This article is Part 2 of an ongoing series. Read about the LEGO Grumman E-1 Tracer Part 1 here. About two weeks ago, I started building a new aircraft model: a Grumman E-1 Tracer. Because some of you might like to know how one might build such a LEGO scale model, I am documenting my process in a short series. In the first part I described why I decided to build such an oddball aircraft in the first place and how I plan a build like this. I also explained that I usually start by building the difficult bits. A few of those are the subject of this article. The Tracer’s wings are not quite perpendicular to the fuselage. This wouldn’t be much of an issue if the engine pods and the main undercarriage weren’t attached to them. I have built angled wings before, including some rather large ones. In practice,...

When Final Fantasy 7 came out for the PlayStation console in 1997, I spent many, many hours playing it, and one of the most pleasurable aspects, aside from kicking the pixels out of a multi-stage boss in epic 45-minute battles, was riding all over the world on my trusty Chocobo, searching for the elusive Giant Cactuar. This creation by Vincent Kiew captures the game’s protagonist, Cloud Strife, astride his Chocobo in large scale. Vincent managed to make the Chocobo look very light on his feet, which is exactly how they looked and felt in the game. Also, Cloud is very accurate to his on-screen inspiration, down to the large clunky hands, his giant sword slung across his back, and that signature spiky anime hair. The post LEGO Cloud Strife and his Chocobo ride into the sunset. appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Daniel

LEGO building is cool. Smoking is not. Everyone clear on that? Excellent. Having got that public service announcement out of the way, we can get on with featuring Andreas Lenander‘s excellent LEGO ashtray. This is a brilliant bit of work — a nicely-executed cigarette and cigar, a snake for a twist of smoke, a pile of grey bricks for ash, and a little trans-orange lurking within as an ember’s glow. Add in a brick-built tablecloth with a retro 70s feel and some appropriately gloomy photography and you’ve got a cracking little creation. The post Building a filthy habit appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

One of the most gorgeous airships to grace the skies has finally emerged from the distant clouds. This is the long-awaited Skytanic, built by Markus Ronge and alluded to in his equally epic-looking Maersk Pier, featured on The Brothers Brick last week. In Markus’ steampunk universe, the airship’s massive size was made possible thanks in part to the ultra-light steel used in its construction. When it comes to the characters involved in the ship’s construction, Markus once again gives them clever names. Hiram Lever is the designer behind Skytanic, which is in turn piloted by Captain Ulysses Wheeler. From bow to stern, Skytantic looks phenomenal. The red, black and white hull is reminiscent of the ill-fated Titanic, while the gold trim helps give the finished model that steampunk vibe. According to Markus, the ship stands a whopping five stories tall, and each level looks distinct. The top level features a lively...

We see lots of impressive LEGO castles, often huge models festooned with towers and crenellations. Detailed medieval interiors prove a little less common, but here is an excellent example from O Wingård, and one which shows you don’t have to build big to build good. Although not put together with complex building techniques, this scene is packed full of detail — a hallmark of the best LEGO creations. The walls use a good selection of different brick types to add realistic texture to the backdrop. There’s a fine assortment of armour and weaponry on display, and the ceiling beams are nicely done. However, the highlight for me is the brick-built door with silver “tooth plates” providing hinges — nothing particularly complex in its construction, but a perfectly proportioned portal all the same. The post His Lordship will see you now appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

It took almost three decades, but I’d equate the evolution of a talking assistants like K.I.T.T (short for Knight Industries Two Thousand, from the 1980’s TV show Knight Rider) to what we have today with Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, and other voice-activated systems, although these modern systems are still much less capable than K.I.T.T in many ways. This version of K.I.T.T by thewdarren is quite spectacular not only in size, but in all the details built with the LEGO Technic system. K.I.T.T includes a fully built-in engine that looks like the Pontiac Trans Am engine that the car was modelled after. The signature roving lights that made many motorheads mod their vehicles in the 80’s and 90’s are represented by 1×2 Translucent Orange tiles. With the headlights, doors, and interior finishings all decked out, what’s not to love about this talking car? We’ll leave you with a few more great poses...

A man built a thing. He had a name, in those long-before times when salmon ran in the streams like silver clouds in the moonlight and people went about their business in great cities gleaming with glass as yet unmelted by fires from the sky. His name was Patrick B. The thing he built was built from bricks and told a story. A story about a man and his child a boy. That story was first told by a man named Cormac McCarthy in a book called The Road. A book is a thing made of trees but you cant eat it like you can bark and leaves and the little stems that try to push their way toward the darkened sky at the end of the months of snow. This thing this story these bricks by the man Patrick show the man and the boy as they walk long miles...

Builder Shadow Elenter dubbed this the “3D Dizzy” and subjected Technic figures to do the Technicolor Yawn (aka barf). This is an imagined thrill ride at a theme park that spins ever so smoothly like a gyroscope and will surely induce nausea and leave anyone vertiginous with the constant spinning and rotation. This feat took 14 motors that spans from Power Functions to custom SBrick controllers. It weighs almost 115.8 lbs (7.2kg) and measures 54x24x19 inches (90x59x47cm) in its dimensions. Don’t let the spinning structure steal the show. The ride actually takes you through the full experience from buying tickets to access paths and ramps for the figures. The safety bars are programmed to secure the adrenaline-hungry humans just like in a real-world ride, and the ramp access automatically moves out of the way. Perhaps this will indeed inspire a real-world theme park ride! Check out the full video here: The...

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 September 2018. TBB NEWS: This week had incredibly varied topics of news, from new sets and ideas to sales and conventions. 10 fan projects have qualified for the second 2018 LEGO Ideas Review – Which of these fan creations could become an official LEGO set?LEGO reveals 10263 Winter Village Fire Station as their next holiday set – The tallest ever building enters the LEGO holiday lineup complete with a fire truck.LEGO unveils 41631 Fantastic Beasts BrickHeadz – Newt Scamander and Gellert Grindelwald appear in BrickHeadz form starting Oct. 1.BrickCon 2018 LEGO convention in Seattle is now just one month away – Come meet The Brothers Brick at one of the best LEGO exhibitions on the west coast.LEGO...

Who hasn’t imagined cruising down the main drag in a custom hot rod? Whilst doing it for real might prove beyond most people’s budgets, maybe we can take a leaf out of ianying616‘s book and at least create a LEGO version of our dream automobile. This black and silver vehicle is an intimidating beast, all hunkered-down suspension and gleaming chrome highlights amidst the black and grey. The monochromatic colour scheme doesn’t just look mean, it reduces distractions, keeping the focus of attention on the smooth lines of the bodywork and the details of that hulking engine. Not content with furnishing this beast with working steering and suspension, the builder has also given it a pristine interior, complete with nicely upholstered seats, dashboard instrumentation, gear stick, and handbrake… The post You can practically hear this baby growl appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod