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...