We recently shared a round-up of LEGO castles by master mason Ben Hauger, but we turned around for a minute and not only did he make a few more castles, he changed the foundation. Yes, these two new castles have all the great features of his previous ones, but now, we get a modular base.
See more of Ben’s latest castle
In recent years, LEGO has released some new, modern farm tractors, but Christoph Ellermann has delivered us a classic from the 1950’s. While the design is simple and elegant, it is the part usage that cements the look. First, we have a technic gear from the 1970’s standing in for the iconic red wheels.
Next, yellow rubber bands provide the detailed paint job, and finally simple minifigure hands give us the cutting blade.
For years, I was not much of a fan of LEGO minifigures, mostly building models on a large scale instead. One reason why minifigure scale did not work for me is that I struggled to recognisably build a particular brand of vehicle or a specific model. However, as I have mentioned in previous posts, this is becoming easier. I have learned new tricks and there are a lot of parts that come in very handy. Case in point: my recent Renault T High truck.
I already had MAN, Mercedes, Volvo, Scania and DAF trucks, so a Renault makes for a nice addition. I picked an example with a very restrained colour scheme, but it is a very distinctive-looking truck nonetheless, with a lot of diagonal lines. The roof tile 1X6X1 introduced last year came in very handy for this. It also has some fun details, such as the array of lights above the windscreen. What also helps to make it recognisable, of course, is its oversized Renault Lego, which I reproduced using a 1×1 plate mounted on the front at a 45-degree angle.
Need to traverse an alien world with variable terrain? Do swoops and speeders leave you motion sick? Can’t handle the smell of the local creature mounts? Sounds like you’re in market for a scout walker! While LEGO does offer a rerspectable new version of the AT-RT, this fan design from prolific Star Wars builder Tim Goddard is in a league all its own, with a nimbler frame with actual articulation in the legs. The front blaster, made from a pin held in place by spoons sticking out from binoculars, is galaxy brain NPU.
Does the open-air seating of the AT-RT leave you feeling too exposed? Then consider upgrading to Tim’s AT-PT, a heavily plated walker that debuted in Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy and has yet to appear on screen outside of a defunct mobile game. The Stormtroopers look amazing too with their expressive head tilts. (Tim shares how to make your helmeted characters more expressive with a rubber band here.)
Additional pics of Tim’s Star Wars walkers follow…
Every LEGO model tells a story, sometimes it’s obvious, sometimes it’s mysterious, and sometimes it’s beautiful, like this kingfisher flying out of a deck of cards, holding the gold key of clubs in its beak, built by BigBrickStan for the latest Biocup LEGO building contest. Plant parts supplement the usual wing elements in two shades of blue, and the keys for all four suits are created with minimal parts.
From Software has fully embraced co-op with their latest release, Elden Ring Nightreign, all but requiring players to team up with a couple of friends in order to take down waves of bosses. So it’s only fitting that to bring down some of Elden Ring’s most iconic enemies in LEGO form, a team-up is in order. Joe (jnj_bricks) leads the charge against Godrick the Grafted, the first big mandatory boss in your journey through the Lands Between. Joe perfectly captures the decaying Stormveil Castle, especially the shattered road that subtly undulates off the LEGO grid. While he doesn’t often build characters, Joe nails Godrick’s grafted form with his monstrous arm. I’m having flashbacks to the first (and second, and tenth…) time I battled the boss.
Joe’s friend and collaborator Brickelangelo travels beneath Caelid to Mohgwyn Palace for a face off with Mohg, Lord of Blood. Mohg looks imposing atop the brick stairs, but also quite dashing courtesy of robes borrowed from Queer Eye’s Fab 5 Loft.
This collab has me itching to get back to Shadow of the Erdtree, but I’m not sure I’m ready to die again and again. Maybe I’ll just stick to bricks and enjoy this Elden Ring classic boss.
Sometimes a single piece can set the stage for a LEGO build, and in this case, it was a sand-green rooftop element which inspired Duncan Lindbo to create an entire scene around it, and in the same color as well from a winding stair, to a bench and a teapot to provide a relaxing respite from spell-casting.
What were you doing in the early 90s? If you said marveling over the collapse of the Soviet Union to the tune of Smells Like Teen Spirit, you’d be correct. Also, if you happened to have been a LEGO maniac at the time, M-Tron probably rocked your world with all it’s magnetic red and black glory. Chris Yu packs up and takes us back to a simpler time with his newest edition to his line of Classic Space-theme luggage. As usual, Chris’s luggage doubles as a secret base and this one is brimming with vehicular goodies. The M-Tron logo is ace!
He makes it clear that this is bag 7 and even renders our research easy by providing an image of all his space-base luggage since 2017.
Be sure to click the video to see this fabulous luggage become the best piece of M-Tron gear this side of the Information Superhighway!
Now normally, when we feature LEGO creations on the Brothers Brick, we like to lead with some nice clear photos that really show a build off. But sometimes we have to make an exception, such as when the scene is set as fantastically as in Kyle Collard (LordofVador)’s colossal Mustafer diorama! This of course depicts Anakin and Obi-Wan’s duel at the climax of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The moody lighting and bright blue lightsaber blades instantly evoke that epic scene on Mustafar.
But it doesn’t look half bad in daylight either! This was a heck of an effort by Kyle: over 26,000 pieces and close to 300 hours of building and re-building. It has real meaning, too. Kyle tells us that this same scene was the subject of one of his first MOCs, some 14 (!) years ago. So this build doubles as a showcase for his growth as a builder, and a celebration.
And every celebration needs a present, right? You might have sussed out from the above photo that this diorama made it a convention (which is an achievement in its own right, taking something this big on the road!). And it’s at Brick Rodeo that this build received the Best Star Wars Scene award. Congratulations, Kyle, and happy LEGO anniversary!
Before The Witcher became a global phenonmenon thanks to the GOTY winning third game and a hit Netflix series, the adventures of Geralt of Rivia were the pride of Polish fantasy fans with elaborate worldbuilding infused by the folktales of Eastern Europe. Polish builder Mihał Ch brings the famous monster hunter to LEGO for an immersive battle scene in which the Witcher takes on a Zeugl in the sewers beneath Vizima. Mihał’s creature design is wonderfully loathsome with its wide maw of teeth and crasping arms. My favorite technique is the copious ichor splattered throughout the scene as both discolored brickwork and goopy pools.
Mihał created this fantastic diorama for the “Where No One Dares to Go” category of the Summer Joust competition and to honor the 10th anniversary of The Witcher 3 from Polish game studio CD Projekt RED. It’s not his first time exploring Geralt’s world in LEGO. Here is Mihał’s take on the game’s core characters:
Hong Kong-based studio Three Zero creates incredibly detailed designer action figures for a premium price, like a deluxe version of CHAPPiE that would have set you back $230 if you’d ordered in time. Too rich for your blood? Then consider making your own from LEGO, like Wang Juan, a builder who only just debuted on socials. Wang’s character builds are incredibly detailed and articulated. For Chappie, the builder works mostly with System parts to recreate the Three Zero version of the character.
Wang’s account includes a mix of incredible character models – mostly renders – inspired by games and street art. We’ve reached out to the builder to learn more. For now, as a fan of Neill Blomkamp’s gritty South African mash up of Short Circuit and Robocop, let’s help Chappie live again.
Mosaics are an amazing entry point into LEGO creativity, but the sky’s the limit for how you can create beautiful patterns with bricks. Every week, dozens of new designs are shared as part of #MosaicsOnMonday. A few weeks back, I was struck by this design from the event’s co-host Dana (virginia_bricks) which uses SNOT bricks to add more depth and negative space.
Dana credits Onibabalego for leading her to the technique, and no wonder. The French builder has pioneered mesmerizing mosaics from SNOT bricks and unconventional pieces. Her kaleidoscopic builds are truly inspiring.
There’s a joy and a magic in finding surprising ways that LEGO elements can jigsaw together into tight patterns. What I love about onibabalego’s mosaics is how they incorporate gaps of negative space into the design. And the colors!
