I love it when builders follow a story through their LEGO creations over the course of years. One such story is the adventure of Jimmy and Bill, by Eli Willsea. Each build has a similar style and atmosphere, but works perfectly well as a standalone scene. The most recent one was featured here in 2017, but the first scene was built way back in 2015! Now that is dedication! The builder has titled this scene “Deeper” and his description only states; “further than ever before”. Indeed, Eli has gone further with his textures, details, composition and lighting. Notice the dark tan Bucket handles stuck into the bottoms of 1×2 bricks and the bars slotted in between two 1×2 bricks with center grooves, in particular. The composition really pops with the circular hole and with the waterfall flowing cleanly into it. This water was a topic of discussion between friends and me;...

Proving he’s no slacker when it comes to building posable LEGO figures, Eero Okkonen is at it again. This time he has conjured up a female warrior in stunning blue and gold armor. Her skirt is of particularly sweet part usage and her bright blue plume is four Bo Peep staffs found only in two sets. While everything is quite impressive, I’d like to call special attention to the morning star itself. The dangerous-looking flails are headless blue bats. That’s just…wow! You can find that part in only the Shimmer and Shine Sparkle Spa, a set that was wholly passed up by me because…I fancy myself more Team Jacob than Team Edward. Is there ever an inappropriate time for Twilight jokes? Probably not. But my guess is if you crack jokes of any kind around this warrior her morning star and plume of bright blue just might be the last things...

Love it or hate it, LEGO occasionally changes up their color palette. Personally, I’m in favor of having more color options. Okay, maybe I’m still bitter about the replacement of “grey” with “bluish grey” back in 2004. But otherwise, I’m good with it. If nothing else, it gives builders a reason to go back and tweak previous creations with an updated look. Bruce Lowell, for example, has applied a new skin to his 2012 version of Mr. Potato Head. While the older version’s body was perfectly adequate in dark tan, this new iteration uses medium nougat brick. This shade is a lot closer to the colors used by Playskool, and makes Bruce’s tribute even closer to the real thing. There are also improvements to the arms and hands, making use of new pieces like the 1×1 round tile with connection that was first introduced in 2015. I never thought I’d be...

Sometimes it’s easy to look at a LEGO model and over-complicate the build process. But this Mario Bros mystery cube isn’t tough to make, and designer Tiago Catarino is happy to show you how! As you follow along you’ll find that it’s actually pretty easy! Now imagine all the ways you can customize it to create other boxes, both inside and outside the Mario universe. Many builders have explored similar creations. Check out this awesome collection of cubes! Can’t get enough Mario Bros? Check out our archives of incredible builds! The post Building this Super Mario block is no mystery! [Instructions] appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Bre Burns

Maybe it’s because this retro shape was so commonly illustrated in children’s books but, when I was a child learning to draw, I’d put pencil (or crayon) to paper and all my airplanes turned out pretty much like this. Without even knowing its name, I seemed aware that this is what the quintessential airplane should look like. Luis Peña not only provides  me its name — Douglas DC-3C — but a stunning 1:40 scale LEGO model, which is much harder to build than to draw. A trip to the National Aeronautical and Space Museum in Santiago, Chile inspired this model. He tells us that LAN Chile bought several of these craft in 1946 after they were originally used as cargo planes during World War II, then refurbished them for a second life as passenger planes. This particular model measures 73 cm (28.74 in.) wide and 49 cm (19.29 in.) long. To...

Sixty-two years ago today on January 28, 1958, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen submitted a patent application for a toy building brick which was approved six months later. That patent for his “highly sophisticated inter-locking brick system” has since led to LEGO becoming one of the largest toy companies on the globe. The original Danish patent not only covered a single brick but an entire building system where multiple interlocking plastic building elements “could be put together in a great number of mutually different positions” including several early brick designs pictured below, courtesy of LEGO. So let’s celebrate our love of LEGO today by building a new set or seeing what LEGO was doing the decade we were born. Sort those parts you’ve needed to, create something new from scratch, or re-build that one LEGO set you loved as a kid. Play well, everyone. Want to know more about the history of LEGO...

LEGO has officially revealed its long-rumored new product line, LEGO Dots. The initial wave of the 2D tile-based arts and crafts theme features bracelets, picture holders, a jewelry stand, a pencil pot, and the first in a series of “Extra Dots” emoji booster packs. Prices vary from US $3.99 to 19.99 with availability beginning on March 1st. The spiritual successor to LEGO’s previous Clikits play-jewelry product line, the Dots theme centers on colorful 1×1 tiles (square, round, quarter-circle and new gem tiles) with bright colors and expressive prints including emojis, rainbows, glitter, animals, space, music, and more. (Keen-eyed readers will also note that several of the tiles have appeared previously in 21045 Trafalgar Square’s hidden art gallery.) LEGO states that the intent of the Dots line is to offer kids a creative canvas to express themselves by building their own designs and mosaics, utilizing more than 30 mood tiles (i.e. emojis)...

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...

For such a small model, there’s lots to love in Ayrlego‘s diorama of an Imperial Armoury receiving a gunpowder delivery. The colour scheme is excellent, with the building’s walls offering a smart contrast to both foliage and water. But a closer look is also rewarded, with lots of nice building techniques on display. Don’t miss the weathering in the walls, the subtle change in colour where the water laps against the quay, and the construction of the small cannon on the roof. I particularly like the hanging lantern, with lever parts providing thin bars around the light — a technique I’ll be stealing with pride in any future Pirate-themed creations of my own! The post Needz moar boompowderz appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

It is rare for a LEGO build to make my jaw drop and leave me drooling on my keyboard, but that is just what this stunning layout of Imperial Rome by Rocco Buttliere did. I have a Master’s degree in Classics, primarily in the Latin language, and so anything and everything Roman is right up my via, but there is a lot of great information to learn in the descriptions of the photos, even for one with an advanced degree in a tangential field. In fact, I could spend hours looking through all the pictures, and have already spent the better part of one skimming through the descriptions. It is fascinating stuff. And the build! It is huge, about 1×2 meters in size, with 66,000 bricks going into its construction. And not one is wasted or superfluous. So let’s take a brief tour of the Eternal City, shall we? Rocco built...