It’s not too often that the LEGO bricks line up in a way that we can do a theme day here at TBB. But when two great builders push the limits on a certain hard-to-use part, it’s tough not to write them up together. We already saw Nate’s spaceship earlier today, and now we’re treated to this delightful gnome-built cottage by Maxx Davidson, both built around this human-sized LEGO mug. Fitting with the Iron Forge challenge to use as many LEGO liquid containers as possible, the creation also features mug-turbaned gnomes with Minecraft Shulker faces, and some lovely window awnings made from latte cups. The post A cup of gnomish creativity appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Kyle Keller (TBB Managing Editor)

What does it take to succeed in the Iron Forge? Well, I don’t exactly have any experience to draw on, but you can be sure that a bit of ingenuity and outside-the-box thinking will go a long way. Exhibit A: Nate Chiles‘ latest effort. In this early phase of the contest, the seed parts are not always as prescriptive as in the Iron Builder finals, so the ongoing second round challenges builders to use any LEGO piece tagged as a cup or goblet. And that does technically include the actual LEGO mug that forms the engine of this spaceship. Or at least, we’re assuming that’s what’s going on here. The alternative explanation is that this is a standard minifigure mug, and Nate has a shrink ray. Are they even allowed in this competition? Can we get a ruling on this please?! The post The builder of this spaceship is no mug...

Even if your aim’s so terrible that you can’t hit the broadside of a barn, you can certainly use one to hide, as we see in this LEGO vignette by Mihał Ch (BardJaskier). With an army dressed similarly to the 10297 Boutique Hotel staff hiding in the foreground, my attention is drawn to the expect expert techniques used in the granary. Brown brick-built doors look sturdy as can be and the foundation is appropriately cobbled. But it’s those thick black lines framing the structure that really make the building pop. Make sure to zoom in and check out the cheese slope technique used to get those smooth diagonal lines. The post Just when you thought it was safe to walk past LEGO barns... appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Kyle Keller (TBB Managing Editor)

Aido K‘s latest LEGO masterpiece has left me lost for words. Well, not completely speechless – but this is a family-friendly website, so I can’t publish my audible reaction. My favourite genre of creation – if you can call it that – is people using the engineered properties of the LEGO system of parts in unusual ways. That’s where the idea for this build came in: LEGO bricks are designed to work under compression – that is, being squashed together. Aido turned that on its head, so this uses elements in tension (i.e. being pulled). So that boat in the middle is almost entirely shaped by chains under tension and the pull of gravity. It’s beautiful! That means the boat can fold down flat for easy transport – which is just as well, as this model made its debut at the Brickvention show in Melbourne over the weekend. Seeing the boat...

We’ve finally got the review sets for 2024 LEGO Marvel and the first one we’ll be checking out is the Motorcycle Chase: Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock (76275). The set has 77 pieces and retails for $9.99. Minifigures There’s only two minifigures in the set, Spider-Man and Venom Doc Ock. There’s nothing unique with Spider-Man as he’s the same one that has been used before with the red and blue outfit. There’s also printing on the arms as well. His accessories are some web Power Blast pieces. Venom Doc Ock is loosely based on the Poison Doctor Octopus from the Venomverse storyline. He’s mostly in a dark green outfit but the left side of the torso shows the Venom symbiote has taken it over. He has a double-sided head with one side showing both Doc Ock’s face as well Venom’s face. The other side shows Venom taking over. His accessories include a...