Tag Archives: Book

The Brothers Brick isn’t just about bricks! When we’re not building with LEGO or writing about LEGO, we enjoy reading about it, too. Thankfully, there’s a plethora of page-turners ready for our perusal.

Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the first in its series to truly delve into darker themes and atmosphere. It seems this mysterious and gloomy tome is what inspired Simon NH to build his latest creation, a microscale scene of the Durmstrang ship’s arrival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

Durmstrang and Hogwarts

It seems Simon has a phobia for normal bricks, as there are hardly any throughout the build. There are a few used as the lake and some plates visible here and there, but everything else is built from “specialized” parts and more or less exotic tiles and slopes. Of course, the inner construction probably has a lot of basic bricks, but here the looks are probably the most important. The best details have to be the tower’s roof and the wings used as waves. It is not all just in the cool parts used and in the combinations of bricks most people would never think to put together; a big impact is made by the lighting, photography and the subtle background added in post-production. I can almost hear the wind howling and waves crashing!

This LEGO model was built as an entry for TBB’s Microscale Magic contest. Coverage on TBB of an entry will not be taken into consideration during judging, and will have no effect on its ability to win, either positively or negatively.

Updated edition of The LEGO Book from DK will come with an exclusive LEGO 2×4 printed brick [News]

Global publisher DK, known for its releases of LEGO-themed reference books like Ultimate LEGO Star Wars and LEGO DC Superheroes: Build Your Own Adventure, today announces their next special edition book — an updated edition of The LEGO Book. The 280-page book will celebrate both the 60th anniversary of the LEGO brick and the 40th anniversary of the LEGO minifigure, and will guide its readers through the incredible story of the world’s most famous toy manufacturer.

Besides being updated with pictures and facts on the latest LEGO themes and products, The LEGO Book will include stories about how some fan creations have become official LEGO products though the LEGO Ideas program, and much more. Moreover, the book will come with an exclusive, red 2×4 LEGO brick featuring an outline of the LEGO brick design and the dates 1958 and 2018, symbolising a piece of the company’s heritage.

The LEGO Book will be available starting October 4, 2018 and will retail at £18.99 in the UK.

You can read the full press-release below.

Exclusive LEGO® brick reveal

DK is proud to reveal an exclusive 60th anniversary printed LEGO brick which will be part of the new edition of The LEGO® Book, publishing on 4th October 2018.

This special edition of The LEGO Book has been fully updated and expanded to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the brick and the 40th anniversary of the LEGO Minifigure.

The exclusive red brick includes the dates 1958 and 2018 printed in white, plus the outline of the LEGO brick design. The book features information on how LEGO bricks are made, the LEGO brand plus spreads on how amazing fan creations have become real life LEGO sets, plus more more.

The LEGO Book and exclusive brick have been created in full collaboration with the LEGO Group and is a must-have book for any fan, collector, adult, or child wanting more information on the heritage of this much loved brand.

LEGO promo set 40291 Creative Personalities: Hans Christian Andersen [Review]

This months’ promotional set from the LEGO Shop is 40291 Creative Personalities, featuring the 19th-century Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. The set takes the form of a storybook and includes 307 pieces with two minifigs and is available for free with all purchases over $99 from June 4th through the 20th (or until supplies run out).

LEGO sent us a copy of the set ahead of its release, so let’s take a closer look.

Read our full review of the Hans Christian Andersen storybook set

Open the book and let your legend unfold

It says in this unique creation that every legend has a beginning, and I believe this is indeed the beginning of Malin Kylinger‘s legend. As a newcomer to the online LEGO fan community, her photostream on Flickr is hardly half a year old. Malin’s photostream has already accumulated a few, very cute builds, but this vibrant fantasy scene is a level higher than the rest.

The Legend of Anendra

Obviously what makes this build unique is the ornate open book with the words “Every legend has a beginning”, but the build is much more than that. The landscape seems to be spilling into the book, while a sea serpent emerges out of the latter with a very dynamic water splashing effect. The serpent is quite good too, most notably the shaping around its eye. I can not wait to see this legend continue… Both the Legend of Anendra and of Malin.

Ultimate LEGO Star Wars author events at Third Place Books in Seattle Feb 23 & 24 [News]

The Brothers Brick managing editors Chris Malloy and Andrew Becraft will be presenting insights and observations about 19 years of LEGO Star Wars at two events in Seattle later this week. On Friday, February 23 at 7:00 PM, the authors of Ultimate LEGO Star Wars will share a presentation and autograph books at the Seward Park location. Then, on Saturday, February 24 at 7:00 PM, they will do so at the Ravenna store.

Chris Malloy & Andrew Becraft present at Powell's Books Portland

The previous event at Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon (pictured here) was well-attended, so be sure to arrive early for seating and copies of the book.

Chris Malloy & Andrew Becraft signing at Powell's Books Portland

For those of you lucky enough to be attending the sold-out Emerald City Comic-Con the first weekend in March, Chris and Andrew will also be doing a panel and signing in the Writers Block area on Sunday morning (March 1st at 10:45 AM).

Ultimate LEGO Star Wars author event at Powell’s Books: Sat Jan 20 [News]

As part of an ongoing mini-tour to support our Ultimate LEGO Star Wars book from DK, Chris Malloy and I will be guests at the Powell’s Books location in Beaverton, Oregon next Saturday, Jan 20th at 2:00 PM. We’ll be doing a panel discussion moderated by one of our LEGO friends from PortLUG, a Q&A, and book signing.

Ultimate LEGO Star Wars book at Powell's

Andrew at Powell’s City of Books in downtown Portland. Andrew and Chris really need to get a photo taken together…

Powell’s Books is the world’s largest independent bookstore, and I’ve been buying books from Powell’s in Portland my whole life. It’s a little surreal to be doing an author event with Chris there now! You can read all of the Beaverton event details on Powells.com, including a pre-order of a signed copy.

For LEGO Star Wars fans closer to our home base here in Seattle, Chris and I also be doing author events at two Third Place Books locations in Seattle (Ravenna and Seward Park) in February, so stay tuned for more details.

Ultimate LEGO Star Wars book author event at Bricks & Wheels in Bellevue, WA: Sat, Dec 16 [News]

My co-author and I will be at Bricks & Wheels in Bellevue, WA this Saturday, December 16 to sign copies of our DK book Ultimate LEGO Star Wars. We’ll be there from 2 PM to 6 PM, so swing by with your books (the store will also have copies on hand for sale) to say hi and ask us some questions.

Bricks & Wheels sells both used and new LEGO sets, and they also accept trade-ins. Last year, I traded in my original UCS Falcon and picked up a Midi-scale Falcon in exchange — and I didn’t even know last January that LEGO would be releasing the new 75192 UCS Millennium Falcon. Good deal!

Andrew & Aaron at Bricks & Wheels Bellevue

TBB Editor-in-Chief Andrew Becraft trades in his 10179 UCS Millennium Falcon for a Midi-Scale Falcon.

A bit more about this weekend’s event from Bricks & Wheels:

Come meet the authors of the new DK book Ultimate LEGO Star Wars, Chris Malloy and Andrew Becraft. Chris and Andrew are LEGO builders who are also two of the editors of The Brothers Brick. Bricks & Wheels will have books to purchase, but you can also bring your own copies to have them signed by the authors and ask a LEGO Star Wars question or two!

Ultimate LEGO Star Wars book now available – exclusive interview with the authors [News]

Ultimate LEGO Star WarsDK has just released Ultimate LEGO Star Wars, a completely new large-format reference book written by The Brothers Brick’s Senior Editor Chris Malloy and Editor-in-Chief Andrew Becraft.

The authors will be holding panel discussions and signings over the coming weeks, including at BrickCon 2017 later this week in Seattle, and we’re pleased to bring our readers the very first interview with the authors.

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Ultimate LEGO Star Wars book from DK now available for preorder, authored by TBB editors Chris Malloy and Andrew Becraft [News]

The Brothers Brick Senior Editor Chris Malloy and Editor-in-Chief Andrew Becraft recently completed a new hard-cover coffee table book titled Ultimate LEGO Star Wars from DK. An up-to-date reference that covers the full range of LEGO Star Wars sets and minifigs from the first sets in 1999 to The Force Awakens and Rogue One, the book is due out on October 3, and is available for preorder now.

Ultimate LEGO Star Wars

The book includes spreads on characters, locations, and vehicles, such as the various LEGO B-wing sets that have been released over the years.

Ultimate LEGO Star Wars B-wing spread

Here’s the press info from DK:

The definitive guide to the LEGO® Star Wars™ universe, showcasing the vast collection of LEGO Star Wars sets and minifigures released over the last 20 years.

This is a complete, unrivaled encyclopedia of the LEGO Star Wars theme. Fans will have an all-encompassing companion to the LEGO Star Wars cultural phenomenon. Produced in large format and featuring beautiful imagery, this is an indispensable guide for young fans and a stunning reference work for adults. With behind-the-scenes material, it tells the complete story of LEGO Star Wars, from the earliest concepts in the late 1990s to the creation of the most recent sets for The Force Awakens™ and Rogue One™. Created with the LEGO Star Wars team.

Keep your eyes peeled for our exclusive follow-up interview with the authors — and who knows, there may even be a chance for lucky TBB readers to win autographed copies! And if you’re heading to BrickCon 2017 in Seattle in just a couple weeks, the book will be out two days before the convention starts, and Chris and Andrew will be there to sign your copies for you.

Beasts from Bricks [Review]

Beasts from Bricks: Amazing LEGO Designs for Animals from Around the World is the latest LEGO instructional book from Quarry Books, authored by LEGO artist and designer Ekow Nimako. This is the second book in the series following Birds from Bricks. The 144-page book presents illustrated step-by-step instructions to build 15 animals from around the world: Africa, Europe, Asia, Antarctica, Oceania, Central/South America, the Caribbean, and North America. Each set of instructions includes a couple of paragraphs of information about the animal’s characteristics and habitat. Also included is a bonus gallery of Ekow Nimako’s more complex, large-scale animal designs.

Read the full review after the jump

LEGO DC Superheroes: Build Your Own Adventure [Review]

DC Superheroes marks LEGO’s latest entry in the Build Your Own Adventure (BYOA) book series by publisher DK, featuring Green Lantern and other members of the Justice League. The book is out today, and is available for $15.49 USD from Amazon US or £17.57 from Amazon UK. Rod Gillies, TBB’s very own assistant editor, designed the inspirational models in this book. Rod is something of a veteran of the series, having previously built for the Star Wars Build Your Own Adventure and LEGO City Build Your Own Adventure books.

LEGO DC Superheroes - Build Your Own Adventure

As with all the LEGO BYOA books, the pack includes a hardback book and a separate cardboard box that fit neatly together. One side of the cardboard box is a laminated scene to use as a setting for imaginative play with your creations. The 80-page hardcover volume includes a Green Lantern minifigure and small selection of bricks to create a model vehicle. It features building tips and more than 50 small models to use as inspiration for building with your own bricks.

DC Review 2

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Tips for Kids – Transformers: Cool Projects for Your LEGO Bricks [Review]

Joachim Klang and Alex Jones are a duo of builders well known within the LEGO community, and their creations have appeared on The Brothers Brick numerous times. Now they’ve got a new book to share some of their techniques: Tips for Kids – Transformers: Cool Projects for Your LEGO® Bricks. Over the past few months, we’ve already highlighted a few of the builds that the pair created for the book, but now we are able to review the book itself.

TBB Transformers Review

Title: Tips for Kids: Transformers: Cool Projects for your Lego Bricks
Publisher: Heel Verlag Gmbh (July 10, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 3958434959
ISBN-13: 978-3958434950
RRP: $19.95

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