About Lino

Lino is an artist, humorist, and occasional responsible adult. He is the co-founder of a challenge-based LEGO car club called LUGNuts which boasts over 1100 members worldwide. He proposed automotive building challenges every month for ten years (120 challenges!) which he and the other members built accordingly. LUGNuts has retired its challenges on its 10th anniversary but still remains a cornerstone for LEGO automotive builders. Between his artistic work and LEGO builds, Lino has been published in several books, including Beautiful LEGO, Beautiful LEGO: Dark, and Beautiful LEGO: Wild. He lives in Washington with his girlfriend and dogs.

Posts by Lino

Frogust: the bridge between Summer Joust and SHIPtember [Feature]

The LEGO Gods, the powers that be has declared this time to be Frogust. The Grand Frog, Simon Liu has been doing frog-related stuff for years now and it has definitely been noticed. It’s now a thing officially that falls conveniently between Summer Joust and SHIPtember and they invite you to join in on all the fun. You may have noticed this regal entry lately as well as this one. Even the local frogs in my neighborhood seem to be into it. Now that we’re at the dog days of summer- or should I say frog days of summer- let’s check out what others have done. Trevor Pearson-Jones starts out strong with, not quite a frog but it’s warty cousin Chief Toad Gambunta. There might be a little something extra in that pipe he’s smoking. Just sayin’.

Not to be outdone by his first entry, Trevor comes back with a tree frog that takes its name literally. This demonstrates Trevor’s ability to to not only develop great character in LEGO bricks, but also demonstrates a mastery of of building natural elements.

Hop along to see the other frogtastic entries

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Kid’s birthday party delight or nightmare fuel?

I was just minding my own business when LEGO builder Phillippe Moisan begged the question; is your inner clown light or dark? Then I was like- wait, I have an inner clown? I mean, I know I like to crack jokes and I even have a dark and brooding persona but now I’m worried I might have one of these creepy buggers inside me messing with my spleen or something. For some of us, Coulrophobia was a thing long before Stephen King penned It. Don’t get me started about John Wayne Gacy! Here’s the “light” version of this new creation seemingly inviting us to come and play.

Then once the lights are out it’s- Holy sweet jeebus! With the help of some glow-in-the-dark parts and maybe some blacklight trickery the clown reveals its true dark intentions.

Phillippe, if you haven’t already, you should reach out to The Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada to see if they’d commission your piece. The place, located beside a historic graveyard, is reputed to be haunted and even reputed to have had a murder in room 107. They really play up that creepy persona! You’d love it.

A trio of blue automotive delights [Feature]

LEGO car guru Tim Inman is on fire lately and no amount of stop, drop and rolling can squelch this blue streak to stardom. First we were wowed by this 1933 Willys Gasser. The term gasser denotes a particular style of retro drag racer known for their heightened stance and exaggerated exhaust pipes that reside usually behind the front tires. It is not named for what happens when you eat refried beans but, truth be told, it sort of sounds like that when it rips down the dragstrip. This particular model is a study in lovely teal blue.

Then we were floored shortly after when Tim dropped this Bill Thomas Cheetah prototype. As the name implies, the Cheetah was designed by, well, Bill Thomas for Chevrolet in order to dominate the Ford-sponsored Shelby Cobra. Things looked promising for the mid-engined prototype until a fire at the factory halted the project. Do I sniff a hint of competitive sabotage, maybe?

Click to see more of the Cheetah and the stunning conclusion of this blue trio

Wake the kids and the neighbors, it’s the Red Screaming Face Bug!

LEGO phenom Daniel Olvera tells us that he and his fiancé enjoy wild and creepy taxidermied bugs in shadow boxes. Having a small taxedermied bug collection myself, my antennae perked up when I saw this Lohita Grandis. It is also known as the Red Screaming Face Bug due to its, well, red screaming face pattern. Insects and other animals with a large false face do this sort of thing to scare off predators and, while I fancy myself as top of the food chain, I’m pretty sure my face would be screaming if I saw this out in the wild. It’s one of those things that’s best viewed within the protective confines of a shadow box rather than crawling in your tent at night.

Did you know it is currently Frogust?

Maestro of LEGO whimsy Maxx Davidson has declared that it’s Frogust and furthermore has stated that he and Grand Poobah co-frog-conspirator Simon Liu will increase their frog-related output. They also encourage you to join their little frog cult should the desire for doing so arise. But was it on purpose that they timed their LEGO frog uprising at the same time our amphibious friends emerge from their summer slumber? This can be confirmed with the uptick of smooshed frogs on my road and the symphony of frog calls that occur nightly. It’s certainly froggy out there! With cool build techniques such as using a LEGO watchband for the prehensile tongue, I’m beginning to see the appeal of Frogust. Plus I long to join in on the croaking symphony and flies are suddenly looking scrumptious. Should I be concerned?

This farmer and carabao exceeds our grain expectations

Summer Joust is heating up and this time the category is Farms and Fields. LEGO builder Byldan tackles the challenge in a big way in an exotic locale; The Philippines. Here we see an upscaled shirtless farmer and his trusty carabao ( Filipino water buffalo) plowing a rice paddy field. While our farmer isn’t without his charm, I’m rather smitten by the build techniques comprising the expression of the carabao’s face; and those horns are curved just right. No wonder this hard-working beast of burden is the national animal of the Philippines!

Teddy Town is the talk of the town

At a quick glance, this colorful LEGO Teddy Town built by Anne Mette Vestergård is a feast for the senses. Upon closer inspection, though, the town is broken up into quadrants divided by a river and joined in the center by a covered bridge. Maple, from the popular Animal Crossing sets revealed last year, lends a head to all the residents of this sweet little town.

Join us for a tour of Teddy Town after the jump

A 21-inch UCS-scale Geonosian Starfighter is nothing anyone asked for

In a LEGO UCS (Ultimate Collectors Series) world of X-Wings and Millenium Falcons, Lino Martins (Hey, that’s me!) builds something no one wanted or asked for. It’s a Nantex-class Geonosian Starfighter from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, also known as a beak fighter. It boasts an opening canopy and working landing gear. That is all. Oh, and it’s 21 inches long; more than 53 centimeters to the rest of the world. This marks the first time I’ve built my own LEGO creation in a couple of years, so that should suffice as chest beating and a display of dominance right up until 15 minutes from now when something bigger and better comes along.

Here it is resting on its aforementioned landing gear.

And finally, a shot showcasing the strange cockpit.

Check out official LEGO sets as well as what others have done in a formidable UCS style in our archives.

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31167 Haunted Mansion: Ghosts, graveyards, and ghoulish monsters [Review]

With its sand green coloring, assortment of ghosts and ghouls and boarded-up windows, LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31167 Haunted Mansion immediately evokes the spirit of the 10228 Monster Fighters Haunted House from 2012 – a fondly-remembered set from a much-loved theme. But does it measure up? Is it truly its spiritual successor? (See what I did there?) Read on to learn what we think. This new scary house has 736 pieces and will retail for US $89.99 | CAN $119.99 | UK £79.99 when it releases this August 1st.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Let’s haunt this old dive and see what spirits we can dig up!

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 31168 Medieval Horse Knight Castle: A kingdom of versatility [Review]

With 1371 pieces, 31168 Medieval Horse Knight Castle is the flagship of the Creator 3-in-1 line this year. Packed with play features in any configuration, and sporting a new Castle Faction – the Horse Knights – there’s a lot to enjoy. But how does it stack up compared to castles of yore? Let’s put this latest LEGO castle through its paces before it’s debut on August 1st, when you can bring it home for $129.99, US $149.99 CA, £109.99 UK.

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read the full review

Bricks of questionable character: We chat with internet phenom, Iain Heath [Interview]

We sat with LEGO meme factory, Iain Heath, who immediately revokes my Gen-X card, schools us on the not-so-subtle art of going viral, and tells us what it’s like to hobnob with celebrities. Hilarity ensued! Grab yourself a good beverage and a bag of popcorn and join us as we lift the hood and try to figure out what makes him tick. Hint: I’m pretty sure it’s London Dry Gin and Jägermeister.

TBB (Lino) Thanks for being with us, Iain. I’ve known you for many years as an artist who engages in several mediums including video making, painting, and LEGO. No matter the medium, you have been consistently irreverent and funny as all get-out. Our readers likely know you by the formidable name of Ochre Jelly (I had to google what that was). How did you choose this name and is the Ochre persona different from Iain, or are they one and the same?

IH: The name comes from a monster in D&D. Lino, as a fellow Gen X-er, I can’t believe you did not already know this, but also not have its stats memorized. For shame… I think the only fitting punishment here is to confiscate your vinyl copy of Sports by Huey Lewis and the News. Bro, do you even D20?!

IH: The name is less of a persona and more a mask to hide behind, as I think many of us online prefer to do. Some people are comfortable putting their own identity and persona front and center of their art, especially creators who make a living from it, or posting daily, or want to use their personality as part of their brand (I’m looking at YOU Lego Masters contestants!). But in my experience you are more likely to just run into people’s prejudices that way (which in my case usually means age-ism, as I am older than Cthulhu). I’d prefer to be seen as a Lego Banksy, using my art to anonymously poke fun at the world, rather than “some old dude with too much free time on his hands”. Not to say that I don’t sometimes step in front of the camera for the sake of The Bit.

Click here for more not-to-be-missed hijinks from Iain!

Our top 10 favorite LEGO creations of 2025 thus far [Feature]

We’re a bit more than halfway through the year so far and we’ve seen some amazing LEGO creations from talented builders around the globe. Normally, we’d highlight a top ten list at the end of the year and we still will. But let’s take the time to scope out what our prospects are thus far based on views and see if they remain at the top of the heap once we celebrate the new year with fireworks, champagne, kazoos and whatnot. In no particular order, here’s what we have so far.

Speaking of celebrations, LEGO fenom DeRa has two reasons to celebrate as they’ve hit our list twice. First up is this impressive RX-78-2 Gundam in all it’s primary colored glory. This formidable Gundam blasted onto the scene in January and the year and the LEGO Gundam world hasn’t been the same since.

Celebrate with more of the best LEGO creations