One of the perks of having friends in the LEGO hobby is being able to see their projects develop over time, transforming from rough sketches and multi-colored foundations to beautiful works of art on their way to a convention. And over the past year, we’ve had the chance to look in on Caleb Schilling‘s process as he developed his Island Castle build over on YouTube. The work was on display at Brickworld Chicago this year, and the completed work is quite a sight to behold! Featuring an array of earth tones, a gorgeous galleon, and an army of conquistador-style minifigures, this scene displays an overwhelming number of interesting techniques bringing it to life. My favorite among them has got to be the design of the large palm trees, relying on 1×1 slopes to create bands of texture running up the bent trunks. If you’d like to go back to the start...

Joe (jnj_bricks) has impressed us many times with his immersive medieval LEGO displays, whether in winter, by the harbor, or across the Pelennor Fields. For his latest epic build, created over 3 months to show at Brickworld, Joe takes us to Honey Crest Village, an idyllic hamlet bursting with color. Half-timbered homes are quite popular among medieval builders, and Joe is master at rendering the style in LEGO with a great using SNOT techniques (Studs Not On Top) for cracked plaster and finding creative parts (like hot dogs!) for the timber. The color scheme for this build is reminiscent of the Inn Plain Sight building from the Dungeons and Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale set, but Joe has been here before. What makes this build such a delight, beyond the technique and scale, is how packed with delightful details of village life and crowd-pleasing elements. Joe’s trademark shirtless Woody is there, of course,...

Biomimicry in industrial engineering isn’t just a path to innovation and efficiency — it can also lead to amazing designs that are functional and fun. That’s definitely the case with Bongobert‘s “Bombas Armatis” (armored bee). This  evac vehicle has the chonky proportions of a bumblebee, only instead of fuzz it boasts heavy armor for extracting agents from combat situations. The Evac repurposes the wings from the similarly insect-inspired Dune Ornithopter and the wheeled landing struts remind me of a bulkier version of the spider-like Tachikoma tank. The cockpit is perfect, with a purple party bus windshield that complements the bright light orange body, angled down in a way that evokes a bumblebee on the lookout for pollen. Bongobert’s vehicle is both innovative and cozily familiar. Definitely a LEGO creation worth buzzing about. The post Armored LEGO evac bumbles into our hearts appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake...

LEGO has been on a bit of a roll with model cars this year. A new wave of Speed Champions sets, an iconic car from the 1980s, Technic models of Formula 1 and Formula E cars, and now, the latest entry into the 1:8 scale line of Technic supercars. Except… This one isn’t just a supercar. 42172 LEGO Technic McLaren P1 depicts one of the first hybrid hypercars from 3,893 pieces, and will release this August 1st for US $449.99 | CAN $589.99 | UK £389.99. The Technic Ultimate line has a reputation for pulling out all the stops, with a price tag to match. Will the McLaren live up to this high standard? Read on to find out! The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews. The box and contents Ever...

Inspired by the opera “Madama Butterfly”, builder Care Creations has combined LEGO elements from the long-retired SCALA theme, last seen in the early 2000’s, with pieces from the recently released “Avatar” theme to create a snippet of this early 20th century masterpiece. The wings from  “75572 Jake & Neytiri’s First Banshee Flight” are creatively used for the main character’s butterfly outfit. However, arguably taking more attention, the builder has also given us another significant character from the opera: the flowering cherry tree, constructed using curved brown elements and purple leaves. In this scene, we see the main character in the 3rd act of the opera, taking her own life as she gives up her baby (a LEGO SCALA element) to her betrayer, the American naval officer. The post A beautifully tragic ending: Madama Butterfly appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: John Trevino