Borderlands 2 is a first-person action role-playing game and the most popular title from 2K Games, selling over 13 million copies. It’s no wonder that there are hardcore fans like Sam Beattie who can’t resist bringing them to life as LEGO character models. (Left to Right) Axton, Gaige, Krieg, Claptrap, Maya, Salvador, and Zer0 It’s not often we get to peek inside a builder’s mind to learn their development process, so hopefully some of you will be inspired by the amount of toil and sweat to get to the end product. Every journey begins with a spark, and Sam tells The Brothers Brick that this group of heroes has been in idea form for many years. What triggered him to finally get building was when BrickCon was nearing — just 6 weeks before the event earlier this month, to be exact. Sam says that character builds aren’t his strength, so it...

Our recent collaborative display at BrickCon 2018 in Seattle was an outstanding success, generating an amazing response from both the convention attendees and the public. What started as an idea back in February of this year to expand on the official city set for my son, who is a big Ninjago fan, turned into one of the most popular displays at BrickCon, judging by the crowds leaning into the stanchions, and the tremendously positive feedback we received throughout the 4-day convention. Our collaboration enjoyed the participation of over 30 people, comprising a few of our staff and a lot of awesome readers, and together we displayed nearly 60 custom blocks for Ninjago City, plus numerous sections of waterway. Project overview We provided contributors with three templates for city blocks to ensure that any block could fit next to any other: an outside corner with 2 sides facing out, an inside corner...

A couple of really high quality LEGO car models rolled across our monitors this week so I thought we’d take the opportunity to feature both models, hailing from very different economic classes but from a pair of equally talented creators. On the affordable-by-the-common-man end of the spectrum, we have hachiroku24‘s Toyota Prius model topping out around USD$24,000. And he’s provided a handy parts guide and instructional video. Breaking the bank at the other end of the scale is Jonathan Elliot‘s high class USD$400,000 Lamborghini Aventador. I genuinely appreciate when iconic shapes are accomplished with creative parts use, and both these cars fit that qualification. Both builders are masters of their craft, consistently perfecting minifig scale automobiles. My absolute favorite new(er) piece use here is the front bumper of the start white Aventador achieved with mirrored Wedge 2×1 with stud notch Left and Right. It’s such a distinctive shape at such a...

Behold the beast as it rises from the depths! Fear his googly-eyed gaze! Smirk at his cuteness! And bow down before Kelvin Low‘s innovative LEGO parts usage. This giant Kraken menacing a medieval town’s waterfront is a great example of what can be done when imagination meets even the most specialised LEGO pieces. The aquatic monstrosity is built from T-Rex parts! The colours of the dinosaur torso and tails work perfectly as Kraken-skin, and the threatened town is a nice little collection of microscale buildings. This is just plain old good fun with the bricks. The post Cute kraken is cracking me up appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

Gladiators had to face all manners of dangers in the arena, but as Mitsuru Nikaido shows, sometimes the gladiator is scarier than any beast that could be pitted against it, and the builder has made quite a few, many of which featured on the Brothers Brick. Nothing says “dangerous” like black and yellow stripes, showing which parts of the mech should be avoided–which here is basically all of them. The builder uses lots of new elements to achieve very flowing shapes of the armour, as well as intensely detailed mechanical parts. The best part use is probably the sword, made out of a helicopter rotor blade. The post Mechanical master of the arena appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Luka

There were so many terrific creations for our Microbuild Magic! Contest that it was incredibly difficult to choose the winners. While not everyone can win, there are still more that are certainly worthy of a spot on our front page. One wonderful build that caught our eye was this little recreation of Gringott’s Bank, complete with the Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon. The artist behind the build is Zed, who also recreated Harry’s “Cupboard Under the Stairs” for the competition. There were several Gringott’s scenes, but this was one that really stood out. I’m a big fan of the clever parts usage on the dragon, as well as the contrast of the dark vaults below. The wand-sprue gate is a perfect touch. Overall, the build is clean and elegant, and made even more so by the black background and crisp photography. The post The escape of the Gringott’s dragon appeared first on The Brothers Brick....

If the Disney animated series Star Wars: Rebels was any indication, LEGO fans can look forward to a full assortment of sets featuring the characters and vehicles from the new series, Star Wars: Resistance, which just debuted a couple weeks ago. While we wait for official sets, we can enjoy this lovely mini version of the Fireball, a racing ship maintained by Kaz Xiono, Tam Ryvora, and their teammates, built in brick by Tim Goddard. Tim captures the unique color schemes and markings wonderfully, including the little fins and vanes on the nose and wingtips, and even the small gray panel in the white stripe near the nose. Next up, Torra Doza’s Blue Ace in iconic Gulf Oil livery? The post Mini LEGO Fireball racer from Star Wars: Resistance appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Andrew

LEGO castles have been a fan favorite subject for builders for a very long time, possibly ever since the release of the classic castle set back in 1978. And we here at TBB feature many castles and other medieval constructions every year. Typically, castle models we feature are fully completed structures, but every now and then, we come across a model that shows the long and arduous construction process that went into building the real-life castles and fortifications that so many builders get their inspiration from. And that is exactly what we have in this outpost under construction by Ayrlego The keep is situated on a very nicely sculpted riverside setting and features two sections in various stages of construction. The slate roof uses collectible minifig bases and shows an internal structure of brown pipes. The roof even includes a small stack of slates and a section in progress where 1×1...

Earlier today, LEGO revealed 21315 Pop-Up Book as the next LEGO Ideas set. The ingenious set comes in the form of a book with two interiors based off of Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk. The Pop-up Book comes with 859 pieces as well as four minifigures and one microfigure, and will retail for $69.99 USD when it goes on sale November 1st. The Brothers Brick got an early look at the set, so read our hands-on review here, or continue scrolling for the official photos and press release from LEGO. The box The book The minifigures LEGO Ideas 21315 – Pop-Up Book859 pieces | Age 12+ | Available November 1US $69.99 – CA $89.99 – DE 69.99€ – UK 59.99£ – FR 69.99€ – DK 599DKK – AU $109.99 Enjoy two classic fairy tales with this brick-mazing pop-up LEGO® book! Bring the classic fairy tales Little Red...

LEGO has revealed the next LEGO Ideas set: 21315 Pop-Up Book. Chosen back in May from the crowd-sourced LEGO Ideas platform, the book’s final design has been kept secret until now. LEGO has figuratively taken the covers off the set which includes 859 pieces to build the book and two stories that fill its pages, as well as four minifigures and one microfigure. The set will retail for $69.99 USD when it is available November 1st. The Pop-Up Book is the brainchild of two fans, Jason Alleman and Grant Davis, two names you may recognize. Both Jason and Grant are regulars here on The Brothers Brick, having a long history of building excellent creations. However, Jason’s name may ring a bell for another reason, since this isn’t his first LEGO Ideas set. Jason also created 21305 Maze. (Check out our interview with him about that project.) This brings Jason into the exclusive double-feature...