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.

Dig this Imperial base carved from alien stone

Jonas has crafted an original Imperial headquarters that speaks directly to my inner child. See, when I was a kid, there was absolutely nothing cooler to me than a base built into a huge chunk of rock. Whether it was Cobra Commander’s latest hideout, Boulder Hill, or the Autobots’ ship crashed into the side of a volcano – if you combined a high-tech headquarters with a massive hunk of rock, I was all in! And now to add Star Wars into the mix? It’s too great. This smooth metal space headquarters, with its curved edges, blends brilliantly into the hard, studded angles of the nearby alien landscape. It suggests we’re just seeing a single piece of the puzzle and there’s a whole cliffside that stretches on beyond the frame. It’s exactly the kind of place I always wanted to work. Instead, I have a home office in a duplex in SoCal. Which is kinda cool, I guess. Anyway, check out more of Jonas’s work blending nature with Imperial tech in our archives.

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This mighty Komatsu with 250-ton trailer can move your whole LEGO collection with ease

People who design and build massive, powerful, yet very accurate LEGO trucks are unlike any of us, ordinary minifigure collectors. Look at Beat Felber. I bet he doesn’t even bother purchasing any LEGO wheels smaller than enormous 84mm’s that his newest Komatsu HD785-5 runs on. And it’s not even truck’s best feature.

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An ambulance vehicle worth all the wait

The original LEGO 600 Ambulance set was realised back in 1971. And even though its remake by Jonathan Elliot arrived more than 50 years later, it’s exactly on time. I’m so much in love with all the tiled surfaces of the new ambulance; it just looks right with original windshield placement, and smooth white mudguards add so much to the car’s retro vibe.

Comparing the new design to the original one is also so much fun. Jonathan turned the old printed 1×4 brick with the grill and the headlights pattern into a fully detailed front section. Still, he did such a good job preserving the original character of the car: squared headlights are perfect for the case. And now I start thinking, are Castle and Classic Space the only LEGO themes good enough to be remade today, huh?

Revamping mummies

LEGO Adventurers was my absolute favourite theme as a kid. Especially the desert theme. Seeing the Jungle Explorer Collectable Minifigure got my hopes up for the theme to be renewed. This might also explain my soft spot for LEGO Adventurer fan creations. This build by Kevin Wanner really hits the soft spot. We get very well put together fleshy minifigure renditions of all the familiar faces. Two very well designed vehicles. However the absolute highlight of this creation has to be the beautiful palm trees. There are dark tan eggshells used to create the trunk of the palm tree. The crown of the tree uses dark tan, green and bright green plant leaves to indicate the lifespan of a palm tree leaf. It looks stunning!

Do you have a green thumb, or is that just paint on your finger?

Thanks to recent sets like The Starry Night and the Botanical Collection, decorating your home with LEGO is beginning to feel down right classy. Chi Hsin Wei has upped the ante by combining the two in this brick-built recreation of one of Van Gogh’s sunflower studies. While the background of this “painting” stays true to the feel of Van Gogh’s brushwork, the flowers feel freshly picked. The result is a beautiful study of contrasting build styles that works harmoniously as a single piece. Now that’s art!

I feel the (tiny) need for (itty-bitty) speed

Greyson is writing checks that LEGO alone can’t cash. This tiny F-14 Tomcat gets a little help from the BrickArms monopods so that, even at this scale, the wings can sweep out, just like the full-grown counterpart. If you ask me, non-purism is a small price to pay for functional wings at this scale. But if you’re the kind of builder who prizes brand loyalty, check out some of Greyson’s other microscale aircraft in our archives.

This snowy inn takes medieval construction to new heights

In this frozen wilds scene, Jake Hansen (Mountain Hobbit) has brilliantly captured the feel of a rough and snowy wilderness. The fatigue of that poor traveler comes right through in this image, thanks in part to the steep stone stairs with the snow collecting in their cervices. Thankfully, the traveler has reached a warm and inviting inn and can now claim a well-earned night’s rest. But, were I the traveler, I might take one lap around the inn and enjoy its shades of blue, and the intricate roof awnings. There’s always time to appreciate good craftsmanship. Besides, if you just climbed 1000 feet, what could a lap around the inn hurt?

Swell house: Does what it says on the tin

This swell house is, well, pretty swell! It comes courtesy of Pan Noda, and is as beautiful as it looks unstable. Did the architect have one too many shandies while designing this one? Or perhaps the building company had the instructions upside down? I can’t help noticing a lot of wizard’s wands used as decoration, so it could be that it’s magic holding this house up. I do wonder how such a property would be described by an optimistic estate agent… “Quaint countryside house, four floors with excellent views, and in a quiet neighbourhood. Property includes a lush garden with rock features. Unrestored property with period charm.”

To be fair, I’d be tempted to move in, albeit very carefully. Thankfully if you’re worried about dropping stuff off the side, there are plenty of nets hidden in this house. This cutaway shows exactly where: they’re used to give the walls their curves!

As fast as a mechanic snail

I love it when a really specific LEGO part gets used in an original way. The part I am talking about is the ‘Drone Charge Station’ disk from the Overwatch theme. To me, it is a piece that looks so specific it would be hard to imagine another use for it. For Isaac Wilder however this isn’t a limitation. Turning it into the home of a mechanic snail isn’t just smart, it is also cute as a button. Using minifigure spoons for eyes adds a lot to the cuteness factor. However, this still has me wondering if this cutie is as slow as its real-life counterparts.

A seaside dwelling perfect for hermits and crabs

Josh (Sergeant Chipmunk) seems to be going on a bit of a waterside-abode-with-trees-growing-out-the-top kick lately. After his magical-looking tree house, we have another one in slightly rougher waters. Speaking of which, the way the waves are done here is really neat – it certainly gives the impression of a wind-swept rock by the sea. Such a house could surely only be lived in by a grizzly retired sea captain, right? No doubt they have come here for some peace and quiet after a busy life braving the high seas. They just need to contend with the local wildlife. How many different critters can you spot kicking about?

If it acts like a Bellatrix and dresses like a Bellatrix, it is most likely a witch.

Building a LEGO house in Tudor style can be really challenging. Building a LEGO house in weathered Tudor style is even harder. Although you wouldn’t say so after seeing this creation by Jaka Kunpina. They created a medieval building in the famous style and made it look so effortlessly easy. However, there are some smart techniques hidden in this build, like the hinges used to make the top of the roof overlap the building more than the rest of the roof does. And then wedges are used to cover the gap that this creates. Although her home looks lovely, the owner isn’t having a lovely day — she’s being arrested for being a witch. But then again, what do you expect when you dress like Bellatrix Lestrange.

This turtle is hard on the outside, slightly less hard on the inside

You say LEGO mecha animals, all I hear is Mitsuru Nikaido. Few builders have such a remarkably consistent style across so many builds. Some of my favourites in this series are deep-sea creatures; something about the exoskeletal style just really works for marine life. The venerable sea turtle is latest to be added to the menagerie. The white shell really pops against the dark grey of the turtle’s mechanical innards. Some of Nikaido-san’s creatures feature white heads to draw the attention that way, but in this instance I think the grey is a better choice. It emphasises the difference between the hard shell and the soft tissue underneath. Well, as soft as a mechanical turtle can be, anyway.