO Batman – Legacy of the Dark Knight video game, with each set containing an unlock code for an exclusive golden variant in-game. In celebration of 20 years of LEGO Batman, each set also includes a printed gold tile.
Our friends at Umbasa LUG host monthly challenges focused on minifigs and dark fantasy. For September, the community tried something a little different, challenging builders to create not just characters but a brick-built vignette of between 10-16 studs on each side. The Brothers Brick sponsored this month’s contest, providing a copy of Windmill Village Hut Continue reading →
There are few subjects I enjoy seeing in LEGO as much as trees, from the single-mold pine trees in vintage sets to the enormous redwoods of Sequoia Tree Trail. I never cease to be amazed by the creative ways that AFOLs find to make decidedly organic branches and bark out of plastic bricks. At Skærbæk fan Continue reading →
LEGO might not have released a stand-alone Space theme since 2013’s Galaxy Squad, but the spirit of space exploration lives on as a sub-theme of City. Two years of great sets have introduced new uniforms, personal mechs, and swooshable ships with an aesthetic closer to Interstellar than retro sci-fi. At last month’s IDS Brickworld, long-time Continue reading →
We never get tired of seeing new additions to the Frogust lineup, even in October, and this spin from LEGO’s newest set designer, Nathan Don, is especially sweet. Dubbed ‘Cherritoad’, this frog gives the theme its just desserts with a whimsical design that wouldn’t be out of place in the Pokémon universe. For a LEGO Continue reading →
A Minecraft-inspired modular? Thanks to A Minecraft Movie’s isekai plot taking real-world gamers into the fantasy land of voxel-based construction, it’s not as weird as you might think! Swedish AFOL Jenny Bergensten, a member of Swebrick, is a fan of the film – specifically Game Over World, the retro gaming shop run by Jason Momoa’s Continue reading →
Japanese builder Pan Noda is a master at crafting liminal spaces in LEGO. From ancient ruins to cursed malls to surreal swimming pools, their worlds make the familiar look strange or even haunted. Controlled depth of field and a lack of minifigs make scale confounding and dreamlike. Pan Noda’s latest takes one of the most Continue reading →
After building two trucks to carry a wind turbine’s hub and nacelle, it was inevitable that TBB’s own Ralph Savelsberg would complete a trilogy by also building one carrying a blade. But first, we’re gonna need a bigger trailer! Read the builder’s full story on the site.
The Bricklink Designer Program has become a haven for fan favorite themes like Classic Castle, Western, Pirates, and Trains. BLDB Series 6, which goes on sale today, hits some of those greatest hits, but the set that caught my eye isn’t tied to LEGO nostalgia, but childhood memories of summer vacation and visiting National Parks. Continue reading →
From Tolkien to Warhammer and everything in between, orcs are the biggest, baddest, and often funniest fantasy baddies of any setting they appear in. This week we’ve put together a horrendous horde of LEGO orcs from the custom community. You’ll find more than a few surprises in this one! A king of cohesion, capt.dark.shark unleashes Continue reading →
What makes your favorite Miyazaki film? Is it the Adventure of Laputa, the wonder of My Neighbor Totoro, the intricacy of Spirited Away, or the magic of Howl’s Moving Castle? Somehow, builder Tung Man Chun manages to distil the hearts of these films down to 8×8 studs in a series of incredible LEGO vignettes. Each Continue reading →