Posts by Jake Forbes (TBB Managing Editor)

Bionicle Mask Makers reforged in darkness

While not all LEGO fans have embraced Bionicle, there’s no denying that for a generation of builders, Bionicle was a gateway to both a world of construction and deep lore. For a recent collaboration between top Bionicle builders in the community, participants re-imagined characters from Bionicle Generation 2 utilizing the latest constraction techniques. We were especially struck by the pair of Ekimu and Makuta, The Mask Makers, as designed by Toni A.

Toni cites Dark Souls and H.R. Giger as influences, which might seem an aesthetic jump for Bionicle, but perfectly fits the lore of these bio-machine gods. Ekimu, wearing the Mask of Creation, is the culmination of 3 years of iteration from Toni and the effort shows with some of the most impressive dark fantasy sculpting I’ve ever seen in a character. Makuta, wearing the Mask of Control (inverted), came together quicker and perfectly compliments his brother with a devilish Victorian aesthetic.

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LEGO Champion 100-T earthmover makes the grade

Construction vehicle kingpin Beat Felber is on a roll with functional LEGO models of the heaviest of heavy equipment. Riding right behind his impressive Terex Unit Rig comes another massive earthmover, the Champion 100-T Grader at 1/28.5 scale. The largest vehicle of its type to see general production, only 10 of these 100-ton machines were made by the Canadian manufacturer.

As with most of Beat’s builds, this model utilizes a suite of power functions to mirror the functionality of the real machine. Five motors control the blade alone, ensuring a clean ~~shave~~ grade. The rear bogies and front axles oscillate independently guaranteeing all 6 wheels maintain ground contact.

Here at The Brothers Brick we always admire builders who can fuse a personal passion with the possibility of LEGO, and once again Beat Felber has pushed LEGO potential with a scale model that achieves photo-accurate looks without skimping on functionality.

I spy a builder making blocks from LEGO bricks

Nostalgia bomb, incoming. This delightful build from Jonah Schultz is three things in one: a tribute to timeless preschool toys, an homage to the ubiquitous I Spy puzzle books from the ’90s and a showcase of an Iron Builder‘s ingenuity with LEGO bricks. There are so many details to love, from the perfectly proportioned BRIO trains in primary colors to the wonderful debossed lettering on the alphabet blocks, to the judicious use of specialized elements like the Bellville teddy bear, Duplo balls, and Race Car Guy accessory to complement the studs-free build. The most impressive feat of all is how the seed part – baseball bat in silver – is incorporated into the build as train axles, domino pips, and a camera button. And it’s a hidden object puzzle! Can you spy all of the secrets hidden in the picture?

Deadpool & Wolverine & Gwenpool get the fan BrickHeadz treatment

While you can’t buy buy buy official Deadpool & Wolverine Brickheadz from the LEGO group, mutant and merc fan Shipmaster steps up with fan variants that are too perfect to be pruned by the TVA. The headlining movie heroes are joined by lesser known fan favorite Gwenpool, who shares Deadpool’s meta superpowers (if not his penchant for blood and vulgarity). Shipmaster does a stellar job matching the characters’ comics appearances without skimping on LEGO skill. Binoculars make for the perfect ammo belt around Wade’s waist, and Wolverine’s “ears” nail the X-Men ’97 costume look, but my favorite technique is the log on Logan’s display stand.

Nova Scotia’s beloved Bluenose in LEGO

No boat has stirred a nation’s pride like Canada’s Bluenose. Built in 1921, the Nova Scotia-based fishing and racing schooner won the International Fisherman’s Cup in its maiden year, and 17 years later came out of retirement to win its last-ever competition in a nailbiter of a grudge match. Builder Moptoptrevpays tribute with a detailed model in LEGO of the ship, or rather its replica successor, the Bluenose II, which sails to this day as Nova Scotia’s ambassador of the seas. moptoptrev does a great job shaping the schooner’s hull in dark red and matching the original’s rigging.

It’s a lovely ship – no wonder it inspired “Canada’s finest stamp” — also commemorated in LEGO!

Albatross dropship soars the sci-fi skies

The Albatross multi-atmospheric carrier ship is a brutalist beast of aerospace engineering dreamed up by concept artist Theo Stylianides and recreated here in LEGO by Vitus Barth. The massive dual-colored wings look incredible and pose quite a structural challenge for the builder. Vitus does a great job matching the form of his inspiration while making some creative choices with color that enhance the build as a LEGO model, such as making the top of the craft in tan and using black for the impressive “orbit breaker” thrusters and intakes.

We first featured Vitus’ work back in 2007 and it’s great to see he’s still creating and sharing amazing sci-fi builds.

A new gate to an ancient LEGO city

For some LEGO builders, each creation is a stand-alone work, but the castle creations of Andreas Lenander are an exercise in world building spread over years. Andreas has added to his Middle East-inspired city of Mophet, a medieval oasis of tan and teal, in various competitions and collabs over the years. The latest addition, The Blue Gate, is a great showcase for how much Leander’s talent for Islamic Architecture in LEGO has grown since he first introduced his fictional city. I love the flowing arch of simple 1×2 bricks and the anti-studs in alternating colors, examples of creating beauty from the simplest LEGO elements, and the use of colors – especially nougat and medium blue – is outstanding. Here’s hoping Andreas will continue to reveal Mophet’s many secrets for years to come.

Magical LEGO owl says give a hoot, don’t transmute

The Wizard’s Emissary from Nathan Don (Woomy World) is a truly magical build that pushes LEGO to its limits. Woomy’s owl showcases the builder’s usual panache for NPU (short for Nice Parts Usage, but “nice” doesn’t seem sufficient!), cherry picking parts from across LEGO themes and eras to create organic shapes with a highly tactile mix of textures. The sand blue feathers from the LEGO Kingfisher set are the starring plumage, supplemented by a mix of wing elements and other eclectic parts to create a perfectly-proportioned owl. I love that Woomy has given the bird its own fur-trimmed cape. The staff is equally exceptional, showcasing an octagonal canopy as a gem. As a final fun detail, Woomy hides a Kanohi mask amongst the crystals.

The Wizard’s Emissary was created for the second round of Bio-Cup tournament and was the winning entry under the Wizard category. Keep up with competition in our Bio-Cup archives.

Cats vs dog in a LEGO competition of cuteness

LEGO pets don’t shed, smell, or trigger allergies, so its only natural that more and more households will replace living pets with brick-build friends, just as we have with our botanicals. Hot on the heels of the LEGO Tuxedo Cat, builder LEGO 7 offers up a feline pair who purr-fectly capture the housecat’s ability to assume liquid form. While small and stylized these cats punch above their weight in personality.

Meanwhile, Ian Hou (DOGOD Brick Design) makes fetch happen with a a dynamic doggo in motion. I can practically smell the drool on that tennis ball. Ian is a prolific animal builder who again manages to model realistic anatomy while keeping the charm of the LEGO brick front and center.

Whether you’re a dog person or a cat fancier, we’re all winners today!

Stairway into shadows

The Summer Joust building competition challenged builders to create “stairway stories,” and most participants assembled their LEGO stairs upward. Isaiah Kepner takes a different approach with his model “The Shadowed Temple,” in which a wandering wizard approaches an ominous flight of stairs descending into the unknown. The surrounding wall features some impressive brickwork, mixing profile bricks, tiles, and ingots in every direction. For the trunks of the aspen trees, Isaiah borrowed a technique from Markus Rollbühler and incorporated Stormtrooper shin armor. Most impressive is the technique Isaiah devised for the cave itself, with a gradation of ever-darker bricks accentuating the darkness within. It’s an evocative scene and showcase of Isaiah’s growing skills as a castle builder.

Playing with perspective in LEGO “painting”

Here at The Brothers Brick, we love when LEGO builders play with depth and space through forced perspective. For his build “Stairway to Memories,” forestArcher creates a clever trompe l’oeil effect with a framed shadowbox that houses yet another framed image within. Layers upon layers of depth, rendered flat as a painting. I appreciate the added detail of a gold ring hidden behind the potted plant, seen only in reflection. forestArcher credits TBB favorite W. Navarre as an inspiration for using forced perspective, and with this creation he proves an apt pupil.

forestArcher built his stairway illusion for the Summer Joust competition. Check out some of our other favorite entries in this castle-themed building tradition.

Rock Raiders return in epic Onyxx Expedition Diorama

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Rock Raiders, a theme that for many adult fans of LEGO is always worth celebrating thanks to the evocative subterranean setting, cool colors (teal!), and wonderful vehicle designs. LegoMathijs still carries a torch for the theme and his latest project takes us deep beneath the planet Onyxx with a truly massive celebration of the Rock Raiders theme.

LegoMathijs’ diorama is pure, high-grade nostalgia, incorporating many elements unique to the Rock Raiders theme and working mostly with parts and techniques of the late ’90s, minus the BURPs (big ugly rock parts). With dozens of minifigures, an array of vehicles, and a motherload of crystals, the scene shows the promise on the package of Rock Raiders sets writ large.

Drill down with us for a closer look!