When Black Falcon knights need room and board between tracking down bounties on Wolfpack hooligans, where better to stay than Ben Cossy‘s beautiful Black Raven Inn? Ben’s latest medieval LEGO build innovates on classic half-timbered designs. I especially apprecaite the mix of white bricks with tan and sun-yellowed white to give the plastered walls a weathered look, constrasted with the dark brown timbers. For the foundation, Ben plays with a new technique of offset stacks of 1×1 tiles clipped to tubes. While the building is striking on its own, the sand green landscaping and voluminous trees really sell the scene. For details how how he pulled off that unique foundation and to hear what inspired this amazing build, watch and listen as Ben guides you through the process. If you, like us, give this inn a ten, then consider revisiting Ben’s past models featured on TBB. The post The grass is...

Despite being named Castle of LEGO Sword, most of the knights defending this fortress are armed with literally anything else. Luckily for them, this build by Yujie Jiang is instead named after the giant stone sword mounted inside the keep. This build has character as big as its gigantic sword. For starters, said giant sword is an outstanding up-sized replica of the classic LEGO sword that was produced in multiple forms between 1978 – 2016. This sword makes excellent use of 4×4 round bricks and is studded with neat little gems. The tower’s design is effective as well, with a door made of tiles mounted inside a 1×6 arch, and the general structure using 1×2 profile bricks, chisled pentagonal shields, and the extra touch of the carved lion head above the door. That sword, though, is a thing of beauty. It’s approximately human-sized and can be pulled out by any friendly...

Occasionally, an excellent example of great parts usage shows up online. One of the most recent such examples is this Colorful Owl by Nikita Filatov! This artist has done a splendid job of repurposing parts from the Wildflower Bouquet to create this adorable little friend of an owl. The dark purple bicorn hats make up the fluffy plumage of the owl’s wings, while the belly feathers are made of magenta paddles, and the eyebrows, which add so much character to the little bird, are made of wavy swords. If you, like me, didn’t recognize the disks that make up the whites of its eyes, have no fear; in that tan color, they are from the Wildflower Bouquet – and the part was made originally for the wheels of the James Bond Aston Martin. I’m looking forward to seeing more builds from NikiFilik. This one has been a (wait for it…) hoot!...

The LEGO Group, Illumination, and Universal Products & Experiences have officially confirmed their partnership on a new venture. Contrary to recent speculation sparked by an April Fools’ Day prank on social media, this collaboration does not involve a giant Minion. Instead, the trio is gearing up for the release of Illumination’s highly anticipated film, Despicable Me 4, hitting theaters on July 3. To mark the occasion, the partnership is introducing an exclusive line of LEGO Despicable Me 4 sets, sure to delight fans of the animated franchise. This range features four products, two of which were unveiled today: 75583 Minions and Gru’s Family Mansion and 75582 Brick-Built Gru and Minions. These sets will be available starting May 1st. 75582 Despicable Me 4: Brick-Built Gru and Minions | 839 Pieces | Available May 1 | US $54.99 | CAN $69.99 | UK £49.99 75583 Despicable Me 4: Minions and Gru’s Family Mansion...

Nearly 100 years after his passing, Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi remains one of the most singular voices in design. No trip to Barcelona is complete without stopping to appreciate his iconic buildings, especially the Casa Batlló, which Toltomeja thoughtfully recreates in LEGO for the Marchitecture building challenge. Gaudi decorated the façade of Casa Batlló with a colorful mosaic meant to evoke lilies on a pond, here recreated with clever SNOT brickwork in pastel shades. Building such an organic-inspired design at micro scale couldn’t have been easy, but Toltomeja pulls it off, capturing the many bone-like balconies with inverted goggles and using a mix of horns and boomerangs to assemble the distinctive curvaceous windows on the lower floors. Look carefully at the colorful dragon-spine roofline and you can glimpse the frosting swirls doubling as chimney stacks. Gaudi’s amazing buildings are certified UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but sadly have never been released as official...