Posts by Jake Forbes

Istanbul’s Blue Mosque looks magnificent in LEGO microscale

Completed in 1617, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, commonly known as the Blue Mosque, is one of Istanbul’s most iconic structures and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Scott Wilhelm gives this masterpiece of Ottoman architecture the LEGO microscale treatment in a sprawling build that includes Sultan Ahmet’s mausoleum, gardens, and a madrasa. For the mosque’s six minarets, Scott uses white Technic axle extenders broken up by bevel gears and bushes topped with a drill bit. The many small domes are represented with knit caps. If you’re wondering why the mosque rooftops are grey when it’s called the Blue Mosque, the nickname comes from the decorative tiles inside.

Continue for additional photos of Scott’s magnificent miniature mosque

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Building trees with minifig antlers, Pt. 2: Branching out with Forestmen [Feature]

The last few years have been bountiful for fans of LEGO flora with new elements and recolors vastly expanding the range of plastic plant life. Maybe it’s nostalgia for the oak trees I grew up with on the Central Coast of California, or maybe it’s my love of noodling with the smallest of LEGO elements, but the plant piece I’ve been most excited about lately is the minifig antlers in green, which recently showed up on some pick-a-brick shops. In the first installment of this feature, I explored ways that this element could be used in microscale trees. For part 2, I’ll explore using the part on minifig scale MOCs. As it was the Forestmen sub-theme that launched my love of LEGO trees, what better place to apply this new part than on one of their iconic hideouts?

To jump-start the process, I’ve agreed to help my Forestmen friends remodel the Forest Hideout GWP. The set is itself a remake of the smallest Forestmen tree set, all of which feature a brick-built tree with a thick black trunk and stubby limbs reminiscent of an ancient English Oak (Perhaps one like this). The re-imagined set incorporates curved elements for the branches but sticks with the classic leaf elements, to match the style in the Lion Knights’ Castle. There’s something undeniably pleasing about the bendy trees next to rigid stone walls, but for my remake, I wanted to bring things a little closer to the look of an old oak. But first… we’re going to need a lot more leaves! 100 minifig antlers was barely enough for a micro-scale forest grove. By chance, a group of Black Falcons had just left Ye Olde Pick-a-Brick with a wagon full of antlers that my Forestmen friends were all too happy to liberate.

Grab a bow and join me and the Forestmen for a grand tree adventure

This Week in LEGO Bricks: Galactic Empire state of mind [Feature]

That’s no moon. It’s another Star Wars creation in LEGO! We’ve been noticing a lot of Star Wars builds lately, and so has our friend ABrickDreamer in the latest This Week in Bricks. Burned out on the Galactic Empire? How about a video on building the LEGO Roman Empire? There are a lot of great builds and articles covered this week, but my favorite has to be the Baoli of the Lotuses from akidandabrick. Thanks as always to ABrickDreamer for making it easy to catch the week’s highlights in one handy video.

Making Primo builds from the most unlikely components [Building Techniques]

From Galidor to Clikits, LEGO has released products over the years that defy use in standard models due to a lack of connection points, unconventional materials, or bespoke colors. While most builders ignore these misfit toys, some, like Nathan Don (Woomy World) take it as a challenge to make even the most oddball LEGO piece shine. Case in point, this Hard-shelled Hen, which is an unusually large creation for using only 96 parts. That head? It comes from LEGO’s Primo line for the littlest “builders.” The beast’s shell is an upscaled hard hat, another pre-school toy never intended for actual construction. The neck and legs are DUPLO tubes, which we’ve definitely seen in some sophisticated MOCs lately. Only two studs are visible in this most unLEGOlike creation on the red arch around the neck. So how does this beast come together? As Nathan shares on his blog, there’s a skeleton of ball joints, Technic axles, flex tubes, and Vidyo straps, with rubber tires for fiction. When life give’s you LEGO hen’s teeth, make a hen monstrosity!

Pirate the galaxy in style with the Typhoon and Tarantula starships

Official Star Wars media runs the gamut from abysmal to sublime, but the best Star Wars stories will always be the ones that exist in our heads. Perhaps no other fictional universe has spawned as many fan works where foundational canon serves as a launchpad for creativity. In the LEGO community, RPGs like Star Wars: Factions are collaborative playgrounds for stories told with visual accompaniment in the form of original builds. Sentinel_Brix is one of the more prolific members of that community, leaning heavily into the “opera” side of space opera with a complex serial story with a sprawling cast. One of the builder’s latest arcs features pirates and includes original designs for a galleon and starfighter.

Per the builder’s lore, the DY-76 “Typhoon” is a starfighter from the Clone Wars era built by Koensayr Manufacturing. If the vessel’s cockpit looks familiar, it’s because it comes from the same company the made the Y-Wing. I especially like the biplane wing design and the color details in sand red and light blue.

Read on to learn more about Sentinel_Brix’s Star Wars pirate faction

Pieter Post’s Prussian prisoner on the lam again

Back in 2021, historical LEGO train builder Pieter Post introduced Werner the Wegelagerer, the notorious highwayman who no prison train car could hold. Werner’s back for his next big break, this time escaping above a scenic canal where an unsuspecting boater is about to get a new passenger. Pieter made a few adjustments to the prison car for the latest build, adding new barred windows, swapping some stacked plates for SNOT tiles, and reworking the top. The bridge and barge are lovely, as are the brick-built swan and stork.

The Prussian police will no doubt capture Werner as they did before. Pieter captured that moment back in 2021 and it’s packed with fun sub-builds. Here, we see Pieter’s Grüne Minna paddy wagon pulled by a pair of horses, with some wonderfully intricate tack inspired by this design from the sorely missed karwik.

Android freedom fighters lead the charge in a new weekly feature [Minifig Monday]

The Brothers Brick started as a minfig-focused site, so with our 20th anniversary fast approaching, it’s high time we bring back the celebration of custom minifigure creations. A lot has changed in the minifig scene since TBB founder Andrew shared his first fig. Collectible Minifigure lines and ever-expanding licenses have exploded the range of minifig elements and accessories, and social media has led to more channels to share creations and get inspired by the community. Minifig Mondays is a new feature where we choose a theme and showcase recent creations from the custom Minifig community. This week’s theme is Androids – humanoid robots.

Our first figs are a collaboration between Red Impala and Bambus Bricks Customs. These three are members of Onyx Talon, a faction of freedom-fighting androids in a post-apocalyptic future. Ferret the infiltrator, Hare the scout, and Beetle the reconnaissance drone provide intel and overwatch for the team. I love the digitigrade leg designs, especially Hare’s with the hotdog feet. In case you’re wondering where Hare’s eerie face is from, it’s from Star Wars: Solo character Enfys Nest.

Read on for more amazing custom minifigs and microbuilds

Drac’s pack is back in bricks

The Hotel Transylvania films are a masterclass in physical comedy thanks to the stewardship of animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky. Monster bodies ooze, bend, and emote with a freedom of movement Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks rarely approach. Elias Hübner captures this madcap energy in LEGO with a tribute to the second film featuring Drac and pals piled on an entirely too-small scooter. Oversized Frank and pudgy mummy Murray are standout builds, their cartoony curves perfectly captured in bricks, and their faces so expressive from minimal parts. Hotel Transylvania could have made for some fun sets as a successor to Monster Fighters. While the animated franchise is on ice, it’s only a matter of time before it gets a live-action remake, so maybe LEGO could spook up an official set someday.

Winging it with a LEGO Sopwith Camel

No one else builds and photographs vintage vehicles in LEGO like Calin Bors. His designs are compact and efficient, distilling the essence of the inspiration into toy-like proportions. Calin’s latest build is a fresh take on the Sopwith Camel, the WWI biplane beloved by flying Aces, both human and beagle. Always on the lookout for new parts to integrate into antique inspirations, Calin incorporates the new Mario Kart wheel as an engine cover. The build comes alive with custom stickers for the livery and a bath of warm light. Red Baron beware!

Bringing the magnificent mechs of Lancer to the tabletop in LEGO [Feature]

Lancer is a tabletop RPG about piloting mechs that focuses on human-scale stories in a distant future. Builder Dane Erland has given the distinctive mechs the LEGO treatment with a mix of scales and factions to capture the deep lore of the gaming sourcebook. First up is the IPS-Northstar “Tortuga.” Dane does a fine job capturing the hyper-dense armor of the source, with excellent color blocking to break up the dark grey tiles. The Technic pin shotgun shells on the ground are a nice touch.

The IPS-N “Blackbeard” is a Berserker-type melee unit. I love the contrast of the spindly limbs and a massive two-handed sword. Dane has an innovative solution for the nimble fingers, using minfigure hand to add an extra joint. Battle Droid heads look great on the mech’s feet.

Read on for more amazing mech models from the Lancer world

This spectactular Snoopy is a matter of perspective [Building Techniques]

Good grief, that’s some Nice Parts Usage! In this tiny build, Ian Summers captures the silhouette of beloved Peanuts pooch Snoopy in just 8 elements through the perfect mix of parts and clever use of perspective. Two of those parts are hats – a white baseball cap for the belly and a black cap for an ear – and for Snoopy’s muzzle and nose, I spy a Mixels eye. Pal Woodstock is unmistakable from just two tiny yellow elements. By framing the pieces from just the right angle, Ian gets the most from every piece in matching the shapes of the comic strip inspirations.

Ian’s builds are, as his handle suggests, bricktacular. A member of LEGO Ideas’ 10K club, Ian’s Jumanji board is currently under review to become an official set and probably won’t unleash rhinos in your living room.

This Week in LEGO Bricks – March miniature madness [Feature]

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another roundup of notable MOCs and must-see stories from the LEGO community courtesy of our friend ABrickDreamer. This week’s biggest trend is thinking small – amazing microscale builds connected to the Marchitecture competition, and the first rounds of the Rogue Olympics with its strict 101 piece count. Also featured are some fabulous brick-built food, BrickLink Designer Program series 7 analysis, and a deep dive into the tricky new suspension mount element in the latest wave of F1 cars.

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