Category Archives: Models

This is what we’re all about. We scour the web for the best custom LEGO models to share with you. From castles and spaceships to planes, trains, and automobiles, you’ll find the best LEGO creations from builders all over the world right here on The Brothers Brick.

Greg Scherrer’s inspired brick-built characters find big Muppet energy in LEGO

What if Jim Henson had worked with ABS plastic instead of felt when he started creating the Muppets? Maybe they’d look something like the incredible characters of Chicago-based LEGO builder Greg Scherrer. Each model shows an uncanny talent for bringing out personality in bricks, with a cartoonist’s playfulness in form and color and a puppeteer’s playfulness with motion. It makes sense seeing as Greg is a cartoonist and illustrator by trade. We reached out to the builder to learn a bit more about his process.

“For the past couple of years, I’ve gotten pretty into creating improvised brick-built characters. I try to stock up my parts collection with the kinds of pieces that inspire me, lots of bright colors and curved slopes. My approach to building characters is then fully improvised based on my parts inventory. I’ve never built digitally, and I rarely leave a build unfinished to wait on an order of something specific.

The fun of building characters for me is in the improvisation and problem-solving on-the-go. I’ll often start off with just wanting to try out a build idea for eyes, or a mouth that hinges for a potential working puppet. From there, I completely lose track of time and can spend hours figuring out what I’m building and making it work.

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A cozy watch tower for fire spotting in microscale

When working life feels like a grind, I daydream about trading office life for a fire lookout tower in remote wilderness. Aside from the allure of having an amazing view and only birds and a ham radio for company, the setting has also inspired some great media, like the amazing Firewatch game and the Tower 4 narrative podcast. Danish builder Benjamin Anderledes also felt the pull of the lookout tower and created a microscale version in LEGO. Brown chain railing keeps the microfigure ranger safe as they take in the spectacular view of microscale trees.

From swans to spoonbills, these brick-built birds are a soaring achievement

Dutch AFOL William Van Beek didn’t set out with a focus on building birds – his MOCs had been grounded more in the architecture of the Netherlands. But as buildings became dioramas, birds became as essential as minifigs to bring the Dutch countryside to life.

This was especially true as William began a project to recreate the historic Efteling Park in LEGO, as the storybook theme park famously features a daily goose parade! Soon William had an army of geese with an adorable and expressive design made from roughly 15 parts, most prominently croissant wings. Friends and AFOLs were taking notice!

But as prominent as geese are in Dutch landscapes, they’re far from the only bird. Swans and pheasants joined the flock! Wings from the D&D Aarakocra Ranger work perfectly for soaring swans, and the pheasant modifies the goose build with a stubbier heads and buttery brown croissant wings.

AFOLs and birdwatchers, come this way for more fantastic fowl

Home never felt so colorful

Who wouldn’t want to live here? This beautifully whimsical build is the latest creation from Iron Builder Bousker, and it’s chock-full of excellent color and parts usage. The shaping on the house is stunning, filled with uneven angles, lopsided window frames and panels, and a door that looks straight out of a storybook. The supporting terrain is also very naturally uneven, but everything fits together so well that it looks perfectly real. Surrounding the house is an equally striking color palette, where we can find plants made out of katanas, pickaxes, and bows. My favorite detail is actually the signpost up front. It’s simple, yet smooth and perfectly executed- and not something I’ve seen before. I’d gladly move here tomorrow.

Johnny Thunder returns to the Amazon and those ruins have never looked better

For those of us who grew up with LEGO playsets, there’s a charm to the mix of accessories, side builds, and play features that could turn a modest number of elements into endless possibilities. Clayton (sunroombricks) is one of a growing wave of builders who are leaning into retro aesthetics, and for this builder, Adventurers is the theme that continues to inspire. Clayton’s latest project is a remake of 5986 Amazon Ancient Ruins. All of the original play features are present, and then some. The build utilizes modern colors and elements while retaining classic LEGO design principles.

Here you can see a hobbled together version of the original set that Clayton dug up to introduce to his kids. That molded base plate brings back memories!

Read on for more pics of Clayton’s update to this Adventurers classic!

Taking on an Empire, one base at a time

Nobody said that taking on an Empire would be easy. As stated in Karis Nemik’s manifesto: “The frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere, and even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.” On an unnamed forest planet, Bolim59 brings this truth to light as Rebel freedom-fighters play their part in slowing down the ever-growing oppressive Imperial regime. This appears to be a two-team sabotage mission, fronted by Rebels obviously dressed in the coolest Star Wars garb (seriously, the Battle-Ready Lucy headgear usage here is perfect), and a lightsaber-wielding Rebel that looks eerily similar to a former Jedi padawan we’ve seen before.

Of course, no one should attempt the perfect heist alone. Bolim’s build is a collaboration with Jonas Gohlke (oblivion_builder) who builds another target, a data center, where Rebels are liberating details about Imperial shipments. Both builders are adept at creating unique Imperial architecture that expands on what’s been depicted on screen but feels right at home in the Star Wars sandbox. The mix of curves and harsh angles on Jonas’ build are especially pleasing.

We wish these Rebels the best of luck, and remember this: “One single thing will break the siege.”

Vince Toulouse takes flight with this owl-inspired retro-futuristic airplane

For over a decade, French AFOL Vincent Gachod (aka Vince Toulouse) has been turning heads with retro-futuristic vehicles that take advantage of the latest LEGO curves to blend tech with biological design. His latest design wonder is the C4-Owl, a ten-engine plane that is ready to soar in sand and dark blues. That distinctive cockpit uses corner windows from the Botanical Gardens and those 10 shiny chrome propellers hail from early aughts Jack Stone sets.

I love the mix of retro whimsy, like the little bicycle wheel under the tailfin, and the two organic exhausts coming out of the rear fuselage.

The design evokes one of Vincent’s spectacular convention builds from 2022, only that larger passenger plane used insect wings and antennae instead of 92 feathers.

We interviewed Vincent back in 2017 about his distinctive deco style, which you can read here.

LEGO Coraline is cute as a button

Henry Selick’s Coraline is an animated masterpiece that gets better with every viewing, scary and beautiful in equal measure. The young heroine’s design with her blue hair and yellow raincoat pops on the big screen and in LEGO courtesy of Kaylie (ohlego). The builder captures Coraline’s skeptical and childlike spirit with the offset mouth, and the asymmetrical hair. All she’s missing is some button eyes – then she can be happy forever!

A Predator fresh from the Badlands, an Alien destined to be prey

Predators and Aliens are both having a moment with Predator: Badlands, Predator: Killer of Killers, and Alien: Earth, each giving the sci-fi staples a jolt of creative energy. Of course, these two franchises never go out of style as inspiration for LEGO creators. Haru_bonks is the latest AFOL to tackle the movie monsters. The builder incorporates elements from Bionicle, Hero Factory, Knights Kingdom, and Technic alongside System details.

The Predator’s head and shoulders are my favorite part of the build, packed with detail and excellent shaping. The Hero Factory insect mask for the Predator’s helmet is an inspired choice, as is a One Ring decoration on one of the locs. Of course a Predator this armed to the teeth needs something to hunt…

See Haru’s Alien and the inevitable face off after the break!

A sunny estate provides solace between wars for this LEGO lord

It’s been far too long since we’ve spotlighted a build by Ayrlego, an Australian AFOL specializing in historical builds that span centuries and cultures. It’s been a while since Ayrlego has shared a larger build, but he’s back as part of “Brethren of the Brick Seas” role-play setting hosted by Eurobricks. The challenge for this chapter was “Homecoming,” and here Ayrlego shows the estate of Basil Vatatzes. The sunbaked bricks and terra cotta roof create modest grandeur where one can easily imagine fields of olive trees and ancient grape vines on the noble’s lands. Wands on their sprues create detailed railings, while a judicious use of SNOT techniques allows for elegant tilework around the windows.

Here we see a closeup of the estate’s owner. As the build is part of a role-playing challenge, of course, Ayrlego comes with excellent lore:

Widowed in his earlier years, Basil raised two sons who have since carved their own paths: one as a soldier in the imperial legions, the other as a clerk in the imperial court. His recent remarriage to Yazinta, a Mogholay woman and daughter of a prosperous trader, has raised eyebrows among the local land owners. Yazinta Vatatzaina, herself a widow with no children, brings a quiet dignity and worldly insight to Basil’s household, challenging the insular traditions of Pyrite aristocracy.

For more wonderful castles and other historical builds, check out our Ayrlego archive.

These Spanish locomotives in LEGO are positively electric

Some trains traverse continents but more often than not, locomotives are built for more regional markets. The trains a railfan sees every day in Spain are completely different from those seen next door in Portugal, for example. That’s what I love about LEGO train builders – the models aren’t just feats of brick engineering, but a story grounded in a sense of place. Take these two latest builds from Julián (Ferro-Friki), a train aficionado from Spain. The builder’s latest are two electric locomotives from Spain’s state-owned rail company Renfe, based on designs from Mitsubishi. First is the Renfe Class 251, of which only 30 were ever produced. In addition to capturing the detailed shaping, Julián had to overcome the technical challenge of a three-bogie wheel configuration that is capable of handling curves.

Next is the Renfe S-269 in Estrella livery. Dubbed “La Japonesa” locally, this versatile locomotive could be used for both freight and passenger lines, and that versatility meant the 269 could be found all across Spain in its heyday. Now retired by Renfe, the engines can still be found in use with private tour operators.

Julián worked on the two locomotives throughout 2025, starting with renders before completing the physical builds and outfitting them with motors. Check out the builder’s Flickr page to keep up with what Julián is working on next!

Casey McCoy’s Moments of Melancholy sequence is a celebration of life, color, and music in LEGO

LEGO has always been an inherently creative medium, but it’s less often that LEGO creations are used to explore the human condition. Seeing Casey McCoy’s Moments of Melancholy builds, it’s hard not to be moved – both by the skill of the builder and by the emotions evoked by the abstract cube people that represent stages of life.

Casey completed the first three Moments in 2023. The first, “Die in your arms,” won the Best Vignette and contributed to Casey earning the Brickworld Master accolade at Brickworld Chicago while a second, “Growing on You,” was selected to be displayed at LEGO House. (Casey was interviewed about this incredible year of accomplishments over on BrickNerd). Casey’s work on the remaining three continued through 2023-2024, but it wasn’t until last month that shared photographs of the full sequence. The builds are shared below along with insights from Casey about their creation.

Casey’s Moments of Memory begin after the break