A little over a month ago, I talked about a collaborative LEGO project debuting at BrickCon 2023: a massive modular Dungeons & Dragons dungeon. I was lucky enough to be invited to take part, contributing the 3-wide module with glowing green eyes I talked about in September. But now, having passed the History check, I’m able to give some further details behind this amazing, fantasy-themed project.
I love it when a great LEGO collaboration comes together! A group of friends built the Pokémon Ultra Beasts and the end result is pure gold. Take Aidan Hayward’s Celesteela, for example. This is one of the dangerous UBs, (that’s Ultra Beasts) high energy readings can be detected coming from both of its huge arms.
Sometimes a LEGO creation can be small and still impressive. But sometimes it can be on such a grand scale, that it takes a team of friends to make it happen. That is the case with this stunning Battle of Dybbol scene built by Hunter Erickson and friends. In the builder’s words; Prussia under Wilhelm I and his foreign minister Otto Von Bismarck sought to unify the German states under one banner through careful diplomacy and war. One example of this was the 8-month-long Second Schleswig War between Prussia and Austria against Denmark. The German Confederation thought it was unacceptable that Denmark sought to further integrate the majority German Duchy of Schleswig into the Danish state in 1863. This was seen as a violation of the London Protocol that ended the First Schleswig War in 1852. War was inevitable and in 1864, Prussia and Austria invaded Denmark. That is the scene depicted here.
LEGO’s Western theme may have only lasted a couple of years, but the sets available in that short span could build you a pretty comprehensive Wild West. In the spirit of that, Evan Crouch has collaborated with fellow builders Matt Hudson and Donnie Greenfield to bring us this huge diorama! It’s all there, laid out down one main street in typical spaghetti-western style (among some stunning landscape, I might add). There’s a bank, a sheriff’s office, a Native American camp, settlers, a train station – pretty much the only thing missing is Fort Legoredo itself!
Thought you were safe from the scary now that Hallowe’en is over? Think again! Simon Liu has collaborated with Micah Beideman to build something which, on the face of it, sounds adorable. I mean, “baby wars.” How scary can it be? As it turns out, pretty nightmare-inducing. The mechanised babies are pretty cute, to be fair, in their tanks with milk bottle cannons. The Scala baby is not a particularly disturbing piece per se, but add some tyre tentacles and you’ve created the most terrifying baby kaiju. I thought the scariest thing a baby could do was scream all the way through a flight – at least this puts that into perspective.
If you haven’t heard, BrickCon, the home LEGO convention for The Brothers Brick, is happening this weekend in Seattle. And, as we’ve previously posted, we’re hosting a collaborative display called MOCing Memories where builders can showcase their tributes to LEGO sets of the past, large or small. Now, while it’s too late to register to display your own builds, it’s not too late to stop by Saturday or Sunday to see what our talented bevy of builders have come up with in this ode to themes of yesteryear. If you’re in the Seattle area, and you’d like to see this marvelous TBB-sponsored display (and everything else at BrickCon) there’s more info here.
In case you haven’t heard, BrickCon 2022 is only two and a half weeks away. That’s only 16 days left to get things in order for the Seattle area’s biggest LEGO shindig! And if you’re anything like me, you’re knee-deep in 8×8 plates and minifig utensils finishing things up. But while you’re making sure your Technic technique is perfect, your castles are adequately crenellated, and your ever-growing brick badge is properly fortified, please remember that TBB is hosting its own collaboration at the con: MOCing Memories. Any build that pays homage to LEGO sets of the past (or pieces thereof) is welcome. That’s regardless of scale, regardless of theme, and regardless of era.
“But Kyle,” you say, “there’s only 380 hours left for stacking bricks on top of plates on top of slopes before I put my beautiful masterpiece on display! How can I get something new done in time?” Well, here’s an example of something small that would fit right into MOCing Memories, based on 6190 Shark’s Crystal Cave from 1997. And as a bit of further motivation for you, this may be one of the trophies up for grabs in the theme. Hope to see you and your builds there!
While we try to organize a TBB-sponsored collaborative project for LEGO builders who travel to Seattle to attend BrickCon, the last two years have been a bit strange, to say the least. With the 2020 convention fully remote, and 2021 under restrictions for how many registered attendees were allowed, we’ve had to adjust. But this year, the 90th anniversary of the LEGO brand gave us an idea. We have already seen many builders from around the world creating tributes to their favorite sets or themes from throughout LEGO’s history. So we are very excited to announce this year’s TBB collab for BrickCon 2022: MOCing Memories.
The rules are simple. Build a MOC inspired by a favorite set or part of a set from any LEGO theme, past or present. That’s it. Modernize the classic space rover? Perfect! Microscale fire station? Awesome! Giant-sized minifigure? Oh yeah! Build the ultimate elemental dragon? It’s on! So if you are a registered attendee of BrickCon 2022, and you want to be part of this nostalgic display, then join in on the fun and happy building.
When registering your MOC, be sure to select “TBB Collaboration” as the theme, and we’ll see you in Seattle.
One of the great things about LEGO is that there are so many creative ways to build. Some people navigate towards spaceships or castles. Some gravitate towards trains or buildings. And some explore the more esoteric fringes of artistic creativity with sculpture. Or, in this case, mosaics.
Over on Instagram, there’s been a lot of great art showing up in the #MosaicsOnMonday tag. We recently had a chance to sit down (virtually) with the innovators behind this challenge, and learn a bit about where this tag came from, where it is, and where it’s headed.
The planet Batuu lies at the edge of the known galaxy, a waypoint bordering the unknown regions. It is an outpost known only to a few. To get there, one must… go to Disneyland? In America?
Well, a group of European builders in the BrickzLab community shared the same sentiment and decided to build their own Galaxy’s Edge in LEGO – but set in the Dark Times era, which takes place after the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
Nine talented builders came together to build this immersive town: Malen Garek, dogma_54, The Brickforce, Luca S Projects, LegoFordo, H2Brick, lego_earth_production, lego_fanboy, and W1chard. Their goal was to display it at the German LEGO exhibition of IDS Brickworld, and the result was a massive 190cm by 130cm (6.3′ by 4.3′) display lit up with custom LEGO-compatible LED lights by Lightailing.
Click to see more photos and more info of this immersive build in great detail!
One thing better than a model by a super-skilled LEGO builder is a model by two super skilled LEGO builders. Joe (jnj_bricks) and Brick Ninja teamed up to create the Temple of the Rising Sun, a moment of battle captured for RebelLUG’s Kingdoms at War II contest. Brick Ninja handled the foreground’s battle scene, fortress, and bridge. Joe created the temple and background landscapes. The cool thing to me is how integrated both builds are. The repeated motifs of circular gold rings, wall textures, vegetation style, and red accents unify the two creations into a seamless whole.
Brick Ninja’s fortress is alive with interesting shapes and creative part usage in the torches. The bridge is elegant and action-packed. And be sure to spend some time zooming in on the background to appreciate the great forced perspective building from Joe. And when you’ve soaked up all you can from this image, go look in our archives for more great temple builds!
Given the challenge of building a castle scene depicting the four seasons, most builders would go the traditional route of spring, summer, fall, and winter… there is nothing wrong with that, but these four builders took a very different approach. A collaboration between Brickleas, Simon Hundsbichler, Jonas Kramm, and Ralf Langer. They each choose a season, and built a partial view of a castle, adding a temporal, metaphorical twist to the seasons, depicting birth in the spring, prime in the summer, decline in the fall and death in the winter.
