Tag Archives: Reviews

Not sure which LEGO sets to pick up for yourself? Need ideas for that LEGO fan who already has more LEGO than he or she can possibly build with in a lifetime? Nervous about the quality of the custom accessories that tempted you at your last LEGO convention? Read our reviews of LEGO sets, books, accessories, and more right here on The Brothers Brick.

LEGO Dreamzzz 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures [Review]

We started our look at the new LEGO Dreamzzz theme on the dark side with 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship. Today let’s skip nightmares entirely and explore a relaxing place of peace, beauty, and wonder: 71459 Stable of Dream Creatures. There are no Grimspawn, Night Terrors, or other bad dreams here – just giant flowered dream deer, a windmill, and a… a cat cactus? Yeah, a cat cactus. If you’ve watched the first 10 episodes of the TV show… either you spotted something we didn’t, or you’ll recognize the deer, and that’s it. In any case, here’s our review of the set, which contains 681 pieces, 4 minifigures + 2 dreamlings + cat cactus + z-blob, and can be pre-ordered now and will ship August 1st for US $79.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £74.99.

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.

Read the full review

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

LEGO Dreamzzz 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship: Can we save Mr. Sharkyjaw? [Review]

Today we start digging in to the sets from the brand-new LEGO original Dreamzzz theme! We brought you an overview of the theme and some background info at the beginning of May; now we start with the largest set in the first wave, 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship. If you’ve watched the first 10 episodes of the TV show, you’ll be be familiar with this fearsome conveyance; if you haven’t, then we’ve got you covered with pointers on how the set and the source material differ – and why it doesn’t really matter (* one minor grudge aside). Here’s our review of the set, which contains 1,389 pieces, 6+ characters (LEGO says 4 minifigures; we’ll get to that), and will be available August 1st for US $139.99 | CAN $179.99 | UK £119.99.

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.

Read the full review

LEGO Disney 43215 The Enchanted Treehouse [Review]

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Disney. There have been a bunch of sets released so far that commemorate the long history of animated and live-action stories over the years. Many of these sets include princesses and princes in the traditional minifigure style. But with many of the recent Disney sets designed to feature the minidoll style first introduced with the LEGO Friends theme, many LEGO and Disney fans are sure to be excited about of of the latest sets to include this style of figures. LEGO Disney 43215 The Enchanted Tree-house includes 1,016 pieces and is on sale now for US $159.99 | CAN $209.99 | UK £149.99

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 read our full review

LEGO Star Wars 75365: Yavin 4 Rebel Base [Review]

LEGO Star Wars fans have enjoyed plenty of sets featuring major locations from movies and television shows, but there is one location which has never been featured in a playset, and that’s the rebel base on Yavin 4. With only 2 appearances in movies, Star Wars: A New Hope, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, this base set in an ancient Massassi temple surrounded by forests was the site of the first major victory against the Galactic Empire. Unfortunately, the set may disappoint some fans as it is clearly designed for a younger audience. LEGO Star Wars 75365: Yavin 4 Rebel Base includes 1,066 pieces and will be available on August 1st for US $169 | CAN $219 | UK £149

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 review.

LEGO Disney 43222 The Disney Castle: new and improved? [Review]

When it comes to Disney’s theme parks, there’s nothing more iconic than the fairytale castle that sits at the center of each magical land. In 2016 LEGO released its biggest Disney set ever, 71040 Disney Castle, which portrayed Cinderella’s white and dark blue castle that sits at the heart of Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida. But in 2020 Disney repainted the castle to celebrate the park’s 50th anniversary (or 70th anniversary of the release of Cinderella, depending on which Disney source you reference), updating the fairytale fixture with peach-colored walls, darker stonework, and more gold accents. LEGO retired the 2016 castle last year, but won’t leave Disney fans without a flagship set for long, as they’re now releasing a new version with an updated design and colors that match the real-world landmark. 43222 The Disney Castle has 4,837 pieces (about 750 more than the original) and eight minifigures. It will retail for US $399.99 | CAN $519.99 | UK £344.99 and will release globally on July 4th, 2023.

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.

Let’s dive in and see how this updated castle fares compared to the original.

Continue reading →

LEGO Icons 10320 Eldorado Fortress: Searching for Pirate gold [Review]

The Pirates line was a seminal theme for LEGO, introducing hoards of new elements and many things we take for granted now, such as unique faces beyond the classic smiley head. One of the largest and most sought-after sets from the original theme was 6276 Eldorado Fortress, a colonial-style base of operations for the blue-coated Imperial Guards. 10320 Eldorado Fortress is a remake of that iconic set taking advantage of 34 years of advancement in parts and techniques since the original. LEGO has avoided straight re-releases in recent years (with some notable exceptions), opting instead to tribute classics for the company’s 90th anniversary in 2022, with 10497 Galaxy Explorer as a modern upgrade to the original set, while 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle pays homage to a whole generation of Castle. Although the anniversary has passed, I am excited that LEGO has continued that nostalgia trend, turning its eye now to my personal favorite theme, Pirates. With 2,509 pieces, the new Eldorado Fortress nearly quintuples the original set’s 506 parts, though thankfully the price increases by a lesser margin, as the original was $66 in 1989 (about $161 in today’s dollars). The new set will retail for US $214.99 | CAN $279.99 | UK £189.99 when it’s available starting July 4 for VIP members (general availability will follow on July 7).

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 review

LEGO 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure – Magnifying an icon [Review]

More than the 2×4 brick, since their introduction, LEGO minifigures have always been the embodiment of the company. And in recent history, LEGO has realized there is a major fascination with, and demand for, giant replicas of the little characters that have made them famous. Come along as we meet the latest of these maxi-figs, the 654-piece LEGO Iconic 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure. This set is available starting today, June 1st, and retails for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99.

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.

Click to continue reading.

LEGO Batman 76252 Batcave Shadowbox – more than a big black box of bricks? [Review]

Fans of the DC franchise have been waiting years for a Batcave worthy to sit alongside Marvel’s 76178 Daily Bugle and Sanctum Sanctorum. With the announcement of the Batcave Shadowbox, some fans may finally get their wish. Although the nature of this display set may turn out to be as divisive as the 1992 sequel to Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film, there is no denying that this Batcave is the largest Batcave set so far. LEGO DC 76252 Batcave Shadowbox includes a whopping 3,981 pieces and it goes on sale with VIP early access on June 5th and broad availability on June 8th for US $399.99 | CAN $519.99 | UK £344.99

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.

Dive into our full review

LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade – Reinventing a beloved classic [Review]

In 1980, Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. released a little arcade game revolving around a pizza-shaped character eating his way through a maze, being chased by ghosts. They knew they had a good thing going, but they probably didn’t realize it would be one of the most beloved games of all time and a pop-culture icon. Now, over 40 years later, they teamed up with The LEGO Group to bring us an epic tribute to the original game. Join us as we chomp our way through the 2651-piece LEGO Icons 10323 PAC-MAN Arcade, which will be available June 4th and retail for US $269.99 | CAN $349.99 | UK £229.99.

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.

Click to WAKA WAKA WAKA!

LEGO Harry Potter 76414 Expecto Patronum [Review]

LEGO has given us large-format winged creatures from the Harry Potter series, each with an integrated flapping mechanism, and with 76414 Expecto Patronum, the series continues at least somewhat in spirit. There is no movement mechanism, but the “Expecto Patronum” is similar to the name plates on the winged creatures. And in a bit of a surprise, it’s a 2-in-1 set, offering the option of building either Harry’s stag patronus or Remus Lupin’s wolf. Here’s our review of the set, which contains 754 pieces and 2 minifigures, and is available now for US $69.99 | CAN $89.99 | UK £62.99.

This set is based on a license The LEGO Group has with the Warner Brothers films, not J.K. Rowling directly. The transphobic views expressed by Rowling do not reflect the values of The Brothers Brick or, indeed, those of The LEGO Group. The magical world Rowling created, in which many who felt a bit different could see themselves, meant a great deal to so many people, including those that Rowling now demeans. TBB affirms each individual LEGO fan’s choice to claim a piece of the world for themselves, or to reject it entirely.

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.

Read the full review

LEGO 43227 Disney Villain Icons celebrates the characters we love to hate [Review]

LEGO and Disney have a supercharged set lineup this year for Disney’s 100th anniversary, and LEGO 43227 Villain Icons is the second 18+ set targeted at adults after the Royal Clamshell. The “Adults Welcome” range is much more about who the set is aimed at and marketed to than about LEGO’s traditional age ranges. We concluded that 76391 Hogwarts Icons set was a great introduction to the LEGO hobby for new adult builders. This set is obviously similar, and Disney is one of the few fandoms that significantly outnumbers Harry Potter, so it’s reasonable to guess this will be a big hit. Does it rise to that potential? LEGO 43227 Villain Icons, with 1,540 pieces and 4 villainous minifigures, will be available starting June 1st for US $129.99 | CAN $169.99 | UK £124.99.

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.

Read our hands-on review of LEGO Ideas 21337 Table Football

LEGO Monkie Kid 80049 Dragon of the East Palace [Review]

With summer comes another new wave of sets from the popular Monkie Kid theme, based on the Chinese folktale Journey to the West. Like many previous waves, it includes vehicles, a mech, and a large building, this time in the form of the underwater palace home to the human form of the Dragon of the East. The subsea structure is based on the location from the third season where the team takes refuge, and ends up leaving with a souped-up new team truck (featured in a previous round of sets). This is where the Monkey King originally got his versatile staff, and the scene features a large brick-built version that hides a surprise. LEGO Monkie Kid 80049 Dragon of the East Palace comes with 2,364 pieces and will be available on June 1st for US $189.99 | CAN $249.99 | UK £169.99.

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.

Read on for our full review