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The world's most popular browser, Google's own Chrome, is now automatically downloading a huge additional file to every computer it's installed on.

The four-gigabyte weights.bin file automatically downloads to the computer and places itself in the same directory path where Chrome is installed.

This file is essentially the weight file for Gemini Nano, Google's own AI's local model, which tells the local AI model how it should function and what it can do.

So, in simple terms: a local Google AI model, running on the user's computer, is downloaded to (almost) every single computer with the Chrome browser installed.

It should be noted in this context that almost all: if the computer is too slow, has too little memory, or is otherwise incompatible with Gemini Nano, the local AI model will not be downloaded.

The issue was first noticed by The Privacy Guy, who wrote about it on his blog after first figuring out what was going on.

Chrome will henceforth use local AI to perform the browser's AI functions, such as suggesting what to write on social media or which tabs should be grouped together.

In Hacker News discussions, the massive size of the local AI is causing the most alarm - combined with the fact that Chrome has over a billion users.

In a medium-sized company with a thousand employees alone, the AI model forcibly downloaded to each machine consumes almost four terabytes of storage space. On a global scale, we are talking about staggering figures.

The local language model will be directly integrated into Chrome in the next release (Chrome 148) with the upcoming Prompt API, which will allow websites or browser extensions to use the local AI on the user's computer.

This 4 GB AI file would not be a mandatory part of Chrome in any way; instead, the browser could ask the user for permission to download the files required by the local AI if the user wishes to use those functions.

However, Google decided that asking would create too much friction for adoption - and downloaded the models to all users without asking anything. Manually deleting the file is useless, as Chrome will download it again if it's removed.

The local language model can be blocked with these instructions, if you know what you're doing and dive directly into Chrome's deeper settings. However, we do not recommend this for ordinary basic users.

So, if you were wondering how appx. four gigabytes of storage recently "disappeared" from your computer: your browser is likely the reason.

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Even the most fearless and powerful bounty hunters meet their match sometimes. Rickard Stensby shows that for Samus Aran, it’s the original Nintendo Entertainment System. The controls on some of these older systems can feel a bit wonky by today’s standards, and we imagine playing with an Arm Cannon adds an additional layer of difficulty. Samus’s ragequit extends beyond the build, where her power beam quite literally breaks the fourth wall.

All of the little details scattered throughout this scene are excellent, from the toppled chair to the NES controller and Zapper lying on the floor. Samus’ helmet and power suit are exceptionally crafted, and she appears to be quite posable if given the chance. The lively explosion and debris that’s show on the rear of the TV and the build frame adds such a nice element and makes this scene feel alive.

The post Metroid: Samus Ragequits appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

Microsoft is pushing “AI” hard in Windows, Office, and in their other products, and it’s earned them a cute new nickname: Microslop. It turns out the company really doesn’t like it when you use this nickname, however, and its official Copilot Discord server – yes, there is an official one – has gone into a complete meltdown over people using the nickname. First the company started banning the word “Microslop” in its Discord server, but after people started circumventing the ban with alternative spellings. That’s when all hell broke loose.

What started as a simple keyword filter quickly snowballed into users deliberately testing the restriction and posting variations of the blocked term. Accounts that included “Microslop” in their messages first got banned from messaging again.

Not long after, access to parts of the server was restricted, with message history hidden and posting permissions disabled for many users.

↫ Abhijith M B at Windows Latest

People don’t like “AI”. They don’t like being forced to use it at work, they don’t like it shoved in their face in their operating systems, they don’t like every new product being plastered with nonsensical “AI” marketing. It’s absolutely no surprise that one of the companies pushing “AI” in the most visible way, a company few people like anyway, gets a nice new nickname.

I love that this happened. I hope their brand suffers as much as possible.

It seems the widespread efforts in Europe to drastically reduce its dependency on US technology companies is starting to worry some people.

President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered U.S. diplomats to lobby against attempts to regulate U.S. tech companies’ handling of foreigners’ data, saying in an internal diplomatic cable seen by Reuters that such efforts could interfere with artificial intelligence-related services.

Experts say the move signals the Trump administration is reverting to a more confrontational approach as some foreign countries seek limits around how Silicon Valley firms process and store their citizens’ personal information – initiatives often described as “data sovereignty” or “data localization.”

↫ Raphael Satter and Alexandra Alper at Reuters

It’s going to take time, but untangling the EU from the US – especially technologically and militarily – is worth the effort. I’ll gladly pay more taxes to make this happen.

The Princess Bride, the classic film based on the book by S. Morgenstern William Goldman has it all: Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles… It’s a wonder we don’t see more tributes in LEGO. Thankfully, FS Leinad has stepped up with a fabulous build of Westley and Buttercup fleeing through the Fire Swamps. There’s a lot to love in this compact model, from the dense forest of dark grey tree trunks full of odd parts like Bionicle joints and jackhammers, to the evocative flames made of carefully twisted trans-orange chains to the spot-on minifigs. Having escaped the Lightning Sands and figured out how to avoid the Fire Spurts, the only other hazard these true lovers need worry about is the R.O.U.S.es. But the Rodents of Unusual Size? I don’t think they exist.

It’s only fitting that FS Leinad return to The Princess Bride, as the builder’s first shared creation was an Ideas tribute to the film that made it to the 10k club. It’s impressive how far Leinad has grown as a builder in the years since.

The post An unconceivably good LEGO tribute to The Princess Bride appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

When LEGO revealed a fully-transformable Optimus Prime based on the Gen 1 toy, we were blown away by the accuracy, build quality, and play features. (If you haven’t picked up this essential build, Optimus Prime is still available for a few more months.) LEGO’s second Transformer build, Bumblebee, was more of a mixed bag with an awkward robot mode and weird scale. On August 1, a third Cybertron exile is headed to stores – the fan-favorite Decepticon Soundwave – and based on the pictures and details shared by LEGO, this set looks like it could be the best Transformers set yet. LEGO Icons 10358 Transformers: Soundwave contains 1,505 pieces and includes companions Laserbeak and Ravage, who can transform into cassettes and be stored inside their master until it’s time to eject. And as a rare treat, pressing “play” triggers sound effects. You can pre-order Soundwave now for US $189.99 | CAN $229.99 | UK £159.99 or pick up in stores on August 1, 2025.

Batteries are included. Do not eat Soundwave.

The miniature cassette player is a nice addition, considering how, like fellow Decepticons Megatron and Astrotrain, he could change size and mass as needed.

 

Here’s how LEGO describes the set:

Create a captivating centrepiece or surprise a loved one with this LEGO® Icons Transformers: Soundwave (10358) home and office decor building kit, designed for adults and fans of the epic sci-fi film series. Build a detailed LEGO replica of the iconic Decepticon robot action figure, along with his trusted companions Ravage and Laserbeak.

Pressing Soundwave’s play button activates specially recorded voice and sound effects. The figure comes with rocket pod, laser blaster and dart accessories, features posable joints and seamlessly converts to cassette player mode and back without disassembly. The Ravage and Laserbeak figures convert into model cassette tapes that fit individually into Soundwave’s cassette bay. The set also includes a display plaque with Soundwave’s power statistics. The LEGO Builder app features a 3D version of the building instructions included with this set. Discover a space for relaxation with the inspiring range of LEGO building sets for adults. Contains 1,505 pieces.

The post LEGO Transformers enters its villain era with fan-favorite Soundwave, complete with sound functions, Ravage, and Laserbeak [News] appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

If the Restaurant at the End of the Universe is fully booked, don’t sweat it- You can always find a welcoming booth at Milo’s Diner. This intergalactic waystation, built in LEGO by Terra Ender, is built on the remains of an irradiated asteroid that definitely isn’t hiding any secrets beneath the spacedust crust. No, at Milo’s you’re always welcomed with a smile, whether you’re Space Police, hard-working M-Tron miner, or totally-above-board Blacktron accountant. They even serve droids!

T.E. is previewing this impressive installation before displaying it at Brickworld Chicago next month. For those who won’t be warping into the Windy City, we have all the details here. Order up!

Glorpstavis (Stu for short) will prep your order. You won’t find a greasier meal this side of Krusty Burger.

Don’t mind the mutants living under the manholes. They’re harmless.

The foliage is lovely, and best appreciated while wearing a hazmat suit. Or if you’re of a species adapted to high levels of radiation, enjoy the outdoor seating!

Milo’s diner is T.E.’s first motorized project. The model is fully decorated with custom lighting, and the sign rotates 24/7. Visitors to Brickworld can also see other motorized surprises throughout the build.

It’s an impressive model that fuses retro atomic age designs with plenty of nods to classic space. And, for T.E., it brings in some of the builder’s past works. That Blacktron vehicle parked outside appeared in a diorama from 2022!

The post The Second-Best Restaurant at the End of the Universe appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

With all the talented LEGO builders out there, cool techniques are constantly showing up in our feeds. However, it’s not every day that I’m so intrigued that I bookmark the page. Thanks to Joost van Velzen (MejoliDesign), I have a new trick I have to try! This ship is nice by itself, complete with moving landing gear and ramp, but the real head-turner is the use of 2×3 light bricks and a little bit of centrifugal force. Read on to see how!

The GIF below gives you a taste of the genius design.

And for a look at the other mechanisms, check out the video below:

The post Taking LEGO lights to the next level appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

Combining AI and LEGO is a sure path to controversy, but there’s one version of this toxic combo I’ll always support – brick-built versions of Portal’s GLaDOS. Coosey Goosey gives the video game villain GOAT her due with this incredible recreation of Chell and GLaDOS’ reunion in Portal 2. The builder takes advantage of newer elements for a wonderful mix of curves and cyber-greebles.

Coosey Goosey frames this fated reunion with a wonderful slice of the overgrown Aperture facility. Visible from behind, a Companion Cube lies nestled in the debris.

As happy as it makes me to see GLaDOS still alive in brick form, I do wish I could battle wits with her again in a new game. Then again, why mess with perfection?

The post “Sorry about the mess. I’ve really let the place go since you killed me.” appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

NASA and Space X might stick to mostly monochrome vehicles, but great LEGO spaceships play confidently with color. Maybe you take inspiration from one of the classic LEGO space themes, or maybe you just love teal. For Mason Martin‘s starfighter, color isn’t an aesthetic choice but the driving force behind a bold design that fuses sleek lines with scientific scholarship. The Color Theory incorporates RGB, CMYK, and the trusty RYB color wheel. It has a prism, gradients, and a mass spectrometer. How does all that color make it better at swooshing and pew-pewing? I don’t know, I’m no scientist. But it sure looks good from every angle.

Mason started the project nearly a year ago with the distinctive nose cone shaped at a sharp right angle that uses SNOT bricks for a studless tiled surface. The builder does an excellent job maintaining the black bands between the cockpit module and the panels that hold it in place.

After months of chipping away at the model (during which time Mason also built an impressive SHIP) the Color Theory finally came together. It’s an amazing synthesis of high concept and swooshability.

The wings are an inspired design, like scissors connected by a strut. Not much color there, but Mason plays with greyscale in the detailing. My favorite part of the ship is the silver spectrometer cylinder in the center. The curves look so slick, nestled amongst all of those angles.

Instead of engines, the Color Theory draws power from splitting and focusing light. Maybe this unusual method of propulsion lets the ship skip light speed and ludicrous speed and go straight to plaid.

Packing in so many nods to science in a compact design, Mason’s starship echoes the new Evoloution of STEM set, but as an original creative work, the Color Theory is inarguably a masterpiece of STEAM.

The post Full-spectrum starfighter runs on color appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

It’s hard to belive 35 years (245 in dog years) have gone by since Wallace and Gromit were first molded by Nick Park’s thumbs and a great cinematic friendship was born. Now the happy couple are up for another Oscar and builder byggi_l is here to capture their special charm in LEGO. Mixel eyes are perfect for bringing life to the duo’s plasticine faces. I especially love Gromit’s brows made from inverted bake-o-lite hotdog buns.

Need a ride for your next hare-brained endeavor? Isaac Wilder made a cracking good version of your Austin A35.

The post Say cheese, Gromit! appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

No, these aren’t the latest Star Wars UCS models from LEGO. This trio of speeders comes courtesy of  Mirko Soppelsa, designer of amazingly detailed replicas of characters and ships from a galaxy far, far away. Mirko created two versions of the 74-Z speeder bike – in brown, as seen in Return of the Jedi, as well as the white version seen in The Mandalorian. The builder also expands his offering of brick-build characters with two pilot options – the classic Scout Trooper or rewired assassin droid IG-11 and pint-sized ward Grogu.

Constructed from between 4280 to 4494 parts depending on the configuration, and stretching 73cm (or 2 feet 5 inches)  these amazing speeders deserve a closer look.

Fans of the Original Trilogy will no doubt be drawn to the brown model, which looks like it zoomed right from the Forest Moon. From the detailed control panel (with com-jammers) to the blaster cannon mounted underneath, Mirko’s attention to detail is remarkable.

The fully articulated Imperial Scout Trooper is a wonderful construction on its own, especially the excellent shaping of the helmet. The pilot comes equipped with a blaster pistol and a targeting blaster strapped across the back.

The 74-Z speeder in desert white showed up in a couple of Mandalorian episodes, most notably involving a back-and-forth chase with poor Grogu.  IG-11 has never looked better, just like Mirko’s last droid project, Rogue One’s K2SO.

Mixing Technic elements, some pneumatic tubing, and a mix of bars, the handlebars may only be ornamental but they sure look functional.

Yoink. Now little Grogu is back with the Imperial Scout. I love the fun detail of Grogu’s tiny feet poking through the swaddling.

Mirko’s design for the repulsorlift engine is firing on all cylinders, with an excellent use of Wolverine claws in gold.

The Speeder and Scout Trooper maintain the same scale used on Mirko’s equally impressive 125-Z Treadspeeder and AT-RT walker.

Sadly, Mirko doesn’t show the 74-Z with an Ewok rider. To make that dream come true, you’ll have to design your own.

The post You’re going to want to slow down to appreciate these LEGO speeders appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

For LEGO builders who create scale models of real-world vehicles, capturing the distinctive shape of an original is a mighty accomplishment. Doing so with minimal seams can challenge the best builders. Nailing both while also integrating motor functions? That’s the mark of a LEGO modeling master. Max Richter’s Boeing 747-8 in Lufthansa livery is one of the most impressive scale model aircraft we’ve ever seen. At 1.5 meters long (nearly 5 feet!) and with a wingspan of 1.35 meters, clocking in at 12,500 pieces for a weight of 11.4 kg (25 lbs), it’s also one of the biggest, dwarfing LEGO Icons Concorde. The motorized landing gear system is a thing of beauty. This build soars.

To fully appreciate Max’s model, I highly recommend watching his video tour. As a bonus challenge, can you find where he uses a droid body, hockey stick, and pirate hook in the build?

Seen from a distance, the seams from Max’s incredible shaping all but disappear. You’d be forgiven for mistaking it for a die-cast model. The brick-built Lufthansa logo and lettering also benefit from the scale.

Max first teased the motorized landing gear last summer. Originally, this was to be the extent of the build. Only after completing this slice did Max decide to house the mechanisms inside a fully realized plane model.

To get a better sense of scale, here’s Max holding the front of the fuselage. Despite the build’s weight and size, the plane is remarkably stable, as Max puts the wing section through some heavy “turbulence” in the video.

While part of the fuselage hides gears and wiring to control the landing gear and flaps, Max did make part of the roof removable to show a fully realized interior with so many tiny seats in a row on two levels.

While this is our first time spotlighting one of Max’s builds, each of his past models is worth a deeper look whether photos on Flickr or on his Legomanufaktur YouTube channel.

The post This motorized LEGO Boeing 747-8 truly soars appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

Fresh off the heels of the epic Dune vignette we featured a few days ago, builder Gus brings us another iconic movie scene: the confrontation with the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Arthur, King of the Britons, has momentarily defeated the enemy knight, whose arms have been comically shorn from his shoulders. (He’s had worse.) The scene is instantly recognizable, thanks to authentic details like cream puffs standing in for the coconuts Patsy claps together to simulate a horse’s hooves. Now Arthur, believing his foe vanquished, prepares to cross the bridge. After all, what’s the Black Knight going to do, bleed on him?

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The post It’s just a flesh wound . . . appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

In the bowels of a dreary-looking office building, life shines in the intriguing “Blue Screen” by Loïc Gilbert. Let’s let the builder tell the story behind this LEGO enigma:

The building had stood abandoned since 1992. …fluorescent lights flickered to life, joined by the faint whirring of old desktop fans. Then came the soft, steady drip of water. He glanced at the dim blue glow coming from an old monitor, but something felt off. The desktop wallpaper wasn’t static—it was gently rippling.

The mystery of the computer screen aside, my favorite aspect of the build is the way every mundane detail is brought to life with ordinary LEGO elements: the post-it note the mouse, the scissors, the ranks of tiles archived away in crates. I’m pretty sure I had that exact computer sitting on my desk back in 2002. Mine never came to life with a mysterious blue screen, though.

The post The blue screen of life appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

Not long ago, we featured Joel Short‘s screen-accurate LEGO X-wing. As great a replica as it was, it had nobody to chase it around. Enter Joel’s latest creation (well, actually an update of an old creation, but it’s a great update): the legendary TIE fighter. I don’t know if you can hear a picture, but I look at it and hear a TIE’s distinctive roar.

Here’s a rear view, where you can see the titular twin ion engines, the exhaust port, and some serious greebling.

Thanks to some effective lighting, the interior really shines, too. (Get it? Sorry.) And even though my heart hurts a little to see those 1×1 side clip plates stressed like that (on either side of the cockpit), I have to admire Joel’s commitment to getting the angles right.

Speaking of angles, We’ll finish with a view of the wings, where Joel took the existing print and built some insane details around it. TIE solar panels are tough to get right in LEGO. Some of the more simplistic official sets don’t even bother to get the cross-beams right. But Joel gets it.

The post We’ve got a highly detailed TIE fighter on our scopes... appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

Cartoonist Bill Watterson has always been protective of his magnum opus Calvin and Hobbes, to the point where it’s tough to find any approved merchandise of the characters, but I like to think he’d smile kindly on this charming LEGO build of his two titular characters. Geneva Durand captures the boy Calvin and his tiger pal Hobbes crossing a log bridge in an image from one of their most iconic panels. Tiny white frogs make up Hobbes’s outstretched fingers, while Calvin’s characteristically touseled locks look good as sloped bricks. A red pot makes Calvin’s torso. Rocks and foliage spring up on either side of the bridge. It makes you wonder, what adventure are they off to next?

The post Unleash your imagination with Calvin and Hobbes appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

The Imperial AT-ST scout walker is secure in the S-tier of all-time great Star Wars vehicles and frequently shows up in official LEGO sets and fan creations. It’s been 18 years since the beloved “chicken walker” received the UCS treatment, making it prime time for a remake with modern techniques and parts. Carl Greatrix took on this challenge and created perhaps the most screen accurate AT-ST we’ve ever seen in LEGO.

The legs, side-mounted cannons, and especially the rear, feature just the right amount of greebling (the decorative bits of tubes and texture that give Star Wars vehicles that gritty garage aesthetic). A few judiciously applied custom decals push the accuracy to the next level. Perhaps most impressively, Carl engineered the legs with enough strength to balance this notoriously tricky top-heavy design without support.

Carl is no stranger to building screen vehicles in incredible detail as he works as a senior model designer for the official LEGO video games from TT Games. Revisit our interview with Carl for a deeper appreciation of how LEGO gets brought to life in games.

The post The Emperor would be pleased by this LEGO AT-ST at UCS scale appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

Joao Nunes is sharing some pictures of his latest plastic kit. The painting is done, he’s got the brick separator and scalpel ready, and all that’s left to do is… Hang on. We’re confusing our LEGO bricks with our Airfix here! This is a very convincing facsimile of a Tamiya-style model, where instead of simply clicking bricks together, you need to painstakingly cut and paint each piece before gluing it all together. (With Kragle, presumably.) To the purist, that might sound like a nightmare – but fear not, no LEGO pieces were harmed in making this tableau. Even the box and sticker sheet are as good as new!

The post A scale model in plastic kit form (no, not that sort) appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

Like a regular guy who dutifully appears at family reunions only to get shown up by his neurosurgeon cousin, the Acclamator-class assault ship tends to get overshadowed by its more famous descendants. But this humble Acclamator (by FlyInSpace) looks amazing enough in LEGO to have us forgetting about mighty Star Destroyers for a few parsecs. Executed with nary a stud in sight, it uses SNOT bricks to simulate the smooth-yet-textured hull plating to great effect.

Here’s an aft view. That dark bluish-gray greebling is just superb.

But wait! There’s more!

Just when you thought this was simply a display piece incapable of lowering a boarding ramp to load endless battalions on their way to the wider battlefields of the Clone Wars… well, it does have a boarding ramp.

The post Begun, the Clone War has—and it’s lookin’ good appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

The official LEGO Star Wars Executor Super Star Destroyer is a great set. But if it’s missing anything, it’s perhaps a fully operational moon-sized superweapon to crash into after its shields fail and some crazy A-wing plows through its command bridge. This fiery diorama by Codyaner fixes that oversight with aplomb. The build captures one of Return of the Jedi‘s most thrilling moments as the mighty Imperial flagship collides with the Death Star’s surface, complete with backlit orange and red flames and a dazzling array of greebles (you know, the little doodads that give the surface its texture) to represent towers, power stations, and whatever else the Empire likes to stick on the surface of their surprisingly fragile planet-killing toys.

The post Intensify the forward firepower! (And the detail level, too) appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

New Comic: Whackmen

While the original Imperial Star Destroyer first seen in the opening scene of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is much more recognizable, there are other less famous versions of the triangle-shaped warship, like the Interdictor, equipped with 4 large gravity well generators, and the Victory class like this LEGO digital render by Mm0nu. This model included large missile batteries on both sides, as well as additional turbo laser cannons along the dorsal edge.

The post A LEGO Victory ISD worthy of the Empire appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

Seeking their fortunes across the stars, this renegade band of LEGO rapscallions aren’t just smugglers. They’re full-on space pirates, at least according to builder Librarian-Bot. Inspired by the 1993 set 6268 Renegade Runner, this creation was inspired by the “Space Pirates – Back to the Caribbean Galaxy” competition happening over at Eurobricks. The ship’s sail has been transformed into a large beveled wing, still striped in black and white. A large rocket engine has been added to the schooner’s aft section, and the large cannon mounted below the ship looks devastating!

From this shot, you can appreciate those magnificent engines and the minifigures at the helm. The mech suits are wonderful, striped just like the pirate minifig shirts of the crew from the original Renegade Runner. But the customized pirate-y spacesuits on those figs are wonderful as well. I’m looking forward to more entries to this interesting contest hitting the internet soon!

The post Yo ho ho and a LEGO bottle of rocket fuel appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

The moment I first saw this amazing transforming LEGO Soundwave by Student Scissors I had flashbacks to my childhood, playing with my own version of the action figure and the cassette tapes that transformed into a hawk and a panther. The builder has captured the dark blue and white Decepticon in perfect detail, with his shoulder-mounted cannon, cassette-playing chest, and even the aforementioned entourage of mini-bots. I particularly like the tilework used to replicate the play and stop buttons on the torso.

And to prove that the Transformer is worthy of that moniker, here’s Soundwave in his microcassette deck mode. Looks like he’s ready to play the song of the Autobots’ destruction.

The post LEGO Soundwave Transformer drops some heavy beats appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

Say what you like about Darth Vader, but he sure has an eye for the dramatic. You’d expect nothing less from a guy who walks around in a cape. Remember when he stopped a laser bolt with his hand in The Empire Strikes Back? If you don’t, Nathan Smith is here to jog your memory with this superbly-framed scene. It makes you wonder how long Vader was waiting there. Was he waiting in that dramatic pose for hours before our heroes arrived? Maybe that’s why he was so sassy when they finally did show up. The Dark Lord of the Sith doesn’t take kindly to tardiness, it seems.

The post I am altering your LEGO build. Pray I do not alter it further. appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

Classic LEGO space isn’t just limited to blue spaceships with yellow canopies, you know. It may be the longest-lived and most recognizable of the many Space sub-themes, but as LegoMathijs proves, a build can be just as awe-inspiring in the Futuron setting! Futuron was the first Space theme to get its own moniker. It’s also where the iconic 6990 Monorail Transport System is from. So it’s perhaps no surprise to find these familiar monorail tracks in Terra Station Z too.

But that’s not the only cool detail here – this place is jam-packed with them!

Let’s start by going around the back. We get a good view of the monorails, as well as a landing pad with a rather nifty little craft on it. The exposed Technic bricks give the base a really nice utilitarian feel.

Up top, we can get a closer look at some of the detailing on the base’s exterior. This is all over the place and it gives an added sense of realism. Real spacecraft have pipes and wires going every which way, so it’s no surprise to find the same outside here!

The interior is no different beneath those glorious trans-blue quarter dome panels (also a feature of 6990 Monorail Transport System). This seems to be some sort of mining or research facility.

That minifigure with the binoculars must be the shift supervisor, as he seems to be keeping an eye on some of the mining happening outside. Those angular cockpits look the business, don’t they? The tiny spacecraft uses the same part and is very cool, but this crane rover is no slouch itself.

That’s only a selection of some of LegoMathijs’ epic base; be sure to check out his photostream for more cool details!

The post Come and explore this epic LEGO Futuron moon base appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

1988 saw the introduction of Roger Rabbit, the US Stealth Bomber, Prozac, and the first-ever computer virus. LEGO builder Alex_bricks takes us on a journey to a very specific time and place in 1988; that is May 15th at the Monaco Grand Prix. McLaren cars dominated the circuit and the rivalry between teammates Alain Prost of France and Ayrton Senna of Brazil was legendary. Senna put on a spectacular performance in qualifying, beating out his teammate by 1.427 seconds, an unheard-of gap for pole position. In the race, despite a commanding gap to Prost, Senna crashed out of the lead with a momentary lapse in judgment, heading into a barrier eleven laps from the end and thus Prost took the lead. The colors and textures of this build are amazing; I can just about hear the roar of the engines. The yacht and crane are nice touches, painstakingly researched by Alex.

This photo takes us closer to the action with a nice shot of the McLaren MP4/4. That debris to the side accurately portrays rubber castoff from McLaren’s shredded tires. A magnificent detail, for sure.

The post May 15th, 1988; a fabulous day for Formula One racing appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

I still recall getting my first LEGO Star Wars sets in 1999, and I think back to how simple Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced was in 7150 TIE Fighter & Y-wing with just 409 pieces between the two ships. So I’m in awe when I see incredible versions like this TIE-D by Sy Lyphics, which packs a whopping 1,573 pieces into a minifigure-scale recreation of one of the more awesome TIE variants. The sculpting on the bubble fuselage is particularly adept, with those triangular grey roadsigns looking purpose-made for the job.

This one isn’t just a looker on the outside, though. Sy has created a fully functional cockpit, an incredible achievement considering the difficulty of creating a brick-built sphere that’s hollow.

The post A LEGO Star Wars creation that’s nicely Tie’D up appeared first on The Brothers Brick.

*gasp* PERRY the LEGO platypus?! That’s right, the intrepid Agent P and his erstwhile nemesis Dr. Doofenshmirtz are the subject of Tino Poutiainen‘s latest build. The devious doctor’s latest scheme is taking aim at the LEGO Character and Creature Building System (CCBS) line! This machine, dubbed the Systeminator, will reduce all your glorious Bionicle and Hero Factory pieces to mere studs. Poor Perry here is the first victim. Is this how Tino is planning to eliminate the competition in the 2023 Bio-Cup, for which this is built? Is that even legal? I’m not sure the regulations accounted for this eventuality. Can we get a ruling on this? Like, quickly? Perry’s in danger!

The post A platypus? A... LEGO platypus? appeared first on The Brothers Brick.