First proposed by the American physicist Gerard O’Neill in the 70s, an O’Neill Cylinder is a large tube, pressurised with an atmosphere, and spinning to create artificial gravity. The hull features alternating strips of “land” and transparent windows, allowing sunlight to be reflected inside from large mirrors. The cylinder has become an iconic design, familiar from a raft of TV, movie, and videogame depictions of mankind’s future. Ralf Langer has built a beautiful LEGO version of an O’Neill-based space colony, using microscale to ensure his space settlement features fields and trees, flowing rivers, and towering cities. The rings supporting the curved land panels have technical-looking greebles, and the entire creation looks much bigger than it really is. This is epic LEGO sci-fi, depicting a future I’d love to see. The post Our future lies amidst the stars, in a LEGO O’Neill Cylinder appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author:...

As many of us are still enjoying their newly bought LEGO Ideas 21311 Voltron sets, the LEGO Ideas First 2018 Review Results are already here, so we can finally learn what the next LEGO Ideas set will be. And — surprise! — not one, but two fan ideas were selected by the LEGO Ideas team to become the new sets. The first one is a massive Treehouse by Kevin Feeser. The second idea to be approved is The Flintstones project by Andrew Clark. Yabba Dabba Doo! Both projects are something we have never seen done by LEGO before. Depending on its final design, the Treehouse may quite possibly become a hit among fans of Castle theme, while Flintstones will appeal to many adult fans and casual LEGO builders and collectors. And don’t forget to check out announcement video featuring Ali Plumb and Hasan Jensen! Here’s the full list of reviewed projects:...

With its distinctive inverted gullwings and gorgeous dark blue color scheme, the Vought F4U Corsair is easily my all-time favorite fighter plane. Produced throughout both World War II and the Korean War, the warplane also has the distinction of having the longest production run of any piston-engined fighter. While James Cherry may not be the most prolific LEGO builder — he shared his amazing 1/15-scale LEGO F-14A Tomcat jet fighter exactly two years ago — but each of his creations is well worth the wait. Built to the same scale as the Tomcat, James’s Corsair is deceptively huge; for a better sense of the scale, notice that the palm trees are built from stacked washtubs! We’ve estimated that this LEGO Corsair has a wingspan of over one hundred studs (over 32 inches or 82 cm), and it’s over 80 studs long from nose to tail (over 26″ / 67 cm). James...

Throwing traditional building caution to the solar wind, Alex “Orion Pax” Jones’s insanely colourful ship is certainly one of the more unusual models to come out of this year’s SHIPtember challenge. Alex notes that he tried to use all of the colours in the LEGO palette, making his build not only a SHIP (a seriously huge investment in parts), but also a SHIC (a seriously huge investment in colours). After its namesake, the side of the vessel operates as an interstellar PAX or peace sign. Borrowing heavily from the graphic flourishes of graffiti aesthetic, the spacecraft shrugs off the utilitarian norms of spacecraft design in favour of a brash, exuberant look. Alex explains his ethos best when he says: “If you ride, ride in style!” The post What colour should a spaceship be? Answer: all of them! appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: David Alexander Smith

This dark and mysterious figure by Fedde Barendrecht represents a powerful evil from H. P. Lovecraft’s horror stories. While not as well known as Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep is just as terrifying. In the stories and poems he is said to have a thousand forms, and Fedde has decided to build possibly the most sinister of them in LEGO; a tall, slender man with coal black skin and clothing, with tentacles spreading from underneath his robe. Most of Fedde’s builds are small with a funny theme, generally centered around an imaginative new use for an exotic brick. Every now and again, however, a nightmare-inducing creation like this one pops up. The build itself is simple, or at least it uses very few pieces, apart from the numerous tentacles. My favourite part usage is the octopus used as Nyarlathotep’s mouth and the tentacles behind his head. The post He is horrible—horrible beyond anything you...

Most LEGO Star Wars sets are naturally starships and various vehicles for transportation to the many planets of the galaxy, so every building or other structure released by LEGO sparks many fans’ interest. This time, the galaxy’s greatest villain, Darth Vader, welcomes everyone to his formidable castle on the planet Mustafar, as seen in Rogue One. The new LEGO Star Wars 75251 Darth Vader’s Castle, which will be available exclusively at Amazon.com during the upcoming holiday season, features a massive-looking castle built with nearly a 1,000 pieces. The castle’s hangar houses a copy of the Dark Lord of the Sith’s iconic TIE Advanced starfighter, while the castle itself is populated with Darth Vader in his usual black armor, a second Darth Vader (as seen in his bacta tank), two Royal Guards, an Imperial Transport Pilot, and even a mouse droid. Darth Vader’s Castle has multiple rooms, featuring several play scenarios such...

Sometimes the most surprising detail in a microscale LEGO model can be the simplest one.Sad Brick demonstrates this in a simple island scene showing a cherry tree as the centerpiece. I enjoy the use of flower elements still attached to each other to sculpt very spherical foliage. Small gold hut-like dwellings help sell the scale of the massive tree. Approaching the island is a ship with a few more great part usages, like the wing from the chicken suit wearing collectible mini-fig, and a twisted white rubber band for the ship’s wake. The post Microscale LEGO island scene is a calm oasis appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Daniel

Every now and then a LEGO model comes along that instantly captures your attention. This crocodile-inspired heavy mech by Marco Marozzi did that for me. Between the color choices, custom details like the camouflage, and well-placed stickers, its dynamic pose, and some truly inspired part usage, this mech is the real deal. To begin with, I don’t think I have ever seen a more perfect use for the molded chassis from the Legends of Chima Speedorz used here for the mech’s upper leg. Also, the coiled bullwhip usually featured on pirate ships sets, which is used throughout the model for wiring, and possible hydraulics. This mech does not even need any kind of gun or rocket. It can simply tear its opponents limb from limb. The post This LEGO mech is one serious predator appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Daniel

There’s a special class of LEGO model which always catch the eye — those smaller creations which manage to pack in impressive depth of texture, making them look much bigger than they really are. This smart spaceship by Silmaril_1 looks supercool in its white and green livery, all sleek lines and futuristic curves. But the level of details along the side creates a sense of scale way beyond what you might expect from such a relatively small model. Minifigure hands and textured bricks are used to good effect, and the moulded hollows and ridges on those Technic panels work superbly at this scale as hull detailing. It’s a sharp and clean colour scheme, and the model is presented well — looking crisp and fresh against that black void of a backdrop. The post Cool spaceship is minty fresh appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

The cherry tree in blossom has a particular significance in Japanese culture, acting as a metaphor for the Buddhist idea of the transience of life. As a result, Ayerlego’s choice to showcase the vibrant pink blooms in his LEGO recreation of an elegant Japanese garden adds an extra level of authenticity to his build. The tree is expertly constructed, carefully arranging its multiple flower stem elements to create the symbolically significant firework-like burst of colour. Setting it against well-selected additions such as the ornamental fish statuettes at the bridgehead, and kimono girl mini-figure completes an aesthetically pleasing display of traditional Japanese life. The post Under the cherry blossoms appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: David Alexander Smith