A UNESCO World Heritage Site full of wonderful architecture like the University of Sankore, the city of Timbuktu in the West African country of Mali has been a center of trade and learning for nearly a thousand years. Hardly an inaccessible or mythical place, the very real, not at all mythical or inaccessible city has thrived on modern tourism for decades. Sadly, the last several years have seen strife overtake the city, with jihadist rebels occupying the city for about 8 months in 2012 and 2013. Nathan takes us back to a happier time in the city, when it was the capital of the Malian Empire. Nathan adds to his collection of world architecture creations by depicting the royal palace in the Sudano-Sahelian architecture style as it might have existed during the reign of Musa the First (r. 1312–1337). Nathan has accurately captured the iconic architectural style, built from adobe or...

Absent as a theme for seven years, LEGO has returned to the magical land of Harry Potter. This time around the theme is titled Wizarding World, since it encompasses both the Harry Potter books/films and the current Fantastic Beasts films. Fittingly, the largest set of the new wave is the setting for so many of Harry’s adventures, Hogwarts. Since LEGO began producing Harry Potter sets way back in 2001, there have been at least four distinct versions of the iconic wizarding school Hogwarts, plus others set in and around the castle grounds. Each version has a slightly different twist, and this latest edition attempts to bring a hint of proper scale to the monolithic school, opting to forego recreating the whole castle and focusing on a single aspect in greater detail. 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall retails for $99.99 USD, includes 878 pieces, and is available now in the USA, and elsewhere Aug. 1....

I ain’t gonna lie, I’m calling it as I see it. I see a character with a side profile eerily similar to George Lucas. And it seems like he’s trapped a family of mice in the crawlspaces behind the wall by not only cutting off their food supply but sealing their fate to starve, behind an inescapable wall. I guess George is just bored these days with little to look forward to since he sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney. If you’re wondering where builder Nick Sweetman got those sand-green wall patterned bricks, they’re pretty rare, since the piece only appeared in a single LEGO set, 76062 Batman Classic TV Series Batcave. The post Evil George seals the fate of a family of innocent mice appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Edwinder

Built around BrickHeadz style figures, this lovely sketch of Red Riding Hood by Cindy Su features an adorably ferocious wolf and a strikingly vibrant granddaughter. The little scene is mostly a setup for the characters, who have some great techniques, and thankfully Cindy has some pictures of the characters on their own, too. The wolf looks sheepishly proud of his grandmother-eating exploits, with huge eyes and ears and a mouth full of teeth. The palisade bricks make great textured legs. The best parts use goes to Red, though, with an awesome cape billowing behind her, made of an old castle roof element. The post My, what big eyes you have Grandma appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Chris

The Summer Joust contest is generating some amazing LEGO builds in a variety of categories. Talented multi-theme builder David Zambito‘s entry in the “Mesoamerican Setting” category depicts an Aztec-style temple overgrown with foliage. While the well-built temple is the center of the scene, the landscaping also deserves your attention. The plants are built not just from actual LEGO foliage pieces like bushes, bamboo, and flowers, but also from the plastic sprues that three-leaf plants come in, as well as street sweeper brushes. If you like this Aztec-style pyramid, you might also like the Maya-style LEGO pyramid we featured previously. The post A forgotten Aztec temple emerges from a Mesoamerican jungle... appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Andrew

Disney’s Donald Duck first graced the silver screen back in 1934, and he looks pretty good for being 84 years old! Donald’s claim to fame is his really short temper, but he is also known for cruising down the streets in his small curvy red car. Oliver Becker decided to build this car for his Donald minifigure, and the two look practically made for each other. In particular, Oliver’s model does a great job of capturing the exaggerated curves of the animated car. He has also packed a lot of detail into such a small space, including flared headlights, interior upholstery, and even the iconic rear rumble seat (also known as a dickey). The white tires feel authentic to the source material, and they were only ever available in a single Spongebob Squarepants set from 2008. The post Driving with Donald Duck in a fiery red roadster appeared first on The...

The release of the new 21042 LEGO Statue of Liberty set has seen a whole bunch of parts become available in Sand Green for the first time. Peter Reid takes advantage of the new range to put together this cool futuristic tank. The shaping is excellent, and the level of detail and texture crammed into such a small creation is impressive. The backdrop is simple, but provides a nice setting for the central model, and the addition of track marks in the sand behind the vehicle is a lovely touch. You can read more about the creation of this model over at parts-focused blog New Elementary here. The post Sand green tank conquers the sands appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

What may seem like an ordinary LEGO build of a clock face is more than meets the eye. I’m extremely impressed with the tessellation of bricks to form an almost perfect circle for the clock face on a flat surface. LEGO bricks are inherently blocky and angular, and it’s pretty tough to form a round plate. I’m not sure how long it took Jason Pyett to figure this out, but it’s surely time well spent with the outcome achieved! Here’s another look at the construction techniques, showing the detailing of the clockface with the hands and numbers removed. Jason has even created a video demonstrating how he accomplished some of the techniques. The post A day building with LEGO bricks is time well spent! appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Edwinder

Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and the UK is currently in the grip of what our press is calling a heatwave (although folks from other countries would probably describe it as “mildly warm”). And so, this great little melting LEGO brick from Chris Maddison totally fits the mood. The curved slope parts employed, and the effortless SNOT (studs-not-on-top) construction techniques, create a fabulous impression of a classic red 2×4 brick slumping and spreading in the heat. Just looking at this thing is enough to raise the temperature. Hot stuff. The post Red hot brick is extra-cool appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod

The official release date for the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter Sets was originally scheduled for August 1st, but LEGO has apparently moved the release date forward by one month for all the sets based on the Harry Potter books. Five new sets, including 75955 Hogwarts Express and 75954 Great Hall, along with three new Harry Potter themed BrickHeadz sets are now available from the LEGO Shop, both online and in stores. Although many of the sets are on backorder for shipping in two weeks, we still recommend purchasing them now to take advantage of the double VIP points promotion happening until July 7th. Click below for direct links to all the new sets, and look for our hands-on reviews soon! 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall | $99.99 | 878 pieces 75955 Hogwarts Express | $79.99 | 801 pieces Hogwarts Whomping Willow | $69.99 | 753 pieces 75956 Quidditch Match |...