About Jonathan

LEGO was always Jonathan's favourite toy growing up in Middle Zealand, until around the age of 16 when he was told he was too old for toys. 16 years of Dark Ages later he decided you are never too old for toys and became hooked again with 7477 T-1 Typhoon vs. T-Rex and has since amassed over a hundred thousand bricks to facilitate his MOC building obsession. Jonathan runs a small IT business from home with his wife and three young boys under 5 (who are allowed to play with Daddy's LEGO when they can learn to stop putting it in their mouths!). When not working or spending time with family Jonathan is usually sorting LEGO.

Posts by Jonathan

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor

SEBASTIAN-Z has created a series of vignettes inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and they are beautiful. Sadly missing the Ghost of Christmas Past, the builder says “I haven’t decided what to do for that one yet but wanted to upload these before Christmas”. The series starts with a glimpse into Scrooge’s office with it’s fine wooden furnishings, gold accented books and coins littering the floor:

Next, Marley’s ghost appears to Scrooge before whisking him away. The walls of the drawing room are cleverly constructed from LEGO wooden crates, giving them a lovely paneled effect:

Then we have Bob Cratchit’s family feast in his kitchen, shortly before Marley’s ghost tells Scrooge about Tiny Tim’s grave fate:

In the next image, we have Tiny Tim and the Cratchit’s with a clearer view of the kitchen. I like how the builder has created the wooden floors and mis-shapen walls:

Finally, we have The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come showing Scrooge his own fate if he does not change his wicked ways. I was delighted when I stumbled upon this wonderful series. It reminds me of Dickens’ “Carol Philosophy”, and there is nothing like this story to remind me of the true nature of Christmas, and I look forward to the conclusion.

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Sashimi supper

Samurai, geisha, bonsai and futons can only mean one thing: Japan. A fishmonger’s cart with a samurai’s house is the latest fantastic entry by jsnyder002 for the Traveling Salesman category of the Classic Castle Competition. A bit of a frequent flyer here at The Brothers Brick, two of his most recent contributions Birds of a Feather and Jewel are excellent.

People line up on the colorfully cobbled street for a sample of fresh fish from the small cart in front of the beautifully crafted samurai home with the bonsai-like tree. The black and white walls, the red and grey tiled roof and the beautiful accents of gold and black trim, including the lovely tessellated path, all add to the texture of this wonderful little scene.

No house would be complete without an interior, and this one is no exception: a sword rack, table, chairs and armor stand comprise the furniture downstairs, while upstairs is a simple futon.

Raise the drawbridge!

The first thing that catches the eye in this wonderful scene by Polish builder Kalais is the drama unfolding on the raising drawbridge as our fearless knight takes on the undead. The king and his wizard watch from the finely crafted parapet of the highly detailed tower, and on the other side, a pair of dark mages summon the dead horde under a red skull flag. Will our hero survive, or will he fall into the azure blue water?

The main castle wall makes great use of LEGO’s large prefab castle walls, and they really look like they belong there—no easy task. Supporting the wooden meeting house are what look like the ribs of a ship, but my favorite feature is the octagonal tower. I love the style, part usage, design, and roof of many colors. The dark rocks at the bottom of the diorama give the impression of a high tide mark covered with seaweed.

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why...

LEGO Santa Claus is coming to town, and doesn’t he look a treat with his pink glowing cheeks, magnificent fluffy beard and cheery smiling face. Several points of articulation make this brick-built Father Christmas by DOGOD Brick Design quite poseable.

But my absolute favourite part of this rendition of jolly Saint Nick would have to be the compartment within his back, where minifig Santa can enjoy a hot mug of cocoa by his Christmas tree in front of a roaring fire with his cat.

Here “down under” in Middle Zealand Santa generally sports surf shorts, flip-flops and a surfboard. So seeing Christmas with snow, lights, warm fires and ugly sweaters always all seems a little odd when it’s in middle of summer and we’d rather have a BBQ lunch and find a comfy spot under a shady tree with a cooler.

All of that said, there is nothing like seeing the jolly fat man in the fluffy red suit with a stack of presents and a tree with lights to get us in the mood for Christmas. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing for Christmas this year, I hope you are as happy and comfortable as this little scene.

To the manor born

With just over a week to go, the Classic Castle Competition keeps bringing out the hits with this compact creative build by David Leest. He says “Built as a gift for a Lion Knight War Hero, the manor stands proudly above the waterfall”. This towering manor does stand very proud indeed! The battlement is crafted using a stepped technique, with subtle patched brickwork that makes great use of yellowed bricks (usually the curse of many a LEGO fan). The beautifully detailed textured roof and wooden entrance also use a variety of techniques to give the whole model an authentic lived-in feel. The armed guard, standing among the flowers and wild grasses, serves to give the model a sense of scale – it’s bigger than you first realize.

The main feature of this castle is the stunning archway over the river and the balcony where the hero stands with his fair maiden. Another armed guard looks on, while the maiden’s father takes in the view. The techniques David has used to create the different trees, the variety of foliage and the bubbling churning rapids, are wonderful. A home fit for a hero!

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

If this delightful Christmasy offering is anything to go by, the Holiday Season in Nick Sweetman‘s household looks like a lot of fun or a lot of trouble. Dad has help risking life and limb hanging decorations around the fireplace. Mom sorts through the upturned box of trinkets while getting frustrated with the family dog. Little Timmy with the awesome Blacktron T-Shirt battles the cats to prevent them from demolishing the precariously balanced tree. And all the while, Tiffany seems more interested in her personal recreation time with her gadgets. Reminds me of my house growing up – nothing like decorating the house to get into the Christmas spirit. Let’s hope it’s a safe one!

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Sebastian Bachórzewski has clearly got big plans for Professor Dick von Brick’s next big adventure. Letters, maps and charts litter the Professor’s finely crafted desk. His treasures, keepsakes and plenty of books adorn the ornate bookshelves and back wall. Von Brick’s beautiful office looks like something from the beginning of an adventure film before our hero heads off on his intriguing journey filled with excitement, peril and adventure.

To know your enemy, you must become your enemy

I’m not sure who’s who in this duel by Grant Masters, let alone who is going to win. From the striking poses to the top knots in their hair, these expressionless faceless combatants belong in a Kurosawa film. Superb lighting and novel use of slopes give these graceful figures fighting stances a natural hanging clothing effect. Could this represent a battle between good and evil, the struggle between Yin and Yang, or the clash of East versus West? Who knows…

In love of home, the love of country has its rise

This beautiful digital rendering of a Victorian dream home by buggyirk is something straight out of a Dickensian novel. Stunning stained-glass windows and lively gardens draw your eyes into this delicately decorated delight, a weather vane is perched atop the pointed roof of the tower, which complements the multi-gabled roof and lovely designs under the eaves.

Inside is where this model really shines, with masterfully styled Victorian furniture including a grandfather clock, bed, bookcase with candles, baby crib, fireplace and chandelier — each on its own enough to make me want to move in, but that incredible staircase is the icing on the cake. Like many homes, its heart is in the dining room where Mother, Father and Junior enjoy a happy brick-tricious meal together. I have never wanted to own a Victorian home so badly before today.

Classic Space Command Module Crawling Thingie

Bongobert has created a retro looking classic space styled crawling command module rover whatsit. It’s caterpillar treads look like they could tear up whatever planet, moon or asteroid it was stationed on. This creature-like rover sits high allowing the pilots better visibility and better reception for the TV News-van’s worth of antennas and dishes on the roof. The DenWad has a crane apparatus capable of removing the command module, presumably allowing the vehicle itself to trek out in search of space things while the command module commands. Packed with tools to enable the astronauts to repair their monster in the field, this whatchamacallit looks like it could handle anything space could throw at it.

Modern part usage, subtle greebling and other newer techniques give it a futuristic feel while the exposed studs give the classic space feel that makes me (us?) nostalgic for the early 80s.

Check out what this marvelous little classic space machine creature is capable of.

Still round the corner there may wait, a new road or a secret gate

“Dwarven Trade in Dale” by soccorsnyderi is a brilliant little snapshot of life from J.R.R. Tolkein’s fictional city. It was inspired by the architecture of Dale from The Hobbit, as well as a rendition of Venice by fellow builders Jonas Kramm and The Brick Vader. Everything about this entry for the Traveling Salesman category of the Colossal Castle Contest is captivating. A Lord surveys the goings on from the guarded manor house while a parrot rests on a finely detailed roof, and dwarven weapon-smiths hawk their goods to eager customers in this busy little corner of Middle Earth. There is so much going for it, I can’t decide what I like the most, the angled building, the beautifully textured walls, the sloping street or the upside down roof.

The building techniques used demonstrate not only the versatility of LEGO bricks, but the builder’s clever creative techniques and attention to detail. The three buildings each have completely different designs, but clearly still belong on the same street. Did I mention they all have full interiors too?

To quote the creator himself: “The dwarves of Erebor sell many of their fine wares in Dale before continuing on their sales circuit to Mirkwood. Their skill in smithing and quarrying fine gems is well known.”

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzip!

There isn’t much to say about Dead Frog Inc‘s “Zzzzzzzzzzzzip!” that’s not described by the title. Built for the ABS Builder Challenge, this ingenious use of the required piece as the zipper teeth looks like the real thing. With no visible studs save the ones on the angled pieces at the top, from a distance it looks like the real thing, the studs only adding to the affect by creating the illusion of crumpled fabric.