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.

So it begins...a new year and a new Iron Forge

LEGO builder Francis Wiemelt has aptly named this piece So it begins. This is apt because it is a new year and this is Francis’ first entry into the first Iron Forge competition of 2022. That’s a lot of firsts! He goes on to tell us that the seed part is a lever (base or antennae), used here twenty-three times in the Uruk-hai army, and eight times in the fortress itself. Iron Forge competitions mean frantic building and stress for a chosen few intrepid builders, constant entertainment for you, and job security for us. Kinda like The Hunger Games. Good luck, Francis Wiemelt and may the odds be ever in our favor…or something.

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The isle of magic

If I were searching for an island of magic like the explorer in this LEGO vignette by Josh, I’d be pretty excited when I saw this. Josh doesn’t provide us any further details on the specifics, but this mysterious island is flowing with lava and surrounded by a steaming sea. At the center lies some sort of magical cauldron. Note the subtle gradient beneath the transparent light blue tiles, giving the water a sense of depth.

Introducing the 2049 Chevy Corvette

The original Blade Runner movie (which was set in 2019) introduced us to flying cars known as Spinners. Obviously, here in 2022, our cars are still grounded, but Sérgio Batista gives us a glimpse of what could be if modern automobiles had such technology. Using the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R from set 76903 as a starting point, Sérgio has created a perfect blend of modern automotive styling and futuristic hover technology. Sure would be nice if we could take this bad boy for a spin. But, who knows, maybe by the Blade Runner sequel date of 2049…

Yo dawg, I heard you like trains

Railways aren’t all built alike, and that’s what allows Pieter Post to create this awesome bit of recursion in a LEGO diorama. The green engine is a narrow-gauge steam engine, allowing it to be transported on a standard-gauge flatcar. The engine and flatcar both are magnificent, with lots of details that are so cleanly sculpted they blend in, even down to the wood-slatted structure on the back of the flat—a structure whose purpose escapes me. I also love that Pieter hasn’t simply shown the pair on a straight piece of track, but instead took the time to sculpt a small diorama. The uneven edges add a great deal of visual interest and give the scene a feeling of being part of something much larger.

The spineless worm got what he deserved

Most of the time, when a lone warrior faces off against a dragon—well, it doesn’t end so well for the warrior. Not so with this strong and stalwart fellow by Dan Ko, who looks like he got the better of this fell beast without breaking a sweat. This small-scale build has some mighty sweet part usage, from the brow of the dragon’s head made from the front part of a mech torso to the long and twisted spine made from robot arms and teeth. But I think my favorite part has got to be the large beard made from the hair of a Minifig.

Radon-86 gets glowing reviews

Part of the thrill in buying LEGO’s Collectable Minifigures is what builders do with them after they’ve unpackaged them. Yuri Badiner has taken the yellow robot from Series 22 and has given it a job involving radiation that the rest of us wouldn’t want to do. This is nicely built however, the real star here (besides the happy little bot) is Yuri’s exemplary photography. The tilt of the horizon is a neat trick they teach us in art school that can denote tension and danger. Clearly, this is a dangerous environment but this bot seems happy to do it. The way the composition is lit here also gets glowing reviews from us. Yuri is no stranger to good photography and getting his minifigures into hairy situations. Click the link to see what I mean.

Ready to race? This speeder from the Mandalorian sure is!

Jared Reisweber has created this fascinating model based on Cobb Vanth’s speeder as featured in The Mandalorian Tv series. The vehicle has an interesting design as it is made out of a podracer engine with the addition of a seat and controls for the pilot. The technical details such as the odd piping, wires and cables creates the impression that the speeder has been cobbled together out of scraps and spare parts.

From the back, there are even more intricacies such as the large wheel which forms the back thruster and the gears which might represent some of the turbines of the engine. The splayed out foot pedals are also a nice touch and demonstrates Jared’s attention to detail throughout the build.

We bow to this royally awesome Zerg Queen

Okay, so maybe she’s not actual royalty. But Cecilie Fritzvold has constructed a menacing mother whose orders I would obey out of fear for my life. This Zerg Queen from StarCraft II is complimented wonderfully with a spawning pool base and some eggs, which are brought to extra-icky life thanks to the printed trans-bright green dishes.

Vidiyo jealousy

Sometimes a LEGO theme just doesn’t spark your interest. For me, this happened with the Vidiyo theme. Sure I noticed a couple of nice minifigure parts, but for me it just wasn’t enough to hop on the Vidiyo express. Aurore however did not skip on the Vidiyo sets and they show this off in their latest creation. We can spot parts from the Dragon Guitarist and the Flying Unicorn Singer had to sacrifice its wings for a figure in this creation. Now that we are talking about Aurore, their minifigures are always spot on. I am convinced that they put at least the same amount of time and effort into putting the figures to go with a creation together as is spent on the creation itself. Check out their profile and see for yourself!

Smug Smaug Sits Smartly in the Spotlight

There are a lot of Lord of the Rings LEGO creations out there, but Geneva Durand brings something extra to this offering. The great dragon Smaug sits atop a golden horde – pretty standard there – but this horde is lit from below with a warm yellow glow. The dragon’s form is excellent, with a good mix of red colors and a solid wing design featuring curved tile to create texture. Triangle tiles are clipped and wedged upright to create the creature’s spine, and golden horns are used to give him a grumpy expression over the Mixel 1×1 round printed tile eyes. The mix of golden-toned elements, chromed gold coins, and under-lit transparent elements, though, is what made this build stand out to me. Mainly because I wonder if Smaug’s body heat is melting that pile of gold, or maybe he just farts fire. Well, whatever it smells like, this build looks great.

Want more LOTR goodness? Check out some other featured builds!

Mattel is Swell – even in a digital age

For many, the late 1980s were a golden age for toys. Case in point, the Mattel Starcom line, and the 1987 release of the Shadow Vampire. John Blackstar has recreated this lost vessel in virtual LEGO, and boy does it hold true to the original. (Here’s a link to a short video featuring the Mattel version.) Sure, LEGO has yet to release some of these elements in the colors seen here…and I’d have to see the exploded view to understand how (or if) some of these bricks are actually connected. But that’s okay. The end result here is sleek, stylish, and makes me want to see LEGO start reviving “lost” toylines. Maybe then we can get some Micronaut crossover action. That’s super-sweet, too.

If you like to stretch your building imagination beyond the limitations of physical brick, why not take a stroll through our other featured digital builds?

Honey, I shrunk the Harbour!

The cityscapes from the Architecture series do well to capture individual landmarks with detail; this is true. And while this is an excellent way for LEGO to save on bricks, builders like Samuel M aren’t shy about pushing the parts limit to honor the cities they know and love. This Australian builder clocked in 30 hours of work over four months on this massive micropolis. Over 10,000 pieces were used to recreate a geographically accurate Sydney Harbour and a laundry list of landmarks. Stand-outs like the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House may be hard to miss, but Sam spent a lot of time trying to capture it all.

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