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.

This one-color cottage is a real “passion project”

In an effort to improve my LEGO building game while I continue my endless sort, I’ve been doing some deep dives recently into color. And right on the heels of finishing The Secret Lives of Color (by Kassia St. Clair and a very good read), I spy this beautiful cottage scene by the one and only Ralf Langar. The build speaks to the importance of the color red, and how we interpret it in our lives. While it can be the color of leaves, as in his darling ruby tree here, it also can symbolize such energizing things as life, heat, and love. Of course, as Ralf knows, you can sometimes have too much of a good thing: what once was love can quickly turn into passion, danger, war, and even blood. And a cottage with red-splattered windows doesn’t bode well for its occupants….

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The very merriest of un-birthdays to you!

Hats off to LEGO builder Julius von Brunk for showcasing some mad skills with this Alice in Wonderland creation. The expression here conveys the perfect level of “manic,” thanks in large part to a liberal use of curved slopes and round tiles. But of course the best feature of any madcap milliner has got to be his hat, and Julius comes through with an exquisite chartreuse chapeau! The seamless integration of the 4×6 curved double-wedge is enviable, and the trademark “10/6” on its price sticker includes the ingenious use of some minifigure accessories to replicate the black numbers.

A Bionicle builder at the beak of his powers

Djokson is at it again. After a short break from posting LEGO creations, he’s coming in hot. As hot as fire! And Firebludd is this creature’s name. It’s typical of Djokson’s high standard, using Bionicle, Hero Factory, and other constraction elements in ways you’d never think possible. But in this one, it’s the system pieces that draw my eye. The belt, for instance, uses a load of mechanical claw elements that’s probably quite fiddly but looks superb. And the mouth uses two minifigure mask elements to create something almost beak-like. It makes me think this is what World of Warcraft creatures would look like if HR Giger had designed them.

Clean-up in apartment 2A, please

Housework is a real bore. It’s so easy to procrastinate over it. It’s why I’m here writing articles about LEGO on the internet. What I really need is a robot that can do my cleaning. Not a Roomba – I’m picturing something more like Duncan Lindbo‘s clean-up bot here. Sure, it’s more designed for toxic spills than doing the dishes, but look! It’s got a vacuum cleaner in one arm, and a net for… Hmm. What is the net for? Laundry? Actually, if the videos I see on the internet are anything to go by, some animals get really spooked by robot vacuum cleaners, so is it to catch unruly pets? That doesn’t sound very safe. And I might need to widen the doorway a tad to get it into my apartment. You know what, perhaps I don’t need a house-cleaning tachikoma. Not yet. Probably.

Blackbeard was the devil incarnate

As wild and fanciful as they were, there is some truth to all those Pirates of the Caribbean movies. On Stranger Tides featured Blackbeard the Pirate as the main antagonist and, as famed LEGO builder Oliver Becker already knows, that menacing portrayal played by Ian McShane was based on a real person. Edward Teach was an English pirate known for carrying seven muskets and would light fuses in his hair before battle, surrounding him in smoke and thus giving him an otherworldly, ghostly appearance. Oliver had portrayed that nicely with this bust. With his bug eyes and jagged teeth he also looks like a particularly ravenous deep-sea angler. He’s a fiendish fellow indeed! His flagship was called “Queen Anne’s Revenge”, also showcased nicely here in miniature form.

Cubone: the tragic backstory Pokémon

For a franchise that’s squarely aimed at kids, Pokémon can get really quite dark sometimes. Consider Cubone, ably built here by Joey Klusnick. Adorable, right? Well, according to various Pokédex entries, the skull it wears as a helmet is from a deceased parent. Moreover, the ‘dex entries also mention crying a lot. How tragic — this is a kids’ game, remember! Thankfully Joey’s creation is so well-built I think we can focus on how cute this little guy is otherwise. That Bram sphere tummy in particular makes it look very huggable. After reading all the lore on Cubone I (and it, probably) could do with a hug…

The mighty Giraffatitan takes a stand

What kid, or grown-up for that matter, doesn’t love the Giraffatian? When I was a kid we just called them a Brontosaurus, or Brachiosaurus if you were slightly smarter, but they have since been moved to their own genus by folks who are even smarter still. No matter what you call it, you have to admit this LEGO dinosaur built by Ken Ito is a magnificent sight to behold. It stands regal on its pedestal giving it the appearance of a trophy likely won for the feat of total awesomeness.

Just when I thought I’d experience total awesomeness overload, I learn this mighty Giraffatitan has a friend! It’s the Apatosaurus we featured last December now mounted on his own trophy stand. Please check out our Ken Ito archives to see what else we’re totally impressed by.

What the world needs now is a TIE Bungalow

The other day I was telling anyone who would listen, which was precisely no one as it turned out, that LEGO has never produced a UCS TIE Bomber. Well, if Stewart Lamb Cromar was within earshot we might be best bros by now as his write-up for this creation states pretty much the same thing. There is no UCS TIE Bomber so Stu (can I call you Stu?) took matters into his creative hands with the Fabuland TIE Bungalow. It combines the joy of living in a sweet Fabuland-style house with the exhilaration of being all Star Wars-y and bombing rebel bases. Sign me up! Billy Bear even somewhat resembles the all-black-clad TIE Fighter pilots. Combining awesome themes is pretty much Stewart’s thing. If you dig the Fabuland vibe, (and who doesn’t, really?) then check out our Fabuland Archives to see unique creations by Stewart and others.

Presenting Min-diana Jones and the vignettes of the lost ark

He may only stand six LEGO plates tall, but the Indiana Jones in this series of “8-Bit Indy” vignettes by TBB alum Rod Gillies is still an archaeologist of action. And leading off the series is this fantastic bit of title lettering, showcasing the font associated with the franchise. I like the 3-D aspects here, helping the gradient letters pop out of the background even more. And don’t miss the tiny titular character sitting atop the 8-bit signage.

Check out some of the micro-highlights below!

Have a cup of joe at this down-to-earth coffee house

This LEGO coffee house build comes to us from Isaac Snyder for this year’s Eurobricks event. The task? Building a house with significance to the builder. In this case, Isaac draws inspiration from a local coffee shop. Let’s take a closer look at the house, starting with the outdoor furniture. Check out the chairs with the tables! Some nice usage of brackets for the chairs’ seats and back, paired nicely with those plates with shafts. That’s something I really adore with builds of this scale–the parts usage ends up being really creative to imply/represent what the builder wants for the model. There are more techniques at work here too, like the brickwork. Using those half curved 1×1 tiles throughout the textured and plain bricks gives more depth and shaping to what would be flat walls otherwise. Excellent build all around from mine eyes.

Robots are claw-some!

I’ve always had a love for robotics and LEGO, so it’s always a good time when they come together like they do in this build from Karf Oohlu. These kinds of builds really show off the versatility of LEGO elements by capturing realistic details. For example, check out those hydraulics and mechanisms that would allow the arm to move. The arm itself looks posable with those hinges and joints. A great addition to the LEGO is the rubber seal at the base of the claw. It’s always nice to see additional materials, whether from LEGO or from other sources, included in builds. They lend some great textures and a grounded feeling to a build, and can smooth out the lines.

Brick-built life on LEGO pond

Well really, there’s just as much life within this LEGO pond, built by Jannis Mavrostomos, as there is “on” it. The composition is lovely, and an interesting perspective that you don’t often see – including both above and below the waterline in an elegant way. I love the seamless transition and how it all blends together, and of course, the animals are fantastic. Both the mallard and the pike are easily recognizable, but I think I’m most impressed by the use of the cylindrical hinge element with heart tiles and hands to create the smaller fish.

While you’re here, check out more builds by Jannis, as well as loads of other exceptional animal creations.