Tag Archives: Markus Rollbühler

Tributes roll out for set designer and pillar of the AFOL community Markus Rollbühler [Feature]

Markus “Rolli” Rollbühler is a force of nature in the LEGO world. Having made the transition from AFOL to professional set designer in 2016, Markus remains a community icon, generously giving back to and creating alongside a global community of builders. Some of his “hobby” roles, even as he designs sets (like my all-time favorite set Ninjago City Gardens), include organizing epic collabs with the amazing Rogue Bricks LUG, contributing to BrickNerd with Contest Roundups and other community spotlights, co-hosting the Iron Builder competition, offering set design commentary on BrickSet, and providing brick-built trophies for the Brickscalibur competition.

At last week’s Brickworld Chicago convention, some of the builders who have gotten to know “Rolli” over the years paid tribute to the legend with mouse-themed MOCs in reference to the tiny animal that has come to symbolize the big-hearted builder.

Kit Nugent recreates a Tom and Jerry gif with some wonderful parts usage for the popped kernels and mouse ears. Kit remembers the first time they encountered Iron Builder challenges with the crazy amounts of oddball parts – and not long after Kit would go on to compete in the competition as well!

The tributes keep rolling after the fold

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Putting the ‘rat’ into pirate – with clever parts use to boot

We often see collaborative projects in the LEGO community where different builders will all build within a similar theme. But it’s not often that said collab is themed around a specific builder! Steven Howad (Ghalad) and co have undertaken a “special secret collab” (his words) to celebrate LEGO designer and AFOL community stalwart Markus Rollbühler. Steven was handed five mice to get him started, but he has taken them and really ran with it – there is so much NPU here! The mice are in the beard, but we also have: octopuses and tyres for the hair; Dots wristbands for the sash and headband; lifejackets for the jacket buttons; long-haired dogs in the cheeks; and plenty more besides. But my favourite – and the most meta – are the boat hulls used for the hat and epaulettes!

LEGO House Exclusive 40506 LEGO Fabuland Tribute – A love letter to an iconic theme [Review]

This year, the LEGO House is hosting a new Fabuland exhibit, and along with it, celebrating the theme with the latest exclusive: 40506 LEGO Fabuland Tribute. This set, a collaboration between LEGO Master Builder Stuart Harris, Senior Designer Markus Rollbühler, and the LEGO House historian team, will only be available in the LEGO House retail store in Billund, Denmark as of March 1st, 2025. It contains 1026 pieces and will sell for 649DDK (roughly $91 USD | $130 CAD | £72 GBP | €87 EUR) with a limit of 3 per household. Join us as we take a closer look!

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

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LEGO all-stars bring Edo-era Japan to life in LEGO in epic collab

Each year the RogueBricks community, home to many of Europe’s most accomplished LEGO builders, comes together for a collaborative build. This year’s endeavor is an immersive recreation of the Japanese city of Kumamoto during the Edo Period built atop a whopping 170 base plates (that’s 2.5 x 4.3 meters!). The massive diorama depicts the coastal city in autumn and is packed with details of life during the Tokugawa shogunate, including scenes telling the story of the famous samurai Miyamoto Musashi.

Attendees were treated to motorized elements and integrated lighting, as well as informative plaques describing the history captured in bricks. As a bonus easter egg for young visitors, 10 Ninjago charaters were hidden in the build. Like 2023’s Rogue Odyssey collaboration, the project took home first prize for collaborations from both jury and audience. We’ve highlighted several contributions in recent weeks, but only now can we share the complete build thanks to Hannes Tscharner. Extended highlights and builder credits follow.

Read on for a full tour of this tour de force!

Tiny tower tribute to a legend

Microscale models of official LEGO sets aren’t hard to come by, but microscale tributes to original builds are much rarer and more personal. If ever a personal build was worthy of a microscale spin, it’s Bridgetown by Markus Rollbühler. Christian Rau lovingly adapts Markus’ masterpiece with the ace architectural artistry the builder is known for. Markus’ build was itself inspired by an illustration from Leo Hartas. Who will be inspired by Christian’s build and where will that creation end up, I wonder…?

A winning woodland hero awaits a champion builder

There’s something irresistible about seeing tiny woodland creatures as brave heroes in the medieval mold, whether in books like Redwall, board games like Root, or comics like Mouse Guard, the latter captured here in LEGO by Markus Rollbühler. The blue jay riding member of the guard keeps to Markus’ unmistakable style of character build, with a strong focus on geometry and color with no eyes or mouth. The balloon panel is a clever solution for a dramatic cape. The acorns and fall leaves create a cozy stand.

This mouse rider isn’t just a tribute to a beloved comic. It’s also a trophy for the 2024 Brickscalibur competition, which is currently open to build submissions. One lucky builder in the “Tails from the Meadow” category will go home with this one-of-a-kind work from LEGO senior designer Markus. May the best mouse win!

Calvin and Hobbes are back for one last ride!

If you love Calvin and Hobbes (and who doesn’t!?) you need to check out this LEGO build by Markus Rollbühler! Calvin and Hobbes ran in newspapers for ten years and has left behind a beloved legacy in the hearts of its readers. Markus here has captured the final panel of the entire run of Calvin and Hobbes in blocky form; Calvin and Hobbes riding off into the snowy magic of winter! To depict this scene, Markus has made use of a huge variety of sloped pieces to capture the chunky and cartoon-y shapes of the comic artwork. Part of Calvin’s gloves are made from armor pieces used in the Bouquet of Roses. The snowy slope the pair are sledding down features tonnes of 1×6 slopes cleverly aligned for a smooth surface, while the chunky shapes around the outside feature a number of the new 1×4 wedge from the new Speed Champions and Tuxedo Cat sets. All told, this build is a beautiful love-letter to a beloved piece of comic history! All that’s left to say is to do like the duo and get out there and explore!

Markus Rollbühler’s balance is a showcase of Asian-inspired LEGO artistry

This Asian-inspired LEGO build is Markus Rollbühler’s entry into round 4 of the 2024 RogueOlympics. The theme for round 4 was ‘Balance’. Initially, the builder intended to present a build focused on yin and yang. However, the 101 element limit, a requirement of the Rogue Olympics, proved too challenging to fully realize his vision. The entry was submitted with just one piece to spare, totaling 100 elements. One of the most notable details of this build is that, upon closer inspection, the flowers remain attached to their plastic sprue and have been affixed to the build using rubber bands commonly found, serving as friction bands, with train wheels. And if you think that’s some great part usage, take a look at Markus’s third-round entry featured on TBB.

Take a look, it’s in a LEGO book...

When he’s not busy designing LEGO sets like 40505 LEGO Building Systems, Markus Rollbühler finds the time to make creations of a less-official variety. His latest is an entry into this year’s RogueOlympics, a competition where each round’s entry must clock in at 101 bricks or less. And with this limited palette, Markus still tells quite the story, full of forced perspective and hard-to-use fabric pieces. But I think the real victory here is the integration of some of the oldest LEGO trees, circa 1960.

Double, double toil and trouble; nice warm water and soapy bubble

I know this year feels like it’s going quickly, but surely we’re not in October already are we? We featured one LEGO witch here last week, and now Markus Rollbühler has graced us with another one. They couldn’t be more different, though, apart from the green skin and black robes. Oh, and the clever parts use! Some black curved arches lend some graceful shape do this witch’s dress, while the cauldron makes use of an inverted tire. I’m not sure what’s happening with that little mouse, though. Is she giving it a bath? That must be it. The green bottle in her other hand is clearly bath lotion. Nothing nefarious happening here, no sirree…

Scrying on your LEGO competition in the Brickscalibur contest

You can tell it’s once again Brickscalibur season when Markus Rollbühler is showing off his enviable LEGO trophy-building skills. Until January 15th, builders will be submitting their best Castle-adjacent creations for a chance at a prize. This devilish warlock seen mid-scrying spell is the trophy for the Medieval Micro category, and it’s an astounding creation! Markus’s ability to make the plastic bricks appear to be flowing cloth is superb, as are all the accoutrements to the spellcaster like the candlesticks and pile of papers. But enough talk – I need to get building if I’m going to have a shot at taking this home! Check out the Brickscalibur website for all the categories and rules if you’re interested.