Ever since LEGO first announced its multi-year partnership with The Pokémon Company, fans have been wondering how the beloved pocket monsters would stack up as official sets. Today we get a look at the first three sets debuting on February 27th. While Pokémon is very much a kid-friendly brand, it’s also 30-years old with a massive adult fanbase, so this initial wave of sets is all branded for 18+ and priced accordingly. The smallest set, Eevee, contains 587 pieces and focuses on just the fan favorite Pokémon for $69.99. The 2050-piece Pikachu comes with a lightning bolt stand and Poké Ball for a dynamic display at $199.99. Clocking in at 6838 pieces, Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise celebrate the evolved form of the Kanto starters dramatically posed on a round base for a hefty $649.99. During the first week of release, while supplies last, a 312-piece Kanto Region Badge Collection is included...

If you follow TBB regularly, you’ve no doubt encountered many articles spotlighting the Iron Builder competition, like our interview last month with the participants in the most recent battle. You might be wondering, how does one get to challenge Iron Builder? One path is to prove your skills in the Iron Forge, a January tradition now in its 7th year. As with the Iron Builder contests, a seed part is chosen that must be used in multiple builds. Only for the Forge, builders only have one week per part before a new seed element is chosen. There is no prize for winning beyond the chance to compete against an Iron Builder, but several Iron Forge champions went on to become LEGO set designers, including Maxx Davidson and last year’s winner Dominique Boeynaems. Glory aside, it’s an amazing showcase of creativity and inspired parts use. The first round, open to all, just...

At the risk of sounding excessively British: there is no problem that can’t be solved over a good cup of tea. My preference is for English Breakfast (strong, milk, two sugars), but that maxim doesn’t need to be restricted to certain types of tea! For Taj: Brick Minstrel‘s slice of Arabian life, chai is the drink of choice. And now we know what the tea is, we need to know what the tea is. (I gather that’s what the kids are calling gossip these days.) Are these three discussing matters of science, or economics, or politics, or philosophy? Or are they discussing more serious matters, such as how far you could walk barefoot on LEGO bricks?i The post Nothing beats a good cup of tea... Except maybe a great LEGO build appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Theo Spencer

The life of a LEGO Certified Professional is a glamorous one – at least when you’re Jumpei Mitsui and your latest client is gaming auteur Hideo Kojima. But as impressed as we are by the builder’s life-size Ludens model, it’s the builder’s latest non-commercial work that I find most exciting. Last year, we reported that Jumpei was returning to higher education to study artistic expression at Tokyo University of the Arts. It turns out that where Jumpei goes, LEGO follows, as the artist’s first academic project is all about the brick. Here’s how Jumpei explains this interactive project: 1. Participants are asked to assemble small pieces following specific instructions.2. These small pieces are then used to construct a completely different, larger structure.3. The final outcome is kept hidden from the participants during the process. The individual models are made entirely of white bricks and form easily recognizable objects like an airplane or...

Better late than never. But does it depend on how late? Looking at this photo, you might be forgiven for thinking it’s nearly 30 years late – especially if you grew up with the I SPY book series. But in actual fact, we’re only a couple of years late for this one. The photo is not taken by Walter Wick, but by John Reily. We’ve only just come across his series of photos made as on homage to the original Wick and Jean Marzollo books. This is our favourite of the bunch, with its mix of scales and reflections! Can you find everything mentioned in the rhyme? The post I Spy a LEGO puzzle, discovered two years too late appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Theo Spencer

The aptly-named builder mischiefmecha has a knack for creating playful bots from surprising pieces. After a brief building hiatus, Mischief is back with a pair of fresh mechs with personality and NPU to spare. First up is Gahlok Stiil, looking good in light bright blue plating and grey greebles. Galidor limbs blend with car hoods to make a Transformers-adjacent bot who’s ready for action. Next comes TOUNG, a bot with a dumpy body who looks like a very good boy with that lolling tongue and three wagging tails. Mischief deploys brilliant parts usage again, especially with those Bionicle masks as knees. The post Making mecha the Mischief way appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

From jellyfish to deep sea monsters, underwater settings have long been a favorite subject for NPU flexes. LEGO’s recent Tropical Aquarium boasts one of the most colorful and eclectic mix of parts ever found in an official set, but this Tidepool Princess from nu_montag says “Hold my Beerracuda.” Some of the amazingly diverse elements on display – a DUPLO skirt, a Bionicle Barraki headpiece, and, most impressively, a gaggle of legs from a McDonald’s Galidor Happy Meal toy. More Galidor and Bionicle elements are visible on the back side of the moc. These weird and organic-looking elements feel alien and out of place in today’s LEGO lineup of parts, so it’s always a treat to see them integrated into modern builds. The post NPU’s better down where it’s wetter, take it from this Tidepool Princess appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

Nature photographer and bird-building extraordinaire Bram (skabram.builds) recently re-worked an older creation and shared this absolutely stunning Cormorant build! Bram is no stranger to incredible bird builds and has a unique ability to capture their likeness in brick form, but this is the largest creation we’ve seen from him yet and makes for a striking display piece. The head rotates, the wings are flexible via the use of various ball-joints, and there’s an alternate display in which the bird’s wings are tucked in. Our favorite view is the imposing wingspan side profile below, but this build is a sight to behold no matter which angle you view it from. A front view of the Cormorant’s wingpsan reveals just how wide this creation is, and makes the posing and stability of the wings even more impressive. A rear view look shows how finished this build is from all angles. Bram truly knows...

Everyone knows Tauntauns are the Star Wars universe’s most adorable arctic ride/sleeping bag. But did you know they make great racing beasts, too? Will (@montivalbricks) leaves icy Hoth to assemble a sorrel Tauntaun gelding, tacked up and ready for the derby. The builder does a phenomenal job capturing the tauntaun’s features from small elements. A roller skate nose offers perfect nostrils, and minifig hands kick off as toes. Will created this impressive racing beast for the Star Wars Factions RPG, a LEGO storytelling universe where builders can compete in challenges tied to a shared story world. That means we get plenty of lore to accompany the build, so we know that the mount is named Dicastery and that the jockey is Tur C’otte, a NeuroSaav employee. Will’s excellent build won first prize in the Canto-Key Derby. Congratulations to Dicastery and his builder both! The post “And I thought they smelled bad...

It’s easy for minifigures to get dressed in their LEGO finest, but for humans looking to wear their hobby on their sleeves, one has to get creative, as outside of rings and wristbands (and Nike collabs), LEGO hasn’t provided many official offerings for the brick-built wardrobe. Finnish artist Heidi Aulikki Puumalainen is one of a small but growing number of builders focused on wearable builds, like this jewel-encrusted crown that is both elegant and sturdy enough to wear dancing. Heidi’s headwear first shone on LEGO Masters Finland where she partnered with Satu Aaltonen, whose work is currently on display in LEGO House’s Masterpiece Gallery. For this bridal-themed headpiece, Heidi led the build while Satu wore it down the runway. I love how elegant the trans-yellow chains become when draping from a floral crown. My favorite of Hedi’s wearables is this couture crown that mixes Botanicals-stiyle colors with gold elements with bold...