Posts by Chris Burden

LEGO Master Chef enters the automat

In case you’re wondering, automats are basically vending machine restaurants. Tons of little windowed boxes hold cold and hot fair available to any customers that drop a few coins in its slots. Well, before inflation and fast food pretty much killed them. Still, I can’t help but be reminded of these eclectic bits of culinary history when looking at this lovely sandwich built by Australian LEGO Master Henry Pinto. White bread with a mysterious orange cheese over some tomatoes and lettuce is exactly what you might find in an automat vending machine. Though white bread can be pretty bland and gummy, Henry’s solid LEGO reproduction is wholly satisfying. Each slice is two studs high with a smooth nougat crust attached to the white interior using modified bricks with studs on the sides. Sloped tiles used in the crust capture the pudgy corners of the bread, contrasting the sharp angles of the greens and the slices of tomato peaking out. Meanwhile, sloped bricks create the distinct cut in the sandwich which I hope runs all the way through the model.

LEGO Sandwich

I will remind you that you shouldn’t eat LEGO food, despite how appetizing builders might make it look. Though, you might actually want to grab a snack before you get lost in more of Henry Pinto’s masterful models.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Thinking outside the box can take you out of this world

The LEGO VIDIYO line has introduced some notably interesting minifigure DJs and a ton of printed tiles, or BeatBits, that interact with the accompanying music video creation app. As far as parts go, we’ll see what the future VIDIYO sets hold for us, but for now, we have the BeatBoxes. They’re curved cubes with clear bodies that attach to a large, 8×8 modified brick. Inside, a special element holds two hinged plates that display the BeatBits and a fixed horizontal stand for the minifigure. Recently these elements have gained some popularity and builders are showing off what they can do with them. Builder martin.with.bricks elevated his BeatBox out of this world, cleverly using it as the cockpit for a spaceship dubbed the VIDI-1. Bricks are stacked in various orientations to attach to the cube element and wrap around it. The lime green of the BeatBox base is accented by patterns built into the wings as well as vents on the sides and guns on top.

VIDI-1

Inside the clear section of the BeatBox, Martin has used brackets, clips, and rounded 2×1 plates to create a seat, display, and controls for the Alien DJ. Representing “Extra Terrestrial Dance Music” according to the promotional images, this is a great minifigure design from the VIDIYO line. Continue reading

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Microscale Gothic Revival on the Danube

Architecture and LEGO have gone together for a long time. From Modulex in the 1970s to the more recent LEGO Architecture series, the LEGO group has given us plenty of iconic buildings and skylines. This microscale model of the Hungarian Parliament Building, created by Chris Elliott as a gift for his mother, makes use of various elements to emulate the Gothic Revival style of the original. The spires and arches are achieved with bull horns, claws, and inverted fang plates, while cones and bars are used as towers. The ornate central dome’s features are creatively modeled using an eight-side modified hinge plate with fangs held by bar clips. The symmetrical front façade looks out from the eastern bank of the Danube, which Chris has captured with blue plates and clear tiles running the length of the model.

Hungarian Parliament Building | Országház

The north and south lawns frame the western side that houses the official main entrance. As on the other side, inverted fang and teeth plates are used to capture the curved details of the original building’s architecture. Grill bricks are partially recessed below the ground line, creating the effect of lancet windows of different sizes around the building.

Hungarian Parliament Building | Országház

I think it is quite touching and inspiring that Chris made this for his mother, an immigrant from Hungary to the United States before the iron curtain fell. I’m sure it was a gift that she cherishes. Feel free to check out some more incredible architecture-inspired builds we’ve covered in the past.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Efforts continue in cataloging the mechanical tree of life

The fantastic mechanical creatures of Mitsuru Nikaido have long fascinated me. As I was emerging from the dark ages of my LEGO obsession, the robotic structures of Mitsuru’s models opened my eyes to just what was possible within the LEGO system. While each creature is a dead ringer for their biological inspirations, they also stand separately from them. Their form and selective color-blocking create eye-catching robotic designs. Mitsuru mostly sticks to a light or dark bluish grey contrasting with white and a pop of bright light orange. This simple palette gives a builder plenty of parts to play with though and Mitsuru certainly takes advantage of his options. Let’s take a moment to check out his latest models of a Water bear and a Snail.

LEGO Mecha Water Bear_01

Continue reading

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Refuel, restock, reconnoitre

This vignette by Red Spacecat shows off his latest build, an unmanned combat aerial vehicle. The RQ-190 is being refueled by her crew and prepped for her next mission. This super smooth drone is actually a redesign of a remote-control plane concept that Red Spacecat recently shared. Switching the color scheme of the RC plane to all black just so happens to make the butterfly-inspired design look very similar to a military stealth drone. The angles of the wings hug tight to the curves of the main body and the snub nose lets us see the landing gear peaking out underneath. The slopes and tiles used on the wings make for a smooth, immersive model overall.

RQ-190 Nightwing UCAV

The little builds for the tool chest, bomb cart, and fire extinguisher (I assume) are great details for this vignette. The gears used on the ends of the bombs are clever and, though it might not be exactly “legal,” the cut hose used on the tip of the fire extinguisher is a perfect addition. Continue reading

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Warhammer Gyrobomber dishes out the ordnance

Though I’ve never dabbled in the Warhammer universe, I’ve appreciated the art, figurines, and inspiration that it’s provided to its fanbase. This render of a Gyrobomber built by Dwalin Forkbeard was inspired by the Dwarven flying machines in Warhammer Fantasy Battles. Piloted by only one dwarf, the dual-rotor machine features plenty of artillery to lay waste to the battlefield. The curves of the cockpit are wonderfully modeled with brick-built sections and angled plates. Golden and brass details embellish the body and contrast the light and dark bluish-grey pieces of the mechanical sections. The different-sized doors used for rotor blades are an inventive element of the model, as well as the golden crown used as an exhaust port.

Gyrobomber

The view of the tail reveals the main engine behind the cockpit. I appreciate the variety of pieces that Dwalin used to model this steam-powered design. The attention to detail is fantastic and the form of the model is alluring. The information he provides really shows you how formidable this bomber could be with just one brave pilot.

Gyrobomber

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Monster murals under a microscale urban jungle

Architects of tomorrow see solutions to many problems facing society today and modern concrete jungles often lack the greenery that people need to escape. One solution exemplified here in the sixth microscale architectural model by builder F@bz is elevated green spaces and this one seems to be thriving. The bright green vines lifted from Friends sets and the myriad of leaf pieces create overgrown foliage that contrasts the dark grey, tan, and black of the city structure below.

Architecture#6 by F@bz (01)

The slanted supports for the sky park give way to exposed bits of railway leading out from underpasses and tunnels through the metropolis. Thankfully, the dark colors of the city are accented by playful bits of graffiti achieved by using various printed bricks. The expressions and colors that F@bz used for the art work well with the textures of the walls. Tiny details of brown and sand yellow make up the area around the lower train tracks with bright red fencing along one side and a smaller guard wall at the base of the graffiti wall. The little trains work wonderfully with the scene. I wish I could sit back in one of the top seats and take in the view of the rising cityscape above me.

Architecture#6 by F@bz (02)

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Azure stripes and open skies

Inspired by the colors of the Martini-sponsored Porsche racing team from his childhood, David Roberts created a fantastic racer for a pilot with an inimitable name. Martin Igglesramsworthbottomthwaite, or Martin I, as he’s known by his fans and enemies, brandishes a Bond-like persona when he’s not flying his vibrant speeder. The model features various pieces of mechanical detailing on each side of the multifaceted engine sections, with azure domes capping the inlets. Bright red compliments navy blue and azure stripes along the body, making for a brilliant photo finish for all of Martin I’s victories.

Martin I's Racer

On the rear, the nozzles for the engines are framed by multiple vents with azure bands running the length of the sides. Those rear lights will surely be the only ones his competition will see for most of the race. At least, the ones after that freak storm that flooded his cockpit. Drainage holes can help win races, it seems.

Martin I's Racer

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Unloading on Scarif with the U-wing that could have been

Star Wars and LEGO have gone hand-in-hand for quite some time now. Uncountable LEGO User Groups are centered around the very concept of building models based on the Star Wars universe. Suffice it to say, there is a wealth of models inspired by the galaxy far, far away. As many ships as there are in George Lucas’ fever dream of a series, a whole can of worms opens up when you look into the concept designs for some of the most iconic vehicles. This ship, built by Jan Südmersen, was inspired by a concept design of the rebel U-wing fighter from Rogue One. Quite different from the movie design on a few fronts, the main difference is the lack of wing-like strike foils. For those that aren’t hip, the s-foils were apparently used more for increasing the shield profile of the ship and less so for aerodynamics in an atmosphere. I doubt this big boy needs much help from some wings, though, as it looks like it can take a few hits without a problem.

Continue reading

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Eat your heart out, NASA

One small step for a minifigure, one giant leap for minifigure-kind. Builder Centuri Chan has created a fantastic spaceship to get the first two minifigures to Mars by 2028. Nostalgia certainly is a powerful force and the new buildable figures provided a perfect template for Centuri Chan to project their love for the Classic Space theme. This Minifigure Launch System, as dubbed by the builder, is a playful spin on the brick-built mega-figures that LEGO has begun to release. Littered with astronauts and robots, this crawler is on its way to the launch pad for further testing of this minifigure-inspired spacecraft. Two yellow pilots sit in the helmet, just above a wonderful, brick-built Classic Space logo while the rest of the crew tends their various assignments. I love the nod to Classic City sets and Octan with the white, red, and green tanks.

Race to Mars! Minifigure Launch System (MLS)

Checking out the back lets us see the boosters that Centuri Chan attached to the spaceman-spacecraft while also making us wonder what exactly the elusive orange spaceman is doing up there.

Race to Mars! Minifigure Launch System (MLS)

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Cop these crispy, deadstock kicks

It seems that Sneakerheads have found a new way to collect their favorite classic designs without devastating their bank accounts. Ever since the introduction of the LEGO 10282 Adidas Originals Superstar set, I’ve personally been looking forward to seeing how sneaker fanatics would adapt their own bricks into iconic shoes from the past and present. Builder John Huang is one such inspired fan. He’s made a few different sneakers so far but this Adidas Stan Smith model is the first to feature a brick-built display. The shoe itself is well built, capturing the sleek, simple design of its namesake and its patch of vivid green on the heel. The display stand for the shoe is based on the lid of an Adidas shoebox and John did a great job at capturing the angles of the iconic Adidas stripes, as well as the logo on the sides of the lid.

LEGO x Adidas Stan Smith

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

A Vic Viper worthy of royalty

Oh, the depths of space have so much to offer. As vast as the human imagination itself, nothing tickles my soul more than a great spaceship, especially one built from LEGO. Seeing how builders mold their abstract forms, creating engaging structures and silhouettes under the constrictions and limits of the LEGO system, builds a sense of absolute awe. Gaming fans of the modern era can escape into any number of epic worlds from Mass Effect to No Man Sky or the vast realms of Homeworld, EVE, or Star Citizen. As such, there is a wealth of designs that inspire wonderful builders around the world. This model was built by Carter Baldwin as a homage to a Hiigaran ship from Homeworld 2, but he diverged a bit from the original design. Take a look at the Imperial Interceptor, a marvelous Vic Viper for the Royal House of Sol. The stand-out color blocking achieved in this model depends greatly on the triangular tiles that hug the sharp edges of the ship’s body and wings. Contrasting the dark blue slopes and tiles, the gold gives the ship an eye-catching allure worthy of royalty.

Imperial Interceptor
Continue reading

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.