Tag Archives: Star Wars

LEGO Star Wars is one of the most popular LEGO themes of all time. Far beyond X-wings and TIE fighters, there’s a whole expanded universe of inspiration, and an army of LEGO fans ready to build whatever comes out of George Lucas’s head next.

Lego Star Wars 75021: Republic Gunship [Review]

75021 Republic Gunship is one of the sets from the summer wave of Lego Star Wars. The set contains 1175 pieces and retails for $119.99, which you can buy from Amazon.

Here is my summary of the highlights of the set, which are elaborated in the review video below. The video also compares the set to its previous 2008 version.


Pros:

  • Very sturdy design, can be lifted by just the wings
  • Include 5 unique minifigs
  • Improved aesthetics over the previous version


Cons:

  • No major flaws, but this is a third version of a Star Wars ship.

This version of the Republic Gunship has the best design in terms of looks and sturdiness. It makes for a good display item and can be handled more roughly without sustaining serious damage. Despite these qualities, the set doesn’t feel very new to me because it has been made twice already in the past. Even the minifigs are just new versions of previously existing ones. If you haven’t been jaded by Lego’s recreations of popular Star Wars ships, then this is a great set to have.

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“He’s no good to me dead”

Well, I’ve had the place to myself this weekend and it’s been fun spinning the tunes for your weekend pleasure. Diamond Dave Shaddix is late to the party but he’s arrived just in time with a case of beer, a bag of barbeque potato chips and this colorful mosaic of Boba Fett. I can think of no better way to end my shift. I recall getting into fisticuffs with a fellow 6th grader over a Boba Fett doll back in the day…some things are worth fighting for. Have a great week.

"He's no good to me dead"

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Lego Star Wars 75017: Duel on Geonosis [Review]

75017 Duel on Geonosis is one of the sets from the summer wave of Lego Star Wars. The set contains 390 pieces and retails for $39.99, which you can buy from Amazon.

Here is my summary of the highlights of the set, which are elaborated in the review video below.


Pros:

  • Includes unique minifigs such as a new Yoda, Count Dooku, and Poggle the Lesser
  • Hard to find parts include dark brown cheese slopes and brown 2×2 round bricks with grille
  • Decent play features


Cons:

  • Limited display value

This is a well rounded set that has good parts, minifigs, play features, and an acceptable price per part ratio. It probably won’t look good sitting on a shelf and is more meant to be played with or parted into your collection. Luckily Amazon has a small discount on the set at the moment.

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Swooshing through Endor

Régis Gamba (Anio) is a French builder whose UCS Star Wars models were first known to me through Brickshelf. His latest is a UCS speeder bike, which you can see more photos on his Flickr set.

Thanks for the tip TheBrickAvenger!

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“They’ll soon be back, and in greater numbers”

Angus MacLane had me chuckling when I saw his entry for the ongoing Star Warsify The Mini Camper-Van Contest on FBTB. Not only is the build masterfully created, but to travel the 61.35 parsecs to take the picture on Tatooine…now that shows some dedication!

VW Bantha

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“...and keep my shameful LEGO secret hidden like a trunk full of German magazines.”

King of cars and all around hellraiser Lino Martins is no stranger to TBB; in fact it is a rarity when one of his models doesn’t make the big blog. Although I’ve thrown in an obligatory model, in this case the somehow overlooked Obi-Wan’s Jedi Starliner, the real purpose of this post is to direct you towards a recent interview with Lino conducted by the boys over at Beyond the Brick. Forget your typical interview boilerplate like “I love Legos, they bring me back to a happier time in my childhood when nobody yelled at me and everything I did was special.”, Lino brings some much needed wit and braggadocio to the process that is sure to delight the hot-weather crowd.

Obi-Wan's Jedi Starliner

If nothing else, you should check out the interview to see Matthew Kay’s new serial killer haircut…I can’t call him a cherub anymore, but the new look has somehow made him much more talkative. On the downside, the audio isn’t the greatest for this installment, but to me it somehow adds charm to their Wayne’s-World style approach. This is one of the greatest segments of the long-running series and probably my favorite.

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Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for this tiny LEGO blaster

Flickrite Obedient Machine recently posted this adorable little version of Han Solo’s blaster (technically the DL-44 heavy blaster pistol), chock full of interesting parts use. The brown carrot as the handle is especially nice.

Mini LEGO Han Solo blaster

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LEGO Star Wars 10236 Ewok Village [Review]

The highly anticipated new LEGO Star Wars set, 10236 Ewok Villageicon, was just released in mid-August. It costs $249.99 for 1,990 parts and is the first Star Wars mega set that’s not a spacecraft. It is currently available in Lego stores and Lego Shop at Home for VIP members (free to sign up).

10236_IN_MA.indd

Here is my summary of the highlights of the set, which are elaborated in the review video below. For those interested in the parts content, you can check out the parts review video here.

Pros:

  • Lots of foliage and earth tones such as dark brown parts. This is a great set for landscape builders
  • Plenty of play features add play value on top of looks
  • The 3 main trees are also modular and can be easily switched around.
  • 16 minifigs — exclusives include Princess Leia, Luke, Han Solo, Wicket, Ewok warrior, and Teebo.


Cons:

  • A bit on the pricey side. $200 would be an ideal price.
  • Tube railings are difficult to bend into shape.
  • Instructions hard to read when distinguishing brown from dark brown

If you can afford this set, then there’s no other major reason not to get it. This is a very unique set that’s as good for play as it is for display. The abundant earth tones and the foliage make it suitable for landscape builders, and not many sets have this high ratio of landscape parts. It is unlikely that the price will drop soon, and you’ll be lucky to see it at 10% off in 2013, so I recommend buying it nowicon and start enjoying this wonderful build.

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.

Friday Night Fights (Round 17)

Welcome back fight fans, to Sin City Nevada for another bare-knuckle edition of Friday Night Fights! Tonight’s bout is a rematch of the most recent Iron Builder battle; a chance for redemption or utter humiliation with YOU the public as the ultimate judge instead of a panel of highly acclaimed turbo-nerds. Let’s go to the tale of the tape:

Fighting out of the red corner, from The Great White North…“Punchy” Pascal (pasukaru76) and his “Ferroconstructosaurus“.

Ferroconstructosaurus

And fighting out of the blue corner, from “The land of green shins“… Gilcélio “El Guapo” Chagas and his “Star Wars“.

STAR WARS

As usual, constant reader, you are tasked with deciding the outcome of this pugilistic endeavor by way of comment. On the last record breaking edition of Friday Night Fights, the battle of Hipster vs. Manga-Nerd, Mike Dung emerged the battered victor by a narrow margin of 10-8. Tune in next week for another action packed edition of Friday Night Fights!

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.

“All too easy...”

I like to think of MOCpages as a sort of condemned public housing block, cut off from the rest of the world and occupied by squatters. Indeed, all that seems to remain are roaming packs of feral youths and an intrepid band of hold-outs who have barricaded themselves in the basement with a stockpile of food and ammunition. I’m not talking about the builders who retain a sort of dual-citizenship on both MOCpages and Flickr; I’m talking about the hardcore…the loyalists. The MOCpage building still has power, mind you, but there are frequent blackouts and a general breakdown of services and over-watch. While such an environment is far from ideal, there is action to be found there and nowhere else. Case in point is this gem of a diorama depicting a famous scene from the last great Star Wars movie, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back. I’m not typically one to prattle on about the details, I figure you can make them out without my help, but the technique Markus 1984 uses for the center of the floor is brilliant.

Description

Description

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Ruins of a Starship

This diorama of a crashed space ship is rather striking. I love the post-apocalyptic feel. According the builder (Master Beef (with fries)), it is set in the Star Wars universe. But that neither detracts nor adds to this build as it really is able to stand on its own. There is just enough details of the ship to give you a sense of what the entire craft may have looked like, while the drifts of sand really add a sense of time…how long the wreck has been there. The makeshift shelter is also a very nice touch.

The Stranger

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LEGO Star Wars AT-AP unveiled at SDCC, due out March 2014 [News]

This morning at Comic-Con in San Diego, LEGO unveiled yet another new set, an AT-AP walker from Star Wars (it first appeared in Episode III). The set includes 717 pieces and will retail for $69.99. It’s scheduled for release in March 2014.

LEGO Star Wars AT-AP

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