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.

DeRa struts like a peacock showing off its tail feathers

Japanese LEGO builder DeRa has been absolutely killing it lately. We’ve barely just stopped waxing lyrical about that tiger, and the brick-built menagerie is already expanding. And in some style! The proud peacock couldn’t be more different to an apex predator like the tiger, but this one is still built to the same sky-high standard.

Iteration is the name of the game here: what better way to create intricate feathered patterns than with multiples of interesting parts? Crocodile jaws on the neck; a superb combination of Technic gears and ‘boat’ tiles for the tail feathers; and – my personal favourite – an abundance of buildable figure heads from the much-maligned Rise of Domo Eternals set to add some really tiny details at the base of the tail.

DeRa already made onto our Creation of the Year shortlist in 2024; can they go one better in 2025? Have a look through their other featured builds and see for yourself!

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Celebrate Silksong with these LEGO Hollow Knight tributes [Feature]

Hollow Knight debuted in 2017 to modest acclaim, but in the years since developed a cult-like following for its tight gameplay, haunting story, and gorgeous designs. Since then, many LEGO builders have made a go at recreating the Knight and other characters in bricks. As we prepare for the long-awaited sequel’s release next week, let’s take a look back at the many Hollow Knight and Silksong LEGO builds that showcase the iconic appeal of Team Cherry’s games.

GioiaLego recreates the memorial to the Hollow Knight in the City of Tears. The Knight and Hornet appear at minifig scale. The monochrome world is lovingly recreated with light and dark grey brickwork.

Tino Poutiainen created an impressionist version of Hollow Knight. The arachnid leg is perfect for this dynamic pose.

Click to see more Hollow Knight inspired LEGO creations

The fallen leaves tell a story in this epic Elden Ring inspired build

The Lands Between are a vast and deadly place where the glowing Erdtree towers as a guiding light and source of hope. Builder Nathan Hake has taken inspiration from Elden Ring for this truly epic LEGO creation, but his intent is to depict the Tree of Life itself. A massive black sea serves as the model’s base, giving way to an island of rock, overgrowth, and a tree that should not exist. The enormous tree is rooted on the very end of the precipice, giving a perception that it may tip the whole island. As Nathan put it, ” I wanted the island to look untouched by man but have enough structure to seem like a phenomenon created by an other worldly being.”

A closer look at the rocky cliffs shows the literal hands of these divine beings as they seemingly lift the tree heavenward.

Behold more images of this incredible Elden Ring inspired diorama

An icy dragon puts a wintry chill on a summer build

Upon first examination of the colors of this frosty LEGO castle by Olle Moquist, I spotted something buried under the snow and ice…a raised baseplate! Olle does a great job of seamlessly incorporating this raised baseplate in the build. From there, I climbed the steps to a beautiful brick-built, wooden door under the watchful eye of the wyrm.

The raised baseplate has become a piece of the past. These vacuum-formed bases peaked in the ’90s with 31 different raised baseplates being used across many sets, but we haven’t seen a raised baseplate in over a decade. Olle’s brings this chilly baseplate from 2002 and 2006’s Belville sets, warming our hearts with nostalgia for the old ways.

A sleek, sustainable, and modern LEGO city of the future

This modern city by Oliver Barrell demonstrates what is possible when you build a city in harmony with nature. Wind turbines and solar power the city, while green spaces and clear, clean water provide an essential connection to the site.

The choice of only a few colors for the buildings, and the use of clever parts like the flexible wristband wrapped around the tower in the middle help this building stand out. Not to mention the light rail line passing directly into the mountain on the left. I would certainly love to live in a place like this.

Dance your cares away with this LEGO Boober from Fraggle Rock

How do you follow up the anarchic mischief of the Muppet Show? For Jim Henson’s team, the answer was the wholesome hippy magic of Fraggle Rock. The Main Five Fraggless – Gobo, Wembey, Mokey, Boober, and Red – were precursors of the Inside Out emotions, neuroses made felt. My favorite was aways Boober, the curmudgeonly chef, laundry washer, and homebody. Prolific Bionicle builder Abby Lilliebridge is also a fan, as she brought the loveable grump to life in LEGO. Abby gives her usual Bionicle bits a break, working instead with System parts. Light aqua works well for Boober’s distinctive pale fur. A delicious-looking radish makes the perfect accessory. You can learn more about the prolific Bionicle creator in this interview with Abby from 2022.

A beauty and a beast – N.A.B.E._Mocs makes magic with bricks

When a LEGO sculpture can capture emotion, dynamism, and organic shapes without exposing how the pieces hold together, it’s nothing short of magic. Sakiya Watanabe (N.A.B.E_mocs) is truly a sorcerer of bricks, as demonstrated by his latest sculpture of the storm god Fujin. There are so many inspired parts in the head alone – raptor jaws for ears, bigfig fists for cheeks, Balin’s hairpiece for the chin. I can’t even begin to figure out how that hair holds together.

Sakiya based his design on the famous Fujin and Raijin painted screen by Tawaraya Sōtatsu, a national treasure from the Edo period, displayed in Kyoto.

Sakiya Watanabe’s other recent character creation follows

What mysteries lie behind the door – LEGO homage to Suzume

The anime film Suzume, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, premiered in 2022, in the midst of the pandemic, and was a wonderful escape that won critical acclaim. So it is certainly not surprising that it has inspired LEGO builders around the world, like Jean-Philippe Leroux, who has recreated the image from the promotional poster in stunning detail. The weathered white door set in a broken brick wall serves as the central focus, while the round building with rib-like frames curving upward in the background perfectly captures the source material.

Celebrate the Summer of Slug with this very punk Galidor racer

Over on YouTube, R.R. Slugger dishes out searing hot takes on the state of LEGO playsets, focused on nostalgia for the brand’s more experimental period before Star Wars and Harry Potter took over. For this “Summer of Slug,” the creator challenged fans to create Time Drifters – vehicles inspired by the unfairly maligned Time Cruisers/Twisters line that mashed up LEGO themes that ’90s kids will remember. Builder Urdr On The Dancefloor is killing it with this groovy racer that uses the torso of Galidor alien Euripides for a chassis. I love the kit-bash aesthetics, drawing on old and new parts with punk energy that captures the no-rules spirit of play that makes LEGO special.

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

Beware the tides of marsh

It’s Frogust, and this build by Áron Gerencsér is paying double tribute to frogs and to the man August is named for. I give you, Frogustust, the founder of the Frogan Empire. He’s looking every bit the ancient king in his bright red sash and laurel wreath. Okay, okay. I know the Ides of March is a Julius Caeser thing, not Augustus. But cut me slack. I doubt this guy’s going to make it through March without croaking.

A trio of blue automotive delights [Feature]

LEGO car guru Tim Inman is on fire lately and no amount of stop, drop and rolling can squelch this blue streak to stardom. First we were wowed by this 1933 Willys Gasser. The term gasser denotes a particular style of retro drag racer known for their heightened stance and exaggerated exhaust pipes that reside usually behind the front tires. It is not named for what happens when you eat refried beans but, truth be told, it sort of sounds like that when it rips down the dragstrip. This particular model is a study in lovely teal blue.

Then we were floored shortly after when Tim dropped this Bill Thomas Cheetah prototype. As the name implies, the Cheetah was designed by, well, Bill Thomas for Chevrolet in order to dominate the Ford-sponsored Shelby Cobra. Things looked promising for the mid-engined prototype until a fire at the factory halted the project. Do I sniff a hint of competitive sabotage, maybe?

Click to see more of the Cheetah and the stunning conclusion of this blue trio