A surprise announcement, a pop-up LEGO art gallery launch in London, and the start of a new line of LEGO products — 853967 Wooden Minifigure has had quite the introduction to the world. We’re not sure we’d call this a “set” as such, although it does feature a handful of regular LEGO bricks as well as the titular 20cm tall oak figurine. LEGO themselves describe the figurine as a “blank canvas” for personalisation and creative decoration. Whatever you want to call it, the wooden figure is available from Nov. 3, 2019, for VIP members, and Nov. 8 for everyone. It can be purchased from the LEGO Shop online for US $119.99 | CAN 154.99 | UK £109.99. (EDIT: The wooden figure is also available from LEGO in bundles including a discount of up to $30 US when combined with various other LEGO products, including one 1,500-piece Classic set.) The box The...

One of my favorite builders, Sheo, is back again, this time giving us a custom motorcycle a unique twist. The futuristic Infinity bypasses the usual wheels, and even forgoes sci-fi hover technology. Instead, a Möbius strip winds its way through the body, providing a drive train that, by definition, just doesn’t quit. This infinite drive is backed with infinite power from the on-board fusion cell, letting this bike go, in the words of the builder, “where no one has gone before!” (We may have seen a similar quote somewhere else before.) From a LEGO perspective, the larger scale to this build gives us some really nice detailing. The “Fusion” logo on the central body is brick-built, making good use of tiles and cheese slopes. The handlebars have some interesting part usage like minifigure sports helmets and rubber tires on the end of the grips. The headlight covering made of 6 x...

Photo-realism is very hard to achieve when you also include LEGO minifigures as the protagonists. Sure, LEGO enthusiasts are comfortable with the not-quite-human proportions, but there’s still that feeling that you’re looking at, well, toys. Not so with the work of Lego_nuts. This builder is also a photographer who knows how to transform a well built set into a stunning composition that feels like a frame from any on-screen Marvel movie. In Raining Battle, Iron Man and War Machine face off against a horde of alien nasties, amid the backdrop of a drenched New York alleyway. Rain and water are everywhere, diffusing the light and giving an air of menace to the scene as a whole.The alley’s LEGO details include trash cans and waste bins, a newspaper box, and plenty of railings and fire escape ladders. But the vertical span of the buildings is what gives this image such a sense...

Minifgure accessories are an often underused section of the LEGO parts palette. While many builders may think up creative ways to integrate these parts outside of the use they were designed for, many of us lack the quantity needed to carry out our ideas. Markus Rollbühler manages to pull it off with ease though with his latest mech Black Widow. Obvious standouts are Count Dooku’s lightsabers and the skeleton pattern armour, and both elements help give the legs an organic shape, while the armour’s print is perfect for an arachnoid style mech. I’m personally quite excited to see the relatively new neck bracket with 4 handles used to help shape the body of the mech. When that piece was revealed, I expected to see it in more creations and I’m hoping this is the start of a trend. Non-minfigure parts are expertly used here as well, such as the main section...

In these dark times, I find a lot of comfort in watching silly YouTube videos. In heavy rotation for me (builder Chris Doyle) is The TRY Channel. There, a bunch of Irish comedians react to odd foods and activities. It’s really funny. Sometimes the challenges involve a lot of alcohol, and thus feature drunk Irish comedians. This, to me, is even funnier. Imagine my delight then, when TRY released Drunk Irish People Try Building LEGO Sets. I’ll give you a quick recap of the episode: It doesn’t go particularly well for most of them.Two of the TRYers, though, Dermot Ward and Bláithín de Burca, manage to get through more than two-thirds of the build of the 76119 Batmobile set. I felt really bad for them when time ran out and they had to stop. So, being the sort of person who builds with LEGO myself, I thought I’d make a little...

Growing up, I was lucky to have one of LEGO’s early sets in the castle theme, 375 Castle, which, along with several classic space sets catapulted my LEGO building creativity to a whole new level. And it seems I am not alone in my nostalgic feelings for this set. Galaktek has built a LEGO model inspired by this set, featuring a central section, with four hinged wings that open up for further play and display options. This one perfectly represents feudal Japan with an arched front gate, very detailed stone foundations and vegetation, and a lovely pagoda with ornate gold details. And if this castle mash-up feels familiar, it’s for a good reason. You may have seen this model in person if you were in Seattle for Brickcon 2019 in early October, where the builder had several castles all built as an homage to the original castle LEGO set. We also...

The character attributes that I’ll always remember Starscream for are being whiny, always going around his boss’s plans, and frequently retreating when things go wrong. I guess those are also his best attributes that make him memorable after all these decades. What’s more interesting, however, is YouTuber Starscreamer’s creation of his namesake, the Transformers Generation 1 Decepticon Starscream. It’s created with an uncanny likeness, with the signature colors and parts that give it the perfect shaping. The best part of the build is really to see how it transforms with ease and demonstrated in the YouTube video below. Trust me, it’s not something you’d want to miss. At this point, I think I’m just gonna scream for some instructions pretty please! Do note that if you’re attempting to replicate this build, the wings include a part with studs on the outer slope that’s no longer in production since 1999 and the...

Seven Dials is a small area of London, squeezed in between the city’s theatre district and the nightlife of Soho. It’s one of the cool parts of town, narrow streets stuffed full of quirky shops and art galleries. One of these galleries is playing temporary host to a new LEGO launch — the Limited Edition large-scale wooden minifigure, the first release in the new LEGO Originals line, and we attended the gallery’s opening this morning. We also had a chance to sit down with the project’s design director for an interview. Fans were invited to register for a timeslot to visit the gallery through the LEGO VIP loyalty programme, and the first session was booked up almost immediately. Although guaranteed admission, these first visitors still arrived early, and there was a good-sized queue well in advance of the official opening time. A further “standby queue” had also formed — people hoping...

The Millennium Falcon is one of the most iconic ships in Star Wars, and perhaps all science fiction. It’s so familiar that it’s been made into quite a few official LEGO sets as well as countless fan creations. Interestingly, despite the numerous recreations, there’s still room for new design ideas, such as Tim Goddard’s latest 1/72 scale version. Built at this scale to fit in with some of his other Star Wars ships, this model is full of interesting design features. A very noticeable aspect of the build is the sheer variety of pieces used. This is evident in the shaping of the overall shape of the ship, as well as in the details, like the cockpit. And that’s not even mentioning the greebles that emphasize the pieced togetherness of the fastest hunk-a-junk in the galaxy. The smartest design choice though, has to be the colours. Not content with the same...

There are several ways to relieve stress; meditation, good diet, adjusting your jazz intake from acid to smooth. Or you can take a gander at Sarah Beyer’s Artsand House and imagine yourself relaxing among the many verandas and green spaces. See, don’t you feel better already? Sarah tells us that to engage in this house is to flirt with Brutalism. (We’ve all been there, right?) All kidding aside, her meaning has nothing to do with batting eyelashes at someone who might be a toxic thug. Brutalism, in architectural terms, is a style of building that emerged in the 1950s and is characterized by imposing monolithic concrete slabs and rigid, often cold geometry. This style works effectively with courthouses, police stations, town halls, prisons, often big municipal buildings of importance but rarely do we state that Brutalism can describe a relaxing and lovely home. But in Sarah’s hands, this is the case....