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...

If you feel nervous about the future and dread the thought of grey concrete buildings taking over our cities, these beautiful microscale futuristic cityscapes by Jeff Friesen should calm your fears. Each unique scene is beautifully crafted, with buildings, transportation links, water, and features like bridges, parks, and flora. The colour schemes have been well thought-out and there are lots of clever details in each scene despite their diminutive size. It is worth having a closer look at each cityscape. Jeff has used a lovely selection of parts and techniques to create the buildings and add detail to each creations. I love the elevated road in the first scene and the art-Deco style skyscrapers with their minimalistic curves. The railway bridge is a real eye-catcher in this scene, but I can’t resist the little subterranean metro trains peaking out from beneath the city streets. As someone who loves the colour Azure, this city...

As winter closes in up in the northern hemisphere, LEGO builders’ attention invariably turns to depictions of snow and ice — and for Star Wars fans, ’tis the season to be Hothy. Tim Goddard uses microscale building to great effect to depict the moment when Luke and Han get rescued after their impromptu overnight camping trip at the start of Empire Strikes Back. The little Snowspeeder is nicely done, but the highlight of this tiny scene is that tiny gutted Tauntaun — corpse-based sleeping bags never looked so good. The post Good morning, nice of you guys to drop by appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

Welcome to Day 6 of our LEGO Advent Calendar countdown. Each day, we’ll reveal the three mini-builds from the LEGO City, LEGO Star Wars, and LEGO Friends 2017 advent calendars along with commentary from our team. If you’re opening one (or more) of these advent calendars along with us, we’ve made sure the pictures and commentary on each day’s models will be behind a jump and posted in the evening every day, so we don’t accidentally ruin the surprise. What bricks will we get for Day 6? For Day 6, we have a model propeller plane from City, a mini First Order Transporter from Star Wars, and a snowboard ramp from Friends. Chris: The plane’s not great, but then again, it’s not terrible either. The First Order Transporter looks the part, but it’s basically a WWII amphibious assault craft, so it’s not one of the more inspired designs from the Star Wars...

It’s been a few years since we’ve posted a LEGO holiday gift guide, so we’re a bit overdue for a refresh. While the LEGO builder in your life will always appreciate more brick to add to their infinitely expanding collection, thoughtful gift-givers might want to consider these other LEGO-related options, including many under $20. Custom LEGO minifigs & custom building kits We’re big fans of Citizen Brick, Brickmania, BrickArms, and Chris McVeigh here at TBB. Each of these companies and individuals creates unique, innovative LEGO-themed products that LEGO is unlikely to ever produce themselves but that fit seamlessly with our existing LEGO collections. Case in point, LEGO will probably never make The X-Files or Breaking Bad minifigures, but our friends at Citizen Brick have produced “Eks Files” and “Lab Partners” minifigs that match the quality of official LEGO minifigs. With custom pad printing on nearly every element, CB minifigs generally run...