LEGO Pirates have been sailing the seas for nearly 30 years. We’ve seen any number of impressive pirate vessel creations in that time, but only a handful where the sea itself has taken a starring role in the presentation of the model. Jerome Kloou‘s pirate ship is a good example of the genre — an attractive colour scheme, smart cloth sails, stacked barrels used for the masts, and an impressive array of minifigures making up the scurvy crew. But the main attraction here is surely the rolling swell of the sea — fashioned from innumerable stacks of transparent blue 1×1 round pieces. Whilst this must have been a nightmare to put together, the effect is undoubtedly worth it — providing a visually striking and dynamic base for the model. The post Waves are stacking up appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

In the last year or so, I have been steadily building a collection of classic US Navy aircraft. The latest addition is the A-3B Skywarrior, a twin-engined carrier-based jet bomber. Back in the late forties nuclear weapons were large and heavy. According to the US Navy, a jet built to deliver one over a meaningful distance would have to weigh about 45 tons and be the size of a small airliner. Given that they wanted to operate their nuclear bombers from aircraft carriers, where space is at a premium, this posed an obvious problem. To add insult to injury, the first of a new generation of super-large aircraft carriers intended to operate these bombers was cancelled within a week after its keel had been laid. So, when the brilliant designer Ed Heinemann, also known for the A-1 Skyraider, proposed that Douglas Aviation build a bomber of about 30 tons that could...

I’m always amazed by fan-built constraction (construction + action)  figures like this old fisherman by Dylan Mievis. Dylan’s fisherman brings together Bionicle, Technic and System parts to pull off an almost believable looking human figure. Cloth elements are also put to good use, providing the fisherman with a proper net and second layer of clothing. When it comes to the boots, I like how the different parts form their shape, including the upside down barrel halves. His long, gray, grizzled beard and imposing harpoon make me thing this guy has a whale tale or two. With the modification of one of the legs, this would make a great Ahab. The post Of fish tales and fish tails. This old fisherman has probably seen it all! appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Matt Hocker

This week LEGO’s new Technic Bugatti Chiron dominated the news, but it wasn’t the only set revealed. This is our Brick Report for the last week of May and first week of June 2018. TBB NEWS: This week LEGO announced several new sets, including a new fan-designed set from the LEGO Ideas platform. Pop-up book to become next LEGO Ideas set — Beating out six other entries, this pop-up book will definitely be breaking new ground for LEGO.3600-piece LEGO Technic 42083 Bugatti Chiron unveiled — LEGO’s latest entry for the premium Technic supercars lineup is the Bugatti Chiron, an ultra-fast luxury car.Activision-Blizzard announces LEGO Overwatch sets — The company behind the popular competitive online shooter revealed that they’ve reached a deal with LEGO to license Overwatch for construction sets.LEGO’s summer wave of sets now available — The new Arctic exploration line of City sets is now available, along with sets from Ant-Man & The...

This months’ promotional set from the LEGO Shop is 40291 Creative Personalities, featuring the 19th-century Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. The set takes the form of a storybook and includes 307 pieces with two minifigs and is available for free with all purchases over $99 from June 4th through the 20th (or until supplies run out). LEGO sent us a copy of the set ahead of its release, so let’s take a closer look. The box & instructions The simple box (we have more photos of the box in the full gallery at the end of the article) includes four unnumbered bags, along with four 6×8 brown plates and the instruction booklet loose in the box. The instruction booklet is noteworthy in that it includes a number of models on the first couple of pages that illustrate various stories from the work of Hans Christian Andersen, spanning his life (1805-1875). What’s...

The use of repetitive shapes and colors can work wonders in a LEGO model — case in point, this awesome starfighter by Andreas Lenander. The various wings and nacelles all share similar shapes and outlines with red and white plates, giving the starfighter a wonderfully cohesive look. Andreas has made great use of the new X-Wing canopy, and a black cauldron on the engine of the ship. The post This titan’s lookin’ tight in red and white appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Peter

Here’s a suitably imposing railway station, styled to fit with the LEGO modular buildings range. bricksandtiles has done an excellent job with this model, capturing a grand European feel with the broad steps and the impressively-ornate tan brickwork. The flowing curves and domes of the roof are particularly well done, capping off the impressive height of the building in style. The platform at the building’s rear is equally detailed. The use of black lamp-post parts provides an appropriately retro look to the ironwork supporting the glass roof, and the stickers employed as signs create the impression of a nineteenth-century station still in regular modern-day use… There’s a detailed interior too, with a ticket office and cafe. And don’t miss the smartly-tiled floor making effective use of the still relatively-new 1×1 diagonal tile pieces. Lovely. The post A rather grand Central Station appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

The B series bombers are certainty some of my favorite airplanes ever created. I can’t help but think of them as battleships of the sky, with the ability to drop tons of bombs while laying down machine gun fire in all directions from a multitude of manned turrets. Nelsoma84 has brought one of these planes to life in LEGO form: the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Although the B-17 usually steals the show, as we’ve seen before with a B-17 from PlaneBricks and a chrome Flying Fortress by Orion Pax, the B-24 was actually the most-produced bomber and American military aircraft in history. This particular model is based on one of the B-24’s based in Benghazi, Libya, which explains the tan coloring. These bombers were used in 2,400-mile round-trip bombing raids on oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania which supplied 30-50% of the Third Reich’s fuel. The model has excellent shaping all around, from...

If you find yourself driving through German farmland, you just might find one these Fendt 500 tractors working the fields. Stefan brings us a faithful looking brick-built version, complete with the iconic green and black livery. He has also gone above and beyond to build a series of implements for the tractor, such as forest blade for the front…. A winch for the rear…. And even a mulcher! The post This tiny tractor tackles any tough task appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Matt Hocker

A blend of agility and speed unmatched across the Twelve Worlds — well, at least that’s what Jeremy Williams says of his latest LEGO starfighter: the Xylian Interceptor. The overall shaping of this spaceship is wonderful, and the crystal-clear photography allows you to appreciate all the building techniques that went into it — don’t miss the complex arrangement of hinges, slopes, and curves that form the tips of the crescent body. I love the way the cockpit spheres are clamped in place, managing to look both realistic and futuristic at the same time. Jeremy’s trademark greeble skills are on display all over this model, particularly in the junction between cockpit and crescent, and the engine housing. Put a well-built model together with a strikingly simply colour scheme and smart presentation, and you’ve got a great little LEGO sci-fi creation. The post That’s no crescent moon appeared first on The Brothers Brick....