Unless you’re stuck in the Middle Ages, you’ll probably know that contemporary LEGO castle building techniques call for texture overdoses and lots of earth tones. That is all great, but I often like builds that are different from this new norm, because variation is key. Joel Tyer approaches the problem of originality from a different angle – the addition of white pillars at the side of the wall in this market scene gives the creation a unique and memorable appearance, without sacrificing complexity for uniqueness’ sake. The terrace alone is not the only reason the build is so good, of course. The landscape is very fluid and the little stream outlines the base perfectly. The tower has an interesting hexagonal shape, rounded off at the edges with Technic pin connectors. This looks surprisingly good even with the different levels of textures in play. And don’t miss the action at the back...

We first brought you the news about the LEGO BrickHeadz 41597 Go Brick Me customization kit at Toy Fair in New York last month. It was clear from the parts selection and packaging that LEGO intends builders to create a broad range of characters from the set, which includes 708 pieces for $29.99 (and will be available on April 1st but is starting to show up in the wild already). This set is an utterly unique LEGO set, remarkable in many ways. We purchased a couple early copies of the set from a major US retailer, and we spent an entertaining evening building avatars of ourselves and a diverse cast of interesting characters. Let’s dig in and see what’s so different about this LEGO set. The box and instructions 41597 Go Brick Me is massive for a $30 LEGO set, with a medium-sized box that wouldn’t look out of place alongside...

The classic space theme is always near and dear to my heart, as my very first LEGO set with a minifig was 487 Space Cruiser. There have been many LEGO creations paying tribute to this theme, from scaled up versions of classic sets to microscale. This long-range scout ship by Alec Hole represents a significant reboot. The classic division of light gray wing/underside and blue fuselage pays homage to the theme while prolific greebling and other details throughout the model give it a very modern feel. There are a number of elements from the classic sets used here to connect this modern vessel to its historic roots, from the overall blue and gray color scheme to the little “bumblebee” stripes. The post Classic Space gets a facelift appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Daniel

Here’s a LEGO model worthy of a little worship. Gerald Cacas has put together this wonderful microscale rendition of Manila’s Cathedral. There’s an impressive level of detail on display here, with smart texturing around the base, at the top of the walls, and on the dome. My head hurts just looking at the brickwork that’s gone into the belltower. Modelling an existing building with any sort of accuracy at this scale is an achievement in itself, but to include a detailed interior? That’s just showing off! Gerald does exactly that with a lift-off roof revealing the inside — complete with pews and altar. This is excellent microscale work. The post Tiny LEGO version of Manila Cathedral appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

This wonderfully detailed corner modular by o0ger features a dentist’s office as well as a sweet shop, so you can get your ice cream and get your teeth cleaned all in one stop. There are so many great design choices to call out here. Each building has a well-integrated color scheme, from the lime green plus yellow-green stripes on the sweet shop to the brown and rust-red of the dentist’s office. Both buildings also feature some excellent architectural details, especially around the windows and doors. The details of the dentist office roof window are particularly interesting. Another great part usage is the yellow-orange dome paired with the dark gray arch for the sweet shop awnings. And don’t miss the scooter parked behind the tree. The post Sweet modular Dentist office appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Daniel

With the original Tomb Raider video game released back in 1996 and yet another movie this year, it’s clear that there’s a lot of mileage in the Lara Croft story. The mix of adventure, exotic locations and history also makes Tomb Raider great inspiration for LEGO creations. Kevin Wanner has created a Tomb Raider diorama that has some powered features — a cascading waterfall and a perilously angled B-25 that moves as Lara Croft crosses. The negative space lettering is nicely constructed and there’s a lot of character built into the overgrown crash site. You can see Lara Croft crossing on the wing of a wrecked B-25 Mitchell bomber, with the cascading waterfall below. Brick Ninja has also included a short video showing the moving features. https://www.brothers-brick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/40844225671_720p.mp4 The post Lara Croft lives dangerously in this amazing, animated Tomb Raider LEGO diorama [Video] appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Elspeth De...

Until the final season of Game of Thrones is over, every dragon is going to remind of Drogon, Rhaegal or Viserion, but this one hits the mark more than most. Creations which give a sense of life in motion are always exceptional, and this one is simply on fire! Inspired by a dragon that was seen in a piece of artwork, mrxsto99‘s model captures a heroic knight on a steed battling against the odds with a larger-than-life dragon. With a wingspan of 70 inches and a similar length from head to tail, this dragon is a force to be reckoned with. And at 30 inches high, the beast is more than enough warn off any hero wannabe. The only two parts I can tell that are non-LEGO made are the wing webs and the lighting effects, which really take this model to the next level. The builder tells us he created...

Before there was Bionicle, there were the Throwbots, or Slizers, as they were marketed in some parts of the world. While not as popular as their successors from Metru Nui, the theme introduced many elements that would later find use in Bionicle. Many people still remember them fondly, and now a few of those nostalgic fans have teamed up to give them a modern facelift. We highlighted Turbo a few days ago, but now eight of the original sets have been taken on by as many builders (with four more slated to come soon), and each of them brings their own style to the table, as well as their ideas for what the original could have been. Some stray wildly from the source material, and others are more faithful. 8523: Blaster by Djokson 8501: Ski by Kevin Huxtable 8502: Turbo by Anthony Wilson 8505: Amazon by Mitch 8506: Granite by Cameron 8507: Electro by -Disty- 8520: Millennium Slizer by Red 8521: Flare by Prince Galidor The post The LEGO Throwbots get an upgrade...

Microscale castles are ever-present and always pleasant to look at, but often the width of LEGO bricks works best for minifig-scaled castle walls, making ones built at smaller scales too blocky. Aaron Newman has gone around this problem by using panels and the bottom sides of bricks as walls proportionate to the scale. The build has a good sense of clutter naturally present in medieval castles, but my favourite part is the fortifications on the towers; the creation is made for a competition that stipulates using silver goblet pieces in unique ways, but all I can see is the brilliant use of upturned 2×2 round bricks! The post A cute castle by the cute sea appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Luka

Google Chrome users who have experienced connectivity issues may recognize this LEGO dinosaur built by joffre0714, which is based on a built-in Easter egg game playable when the browser is offline. I appreciate the effort put forth by the builder to average out the pixel sizes between two and three plates high, maintaining the overall square proportions with rectangular bricks. The post Your LEGO isn’t connected to the Internet appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Nick