In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the second week of November 2018.TBB NEWS: This week had big legal news on the future of knockoff LEGO, as well as some awesome gifts with purchase now on sale. LEPIN ordered to stop making and selling LEGO imitation products by Chinese court – The company must stop producing infringing products and pay damages.LEGO Harry Potter Diagon Alley gift with purchase now available – The set has 374 pieces and one minifig, and is available until November 21 with orders over $99 USD.LEGO Forma pre-orders close on Indiegogo – The new experimental product line featuring kinetic sculptures of fish appears to have had a successful crowdfunding. TBB EDITORIALS & FEATURES: What does the Brothers Brick think about the new changes...

This LEGO dragon tamer by Jayfa may not be a reference to everyone’s favorite dragon-taming movies by Dreamworks (or the books that preceded them), but it’s nonetheless epic. The tamer himself is a mashup of claw- and tooth-shaped elements that somehow weave together into awesome armor, and there’s no denying that having greaves made of dragon skulls must give you an edge in intimidating the beasts. But the real masterpiece here is the dragon with its vivid magenta highlights. From the exceptionally clever brick-built eye (made with a white rod element flanked by two yellow minifigure hands) to the armor plating down the neck made of robot arms and teeth, everything works together beautifully to give the creature grace and personality. The post How to tame your dragon appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Chris

When you need to get somewhere fast in Metal Gear Solid V, you can always count on Pequod, the callsign for the Solid Snake’s chopper transport. Seen here in its sea-grey color-scheme, the fictional UTH-66 Blackfoot is a huge helicopter that draws heavily on real-world inspiration, and nowhere have we seen a better LEGO version than this one by Marius Herrmann. He’s has made sculpting the compound curves of the accurate minifigure-scale cockpit look easy. Outfitted with multiple weapons and a long refueling probe, this LEGO chopper is one of the best pieces of realistic military machinery we’ve seen recently. The post Metal Gear Solid V’s Pequod UTH-66 Blackfoot in LEGO appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Chris

It’s time to turn back the clocks, then turn them forward again, as we travel to a retro view of the future where flying cars totally exist and all mass transit is in stylish monorails like this sweet LEGO version by Tammo S. With nifty brick-built lettering adorning the sides and a crazy bit of fantastic retro aesthetic with a prop and fins on top, this monorail is ready to guide us to the future. While my favorite design element is the rounded corners of the passenger windows, don’t overlook the fact that the cockpit is built at a crazy angle, which is no mean feat. The post Bringing back monorail appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Chris

Earlier today, a district court in China ruled against four companies for infringing multiple LEGO copyrights by producing and distributing LEPIN-branded imitation products. The companies were ordered to “immediately cease producing, selling, exhibiting or in any way promoting the infringing products” and to pay LEGO 4.5 million RMB in damages (about $650,000 US). The four companies, including Shantou Meizhi Model Co. among others, were held liable by the Guangzhou Yuexiu District Court for copying 18 specific LEGO sets and multiple minifigures in addition to “carrying out unfair competitive acts.” Niels B. Christiansen, CEO of the LEGO Group commented that the rulings “send a clear warning message to other companies who may be copying LEGO products,” and that the company will continue to “take all necessary legal actions to protect our intellectual property rights.” The ruling is another significant legal victory for LEGO as the company continues to battle imitators in China....

Sometimes the most effective LEGO creations are those that skillfully employ a sparse economy of parts. This creepy figure from Cezium does exactly that–building genuine character from a handful of pieces. Whilst this (blind?) old lady appears to be only gathering herbs, her eyeless visage and the skull-bearing staff create a real sense of unease. I suspect there’s nothing but a frame beneath the cloth habit, but it doesn’t matter, as what is visible is well done. The face (built from an upside down Raptor body no less!) and the skull are excellent, and the use of spider leg parts for the staff’s tips is perfect. Couple the model-building with atmospheric photography and you have a wonderfully unsettling LEGO creation. The post Unsettling figure will haunt your dreams appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

LEGO TOKYO is a special collaboration between Aurélien Mathieu (better known online as Shobrick) and Cole Blaq. To be precise, it’s really Shobrick’s swan song from the LEGO scene–and what better way to make a grand exit but with a monumental partnership to release four epic scenes that were put together by professional set designers and talented artists. The story begins with Shobrick, who has been planning for some time to take an indefinite break from LEGO to focus on his pursuit of being a film director and wanted to create a few amazing pieces before setting aside his bricks. Over two years ago, he reached out to Cole Blaq to provide the settings and the right vibes for his vision of a scene he had in mind: a futuristic battlefield in Neo Tokyo with a Mecha antagonist. After multiple variations, Cole introduced his vision of the build and sent it...

Every superhero needs a top-notch ride. While Batman has to choose among all of his Batmobiles, other heroes, like firefighters, have a lot to show, too. Steven Asbury, an expert in the sphere of city fire safety, is constantly upgrading the city department’s engines. Here’s the new Arrow XT platform with a ton of things to spy: a dozen of compartments, flashing lights, switches, and some skillfully designed custom stickers. And on a quiet day, this truck is still a finest jewel of the modern LEGO city. The post A proper vehicle for the true heroes of the city appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Alexander

One of the most fun games I play with friends is Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, a tactical multiplayer game of attack and defend resolving bomb defusal or hostage situations. In the attack phase, I like playing as French GIGN operator Twitch, who is equipped with her own hand-crafted camera drone outfitted with a taser. To show some love for this game, I built the Shock Drone with LEGO in 1:1 scale. The bulky design of the Shock Drone compared to other operators’ standard camera drones allowed enough room internally for Power Functions. Each front wheel is powered by a motor and controlled by SBrick, which, just like in Siege, allows me to control the drone with my phone. You can see it in action, as well as a glimpse at the internals and a gameplay comparison for those unfamiliar with Siege, in the video below. The post Take control of...

In addition to the amazing LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the first week of November 2018.TBB NEWS: LEGO Overwatch made a splash announcing surprise pre-orders while the LEGO Ideas Pop-Up Book went on sale. LEGO Overwatch sets unveiled at BlizzCon, available for pre-order now – Theline contains six sets that are available for pre-order immediately, shipping on  January 1st.9-foot tall LEGO Overwatch D.Va and her mech tower over BlizzCon – The gigantic build uses more than 43,000 pink bricks to create the iconic character from Overwatch.LEGO Ideas Pop-Up Book and Xtra Accessory Bags now available  – New LEGO sets for November include the LEGO Ideas Pop-Up Book and new Xtra Accessory Bags. TBB FEATURES, REVIEWS & INSTRUCTIONS: We have a variety of content for you this week from an...