It’s Christmas in July—which means there’s only five months until Christmas! A staple of the Christmas season is the winter village, and LEGO winter villages are no stranger to the season. In light of Christmas in July, I wanted to discuss the work of one man who offers one of the most accomplished winter villages I’ve seen: Alexandre Lejeune, aka Alex Winter Village. Beginnings Sam: Hi Alex, can you introduce yourself? How long have you been in the LEGO hobby? Alex: Hi Sam! Thanks for your interest in my work. I’m Alex, 43, from the Gard, south of France. I’m an SNCF TGV ticket inspector, and I've been a full-time guitarist in the Ska Punk Metal band Les Kroutes since 1999. I've been building with Danish bricks since I was 8. Time flies! Sam: How did you get started on this diorama? How long did it take? Alex: Despite a slow...

I can’t count the times that LEGO builders or even the general public see an awesome GBC (Great Ball Contraption) layout at an event and want to make one themselves… but just don’t know how to get started. So today we are going back to the basics, breaking down GBC modules into their core mechanisms to show how to make balls move. We’ll explore some of my favorite and most frequently used mechanisms found in almost any GBC module. These core mechanisms enable a wide range of functionalities for transporting balls upwards, and each can be customized to fit whatever your brain can imagine. Even the most complex modules can be broken down into basic movements and mechanisms. There are certainly more ways of moving balls, but these five are the most common in my experience. Slider-Crank Mechanism Slider crank mechanism by bricksngears While there are several variants of this mechanism,...

Castle… If you’re like me, your first thought upon hearing that word is a giant gray structure with maybe the occasional bit of green for terrain. Castle and gray have become synonymous terms, which is a shame as the castle genre really has so much more to offer. Now, I’m not saying that giant gray castles are bad — far from it. However, it is nice to get some variety and see some more unique and vibrant colors incorporated. Last year, I modified set 10316 Rivendell in the style of LEGO Elves (which you can read here). I barely changed anything besides the colors, and yet the difference between the original set and my modified version is drastic. It really got me thinking about just how big of a difference color can make and the tone it sets. I thought it would be worth diving deeper into the use of color...

Earlier today, Amazon did a surprise limited time sale for the LEGO Star Wars Ahsoka New Republic E-Wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter (75364). The set has been discounted 26% and is now priced at $81.70. As of this post, 29% of the sets at this price have been claimed and once it reaches 100%, the sale will be over. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The post LEGO Star Wars New Republic E-Wing vs. Shin Hati’s Starfighter (75364) Amazon Sale – July 2024 appeared first on The Brick Fan. Original linkOriginal author: Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

I had a very long dark age from the LEGO hobby (approximately 25 years!). My best guess is I stopped collecting somewhere around 1993 and wouldn’t return until 2018. Even though some Castle sets came out before my dark age, we did not seem to have any growing up. We had very limited funds for LEGO, and most of what we bought were City sets. Coming back into the hobby, Castle became the preferred theme I truly love to build, and recently I have committed to building a large Fright Knights castle for a LUG display coming up in the Fall. I always loved the printed cloth flags that adorn the top of the older LEGO sets, but sadly, I have none. When looking to acquire a few Fright Knight flags for my castle MOC, of course, I had some serious sticker shock! It would be $10-$15 minimum for a single...

If you missed out on the LEGO Dungeons & Dragons Mimic Dice Box (5008325) the first time around back in April, LEGO has brought it back again for a limited time. From July 22-28, you can get the gift with purchase set with purchases of the LEGO Ideas Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale (21348), while supplies last. As a Rakuten/Linkshare Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The post LEGO Dungeons & Dragons Mimic Dice Box (5008325) Returns to LEGO Shop appeared first on The Brick Fan. Original linkOriginal author: Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

Amazon has recently put the LEGO DC Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase (76224) on sale again by 20%. This drops the price down to $38.39 and saves you about $10 on it. This version of the Batmobile is the latest one that LEGO has released and features the iconic 1989 Michael Keaton version. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The post LEGO DC Batmobile: Batman vs. The Joker Chase (76224) Amazon Sale – July 2024 appeared first on The Brick Fan. Original linkOriginal author: Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

Building scenes from movies and TV series has always been a thing with LEGO builders, but there is one very popular and long-running TV show that has a very special relation with LEGO, and yet it seems like—maybe for that very reason—it has been astonishingly underrepresented in the MOCing community. But here’s hoping that that’s about to change! There’s certainly no reason that Ninjago-inspired scenes shouldn’t be widespread in the building community, considering the huge amount of gorgeous landscapes, vehicles, animals, and scenes available—and tacking on the fact that the show is already half LEGO to begin with! But there are a few significant missing MOCs. I’m here today to share a bit of my inspiration with you and hopefully give you what you need to tackle building some Ninjago scenes —to get you inspired to dive in deeper and find the hundred other scenes that just need to be reproduced...

The LEGO Star Wars The Force of Creativity (5008878) coffee table book is now available for purchase on the LEGO Shop. It was available for pre-order for a while now but it now shipping to those who previously did pre-orders for it. As a Rakuten/Linkshare Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The post LEGO Star Wars The Force of Creativity (5008878) Now Available appeared first on The Brick Fan. Original linkOriginal author: Allen "Tormentalous" Tran

August is one of the biggest shopping months on the LEGO Shop for the US as the rest of the summer 2024 LEGO sets are released. Here’s our comprehensive guide on what we can expect to see in stores and online with over 70 LEGO sets ready to hit the shelves. There is one known gift with purchase set at this time which is the LEGO Technic P1 Logo (5008946) which is only available with the purchase of the McLaren P1 (42172). Animal Crossing • Fly with Dodo Airlines (77051) – $37.99• K.K.’s Concert at the Plaza (77052) – $79.99 Build Together • LEGO Travel Moments (41838) – $149.99• Message Board (41839) – $99.99 City • Car Transporter Truck with Sports Cars (60408) – $99.99• Yellow Mobile Construction Crane (60409) – $109.99• Robot World Roller-Coaster Park (60421) – $99.99• Seaside Harbor with Cargo Ship (60422) – $109.99• Downtown Streetcar (60423) –...