Ever wanted to drift away into an enchanted world filled with mystery and wonder? There is no need to venture any further with Isaac Snyder microscale build dubbed “the Tyrandal Woodlands”. This is why we are proud to set this amazing build as our Cover Photo for June.
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There is no such thing as too many LEGO castles, so LEGO has just announced another one based on Disney’s Frozen. 43197 The Ice Castle set consisting of over 1,700 pieces will come with all the main characters — Anna, 2 versions of Elsa, Kristoff — all in the format of LEGO minidoll figures. Besides, the castle brings Olaf and even four LEGO Snowgie figures. The complete build stands more than 25″/65 cm tall, which is only 4″/10 cm shorter than the iconic LEGO Disney 71040 Cinderella Castle. The set is already listed online, and will available for purchase from July 1 for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £199.99.
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If you live in the oasis city of Kaligem, safe behind the sturdy walls, nestled among white towers and golden spires you might count yourself fortunate. But your good fortune is coming to a swift end in this scene by Andreas Lenander which depicts the final moments of a city that has brought down the wrath of the gods in the form of a giant wall of sand that would give the Coriolis storms of Arrakis a run for its money.
I have a soft spot for Tudor-style buildings, brick-built trees, crumbling brick walls and interesting colour choices. This little medieval bakery by Danthefan ticks all the boxes for me. The Tudor style looks nice and simple. It even is used for the round tower, which isn’t an easy thing to do. The building has a little stone porch complete with stairs, and the stonework around the base of the house looks as if it has been there for a long time and has passed the test of time. You might notice that while the roof is bright green, the top of the roof of the tower is medium green. I had a hard time identifying the LEGO piece used for the top of the tower. Turns out, it is not LEGO System, it’s DUPLO! and it is brilliant. I currently do not have any DUPLO at hand but it appears the axle connector with four bars used as the base of a weathercock fits the open stud of the DUPLO part snugly. Last but not least, have you seen the spruce tree made of claws?
It’s that time of year again for some, particularly those who are already wishing it was autumn due to hot and humid weather. Well if you’re one of those people, you are sure to love Ayrlego’s model guard tower standing nice and tall in an autumn forest.
For the guard tower build itself, a number of brown and grey elements are utilized to render the stone and wood structure. Tiling is especially key to this build with the salmon-colored and tan tiles used at different elevations to render wood roof shingles. A couple of the old wavy flags in green and yellow are hung at the front of the building, denoting the city colors. This LEGO tower rests on an elevated brick-built terrain consisting of tan and olive green tiles, plates, and bricks instead of a baseplate. Of course, where there is a built structure, there should be some creatures around, and here we’ve got a couple of minifigures and the coveted LEGO goat hanging around the area. Lastly we have the brick-built trees displaying some crisp bright light orange tree branch elements. I can almost smell the autumn air through this build.
Many LEGO fans love to build miniature LEGO cities at home, and it seems that some minifigures share this passion. Tom, as depicted by Ben Tritschler, has build a small seaside scene that any human builder would be proud of. I see so much of myself in this little builder, albeit with a better hat and hair, and altogether cooler setup. Just look at his furniture: rather than simple vertical posts, he’s crafted some much more detailed table legs from modified round tiles and bar holders. Even the legs of his smaller work tables are repurposed bucket handles.
My favourite part of Tom’s little workshop though are his simple little buildings, using 1×1 printed plates to represent small buildings with doors. Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the techinic pin perfectly representing a little watchtower.
LEGO Builder Mark Erickson (Mark of Falworth) is no stranger to The Brothers Brick and shows no signs of stopping. His latest castle creation is titled “Storst Castle”, and there’s a lot to unpack. It’s one thing to craft a large-scale LEGO castle, but it’s an entirely different thing to incorporate it into a lush setting including an idyllic pasture, water, and an active underground hill. I love builds like this that have a grand scale, yet also have little stories playing out. It will pay to take your time to really dig into all the little details on this huge diorama.
This LEGO castle tower creation by Roger Cageot is a fun exercise in creating round walls and combining muted and vibrant colors. I love the green color of the lake and the way the yellows are combined. The simple wooden drawbridge is a fun feature, and the morose tree adds a somber feeling to the creation. This could easily live in the world of the LEGO Ideas 21325 Medieval Blacksmith with its dilapidation, colors, and energy.
Every LEGO theme has a specific goal. Ninjago and Star Wars promise action and cool vehicles and characters. Creator Expert brings complex builds and classy display models. Technic offers working functions and interesting machinery. The Creator line’s niche is in providing an old-school build experience, for people who want sets with a load of potential but not a lot of exclusive or specialized elements. And in that vein, 31120 Medieval Castle is a rousing success. Sitting at the top of the new lineup of Creator sets available June 1, this 3-in-1 set comes with instructions and parts for three unique medieval-themed models (one at a time), including a large castle, and yes, a trebuchet. The set has 1,500 pieces, making it the largest Creator set to date, not counting bulk brick buckets that don’t include instructions. It will retail for US $99.99 | CAN $TBD | UK £TBD. It will be available June 1 in Europe and elsewhere, while North America will have to wait until August 1.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Sometimes I am too fast when it comes to labeling LEGO pieces as useless or at least single use pieces. When I first saw the Disney Storybook Adventure sets I liked the small parts that came with it and the Micro Dolls. I couldn’t care less, however, for the book covers or the big 6 x 8 oval plates that came with it. Keith Reed has proven me wrong by using these pieces in a lovely way. In their latest creation the oval plates have been used as paintings. Displayed in a very lovely and well lit hallway. I may be reading too much into it, but my guess is that even the foliage outside matches the paintings. I see red roses in front of Belle and a shell in front of the Ariel painting. In front of Mulan we have the azalea and the magnolia. And last but not least, in front of Elsa and Anna there is… nothing to back my theory up except for two different flowers that might represent the different princesses. As I said, I might be reading to much into it. Whatever the meaning, it’s a beautiful and elegant scene.
I am not a fan of big LEGO pieces. Not at all! But Thomas van Urk proves me wrong with this latest creation. Around the first story of this build are not one, not two, but three light grey 1x8x6 door frames with stone pattern and clips. I normally really dislike this piece because of the stone pattern, since LEGO never made ‘regular’ bricks to continue that particular pattern. The only part you can use to continue the stone pattern is this piece itself. So to me, they always stick out in a build. That is until now.
In this creation, the big doorframe works wonderfully, and to be honest it took me a while to notice they were even included. The big doorway is nearly the only part used to get the overall piece count of this build down, because otherwise it looks very part intensive. (The other one is the Brick 1 x 6 x 5 with Stone Wall Pattern which makes up the cobblestone walkway.) The roof of the building is stunning. I love all the bay windows sticking out, and the tower with the metal tip makes the roof look really intricate. And the tree next to the village house is a stunning beauty itself. At the base there are round axle connector blocks. After a while these transition into 2×2 round bricks and the occasional 2×2 round bricks with pin holes. Eventually those transition into round pin connectors. I am not sure how Thomas managed to connect the 2×2 round bricks to the pin connectors. Perhaps flower stems? What do you think?
I’m a big fan of seeing historical events recreated in LEGO form. Today’s moment from history is the Siege of Jerusalem, shown here by builder Marco den Besten.
In the year 1187, the armies of Saladin laid siege to the Crusader stronghold of Jerusalem. At the point of the attack depicted above, the walls of the city have been breached. Marco’s use of dark and sand-colored bricks helps establish the Middle Eastern look of the setting. I also admire his woodwork on the siege towers and battering ram tunnel.
The walls are equally impressive, with various bricks serving as weathered stone that has stood through the ages. The arrowslits are well-designed. I like how there are two different versions of them.
As brave as these Crusaders might be, I don’t think they stand a chance against Saladin’s forces.