Category Archives: Feature

The Brothers Brick is not just about showcasing the best fan builds and bringing you the latest LEGO News, we also love to investigate, interview and discuss! These featured articles are all interesting articles that you can look back and enjoy reading.

SHIPtember 2025 – Builders boldly go [Feature]

September is one of my favorite times of year… not just as the start to cooler weather, leading to the best season of all, Fall; but also for the month-long LEGO building challenge known as SHIPtember. The goal is to build a spaceship that measures at least 100 studs in any dimension: length, width, or height. Or even diagonally (like a Borg cube). The only other constraint is that you must complete your ship within one month. The SHIP in SHIPtember stands for Seriously Huge Investment in Parts, and it shows in the final ships, which can stretch beyond the minimum into the 200-300 stud range. Having participated in SHIPtember for the last 10+ years, I can personally attest to both the challenge and the satisfaction in pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone as a LEGO builder, not to mention the incredibly supportive and collaborative community of SHIP builders around the world.

This year, the Brothers Brick will be taking a closer look at SHIPtember in the coming weeks, checking in with builders and sharing starships in progress before rounding up the SHIPs that launch for the stars at the end of the month.

Before we start our week one coverage, I should mention that some SHIPs are already done, as some builders, like college students, may not have full access to their collections during September, and start their SHIPs in August. As long as the builds stick to the 1-month requirement, they are every bit as eligible as those under construction now. I will also be sharing my own SHIPtember progress each week, at the end of each feature. With that out of the way, let’s jump into SHIPtember 2025 week 1!

Launch into our week 1 coverage

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For Victory, For Glory, For Power- For the Honor of LEGO Bionicle Glatorians!

From reimagined Classic Space sets to a prize machine full of retro tributes, LEGO offers no shortage of nostalgic tributes and easter eggs to minifig-scale themes from the past. Bionicle, despite being the line that saved LEGO from bankruptcy, only received an odd GWP. Among AFOLs, however, Bionicle inspires a growing wave of creativity as the generation that collected those capsules, mastered the flash web games, and pored over the lore of Spherus Magna and beyond come into their own. One of the builders at the forefront of the Bionicle MOC renaissance is Dan V, whose latest project is a reimagining of 2009’s Glatorian line of characters. Dan blends System bricks, modern Constraction elements, classic Bionicle parts to update the figures with an adult fan’s eye for detail.

The Skrall are a warrior species who battled the Glatorians and later sets would give names to some of the faction, but this guy was just “Skrall.” He introduced the maze-patterned shield that is easily one of my favorite elements in any Bionicle set. Dan expends on the shield’s saw-blades and adds an extra pair of Skrull sword arms, evoking an evil spin on Marvel’s Iron-Spider suit.

Strakk is a Prime Glatorian of the Ice Tribe. Dan gives his axe an upgrade and replaces the Thornax launcher with a freezing cannon.

See the rest of Dan’s Glatorian warriors, reimagined with modern parts and technqiues

Tiny builds, big imagination. Talking bricks with Dan Ko [Interview]

Longtime readers of The Brothers Brick will definitely be familiar with the builds of Jordan Jivkov, better known as Dan Ko, one of the most prolific builders of recent years, who specializes in small models that are packed with personality and wit. He honed his skills as an Iron Builder and continues to show up in LEGO challenges like Brickscalibur and the Rogue Olympics. It’s no surprise he’s been featured here dozens of times since 2020. In addition to sharing his models, Dan has also been generous with sharing ad-hoc instructions for his most popular builds. This month Dan is starting a new venture: a website where Dan can release free digital instructions every week for delightful builds that can be made from a modest collection of parts. We thought this would be the perfect time to catch up with Dan on his site, his journey as a builder, and the state of LEGO fandom.

Click for our interview with Dan and some of our favorites of his tiny builds

Let’s crash the castle with these mighty LEGO minifigs and their custom gear [Minifig Monday]

For minifig fans, there are few themes as enduring as the medieval knight. Classic castle themes brought the age of chivalry to LEGO back in 1978, and the factions introduced since then continue to grow to this day (you can even invent your own, like the chicken knights, with the Minifigure Factory). Today we’re taking another look at knights with a special focus on customized weapons and armor made from 100% LEGO parts.

Many minifig creators these days are inspired by the dark gothic settings of FromSoftware’s games. Natashia (motherofcatdragons) pays tribute to Elden Ring’s Night’s Cavalry, armed with a perfect flail.

Sandman_BrickStudio is a new face on the custom minifig scene but already creating some incredible characters. This helmet crest technique is brilliant, as is the truly epic two-handed sword design.

Red Impala repurposes a fencing helmet to equip this holy crusader. The ayers of cloth on the armor are so clean and effective. It would be a pity if this knight got blood on them.

Our celebration of medieval weapons and armor continues…

From the Caribbean to the Grand Line, these fantastic LEGO pirates are ready to plunder [Minifig Monday]

2025 is turning out to be the best year for LEGO pirates since Barracuda Bay opened for business. Fun One Piece playsets, a gorgeous new Black Pearl, collectible minifigs, and let’s not forget that One-Eyed Willy’s pirate ship is currently in design. September is also a big month for pirate minifigs with two contests running that fans of Minifig Monday will want to take note of, including one that The Brothers Brick is sponsoring. But first, let’s have a look at some amazing pirate-themed minifig creations that have come on our radar lately, as well as a few classic creations.

This week’s cover image comes courtesy of Garret (2p_figs), who created the post-apocalyptic pirate crew above with some inspiration from Waterworld. Garret also created this cursed clown pirate that incorporates some incredible parts usage at minifig scale. The Illithid head from D&D is perfectly employed as an octopus, and the pony tail looks great as a sash.

Click to follow the map to more incredible pirate figures from the community

Scott Wilhelm kicks off SHIPtember 2025 slick summer star cruiser

SHIPtember is an annual AFOL tradition where space builders challenge themselves to create a spacecraft that’s at least 100 studs long, built entirely during September. “SHIP” refers both to spaceship but is also an acronym for “Seriously Huge Investment in Parts.” Simon Liu helped start the trend 12 years ago, and for LEGO space fans, it’s a highlight of the year. Scott Wilhelm is one of the original participants and an event regular. But Scott’s love of SHIPs is too great to contain to just one month. At Brickworld, Scott debuted the Noctem Æternus, a dark blue behemoth measuring 105 studs long.

See more of Scott’s bonus SHIP as we set a course for SHIPtember 2025

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

Happy Plant Madness takes cuteness to strange new places

LEGO Botanicals 10349 Happy Plants is a truly delightful set, and one that invites creative builders to remix in their own way. Our reviewer swapped out the shrubs with custom bonsai, for example. But why stop there? Why not replace your plants with toast? Or… tentacles? For the #happyplantmadness collab some AFOL friends decided to push the set’s cuteness to its limits with custom creations. Keep your green thumbs inside the vehicle as we tour these madcap flowerpots!

Thundrabuilds turns the blue planter into an adorable toaster. The little fella is ready for his bath. I’m sure this will go swimmingly.

The prolific and wickedly funny Trevor Pearson-Jones shares a version of the blue planter who never skips leg day. Yellow planter is still smiling even as it’s reduced to its buff buddy’s loincoth.

The happy plants keep smiling after the fold

Get ready to showdown with these LEGO samurai, ninja, and cyber-ronin [Minifig Monday]

When LEGO moved the Castle theme from Europe to Japan in 1998 with sets like Flying Ninja Fortress (one of my top 5 all time favorite sets!), the theme brought with it a slew of new minifig elements, like katanas, golden antlers, and samurai armor. In the years since, Ninjago has tapped Asian history and pop culture for even more accessories from Edo era and beyond. This week we bring you a roundup of custom samurai-inspired figs showcasing parts old and new.

Michał Dziadosz gets us started with Master Hirotaka…

Once a general feared on the battlefield, Hirotaka now walks the path of the lone swordsman, bound not by loyalty to lords, but to his own code. His golden katana, earned through a lifetime of victory, gleams like the setting sun before a storm. Behind him follows the whisper of silk a reminder of the life he left behind, and the woman who still watches from the shadows

Michał’s fig was a collaboration with Expansion Bricks, who presents the kensei, literally “sword saint,” an honorary title for master swordsmen and followers of bushido. Note the fig’s wide stance, a technique borrowed from 2p_figs for giving a minifig a more imposing presence.

The Bushido code requires that you continue appreciating these amazing minifig samurai

The Art of the LEGO Tableau – building in the “Ground-Based” style [Feature]

When setting a LEGO scene, how much of a world needs to be built to spark the viewer’s imagination?

There are two approaches to bringing a world to life in LEGO: 1) meticulously build out every aspect of the scene with bricks, or 2) provide just enough detail to suggest the bigger picture while letting the viewer’s imagination fill in the rest. While building it all can make for impressive displays, I am drawn to the latter approach.

Various styles can achieve this, each with its distinct charms. Immersive scenes transport us to new worlds, like a window into a picture, by filling the frame with LEGO. Vignettes, on the other hand, embrace the artifice of a model and give the impression that a slice of the world has been captured in bricks. Even if vignettes have their appeal, I have a preference for immersive scenes. They’re more fun, if more part-intensive.

But there’s a third style worth exploring, one that many in the community – including myself – have experimented with. It’s a style that I call “Ground-Based.” As you’ve probably already guessed, this is the topic I’ll be covering today
Learn how to create MOCs in the ground-based style

Nature reclaims all as Vignette Week comes to a close [Feature]

Bricks down! After seven grueling days of non-stop building, RebelLUG’s Vignweek 2025 has come to an end. The first five challenges gave builders just 24 hours to create a LEGO vignette around the daily theme, but for the final challenge, builders could take 48 hours. This time the theme was “Reclaimed by Nature,” which is the perfect excuse to pull out those bins of leaf parts and create something beautiful. As the Vignette builders break out their brick separators, let’s take a stroll through an overgrown LEGO world with some of our favorites of the day.

FS Leinad participated in all six builds, but his final creation is my favorite. The orangutan is a great design (per the builder, “RIP 3-in-1 Forest Animals) but it’s those vultures that have stolen my heart… and pick it apart with those brilliant hook beaks.

ILB Creations completed 5 challenges and also ends on a high note. I love the larger scale and the light blue mortar between crumbling bricks.

Forage for more vignettes that nature has reclaimed

Creating a new castle faction with the Minifigure Factory [Feature]

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick a free trial of this service for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Most of the time, the thought of non-official custom minifigs makes me twitchy… But then I was invited to try out the new Minifigure Factory Designer on Lego.com, and I was surprised by how much fun it was. I could even use it to create a new Castle faction! Of course, any new faction is also an excuse to create a new custom design, but first, let’s take the Minifigure Factory for a spin.

Read on to find out what Castle faction Brennen created, and see how the factory model gets a glow up