While brainstorming ideas for my own entry to the Assemble the Fleet Contest, I went down a bit of an internet rabbit hole of ships and concept art from lesser-known Star Wars video games. Among them was the Assault Frigate Mark II, only seen in the Star Wars: Empire at War RTS games, which I took one look at and dismissed as impossible to recreate in LEGO due to it’s almost entirely rounded shape. A few weeks later, to my dismay and excitement, The Brickforce proved me very wrong with his beautiful microscale rendition of the ship. Making good use of the multitude of new rounded, angled, and sloped pieces LEGO has released the past few years, the builder has managed to skillfully recreate the rounded form of the ship, with minimal gaps between the bricks for a smooth look. The splashes of color top complete the build, both incorporated into...

February is over, and LEGO builders who participated in the month-long building challenge known as Febrovery even got a bonus day with this leap year. Several rovers have been featured here on TBB this month, but this open-topped model by Anthony Wilson instantly caught my eye, mostly with the presence of something not usually seen in space exploration vehicles, a tree, and a very nicely sculpted one at that. I would say this tree-topped rover was a breath of fresh air. The post A rover made for relaxing appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Daniel

When the master builders of the Renaissance were building things from bricks, they were not using ABS plastic like LEGO master builders do today. They were building with marble, constructing some of the most beautiful buildings ever built. The proportions, the balance, the arrangement of the different elements were intended to raise the hearts and spirits of those visiting to an experience of the supernatural. Scaled down and converted from marble to ABS, those same buildings remain awe-inspiring. Take this model of Santa Maria del Fiore, the cathedral of Florence, Italy. Perhaps bricksandtiles is not Arnolfo di Cambio or Filippo Brunelleschi, some of the men who designed various parts of it (the cathedral was under construction from 1296 until 1436, when the dome was completed and the church was consecrated, so lots had their hand on it), but nonetheless this LEGO version is spectacular in its own right. The famed octagonal...

LEGO may have released a batch of new March 2020 LEGO sets yesterday, but there’s still a wealth of sets from January worth taking another look at. One of the biggest changes to happen within a LEGO theme is the change in LEGO Speed Champions models from six studs wide to eight studs wide. While I personally enjoyed 76896 Nissan GT-R NISMO, comments from builders indicated that the GT-R may not showcase the change as well as other models might. 76899 Lamborghini Urus ST-X & Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO (US $49.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £54.99) includes two models built from 663 pieces that I think both illustrate the benefits of the change. The packaging & sticker sheet The parts for the two cars are split across four bags, with an additional bag that includes the race track starting line archway. The two instruction booklets, sticker sheets, and one...

This Fallout homage by Ralf Langer captures that moment you step out of the vault perfectly (and such a memorable moment it is in every game). Between the desolate landscape and the lonely billboard, it’s hard not to think of the better times before nuclear war, but let’s look at the positive side of things. Take a close look and you’ll spot many details that bring this Fallout scene to life — from the tires and exposed wires surrounding the vault entrance, the tears in the billboard leaving exposed boards, and the subtle curvature of the desertscape (we’ll be watching your Instagram for your technique reveal). The simple yet awe-inspiring contrast between the vault and the open world drew us to this image for March’s cover photos on The Brothers Brick social channels. Want to see your own LEGO creation featured across TBB social media for a month? Then read the...

In honour of Chris McCandless’ 52nd birthday earlier this week, 2019 TBB LEGO Builder of the Year Andrea Lattanzio build a stunning recreation of the “Magic Bus” from the end of McCandless’ life, as documented in the book and film Into the Wild. This creation is a fitting tribute. The landscape looks like the clearing on the rugged Stampede Trail, featuring various elements representing rocks, plants, and mushrooms. My favourites are the tree built out of brown stud shooters and the grey homemaker hairpiece as a large rock. Framed inside its wild Alaskan surroundings, is the bus itself. The design is spot on and includes clever use of a dish with a spider web pattern as old and aged headlights and a stack of 3×3 dishes as the bus’s grill. The post Go into the wild on the magic bus appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: David Guedes

LEGO mecha builders draw their inspiration from all across popular culture sources, like movies, anime, and especially video games. While mecha has very deep roots in Japanese culture, and in the writings of Jules Verne, and H.G.Wells, the 1984 BattleTech (originally Battle Droids) could be considered one of the original mecha franchise to inspire modern LEGO creators to build machines piloted by humans. And that is where Kevin Hansen turned for inspiration when building this model. Built using a variety of curved white parts, the mech is very accurate to its source material, and this is one walker you do not want stepping on your picnic. Besides cannons on each arm, there is a missile battery mounted behind the pilot’s compartment that will make it rain fire. The post A chicken walker worth clucking about appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Daniel

In spring 2010 the Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) received a commission to bring “a new residential typology” to Manhattan. They delivered 35 stories of twisty goodness in VIA 57 West. The tetrahedral shape is a pretty far cry from a typical blocky facade you might expect to see. Builder Nicolas Carlier rendered this unique shape in LEGO, and did a solid job of not being constrained by typical building styles. Long runs of plate ascend at unexpected angles, propped up by tiles and cheese wedges. The interior’s plaza makes good use of modified 1×1 round plate and 1×1 cones to fill out the greenery. Just like the real building, this model has a very different feeling when viewed from the other side. Even in LEGO form, you still get a good feel for how the residential needs of the building are being met. A beautiful building still needs...

I deeply admire those who can take a LEGO build and create a story using beautiful photography. That’s exactly what Orient R Minesky has done with this pair of adventurous school girls. The builds themselves are well done, but their interaction with non-LEGO items brings them to life. The collection includes several great shots, and we wanted to share a few of our favorites. Here they’re spending a beautiful day taking pictures in the park. This shot with the leaf is my personal favorite. There’s something poetic about the way she gently admires it. If she could think, what would be on her mind? While one is looking at leaves, the other is reading a book. The builder may have been able to get away with an actual LEGO book element, but there’s something neat about going this route. I love the way her hair floats in the breeze. They move from...

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the second week of February 2020. LEGO Ideas announces the two newly selected sets. Keep reading our Brick Report to get all the details. TBB NEWS, REVIEWS & FEATURES: This week we said goodbye to the first team on LEGO Masters, learned to build a Mario Mystery Block and got a peek at the two recently approved LEGO Ideas sets. Building this Super Mario block is no mystery! [Instructions] – Want to learn how to build a LEGO version of a Mario Bros mystery cube? Look no further than this tutorial by Tiago Catarino!Leaving LEGO Masters: An interview with contestants Kara and Jessie about the first two episodes [Feature] – We sat down with LEGO Masters contestants Kara...