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.

Hands-on with LEGO’s new 2,300-piece Stranger Things set, 75810 The Upside Down [Review]

Netflix’s sci-fi-horror-adventure series Stranger Things has been riding the wave of 80s childhood nostalgia for two seasons, making it a smash hit for the streaming platform. With the third season dropping July 4, LEGO is rolling out a massive new set to kick off its licensing partnership. Just officially announced today, 75810 The Upside Down includes one of the key locations in the series, the Byers’ home. It’s got a twist, though, with the creepy “Upside-Down” alternate dimension mirrored below it. Trees serve as pillars so the house can be displayed with either world on top. The set features 2,287 pieces and will retail for US $199.99 | CAN $269.99 | UK £179.99. It is on sale beginning tomorrow for LEGO VIP members, with a full release coming June 1.

The set includes eight minifigures, the mirrored house, Chief Hopper’s Blazer, and a small display stand for some of the minifigures. The scenes in the set span seasons 1 and 2, so there may be a few very mild spoilers. Let’s dig in and see how LEGO accomplished an upside-down house in the first-ever Stranger Things set.

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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 Wild West Saloon set from Bricklink’s AFOL Designer Program [Review]

Last year Bricklink hosted its first AFOL Designer Program (ADP), a grand effort to make fan designs come alive and be available for purchase. If you’re unfamiliar with Bricklink, it’s an Amazon-like marketplace for purchasing current and discontinued LEGO products. This includes the sale of individual LEGO bricks for restoring sets or making original models known by many fans as My-Own-Creations, or MOCs for short. The Brothers Brick features fan-designed creations every day, and we often receive questions regarding instructions or if they can be purchased. While ready-made MOC kits are not a new concept, where Bricklink’s ADP program shines is in how it took the needed time to solicit builds from the community and used a Kickstarter-like system for fans to determine which sets would be produced for purchase. Best of all, the program received an endorsement from the LEGO Group.


As of now, all of the sets have been selected and are slated to ship this month to the proud supporters who funded them. Bricklink has provided an early copy of the Wild West Saloon by Jonas Kramm (aka Legopard) to the Brothers Brick. When it comes to the number of supporters, this design ranked second to the Löwenstein Castle we recently reviewed. This set comes with 1496 parts, is priced at US $149.99 before shipping, and does not come with any minifigures.

Click to read the full review of the Wild West Saloon designed by Jonas Kramm

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 Collectible Minifigures 71024 Disney Series 2 Feel Guide [Review]

At the beginning of April, we brought you our full, in-depth review of 71024 Collectible Minifigures Disney Series 2, and they’re now available beginning May 1. We’re guessing that a lot of you have been eagerly anticipating getting your hands on 18 more of your favorite Disney characters. There’s just one problem: as always with the Collectible Minifigures, it can be rather difficult to get a full set, due to their blind-pack bags that conceal the identity of the contents. And that’s what we’re here to help with. We’ve sorted a full case by feel already, so here’s our handy guide to helping you feel your way through the Disney Series 2 minifigures.

71024 Collectible Minifigures Disney Series 2 are available from May 1 at The LEGO Shop online for US $3.99 | CAN $4.99 CAD | UK £2.99, as well as from third-party sellers on Amazon and eBay.

Click to read the full Feel Guide

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.

What’s in the box? LEGO 5005704 Star Wars Mystery Box [Review]

Back in December, LEGO Stores in the US and Canada launched a Star Wars box promotion that featured 5 rare polybags. Earlier this month, it became available in the UK and select European countries, where it was again marketed as a Star Wars Mystery Box. (Specifically, the countries included Great Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany, France, and Belgium.) While both region-locked promotions are over, we’re here to have a quick look at what we found inside, though it should be noted that not all the boxes are the same. What’s in the box? Is it worth it? Let’s take a quick look first at what we found in our box and the promotion details.

Details on both regions’ promotions can be found here in our news announcements for the US and Canada (promotion period December 2018) and the UK and select EU countries announcement (promotion period 11 April – 15 April 2019)

Click to 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 Avengers 76125 Iron Man Hall Of Armour [Review]

One of the benefits of being a billionaire is being able to afford plenty of storage space for all your toys. The new 76125 Iron Man Hall Of Armour set is LEGO’s take on Tony Stark’s state-of-the-art “mech wardrobe”. Marvel fans have been crying out for a set depicting this location since Iron Man first made his LEGO appearance. Let’s see if this set delivers against the anticipation.

LEGO Avengers 76125 Iron Man Hall Of Armour

The set has 524 pieces, features six minifigures and two robots, and is available now for US: $59.99 | Canada: 79.99 CAD | UK: £54.99.

Click here to read our full hands-on review of LEGO Avengers 76125 Iron Man Hall Of Armour

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 Löwenstein Castle set from BrickLink’s AFOL Designer Program [Review]

If you’re a dedicated LEGO fan, there’s a good chance you already use BrickLink.com to buy LEGO sets and individual elements. Now the 19-year-old marketplace has a new way of capturing the hearts and wallets of AFOLs (aka Adult Fans of LEGO). Announced last year, it’s called the BrickLink AFOL Designer Program, or ADP. With it, BrickLink is bringing a handful of fan-designed kits to market via a crowd-sourcing initiative. In many ways ADP resembles The LEGO Company’s own Ideas platform, but besides boasting larger payouts to designers, ADP also promises that the final sets will be virtually unaltered from the submitted designs. After a review period, 16 designs were first made available for a pre-ordering process with a minimum threshold of pre-orders before BrickLink would actually publish the kit. It’s a similar process to the way Kickstarter projects require a funding goal to be met. 13 of the designs met that goal and the largest model, Löwenstein Castle by builder Raziel Regulus, skyrocketed in popularity resulting in all 2,500 copies completely selling out during the pre-order phase. BrickLink has provided us an early review copy of the set, so let’s see how this fan-built model stacks up. Löwenstein Castle has 2,015 pieces and a $199.99 USD sticker price, though it is now sold out.

While the BrickLink ADP sets are not official LEGO sets and will not bear the LEGO logo, the sets do have The LEGO Company’s blessing. The AFOL Designer Program was initiated in affiliation with LEGO to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the LEGO brick, and each box will feature the official 60th-anniversary logo. The LEGO Company has also worked with BrickLink to provide elements explicitly for the sets. This is unlike any other aftermarket sets, which have always relied on pieces sourced out of regular LEGO sets (and consequently, those sets have a much higher price).

Click to read the full hands-on 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 40334 Marvel Studios Avengers Tower [Review]

We recently announced the Marvel Avengers Tower promotion that’s available as a free gift with purchase with a spend of $75 US | £75 UK | $75 CA that will be available for the next two weeks until May 2nd or whenever supplies run out. Let’s take a quick look at whats this 211-piece 40334 Marvel Studios Avengers Tower set holds for Iron Man fans.

Read our hands-on review of 40334 Marvel Studios Avengers Tower

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 Star Wars 75258 Anakin’s Podracer – 20th Anniversary Edition [Review]

While many don’t fancy the Star Wars prequels, I for one am a fan them, especially the Podracers from The Phantom Menace. Thanks to the 20th Anniversary of LEGO Star Wars, we get an Anakin’s Podracer to commemorate some of the iconic themes and sets from two decades ago. 75258 Anakin’s Podracer – 20th Anniversary Edition comes with 279 pieces and retails for US: $29.99 | Canada: 39.99 CAD | UK: £24.99. It is currently available.

Click to read the full hands-on 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 75259 Snowspeeder – 20th Anniversary Edition [Review]

In the world of Star Wars, there are a few fan-favorite vehicles that have stood the test of time, and the Snowspeeder is definitely one of them. They’re sometimes referenced as airspeeders since they were originally utility vehicles until they were modified by the Rebel Alliance for the snowy landscape and battle as seen in Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, and LEGO’s newest version is 75259 Snowspeeder – 20th Anniversary Edition.

To date, there have only been 3 other snowspeeders at this scale sold in individual sets in the 20 years of the LEGO Star Wars lifespan (plus one cousin, the Sandspeeder). Of course, then there are the other snowspeeders that appeared as part of larger playsets, which include the 7666 Hoth Rebel Base, 8089 Hoth Wampa Cave, 75014 Battle for Hoth, and finally the 75098 Assault on Hoth. Lastly, most fans will remember the Ultimate Collector Series versions which range over a thousand pieces and are masterpieces on their own, plus several tiny microscale versions. Without further ado, let’s take a look at this special commemorative edition the snowspeeder, which LEGO has released as one of five sets in celebration of two decades of Star Wars LEGO. 75259 Snowspeeder – 20th Anniversary Edition has 309 pieces and is priced at USD 39.99 | GBP 34.99  | CAD 49.99. It is currently available in stores and online.

Click to read the full hands-on 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 Collectible Minifigures 71024 Disney Series 2 [Review]

If there’s one fandom whose members rival LEGO fans for excitement and in-depth knowledge, it’s Disney fans. The monumental rush of pure nostalgia and child-like glee when the two are combined can hardly be overstated. Of course, LEGO has long produced a few sets here and there licensing the core Disney products (as opposed to Disney-owned franchises like Marvel or Star Wars, which rule the LEGO lineup each year). Traditionally, these Disney sets have generally targeted some of the youngest sectors of LEGO’s audience. However, in 2016 LEGO produced a special wave of the Collectible Minifigures theme focusing on beloved Disney characters. Now three years later, LEGO is returning for another go, with 71024 Collectible Minifigures Disney Series 2 with a target release date of May 1. As usual, we expect the sets to begin filtering into retail stores a bit early, so start keeping an eye out soon. LEGO hasn’t confirmed the price yet, but we expect it will match the $3.99 USD price of the first series.
Like the first wave, Disney Series 2 includes 18 unique minifigures, and as with all Collectible Minifigures (CMFs), they’re packaged individually in blind packs. Click to read the full, hands-on 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 75243 Slave I – 20th Anniversary Edition [Review]

Star Wars is one of the flagship themes that has kept LEGO fans on their toes every single year since its first appearance in 1999, and there seems to be no end to it. 2019 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Star Wars joining the LEGO lineup. In celebration, the latest wave of sets feature nostalgic packaging and some unique exclusives to commemorate the early years of LEGO’s best-selling license. Today we’re taking a hands-on look at the largest set, 75243 Slave I – 20th Anniversary Edition, which comes in at 1,007 pieces and is available starting April 1 for $119.99 US | 159.99 CAD | 109.99 UK.

Click to 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’s first crowdfunding experiment: FORMA 81000 Koi Model Super Box [Review]

LEGO FORMA is the company’s first foray into crowdfunding. It is described as an “experience designed for adults looking for a fun and engaging way to reconnect with their creative side”. The LEGO FORMA crowdfunding exercise began in late September 2018, and finally shipped in January to UK supporters, with shipments to US supporters following up in mid-February after a brief delay from shipping issues.

During the campaign, the base setup cost $85 USD in the US Market and $88 USD in the UK Market, and included the box set 81000 with the default Koi Skin Pack, and 3 additional separately packaged skins. Fans could also take the less costly option of just getting the base pack (single Koi Skin Model) for $45 USD (US) $46 USD (UK) and additional skins at $15 USD (US) / $16 USD (UK) each. Now that the crowdfunding is completed, if you’re looking to pick one up, the only way currently is to turn to the secondary market such as Bricklink or eBay where they’re already commanding a premium. Let’s do a quick dive into the details of this unique experience from LEGO.

Click to see the full review of the FORMA experience

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.