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

Destroy the environment with more efficiency, eh

LEGO builder Titolian brings you the formidable LumberMech M-3000. In his own words, this mech is “the finest piece of logging equipment to ever come from the forestry mechsperts of Northern Canada, this behemoth comes equipped with every tool needed to level acres upon acres of natural beauty. Its innovative internal engine runs entirely on maple syrup, making it one of the first tools that actively destroys its own fuel source. We didn’t think that one through…” Thankfully this would be the first and only time anyone has thought up a short-sighted solution to a difficult problem in the history of the world so we should be in the clear, right? It’s easy to forgive clearcutting on such a colossal scale when it’s done in an awesome plaid shirt. I mean, look at it! I’m smitten! We’ve been charmed by this builder’s work before. Check out what I mean here.

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Beelzebub says never mind the bollocks

What happens when you’re a demon from Hades but still love Dead Kennedys, The Buzzcocks, and The Sex Pistols? Well, that makes you a punk rock devil and that is precisely what Steven Wayne Howard has built with LEGO. The eyes are eyeball-printed minifigure heads situated within space helmets and are bricked upsidedown. It makes for some great expressions! This builder has dazzled us before with some neat build techniques including one recently. Check out what I mean in our archives.

When you have a lot of DUPLO and need to use it

I tend to shy away from integrating DUPLO into my LEGO collection as I perceive it as being cute, clunky, usually covered in toddler puke, and just not for the likes of serious builders like me. But then again in the hands of a talented builder such as Dwalin Forkbeard he can turn something cute and clunky into a masterful work of art. Take this currier vehicle, for instance. It uses a couple of clunky DUPLO parts and mixes “regular Legos” into it for a cohesive feel. The end result is like something out of The Fifth Element or Blade Runner. Check out the other times we’ve been totally smitten by this builder’s work. And if you’re inclined to build with DUPLO yourselves, then you’re in good company.

This Super Nintendo Entertainment System is more than meets the eye

There’s a worry that when someone builds something in LEGO that looks so much like the real thing folks may simply pass it up when scrolling through social media. We at The Brothers Brick, on the other hand, are slightly more astute than the average bear when it comes to spotting clever LEGO creations. I can assure you, fellow bears, that this creation by Julius von Brunk is a clever one. It likely would have been featured anyway if it was merely a well-built LEGO facsimile of the Super Nintendo Game Console. Normally, we’d highlight this or that sweet build technique, point out a nice parts usage here or there then move on with our day. Shampoo, rinse, repeat. But then. But then upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that each element, the game console, cartridge, and both controllers transform into robots!

Click here to see more. You know you want to!

Sometimes you just gotta make sacrifices around here

The kind of sacrifices we make nowadays involves a shorter lunch break to get more work done or maybe even buying a less flashy car in order to help put the kiddos through college. In the world of ancient Mesoamerica, however, sometimes their sacrifices involve blood, really cool pyramids, and serpent gods. Captainsmog has pieced together a LEGO creation called Sacrifice to Quetzalcoatl. With the dense jungle, imposing ziggurat, and the charming flying serpent it’s every bit as majestic as the name would imply.

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I’m down with the swirl

At a quick glance, you might see this as a charming little fantasy LEGO microscale scene. And you’d be right in that assumption. But upon closer look, that is when you realized Tom Loftus has done quite the clever thing. He has used plastic dragon trim from the Raya and Sisu Dragon set to emulate swirls on the water. The two pieces are supposed to be removed from the foil along their perforated edges, but he has left the part intact in order to create the swirling river effect. I entirely overlooked the set for having pieces seemingly useless to my needs but Tom’s clever use of interesting parts has me rethinking that strategy. It just goes to show that even the most seemingly undesirable piece can be put to clever use in just the right hands. Check out all the other times Tom has dazzled us in one way or another in our archives.

I like Pinocchio and I can not lie

Actually, I lied a little but I don’t feel my nose growing just yet so I think I’m in the clear. If I were to rank the things I like I would have to concur with Sir Mix-a-Lot and place my affinity for big butts in a tier higher than that of Pinocchio. But, BUTT still this LEGO Pinocchio bust (not butt) by Rokan Cheung is (you other brothers can’t deny) pretty legit. His little pal Jimminy Cricket has got it going on, too. I like it enough to at least check out what else Rokan has done and I’m pretty impressed, I must say. Here’s a few other busts we featured earlier including a Toy Story pair by this same builder.

First LEGO House, then LEGO Designer!

You wouldn’t even need to read this article to know that this builder is on an amazing trajectory. I mean, look at this build, it is chock full of joy and optimism. But the story is, Lee Chi Wing got this creation into an exibit in the LEGO House, which is an honor in itself. That was right before they got hired on as a LEGO Designer! Down low and rather small, you see a model of the LEGO House itself and the rest of the creation represents each colored part of the building.

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Red Rover, Red Rover, send Beat Felber on over

LEGO builder Beat Felber is a master at building massive moving vehicles with Technic. Take this Land Rover 110 for instance. He tells us that this model uses two Power Functions L-Motors for the all-wheel drivetrain and a servo motor for steering. The chassis features a hi/low gearbox which was automated using an M-Motor. Also both front and rear axle are of the solid type with differential and are spring mounted.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, here is the model posed with the real Land Rover. The car was used as a fire engine for about twenty-five years until Beat bought the vehicle in 2017.The car is called ‘Grisu’, named after an Italian cartoon figure of a dragon who wanted to become a firefighter. Be sure not to miss out on some other Technic vehicles from this builder in our archives.

Send my mail to Stormhaven

In the tiny settlement of Stormhaven, there is a post office built on platforms that raise above mangrove flats on wooden stilts. It’s like the opening line to a really great pirate novel, isn’t it? That is the kind of adventure Ayrlego has in store for us with this charming LEGO creation. He alludes that there has been a pirate raid last year but you wouldn’t know it as the denizens here seem quite at peace. I love the textures of the roof and siding. The raised docks and aforementioned mangrove trees are both excellent touches. I want to live in this world for a little while, even if just to collect my mail at this amazing little post office. Fanciful historical architecture and incidentally more than a few post offices seems to be Ayrlego’s thing. Settle in to see what I mean in our archives.

Kim Kardashian gets LEGO-ified as Iain tries to break the internet...again!

Leave it to The Brothers Brick alumni Iain Heath to have his finger on the pulse of what’s hot at a very particular moment. And leave it to us to chronicle it days after the rest of the internet has already moved on to the next latest and greatest thing. Take, for instance, this LEGO creation of Kim Kardashian soaking up the spotlight at the 2021 Met Gala in what Iain thinks might be a bunraku-inspired outfit. My guess is bunraku isn’t even in her vocabulary but then again, since I misplaced my invite to the Met Gala, I didn’t ask her. But still, this is the kind of attention-seeking antics one can expect from a woman whose mother promoted her own daughter’s sex tape for profit and fame. As to why Iain is so hungry for attention, I don’t know, you’d have to ask him. What am I, Dr. Phil?

For reference, here is a couple of photos of Kim in her unsettling outfit.

This wouldn’t be the first time Iain and Kim Kardashian had crossed paths. He’s LEGO-fied her before but it seems we didn’t publish it, probably for reasons. But, BUT, BUTT you can Google it your damned self and it definitely won’t be disappointing.

THIS IS SPAAAAAARTA!!!!!!!!

I’m normally a stickler for proper grammar and punctuation but as anyone giving away a box of old shoes on Craiglist can attest, sometimes you really gotta yell to get your point across. That means all-caps and lots of exclaimation points. You can forgive my yelling when it comes to this LEGO Leonidas of Sparta bust built by George Panteleon. Any mention of Leonidas or Sparta pretty much brings out the wrestling voice in everyone. George’s LEGO building skills are worthy of all the excitement anyway. Click here to see what I mean. If after that you’re not climbing to the top of Mt. Olypmus and yelling the praises of George’s skills then maybe, just maybe, you don’t have a pulse.