Today, I review the latest LEGO book from no starch press, The BrickGun Book: Build the World’s Most Realistic LEGO Handguns by Jeff Boen.
I am going to say up front, this is an excellent book for what it is. It is exactly what it says, and walks you through building five incredibly realistic handguns. That being said, I do not want this to turn into a discussion of gun law, gun control, etc. I intend for this to be about some beautifully designed LEGO models.
The handguns in this book are just that; beautifully realistic.
The BrickGun Book – Instructions for building LEGO handguns
- Published by no starch press
- Released May 2013
- Written by Jeff Boen
- $29.95 ($31.95 CDN)
- 232 pages with instructions for building five 1:1 scale LEGO handguns
Within the first couple of pages of the BrickGun Book, there are warnings you would expect to find. The models require adult supervision, and are not suitable for children under 12. Also, because they are so lifelike and accurate, care should be taken when going out in public with them. I think this was a good, and prudent, section to include.
In the BrickGun Book, Jeff offers some building instruction such as working on a hard, flat surface which allows you to really for the bricks together. He also talks about the “lean” technique, which I had never heard of. Jeff suggests when joining two bricks together, start at one end pressing the brick into place, and apply pressure as you go along. This is great advice, and makes perfect sense.
The BrickGun Book also talks about how BrickGun began. It started with an idea Jeff had to build a model of a Barretta from memory. His first gun didn’t have any functional features, but gained a lot of attention around the web. Not satisfied with his first attempt, he created a couple more iterations adding features like functional slides, hammers, and triggers. This model gained even more notoriety. Requests started coming in for more models and instructions, and BrickGun was born. I really enjoyed reading this section. I found it very inspirational.
The bulk of the BrickGun Book contains exactly what you’d hope for. Detailed instructions for building your own LEGO handguns!
In addition to the instructions provided, the BrickGun Book includes parts lists so you can gather all the needed parts before starting your build. I recommend photocopying these pages, and crossing them off as you find the right parts.
Can’t find the parts you need in your collection? No problem! Jeff includes the parts lists with part numbers. Just head over to BrickLink, and search by part number to make sure you find the right parts. I did just that myself, and am waiting on delivery if a couple LEGO orders. I’ll update this review with pictures of actual models I build as soon as I can.
I really enjoyed this book. It is very straightforward, and very well done. Now I just need to sit back, and wait for my Bricklink orders to start showing up so I can get building!
If you don’t have the LEGO resources to build your own LEGO handguns, and don’t want to go the route of piecing them together, Jeff does sell kits on his BrickGun website.
I am an Adult Fan of LEGO (AFOL) and an active member of the Michigan LEGO User Group (MichLUG). I have loved LEGO for as long as I can remember. I am currently working on the following models:
– UCS Millenium Falcon
– Emmett’s Apartment Building
– Gringott’s Bank
Thanks for being one of the few, perhaps even the first, to review the book based on its content, quality and the assets of the models themselves rather than the usual discussion of ethics that every other reviewer has fixated on. We hope you enjoy the models once your parts arrive!
J
Jeff, thanks for stopping by. It is an honor! And you’re most welcome for the review. You do phenomenal work, and I look forward to seeing what you do in the future. Once done with the handguns from the book, I just might have to tackle your MP5…