In addition to stories based on current news, set reviews, and analysis, the site also includes dedicated sections devoted to each of the following topics.
Other Resources at Brick Architect:
The LEGO Storage Guide is the ultimate guide to help you better understand your LEGO collection, with suggestions to organize, sort, and store your LEGO.
The LEGO Brick Labels collection includes over 1000 labels for the most common LEGO elements which you can print at home. It makes organizing your collection much easier!
The LEGO Architect is the bestselling book which teaches 7 styles of architecture using LEGO, written by Brick Architect founder Tom Alphin.
We are always listening! If you find an error in one of our articles, please leave a comment and we will fix it as soon as we can. Likewise, If you have a suggestion for a future article, please email tom@tomalphin.com with your suggestion, and we’ll look into it!
Writing for Brick Architect? Until recently, all of the stories were written by Tom Alphin… Thankfully, we have gathered a small group of writers who share an interest in telling in-depth stories about a growing range of LEGO topics.
If you want to join the team, email tom@tomalphin.com to learn more.
About Tom Alphin
As the story goes, I was an extremely energetic kid growing up in the 80’s, but LEGO was always one of my greatest pleasures. In rough chronology, I visited the following LEGOLAND themes: Space, Town, Train, Pirates. As you might expect, the LEGO Architecture theme is what drew me back to the hobby. I built the smaller sets with some enthusiasm, but 21050 LEGO Architecture Studio is what really caught my attention.
One thing lead to another, and I started working on my book The LEGO Architect in 2014, and it was released in fall 2015. The book explores 7 architectural styles using LEGO, with a careful blend of history, photos of real buildings, inspiring LEGO models by talented LEGO artists around the world, and instructions to build at least one model for each style. — The book’s success and the success of the Brick Architect website has given me the opportunity to do a few commissioned LEGO projects.
In addition to being a lifelong LEGO enthusiast, I’m a hopeless collector of hobbies. Other passions include Photography, Travel, Hiking/Cycling/Climbing/Mountaineering, and more. On weekdays, you will find me at Microsoft, where I am a User Experience Engineer designing the future of Windows operating system. (I designed the “Timeline” feature which was released in 2018!)
Our Writing Team
It is a great pleasure to have these talented writers contributing great content to the Brick Architect website.
An avid traveler, Koen likes to explore how different ages and cultures result in different architectural styles, with preferences for historic European and Japanese architecture. He was drawn to LEGO as a way to explore his interests in medieval architecture and fantasy, so it's no surprise that some of his favorite themes are Castle, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. As a fan of architecture new and old he also really enjoys the Modular Building Series. A software engineer by day, he finds LEGO relaxing and it gives him a creative outlet outside of the office.
Michael is the father of two boys that love LEGO almost as much as he does. A sales rep for the publishing industry by day, in the evenings his focus shifts between Classic Space (his childhood favorite), Star Wars, and Architecture. While he finds sorting really satisfying, joining his local LUG has inspired him to create more MOC’s.
Christine joins the Brick Architect team from her home in New Zealand. She was re-introduced to LEGO through her two daughters, whose fondness for LEGO Elves, Friends, and Disney Princess sets has brightened her LEGO color palette considerably. She works as a town planner and with her husband's background in Architecture and a shared interest in history she has had the opportunity to visit many of the world's greatest landmarks.
Jeannie is a lifelong Lego devotee, joining us from Portland, Oregon. In addition to a lifetime collecting and building LEGO, Jeannie has collected a diverse set of skills and interests which include degrees in Architecture and a degree in Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu. She is involved in a local LEGO User’s Group, and organizes the Architecture theme at Bricks Cascade, Portland’s annual LEGO convention which takes place in March.
Amy is a former elementary school teacher who has built the occasional LEGO set over the years, and kept a large bag of LEGO bricks in her classroom to help her students survive rainy day recess (which can be common in Seattle). She loves to travel to see natural beauty and visit historic landmarks, and is slowly learning to appreciate architecture too.
Stephani came out of the Dark Ages in 2016 when she found LEGO bricks scattered around her newly purchased home. With the addition of a bag of bricks from a thrift store, Stephani used these LEGO bricks to build her own version of the classic LEGO Architecture Sears Tower (no, she’s not calling the skyscraper that new name!). Since then, she has scattered a number of mini- and micro-sized LEGO models around the Minneapolis house she shares with her wife.
Occasionally, Brick Architect receives complimentary merchandise to review such as official LEGO Sets, LEGO Storage products, unofficial LEGO Sets, or other accessories.
In these cases, we will clearly disclose that the merchandise was provided for review, and we will review the item fairly based on the assumption that we had purchased it at retail price. (Sending merchandise for us to review may increase the chance of having a review posted to the site, but does not guarantee a positive review.)
Ratings and Reviews
Starting in May 2018, Brick Architect assigns a numeric rating to each LEGO set that we review. Our ratings are based on the appeal to an adult builder who enjoys the set’s theme.
Ratings are primarily based on the finished model and building experience, although the selection of parts included in the set, or an unusually high or low retail price can also affect the rating. (We also use this rating system for books, LEGO storage solutions, and other products.)
Our Ratings:
Must Have – Our 5/5 star rating is reserved for the very best sets. This coveted rating is reserved for sets that are exceptionally creative, well designed, fun to build, and/or offer an exceptional value. These sets have a very broad appeal, and are likely to appeal to LEGO enthusiasts who don’t usually collect a particular theme. We estimate that 15% of all LEGO products deserve this rating.
Recommended – Most great sets earn the 4/5 star rating. These sets might have a slightly narrower appeal than our 5/5 star sets, include less exciting parts, or be overpriced compared to similar sets. We estimate that 35% of all LEGO products deserve this rating.
Good – Many sets earn the 3/5 star rating. These sets still have a lot to offer to builders who are drawn to this particular theme or model, and have less creative building techniques or play features. We estimate that 35% of all LEGO products deserve this rating.
Acceptable – A few not-so-great sets will earn our 2/5 star rating. These sets have significant flaws compared to similar sets, and are generally only recommended for dedicated fans of a particular theme. We estimate that 10% of all LEGO products deserve this rating.
Not Recommended – Only the very worst LEGO sets deserve a 1/5 star rating. These sets are likely to have repetitive building techniques, less interesting parts, and visible flaws in the set design. We estimate that only 5% of all LEGO products deserve this rating.
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