LEGO collaborations between creators are always fun, especially with minifig creations, as it takes a type of building that can feel quite small assemble into something epic. It’s also inspiring, when working with friends and those you admire, to see what your fellow creators will make of a theme. This particular constellation of minifig builders first came together for a dark ronin-themed collab called Prism of Shadows that we all posted on last Halloween. We had such a good experience that we wanted to keep the group going, and so, for our next theme, we chose the Knights of the Round Table. We started by curating a list of knights, then randomly assigned one to each builder. We all did a little research on our respective knights to inform our interpretations. As a small side build, we all made a chair, so our Knights could sit at the Round Table. David...

Here at Brothers Brick, we love a good goose. Even (especially?) robotic ones! Paul Friesen designed this wired goose as a gift for Mechatronics students at the University of Waterloo, based on the program’s mechanical Canadian goose mascot. The mischievous bird even comes with a hammer for constructing chaos! Paul’s design is compact, highly-poseable, and built from common elements, and with these free LEGO goose instructions, you can build your own. With a few color swaps, you could easily modify the metal bits match your favorite flesh-and-blood goose. The post Take a gander at this robot goose (An build your own with free instructions!) appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

You know what’s gnarly? A fight. You know what’s gnarlier? A fight to the death. But gnarlier than that? A fight to the death over lava! This quick escalation is the work of LEGO lord Dan O’Connor. And such a grisly spectacle invites plenty of grisly characters. The crowd comes from all walks of LEGO life: Monster Hunters, Galaxy Squad, Lord of the Rings, Legends of Chima, and of course a variety of Castle themes. I’m not sure which would be worse in front of such an expectant crowd: being out-manoeuvred by your opponent, or tripping over yourself and ending up in the lava before you even get to said opponent. I do know which one I’d be more likely to do though… The post The (arena) floor is lava in this grisly LEGO gladiatoral match-up appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Theo Spencer

The Iron Forge contest challenges builders to make mocs (and puns!) showcasing a specific LEGO element to demonstrate skill and entertain judges alike. We spotlighted builds from the first round here. With Round 2 complete, here is a selection of the amazing creations built using the eggshell/crown element. Twenty builders participated in Round 2, eight of whom advanced to Round 3. We’ll start with them. Grant Davis unearths this happy Count in a delightful build packed with one eggshell… two eggshell… three eggshells… twenty eggshells, ah ah ah! Using them as teeth is bitingly clever. Xiheng Xu creates a perfect Forgge entry that is also a tribute to one of Xiheng’s favorite creators, Eli Willlsea. BriKKs cooks up this clever miniature scene, proving you can’t make an omelet without LEGO eeggshells. Erin Dempsey proves that it’s not the quantity oof seed parts that make an Iron Forge build, but how you...

Anyone who’s a castle fan – LEGO or otherwise – has surely pictured a glamorous knight riding astride a horse towards fame and glory. But not everyone has access to horses. Sometimes, you just have to make do with whatever creatures live nearby. Simulterious has not just one, but two terrific examples of some alternative beasts of burden for us! On the right, we appear to have a variation of a deer. This makes sense – they’re kinda close to horses right? Just be careful not to hit the antlers when swingin your sword. On the left, something altogether more terrifying: an orc riding a spider. I love the effect of the flaming fireballs being launched from the back-mounted catapult! I dread to think how tricky it must be to tame a spider though. Then again, I suppose orcs are made of stern stuff. The post When life won’t give you...

Hot on the heels of LEGO’s Charizard reveal, a wild Loke (byggi_l) appears with a personal spin on Pokémon #0006. Loke is a phenomenal character builder who packs every build with personality drawn from surprising parts.  Take, for example, the LEGO skateboard used for Charizard’s lower jaw, the wheel clip of which creates the appearance of teeth. Loke was inspired by the stunning Charizard build from Mitch Builds, but whereas Mitch blends Tehcnic and Bionicle elements into the build, Loke sticks with system parts and those loveable Mixel eyeballs, comically crossed for added goofy charm. The post A charming Charizard to tide over Pokéfans appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

The Last of Us may have garnered more acclaim with its prestige trappings, but Amazon’s Fallout is the most video-gamey show to grace screens, and it’s much better TV for it! Season 2 lets “plot” take a back seat to side quests and larger-than-life NPCs, which is very on brand and always a hoot.  Just in time for the new season, Philip T (brick_head_nz) returns to the franchise with new slices of Wasteland life, like this immersive scene showcasing New Vegas. The impressive sign utilizes some brilliant techniques, such as a star made from minifig hands clipped to a drone. Using feathers for the “S” is a trick borrowed from last year’s LEGO employee gift set. Down on the ground, Philip brings back his excellent Deathclaw build. Tauntaun horns pair perfectly with a Ninjago dragon helmet. A behind-the-scenes reveals how a brick-built skyline and setting sell the perspective. A gap in...

In her LEGO creations, Kat (@klegofan3000) regularly switches between tiled mosaics and modernist architectural creations. For her latest work, Kat blends her skills into an evocative sculpture that contrasts busy zigzagging lines with negative space from round holes.  I love the unusual color combination of pink, orange, and green, and how the mosaic pattern wraps down the sides while being gloriously asymmetrical on the top. The build was created for the #letsbuild26x26 challenge running through the end of the month on Instagram. Click here to learn how to join in! The post Color and form and contrast in brick appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

Hey, remember those robot animals from when you were a kid? No, not the Dinobots and Insecticons. The ones that had pilots, I think they started with a “z”. No, not the Power Ranger Zords. The other ones, that were like model kits. Zoids! That’s them! Okay, I might not have remembered Zoids, but thankfully Aido Kessler does. And Aido’s love for the franchise has given us this amazing Liger Zero Jager build, a ferocious looking feline with wings on top of wings. Aido has also built a terrific looking display base for the Liger Zero, but don’t think that means he has to stay put. There are almost one hundred joints packed into this thing, which means this cat can move! The post Zounds! A zippy Zoid with zest appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Norm Harper

In recent years, the LEGO castle building community has seen an explosion of mocs looking beyond Europe for inspiration. Andreas Leander researched the medieval Nubian kingdom of Makuria for this amazing immersive scene in which a merchant transports Nile-grown grain with an ox-drawn cart. Everything on camera is built from LEGO, including the equatorial sky and cloth headwrap. The earthen road is a beautiful effect created from a mosaic of brick yellow between sloped nougat bricks (with no connection points, I would be terrified of bumping the table!). I’m impressed by the wheel, created mostly from 2×1 round ties. The driver’s headwear includes a few fun elements, like a pool ring and tutu. But the highlight (appropriately, as this was made for Brickscalibur’s “Beasts of Burden” category) is the ox, whose looks both strong and soft with that textured broad back. The post Rush hour in Makuria appeared first on The Brothers...