Tag Archives: Mech

Exploring other worlds with LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31115 Space Mining Mech [Review]

If you’re here, chances are you’re a big fan of the LEGO brand, so you already know that it’s the toy of endless possibilities. Even on more expensive sets, you’re most likely always going to get a good bang for your buck. And in terms of creative potential, Creator sets are some of the best at encouraging it, particularly 3-in-1’s which provide a great combination of inspiration and versatile parts. The latest addition to the line is finally here, and we’re eager to see if this space-themed kit is out of this world! Come along as we explore what LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31115 Space Mining Mech has to offer. The set will be available March 1st, and will retail for US $24.99 | CAN $34.99 | UK £24.99.

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.

Click to launch!

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Send in the white dragoons!

An experiment occurred when Christian Lintan accidentally discovered some cool connections with another project which, in turn, led to this. What you’re looking at is a transforming LEGO Gundam-type mech who can become sort of like Mechagodzilla. He tells us he’s beyond thrilled with the result and we agree. Working in monochrome can be difficult at times but the end result is just about always visually striking. You ought to take some time to check out other LEGO artists who have worked in a monochrome palette.

LEGO Ninjago Legacy 71738 Zane’s Titan Mech Battle [Review]

The LEGO Ninjago theme has been around for ten years. Hard to believe, right? In that time, there have been a ton of cool and interesting sets, and LEGO has been bringing back some of the best in their Ninjago Legacy theme. We had the chance to take a look at one of the January 2021 0fferings, Ninjago Legacy 71738 Zane’s Titan Mech Battle. This set is available now from the LEGO Shop Online for US $59.99 | CAN $79.99 | UK £54.99. The 840 parts span four exclusive minifigures and the Titian Mech. But is it a “battle” that can interest more than die-hard fans? Read on and see!

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.

Click to read the full hands-on review

Mech Hermit Crab is a Shell Shocker

Less is more when Mitsuru Nikaido takes on a build. The few shades of light and dark grey, or the use of white elements are a minimal approach that yield some very complex projects. Mitsuru’s latest LEGO Mech Hermit Crab Mk2-17 adds to his robot menagerie that still has us stunned by the centipede, a nautilus, and a skeleton fish. The hermit crab, like the other creatures, is what one would have expected in 2020 — an advanced machine built to mirror its natural life form.

The movement capabilities of the Mech Hermit Crab Mk2-17 extend the imagination. Its legs bend in and stretch out using an intricate system of joints for its six legs. The grey underbelly highlights the Technic link tread wide, one of Mitsuru’s often-used elements. On its back is the real kicker, a shell that opens and closes to reveal what could be a blast cannon. Hermit crabs can make a home out of LEGO bricks, as long as they can carry it on their back. In this case, this crab is fully equipped for any challenge.

Minifigures and Mechs – More LEGO Marvel Armor arrives in January [Review]

LEGO recently announced a slew of new Marvel sets that will be available January 1, 2021. Among them are three Mech Armors – smaller sets that feature a minifigure of a popular character and a minimalistic suit of power armor they can stomp around in. This wave includes 76168 Captain America Mech Armor (US $9.99 | CAN $13.99 | UK £8.99), 76169 Thor Mech Armor (US $9.99 | CAN $13.99 | UK £8.99), and 76171 Miles Morales Mech Armor (US $9.99 | CAN $13.99 | UK £8.99). At first glance, these sets look a little spindly and low-quality, but is that actually the case? Could these be tiny toys be big wins for LEGO and Marvel fans? We’ll walk through the highs and lows of each set, so you can judge for yourself!

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with early copies of these sets for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read the full hands-on review

A mech in desolation

Roaming around in desolation, a well-armed mech makes its way. This detailed mech model built by Carter, showcases how LEGO is the perfect medium for mech building.

Firstly the parts usage exhibited in this build is fantastic, my favorites being the brown minifigure backpacks used as ammo storage and the roller skate pieces rendering shoulder artillery. Out of some common black elements including the whip piece, 1×2 grill, and 1×4 wing piece – just to name a few, Carter fashions a distinguished arm-gun. A piece of shoulder armor usually found in buildable figure sets, is utilized as a cockpit of sorts. While the mech build is certainly the centerpiece of this model, the ground it walks on is also interestingly put together – comprised of a mosaic of 1×2 brown slopes. Overall this build is definitely and inspiration for imaginations everywhere.

A bug that keeps changing with the times

It’s always fun when LEGO builders… well… build on each other. CB Phase 4, Marin Stipkovic‘s latest entry for Mech Monday, is a new “final form” for the evolving Cobalt Bug concept created by Markus Rollbühler almost exactly a year ago. Times, they are a changin’. There are a lot of great details in this latest evolution to enjoy. Those basketball netting engine cowlings are a lot of fun, as are the ski pole feet. The orange spike proboscis is smile-worthy, too.

If you want even more juicy views of this mech, check out the 360 degree rotation Marin shared on Flickr. I can’t wait to see if we get a ultimate-final form version next year!

The legend of Bubba Yaga

Forget the folklore from the Slavic steppes, this walking house comes straight from the bayou. Built by Letranger Absurde, the shanty is piloted by two women and decked out with all sorts of odds and ends that they’ve picked up in their travels. Giving off a distinct sense of post-apocalyptic salvage, the four-legged mech looks like it was cobbled together from the remains of an industrial platform and an old shed. And as good as the mech is, the base it sits on is also worth noting, with a great layered effect from the trans light blue tiles placed over what’s probably lime green or yellow plates, interspersed with olive and medium nougat for the muddy land.

Does this mech make my butt look big?

Intricate details are a hallmark of Marco Marozzi LEGO mech builds. This often leads to a feeling that the builds are super-huge in scale, even though they’re usually miracles of compact design. The MT3 Heavy Mech gives us a clue, though, with the quickly recognizable inclusion of a Star Wars 41st Elite Corps Trooper minifigure as the pilot. There are also hints if you happen to know how big those hockey masks are. Or maybe you spotted those minifigure hands for fingers.

From the rear, you can see more of the custom sticker work that set Marco’s builds apart from the crowd. There are also some alternate-brand part selections here and there. LEGO purists may complain about that, but you can’t argue that the results are really stunning.

This isn’t the first mech of Marco’s that we’ve spotlighted, and it’s unlikely to be the last. My hope is that others are inspired by these tiny(?) beauties, and we’ll see even more Mechs on the horizon.

News Flash: Michael Bay to reboot Sesame Street franchise

Hi-ho, Kermit the Frog here! Today on Sesame Street news we’re sharing the latest Hollywood Leak! The monster on the street is telling us that none other than Michael Bay of Transformers fame has been tapped to relaunch the Sesame Street franchise for, and I’m quoting here, “a million kajillion dollars.” The source of the leak, a Mister “I.M. Lying” provided an image of a LEGO toy prototype reportedly designed by Simon Liu. Using the new Oscar the Grouch head from the Sesame Street Ideas set, Simon has given our resident Grouch the ability to take out his own trash. Additional sponsorship from the letter “G” for “Greeble” and the numbers 1, 2, and 3 are also reported. I, personally, think this is a terrible…hold on. I’m now getting word that our source may have been making all of this up. So nevermind. Sheesh.

(Well, even if the movie rumors are fake, this Oscar Mech is very real. Check out the 360 degree spin on Simon’s Instagram if you don’t believe me. Then check out some of the other creations of Simon’s we’ve featured.)

Robots with heads of rubber

Just when you think you’ve seen nearly every incarnation of LEGO robot to pass your computer screen, another master builder like Andreas Lenander shows up.

While we’ve seen mechs before here on The Brothers Brick, we’ve never seen tires turned inside out to create a robot head. It took a few minutes staring at this build to realize that the head wasn’t a plastic brick, but was actually rubber. Everything about this scene here is fantastic, but I’m still in awe of the idea of using inside-out tires. Mind-boggling, you might say!

Silly rabbit, Trix are for...no, actually, go ahead and take them...

It always seems cruel to me that the kids in those breakfast cereal commercials wouldn’t just share. Thanks to Moko they might not have a choice anymore: this fearsome Rabbit Mech isn’t about to take “no” for an answer. The white armor plating is a great mix of Technic, Bionicle, and Hero Factory elements. The claws are particularly cool – made from Bionicle minifigure heads and Ben-10 spikes.

The mech is also has a lot of articulation, letting it bend into a more animalistic crouch. It looks even more sinister when it’s ready to pounce.

There are a lot more images and build commentary for this mech at Moko’s blog. It’s in Japanese, though, so be ready to run it through a translator. Alternately, check out our archives for more Brothers Brick coverage of Moko’s creations.