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.

Vic Viper Firefighters

After a slightly long hiatus, I’m finally back with a build of my own. I’ve been working with The Brothers Brick since May, so some of you might be familiar with the name Chris Burden from my articles. But prior to joining the team, I was known mainly by my Instagram handle, @Benny_burd. It’s taken me a year to get to it but I finally have proper photos of my Vic Viper from last year. This fire-fighting craft is commonly seen in ports, responding to engine failures or collisions. These beefy platforms can provide support to the Coast Guard, Navy, and Orbital forces for rescue missions or forest fire suppression. Strong forks armed with water cannons extend out from a bulky body. Perched atop the main engine section, a break-away glider houses the main pilot of the vessel sandwiched between two more water cannons. The wings are adjustable for optimal atmospheric travel while fixed tailfins extend out above the engines.

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One spaceship built in two different scales.

This is an interesting challenge of a kind that I hadn’t seen before – the same spaceship, built at two different scales, by two different builders. Oscar Cederwall got inspired by the train light prism, and used two of them to create the cockpit of an original microscale spaceship. The Hornbill Deep Space Reconnaissance Frigate has an upright stance that might remind you of Boba Fett’s trademark ship, but it’s got plenty of its own flair. It may be small, but this is no mere advent calendar creation. The multiple offset angles show there’s a lot of technique at work in this tiny space.

And here’s where it gets even more fun – in a challenge worthy of a LEGO Masters episode, Nicolas van Grootveld was tasked with recreating the Hornbill in minifigure scale. And, boy, did he deliver. This larger Hornbill translates all the angles and colors of its little brother, but with plenty of embellishment worthy of its larger scale. I especially love how you can see how certain individual pieces translated, like the microscale ship’s dark grey 1×3 inverted slope at the very bottom.

A peaceful floating temple in miniature

Floating islands are a popular inspiration for many LEGO builders, and it is easy to see why. They are mysterious and fantastical, and they can provide a great challenge to build them in a way that both supports the model and hides that support to enhance the magical appearance of the finished scene. Nathan Hake does a masterful job of using falling water to provide the support for this microscale floating island with a temple nestled between the trees.

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2049 Chevrolet Stingray Spinner

I love writing about other builders’ models, but it’s nice to remind our faithful readers that we’re builders too. Inspired by the iconic Spinners from Blade Runner, I decided to dismantle my Speed Champions Stingray and upgrade it with more futuristic elements. Retaining the color theme was a must, as I had to use the Stingray logo stickers. Thankfully I have a mess of dark red pieces to spare. The biggest challenges I had were building a sleek, swooshable body as well as finding a canopy structure that worked.

A very smooth Halloween cottage

Okay Halloween might be over but that is no reason not to post an amazing LEGO Halloween themed build. This creation by Jake Hansen sure is something else. It is completely studless (not counting the studs on the foliage). This makes this creation almost look like it is not made out of LEGO bricks. Not building on a base but placing each element loose on paper also helps. Jake uses some interesting techniques. There are treasure chest lids hidden in the tree trunks. The best part has to be that cute fence and the balcony made with umbrellas. There is a stash of pumpkins next to the house. If you look closely you’ll spot that the ones in the back are not orange but red. This creates more depth as they look like there’s a shadow cast upon them because they are further away. Very clever. Another clever technique has to be the tombstone made out of a 2×2 round tile with hole and bar holders with clips attached to the back of the round plate. The effect is amazing!

Salvaging the Speedorz wheel

Sometimes a build comes along that makes you scratch your head. Some parts are just obscure enough that they’re hard for everyone to recognize. Of course, builders like Daniel Church like to go the extra mile to use an element that might not technically be its own element. Such is the case of these bright blue wheels, salvaged from the housing of some Chima ripcord bases. These Blue Bombshells are the latest Hyperious Choppers. Wonderfully compact and brick-built, these motorcycles are the perfect addition to a futuristic or cyberpunk-style build. Those hubless wheels and greebly engine sections contrast nicely with the smooth, colorful upper bodies.

This LEGO Ornithopter from Dune 2021 has me all a-flutter

The brilliant (in my opinion) 2021 adaptation of Dune is finally out in theaters, and one of the most distinctive vehicles introduced in the Sci-fi epic is the flying ship known as the Ornithopter. ZiO Chao captures the details of this small craft perfectly. The book describes an insect-like multi-winged vessel that flies using a mechanical flapping motion but is also capable of jet-powered flight. Director Denis Villeneuve combined this inspiration with an Apache helicopter, so it is only fitting that ZiO used helicopter rotors for the wings.

Other details like the retractable ramp for boarding, and the landing gear that continue the insect vibe as they extend downward for landings. With photographic effects to add motion blur, you can almost hear the low whining thrum of the wing beats.

Good things come in small bottles

How many pieces does it take to build a good model? Not many at all, if you’ve got a little ingenuity and a good imagination. This tiny build by “Big Daddy” Nelson would make as good a desk display as the official LEGO Ideas 21313 Ship in a Bottle set, especially if your desk is spacially challenged like mine. In fact, I’d love to have a whole lineup of micro sets to display. The ship itself is made of fewer than 15 elements, and the bottle is around the same. Its design is made possible thanks to the new 4×4 half-sphere elements that debuted in 76391 Hogwarts Icons Collectors’ Edition a few months ago, which form both ends of the bottle.

Studded seas and sea studs

Here at The Brothers Brick we love smart building techniques. Our hearts start beating a little bit faster when we see a LEGO part used in a clever way. But clever and smart do not always mean complex. Andrea Lattanzio shows us that sometimes simple is the way to go with their 1×1 round plate sea.

While it’s not a new technique, using different colours to create waves is a real nice touch. Making the house in the same vibrant colour as the ocean is a nice way to draw attention away from the bright sea and towards the detailed little house. Plus the bright colour of the house highlights all the earth-toned details around the house. If the house was earth-toned too, those little details wouldn’t stand out as much as they do now. However, the simple studded sea is probably one of the only simple techniques used in this creation. Andrea also built a trabucco, which is an ancient fishing machine from the east coast of Italy. This build looks like it is defying gravity and I truly wonder how sturdy it is. It looks so fragile with those thin legs. I can’t help but wonder how many times the legs collapsed when Andra made alterations to the platform on top. Or maybe the legs were added as the final step to the build to prevent this from happening.

Soaring over Arrakis with House Atreides: Dune’s Ornithopter in LEGO

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune has quickly become a hit amongst fans and critics. The cinematography and soundtrack balance perfectly with the classic narrative to deliver a knock-out blockbuster that will last the ages. Much like Star Wars, Star Trek, and others, Dune features a plethora of cultures, planets, and religions. For me and other fans of LEGO, though, it’s the spacecraft and vehicles that really round it all out. The Ornithopters of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic have been a challenge for past projects but Denis Villeneuve’s design team produced a craft that will surely become iconic. When I saw this Ornithopter by TBB alumn Simon Liu, I had to know more. I talked with Simon about avoiding spoilers prior to opening night, his immediate need to build this beauty, and the challenges he faced with its final design.

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It’s time to boost and blast some aliens with this fighter

Inspired by the Vic Viper ship from the Gradius games, Andreas Lenander has created his own starship named the Valkyrie VV. The fighter has a striking appearance with its bold colours and prominent angles. There are some great details around the engines where space blasters have been used to represent mechanical elements. The wings are connected via angled handle pieces and roller skate pieces are used in silver to portray grill sections in the front wings. The cockpit is where Andreas started from and he has used a windscreen which was commonly featured in some classic airport and space sets.

In the video below, Andreas talks through the build and also shows us some different angles and details of the model.

The way of the sword

The last time I hung out under a tree shirtless with a sword it led to a record number of cops showing up at the scene. But this LEGO minifigure pulls it off in style and that probably has everything to do with his sweet washboard abs. Unlike my drunken ordeal at the city park, SweStar has portrayed a sense of harmony and serenity here. I’m loving the tree trunk and even the root that extends beyond the orderly border. This is a bit tricky and not entirely recommended for the novice but this builder separated the minifigure legs from its waist in order to have the figure seated in a lotus position. Classy! Check out our archives to see the other times we’ve been totally enchanted by this builder’s stuff.