LEGO’s Balrog Book Nook set has many Lord of the Rings fans (including our reviewer) feeling as conflicted as Smeagol, simultaneously coveting the brick-built Bane of Durin while gagging (*GOL-LUM!*) at the price. Joe Lam solved this riddle by building a Book Nook small enough for a Took, and readers, we are shook. The itty bitty Balrog’s grimspawn body towers over trophy Gandalf. Joe’s version even folds up like the real deal and is sized perfectly to rest between your matchbooks. If you like Joe’s “The one I can afford” take on the Balrog, his spin on the Luxo Jr. lamp is even more budget-friendly. The post Feeling book nook sticker shock? Take a page from Joe Lam’s itty bitty Balrog appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

For our weekly TBB Asks feature, nothing is off the table. We might be asking our staff and readers whimsical questions about building sets from memory, but we might also delve deep into their psyches and get really personal. Well, OK, it’ll still be light-hearted fun – but this week, we’re going dark. Dark age! TBB Asks: did you have a ‘dark age’? If so, what brought you out of it? For those unfamiliar with the lingo, a ‘dark age’ is a period in one’s life where LEGO is not present. Sounds awful, right? For many this happens between childhood and at some point in adulthood, perhaps because LEGO isn’t seen as cool when you’re a teenager. But LEGO is always cool. Right, everyone? … Anyone? Who are we kidding – obviously it is. But even our seasoned staff aren’t immune to a dark age, so let’s see who had one....

Earlier this month, we brought you a look at LEGO Icons 10351 Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook, LEGO’s first revealed venture into the Book Nook decor trend. It turns out that that Holmes and a certain boy wizard aren’t the only nooks coming this June, and today we can delve deeper – carefully! – into the just-revealed LEGO Icons 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook. This fraught cavern passage contains 1,201 pieces and will be available on June 1 for US $129.99 | CAN $TBD | UK £109.99. Will you be adding Durin’s Bane to your shelves? The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews. Unboxing the parts, instructions, and sticker sheet The black box is pretty standard for Icons sets for adults – the front shows the nook...

When the Red Lotus captured Korra, they thought they could end the Avatar cycle once and for all. Too bad for them, Korra wasn’t about to go down without an epic fight. The season 3 finale of The Legend of Korra was a series high, and builder Dan O’Connor renders it beautifully in LEGO. The mosaic mandala is wonderfully crafted from dark green tiles Dan pairs the minifig scene with a Minilander build as the Red Lotus venom brings out Korra’s Avatar state. The larger scale captures the fiery intensity of the Avatar The post Korra unleashes the Avatar in bricks appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

Over the last three years, builder and video creator Jason (JustBeardy) has been working on a massive motorized LEGO tribute to Sonic the Hedgehog’s Green Hill Zone. Built from roughly 30,000 bricks, the diorama draws on specific gameplay elements of the iconic level, all lovingly rendered in the 16-bit style of the classic SEGA Genesis game. While the front view of the level is slick and studless with every pixel in its place, a look behind the Technic scaffolding reveals how much mechanical wizardry went into making the scene come alive. Jason would have been done sooner, but needed a new drive train to power so many motorized elements. Of course, a project like this is meant to be seen in motion, so it’s best to watch the reveal video to appreciate Jason’s most ambitious work to date. And if you’re interested in how the builder solved all the elaborate mechanical...

Inspired by the stump of a felled tree in the forest, cimddwc created a mysterious Elven castle nestled among the trees and surrounded by tall jagged cliffs. This seemingly inaccessible locale reminds me of the colorful Rivendell hidden in the foothills of the Misty Mountains. The limited palette of the white castle with sand green domes lets the castle stand out among the many trees and plants, while the arid landscape around the base is a stark contrast. The castle features some very clever parts usage, such as the wands left in their sprue forming the main gate. An overhead view reveals more details, like the sheltered lake behind the castle fed by the river flowing from the waterfall to the right. Also, a spooky red glow can be seen below the water. The post A magical microscale castle among the gray clifs appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal...

After a long slumber, Lord of the Rings LEGO sets are back with a fiery vengeance, stirred from the shadows like a sleeping demon awoken by a Took’s tomfoolery. Just two months after The Shire had us celebrating, LEGO Icons 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook takes us back to Middle Earth. The set marks the debut of the fan-favorite Balrog in LEGO form and joins the growing list of brick-built book nooks, alongside Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter. While you can fold it closed to slip between ancient tomes on your shelves, the set seems designed to display opened up to better appreciate the Balrog with its wings spread, flanked by Morgoth’s flames. LEGO Icons 10367 The Lord of the Rings: Balrog Book Nook contains 1,201 pieces and will be available on June 1 forUS $129.99 | CAN $TBD | UK £109.99. Will you be adding the Balrog...

HBO’s The Last of Us just wrapped season 2, but if you’re not ready to let go of a run-down world filled with murderous mushroom zombies, Greg the Gungan has your back. In this towering diorama, Greg returns to the first game/season with Joel and Ellie traversing a crumbling Boston. Greg finds the perfect balance between urban decay and nature taking root, creating a world that is so beautiful that you might risk a cordyceps bite to take it all in.  True to the source, the decrepit office building hides many dangers that Greg also built in bricks. The post Beware of brick Clickers in Boston in LEGO Last of Us tribute appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

When it comes to colorful and highly detailed microscale builds, Jeff Friesen stands out as a true master. He wrote the book (several, actually) on creating clean builds that capture cities, castles, and fantastic worlds in miniature. Jeff’s latest build started as a study of hedge gardens, like the one seen in the foreground. However, once he started adding a building to the background, his imagination took over, and it grew to become an amazing sprawling castle structure that reminds me of campuses like Harvard and Cambridge. One of my favorite tree builds is the upside-down eggshell used for what looks like a willow tree, and, of course, a green minifigure hairpiece makes the perfect shrub. A few tall pine trees provide a nice contrast to all of the much shorter trees and plants. The post No beating around the bush, this LEGO microscale hedge garden is stunning appeared first on...

Since we started spotlighting minifig creations again on Minifig Mondays, we’ve been introduced to so many talented AFOLs. After covering desert sands and dieselpunk in our last installments, maybe it’s time to welcome some cozier fig creations into the mix? Grab your knitting needles and garden shears, as we’re going to explore DIY minifig fashions!  The fist time the brothers brick featured minifigs wearing crocheted clothes was back in 2006! Sadly, that was the only time. Let’s fix this with a Minifig Monday dedicated to minfigs dressed in knitted and floral clothing! Because hobbies are better when you let them mingle. Kim Schol is a LEGO photographer from the Netherlands who sets her minifig subjects in dioramas that blend LEGO with nature and crafts. Kim dresses her minifig in a fantastically elegant skirt made of real flower petals. This fairy tale scene is one of my favorites in the way that...