At the Brothers Brick, we’re always on the lookout for fun builds that we think bring joy to a larger LEGO audience. During 2025, scarcely a week went by (or a day during peak holiday periods) when we weren’t delighted by a new creation from Trevor Pearson-Jones, who builds under the name moptoptrev. Trevor’s works take inspiration from the natural world, pop culture, and his home in the Great White North, all filtered through a kaleidoscope of color and whimsy. As one of our most featured builders this year, we couldn’t let 2025 slip away without getting to know more about what makes Trevor tick.

TBB: Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us! We’ve been big fans for the last 2 years, but this year you’ve been a true inspiration.

Moptoptrev: No worries! I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to be featured once again in one of your amazing articles and in the form of a builder showcase no less! Thank you so much to you and your team for being such great fans of my work.

TBB: So let’s get right into it. Christmas or Halloween?

Moptoptrev: There is only one acceptable answer to your first question: Yes. For as long as I remember, I’ve been very much into Halloween and Christmas.

My circle of friends being way less into these holidays, I stood out as sort of antigrinch. I even have multiple Halloween shirts and an ugly Christmas Sweater for each day of the week. I get that intenseness for both holidays from my mother.

TBB: This Christmas, you’ve been on a “humbug” kick? What’s up with that?

Moptoptrev: It all started with finding something different to do from my last two years. My first moccing holiday I went deep into Folklore with a few pop culture builds. Then last year my LUG had an ornament event going on. So I decided on recreating replicas of all the most iconic handmade decorations from my parent’s Christmas tree. With so many things already built, I was basically drawing a blank at what I could do for this year. Then what started as failed ornament attempts, ended up being my theme for this year; pun builds. Missile Toad was the first idea. Then I had my Silent Knight build. Finally, came a literal humbug in the form of Ebenezer Scroach which snowballed into the whole series of builds. Represent each iconic character from a Christmas Carol in insect form.

TBB: Holidays aside, you’ve been building up a storm in 2025. What’s been driving your incredible run of mocs?

Moptoptrev: 2025 had so many great collaborations for moc builders. Many of which I participated in like #letsbuilddistorted and frogust. So that definitely kept me quite busy.

Also, I think something that really drives me is laughter. I love building mocs with the intent of making people laugh.

TBB: Maybe we should wind back to your origin story. What drove you to build in the first place? Presumably, cosmic radiation was involved.

Moptoptrev: Close! I was walking down the street one day minding my own business. When suddenly out of nowhere I was bitten by a radioactive weasel. From that point on my alter ego moptoptrev has been cooking up mocs like no tomorrow. But seriously though, it all started with my friend spreading his contagious passion for LEGO sets to me. Before I knew it, I was making small adjustments on sets. I would modify small things I didn’t like on a set. It happened more and more and then bigger and bigger modifications. Eventually I had the idea that I would like to have a build of the Xenomorph queen from Aliens. I didn’t think it would be the sort of thing LEGO would ever produce. So I tried and was quite pleased with it. I still have it in my office.

TBB: Unlike Batman, you’re quite fond of hanging with fellow super-builders, aren’t you? Without revealing any secret identities, can you tell us a bit about your LUG?

Moptoptrev: I sure do love hanging out with other moc builders. However it doesn’t happen nearly as much as I would like. It’s the main reason I chat a lot with many of my friends from abroad via instagram. Though I have to say my LUG has been so good to me in terms of giving me opportunities to showcase my builds locally. I am a member of the Maritime Lego Users Group. We are spread out across the Maritime provinces of Canada (Nova Scotia, New-Brunswick and Prince Edward Island).

We are a small LUG across a large territory, but what we lack in terms of population size, we make up for in terms of how many events we organize. We do have a bit of star power in the form of a certain world-renowned geometric cube builder. He is such a great guy, very down to earth.

TBB: Also unlike Batman, you don’t limit yourself to black and very dark grey. Color plays a wonderfully outsized part in your works. Do you have a favorite LEGO color? With new colors coming out at an increasing clip, do you think there’s such a thing as too many colors? Are there any colors you wish that LEGO would add to the range?

Moptoptrev: There are so many great LEGO colors to chose from, but I think my favorite might just be Lime for it’s versatility. I don’t think there is such a thing as too many colors. I welcome all new colors with open arms. Just as long as they appear in a vast variety of pieces for us to build with.

Regarding LEGO colors I’d like to see… As a builder that does a lot of insects, I wish the LEGO group would make more metallic colors. I think the two colors I wish for the most would be metallic green and metallic blue. That way I could make so many new types of beetles!

TBB: You’ve been very active in events this past year, both IRL and online. Your Frogust contributions were ribbeting. What event meant the most to you this year? Has community also factored into your relationship with LEGO?

Moptoptrev: I think community is the main thing I like about the moccing scene. I wish I could do more IRL events. Bricksplosion this year was definitely a big highlight for me. I met so many talented builders and kindred spirits during the event. I really need to get out to more LEGO conventions. Otherwise for online events, I am always on the lookout for new ones I can participate in. Frogust and Time For Crab are right up my alley in terms of things I like to build. I also need to give a shoutout to Lets Build Series for hosting so many collaborations to which I have participated over the years and another shoutout to my friend Thorben (@tee_baum_bricks), who you showcased recently. He is the main driver for the madness series. The happyplantmadness was one that you featured previously, where I built the buff plant.

TBB: Were there any builds or projects that you observed this year that particularly inspired you? Either for the artistry involved or the impact?

Moptoptrev: I have to say one build in particular really expanded my view on how to use LEGO, especially in regards to using plates. Zanebuilds’ shiny Gyarados really blew my mind. What an incredibly ingenious way to build such an immense build. I’m not sure I’ll ever have the money to build something of that size, especially considering no Pick A Brick wall is remotely accessible to me. Even so, I’m sure I could work something out , on a smaller scale.

TBB: Is there an artist or moc builder that inspires you or that you look up to?

Moptoptrev: There is! Hands down, my favorite moc builder is jayfa_mocs. His ideas are just so creative, his building style is so sleek and his characters have such dynamic poses. Considering I build mainly creatures and characters, it’s not surprising that I look up to him as a builder. I remember when I first started moc building looking at his builds for inspiration and building techniques. Even now with much more experience under my belt I am amazed at what he builds.

TBB: If we can talk about your builds for a bit, there’s such vibrant variety in your works. Subjects range from the natural world to pop culture, often with a touch of anarchism. Do you feel like you have a style? Is it something you cultivate?

Moptoptrev: You’ve noticed that too! I am a little all over the place with my builds. I think the only thing I cultivate and could be underlying as a style in my builds is strangeness. I don’t take myself too seriously and really wear my silliness as a badge. I love making builds that will make people laugh, smirk or in some cases even give that: ok, enough internet for today vibe.

TBB: Is there a build from this year that you’re most proud of as a showcase of how you’ve grown as a builder?

Moptoptrev: There might be a couple for different reasons. My LEGO classic box turtle was one I am very proud of in terms of extending the definition of what is a LEGO piece.

Then I have to say that my toad chief Gamabunta and my Dragon Heart builds really pushed my building capacities in terms of structural integrity so I am very happy with those two.

Then my last one and one that not many know about is that I got to work on the new iteration of Cataclaws. Working on something for the LEGO group certainly made me proud. It still feels surreal seeing my work in this year’s holiday LEGO commercials.

TBB: A lot of your builds capture the spirit of caricature and cartooning. Your recent wizard moc was especially expressive. Do you cartoon or create characters in mediums other than LEGO?

Moptoptrev: I really wanted to nail that expressiveness that punkeydoodles conveys with his wizards but in LEGO form, so I am thrilled that you liked it so much. I used to draw and paint more before switching to LEGO as a medium for artwork. I’ve been drawing and painting characters and creatures since my childhood. I even have a degree in 3D animation, where I did lots of character creation. But I think I’ve really found my medium for this in LEGO.

TBB: Some afols manage to find time for hobbies other than LEGO. Are you one of those weirdos?

Moptoptrev: You betcha! I love gardening, I even grow many species of carnivorous plants. Also I have a deep passion for biology, so I am always reading up on that vast subject. I still paint a little with water color and acrylic from time to time. I do a bit of tinkering with arduino micro controllers once in a while. I also like playing ukulele, even if I am far from being a musician. But as you can imagine, LEGO takes up a major portion of my free time.

TBB: While we have you, are you prepared to apologize for the Nicholas Cage Pikachu?

Moptoptrev: Haha! Never! In fact, I think I need to double down on that! Nikachu as I called him, was a build I made after my good friend Thorben kept teasing me about me not building Gen 1 Pokémon. Like mentioned previously, weirdness is my jam. I have many cursed builds up my sleeve and can’t wait to post them when the time is right. I also have a list of strange moc ideas for future building. Perhaps even a follow-up to Nikachu.

TBB: Your builds are often quite silly, but you also aren’t afraid to bring politics through your builds, which is surprisingly rare in the community. Why is it important to you to use LEGO to comment on current affairs?

Moptoptrev:LEGO political satire is a rare breed of builds, isn’t it? It wasn’t necessarily important for it to be LEGO per se. In my case, my medium just happens to be LEGO, and my biggest reach to spread my messages was instagram. My political builds came from a place of anger and feeling a little helpless. They helped me channel my emotions in the face of injustices I saw happening.

Especially this year, when it felt like the world was bursting into flames and my social media feed seemed a little too complacent about what was happening. I felt like I had to express myself. I think it’s important for artists to comment on the state of things and cry out when they see injustices, through their work. It’s part of the process of discussion and sometimes even getting the ball rolling on change.

TBB: Your Weird Al tribute was one of the very first mocs I wrote about for Brothers Brick. You returned to the singer again this year with your twist on the Mona Lisa. It’s thanks to you that we now have a Weird Al archive. Aside from expanding your musical tastes, how has Weird Al influenced you?

Moptoptrev: No way! That is so cool that I was one of your first! I am so grateful that you featured my two Weird Al builds. I almost feel a responsibility to spread the word on this amazing musician( not that it is necessary, mind you). I think something I really admire about him and that I’ve shared with him for a long time, is embracing your strangeness. Be weird and be yourself, normal is overrated! There is no beauty without some strangeness.

TBB: Do you buy many sets? Did you have a favorite set or theme in 2025? Or a favorite element?

Moptoptrev: Yes I do, but mostly as it is the cheapest option for getting parts. The closest LEGO store being a 12 hour drive from my home, Pick A Brick Walls are off the table as an option. The creator 3-in-1 animals are once again my favorites, but I must admit that even as a person who doesn’t care for cars much. The medium F1 sets were very surprising builds. I bought loads of them for a series of mocs that I will most likely unveil in February. Then in regards to my favorite new element. The 1×1 stud with clip underneath has been on my wishlist of pieces for so long! It’s the main reason I bought the flower arrangement set.

TBB: We’re so grateful for your time, but we can’t end without asking the question that I know is on everyone’s minds: which is the best dinosaur?

Moptoptrev: An essential question indeed. I’ve always been fond of Brachiosaurus but if we are asking for the best individual dinosaur I think I’d have to say Bumpy the Ankylosaurus.