Purists look away now, as we go inside the mind of self-proclaimed LEGO outlaw Randy Sluder and see some of the innovative building he is doing around the LEGO monorail system. Randy calls himself an outlaw because he’s not afraid to cut, drill, sand, and glue to create shapes LEGO never made. However, even he has lines he won’t cross — he only uses genuine LEGO bricks and the same glue LEGO themselves use on their large display models! TBB: So Randy, tell us a little about yourself… Randy: I’m a graphic artist by trade and have always liked the Art Deco style, so I gravitated to the Streamliner period of trains between 1935-1955. It was a time when “form follows function” wasn’t in vogue, the emphasis was on great design. And many people don’t know that Art Deco train design was as important to the movement as the architecture. TBB: Where...

These two brave souls have certainly been put through the wringer by Graham Gidman. A horde of undead creatures is swarming their camp and they’ve buried two of their own. And given the lack of snow on those graves, I’d say those deaths were recent. Emotions have to be running high. In spite of the horror depicted, Graham’s LEGO scene is actually quite lovely. The texture on the bridge looks crumbly and the icy river makes my teeth chatter just looking at it. The post Freezing temperatures and flesh-eating monsters? These minifigs might not survive the night appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jennifer

In addition to some of the best LEGO models created by builders all over the world, The Brothers Brick also brings you the best of LEGO news and reviews. This is our weekly Brick Report for the second week of May 2017. (Shout-out to all the moms out there!) TBB NEWS, REVIEWS & INSTRUCTIONS: This week we reviewed a massive rocket, got a sneak peek at some upcoming sets, and learned that no one keeps Unikitty in a corner. LEGO Ideas 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V Review —The Saturn V is the largest Ideas set produced to date, clocking in at a massive 1,969 pieces in an homage to Apollo 11. When countdown ends and the rocket set launches on June 1, 2017, it will retail for $119.99.LEGO Star Wars summer 2017 wave official set images revealed — Rathtars, Quadjumpers and Freemakers, oh my! Check out the new Star Wars sets, including...

Actually a more exact title would be that home is where one’s hearthstone is set to, but I digress. For those not in the know, the hearthstone is an item in World of Warcraft that returns its user to their home. It’s also the icon of the digital card game Hearthstone. I be planning to build this iconic little pebble for a few years now, but it was always at the bottom of the list, until I decided to make it as a concept build for my LUG. There should be instructions available at one point, though I can’t say when. Any purists bothered by the sticky tape over the light-up spiral can be at ease, as it is only meant for support in transport and handling by less than careful hands. Oh, and it also lights up! The post Home is where the hearthstone is appeared first on The Brothers...

It’s quite rare to see a fully functioning roller coaster, especially one this large and complex and using 100% off-the-shelf LEGO elements. It does a look a little fragile at times, with the whole structure wobbling away in the high speed turns, but I’m pretty sure builder Hoezer2 has got it all figured out and it’s gonna hold up. The construction not only has the look and feel of a real roller coaster, but the turns and runs actually have a top speed of 10.3 kmh (6.4 mph) thanks to the use of Mindstorms EV3 motors and sensors. I still can’t quite grasp how those carriages stay fixed to the tracks, which has always been my number one fear of roller coasters. But in the world of LEGO, minifigures don’t feel pain so it’s all good if they have to endure the occasional derailment. The post Face your fear, where screams...

Built for the 2017 Middle Earth LEGO Olympics, Farewell We Call to Hearth and Hall! is a beautiful little vignette based on J.R.R Tolkien’s song of the same name that Merry and Pippin sing on the night before they leave the Shire. John Snyder has portrayed the three main themes of the song: hearth and home, travel through the wild, and Rivendell. The hobbit hole looks great. I also love the tree leaves on grass stalks and intricate domed building on levers! But most impressive is how John has stitched the three scenes together with the irregular rock shapes in the forest. The post We must away! We must away! We ride before the break of day! appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jonathan

No need for frantic searching to find the nearest fuel station for this LEGO starfighter, that goes by the intimidating name D.I.E Fighter. The builder of this fine ship, Pascal Schmidt, tells us that D.I.E. actually stands for Dual Ion Engine, but I don’t think it comes in peace. Those four blue panels are actually high performance solar panels that provide power, as long as the fighter doesn’t enter any long dark wormholes I assume. With some nice nods to Neo Classic Space with the grey hull and bumblebee stripes, there’s a lot to love about this little fighter. Don’t look too hard for the pilot though, he is hidden inside the opaque, spherical central cockpit. This starfighter ship was built as an entry to the Real World +200 Starfighter Contest currently running on Flickr until May 15th, 2017. Entries must be a minifigure scale starfighter (with at least one minifig...

This odd looking chap sitting at the piano, smoking a cigarette and tinkling the keys may not be known to everyone as a character from the film Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) [tr. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life]. The film tells the story of French singer Serge Gainsbourg, from growing up in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris, through his successful songwriting years in the 1960s. Pedro Vezini has masterfully built Gainsbourg’s grotesque alter ego with his large nose, long thin fingers, and an affection for cigarettes and drinking – a character who personifies all of the singer’s worst habits. The post A grotesque alter ego plays his role appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Elspeth De Montes

What started out as a dare to find a use for the giant technic gears from LEGO’s 2003 Hailfire Droid set has turned into this charming LEGO representation of a picnic in the city. Inspired by fond memories of summer bike rides, Canadian builder Mel Finelli has made ingenious use of many unusual parts to create an almost photorealistic scene. From the reproduction vintage ’30s LaFrance bicycle, retro radio, wicker basket full of goodies and Kensington lamp post, every component of this build demands closer examination to truly appreciate the techniques and finer details. No wonder then that this build won Best in Show when it debuted at BrickCan 2017 in Vancouver last month. The delicate curves of the Super-Streamline’s frame were carefully crafted with LEGO flex-tube, onto which many sand green 1×1 round bricks were threaded. I imagine it took a long time for Mel to collect all the other...

There’s something magical about the classic Star Wars vehicles. They’ve withstood the test of time and remain a constant source of inspiration for LEGO builders. Miro Dudas is a skilled builder with  a love for all things in a galaxy far far away, creating this fantastic mini AT-AT.  This small AT-AT is a wonderful build with clean lines and almost no visible studs. It even has the added articulation of bringing the AT-AT to its knees as in the movie scene. There’s the nice touch of footprints in the snow platform. The best part of it all? You get to recreate this scene in your own home, once you gather the parts from this list. Instructions can be downloaded from Miro’s site. The post Join the Empire Engineering Team and build your own mini AT-AT [Instructions] appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Edwinder