Category Archives: LEGO

You’d probably expect a lot of the posts on a LEGO website like The Brothers Brick to be about LEGO, and you’d be right. If you’re browsing this page, you might want to consider narrowing what you’re looking for by checking out categories like “Space” and “Castle.” We’re sure there’s something here that’ll fascinate and amaze you.

Johnny Thunder returns to the Amazon and those ruins have never looked better

For those of us who grew up with LEGO playsets,  there’s a charm to the mix of accessories, side builds, and play features that could turn a modest number of elements into endless possibilities. Clayton (sunroombricks) is one of a growing wave of builders who are leaning into retro aesthetics, and for this builder, Adventurers is the theme that continues to inspire. Clayton’s latest project is a remake of 5986 Amazon Ancient Ruins. All of the original play features are present, and then some. The build utilizes modern colors and elements while retaining classic LEGO design principles.

Here you can see a hobbled together version of the original set that Clayton dug up to introduce to his kids. That molded base plate brings back memories!

Read on for more pics of Clayton’s update to this Adventurers classic!

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Taking on an Empire, one base at a time

Nobody said that taking on an Empire would be easy. As stated in Karis Nemik’s manifesto: “The frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere, and even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.” On an unnamed forest planet, Bolim59 brings this truth to light as Rebel freedom-fighters play their part in slowing down the ever-growing oppressive Imperial regime. This appears to be a two-team sabotage mission, fronted by Rebels obviously dressed in the coolest Star Wars garb (seriously, the Battle-Ready Lucy headgear usage here is perfect), and a lightsaber-wielding Rebel that looks eerily similar to a former Jedi padawan we’ve seen before.

Of course, no one should attempt the perfect heist alone. Bolim’s build is a collaboration with Jonas Gohlke (oblivion_builder) who builds another target, a data center, where Rebels are liberating details about Imperial shipments. Both builders are adept at creating unique Imperial architecture that expands on what’s been depicted on screen but feels right at home in the Star Wars sandbox. The mix of curves and harsh angles on Jonas’ build are especially pleasing.

We wish these Rebels the best of luck, and remember this: “One single thing will break the siege.”

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.

Vince Toulouse takes flight with this owl-inspired retro-futuristic airplane

For over a decade, French AFOL Vincent Gachod (aka Vince Toulouse) has been turning heads with retro-futuristic vehicles that take advantage of the latest LEGO curves to blend tech with biological design. His latest design wonder is the C4-Owl, a ten-engine plane that is ready to soar in sand and dark blues. That distinctive cockpit uses corner windows from the Botanical Gardens and those 10 shiny chrome propellers hail from early aughts Jack Stone sets.

C4-Owl

I love the mix of retro whimsy, like the little bicycle wheel under the tailfin, and the two organic exhausts coming out of the rear fuselage.

C4-Owl

The design evokes one of Vincent’s spectacular convention builds from 2022, only that larger passenger plane used insect wings and antennae instead of 92 feathers.

Beetle Skyvan maiden flight

We interviewed Vincent back in 2017 about his distinctive deco style, which you can read here.

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.

Cooking up a Waffle House in LEGO for my modern city [Guest Feature]

Hi there, my name is Jan, username wooootles, and I am excited to contribute to The Brothers Brick for the first time! A short introduction: I am a huge fan of LEGO, and I tend to focus on MOCS- particularly LEGO City. I was fortunate to have LEGO as a kid, but my interest in the hobby really started to take off with the release of the first modulars: 10182 Café Corner and 10185 Green Grocer. My passion went into overdrive when I discovered Bricklink around the same time, just after getting my first paychecks as a working adult!

I’ve built car and house MOCs, but I’ve really focused on building and honing my MOC skills in big apartments and modular-sized skyscrapers. Wasabi District, my city layout, has been the result of nearly a decade of slowly building a super modern-style City layout, something that I think is uncommon in the Lego social media world.

While growing my layout with tall modern buildings has always been my core interest, that doesn’t mean that I can’t take a break from those once in a while, and my most recent example of this is my Waffle House build!

Let’s fire up the jukebox and pour us some LEGO waffles!

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.

LEGO Coraline is cute as a button

Henry Selick’s Coraline is an animated masterpiece that gets better with every viewing, scary and beautiful in equal measure. The young heroine’s design with her blue hair and yellow raincoat pops on the big screen and in LEGO courtesy of Kaylie (ohlego). The builder captures Coraline’s skeptical and childlike spirit with the offset mouth, and the asymmetrical hair. All she’s missing is some button eyes – then she can be happy forever!

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 Predator fresh from the Badlands, an Alien destined to be prey

Predators and Aliens are both having a moment with Predator: Badlands, Predator: Killer of Killers, and Alien: Earth, each giving the sci-fi staples a jolt of creative energy. Of course, these two franchises never go out of style as inspiration for LEGO creators. Haru_bonks is the latest AFOL to tackle the movie monsters. The builder incorporates elements from Bionicle, Hero Factory, Knights Kingdom, and Technic alongside System details.

The Predator’s head and shoulders are my favorite part of the build, packed with detail and excellent shaping. The Hero Factory insect mask for the Predator’s helmet is an inspired choice, as is a One Ring decoration on one of the locs. Of course a Predator this armed to the teeth needs something to hunt…

See Haru’s Alien and the inevitable face off after the break!

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 sunny estate provides solace between wars for this LEGO lord

It’s been far too long since we’ve spotlighted a build by Ayrlego, an Australian AFOL specializing in historical builds that span centuries and cultures. It’s been a while since Ayrlego has shared a larger build, but he’s back as part of “Brethren of the Brick Seas” role-play setting hosted by Eurobricks. The challenge for this chapter was “Homecoming,” and here Ayrlego shows the estate of Basil Vatatzes. The sunbaked bricks and terra cotta roof create modest grandeur where one can easily imagine fields of olive trees and ancient grape vines on the noble’s lands. Wands on their sprues create detailed railings, while a judicious use of SNOT techniques allows for elegant tilework around the windows.

Homecoming

Here we see a closeup of the estate’s owner. As the build is part of a role-playing challenge, of course, Ayrlego comes with excellent lore:

Widowed in his earlier years, Basil raised two sons who have since carved their own paths: one as a soldier in the imperial legions, the other as a clerk in the imperial court. His recent remarriage to Yazinta, a Mogholay woman and daughter of a prosperous trader, has raised eyebrows among the local land owners. Yazinta Vatatzaina, herself a widow with no children, brings a quiet dignity and worldly insight to Basil’s household, challenging the insular traditions of Pyrite aristocracy.

Basil Vatatzes - Character Intro

For more wonderful castles and other historical builds, check out our Ayrlego archive.

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.

These Spanish locomotives in LEGO are positively electric

Some trains traverse continents but more often than not, locomotives are built for more regional markets. The trains a railfan sees every day in Spain are completely different from those seen next door in Portugal, for example. That’s what I love about LEGO train builders – the models aren’t just feats of brick engineering, but a story grounded in a sense of place. Take these two latest builds from Julián (Ferro-Friki), a train aficionado from Spain. The builder’s latest are two electric locomotives from Spain’s state-owned rail company Renfe, based on designs from Mitsubishi. First is the Renfe Class 251, of which only 30 were ever produced. In addition to capturing the detailed shaping, Julián had to overcome the technical challenge of a three-bogie wheel configuration that is capable of handling curves.

LEGO RENFE S-251 MOC

Next is the Renfe S-269 in Estrella livery. Dubbed “La Japonesa” locally, this versatile locomotive could be used for both freight and passenger lines, and that versatility meant the 269 could be found all across Spain in its heyday. Now retired by Renfe, the engines can still be found in use with private tour operators.

LEGO Renfe S-269 Estrella MOC

Julián worked on the two locomotives throughout 2025, starting with renders before completing the physical builds and outfitting them with motors. Check out the builder’s Flickr page to keep up with what Julián is working on next!

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.

Casey McCoy’s Moments of Melancholy sequence is a celebration of life, color, and music in LEGO

LEGO has always been an inherently creative medium, but it’s less often that LEGO creations are used to explore the human condition. Seeing Casey McCoy’s Moments of Melancholy builds, it’s hard not to be moved – both by the skill of the builder and by the emotions evoked by the abstract cube people that represent stages of life.

Casey completed the first three Moments in 2023. The first, “Die in your arms,” won the Best Vignette and contributed to Casey earning the Brickworld Master accolade at Brickworld Chicago while a second, “Growing on You,” was selected to be displayed at LEGO House. (Casey was interviewed about this incredible year of accomplishments over on BrickNerd).  Casey’s work on the remaining three continued through 2023-2024, but it wasn’t until last month that shared photographs of the full sequence. The builds are shared below along with insights from Casey about their creation.

Casey’s Moments of Memory begin after the break

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.

Nexopirate castle welcomes cyber sailors in the sky

Jente Bijl brings whimsy and wonder to every build with a singular way of playing with color and form. Her latest work, NEXOPIRATES, which debuted at LEGO World Utrech, maintains that record with a monolithic station for flying skiffs in a cyberpunk setting. Take away the ribbons of fluorescent color and you’d have an impressive neo-brutalist building where walls lean at odd angles, finding beauty in chaos. Statues of a centaur and a gargoyle add to the dreamlike design. I wonder what sights those flying boats see over the horizon?

NEXOPIRATES

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 Monday Mosaic of Byzantine Bricks

According to scholars, mosaics in the LEGO medium flourished between the years 2020-2022, but believe it or not, people were making mosaic art long before this, especially during the Byzantine Empire. Joël Jurg, history student and AFOL, recreates the famous mosaic portrait of Emperor Justinian I as seen in the Basilica of San Vitale. Joël wrote his undergraduate thesis on Justinian’s construction project in Constantinople (Istanbul), including the Hagia Sophia, which also looks incredible in LEGO.

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.

We’re wowed by this wonderful wizard

There are few builders that can create dynamic characters from LEGO like Trevor Pearson-Jones. The shapes and expressions he creates can feel almost magical. Case in point, this wizard conjuring up a giant, flaming 2×2 LEGO brick.

I Cast Firebrick

Coming in close on the wizard, I have to marvel at how few pieces actually make up the fleshy bits of the wizard’s face while still communicating a full character. Of course, those pieces get a boost from the large amount of sculpted facial hair and, surprisingly, some dental work.

I Cast Firebrick

And that magic brick uses various transparent plate colors to such awesome effect, I think I’d be afraid to touch it if I saw it in real life, lest I burn my finger.

I Cast Firebrick

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.