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 Ideas The Big Bang Theory 21302 [Review]

In November last year, LEGO announced two new ideas sets. By now the birds setby Tom Polsoun has already been in shops for months, but although we’ve previously seen pictures of The Big Bang Theory set, it is taking a bit longer to hit the shelves. It has finally been officially launched at the San Diego Comic Con earlier today.

Several of us at The Brothers Brick are fans of the show, but being a physicist, I was the lucky guy granted the opportunity to review this. Having worked in both a physics and an engineering department of two universities, the characters from The Big Bang Theory are very recognisable. There may even be a bit of Sheldon, Leonard, Raj and Howard in me. This is not my life story or a review of the TV show, however, so I will cut straight to the chase: the price is pretty steep for only 479 parts, so if minifigures aren’t your thing or you don’t like the show, this set is not for you.

The minifigures are the highlight of the set and probably the main reason why anybody would want this. All seven characters are instantly recognisable and come with new printed parts for the faces and clothing. The prints are highly detailed and look crisp, with Amy’s knitted vest and the tiny flowers on Bernadette’s skirt standing out in particular. The backs of the torsos are also printed. The upper and lower parts of the legs on Amy and Bernadette are molded in different colours, to represent skirts, with the obvious advantage that the figures look decent when seen from the back (in more ways than one).

As a bonus all the figures have reversible heads, with happy faces on one side and an alternate expression on the other. Bernadette’s is a particularly menacing angry look and Penny’s will also be instantly recognisable to any fan.
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 Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina 75052 [Review]

LEGO Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina was released last summer and continues to be a popular Star Wars set. It retails for $69.99 and is available on Amazon. Below is a brief video review and my remarks regarding the set.

This is one of the more unique and iconic Star Wars sets that’s not a ship or features an overabundance of gray or black. It’s a neat playset with unique colors such as the flesh colored plates on the landspeeder. There’s also an above-average number of minifigs with exclusives such as the Bith musicians, Obi-wan, Greedo and sandtrooper. The landspeeder is similar to the previous design from 2010, but the use of the flesh color and decals are welcome changes. The cantina is much improved over the 2003 version, and with some more effort, you can certainly expand the cantina to its complete design like Joshua Morris has done. The 578 pieces included in the set is typical nowadays for a Star Wars set with a $70 tag, but it’s a more reasonable buy at less than $60.

41074 Azari and the Magical Bakery [Review]

The third Elves set up for review is 41074 Azari and the Magical Bakery. I picked this one up at Toys R Us, and you can buy it online. This set comes with 324 pieces for $29.99.

Continue reading →

LEGO 76042 SHIELD Helicarrier – Part 2 [Review]

In Part 1 of our Helicarrier review we focused on the ship itself, covering the build, the design, and looks. In Part 2, we explore the smaller details (including the new microfigs) as well as all the minifigs bundled with this set. And we finally answer that all-important question… Does it fly?

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 76042 The SHIELD Helicarrier is currently available on Amazon.

Once again, if you feel video is some form of witchcraft, there’s a written review below the fold.

Continue reading →

LEGO 76042 SHIELD Helicarrier – Part 1 [Review]

If anything could ever compete with the mighty Star Wars movie franchise, it’s probably going to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And this trend may be playing out in the LEGO universe too, with an ever-growing line of super hero sets that is now joined by the 76042 SHIELD Helicarrier, currently available on Amazon.

Like the 76023 Tumbler, it’s aimed at older builders and thus has limited play features. And while LEGO reserves the term Ultimate Collector Series (UCS) for its big Star Wars sets, the LEGO fan community has already started using it to describe these big super hero sets as well, for obvious reasons.

A big set deserves a big review! This review is split it into two parts. In Part 1, I focus on the ship itself, covering the build experience, structural design, and looks. In Part 2, I’ll be exploring the smaller details – including the new microfigs – and of course all the bundled minifigs. In both parts, I will also be exploring one very important question… Does it fly?

If video is not your thing, click below the fold for a written review (…but trust me, watch the video!).

Continue reading →

LEGO Elves 41076 Farran and the Crystal Hollow [Review]

Last week I reviewed the littlest Elves set. Today, I’ve got 41076 Farran and the Crystal Hollow. I picked them up at Toys R Us; I’m happy to report it is now available on the LEGO Shop online. This set has 175 pieces for $14.99.

I admittedly wasn’t sure how I felt about this one at first, since it’s fairly simplistic. From the box, it looked like a tree with some trans green and trans blue pieces. I found that once I was done, I really quite liked it. Shocking, I know.

Continue reading →

LEGO Elves 41071 Aira’s Creative Workshop [Review]

The LEGO Elves sets are out in the wild! I spotted some this evening at Toys R Us, and picked up a few. Happy birthday to me.

The first set up for review is 41701 Aira’s Creative Workshop. This set is $9.99 and has 98 pieces. It will be available on the LEGO Shop online on March 1.

Let’s get started!

Continue reading →

70728 Battle for Ninjago City [Review]

LEGO has kindly provided The Brothers Brick with a review copy of this set. It is available on Shop At Home and retails for $119.99, and is currently on sale on Amazon for $97.97. The set comes with eight minifigs.

After my experience with Emmett’s Construct-o-Mech, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this one. The mech in that set looked so cool but I was disappointed by the lack of playability with the legs that didn’t move. I am pleased to say that was not my experience with the Battle of Ninjago City. It looks cool, and the playability features–while nothing new–work for the most part, and I enjoyed the build.

Let’s begin.
Continue reading →

The Float – A Waterside Hotel

David Frank is working on a beautiful series of models depicting scenes and locations from the novel To Whatever End (Echoes of Imara Book 1), by Clare Frank, his wife.

Chris posted the first in the series last week. David is planning on having a total of eight models finished in the next six months.

This build depicts The Float, a port-side hotel, which the main characters, Cecily and Daro, frequently stay at when traveling. Just the massive size of this build is impressive but the detail for which David is known shows up all through-out. I love the shingles on the roof, the subtle tudor-styling and the outward projecting walls. The wrap-around deck on the third floor and the overhanging 4th (3rd and half?) floor really gives the building some character.

I had the honor of being a beta-reader for the book and I enjoyed it immensely. A fantasy novel, it follows the main characters, veterans of a recent war as well as husband and wife, as they are forced to find their way as a variety of people and events pull at their loyalties and attempt to use them as pawns. The characters are very believable and genuine. I was really pulled into the world and can’t wait for the story to continue. The locations in the story are interesting and unusual. Also the system of magic used in the book is refreshingly unique and doesn’t overwhelm the story or characters, as happens all to often in the fantasy genre. I’m excited for the series to continue but I’m also looking forward to rest of David’s series. David and Clare worked closely on the book, but she did the writing. They are now working closely together to plan these builds, which David is constructing. It’s quite an interesting collaboration!

Brick Warriors’ Dragonmen, Jester and More [Review]

Brick Warriors has been releasing some really interesting items lately. Having bought some of the new items and some old, I thought I would share my thoughts, as it’s been a while since we reviewed Brick Warriors here.

The first new item that caught my eye was their Dragonman Head. It has really nice detailing, including forehead ridges, spikes on the side of the head and segmented scale up the back of the head. The nose/snout and jawline slope sharply down and forward, giving the head a really nice profile. The fit is excellent, not too tight or loose. The head is available in 5 colors: Black, Gold, Green, Dark Red and Brown. I bought a green, dark red and brown. All three are a very close match to official LEGO colors. There is a slightly different feel to the plastic in comparison to LEGO, but it is barely noticeable. When combined with Brick Warrior’s Dragon Wings and either the Dragon Tail or the Barbed Tail, you can make a great Dragonman figure.

Supplementing the release of the Dragonman head, they have also created a Lizardman weapon, armor and shield. I picked up a couple of the armor pieces and one each of the weapon and shield. The details on the pieces are really cool. The armor looks like it made of stitched-together plates and has a nice fantasy feel to it. It has a large spike on each shoulder, two clips on the back for wings, and a single, hollow stud for the tail. The weapon is spiked club that looks like various teeth have been fastened to it. The shield is probably my favorite. It is a scalloped circle with what appears to be the jawbone of a dragon lashed onto it. Quite the barbaric piece!

I ordered all the Lizardman pieces in black, so there are no color issues at all. There is one minor issue with the armor in that the wings are a bit loose, especially on the left side. The wings fit tightly on the Demon armor and in official LEGO clips, so it is only an issue with the Lizardman armor. The wings stay on and are still easily posed, so the issue is minor. To change things up a bit, I also ordered the lantern shield, bearded axe, demon sword and demon shield to go with the other two dragonmen. All items have excellent detail and fit perfectly. These dragonmen and accessories are a huge hit in my house! I originally ordered a single green dragonman, but each of my boys decided they had to have their own. After raiding on their piggy banks and two more orders later, three dragonmen now live in my home…but in completely separate collections.

Continue reading →

70814 Emmet’s Construct-o-Mech [Review]

I had an opportunity to review LEGO Movie 70814 Emmet’s Construct-o-Mech Building Set, provided for us by LEGO. The set runs $59.99 USD, with 708 pieces.

Overall? I like the set. I think it’s got an excellent selection of parts overall. I enjoyed the build thoroughly. There are some excellent details to the model overall that make it appear particularly impressive. It looks really nifty. Also? Angry!Unikitty.

After having built it, though? I can’t say I’d pay full price for it.

Let’s explore more, shall we?

Continue reading →

Top 10 LEGO reviews of 2014 from The Brothers Brick

At the Brothers Brick, we regularly review the latest and most interesting LEGO sets and, this year, a movie too! With the new year already having started in some parts of the world, it is time for me to present the Top Ten LEGO reviews of 2014.

Lego 21116 Minecraft Crafting Box 8-in-1 [Review]

Our very own Chris was involved in the design of the first Minecraft set, which made him the obvious choice for reviewing the first new minifig scale Minecraft set. He wasn’t overly impressed, but that has not stopped the review from being our most popular of the year. The world loves Minecraft.
Lego Ideas Exo Suit out today [Review & Giveaway]
LEGO Ideas sets are featured pretty heavily in our Top Ten and the Exo Suit is one of the more original ideas to come out of it and one very much anticipated by adult fans of LEGO (as opposed to mere fans of pop culture). Peter Reid’s design looked a bit too flimsy to work as a set, but somehow the set designers pulled it off, whilst maintaining the overall greebly look. As an added bonus, we had a copy of the set to give away to one of our readers.
The Tumbler LEGO Set Review (76023)
What can I say? Batman gets the coolest gadgets!
LEGO Ideas Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Review
The pleasure of reviewing this was all mine. It’s another Ideas set, based on one of the funniest movies from the eighties. The end result is a cool car with some very useful parts.
Lego Simpsons House 71006 [Review]
Opinions on this set are divided among fans (does LEGO really want to be associated with this dysfunctional family?), but Nannan liked it; lots of neat details, parts and play features at a decent price per part.
70816 Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! [Review]
Most of us at the Brothers Brick are old enough to have fond memories of Classic Space sets. Benny’s spaceship, from the LEGO Movie, ticked all the right boxes for Dan.
Full of sly humor, the LEGO movie is a must-watch for all Lego fans -especially adults [Review]
I know that many of us were apprehensive about a movie about LEGO, expecting it to be a bit rubbish. However, Andrew liked it and I have yet to meet a LEGO fan who didn’t.
Lego Star Wars 75060 Slave-I [Review]
Depending on your view, the Slave I is either one of the coolest or one of the weirdest spaceships from the Star Wars franchise. Previous LEGO sets of this ship were relatively small, but even though the new version is also intended for minifigs, it is much bigger and far more detailed.
Lego Ideas 21110 research institute [Review]
LEGO sets have been criticised for enforcing gender stereotypes. I’m not sure whether the Research Institute is a successful LEGO Ideas set because of this, but Caylin certainly enjoyed seeing female minifigs in “real” life jobs that are fascinating, engaging, and fun.
10242: Mini Cooper [Review]
Last, but certainly not least in my book, is the Mini Cooper. In the last few years, car fans have been spoiled with excellent sets of classic cars and the Mini Cooper is no exception. It’s also full of very useful (dark green) parts

All in all, I think these are pretty neat sets. Of course, we do tend to pick those that we think you’ll like. In fact, we are already poring over lists and images of sets that will be released next year, so that we can keep the reviews coming. Happy New Year, everyone.