This X-ceptional LEGO scene rides into the Danger Room

As a super team, how do you make sure you’re in top fighting condition to take on anything from giant robots, to genetically engineered dinosaur people, to spineless alien gameshow hosts, to your teacher’s unborn twin? Lots and lots of practice. The X-Men’s Danger Room, here recreated in LEGO by Brickelangelo, is a mix of gymnasium and Star Trek holodeck that uses alien tech to create a full-sensory combat experience. Brickelangelo’s vignette supplements the official roster of X-Men minifigs with a few custom versions from (the big, as our mutant heroes train against Savage Land raptors and Tigertooth Sabertooth. The scene is packed with great details, like the rippling pixel effect as the slick tiled room transitions to holographic wilderness, the X-shaped door, and the signiture smoke poof as Nightcrawler teleports into position. Brickelangelo first shared his Danger Room a month ago but came back with improved photo staging to better appreciate the full model, which we much appreciate. With X-Men ’97 killing it on Disney Plus, Deadpool & Wolverine looking to crush summer box office, and LEGO’s return to the theme, Marvel’s mutants are having a moment. No doubt we’ll see more X-ceptional builds like Brickelangelo’s to add to our growing X-Men collection.

Lego X-Men: Danger Room

A Traveler’s Tribute to the Golden Temple

Seeing the talent and imagination displayed in models from world-class builders can be a major inspiration for LEGO fans, but where do those builders find their spark? For Danish AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) Lasse Vestergård, two enduring sources of inspiration are travel and faith. Lasse’s latest creation is a stunning model of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest site in Sikhism and an architectural marvel. The original building, the sacred pool surrounding it, and the holy texts within date back to the 16th century. Shifting empires and religious conflicts led to multiple waves of destruction and rebuilding, but the site’s significance and grandeur have endured, attracting both pilgrims and world travelers like Lasse. While he was inspired to recreate the temple after a visit in 2019, it took years before Lasse could find enough gold bricks to make that dream a reality. There looks to be nearly 200 golden bananas alone (I guess that qualifies it as a house of worSHIP).

The Golden Temple in Amritsar built of LEGO bricks

Lasse’s rendition isn’t just noteworthy in its scale, but for its ingenious detail while working within the constraints of white and gold elements. The white flower motif around the side entrances is especially effective. I also very much appreciate seeing so many turbans being used to celebrate a culture not often represented in LEGO.

The Golden Temple in Amritsar built of LEGO bricks

The Golden Temple is the second holy site from Lasse’s travels to be highlighted on this site, as we were also moved by his LEGO model of the Mir-i-Arab Madrasah in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Lasse’s galleries feature many more temples and churches from the ancient and modern world and his native Denmark that are definitely worth a look.

A modular slice of Cyberpunk

Although only one facet of a larger collaborative build, Bart Marable’s first foray into LEGO cyberpunk provides much of the requisite detail to identify it’s overall theme. While most modular buildings have such a great facade, we are left wanting when viewing the sides and backs of the building. Bart, in a relatively small build, has provided 360-degree detail with images to prove his effort.

Let’s call the ‘Fan-side’ the facade. The use of both vivid and understated colors creates a facade that seems to have evolved and been enhanced over time fulfilling the goal of portraying a cyberpunk realm, in my opinion.

A Study in Cyberpunk

Let us have a look at the full effort here.

This sleek fighter jet will answer your need for speed

Fighter jet aerodynamics are tricky to render in brick form, but this LEGO F-14A Tomcat by our own Ralph Savelsberg pulls it off with a variety of sloped and angled elements, including the trans-clear bricks that form the cockpit.  The Tomcat’s characteristic swept-back wings are represented with meticulously chosen angled plates. Adding to the authenticity are the missiles stowed beneath the wings and the antenna pieces used for the airspeed sensor probe beneath the cockpit. Not pictured: a highway to the danger zone.

VF-41 Black Aces F-14A Tomcat with a few tweaks

Two new iconic LEGO sets announced, based on a pair of well-known European wonders [News]

LEGO has been inspired by the art in Paris, France with a duo of new LEGO Icons sets bound for release this year. From its home in the Louvre’s Salle des États, the Mona Lisa is by far the most well-known painting in the world, soon to be remade in brick and plate. LEGO Art 31213 Mona Lisa will be a little over 1:2 scale, coming in at 43 x 11.5 in (or 43 x 30 cm) and is comprised of 1,503 pieces. Moving over to the world of architecture, LEGO Architecture 21061 Notre-Dame de Paris is perhaps the best known cathedral in the world, its namesake standing tall since 1260. The LEGO version will still sit at an impressive 13 in tall (33 cm), with a removable roof and detailed interior. These popular Parisian LEGO productions will go on sale at the start of October and June, respectively. More details and pics of these new sets are below!

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A char-CUTE-erie board for you!

Boy, do we have a treat for you today folks! This LEGO build by Carter is an outstanding mix of the tasty and adorable. While the individual treats are not what you might find on a charcuterie board, their chubby cheeks and stubby arms might make up for that. That donut in the center is covered in smooth lavender-colored icing, with the macaroni-shaped pieces coming from a single set released in 2022. The thin seaweed layer around the sushi is made from 2×2 curved slopes. With food this cute, could you bring yourself to eat it?

Mini Snacks

An android endorsed by Spielberg himself

In the distant cyberpunk future, you might run into this LEGO android by Joey Klusnick! This build is a great example of using a highly unique LEGO piece to create something new. That camera that makes up the android’s head is the old USB camera sold in 1349-1 Steven Spielberg Moviemaker Set from the year 2000. The body of this robot is a wonderfully organic series of wrapped rubber. But here’s the thing: that’s still part of the camera! The USB cable of the camera is (apparently) ridiculously long, so Joey has used it to create all the muscle-y bits this android needs to run around. I also want to point out that the USB plug on the droid’s left arm fits perfectly into a pair of fences. One thing I know for certain is that this droid will always get its shot!

Megapixel

LEGO Ideas dresses to impress with the announcement of 21349 Tuxedo Cat [News]

Ever thought your botanical collection could use a cat to knock the plant pots off the mantlepiece? Well, today is your lucky day! LEGO has just unveiled the latest set in the Ideas line of fan-submitted creations: 21349 Tuxedo Cat. Originally entered by user The Yellow Brick (AKA Damian Andres), this furry feline reached the 10,000 supporters threshold in November 2022, with LEGO’s stamp of approval being given in May of last year. Its 1,710 pieces include interchangeable eye colours and, as the set name suggests, a smart black-and-white fur coat. When it hits shelves this June 1st, it will retail for US $99.99 | CAN $129.99 | UK £89.99.

Take a closer look at this cool cat after the jump

You may want to make like a tree and get out of here!

The forest awakens! When the forest is threatened, who speaks for the trees? If you’re lucky, maybe you get a lecture from a fuzzy orange Lorax, but if you’re in the primeval forests of Poland, you might have to contend with the wrath of pagan god Leshy. Builder Bard Jaskier‘s vignette depicts the Slavic force of nature in a style inspired by heavy metal art, with fearsome antlers, goat eyes, a mantle of flowers, and a body that blends bark and bone. As impressive as the central deity is, Jaskier packs the rest of the scene with detail and clever build techniques. Who would have guessed that palm fronds and bamboo could make such perfect dark forest pines? I’m always excited when LEGO fans take inspiration from a specific culture and use their models as a way to bring topics to a new audience, which Jaskier does here with Slavic folklore, just as he has with Polish history.

Leszy

Aren’t you a little young to be collecting alien flower goo?

The classic LEGO Space theme gets an adorable update with this diorama by Joel Short, who provides some quick lore behind the expedition: “These giant flowers are a great source of energy, but must be approached with caution!” Much of the cause for caution, I assume, comes from the fact that those harvesting the flowers are infants who surely lack the necessary qualifications to operate such heavy equipment on unforgiving terrain … but hey, look how cute they are! Speaking of small things worth ooohing and awwwing over, check out all the great little details: the crocodile tails standing in for spiny plant tendrils, the full and empty bottles of pollen, and of course the Space logo itself at the front of the build, lovingly rendered in all its minimalist glory.

Space Baby Buddies

A stark LEGO temple makes the most of a minimalist color palette

Sometimes having a design constraint leads to surprising results, like in this LEGO temple built using only 3 colors by Rilbist. Building the rocky landscape and the temple proper using the same color gives the impression that the temple is carved directly into the rocks. A few sand green elements add a bit of visual interest while the use of orange for the third color really draws the eye to certain details. One more great parts usage is the angled sections at the front, which use a gray rail brick on either side of the orange stripe to trap tiles in place.

Lego Moc - 3 Colours Temple

A. Lemur explains it all, episode 1: What a bunch of AFOLs! [Feature]

Hello, I’m A. Lemur and I’m The Brother’s Brick mascot. Our newer readers might be saying; what the heck is going on here? Admittedly, the last time I gabbed at ya, Adele’s 25 won Album of the Year, and everyone was getting all saucy with Fifty Shades of Gray. You see, I got into a poo slingin’ altercation with my neighbor and, as a result, was sent to the lemur pokey for a while. But, as per my court-ordered community service, I’m here to teach you about some common LEGO acronyms you may have heard at conventions or right here on our own pages.

MOC – what does that mean?

A MOC is the common term for something that is My Own Creation. This is when you take LEGO and design your own thingamabob without instructions. This can be achieved with the LEGO you may already have or through orders from our friends over at Brickset or Bricklink. Keep in mind that this is not simply building a LEGO set, although it’s totally OK to do that. Most LEGO folks young and old just build sets and display them proudly on their shelves. But a MOCer-that is a breed apart! You can usually identify them at LEGO conventions by their brick badges, thousand-yard stare, and the demeanor of someone who generally can’t be trusted with the undergarment section of a Sears catalog. The last MOC I made got me kicked out of my local LUG because those sweaty nerds just don’t know good art when they see it!

Wait, what’s a LUG?

A LUG means LEGO Users Group. There are LUGs all over the globe and it’s a great way to get together with like-minded friends, usually in a library or other public spaces (that incidentally also host Poo-Slingers Anonymous meetings) to talk about LEGO sales and happenings, and show off your newest MOCs. If you are so inclined, get yourself on the Google and discover LUGs in your area. From there you can behold the aforementioned thousand-yard stare as someone there is sure to completely nerd out over NPU.

Which brings us to NPU

This means Nice Part Usage. This is when someone very cleverly uses LEGO bricks in unconventional ways to illustrate a complex shape or detail. Our contributors are forever going on about NPU in our articles. That means job security for us. I’m pretty sure if they didn’t have that to talk about, they’d otherwise be avid and lonely gamers. There is nothing more soul-crushing than playing a board game by yourself when someone walks in on your one-handed solo campaign!

What a bunch of AFOLs!

And what are all those grown-ass folks called who enjoy building with LEGO? They’re known as AFOLs or Adult Fans of LEGO. These are the guys and gals you see at conventions, your local LUGs, or lurking in the toy aisle at Walmart or The LEGO Store looking for the latest and greatest LEGO sets, and pretending to buy them for their “kids”. It was once suggested that we are not AFOLs, as adult FANS of LEGO are the folks who pay to see us at conventions. Instead, they reasoned, that we are Adult Hobbyists of LEGO but that moniker didn’t stick because – well – no one likes that acronym.

That’s all I’ve got for now but stay tuned for another day as our other contributors or I will come back with explanations for other common LEGO acronyms. Wait ’til someone explains BURP to y’all! It’s a hoot! Or look it up for yourself and more in our LEGO Glossary. Thanks for reading, friends. Until next time, keep it real and trust me when I say to keep your poo in your own yard.