Category Archives: Models

This is what we’re all about. We scour the web for the best custom LEGO models to share with you. From castles and spaceships to planes, trains, and automobiles, you’ll find the best LEGO creations from builders all over the world right here on The Brothers Brick.

History of the World

In his latest effort, the simply titled History of the World, Lasse Vestergård has wonderfully combined microscale architecture with collectible minifigs to create a timeline starting with ancient Egypt and ending with modern America. I’ve seen many fellow hobbyists construct brick-built display units for their minifigs but never one with such panache or purpose.

Lasse also took the time to make the back of the display interesting as well, by including a map of the world.

“And of course, with the birth of the artist came the inevitable afterbirth… the critic.” My only complaint about this otherwise fine project is with the title, which is a little misleading as the model seems focused on western civilization to the exclusion of the rest of the world. However, when you try and boil down the entirety of human history into a dozen vignettes, you’re bound to leave somebody out.

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Two from Uma

Our chief medical officer here on the Brothership has informed me that our stockpile of hemoglobin is critically low, so please welcome newcomer umamen who brings some fresh blood to this venerable blog. We are proudly presenting a pair of Uma’s mecha for your Sunday viewing pleasure, the Gundam RX-78-2 and the MS-06F ZAKU II which were both inspired by the collected works of Pete Corp.

Time for a snack

Schfio just prepared a light repast for your pleasure. There is so much perfection here, from the transparent-over-white milk bottle, the various cheeses and eggs, not to mention the toast. It is all so nicely done.

Take to the stars with ice trawler Polynya.

sioka sculpting makes his first appearance in the ivy covered halls of TBB with a S.H.I.P. that has just about everything you could ask for: great color control, fine details like hangar bays and life-boats, powerful engines and that hard to define cool factor. One of the reason’s I was attracted to this model was that it simultaneously looks modern and old-school, like the handsome love-child of Dasnewten and Dan Jassim.

For you trivia fans, the name polynya refers to an area of open water surrounded by sea ice. It is a Russian term полынья which refers to a natural ice hole, and was adopted in the 19th century by polar explorers to describe navigable portions of the sea.

And now for something crappy

This toilet, by Moko, perfectly describes my mood today and makes me smile at the same time. I’m glad he built it.

The Ultimate Video Game System

I don’t want to hear about the Play-Box 420 or the Dream Station 5000 or even the hopelessly derivative Intellivision; the greatest video game system of all time is the Atari 2600 and TBB regular Chris McVeigh (powerpig) has finally brought the mighty console to life. Back in the day we only needed one button to shoot/jump/kill and it was red so you couldn’t miss it even if you were all jacked up from too much caffeine and sugar. So set the dial on the way-back machine to 1977, grab your unscratchable copy of Journey Escape and revel in the four-switch “wood veneer” greatness. If you don’t believe me, just check out a very young Heisenberg react to the 2600 in this advertisement from the early 1980’s. Who needs ultra pure crystal meth when you have Mega Force!

Formula One redux

Back in 1975, long before the classic eighties Model Team sets that I had as a child, LEGO already made a series of realistic models of real vehicles, in the so-called Hobby sets. One of these was Lego set 392, Formula One; a model of a race car that, considering the limited parts that LEGO made at the time, was remarkably detailed.

Of course, with the fancy newer parts that we have today, it’s possible to make it smoother and more detailed, which is exactly what LegoExotics has done.

The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane

Thorsten Bonsch Xenomurphy has been hard at work for a full year to bring you his latest masterpiece, “Arkham Asylum“. The brooding structure takes its name from the sanatorium in the fictional city of Arkham, Massachusetts, found in many of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories of the macabre. Batman and Lovecraft are both huge influences on Thorsten’s work and a merging of the two has obviously inspired him to greater heights. The structure itself is impressive and there is plenty of minifig driven action throughout the diorama to please both fans of Batman and the hot-weather crowd. My favorite detail is the eruption of greenery coming from Poison Ivy’s cell.

It would be enough for most builders to create such an outstanding model but Thorsten wasn’t satisfied until he’d created an elaborate and striking 82-page “making-of-book” that according to the man himself: “explains every little step“. Indeed every imaginable topic in the design process is covered in great detail from inspiration to minifig selection to the nuts and bolts construction of various sections. The book also details the contributions of builders like Dave Kaleta and Calin who helped set the scene with some amazing 1920’s inspired vehicles. Thorsten obviously put as much care into the layout and writing as he did into the build itself and the result is a rare glimpse into the mind and creative vision of one of our best builders. You can get a sampling of the engaging work in Thorsten’s Photostream on Flickr or he has thoughtfully made the entire document available as a free download. The reader who takes the time will surely be rewarded and immersed in the details of Arkham.

Friday Night Fights (Round 26)

Welcome back fight fans, to Sin City Nevada for another throat crushing edition of Friday Night Fights! Tonight’s bout features builders two Castle-Heads ready to get medieval on each other for the honor of the king. Let’s go to the tale of the tape:

Fighting out of the red corner, from “The Land of Misfit Toys“…Lego_fan and his Lindon Castle.

And fighting out of the blue corner, from the 13th American Colony…Magnificent Mark of Falworth and his Aldora castle.

As usual, constant reader, you are tasked with deciding the outcome of this pugilistic endeavor by way of comment. On the last edition of Friday Night Fights, the Battle of Hub-14 ended with a magnificent 10-5 victory for Nick Trotta and his purple VTOL with the unpronounceable name. Tune in next week for another action packed edition of Friday Night Fights!

Announcing the 11th Annual Colossal Castle Contest!

For the eleventh straight year, the good folks over at Classic Castle are bringing you the biggest Castle event of the season! Prizes include vintage sets, custom items, books, new sets and a mystery prize. Check out the categories and show off your medieval building skills. Compete against the best for the title of Master Builder!

Star Wars LEGO Darth Vadar Mosaic uses over 4000 pieces

Jim Jo is a new-comer to the Adult LEGO Fan community but that doesn’t mean he lacks building skills. His first project is a mammoth mosaic of Darth Vader. The mosaic measures 45 inches square and was done entirely without the help of actual mosaic-making software other than Excel for layout. All of the shading (or dithering) was done by eye, which makes this piece all the more impressive. Jim agreed to answer some questions about himself, the mosaic and the building process. Let him know what you think in the comments!

TBB – Why did you decide to do a LEGO mosaic?
JJ – By training, I am a molecular biologist, specializing in disease and metabolism, and I teach advanced biology and chemistry. I work in a school that has both an advanced art program and a well-equipped woodshop. Art is strictly a hobby for me (one I sadly have little time for), but thankfully I have several friends at my workplace who are skilled artists and craftspeople by trade or training. My mind is extremely analytical (part of the reason I have loved Lego since I was a child), and I think that is reflected in my art. In many ways then, there was a confluence of factors that made even the consideration of Lego mosaic a viable possibility.

I conceived of this project as a Lego mosaic back in the summer of 2012, which is long enough ago that I cannot honestly remember its genesis as an idea. At some point, I had a photograph of Darth Vader, and I thought, given the fairly limited number of common Lego colours, that I could at the very least plan to build it as a Lego mosaic. I had seen a couple of Lego mosaics before, in Nathan Sawaya’s online gallery, who, at the time, was the only Lego artist I was familiar with, so I knew it was possible. So I sat down at the computer and started making the digital picture without really having a realistic plan of how to transform digital into physical. In fact, more than a year passed between the time that I finished the actual picture/plan and when I started building.

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Dino Rider

rongYIREN just let this creature out of the stables and it’s a beaut! It has the cool style we have come to associate with this builder over the years and the compact, sturdy build just begs to be played with.