On a recent trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, I made a stop at the Butterfly Conservatory. I’m a sucker for a butterfly exhibit and this not only offered beautiful butterflies, but also some much-appreciated warmth on a stunning-but-freezing February afternoon. Amongst the inhabitants were some stunning Blue Morphos, which reminded me that they were one of the newish printed butterflies that came in the Friends Botanical Garden set (41757). View fullsize View fullsize We have been especially spoiled recently with new butterflies, and for the first time ever, decorated moulded butterflies. And, wonderful and abundant as they are, these are by no means LEGO’s first foray into moulded butterflies, so I thought we’d take a stroll through the virtual butterfly house that is LEGO’s love affair with these beautiful creatures and their many and their varied connection points. System, unprinted First up, the most recent mould (80674)), which is also the...

Ever since I first heard about Bricks Cascade in late 2019, it’s been on my list of go-to LEGO fan events. The excitement of getting to interact with fellow fans in person rather than just on digital platforms was palpable and would only get more intense as the next few years went by. After moving much closer to the Portland area in late 2022, my dream became a reality, and Bricks Cascade is now my “home” convention! Bricks Cascade is an annual event located in downtown Portland, Oregon. The Oregon Convention Center is a beautiful location that allows enthusiasts of the LEGO brick from across the country and world to rejoice and share their incredible builds with each other in one 60,000-square-foot space. Connections here are inevitable, but not just with plastic bricks! Even better yet, I was able to bring along my partner Ibby. As someone with social anxiety who...

Original MOC from lokiloki At BrickNerd, we love writing and we love LEGO! Bailey Fullarton has already explored the different fonts and typography used by our favorite brick brand in a series of three fascinating articles, and just yesterday we read about a LUG collab that brings people together with a similar plan. So what would happen if you combine them into a challenge? In March, builders in the French forum Brickpirate took part in a new BPchallenge. Members had to build a creation that contained brick-built letters, i.e., letters composed of LEGO parts. They were free to choose the theme, format, and scale. As examples, a few official LEGO sets were mentioned, such as the signs for 10218 Pet Shop and 10260 Downtown Diner or the Avengers logo from 76269 Avengers Tower Battle. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize The contest was so fun, and people were inspired to build...

The best LEGO builds tell a story. Take this one by Carter Witz, which begins with a simple premise: what if a magic portal separated a land of summer from a world of winter? What happened to divide these two realms? And what will it take to bring them together again? While you’re pondering those answers, be sure to appreciate the rich combination of plates, tiles, sloped bricks, and plant elements to achieve the textured greenery. Same with the variation of elements that make up the ancient, weathered stone wall. (I count at least twelve different kinds of brick in that wall.) Here’s a better view of the opposite side, where winter still reigns. Rather than simply duplicate the topography of the summer half, Carter added mysterious ruined columns topped with drifts of snow. Enchanting! The post Whichever way you look, a new world awaits appeared first on The Brothers Brick....

LEGO DOTS brought the technique of building geometric mosaics from tiny tiles to a broader audience, and the humble 1×1 quarter circle tile was the workhorse of that line. Builder Palixa and the Bricks employs hundreds of these tiles on a particularly challenging canvas for a mosaic – a sphere! The results are beautiful from every angle, as soothing to look at as it must have been for Palixa to build. This series allows Palixa to combine some of her favorite things: LEGO, mosaics, colors, and math. If the series continues, what polyhedron will she apply her tiling magic to next? A pyramid, perhaps? Personally, I’m hoping for an icosahedron. The post Are spheres the new DOTS? appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Jake Forbes