As a San Antonian born and bred, I can say with absolute certainty that some Texans would absolutely make their state pride their identity, even in deep space. And Umbra-Manis has brilliantly captured that sense of pride with this SHIPtember digital creation, the RTSS Chiltepin. This ship would be worthy of our attention even without the Texas flags. Look at all the interesting textures, from the use of Artoo legs and hinge-less hinge bricks along the upper portion of the hull to the use of the underside of jumper plates on the cargo containers. And those recessed circular portions along the top are fantastic. But the inclusion of the flags, and the space-based Republic of Texas backstory, does so much storytelling that makes this a next-level creation. It’s easy to imagine a crew mess stocked with Big Red, Blue Bell ice cream, and Whataburger. I wonder how it refuels, though. Are...

I’m a big Star Wars: The Phantom Menace apologist. There, I said it! Come at me, readers. So too, it seems, is LEGO builder Alper Isler. Their photostream is peppered with Episode I builds, the latest of which is this fantastic Armoured Assault Tank (AAT). What good taste! I thought battle droids were really cool when they were first introduced. They’re basically the Galaxy’s most over-the-top collection of remote control toys. Sure, they were reduced to comic relief quite quickly, but cruising around in these things? You’d still better hope the droids run out of battery before they get to you. The post This AAT will defend the honour of Star Wars: Episode I! appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Theo Spencer

The word “LEGO” tends to inspire thoughts of the traditional bricks that have been a staple of playtime for generations. But this spindly bubble-bot by Djokson is here to remind us of just how far the LEGO system has come. With nary a traditional brick to be found, this collection of gears and tubes is assembled into a robot that’s teaming with personality while being short on traditional studs. The post A robot that’s a few bricks short of a load appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Norm Harper

Natural forms abound in this outdoor LEGO scene by Mark van der Maarel. Birch trees topped with dark green foliage stand in the foreground of a massive stone archway, overgrown in places with creeping vines. A brilliant medium blue stream babbles through the scene, highlighted in round while plates and slopes to give the water a level of unease. But one figure stands alone, quite out of place with its environs. A visitor, clad in white, ponders the beauty of a brave butterfly. With no indication of how this extraterrestrial nomad arrived or what its intentions are, the viewer is left to fill in the gaps on their own. And its that mystery which makes this work truly outstanding in my eyes! The post First contact with a world of LEGO appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Kyle Keller

SHIPtember is officially over with but that doesn’t stop us from enjoying these seriously huge LEGO ships that we’ve seen lately. Take Maxx Davidson’s Aeronautilus, for example. The rules laid out by the LEGO Gods a millennia ago state that a Seriously Huge Investment in Parts must have at least 100 studs on one side but it says nothing about which side. This otherworldly SHIP is 104 studs high and 108 studs on the diagonal plane. Its construct is so alien in appearance, that one can barely imagine the beings that may have constructed it. Maxx, as far as I know, is an Earthly being but you get what I mean. My favorite part, besides its odd color scheme, is the smaller ships being launched from strange hatches throughout the hull. I imagine this is how a botfly works. Kinda gives you the warm and fuzzies, doesn’t it? The post a...

Here at The Brothers Brick, we know that whenever we feature a LEGO creation by KevFett2011 the TBB headquarters hot tub bill gets paid. You just keyword Star Wars or The Mandalorian and suddenly we’re making it rain over here! Or something. I don’t know how the internet works, really. “Stick to the colorful metaphors, Lino, and let us worry about the rest”, they said. We’re all a bunch of Star Wars nerds, so we’d feature this stuff regardless of the nitty-gritty. For those not as nerd-core as we are, Paz Viszla was the big, stocky Mandalorian who seemed invincible but ultimately succumbed to the might of Moff Gideon’s Praetorian Guards. Kev captured that scene nicely with this diorama. Nerding out over fantastic Star Wars scenes is pretty much what Kev does. Check out our KevFett2011 archives to see what I mean. And for the love of god, someone please build...

Whatever your take on their purpose, it has to be said that religious buildings like churches or cathedrals can be quite amazing places. There’s the spiritual aspect of course, but even on a purely material level, often they’re just downright pretty. That’s definitely the case with Casey McCoy‘s vignette. It’s a captivating scene depicting a priest in a moment of quiet contemplation. The whole thing is beautiful, but so are some of the building techniques! The cheese-slope stained glass windows are what draw the eye, and what give this scene its distinctive atmosphere. But cheese slopes are also used in the floor tiling to great effect. The candles are also great, made of Technic pins and lever handles. You may be wondering how the Casey has managed to manipulate the figure into that quite un-minifigure like pose. The answer is with rubberbands, care and a lot of patience! A white rubberband...

As the spending season kicks into high gear at the start of October, LEGO has turned out quite the interested “Gift with Purchase” to help keep us entertained. Unlike any other GWP I’ve encountered, 40596 Magic Maze is a gravity-powered ball maze seated on a 24×24 stud square. Read on to get my thoughts on quite a novel concept. 40596 Magic Maze consists of 332 pieces and is available until October 9th from LEGO stores or their website with qualifying purchases of US $150 | CAN $200 | UK £130. The box and contents This brightly-colored GWP arrives in a a pink box with standard “Gift with Purchase” iconography, such as the present in the upper right corner and the “Limited Edition” banner at the bottom. Be warned that this is only for ages 12+, so too bad all you 11-year-old maze-lovers! The back of the box shows some of the...

LEGO builder Pico van Grootveld toasts the end of SHIPtember (a month of creating spacecraft that are 100 studs or longer) with an agave-inspired hauler clad in an appropriate shade of green. Including features like a warp drive, anti-asteroid lasers, and fuel extension vats, this 139-stud starship is the preferred method for hauling limes, salt, and spirits from one side of the solar system to the other. The shaping here is beautiful, with well-crafted stabilizing fins along the sides and a technical-looking front hatch for quick loading and unloading. It’s just the thing for those late night runs to the triple sec nebula! The post The latest in interstellar LEGO tech-quila appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Kyle Keller

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the 4th week of September, 2023.TBB NEWS AND REVIEWS The big news this week would have to be our review of the latest and highly anticipated UCS Venator. Or maybe it was our coverage of this year’s holiday set, the Alpine lodge. We also covered Mario, and Dreamzzz. And be sure to check out our last Brick Report for more news and reviews. [NEWS] New LEGO sets for October 2023 now available for purchase — The first of the month means new LEGO sets, and October has a bunch.[REVIEW] LEGO Dreamzzz 71461 Fantastical Tree House — A fun treehouse with two options, chill time, or battle mode.[REVIEW] LEGO Icons 10325 Alpine Lodge – On holiday for the holidays —...