A UNESCO World Heritage Site full of wonderful architecture like the University of Sankore, the city of Timbuktu in the West African country of Mali has been a center of trade and learning for nearly a thousand years. Hardly an inaccessible or mythical place, the very real, not at all mythical or inaccessible city has thrived on modern tourism for decades. Sadly, the last several years have seen strife overtake the city, with jihadist rebels occupying the city for about 8 months in 2012 and 2013. Nathan takes us back to a happier time in the city, when it was the capital of the Malian Empire. Nathan adds to his collection of world architecture creations by depicting the royal palace in the Sudano-Sahelian architecture style as it might have existed during the reign of Musa the First (r. 1312–1337). Nathan has accurately captured the iconic architectural style, built from adobe or...

Absent as a theme for seven years, LEGO has returned to the magical land of Harry Potter. This time around the theme is titled Wizarding World, since it encompasses both the Harry Potter books/films and the current Fantastic Beasts films. Fittingly, the largest set of the new wave is the setting for so many of Harry’s adventures, Hogwarts. Since LEGO began producing Harry Potter sets way back in 2001, there have been at least four distinct versions of the iconic wizarding school Hogwarts, plus others set in and around the castle grounds. Each version has a slightly different twist, and this latest edition attempts to bring a hint of proper scale to the monolithic school, opting to forego recreating the whole castle and focusing on a single aspect in greater detail. 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall retails for $99.99 USD, includes 878 pieces, and is available now in the USA, and elsewhere Aug. 1....

I ain’t gonna lie, I’m calling it as I see it. I see a character with a side profile eerily similar to George Lucas. And it seems like he’s trapped a family of mice in the crawlspaces behind the wall by not only cutting off their food supply but sealing their fate to starve, behind an inescapable wall. I guess George is just bored these days with little to look forward to since he sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney. If you’re wondering where builder Nick Sweetman got those sand-green wall patterned bricks, they’re pretty rare, since the piece only appeared in a single LEGO set, 76062 Batman Classic TV Series Batcave. The post Evil George seals the fate of a family of innocent mice appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Edwinder

Built around BrickHeadz style figures, this lovely sketch of Red Riding Hood by Cindy Su features an adorably ferocious wolf and a strikingly vibrant granddaughter. The little scene is mostly a setup for the characters, who have some great techniques, and thankfully Cindy has some pictures of the characters on their own, too. The wolf looks sheepishly proud of his grandmother-eating exploits, with huge eyes and ears and a mouth full of teeth. The palisade bricks make great textured legs. The best parts use goes to Red, though, with an awesome cape billowing behind her, made of an old castle roof element. The post My, what big eyes you have Grandma appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Chris

The Summer Joust contest is generating some amazing LEGO builds in a variety of categories. Talented multi-theme builder David Zambito‘s entry in the “Mesoamerican Setting” category depicts an Aztec-style temple overgrown with foliage. While the well-built temple is the center of the scene, the landscaping also deserves your attention. The plants are built not just from actual LEGO foliage pieces like bushes, bamboo, and flowers, but also from the plastic sprues that three-leaf plants come in, as well as street sweeper brushes. If you like this Aztec-style pyramid, you might also like the Maya-style LEGO pyramid we featured previously. The post A forgotten Aztec temple emerges from a Mesoamerican jungle... appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Andrew