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

Filling a void from 2005

Back when Youtube was founded and Hurricane Katrina was running amok in New Orleans, The Brothers Brick alum Nannan Zhang entered an Imperial Voidfighter spaceship into a LEGO contest of yore. The original entry was…modest to be sure but I’m certain, like fans of The Pussycat Dolls and Lifehouse, we were all quite thrilled at the time. Fast-forward more than seventeen years later and Nannan improved that design considerably. I like that it resembles a particularly mean crustacean with a badass Imperial color scheme.

Nannan goes on to tell us that the cockpit features a pilot minifig with an extremely rare dark bluish-gray Snowtrooper helmet from around 2010. (Only 2 known in existence!) That is as rare as fans of Lifehouse nowadays. Adversely, Don’t Cha by The Pussycat Dolls is still a thumpin’ jam and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on! Dontcha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me? I bet you do! While many of us are by now grayer, paunchier and hopelessly out-of-touch with what the kids are into these days, Nannan Zhang still remains a vital and highly influential builder. Click the little blue link to see what I mean.

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 prattling party of prolix parrots

With this lively new LEGO creation by manuele vidi, I can just imagine the chatter and gossip these plucky parrots must be getting into. On the other hand, the builder is a person of few words, providing only the singular caption; “Life”. It’s actually a perfect way to describe a tree (alive) full of talkative parrots (very much alive). With creations this animated we look forward to whatever else this builder may jabber on about.

Rabbit, rabbit burning bright!

In case you didn’t know, 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. LEGO builder ArzLan sure as heck knows it and they’ve sculpted a rather sinister-looking rabbit along with a scrolled hieroglyph representing rabbit. It’s neat but I can’t help but wonder what mischief this rabbit has in store for us in 2023. The internet says that people born in the Year of the Rabbit usually have soft and tender personality traits but this rabbit seems to have a few tricks up its sleeve. Were you born in the Year of the Rabbit? If so, do you possess the gentle personality traits the internet says you may have, or do you have a devious streak? Let us know in the comments because enquiring minds want to know.

The War Owl brings death from above! And sometimes chewed-up rats.

A LEGO builder who goes by the dubious name of The One and Only Mr. R has built the War Owl and now we’re not sure if it’s safe to go out at night. From the builder; “Throughout the galaxy, the War Owl is feared for its tendency to shoot first and establish communication channels later. The ship is the property of the pirate Captain Abelard Otus, and its flight and attack patterns are aided by its onboard navigation robot.” In other words, it doesn’t give a hoot about your safety and well-being. He goes on to say that this is the largest model he’s ever built, at about 66 studs wide and 46 studs long, and probably a few thousand pieces. Well, Mr. R, we look forward to more wild and wonderful builds by you. In the meantime, watch the skies and never go out after 7 pm. That’s when the crazies come out!

Cut through the competition at Cutlass Cove

A LEGO builder with the clever name of EMazingbrix has created a little diorama using six Minifig swords. Now, this is a conundrum because, for the life of me, I can only spot five. I see three trees, the serrated ridge to the far right, and the little boat sail. I’m still stumped on the sixth. There’s probably a passage in a survival manual somewhere stating that not spotting a weapon in plain sight is counterproductive in terms of longevity. Still, I’m flummoxed. OK, EMazingbrix, I give up. Where’s the sixth…(Schick!)…oooooh!

Shibl Al’Asad likely won’t be coming back for this temple

While this palatial LEGO waterfront property built by Andreas Lenander boasts fabulous natural light, and a glorious open floor plan, it is listed on Zillow as abandoned. It is also brimming with lion cubs, which could explain how the Abandoned Temple of Shibl Al’Asad may have become abandoned. I mean, seriously, it is now one helluva cat box and I don’t think Shibl Al’Asad will be coming back for it anytime soon. Still, I can’t help loving the impressive build techniques, palm trees, and dense vegetation. It seems to be an oasis amid a barren desert wasteland. Also, among all the feline chicanery and canoodling, there is a bovine calf hidden in plain sight. Can you spot it?

Time to bring back New Wave and parachute pants? We think so!

If you have the sudden urge to don a yellow vinyl jumpsuit and some eyeliner and listen to Devo, Gary Numan, or A Flock of Seagulls it may have something to do with this new LEGO creation by Duncan Lindbo. It’s called Synthwave Sunset and with its bold lines, bright colors, and computer grid graphics it most certainly has an 80s synth-wave feel. It nearly resembles the Suncoast Video logo or something from the Outrun video game. Whatever the inspiration, Duncan really captures the 80s vibe nicely. By the way, the three aforementioned New Wave bands are still producing work in the modern age so maybe it’s time to bring back parachute pants. While you’re mulling that over, check out what else Duncan Lindbo has been up to lately.

Joss rings in the new year with a roar

On the final day, in the final throes of 2022, LEGO builder Joss Woodyard presents The Cloud Beast. While most of us would like to leave 2022 in the rearview mirror, it might be good to reflect back on the amazing techniques this build encompasses. I love the use of the cloth sails as well as the stance, colors, and tail of this build loosely based on the Chinese Guardian Lion or “Foo Dog”. The expression is great too. But the star of the show here is a detail I would have missed if Joss didn’t point it out himself. His favorite detail is the LEGO plant sprue used as the lips. It is next-level building like this that makes Joss Woodyard one of our favorite all-time builders. Please check out his other creatures; you won’t be disappointed.

Nevermind the dishes, we have castles to build!

At first glance, I was thinking these dishes are piling up and someone ought to do something about that. But then upon closer inspection of this LEGO creation by Filbrick, I realized someone has brought that beautiful outdoor view into the kitchen sink. The stack of plates makes pretty good towers, and the inverted red cups replicate the tower toppers nicely. The cutting board even makes an excellent drawbridge and the sink itself acts as the moat. I’m also fond of the stove burners to the right and the use of forced perspective is pretty ingenious. If my kitchen window above the sink had a better view than a little ramshackle house of a guy who died last February, I might consider stacking my dishes in such a way. But for now, check out the filbrick archives to see other clever and imaginative LEGO creations.

Socks and sandals on the beach? Ridiculous!

Somehow I find the concept of socks and sandals on the beach more unsettling than an anthropomorphic airplane on vacation. That’s the conundrum that Nathan Hake presents with this new LEGO creation titled Arby the A320. I mean, have you tried to rinse sand out of socks? Nathan tells us the build started life as sort of a flying mechanism but this particular plane was way too heavy for the task. With its wings folded over, the aircraft looked to the builder like it was very tired and was having a little rest. So he gave it legs and declared it to be on vacation because everyone needs some time off, even planes. Despite the footwear fashion faux pas, I’m really on board with this. I like the little hat; practicality at its finest! Check out our archives to discover why Nathan Hake is sometimes silly, sometimes fun, but always interesting.

A picture-perfect LEGO chocolate dessert

Full disclosure: When I started to write this article, I reached for a chocolate stocking-stuffer holiday treat. That’s how good these LEGO desserts by Mikael Montelius looked to me. The execution is simple, yet elegant. Minifig hairpieces make for excellent truffles and the use of brown and tan makes it all seem like delicious chocolate and nougat. The brown ingots giving the appearance of a breakable, sharable chocolate bar is just; chef’s kiss! It’s almost too tempting to break off a piece for real. As it turns out, brown LEGO — especially older brown pieces — are known to be quite brittle. As mouth-watering as this appears to be, I wouldn’t recommend eating LEGO, though — it’s not as satisfying as you’d think. However, what is satisfying is a delicious romp through our LEGO food archives but I recommend grabbing a snack first.

In the Realms of Unreality, your wish is my trophy

Even if this wasn’t for a contest we’d feature this LEGO Genie anyway because: 1) it was built by Markus Rollbüller and whatever that guy does turns to gold and 2) see reason 1. I mean, do you really need another reason? He was named The Brothers Brick Builder of the Year in 2021 so you know he’s got to be good. But if you need another reason to love this Genie, it is a trophy that can be had over at Brickscalibur if you enter and win in the Realms of Unreality Category. Be sure to refine those rendering skills as this is a digital-only category. Despite this fact, this trophy is not merely smoke and mirrors but actual LEGO bricks that you can presumably rub in the privacy of your own home. While you’re mulling over those possibilities, check out why, as TBB writers, Markus Rollbüller makes our wishes come true.