All Lord of the Rings fans should get excited about the new LEGO set themed on Barad-dûr, Sauron’s iconic stronghold. The 5,471-piece set features the sinister tower topped with the Eye of Sauron, the disembodied eye that overlooks his evil domain. Those who’ve watched the movie will instantly remember it as the “giant black tower with the flaming eye on top of it.”
This set will come at a price tag of $500 with availability to commence from June 1 for LEGO Insiders and from June 4 onwards for other buyers. The Barad-dûr tower will have four main sections – a prison, armory, throne room and a kitchen. Those who’ll get their hands on the set on or before 7 also get the complementary 269-piece Fell beast set with posable wings for the intimidating flying creature and the Nazul minifigure.
The 32.5-inch tall and 11 inches wide Barad-dûr set has references to the movie in the form of Easter Eggs filled inside the interiors. Minifigures including Sauron, Mouth of Sauron, Sam, Gothmog and Orc also grace the build. Sections of the set include a pair of mechanically operated front doors and a dark throne that hides the secret room of the Palantir. There’s a forger for sharpening the weapons of destruction, a lava pit with a suspended skeleton cage and feasting for orcs. The top of the tower opens to reveal the throne room with a hidden map and ladder to access the top floor. In the middle of the structure is the feast table and orc armory. At the bottom of the tower, there’s a working door.
Frodo is not forgotten with the stolen Mithril coat and the hidden map, while Shelob has a tiny spider to complete the details. Interestingly the LEGO set can be stacked with more modular pieces to increase the height of the already towering structure that is even more impressive (and taller) than the Rivendell set which is the last official Lord of Rings set by LEGO. The tower is topped by a replica of the Eye of Sauron having a light-up brick to cast a subtle glow in your den.
LEGO Ideas and its obsession with retro builds will not die anytime soon. The vintage Polaroid SX-70 camera, the ingenious Tetris LEGO set, and now the LEGO Icons Retro Radio set are proof enough. The new 906-piece set is a nod to the musical era of the 50s and 60s when radio was an integral part of life.
The set is a part of LEGO’s Icons collection and is all set to arrive June 1 for $99.99 in LEGO stores worldwide and official online stores. The set will initially be exclusive to LEGO Insiders and from June 4 onwards anyone can get their hands on this one. While the set cannot (unfortunately) play your local radio station, it has something that’ll please online music listeners.
Reviving the retro element are the bright color accents in white and brown of the bygone era. You’ll be more than keen to put it together and highlight it as your living room centerpiece or reserve the prime spot on your shelves. When fully assembled, the bricky radio stands over 13 inches high, 9 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep, making it a LEGO model that more than meets the eye. While we can go on talking about its nostalgic faux wood-colored trims, pastel bluish green exterior, classic speaker slits, extendable antenna and the tuner window; the functionality doesn’t take a back seat in any way.
The radio LEGO comes with prerecorded tunes such as fake sports stations that can be toggled using the dials. You can turn the dial to switch between these channels with the white noise of the radio taking you back in time. Another knob is used to switch on or off the unique radio While we believe the designers could have gone a step further by fitting in a transistor radio unit, you’ll have to emulate the feeling of listening to the good old radio by playing it on your phone. Yes, you can plug in your smartphone in a concealed compartment on the back panel and play your favorite music. Of course, you can play Spotify or Apple Music on this radio but we’ll stick to playing the classic music just to be in the retro feels!
LEGO and cool cars have a long-standing relationship that gravitates toward kids as well as grown-ups. The Speed Champions Sets address the craving for every generation to build their loved cars from scratch in LEGO form. The LEGO Mercedes-AMG W14 F1 car is one of my favorite because I love the sport so much.
The number of sets available for every kind of motorhead is increasing in this collection and the Mercedes brand keeps calling us back to the LEGO world. The German automaker has revealed the LEGO version of two of its most acclaimed cars for speed enthusiasts and avid off-roaders. Yes, I’m talking about the AMG 63 G-Wagon SUV and the AMG SL63 convertible roadster. The kit can be ordered June 1 onwards for a price of $50 which is an absolute steal if you are a collector.
The two performance cars come in a kit with 2 driver minifigures as a part of the LEGO Speed Champions line. Combined the two cars have a total of 808 pieces that when put together for weekend fun, turn into the G Wagon in black and the SL 63 roadster in yellow. Of course, the color distinction will help you out in separating the pieces if you happen to mix them up. The LEGO car models boast authentic design details adapted from real-life models. Attention to detail has been paid to the front grilles, hoods and interiors complete in the Mercedes livery.
This pack comes with the printed building instructions if you want to go old school, or via the app that’ll guide you step-by-step to bring the G Wagon and convertible roadster to life. Since there are two cars in the set, the size of each one is a bit smaller than the other individual Speed Champions collection. Standing tall at 2.5 inches the AMG G 63 LEGO car measures 7 inches long and 3 inches wide. Parked on your living room shelf or the geeky desk, these two LEGO collectibles could be easily mistaken for a toy car but you know the deeper truth!
It’s really quite extraordinary how there is a wonderful LEGO build for almost everything out there. Whether it’s a bowl of ramen, a scene from the show Friends, or even the Batmobile – honestly you can find LEGO’s adorable tendrils creeping almost everywhere, and we absolutely love it! So, it is a given that LEGO will eventually find itself in the prestigious and beautiful world of art. In this collection of LEGO builds, we’ve curated LEGO creations based on iconic paintings! From da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to the iconic Greate Wave of Kanagawa – we’ve curated a collection of beautiful LEGO builds inspired by tremendous works of art.
1. The Great Wave Of Kanagawa
One of the most iconic and beloved paintings in the art world is The Great Wave of Kanagawa. It is a significant and precious hallmark of Japan’s Ukioy-e art movement, and LEGO Art has recreated a LEGO version utilizing plastic blocks and a brick count of 1810 pieces. The piece includes a special brick with the artist Hokusai’s signature. The build includes multiple dot-shaped bricks which impart the painting with a pointillism effect.
2. Girl With A Pearl Earring
Made from 1619 LEGO bricks, the ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ LEGO build perfectly replicates the painting, and has some actual depth to it. Since LEGO bricks were used to build the piece, it does lack some of the finer details, but this is what makes it even more charming and unique. The girl in the build has the same blue and yellow headscarf, and a contemplative expression paired up with the pretty pearl earring which is the star feature of the painting.
3. The Scream
Edvard Munch’s The Scream painting was converted into an intriguing LEGO build! It perfectly captures the anxiety and fear Munch wanted to create in his painting, around 130 years ago. Created by LEGO builder Spacemanship, the build is made using 2999 pieces. He wanted to give people suffering from anxiety an outlet or channel for their emotions, and he really did a great job with this LEGO kit. The LEGO Ideas submission garnered a 10,000 votes milestone, and will soon be converted into a buyable LEGO kit.
4. The Portrait of a Woman in a Hat
Made by LEGO user Mecesoo, this intriguing brick-based portrait captures and recreates the essence of Picasso’s stroke by using colorful plastic bricks instead. The portrait is built using 1070 bricks without any loose bricks or collisions. The build is almost true in size to the original, hence serving as a brilliant replica. The painting is teamed up with a Minifigure of Picasso, an easel with his canvas on it, as well as two Picasso quotes with the artist’s signature.
5. LEGO Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
Van Gogh’s sunflowers become quite popular on Instagram, garnering a whole lot of attention. And LEGO master builder Chi Hsin Wei converted it into a stunning LEGO rendition. The pretty MOC includes a frame, and a fantastic three-dimensional rendition of the painting, with the flowers popping out of the canvas, and welcoming you with their simple beauty and charm.
6. The Starry Night
The Starry Night LEGO Set is based on Vincent van Gogh’s namesake painting. It is a 3D representation of the iconic oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter. The build is another product of a LEGO designer’s imagination being put into production, and being converted to reality from an idea. This final production set is up for purchase, and LEGO lovers can create their own Starry Night recreation.
7. Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is brought to LEGO life with the LEGO® Art Mona Lisa (31213) painting building kit. You can recreate your own interpretation of da Vinci’s iconic painting. It features a bluer hue to reflect the colors that were used by da Vinci around 500 years ago, before paint evolved and changed with time. It serves as a beautiful wall art, or even as a lovely home decor gift for art lovers.
8. Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe Portrait
The LEGO Art 31197 Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe is for all the Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe fans out there! This fascinating set lets you recreate Andy Warhol’s famous pop art portrait of Marilyn Monroe. Once completed, the build features an exclusive signature tile and can be displayed as art on a wall or shelf. You are able to reproduce and recreate the iconic, mass-reproduced piece of pop art from the 1960s.
The nostalgic play of the Tetris game has got generations of love and for good reason. 15-year-old Willis Gibson finally managed to beat Tetris by reaching level 157 of the classic video game and setting the internet on fire. Now that Willis has got this challenge under his belt, a LEGO enthusiast has got a real-world Tetris set game to engage in.
This is a LEGO Ideas submission by designer victorvey300 that’s insanely clever and seems like total fun to kill some free time. The real-life Tetris game incorporates the gameplay and elements of the video game ingeniously and challenges even the most seasoned Tetris fans to get a high score.
Called the Tetris Solid, this LEGO set has got my solid vote for being the next big LEGO Ideas project that should hit the shelves ASAP. The small case with the LEGO bricks opens up to reveal the vertical lanes where you slide the tetrominoes in the desired orientation. A rollable treadmill on the right shows the next brick to slide, and you have to think fast on your heels where the brick should go. You can even keep a score of how well you are playing which is ingenious.
Pretty obviously, you cannot make the lines disappear when a horizontal gap is filled (it’s real life not a video game graphic, remember). That’s why the maker took the liberty to tweak the rules a bit, wherein you have to fill the board complexly with all the pieces, just like a puzzle game. A Tetris spin-off for sure but still has the classic influence for the most part which is impressive.
You win if you manage to add all the pieces to the board without any gaps being left. Of course, it’ll take a lot of tries before you get the hang of it but if you do fail, there is a reset button in the form of a lever that lets all the pieces drop back into the box to start fresh. To commemorate Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, the box has a hidden compartment that reveals the geniuses’ diorama complete with a PC depicting the time when he created the game.
That said, the current 4,000-odd supporters for the Tetris Solid is quite low considering how cool this idea actually is. Let’s hope this LEGO idea reaches more enthusiasts who’ll eventually push it into becoming an official LEGO set someday.
A real heart beats at roughly anywhere between 60bpm or 100bpm on average… LEGO builder Anatomical_Brick’s ‘Motorized Beating Heart’ outputs 55bpm, providing a near-perfect replication of what an actual beating heart looks like. The coolest part, the entire thing is made from LEGO bricks and is powered by a set of replaceable batteries.
Designer: Anatomical_Brick
At the heart of the model lies a LEGO Technic frame equipped with two interlocking slider mechanisms and a scissor element. This ingenious design allows for dynamic adjustments to the width and height of the central structure. A flexible outer shell, crafted from interconnected segments joined by rubber bands, envelops the core frame. This construction creates a captivating illusion of movement as the structure expands and contracts. The entire model is roughly 3x in scale (to make sure the heart moves effortlessly), and is powered by a motor linked to a battery pack, bringing it to life.
“I initially wanted to make a heart for Brickvention due to my fascination in the organ and had never seen it done using LEGO pieces. When telling others about this project, the reoccurring feedback was that it should move. They were absolutely right! After many months of trial and error, I’m finally happy with the results and so were the people at Brickvention,” said Anatomical_Brick.
The final result is a marvel of technology as well as biology. Sure, LEGO bricks only get you so much realistic detail, but watching the heart beating feels nothing short of captivating, The auricles and ventricles of the heart expand and contract, simulating the effect of blood being pumped through the organ. The red part of the heart indicates where oxygenated blood passes through the organ, whereas the blue part shows the passage of deoxygenated blood.
Currently a submission on the LEGO Ideas forum, Anatomical_Brick’s MOC (My Own Creation) is gathering support from the broader LEGO community. With more than 700 votes under their belt, the submission is en-route to the coveted 10,000 vote mark, following which LEGO’s internal team will review it before turning it into a buyable box set!
The Milky Way is estimated to have anywhere up to 400 billion stars, so it only made sense that LEGO’s reinterpretation of the galaxy was a chaotic combination of thousands of bricks too, right?! Designed for ages 18 and above, the LEGO Milky Way Galaxy (#31212) is a galactic hot-mess of plastic. With over 3000 bricks coming together to make the artpiece, this box-set is as challenging as it’s beautiful. The pieces are color-coordinated and come together beautifully to create the different bands of the galaxy we call home. There’s even a specific point on the painting where a ‘You Are Here’ tag marks the general location of our solar system, and by extension, us.
Designer: LEGO
Like most LEGO artpieces, this rendition of the Milky Way comes with a level of depth that a 2D printout can never have. The galaxy quite literally pops out of its frame, with the use of different bricks from all across LEGO’s catalog, creating beauty and unity in a kind of chaos that seems emblematic of our galaxy. No star or solar system is the same, which is why all the bricks are different too, with barely a few matches. Putting this artpiece together should either feel extremely confusing or rewarding!
The entire painting comes together with a staggering 3091 bricks, featuring popular celestial phenomena such as Trappist-1, The Pleiades, The Crab Nebula, and The Pillars of Creation. Given how detailed the entire artpiece is, it’s split into five panels for easy assembly, each accompanied by a dedicated instruction booklet, fostering a collaborative assembly experience for families and friend groups. To elevate the journey, each booklet unveils a curated soundtrack filled with fascinating Milky Way facts accessible via QR code. When complete, the entire piece measures a staggering 15.5 inches tall and 25.5 inches wide.
The LEGO Milky Way Galaxy starts at $199.99 and begins shipping on May 18, 2024.
Arguably one of the best games from the last decade, Portal 2 still holds its own against games today. Sure, it isn’t open-world, doesn’t have NPCs, and the graphics aren’t bleeding-edge, but the game is a brilliant combination of storytelling, premise, and clever gameplay. For the uninitiated, Portal 2 is a game that has you escape from a dystopian prison using nothing but a teleportation gun. You can create portals that allow you to ‘tunnel’ through reality, and the game relies on your understanding of physics and geometry to help you navigate this futuristic labyrinth filled with occasional surprises and enemies. The portal gun is all you have, and it’s arguably the only thing you need.
Now sure, such a gun clearly doesn’t exist in real life, but this LEGO recreation from Hooded-Blaze sure has captured our fancy! Styled to be a perfect replica of the cyberpunk quantum gadget from the game, the Portal 2 Quantum Tunneling Device is made entirely out of LEGO bricks, and comes with its own stand, as well as the ability to alternate between shooting blue or orange tunnels, just like in the game!
Designer: Hooded-Blaze
Although Hooded-Blaze doesn’t specify how many bricks are used to build this MOC (My Own Creation), chances are the portal gun is just a smidge tinier than the real deal. With its cyberpunk stylings, the gun boasts a uniquely blobject-ish form, looking almost like a stormtrooper ant, with three pincers right in front of the repulsor. The repulsor feeds off a cell that sits in the middle of the gun, and altering the cell allows you to switch between blue and orange portals.
“This would be no doubt a fantastic LEGO set because of how large the Portal community is. Since its release, over 40 million players have played Portal 2 worldwide,” says LEGO builder Hooded-Blaze. This isn’t the first time they’ve submitted the portal gun to the LEGO Ideas forum. The previous fan-made submission crossed the coveted 10,000 vote mark on the LEGO Ideas website with overwhelming support from the communituy, but was rejected by LEGO’s internal team. “Since the last time this LEGO Ideas project was released, it has been redesigned to be stronger internally and externally and more aesthetically pleasing, with some key components staying the same,” Hooded-Blaze mentions. “I have built a physical prototype of the Portal Gun from what LEGO I had. I have learnt a lot from the mistakes I made on the previous version, and it has been significantly improved since.”
With over 7,000 votes, the LEGO Ideas Portal 2 Quantum Tunneling Device is well on its way to crossing the 10,000 vote mark yet again. You can vote for the entry on the LEGO Ideas website too. Maybe this time the LEGO gods will listen to us and turn this into a box-set that we all can buy and secretly ‘pew-pew’ with when we’re bored!
Building LEGOs was something I loved as a child. I could spend hours putting together intricate and mesmerizing LEGO builds, that did have the potential to fall apart in mere seconds. However, LEGO is no longer simply considered child’s play. Masterbuilders and creators spend days and weeks building precise and astounding LEGO creations that will truly blow your mind away. And, this collection of LEGO designs is dedicated to automotives! We’ve put together a collection of exquisite and finely detailed LEGO builds inspired by cars and bikes. These creations will have motorcar aficionados drooling at the mouth!
1. LEGO Yamaha MT-10 SP
This LEGO Yamaha MT-10 SP is put together with the same attention to detail as all Technic creations usually possess. As you put it together, piece by piece, you are overcome by an extreme sense of satisfaction. It is equipped with realistic function and movement of a chain drive, 3-speed transmission, 4-cylinder engine, working steering, as well as front and rear suspension. These little features are like a cherry on the icing, adding more realism to an already excellent LEGO build.
2. LEGO Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 Performance Set
This LEGO Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 Performance Set is the latest addition to LEGO Technic’s collection of motorsports replicas. It is a 1/8 scale model that you can build piece by piece using the 1642 individual LEGO bricks, in turn creating a LEGO build that is 13 cm tall, 63 cm long, and 26 cm wide. It has a stark black color, to ensure the carbon parts don’t get painted, which in turn reduces that tiny amount of weight. The exquisite F1 car is crafted with extreme attention to detail.
3. LEGO Batmobile
TaeYang Lee designed a Batmobile inspired by the movie’s insane rollercoaster plot! He discovered Mecabricks, a LEGO modeling tool, and used it to create this super cool build. Much like the on-screen Batmobile, this mesmerizing creation is also set in a dark gloomy world, which adds layers of depth and darkness to the automotive’s sinister character. It features a matte black color, toughened wheel rims, and a reinforced bumper build for the kill.
4. 10321 Corvette LEGO Icons Set
This adorable little 10321 Corvette LEGO Icons set pays tribute to the first-ever Vette which rolled out on June 30, 1953. It has a beautiful build accentuated with a bright red exterior, which perfectly displays the original key details of the real version. These little details include the hard or open-top configuration, opening hood, and the truck that accommodates the V8 engine replica with a spinning radiator fan.
5. LEGO McLaren F1 MP4 Ayrton Senna
LEGO Speed Champions and Technic lineup added a LEGO build in the form of the McLaren F1 MP4 Ayrton Senna in a beautiful tribute to Ayrton Senna – an undisputed legend of motor racing. This wonderful set includes 693 pieces, and it features a Senna minifigure on a podium, holding the winner’s trophy with a plate engraved with the photo and quote, with the Mclaren next to him in power mode.
6. LEGO Back To The Future Time Machine
The LEGO Back to the Future Time Machine is improved, detailed, and better than ever! The jazzed-up build features a Flux Capacitor light brick, gull-wing doors, and printed dashboard dates. You can add the different equipment from the different parts of the movie – including the lightning rod from the first film, and the hood-mounted circuit from Part III.
7. LEGO Peugeot 9X8
LEGO builder Brick-A-Brac paid tribute to Peugeot’s 9X8, and returned to the FIA World Endurance Championship with his own LEGO build of the 9X8 supercar. The creation is made from 1320 parts, and it measures 20 inches long. It features an extraordinary amount of detail, including all the branded graphics on the car’s body. The build features a sleek design, impressive size, and immense attention to detail, making it a rare GEM that LEGO + car enthusiasts will love!
8. LEGO FedEx Iconic Truck
LEGO fan David Clavijo designed FedEx’s iconic truck using LEGO bricks in celebration of FedEx’s 50th anniversary. The company boasts an inspiring workforce of over 500,000 employees, a fleet of 700+ aircraft, and 200,000 vehicles. This unique build pays tribute to the company! The truck is covered in white, with the FedEx logo on the front, and the side. It even features a diamond-shaped DOT hazardous chemicals flip sign on the front.
9. LEGO McLaren F1 Car
This LEGO replica of the 2021 season Formula-1 car is truly jaw-dropping! It is nine times the size of the collectible LEGO version which was a massive hit. But, the 1:1 LEGO variant is at a completely different level altogether. A lot of time and effort was put into creating, precisely 1893 man-hours of putting together 288,135 LEGO bricks, to build this 5.7-meter-long, 2.4-meter-wide structure.
10. The LEGO M 1000 RR
This LEGO interpretation of the M 1000 RR measures under 18 inches long and is 10 inches tall. It is made using 1920 individual LEGO pieces, which makes it a satisfying exercise of putting it together! It is one of the largest ever bike sets, and it is a must-have for model building and bike aficionados since the realism is mirrored. It features functional intricate components, including the 4 piston engine, a three-speed gearbox, an upside fork with the rear swingarm suspension, and the dashboard with the three display options.
You may not be familiar with Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer’s entire body of work, but chances are you’ve definitely seen one of his paintings. About as iconic as Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, or Munch’s The Scream, ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ is just one of those paintings that’s entered the hall of fame for being one of the most memorable paintings ever. The artpiece features a chiaroscuro-style artwork of a girl in a headgear and a pearl earring, with dramatic lighting from one side that creates dramatic contrast and highlights/shadows. It’s a remarkably captivating painting, and an impressive one at that, considering it was painted in 1665. After getting its own Scarlett Johansson movie in 2003, the iconic painting gets its own fan-made LEGO set! Designed by LEGO builder ‘alanboar’, this MOC (My Own Creation) features roughly 1600 bricks, and comes with a Vermeer minifigure to match!
Designer: Alanboar Cheung
Built from precisely 1619 LEGO bricks, the set wonderfully replicates the painting, bringing it to life by giving it actual depth too. Of course, the use of LEGO bricks results in a lack of fine details, but therein lies the charm! The girl in the LEGO set mimics her inspiration beautifully, with the same blue and yellow headscarf, contemplative expression, and that gorgeous pearl earring that is easily a highlight of both the painting as well as this set.
Alanboar’s little brick mosaic utilizes LEGO’s art bricks, which allow making intricate colored artpieces without those studs getting in the way. The final set measures 17.6 inches tall, and 15.1 inches wide, and even features a uniquely baroque frame to go with the painting. I’m not entirely sure whether LEGO manufactures silver hemispherical bricks, but it’s possible that Alanboar took a few liberties with the pearl earring part.
The entire set comes with a plug-to-assemble design, and even features a miniature replica of the painting along with the Vermeer minifigure and a tiny pedestal that aptly labels the mini diorama. The LEGO Girl with a Pearl Earring is currently a fan-made submission to LEGO’s Ideas forum, an online platform for LEGO enthusiasts to build and showcase their own unique creations or MOCs. Users can then vote for their favorite MOCs, which LEGO then reviews and turns into box-sets that anybody can buy. If you want to vote for Alanboar’s entry, visit the LEGO Ideas website here!
