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.

Top 10 LEGO Star Wars sets released in 2017 [Reviews]

2017 has been a fantastic year to be a LEGO Star Wars builder and collector. As we celebrate the release of The Last Jedi in theaters today, we’re asking ourselves what the best LEGO Star Wars sets released this year have been. Since several of the sets in our best LEGO sets of 2017 list were Star Wars sets, a couple of these won’t be a surprise. LEGO released dozens of Star Wars sets this year, and although we’ve only reviewed about 10 sets so far, we have built many of the rest. For sets we haven’t reviewed here on TBB yet, we’ll include a brief mini-review. Let’s dig in!

#10: 75160 U-wing Microfighter

The excellent minifig-scale 75155 Rebel U-wing Fighter set included a pilot minifig who wore a standard Rebel pilot helmet. However, the U-wing pilots in Rogue One actually wore unique helmets reminiscent of helicopter pilot helmets. So, for a paltry $9.99, you can buy 75160 U-wing in Microfighters form and pick up the one accessory that should’ve been in 75155. Still, this is a wonderful little set on its own merits, with a fantastic minifig (I believe I’ve already mentioned his headgear…) and a nicely miniaturized U-wing built from a mere 109 pieces.

LEGO Star Wars 2017

#9: 75167 Bounty Hunter Speeder Bike Battle Pack

LEGO is notoriously stingy about doling out unique characters in large sets, while the Battle Packs have mostly been army builders with multiples of tertiary characters (like generic clone troopers or stormtroopers). However, 75167 Bounty Hunter Speeder Bike Battle Pack includes a fully redesigned Bossk, brand new 4-LOM, and a new printed piece for IG-88. Oh, and Dengar, for some reason. Despite my criticism of the inclusion of old Mr. Head Wound, stud-shooters for weapons, and the basic design of the non-canon vehicle, this set really is a fantastic way to get several iconic minifigs plus a handful of azure parts (125 pieces overall) for just $14.99.

75167 Bounty Hunter Speeder Bike

See the rest of our top 10 best LEGO Star Wars sets of 2017

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 BrickHeadz 41489 Rey & Kylo Ren Limited Edition Collector’s Pack [Review]

The LEGO Star Wars line is finally getting its own BrickHeadz characters, starting with the NYCC-exclusive 41498 Boba Fett & Han Solo in Carbonite, along with 41485 Finn and 41486 Captain Phasma. While it currently remains a Target exclusive, we recently picked up the double-pack 41489 Rey & Kylo Ren Limited Edition Collector’s Pack, which retails for $19.99 and includes 249 pieces.

41489 Rey & Kylo Ren

Read the full review of LEGO Star Wars BrickHeadz 41489 Rey & Kylo Ren Limited Edition Collector’s Pack

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.

The LEGO NINJAGO Movie 70656 Garmadon, Garmadon, Garmadon [Review]

The second wave of The LEGO Ninjago Movie tie-in sets were released on the 1st Dec,  and now we are taking a look at of one of the larger sets, 70656 garmadon, Garmadon, GARMADON!  Garmadon Shark Mech set was first seen back at SDCC and the movie version featured in the official trailer, safe to say that this set has been eagerly awaited.  garmadon, Garmadon, GARMADON! has 830 pieces, six minifigures, rated ages 9-14 and is priced at £79.99 / $79.99 / 79.99€ (which equates to 9.6p / 9.6c / 9.6c per piece).

70656 garmadon, Garmadon, GARMADON! Review

The Box and what’s inside

The front box art has already been revealed and shows Garmadon Shark Mech moving in on its prey of a hot dog stand with a side of innocent civilians.

70656 garmadon, Garmadon, GARMADON! Review

The rear of the box shows the opposite of Garmadon Shark Mech about to munch on the hotdog stall or its vendor, with the play features detailed at the bottom.  In addition, the size of the final mech model is detailed just in case the model is smaller than expected after seeing The LEGO Ninjago Movie (more on that later).

70656 garmadon, Garmadon, GARMADON! Review

Read more about 70656 Garmadon, Garmadon, Garmadon

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 75188 Resistance Bomber from The Last Jedi [Review]

With Star Wars: The Last Jedi in movie theaters in just a few days, we’re focusing again on the LEGO Star Wars sets released ahead of the film’s release. 75188 Resistance Bomber joins a substantial line of LEGO Star Wars sets from The Last Jedi, including 75187 BB-8 and 75204 Sandspeeder we reviewed previously. 75188 Resistance Bomber includes 778 pieces with 5 minifigs and retails for $109.99.

75188 Resistance Bomber

Read our full review of 75188 Resistance Bomber

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.

The top 10 best LEGO sets of 2017: What to buy the LEGO builder who really only wants more LEGO sets [News]

With the release of not one but two LEGO-themed movies in theaters, plus the re-release of two sought-after LEGO sets, 2017 has yielded a cornucopia of excellent LEGO sets across many themes. Here at The Brothers Brick, we reviewed nearly 70 of the sets LEGO released in 2017, which is still just a fraction of all the new sets that LEGO produced this year. As you wrap up your holiday shopping (perhaps complemented by more than just LEGO sets), here are our favorite LEGO sets among those we reviewed here on TBB in 2017.

#10: LEGO Architecture 21035 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

The second incarnation in LEGO of the iconic Guggenheim Museum in New York City kicks off the list at #10. 21035 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum increases the color palette for more realism, while adding innovative building techniques that take advantage of newer curved slopes. (744 pieces for $79.99, currently $63.99 from Amazon.)

21035 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

#9: LEGO Star Wars 75172 Y-wing Starfighter

The best and most detailed LEGO Y-wing released since 1999 depicts a Blue Squadron starfighter from the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One. 75172 Y-wing Starfighter includes 691 pieces with 5 minifigs for $59.99, which was already a fantastic price for a Star Wars set, but is currently reduced further at $47.99 from Amazon.

75162 Y-wing

See the rest of our top 10 best LEGO sets of 2017

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: The Last Jedi 75204 Sandspeeder [Review]

UPDATE: Totally not from The Last Jedi! Still trying to figure out why LEGO made a set based on a 1980’s Kenner toy…

Today we are taking a close look at 75204 Sandspeeder. The set includes 278 pieces with two minifigures, and features a familiar-looking vehicle that will presumably be in The Last Jedi. Even though we just got the first official photos of this set a few days ago, beginning today it’s available from the LEGO Shop online for $29.99.

75204 Sandspeeder

Continue reading

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.

Creator Expert 10256 Taj Mahal, LEGO’s 2nd biggest set ever [Review]

Last month we announced that LEGO is re-releasing the iconic 10189 Taj Mahal set as Creator Expert 10256 Taj Mahal.  There was a mixture of surprise, pleasure and dismay at this announcement, depending on your ownership of the original 10189 and whether the re-release could affect your “investment” or your ability to finally afford this iconic set. Taj Mahal is the second-largest LEGO set of all time with 5,923 pieces, and is available beginning today in LEGO stores and from the LEGO Shop Online for $369.99 USD / £299.99. It is rated as 16+, reflecting the size and nature of the set as a display piece rather than any technical challenges when building.

10256 Taj Mahal

10256 Taj Mahal

In contrast to some recent re-releases like UCS Millennium Falcon 75192 or UCS Death Star 75159, this is not a re-modeled set but a pure re-release of the same set under a different set number. Let’s take a quick look at the two sets for comparison, as there are a couple of differences worth highlighting.

Continue reading our 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.

10259 Winter Village Station [Review]

With Christmas just around the corner, it is time to turn on some festive music and start decorating! For many LEGO fans, that means building the newest addition to the holiday line: 10259 Winter Village Station. The set includes 902 pieces and five minifigures, and retails for $79.99 USD.

10259 Winter Village Station

The box

Similar in size to previous holiday sets, the Winter Village Station box shows a plethora of play functions as well as a photo of the 10254 Winter Holiday Train pulling into the station. It is immediately obvious the two sets were designed to complement each other, but we will have more thoughts about that later.

10259 Winter Village Station

Click through to read our full review of this set…
Continue reading

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 Shop Black Friday 2017 giveaway 40254 Nutcracker [Review]

Our friends at LEGO HQ are kind enough to send us each month’s freebies, but it’s not every month that we’re impressed enough with the giveaway set that we review it. This month’s giveaway is 40254 Nutcracker, which you can get for free with orders over $99. It’s available early to LEGO VIP Program members through today, and available more widely with purchases on Black Friday. We think it’s cool enough to take a closer look.

40254 Nutcracker

The set includes 230 pieces and LEGO says it has a $20 value, but again it’s free with a purchase over $99.

See more of this rather interesting freebie after the jump

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.

21037 LEGO House [Review]

Every child knows how easy it is to build a house with LEGO bricks. It’s almost impossible to build a bad-looking one. And the concept of “house” is pretty universal: 4 walls, a door, a window, and a roof — any form, any type and any materials you want. But what happens when you build a house based on an actual building that was originally designed to look like it was built with LEGO bricks? This mind-boggling concept hides behind the most unique LEGO Architecture set to date — 21097 LEGO House. Like other Architecture sets, this model is based on a real building, but this time it’s the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark that opened in September 2017. The set is only available at the LEGO House gift shop for 449 DKK (~$70 USD).

The box art shows off the model and its wonderful colours. The back displays the main feature — a removable second floor revealing the House’s spacious interior. This is a rare play feature amongst the relatively small Architecture models.

Click through to read our full review of this interesting and unusual set…
Continue reading

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.

Powering the rollercoaster with LEGO 70922 The Joker Manor [Review]

LEGO has introduced an all new roller-coaster play system in 70922 The Joker Manor. We discussed it briefly in our review of the full set, but we felt the new roller-coaster rails were important enough to merit a post of their own. As one of TBB’s least Technic-centred members of staff, I found it was great fun attempting to add Power Functions to the rollercoaster and—health and safety aspects aside—it turns out it’s also rather simple.

70922 The Joker Manor Continue reading

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 introduces new rollercoaster system with LEGO Batman 70922 The Joker Manor [Review]

It’s fairly rare and always noteworthy when LEGO introduces a completely new set of elements that work together as a sort of sub-system to the overall LEGO “System of Play.” With 70922 The Joker Manor, LEGO has introduced a new rollercoaster system. We’ll be taking a much closer look at the rollercoaster system and the parts in this new set with a second, parts-focused review, but first we’re taking a look at the new set on its own merits.

70922 The Joker Manor

Joker Manor includes 3,444 pieces with 10 minifigs, making it the fifth largest LEGO set released in 2017 (after 75192 Millennium Falcon, 10256 Taj Mahal, 70620 Ninjago City, and 10255 Assembly Square). The set will retail for $269.99 and launches on Black Friday, November 24.

Read our full review of the LEGO Batman Movie’s 70922 The Joker Manor

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.