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.

Cut to the head of the armada

For LEGO fans like myself, September is a very special month. Known as SHIPtember to us space nerds, the month presents a challenge for builders to create a giant spaceship at least 100-studs long. Though many take this to mean length, some builders also play with the width and height of thier builds to meet the requirements. Enter builder Oscar Cederwall and his ship, the Claymore. This thin, lanky design features an interior mechanism for mirrored movement of the wings. According to Oscar, also know as o0ger, this allows fleets of these to be stowed on larger vessels. The single stud width of the main body was a design challenge that the builder solved with the two detailed black sections that run the length of the ship. These greebled portions make up a part of the tandem plasma cannons at each end of the body while also holding the structure of the ship together, with some help from the engine. This thin design gives the ship a small profile in firefights making it a formidable foe that cuts through the enemies much like its namesake.

This design is based on a concept by Theo Stylianides and it proved to be a delicate build that even broke apart during the build process. In addition to the black stripes on the side, the wing folding mechanism is held in a Technic structure that also holds the top and bottom together.

This is hands down one of my favorite months, especially as a participant. Seeing SHIPs like Oscar’s always excites and inspires me. The massive vessels that builders pump out during this month are a wonder to behold. Especially when they render it into a space scene and really immerse our imagination.

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Excuse me, sir, your television is leaking

When you look at as many LEGO creations every day as we do here at The Brothers Brick, you see a lot of similar models. But sometimes, something comes along that just makes you smile, like this wonderful model by Kale Frost. Not only is this retro TV well-crafted, but the test pattern adds a bit of whimsy. I’m old enough to remember when there were only 4-5 channels to choose from, and you had to walk over to the set and jiggle the antenna a bit now and then to fix the picture. and that first time you turned on the new color set and saw that technicolor pattern, you knew you were in for a treat.

I like Pinocchio and I can not lie

Actually, I lied a little but I don’t feel my nose growing just yet so I think I’m in the clear. If I were to rank the things I like I would have to concur with Sir Mix-a-Lot and place my affinity for big butts in a tier higher than that of Pinocchio. But, BUTT still this LEGO Pinocchio bust (not butt) by Rokan Cheung is (you other brothers can’t deny) pretty legit. His little pal Jimminy Cricket has got it going on, too. I like it enough to at least check out what else Rokan has done and I’m pretty impressed, I must say. Here’s a few other busts we featured earlier including a Toy Story pair by this same builder.

Toucan play that game.

A childhood spent watching sugary cereal commercials has conditioned me to believe that toucan beaks are some sort of highly advanced, fruit-detecting radar system. If that’s not true, don’t tell me. I’d rather not know. Regardless, Lee Nuo’s take on the keel-billed variety of toucan has got enough bright colors to give me some serious Saturday morning flashbacks. And they’re all pretty spot-on accurate to the real thing; from the lime green bill to the medium blue legs and toes (which make clever use of some minifigure hands). It all pops brilliantly against the body, made mostly from black Technic panels.

If biting doesn’t work, this shark can transform into a mech!

Moko amazes us again with another incredible transformable mech build. The shark mode is the first form, which has a smooth-looking texture across its body; perfect for gliding through the water. The metallic teeth in the mouth suggest that this model is ready to chomp down on its enemies. The sections for the robotic form are so tightly packed away that you might forget there is actually a mech hidden within.

If the shark mode is not causing enough damage, the machine can transform into its formidable mech mode. There are a few surprising details within this mode; the first is that the previous form divides at the mouth, with the split sections becoming part of the shoulders. Another intriguing detail is that the arms are portrayed by horse saddle pieces from the Belville sets. The gun is reminiscent of weapons used in mecha shows, even down to the pink scope.

Moko has a created a build that looks fantastic in both of its modes. The transformation is fascinating and can be viewed in the video below. Parts are stretched out, lower sections are twisted and turned, all resulting in a smooth and clever conversion process between the modes.

Check out more of our articles, relating to transformable models, here.

PoweredUp record player with brick-built melodies

If there’s one thing people in my life know about me, it’s my love of LEGO. I’ve probably bored enough of them out of their mind at this point to recognize when their eyes begin to glaze over as they start thinking of their groceries. So when something like this comes along and even non-LEGO fanatics are fascinated by it, I relish the moment. This model surely deserves attention, but it’s one you have to hear to appreciate. A stroke of ingenuity led builder Peter Zieske to create this adorable, azure record player that actually works.

The music notes adorning the sides are clever decorations made possible by the Trolls line. A brick-built speaker and knob on the front complete the pleasing clamshell design which opens up to reveal the needle and the turntable.

Let’s take a peek under the record and see how the magic is made. Thanks to a Boost Color sensor and an app, Peter was able to elevate this from imitation to working model. The sensor reads the different colored circular tiles under the brick-built record and communicates with the app to play different tones. I imagine Peter was pretty excited to get this working so the Ode to Joy is quite an appropriate first song.

Packed away inside the beautiful body of this model, in addition to the color sensor, is a motor for the turntable and a Powered UP hub to control it all. The technology fits nicely inside the frame, especially when you consider that this isn’t a full-sized record player.

This is an impressive build that suggests the possibilities that LEGO provides us. I can’t help but imagine how many songs could be made with this or what a few more color sensors and a bigger turntable could do. Models like this can go beyond the lines of diehard LEGO fans to music fans and record collectors. Builder Peter Zieske should put on his favorite record, sit back, and savor this accomplishment.

Like a bridge over troubled waters

One thing better than a model by a super-skilled LEGO builder is a model by two super skilled LEGO builders. Joe (jnj_bricks) and Brick Ninja teamed up to create the Temple of the Rising Sun, a moment of battle captured for RebelLUG’s Kingdoms at War II contest. Brick Ninja handled the foreground’s battle scene, fortress, and bridge. Joe created the temple and background landscapes. The cool thing to me is how integrated both builds are. The repeated motifs of circular gold rings, wall textures, vegetation style, and red accents unify the two creations into a seamless whole.

Brick Ninja’s fortress is alive with interesting shapes and creative part usage in the torches. The bridge is elegant and action-packed. And be sure to spend some time zooming in on the background to appreciate the great forced perspective building from Joe. And when you’ve soaked up all you can from this image, go look in our archives for more great temple builds!

A starfish among the stars

LEGO builder Cagerrin wasn’t planning on participating in SHIPtember, but a late-night bolt of inspiration couldn’t be ignored. And so the Aposemate Sidputante of the Nth Coterie was born.

After a year spent mostly designing seafaring vessels, it’s no wonder that Cagerrin’s inspiration for this interstellar digital build is rooted in the ocean. While there’s no doubt that this behemoth is a product of a technologically advanced intelligence, there are plenty of details that give it an almost organic quality. I particularly like the way the alternating pattern of bars and magic wands create realistic spines on the sides of each arm.

This sun-dappled battle is pretty brutal

Sun Tzu said, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” However, if you absolutely have to engage in combat, then why not take a leaf out of LEGO builder Simulterious‘ book and deploy a band of fearsome samurai armed with a cartload of rockets? This is a great little battle scene — soldiers scrapping over control of a pagoda-styled tower whilst gunpowder-driven projectiles fly all over the place. The walls of the building are nicely textured, creating a weathered effect and a sense of age, and the surrounding landscaping is well done with the rockwork suggesting a craggy hilltop in a wider forest. But it’s the photography and lighting which elevates this model into something special. I don’t know if this battle is taking place at sunrise or sunset, but the low hazy sun makes for a very pretty skirmish indeed.

Recreating the Rubensstrasse with LEGO

Anyone who has ever been in the process of remodelling a house has experienced the point where you just want it to be finished. For my home renovation, that moment came about one month ago. Although we are nowhere near finished, seeing this awesome LEGO creation by Aukbricks makes me look forward to having a finished home myself. Don’t let this sleek design fool you, as this creation is made on quite a large scale. Each floor is about 11 bricks high. For reference, the lamp post element used for the street lights is 7 bricks high, which is quite tall for a LEGO piece. But here it looks quite tiny compared to this wonderful build. Aukbricks has such an amazing eye for details, with every house having its own garden, curtains and plants in the windowsill. The design is based on the Rubensstrasse 11 to 19 in Düsseldorf, Germany, which gives you all the opportunity to look these buildings up online just to see what an amazing job Aukbricks did on representing them in the brick.

The loneliness of the long-distance rover

Simple, striking, and evocative — Jan Woznica‘s tiny LEGO space scene is a genuine thing of beauty. I love everything about this, from the “studs as tracks” left in the cute rollerskate rover’s wake, to the twin crescent moons hanging above. But my favourite part has to be the wonderful retro colourways in that stylised sunset — it’s like something from a poster for a 70s sci-fi movie.

All stings considered (A second look at the Hornet Queen)

It seems like just yesterday that we featured the Hornet Queen by Moko. Turns out she is more than just an imposing figure with amazing hair…the Queen’s armor and weapons detach and combine to an equally cool looking hornet! Those great Bionicle wings are a key feature, but my favorite touch has to be the transparent green minifigure helmet accessory used for the eyes. Super creepy looking! You can check out how things combine after the jump, too.

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