Dawn Rock Castle by LegoLord.

The sheer size of this castle is enough to make most catch their breath. But when you look inside at all the detailing and bricks that make this up, it's breathtaking. I consider my LEGO collection to be a fair size (about 16,000 total bricks. Give or take a thousand) but when I think of how many bricks go into these castles, I just lose my mind. THAT is a lot of bricks!

See it on Mocpages.

BrickEnd Poll: Last Day to Vote!

If you haven't voted in the July poll for your favorite LEGO theme yet, do so now. It's easy, just pop me an email with your favorite and least favorite LEGO themes.

Contact me at: Brickendblog@gmail.com.

Today is the last day, so make your move now. All votes sent in after today will be disqualified.

10229 Winter Village Cottage Revealed

Remember the yearly Christmas sets LEGO puts out? Well, the fourth installment (really? Four?) has just been revealed.
10229 Winter Village Cottage will include 1,490 pieces and will retail for $99.99. A VERY good price for the piece count and size of this set. Actually, hold on the piece count. I'm not entirely sure about that. That seems like a lot of pieces. And there is no way LEGO would price a set with that many pieces for so cheap. So, that's not entirely official.

Thanks to Eurobricks for the news. Click the link for more images.

The Lord of the Rings - Three is Company by Mr. Xenomurphy

Three may be company, but four is definitely a crowd. Add a Wringwraith, and you have a mob. Ok, not really.
Mr. Xenomurphy has destroyed on this MOC. While it isn't true to either the movies or the books, it still has the Lord of the Rings feel we all love. And while it looks small right now, click the link below and see how vast this MOC is.

See it on Mocpages.

New Tree Design? by The Timinater !

Yep! That is definitely a new design. And a good one too!

See it on Mocpages.

Baltharus by Lando L. Jackson

Beautiful little tower by Lando. It is heavily detailed for the smallness of it. The water colors are really good. Water is one thing that can be hard to get right. But if it's done right, the results are amazing!

See it on Mocpages.

Cargo Station 06 - C by Jason Corlett

Great futuristic design on this. Yes, it is Star Wars, which accounts for the futuristicness. But still, a good MOC is a good MOC.
I will make up for the lack of posting. Just wait. "Open the floodgates!"


See it on Mocpages.

Prehistoric Watering Hole by Senator Chinchilla.

So I guess I should start off by apologising for the major lack of posting this week. The real answer to that problem is... The Olympics!
This is a nice little MOC by Chinchilla. The ground isn't amazingly detailed, but it's a pretty good landscaping job nonetheless.

See it on Mocpages.

ALIEN Glider (concept) by Mihai Marius Mihu

I don't care if this is concept for an upcoming build. It's awesome!
The whole build is flawless. The use of the different horns and spikes is great. I love it!

See it on Mocpages.

LEGO Architecture 21014 Villa Savoye

The next installment in the ever growing Architecture theme has just been released. This time, we are visiting Poissy, France and the iconic (I guess, though I've never heard of it) Villa Savoye.
Contains 660 pieces and will retail for more than most will want to pay for it. I actually have no idea about the price.
This looks like another lame building honestly. The design is very similar to the house we got about a year ago.
The only reason I would get this is for the clear pieces. This really doesn't have that much to offer. I doubt many people will pick this one up. But that's just my opinion. Leave a comment and tell me what you think.
Thanks to Toysnbricks for the information.

Marvel Ultimate Spider-man's Doc Ock Ambush at S@H

Shop@Home finally has the Ultimate Spider-man's Doc Ock Ambush for sale for the pretty little price of $30. I guess I shouldn't say finally, as this set was scheduled for an August release date. But at least we have it. And $30 is a small price considering the 295 piece count and the fact that this is a licensed set. But so far, all the Super Heroes sets seem to be decently priced.
This set should go well with all the hype from the new movie. So if you like Spider-man, get this now!

The North Tower by Outer Rim Emperor

Deep in the misty mountains, past the Valley of Doom, lurks an old, forgotten tower...
That is an excerpt from the description of this beautiful tower. I don't know how it could ever get forgotten, but, in the fantasy realm, bad things happen. Like us forgetting this tower! What a tragedy that would be! No, seriously, this thing is awesome. And there is a whole bigger section in front of this tower. Check it out!

See it on Mocpages.

(Leda Kat =^..^= ) A House For Teddy.

The very talented Leda Kat from MOCpages just recently built a MOc depicting a doll house with a doll house inside of it. So it is sort of like a house within a house. Very creative and I thought worthy of being recognized here on Brickend. 

                  

 When I post here on Brickend I like to give tips to new builders and also point out new techniques. This post I would like to focus (pun intended) a little bit on camera work. I can't stress how important it is to take in focus and well lit pictures. Leda Kat has mentioned that she likes to take lots and lots of pictures of her builds. There are usually so many details in Leda Kat's builds that she needs to take loads of pictures to capture everything. For new builders it is almost as important to take in focus pictures as it is to make a detailed and talented build. You could easily take a bad picture of a really good build post it somewhere and get very little to no attention from it.

Another thing that I would like to highlight is the SNOT in this  build (Studs Not On Top). By building tiles unto the side of the house Leda Kat was able to make a stone texture on the side of the building. She also made some very nice drawers with SNOT built sides. By making them like this she could accomplish texture, colors, and doorknobs that would not have been achievable without the SNOT. This creates a nice and detailed look to the build. Simple techniques added together can create a nice and seamless theme to a build. And I would encourage all younger builders to figure out how the pros build and copy it as best you can with your pieces and maybe someday you will be able to create builds like the pros.

LEGO The Hobbit Board Game

We never even got any early rumors about this. But who cares! We have a professional image now! Toys R Us has this item up for pre-order. Release is in late September. You can still take advantage of the 20% off everything, so hurry up and place your order as the sale takes over $10 off TRU price!

The Hornburg at Helm's Deep by Daniel Z "DNL"

Lots of new Lord Of The Rings MOCs are appearing now. Ever since the official sets started coming out, people's creativity has been sparked and we have been seeing plenty of LOTR MOCs. Just like this Helm's Deep by Daniel Z.

Those rocks are insane! And the Hornburg is great too. Daniel has made one of the best Helm's Deep's I have ever seen! Check it out!

See it on Mocpages.

One Brick Plaza by Anu Pehrson

I think most people will agree that profile bricks (Brick bricks) are one of the best pieces to come out in a few years. Well, Anu Pehrson has harnessed this amazing brick and created something beyond amazing! Profile brick buildings always look great, but this one has a certain look to it. Maybe it's the colors.

If you want to make a profile brick building, your best bet will be Helm's Deep as it contains 40. And believe me, these things aren't cheap.

See it on Mocpages.

July Poll Update

Don't forget to email me for the July Poll. Email me and tell me your favorite and least favorite LEGO theme ever! I'll post the most voted for theme at the end of the month.
Email me at Brickendblog@gmail.com and tell me your favorite and least favorite. Please only vote once. Happy voting!

LEGO Super Heroes Minifigs For 2013

 Comic Con is in full swing. And FBTB has been kind enough to take pictures of nearly everything we want to see. The newest photos now are the Marvel and DC Super Heroes figs. These vary from Venom to Scarecrow, Batman to Beetle, and all are amazing.
There are over twenty figs, so I'll only post pictures of two for now. These are two that we have been anxiously waiting for. The first, as you can see, is Venom. A beautiful figure that lots of people will want to get their hands on. The second, as seen below, is Nick Fury.

Nick Fury has been a long awaited character. And with the release of The Avengers, his fans have grown.
He looks good. I wish he had a coat, but, I guess we'll have to do with he way he is.

Click here to view the entire Super Heroes minifigure line. And see such figs as Bane, Spider-man, Nova, Penguin, and many more.
Keep checking back as we will be updating every time something good surfaces. 

LEGO Minifigures Series 8 Revealed

The Series 8 Collectible Minfigures have finally been revealed. We've been waiting a long time for this picture, but we finally have it! The color for this series is black. Rather odd considering the fact that they have some rather dark minifigures.

The names according to Brickipedia:
From left to right, front row: Enemy Robot, DJ, Vampire, Skier.
Second row, left to right: Pirate Captain, Fairy, Trader, Ancient Thespis.
Third row: Boy in Bavarian Costume, Red Cheerleader, Diver, Football Player.
Fourth row: Evil Female Alien, Cowgirl, Santa Claus, Conquistador.

Some really cool figures. A lot of recycled parts, but most in new colors. My favorites are the Diver, Conquistador, Vampire, Trader, Boy in Bavarian Costume and Ancient Thespis. My least favorite has got to be the Enemy Robot (a cross between the Space Villian and Robot).
Overall a cool series. Definitely one you don't want to miss out on. Leave your thoughts in the comments. Which one is your favorite?
Click below to view some more pictures.

LEGO CUUSOO: Thinking With Portals Destroys 10,000 Supporters

It's been awhile since I've posted anything CUUSOOish. But with the recent Portal project reaching 10,000 supporters in less than three weeks, I just had to post it.
Yes, this project was added less than three weeks ago by CUUSOO member Brickthing. And since that date, it has received more attention that any other project. The massive Portal fan base quickly made this the highest supported project on CUUSOO. And I must say, this is one of the best projects on CUUSOO. The time, and detail that has gone into each set is incredible. They even went so far as to make a LEGO Portal game, with dice and microfigs. This is why I love this project.

As I write this, LEGO is probably just now receiving the news that it has made 10,000. And the review process will soon begin. Way to go Thinking With Portals! You deserve the support!

Thinking With Portals on LEGO CUUSOO.

New The Hobbit An Unexpected Gathering And Star Wars Rancor Pit

Newest commotion from Comic Con: The Hobbit An Unexpected Gathering set has been revealed. This set includes Bilbo, Gandalf, Bofur, Bombur, Balin and Dwalin. No news on price or piece count yet. Those will become available in the near future I'm sure.
LEGO tries its hands at a Hobbit hole, a build few can get right, and it's even harder to create the entire hole. I must say, as far as looks go, they failed miserably. Not only is it a house built out of grass (Hobbit holes are dug into the hillside, but they couldn't of done that anyway) Anyone who lived in a house that small would never be able to fit thirteen dwarves and a wizard inside. But, I guess for LEGO this is alright. I truly hope this is a cheap $30 set. Any more and I'll throw a fit, but buy it anyway.
EDIT: I have found out that this set will retail for $59.99. What!? Are you kidding me!? That is ridiculous! I will definitely wait for a sale to get this set. Thanks a lot LEGO. Do you think money grows on trees?
EDIT: FBTB has taken many wonderful pictures of this set. View them in their Flickr stream here.
Thanks to Theonering.net for this picture.

Also, LEGO has revealed the new Star Wars Rancor Pit set. Looks like it comes with the Rancor, Luke  the gullible Jedi, the Rancor trainer (don't know his name and I'm to lazy to look it up) and a Gamorrean guard. A small, basic set that will probably cost $40. Yep, LEGO will continue to raise their prices until we're paying $20 for a battle pack.
I do like the looks of this set. I'm sure if you're clever enough you can build Jabba's palace over this, thus creating the dungeon effect. The rancor is really cool, he looks like he has brick-built hands, not just the lame one-piece hands we see on so many creatures these days. This set will go nicely with the Desert Skiff set that just came out, and, if you're one of the people that bought Jabba's Palace, that too.
Thanks to Brickset for the image.

Seaside Sanctuary by Adam L.

Adam has done a great job on this build. The castle is very clean, and the colors are really good. My eyes hurt just looking at the water. And to think that only one Helm's Deep went into this.
Have you noticed that this is the second builder featured on here in a row to have the name Adam?

See it on Mocpages, and Flickr.

The Tower Guard by Night Hawk

Night Hawk has built some impressive stuff over the last 6 months, but this guard tower is definitely one of his best medieval MOCs this year. The little cottage is really nice. And the rocks leading up to the tower are well done.
If you want to see this in person, it will be displayed at Brickfete next weekend. So if you're in the Toronto area, don't forget to swing by for a couple of days. I won't be there, BTW.

See it on Mocpages.

LEGO The Hobbit Minifigures at Comic Con

The first pictures of The Hobbit LEGO minifigures are now out! These include Gandalf, Dwalin, Bombur, Bofur, Bilbo, and Balin.
I LOVE these figures. The printing is amazing! The colors and new beard pieces are great. I love how they made Bombur larger than the others. And Bofur's hat is awesome! 
Does this mean that we will be getting a new beard piece per dwarf? I hope so!  Ok, I'll stop having a nerd-attack. I seem to have them a lot with The Hobbit. :P

Be expecting a flood of images in the next few days for new LEGO sets and minifigures from Comic Con.
Thanks to Brickset for the image.

Class A Mech by Mark E

Mechs can be a lot of things: Big, small, scary, happy, many legged, and one legged, but some, as rare as it would seem for a mech, are cute.
This Class A Mech by fellow BrickEnd author Mark E, is one of those cute mechs. The disproportionate head and legs make this thing look like it will topple over at a breath.

See it on Mocpages.

Wow ~~~~ I See an Alien ! =(*o*)= by Schfio Factory

Wow! I see an amazingly detailed cat! This MOC is definitely worth checking out. The cat and octopus are fantabulistic!
I'm not sure what all those symbols in the title are supposed to mean. But with a MOC this good, WHO CARES!

See it on Mocpages.

Liberty Bell by Legohaulic/Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day to all you out there! Today, we Americans remember our forefathers fight for freedom from Great Britain.
July 4th, 1776 Marked the day the Declaration of Independence was signed declaring us a free country.

To go along with this great event, Legohaulic has made a gorgeous Liberty Bell. The design on this is fantastic. The use of revolvers is a great touch.

See it on Flickr.

Medieval Laboratory by Paul Vermeesch

I think Paul is trying to see how many times he can get blogged on here. Well, Paul, keep building like this and I'll be downright mean not to blog it.
Truly fantastic job on the entire MOC! The color scheme is perfect, and the NPU is out of this world!

See it on Mocpages.

The Crystal Chamber by Gabriel Thomson

Exquisite lighting going on here! And to think that it is just a flashlight. Somethings blow my mind...

See it on Mocpages.

Ultimate Spider-man's Doc Ock Ambush

Official non-blurry pictures are now available of the Ultimate Spider-man Doc Ock Ambush. Still no word on price or piece count though. My guess would be $40, and a 300-400 piece range.

I wish this was The Amazing Spider-man, as that movie looks totally cool, and, it will be released in the US tonight! The movie that is, not the set. But as it is, we'll have to deal with a cartoon TV-show for our LEGO Spider-man needs.

Thanks to BrickHeroes for the pictures.

Brickfair New Hampshire 2013

Officially announced today, Brickfair will now enlarge the amount of LEGO conventions in the United States by adding a third Brickfair. But unlike all other LEGO conventions, this one is in New Hampshire. This marks the first LEGO fan convention in New England. Brickfair NE will be from May 9th through 13th 2013.

I am very excited about this news. New England has wanted LEGO conventions for years. And finally, NEFOL's (New England Fans Of LEGO) have gotten what they want. Brickfair Virginia is the largest LEGO convention in the US, so hopefully this one will be a good size. Big thank you to Todd and the Brickfair team for setting this up! You guys rock!
Brickfair.com for more information.

Poll Ended/New Poll

And with that, June ends. This month's poll for the Favorite 2012 LEGO The Lord Of The Rings Set received more votes than any of the other polls. I was surprised at the amount of votes several of the sets got, while others barely got any. The winner for the June 2012 Poll is...
...9471 The Battle of Helm's Deep!

No surprise here. Honestly, I would've been very surprised if this set hadn't won. This set was obviously the best, I didn't even vote, but I would have voted for this set anyway. Surprisingly though, two sets tied for second place: Gandalf Arrives and The Mines of Moria. And two sets tied for third: Shelob Attacks and Uruk-hai Army. Fourth place had another tie: The Orc Forge and Attack on Weathertop. Three ties. Wow!

It's time for the poll of July! This month's poll will be something more special. I am asking you to email me at Brickendblog@gmail.com and tell me your Favorite LEGO Theme Ever. But not just that. I want you also to tell me your Least Favorite LEGO Theme Ever. So contact me and tell me both of those, and at the end of July, I will tally all the votes together and pronounce the winner.

Important: You may only vote once. If you possess more than one email, you may vote more than once. But please try to keep this as fair as we can.