If Arsia Prime looks as good in real life as it does in the pictures, sign me up! Just like The Martian, everything about this off-world arboretum is fantastically realistic. The terrain is gorgeous, offering a stunning variety of layering, subtly blended colors, and unique rock formations. Builder Ryan Howerter describes this simply as “a relatively near-future colony on Mars.” With the daily advances of space travel, these words may not be too far from the truth. Astronauts with shiny blue faces monitor various science experiments and intricate systems like the giant solar panel arrays (made out bulldozer track elements). A cute little manned rover with crab-like pincers scuttles across the desolate reddish landscape, while a variety of different beacons, aerials, and other space stuff dotted about the place completes the scene. The greenhouse is filled with possibly the first botanical life the planet has ever held. The growing veggies are made of a variety of elements,...

The largest-ever LEGO Minecraft set 21137 The Mountain Cave is now available from the LEGO Store for VIP members (free to join). Coming in at an impressive 2,863 pieces and a retail price of $249.99, this minifigure-scale Minecraft set is the second-largest new LEGO set this year, coming behind the 4,002-piece modular 10255 Assembly Square. As the name implies, the set features a sizable stone mountain (12in, or 31cm, high at the peak) that’s riddled with caves. The mountain’s footprint is 20x11in (53x29cm), and has minecart tracks, a small home, and a light brick that can be positioned to illuminate a jack o’ lantern, lava, or several other features. The set comes with several new printed elements, along with two minifigures (Steve and Alex), plus a cave spider, wolf, baby wolf, slime, 2 small slimes, 2 bats, zombie, enderman, skeleton, sheep and a charged Creeper. LEGO is also offering a free exclusive canvas tote bag with...

While in Billund earlier this month, we had an opportunity to chat with LEGO designer Carl Merriam. Carl is still an active AFOL within the LEGO community, although he is now a professional LEGO set designer. Most recently, Carl Merriam co-designed 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V and has been working on LEGO Boost that has just been released for pre-order. We sat down with Carl at LEGO headquarters to chat about how he became a LEGO designer, along with some of the LEGO projects he’s worked on since joining the company. TBB: Hi Carl, can you tell us a little bit about your background before becoming a LEGO designer  and your current LEGO life? Carl: My name is Carl Merriam, and I have been active in the LEGO community for a while I guess… I think my first build I posted online was in 2010 [Carl’s first post was an awesome...

Pete Strege takes a classic carnival ride and puts a new spin on it. This lumberjack-themed Ferris wheel imitates a water wheel situated over a river and looks like it’ll fit right in at Frontierland or among some old wooden roller coasters and log flumes. There’s even a complementary lumberjack and ox statue to add to the thematic scenery. Check out the video of the ride in action! The post Spin the River Wheel appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Nannan

I’m in love with this orginally-designed supercar by Portugese builder Alexander Paschoaletto. The builder is certainly no stranger to building wicked sports cars – just look through his Flickr photostream to see a ton of awesome designs, some real, others completely original. Alexander blew it out of the water with his latest creation, which features opening Lambo doors, a lovely color scheme and the curves to drive anyone wild. No small amount of work went into bringing this lovely design to life and you’ll notice some clever parts usage to achieve this distinctive look. There are lots of details to appreciate, from those awesome looking headlights to the exquisite interior. Even sitting still, this supercar looks like it’s going 200kph. The post Life’s too short to build boring cars appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Patrick

It’s more than 3 months till the premiere of The Lego Ninjago Movie, but the we’ve already begun to get a glimpse of the sets. Today, the official product images of the boxes are avaliable online, so we can have a clear view of what we’ll be hauling this fall. It’s hard to hide the excitement, as judging by the first look the new sets have lots of Exo-Force and Orient Expedition vibes, themes many fans miss. The rumor has it at least three more sets are to be released this Fall, so stay tuned for more news during the following weeks. 70615 Fire Mech, 944 pcs 70606 S pinjitzu Training, 109 pcs 70607 Ninjago City Chase, 233 pcs 70608 Master Falls, 312 pcs 70609 Manta Ray Bomber, 341 pcs 70611 Water Strider, 494 pcs 70612 Green Ninja Mech Dragon, 544 pcs 70617 Temple of the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon, 1403 pcs...

If your desk needs a bit of life, a tiny fantasy castle might help. Peter Ilmrud was faced with a similar dilema recently and came to the obvious solution. Inspired by the work of Yang Wang and armed with an IKEA HÄRLIGA glass case and a handful of bricks, Peter has created a cute little fairy tale castle. The build has lots of brilliant details like the round tower’s windows and the tree growing on the side of the rocks, but most importantly, the composition of the castle is what connects it all into a very coherent creation. I sincerely hope more builders pick up the concept, as there is lots of potential in glass-encased LEGO creations. The post A tiny castle trapped in a glass case appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Luka

Black & white. All important photos are taken in black & white. And atmosphere. Edgy, rainy atmosphere that would make small children and adults nervous. And lighting. Really subtle and aesthetically pleasing lighting. This portrait of Bruce Wayne by legomeee would certainly get LEGO Batman’s brooding stamp of approval for appropriate tone. I’m not sure what he is looking at, but that umbrella is macho. I dig it. Now, get yourself ready, for some inspiration. If you want to make the world a better place, Take a look at yourself and make a change. Hooo! –  Batman. The post I saved the world again today. It was off the chain. appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jonathan

This modular-style home has a nice architectural design and feel. Consisting of four tiered floors, this build by Eric Yang, with a garage on the ground floor and a spa on the roof, is almost your stereotypical yuppie home. There are some very unique brick-like tiling techniques used in the garage level.I like that Eric has designed the home to not only be externally detailed but have a fully furnished interior. I did find that kid in the wheelbarrow a little disturbing — I hope they’re having fun and not what I think it was when I first spotted it…Every part of the home is furnished for minifigure comforts, and someone in there is surely a fan of LEGO. For Star Wars fans, see if you spy a nano-scaled Millennium Falcon and half an Imperial Star Destroyer on display. The post Modern architectural home of a yuppie appeared first on The...

Ringo is mine. Wait, we’re not talking about the band? Jokes aside, while the stag beetle may not be amongst my favourites, this one by Grant Davis must be one of my favourite LEGO recreations. There is lots to like about this scaled-up insect, from the detailed legs to the realistic head and the Iron Builder competition’s seed part used as the wing covers – with the base placed just deep enough in the inverted tire for their curve to flow naturally. The only gripe I have with it are the wings’ supports, the kind of which I have never seen in a real beetle before. The post Who is your favourite beetle? appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Luka