Anyone who has ever watched an episode of Pingu! will instantly recognize this lovable penguin with a big heart and an even bigger knack for getting into trouble. CHUNG-HENG CHENG has captured his likeness, along with his adorable baby sister Pinga perfectly. Be sure to take a closer look, as the scale might easily fool you.
LEGO’s largest mech ever has landed, bringing with it a wave of 1980s nostalgia. Based on the cartoon TV series that began airing in 1984, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, this huge robot has taken a long, winding route through LEGO’s product development, arriving more than two years after the project surpassed the 10k-vote mark needed for LEGO to assess the project. With 2,321 pieces, 21311 Voltron is the largest Ideas set to date. It will be available to LEGO VIP members beginning July 23, with full availability Aug. 1, and it will be priced $179.99 USD.
Watch our video review here, and read the in-depth full review below:
Click to read the full review of 21311 Voltron!
The Brothers Brick doesn’t shy away from tackling difficult issues with the LEGO creations we feature, as “Builder-in-Residence” Iain Heath demonstrated recently with his “Homeless in Seattle” model of the Seattle skyline with the ground covered by tents pitched by people forced into homelessness by the housing crisis. Iain’s model struck a chord with the local community, and he was invited to showcase his model and discuss the issue on several TV shows, including the New Day Northwest program from NBC affiliate KING 5.
The segment is now online, and you can watch Iain discuss the LEGO hobby, several of his most iconic creations from over the years, and chat with host Margaret Larson about what TBB is all about.
Watch the TV segment and see behind-the-scenes photos
First announced as a forthcoming set nearly a year ago, LEGO is finally taking the wraps off its newest crowd-sourced kit, 21311 Voltron. Based on both the iconic 1980s animated television show of the same name and its subsequent modern-day reboot by DreamWorks, the set will feature five robotic lions who can combine into the super robot Voltron. With 2,321 pieces, the massive mech will be the largest Ideas set to date, easily outpacing the Old Fishing Store and NASA Apollo Saturn V. The set will be on sale briefly at San Diego Comic-Con next month, then will be available to LEGO VIP members beginning July 23, before being widely available August 1. Voltron will retail for $179.99 USD.
Ever since the BrickHeadz sets were first revealed at comic conventions in 2016 they have exploded from 4 sets that year, to 22 sets in 2017, to 40 so far in 2018, and it’s only June! And they’ve featured a wide variety of popular culture icons and movie favorites, from Star Wars, Disney princesses, the Marvel universe, and even 80’s films like Back to the Future and Ghostbusters.
With this frenzy, we have also seen an explosion of fan creations built in the same style, and many of these have been featured here on TBB before. This perfect pair of cartoon hooligans Beavis and Butthead, by Julius von Brunk, are a great addition to this growing collection of fan creations.
The builder has made some very well thought out design decisions worth noting. The height of the standard BrickHeadz model has been stretched a bit, which is the perfect choice considering how tall and lanky they are in cartoon form. Also, Butthead has a very distinctive mop of hair making him even taller than Beavis.
Say hello to Aggretsuko (アグレッシブ烈子), the latest character from the creators of Hello Kitty. By day, this red panda is a gentle and kind accountant, doing the best she can in a job she loathes. But by night, she blows off steam by shedding the cutesy look for that of a raging death-metal karaoke enthusiast!
Originally aired as a series of shorts on Japanese television, the adventures of Retsuko have finally arrived on Western shores in the form of a Netflix original series. Taking inspiration from this unexpectedly kawaii take on the modern condition, I decided to try and capture Retsuko’s struggle using LEGO bricks:
Click here to see LEGO Retsuko with all her accompanying accessories
After teasing the minifigures way back in February, LEGO has finally revealed two sets from the Powerpuff Girls theme. Both are small playsets, and the highlights for fans will definitely be the minifigures. They will be available August 1.
Click to see all of the Powerpuff Girls sets
… for this night and all the nights to come. Even if they haven’t taken the oath themselves, it’s clear that at least three members of the Vancouver LEGO Club (Keith Reed, David Guedes, and David Gagnon), have a soft place in their hearts for the men of the Night’s Watch. Back in 2016, the three Canadian builders constructed this massive version of the Wall from Game of Thrones.
Although it’s mostly monochromatic, this gigantic LEGO creation is anything but boring. The wall itself has an excellent ice-like texture (a result of the SNOT building technique using plates) and appears thick enough to withstand a serious siege. In addition to being huge, this build also features a ton of details and action. At the base of the wall sits a fully-fortified Castle Black, while Tyrion Lannister relieves himself at the top the wall. Beyond, Jon and Samwell take their vows and a wildling army swarms the woods with brick-built mammoths.
Click to see more images of this huge build along with some close ups to show the action
While not the most iconic imagery originating from the Stargate universe, Tim Schwalfenberg‘s latest creation still oozes with the aesthetic of the series. Growing up with this show, I have acquired quite the taste for contemporary explorers (and/or soldiers) interacting with alien technology in the shape of ancient artifacts and architecture.
Tim’s cute little build has that in heaps. The geometric shape of the doorways is simultaneously futuristic and ancient in some ways, especially with their edges that look like they are made of stone bricks. The translucent bridge is just inspired, but for those who are wondering, the glowing portals seem to be added digitally.
In the 2003 re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica, the Cylon Raider is the main attack fighter used by the Cylons. One of the most striking differences between the original model from the 1998 series and the newer model is the crescent shape with forward leading wings and the large eye slit with a red light going across in the cockpit position. David Duperron has built his second UCS-scale ship from Battlestar Galactica with this hugely impressive Cyclon Raider based on the newer version and captured in LEGO form. The model is made of 3253 LEGO pieces, with a total length of 66,5cm (~83 studs) and a width of 45,0cm (~56 studs).
Click here to see more views of this amazing model
The Iron Throne is probably one of the most iconic elements of the hysterically popular Game of Thrones series. But if you became the ruthless ruler of your particular domain, taking trophies from those you crushed to create a throne of your own to rule over them, what would it be constructed from? Builder Chris CAPTAIN uses LEGO to re-imagine the concept outside the crushingly limiting confines of a fantasy world filled with gigantic pies and toilet murders. Check out the full set here. This is a concept I’d love to see other builders try their hand at! (nudge, wink)
We’re probably gonna see more Trek builds than usual this year, it being the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Such as this minifig scale Type 6 shuttle designed by Jerry builds LEGO, which captures the lines of this iconic vessel perfectly, thanks to deft use of some canopies probably from a Star Wars set (I’m not even gonna check, I assume it’s a Star Wars set, since there’s not exactly a shortage of those to choose from).
As an added treat, Mr Builds With LEGO has even put together this neat instructional video, showing you how to build one of these for yourself. I like the format of this video, in which each step is shown being built so you can easily follow along. The video doesn’t show which sets you’ll have to rip apart to get those lovely canopies, or how far you’ll have to search to find matching STNG minifigs — that’s an exercise left for the viewer.
Of course in the Star Trek universe, transporters are method of choice for getting from point A to point B. But if you think really hard about it they’re actually just giant death machines and the entire franchise is just the story of hoards of people (and their subsequent clones) willingly stepping into oblivion. So it’s no wonder there a few characters in the show actually opt to travel exclusively by shuttle craft. Slower, and more tedious, but at least it gets to you your destination without being bloody vaporized.
