This music box, built by Peter Carmichael, is currently one of my favorite LEGO creations. Its smooth edges, customizable cylinder, and colorful “comb” are all gravitating. As my very tactile partner would say, it’s one of those things you want to “see with your hands.”
Click to see a video of the mechanism!
“Doing more to improve the image of the English world-wide than any officially appointed ambassadors, Wallace and Gromit are the epitome of the English character.” – UK Icons nomination
Aardman Animation LEGO creations have popped up on The Brothers Brick a couple times in the past, namely Shaun the sheep and a particularly grand day out.
This time German builder Andreas Weissenberg gives us A Close Shave.
The intrepid window-washer/inventor/cheese-lover Wallace is joined by his trusty, mute, heroic pup pal Gromit. The characters’ distinctive looks are not only executed well, but this model also conceals some compact motorized functionality within the motorbike and sidecar! Check out the video to see Wallace and Gromit in action!
Like this builder’s character work? Check out some of his prior featured models like Chip and Dale, Dilbert and Dogbert, and Statler and Waldorf!
Ahoy, ye mateys and join the hearty crew of Barracuda Bay! The most recently revealed LEGO Ideas set, 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay, was officially revealed last week and we’ve already published our hands-on review and an interview with the design team. Today, LEGO designers Sam Johnson and Austin Carlson give us a tour of the massive shipwrecked island and show off some of the hidden secrets of the set.
The 2,545-piece set features a shipwreck island teeming with eight minifigures and can be re-built into a fully working pirate ship. 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay will retail for US $199.99 | CAN $259.99 | UK £179.99 starting April 1st.
LEGO builders will sometimes look for ways to challenge themselves. Sometimes they’ll require that their creation includes a specific “seed part”, usually something that isn’t particularly easy to incorporate. Sometimes they’ll put insane time pressure on things, giving themselves a week, or even a day, to go from loose bricks to completed model. And then, sometimes, you get someone like First Order Lego who will create an entire diorama, based around a battle droid body, in just two hours.
In this scene, a murky river of transparent black elements runs between two peaks. Connecting them is a bridge, made up of those required droid bodies and robot arms. Green spikes combine with 1×1 flower plate to create a touch of vegetation. And there’s even a mountain fortress, rendered in miniature by headlight bricks and cheese slopes. Hard to believe this only took two hours.
You don’t have to take my word on the short time frame, though. Check out this awesome time-lapse of the build and see for yourself!
If you loved the official 42110 Land Rover Defender set but are wondering what the heck you can do with it now, then you may be thrilled to learn that its designer Milan Reindl has some opinions on the matter. He has used the same parts and constructed a Super Stadium Truck or Short Course Truck based on an RC model he has. It features all-wheel drive with 3 differentials, a 3-speed sequential gearbox with neutral and a V8 engine. The front axle has independent suspension and is mounted with positive caster angle to absorb the impacts from uneven surfaces. The rear axle features a 4-link suspension. The truck has front axle steering and an opening hood. The interior features a driver’s seat, 5-gallon jug, gear shifter lever and rearview mirror. The spare wheel is mounted on the reinforcing frame in the rear.
But don’t just take it from me. Check out this video that explains it all better than I could. And if you happen to have all the parts and about two hours set aside, then you can build your own Stadium Truck following Milan’s instructions.
Iconic cars need no makeovers, but one way to make a car even more special is to make it topless. This is exactly what Alexey Tikhvinsky did to the famous 10187 Volkswagen Beetle set from 2008. More than a decade ago, a bulky model in a rare dark-blue color became an outstanding example of car model-making, which later resulted in a lineup of LEGO Creator Expect cars. Tan/brown pieces give the car some strong retro vibes. Although most of its body has a great resemblance to the original model, there is a fully functional chassis hidden underneath. Equipped with an independent suspension and a functioning gearbox, this Beetle has to offer much more than meets the eye.
The car is driven with three new Powered Up motors (just like the recent LEGO Technic 42099 4×4 X-treme Off-Roader set). The new powerful motors are perfect for such a heavy body. Bonus points are for a functioning gearbox. Thanks to the two sets of gears the car can be turned into a crawler, capable of conquering some of the steepest terrains outdoors. The winch in the front of the car is also functioning and can easily pull the car’s weight.
It would be unfair to leave our readers without a video of the model in action. As usual, the nearest skate park turns out to be one of the most suitable filming locations.
In Greek mythology, Apollo is a somewhat complicated figure, so it seems only fitting that he’s the subject matter of Jason Allemann’s latest kinetic sculpture. Building upon his previous galloping horse, he’s expanded the moving parts in this creation to include the horse’s legs, bodies, necks, heads and tails, as well as the chariot body and wheels and Apollo himself. He’s done such a good job making the overall movement look natural, it can be hard to pick out what parts are actually moving independently of each other. It all just flows together quite well.
Like everything Jason designs, the mechanics behind it all are quite clever, but even without the movement, this would still be a well-designed static model. I really like the way he’s sculpted the head and face, using a simply gap between pieces to represent the eyes and brow. Also pleasing are the choices of gold elements to adorn the chariot, giving it that ancient and regal look. The relatively new 22 long hose with connector ends is an especially smart choice for the reins. Watch the video he made and take a moment to be mesmerized by the model’s motion and hear about all about the mechanics from Jason himself.
Building functioning vehicles has been a passion for many builders ever since the introduction of the Technic line of LEGO sets back in 1977 as the Expert Builder series. Some builders add motors so their vehicles can move and steer, but then there are builders like Sariel who go far and above merely building a motorized vehicle to create something truly special. When I first saw this model of a MAZ 535 heavy artillery truck made in USSR, I was impressed by both the scale, and the attention to detail, which compared to photos is remarkable.
But the amazing attention to detail doesn’t stop there. Sariel has created a video that shows off some of the many hidden features, included an opening top hatch, and two speeds for the transmission, which allows the LEGO truck to pull an incredible amount of weight. In the video, the Maz is seen pulling a chair across the floor! There is even a scene of an adorable hamster checking out the fabric hand-stitched canopy.
Today LEGO has announced a new licensing partnership with Dreamworks for the upcoming Trolls World Tour film. The film is slated for release April 17, 2020. So far LEGO has only revealed a teaser trailer showing a variety of the new minifigures. These new minifigures encapsulate the classic Troll doll look, with big heads, crazy hair, and outrageous personalities. There’s no word yet on when the LEGO Trolls World Tour theme will be available.
Over the years, we here at The Brothers Brick have written a few guides about how to get your LEGO creations featured on our website. But what if you want more? Well then janbenedict_yap has the solution for you! Introducing the Like Launcher!
Use it launch some Facebook likes into the world and maybe some of those good vibes will come back to you in the form of likes on pictures of your LEGO models. Simply load a like into the launcher to fire it at what pleases you. You can utilize it in one of two ways: Trajectory Mode or Direct Fire mode. I know when I like something, my favourite way to let you know is to shoot a thumbs up, right in your face. And now you can too! But don’t take my word for it, check out on video.
LEGO senior designer Henrik Andersen is taking the covers off of the newly announced 75252 Imperial Star Destroyer… quite literally. In the designer video posted by LEGO, he shows off the Technic core and backbone of the ship and shares some interesting facts about the model.
Click to read more and watch the video.
The droids are starting to work together… to create music! LEGO released a video today showing an incredible amount of droids from 75253 LEGO Boost Droid Commander working in concert to perform the main theme from Star Wars. While John Williams might not approve, the many R2-D2, Gonk, and Mouse droids show off just a few of the things Boost is capable of.
Click to watch the Star Wars droid orchestra in action.