While I may be a LEGO-building Washingtonian now, there was a time when I lived in northern Indiana, South Bend for those playing the home game. And during my four years there, I made plenty of trips to Chicago and its suburbs. One memorable adventure was attending Brickworld in 2013 (my first LEGO convention). But another was the first big post-graduation meet-up with friends from college to see the sights downtown, including the infamous Navy Pier. So, yes, at one time I was one of those 1×1 round tiles in Jonah Schultz’s microscale build, probably one of the lime green ones. The design here is spot-on, with a better translation to microscale than I thought possible. The half-plate stripe just under the warehouse’s roof is spectacular, as is the use of claws and horns to give the appearance of waves on Lake Michigan. But the bit that’s got my jaw on...

Fresh from its appearance at the Christchurch Brick Show in New Zealand earlier this month, this LEGO-made island-bound tower by Nathan Hake is simply astounding! Created over the better part of seven months, this mammoth medieval masterpiece sprawls out over a pair of islands and includes several noteworthy features like a shipwreck, black dragon, stone bridge, abandoned docks, magical portal, and a detailed tower interior. Details like the underside of its overhang and the tendrils of smoke rising out of its chimney stand out brilliantly on the tower. While more experienced builders will marvel at Nathan’s stud reversal on the rocks of the big island halfway up the side. Building at this scale, such techniques can become unwieldy, but it’s handled here quite adeptly. While you’ll have to check out Nathan’s Flickr page to see all the details and angles (and some pictures from the public show), I do want to...

Usually I don’t build space-themed models, but my latest two models are exceptions. Then again, they aren’t exactly your everyday space builds, representing real-world spaceplanes developed for the US military. The first is the X-20 Dyna-Soar (for “dynamic soarer”). This was an ambitious program to build a reusable manned spaceplane. It started within weeks of the Soviet Union’s first Sputnik launch. It never came to fruition, though. A few years later, with the first prototype already under construction, escalating costs and an unclear mission resulted in its cancellation. The second is the much more recent and successful X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle. This is an unmanned reusable spaceplane currently in service with the US Space Force. So far, two vehicles have flown six missions. The latest was the longest, with almost 909 days spent in orbit. Its official role is to demonstrate reusable space technologies. However, there has been speculation that it...

Character master Oliver Becker has crafted this charming scene of a shepherd and his flock (of, er, one sheep). Now this might sound odd, but I’m actually glad there’s only one sheep here. Not because I’m ovinophobic, but because if I started counting sheep, I’d surely fall asleep and miss the rest of this great build! The sheep is very good, chewing away on the grass, with its spindly legs. (Well it’s chewing with its mouth, but you know what I mean.) And any build that uses X-pod covers is a good one in my book. But the shepherd is where the whimsy really comes into this scene. He’s a great caricature, using inverted arch pieces twice – in his boots and for his face. He’s quite rotund though. Maybe that’s where the rest of his flock went… The post Don’t fall asleep looking at this build – you’ll feel rather...

Ever wondered how LEGO’s nano-figs are made? Caleb Schilling has given us a sneak peek at their production line mid-manufacture. Bet you thought it was all ABS and injection-moulding, eh? Think again! Now I’m no expert, but I believe that inside this machine, there are tiny little gremlins (smaller even than nano-figs) armed with tridents, who carve these pieces out of coloured plastic. These tools of theirs are wonderfully versatile. You can see two of them sticking out the side, which when pulled presumably give the gremlins a poke, so they know which shift to be on. Some older ones also seem to have been re-purposed for the conveyor belt. How resourceful! It’s a wonder such production methods aren’t used elsewhere, really. (Hm? What do you mean, I’ve failed the trial period for TBB’s production expert…?) The post How it’s made: nano-fig special appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal...

There’s a quiet beauty to this masterful LEGO structure by builder Lukasz Liwnik. So many clean lines and un-pocked walls show that the minifig citizens of this village take good care of their town hall. I love the bright shades of white, tan, and gray contrasted against the darker, deeper colors of the surrounding concrete and foliage. And speaking of foliage, those trees are absolutely gorgeous, utilizing the three leaves plate to cover up the inner-shaping of the hedge. But nothing beats the technique used to make those second-story windows. What a simple, elegant solution to a complex shaping problem in brick! Taking a look at the back of the hall, Lukasz has also included a fountain, sculpture garden, and produce vendor looking to sell his wares. And all of the other minifigures look so busy in their various poses throughout the scene. I hope I get to see more of...

Confused by the title? Sounds like an impossible task, much like participating in the Iron Builder competition where two LEGO builders try to use a single part as much as they can. And IB gladiator Jonah Schultz has taken a huge stab at using the Minecraft trident in this “slice of life” scene. It contains such ingenious use of the wrong end of the weapon, throwing tons of sand green diamonds all over the place for various fencing and knobs. But don’t miss the drainage grate, composed of the trident’s prongs. The post Slicing at life with a pixilated pitchfork appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Kyle Keller

This scary LEGO swamp scene is brought to you by Caleb Schilling. It’s his first entry into the new Iron Builder competition so that means job security for us and scores of entertainment for you. Speaking from experience, Iron Builder is difficult so, like our adventurer, Caleb is probably feeling like he’s waist-deep in peril right about now. The seed part this time around is the Minecraft Trident. It’s been used to excellent effect several times in this swampy scene. Among the spooky creatures lurking in the background is a shadowy Woody. Unsettling stuff, indeed! The post Cut through the swamp, they said. What could go wrong, they said. appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Lino

This LEGO creation by Duncan Lindbo imagines a world in which man and machine work together as one. Our Minifigure driver in the cockpit there spends the day moving heavy steel beams with the help of his mech. Sometimes such strenious activity can work up a mighty thirst (for the human, not the mech) and that’s why it’s nice that this powerful robot arm is gentle enough to grasp the fellah’s boba tea and hand it to him. I’m sure the bot asks for nothing in return except a little gratitude from time to time. I just love it for its striking blue color scheme! The post Hook a brother up, will ya? appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Lino

San Diego Comic Con today saw LEGO reveal three upcoming sets in the Star Wars product line. Ahead of the hotly-anticipated Ahsoka series coming to Disney+ in a little over a month, we get two colourful sets depicting starfighters old and new from the Star Wars universe. The T-6 Jedi Shuttle makes its first appearance in a LEGO set since 2012, while the E-wing makes its first appearance in New Republic colours alongside an all-new ship for antagonist Shin Hati. Shin is herself part of a minifigure line-up featuring many of the Ahsoka series’ main characters. In addition to these two playscale sets is a buildable Chewbacca, depicting the lovable wookiee in a 2,000-piece, 18″ (46cm) sculpture. All three sets are available for pre-order now from LEGO.com, and will be released this coming September 1st. 75362 Ahsoka Tano’s T-6 Jedi Shuttle | 599 Pieces | Available September 1st | US $79.99 |...