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

A dastardly duo of freaky-deaky bots

In a LEGO world of massive castles and spaceships sometimes it’s refreshing to see little things that are well built. Take this duo of odd little bots created by the enigmatic R 194, for example. First, we see the very expressive Spear Soldier.

Next, we have my personal favorite, the Highway Disturber. It’s like a mythical creature with its unicorn horn.

What is the purpose of these two? Why does the spear soldier look so sad? How does Highway Disturber disturb the highway, exactly? The builder offers no explanation so these little bots propose more questions than answers. Pretty cray-cray, right? Sometimes ya just gotta stop asking questions and go with it.

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The hell-ridin’ Hemogoblin within all of us

If my Instagram stream is any indicator, anyone with a plunging neckline or pimples to pop can be an internet influencer. But it takes a special kind of genius to be as influential as LEGO builder Eero Okkonen. With his amazing characters, he has most certainly influenced dozens of other builders, all without resorting to even a hint of cleavage. Here we see Hemogoblin, who hauls oxygen along the Aorta Highway on his badass dirtbike. Oh, and it turns out he lives inside each of us and is actually helpful. So, yeah. To see this genius at work, check out our Eero Okkonen archives; the guy is super-prolific and you won’t be disappointed. As for me, I haven’t built anything in a while and have to resort to cheap, lurid gimmicks to hold any shred of influence I may still have. Time for me to put on a skimpy top, pop some zits and watch the profits roll in!

The Jury is out and we’re probably screwed

A LEGO builder who goes by the wackadoodle name of MySnailEatsPizza has concocted this Bionicle creature called The Jury. They tell us that this is a “Divine Automaton responsible for seeking truth and evaluating guilt”. They go on to say it is “composed of many consciousnesses, its single eye pierces the soul”. That settles it then. I’m pretty sure they know it was me who opened a bottle of dish soap in The Brothers Brick hot tub. Admittedly some maturity could have gone a long way but I definitely didn’t leave a whoopee cushion on Andrew’s office chair so don’t get that idea in your heads.

This stunning U-Boat has roughly 15,000 LEGO pieces and removable hull panels

Sometimes something comes along that has us simply awestruck. That would be the case with this stunning LEGO 1/38 scale U-BOOT TYP VII C built by Ciamosław Ciamek. This model has roughly 15,000 pieces and is about 70 inches or 177 centimeters long. It also took staggering four-and-a-half years to build. In case you were wondering this is the same type of U-Boat from the Das Boot movie, which, in my opinion, is one of the tensest and most exhilarating movies ever made; a worthy watch if you haven’t seen it already. The hull panels can be removed on both the port and starboard sides. Here’s a view with the port panels removed to view the interior spaces.

dive deeper to see more

This mini Brick Bank won’t break the bank

Back in 2015, LEGO came out with 10251 Modular Bank set. It retailed for $170 back then but, like most good investments, it appreciated in value and you’d have to shell out more than twice as much nowadays to get your greasy mitts on one. Or, adversely, you can do what Marion Weintraut has done and build a scaled-down version of it. Whether it be the archways, the corner clock or the little ladder out front, she doesn’t miss a detail with this tiny bank. There’s been a slew of microscale set remakes lately and we’re a little thrilled about it. Actually a lot thrilled, but the retro set remakes are still little. That came out weird but you know what I mean!

Ask and you shall receive a hedgehog

Not too long ago, LEGO builder Hejjo Demkowicz asked his Instagram friends to come up with ideas for him to build. Soon after they suggested a hedgehog and now we’re all better off for it. I mean, who can resist that cute little face? Asking friends for creative suggestions is such a neat thing as people (who are not your own self) will think of the darndest things. It’s a test of your meddle to successfully come up with what they suggest. Sometimes they can be doozies! This looks to be the start of what might be a long string of suggestions from Hejjo’s friends. With ideas this good, we look forward to whatever else Hejjo might have in store.

A Bathynomus giganteus mech for all your Bathynomus giganteus needs

By a show of hands, who here demanded to see a Bathynomus giganteus mech made with LEGO? Really, am I the only one? Well, frankly I didn’t ask for it either but now that I see this fantastic creation by Mitsuru Nikaido I’m compelled to share it with you all. The real-life counterpart is not some extinct dinosaur, but rather a living, breathing deep-sea creature common in cold waters. While they typically reach a length between 7.5 and 14.2 inches, some can grow up to 20 inches long. With that segmented complex carapace, compound eyes and seven sets of pereiopods what’s not to love, really? I am not doubting your intelligence (heck, I barely get by with the help of Google) but it is possible that just a moment ago you knew nothing of such a creature and now its likeness is forever burned into your posterior parietal cortex. You’re welcome, I guess? Nituru has a distinct style and a knack for building some very interesting creatures both familiar and bizarre.

Celebrate independence in the heart of Philadelphia

Independence Day has already passed here in the US but that doesn’t mean we can’t be smitten by Rocco Buttliere’s stunning new LEGO creation. Independence Hall played a crucial role in the founding of the United States, as its storied assembly rooms witnessed the signing of both the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitution in 1787. I’m loving the trees and the impressive Colonial Georgian Architecture. Rocco’s signature on the handsome, well-appointed base is a nice touch indeed. While microscale, this smallish (for Rocco) creation doesn’t diminish the grand setting of Philadelphia’s old city center. That is this builder’s specialty, really; building absolutely grand things on a small scale. Please check out our Rocco Buttliere archives to see what I mean.

Solve the Blue Mystery of Neptune’s Garden

One thing legendary LEGO builder Bart De Dobbelaer is quite good at is taking us to unique alien worlds. Take Neptune’s Garden, for instance. Whether it be the eerily luminescent jellyfish or the shale-like rocky structures, I can easily get lost in all these amazing details right up until I run out of oxygen, which wouldn’t be very long. Bart tells us that ocean exploration is dangerous (well, duh!) but when Blue Mystery manufactured their OFE (Ocean Floor Exploration) units, a new world opened up. It turns out there’s big money in ocean exploration as Blue Mystery emerged as a Fortune 500 company. But many of their autonomous units were lost to the depths, never to be seen again. The company went under both figuratively and literally. What happened? Did they find something that would best be kept hidden?

Care to plumb the depths?

Death moves on many legs

Of all the ways Death can arrive, and some of them admittedly icky, this version, built by LEGO Bionicle builder Will Hafner, moves on many legs. This…inhuman centipede…is a thing that fuels nightmares. The trans-light blue and gold color scheme is rather neat though. It was created for Bio-Cup which is currently heating up like Georgia asphalt in July. Since it presently is July my hokey colloquialism finally makes sense. Here’s to small miracles! Now if you wish to avoid an icky demise from this creepy crawler I recommend you put an egg in your shoe and beat it.

LEGO is soft on space travel

Don’t adjust your screens; that is not a LEGO minifigure someone left in a microwave to see what would happen. You’re looking at a Ted Andes creation of an up-sized remote control space rover built for a plush Lenny. Despite being a seasoned writer for The Brothers Brick, I didn’t know these LEGO plushies were a thing until like two minutes ago. I’m apparently the wrong demographic, but they’ve been all the rage with youngins for a few years now. Look, I never said I was attuned to what the kiddos are into; I don’t even know what kind of bourbon they like. Anyway, while you’re trying to figure out how a TBB volunteer can be given the pink slip, check out these other works by Ted Andes whom, it turns out, is a master at making unusual parts seem pretty cool.

Don’t tell anyone but if I had a plushie Lenny I’d probably give him an occasional squeeze for good luck.

A resto-modded homage to Blue Fury

Way back in 1995 LEGO came out with the Model Team 5541 Blue Fury set and hot rodding enthusiasts were revved into high gear. It’s sort of like how normies are thrilled whenever a cool Star Wars or Batman set comes out. LEGO must have heard the roar of our engines because they released it again in 2004 and we once again lost our collective shiznit. Clearly BHBricks knows what I mean. They have crafted the Blue Fury II, a modern homage to the classic set. The front tires are from the new Vespa set. I’m loving the engine and the sick pipes, but then again I would. And you really can’t go wrong with that iconic blue and red.

If you’re loving Blue Fury II as much as I am, then check out what the other sick LEGO hot rodders have done, including a few pretty old offerings from yours truly.

About Lino

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