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.

Two-tone spaceship is one nice model

If you only take a look at one big grey LEGO spaceship today then it should be this one — put together by F@bz. Big grey spaceships are often… (how can I put this politely?) …maybe a little dull? But this one is a cracker, primarily down to those large patterned areas on the spaceship’s front section. They’re built using 1×4 shooter parts, whose split colours and diagonal details make for some interesting shapes amidst the “alien language meets corrupted bitmap” feel of the futuristic decoration.

Whilst the camo-style patterns up front might capture the initial attention, there’s further good use of shooter parts around the craft’s bridge area. It’s Technic shooters this time, providing a nice bit of texture along the ship’s sides to complement all that lovely greebling up top…

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Space battleship inspired by US Navy ships is on-target

Some spaceship builders take their inspiration from science fiction movies or video games, while others use real-world inspiration, like NASA. But some of the most interesting sources, in my opinion, are naval vessels. Maybe it’s because I remember watching Starblazers (Space Battleship Yamato) when I was twelve. Battleships, fighter jets, and submarines in space? Count me in. From the looks of this amazing space destroyer, Ryan Olsen agrees. His original SHIP (built for SHIPtember) looks like a combination of a submarine and a battleship, with a symmetrical central fuselage bristling with an array of railguns, cannons, missile launchers, and even a few Modulex parts, is full of great details. One detail I love are several hardpoints or small docking ports along the center of each side where smaller ships could dock.

Another naval inspiration is the complex bridge and conning tower, which is covered in sensors, targeting scanners, and communication relays.

A fun fact about Ryan’s SHIP building process is that he often starts his models in a digital format using only parts that exist in real life, in currently available colors for added authenticity, and to explore many details quickly in order to perfect his designs. With his digital design complete, he created a fun info-graphic to point out the many points of interest on his space battleship.

Architecture worth traveling light years for.

The Antechamber. An otherworldly room on the edge of space and time. In this LEGO build by Disty, two intergalactic travelers have come face-to-face for the first time. Will they be friends or foes? Will they enlighten each other about the secrets of the cosmos? Or are they just going to spend as much time admiring those pillars as I have?

It’s probably that last one.

The builder has found an exceptional use for a part that most people might discard as too specialized and has turned no less than 32 Bionicle arms into the framework of a wondrous piece of architecture. The result is a build that’s equal parts “sci-fi epic” and “art museum atrium.” It’s taken five years to get the design exactly right, and the final results are definitely worth it. The colors of the room pair perfectly with the printing on the globe positioned in the center of the room, and the dark purple on the Metroid Prime-inspired alien gives the whole scene a perfect pop.

First LEGO House, then LEGO Designer!

You wouldn’t even need to read this article to know that this builder is on an amazing trajectory. I mean, look at this build, it is chock full of joy and optimism. But the story is, Lee Chi Wing got this creation into an exibit in the LEGO House, which is an honor in itself. That was right before they got hired on as a LEGO Designer! Down low and rather small, you see a model of the LEGO House itself and the rest of the creation represents each colored part of the building.

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A celebration of the humble LEGO frog

When I first joined the online LEGO community about 20 years ago, I had to choose an avatar to represent myself online. I decided to draw the LEGO frog in MS Paint and use it as my avatar. The frog piece was released in the year 2000. Over the years some LEGO parts get redesigned. It is however my honest opinion that there is no way to improve the iconic little frog. For its time it is very detailed and still very cute. Four amazing builders decided to celebrate the piece and I could not pass it up the chance to take a closer look at them.

Roanoke Handybuck’s frog is currently visiting the Swamp with a lovely dock featuring some paint brushes and a beautiful architectural sculpture using red parrots.

Read on to see the rest of the models

Watch out for the giant squid of the deep!

Be careful of how far you venture into the ocean or you might meet a terrifying creature such as this. Aiden Rexroad has built this frightening squid with a long shadowy form and piercing lime-coloured eyes. The organic style of the model is created through the use of a variation of inversed tires, placed along the squid’s outstretched tentacles. It appears there is a continuous ball joint system under the rubbery limbs, allowing the creature to pose, providing the model with the ability to drag unsuspecting victims down to the depths. Bohrok helmet pieces represent part of the monster’s body, which contributes to the odd rounded proportions of the squid.

If you didn’t think this build was scary enough, take a look at the huge array of teeth encircling the mouth. This creation demonstrates a vast knowledge of pieces and a unique understanding of the different ways in which LEGO pieces can be utilised.

You can check out more articles on unusual LEGO creature builds, here.

Life isn’t just luxury supercars...

Sometimes you just need to hit the streets in a Japanese sports car. GSM Studio built a medium-sized Technic model of the 2006 Honda Integra, the type of sports car that you would see in street-racing scenes of the earlier Fast & Furious films. Grouped in the same category as the Honda Civic, the Integra is more of a high-performance model spanning four generations of limited release. It is regarded as one of the best front-wheel-drive cars, which GSM Studio faithfully replicated in his build, amongst other functions.

It’s not a Technic build without lots of functions. The opening doors, trunk and hood do not cut it close. The steering wheel in the cabin powers the steering, and a knob between the seats works the four-speed transmission, which is linked to the front wheels as well as the I4 inline engine under the hood. However, not all four wheels have working suspensions. There is only suspension in the rear, as the front axle has the drivetrain as well as steering.

Still, it is quite a feat packing so many functions into a compact build of a compact car. It is more than LEGO does in their official sets, such as Dom’s Dodge Charger from Fast & Furious, which this build would look amazing next to.

Loopy loopin’ teal devil

Teal and purple? What’s this, Technic battle bots from the 90s? This bright racer by Djokson is a rebuild of something just as old, if not more obscure. Continuing his rebuilds of the Xalax racers, he this time pays homage to 4568 Loopin, with a look that borrows design elements from popular pieces of pop culture. For example, the racer and pilot is a perfect blend of cyberpunk aesthetic with a bit of rugged and spiky Mad Max flair. It also uses the unique front wheel design of the spinners from the Blade Runner films and the Tumbler from Christopher Nolan’s Batman: Dark Knight trilogy.

Djokson is a master at NPU, especially with Technic and construction elements such as Bionicle. Loopin has less of that but is still old and obscure. Transparent orange electronic sensor piece from the LEGO Dimensions toys-to-life style videogame cover each wheel, bordered by a basketball rim from the LEGO Sports theme. Djokson also incorporated the printed pieces from the original Loopin set, which give this racer fun decals. The fairly new purple-coloured headphone pieces works well as a chin guard for the pilot’s helmet, as do the red accents. Djokson also achieved the small red rings in the tail and wrists of the pilot via unconventional ways: by cutting a ribbed hose. It’s not exactly an illegal building technique, as the instructions of some LEGO Technic sets do require you to cut ribbed hoses as well as pneumatic tubes.

Lastly, because I just have to gush about teal LEGO pieces: the Technic parts in this colour are fairly limited, but work perfectly in this build. I’m just wishing for more pieces.
Big teal Technic supercar when?

Kneel before the queen

Moko’s Hornet Queen is surely one of my favorite LEGO creations from the past week. And in this case, I can’t decide what I like about it more: the character or the execution. Maybe it’s the posture and the fancy haircut? Or an alien-looking “backpack” in the shape of a giant hornet on her back? For sure, this design can brag some great piece combinations which I only noticed after a very close look.

All aboard as this train glides through an icy scene

Pieter Post has created this immersive diorama in which a powerful locomotive, drives through a frozen landscape. The colour palette of sand blue and white emphasise the frigidity of the scene while hints of earthy tones through the tundra suggest the ground is gradually thawing. The train is also built to be fully functional and even features working lights. Flexible pipes are applied along the body of the train, in order to create some of the more angled tubular details. The train is escorted by a bubbling cloud of steam which uses a variety of rounded pieces to portray the odd and random shapes of the vapor. The claw pieces on the bridge represent icicles dripping down onto the smooth, frozen riverbed below. The deer in the corner has accurate proportions thanks to Harry Potter wands used for its scrawny legs.

Pieter has succeeded in creating a train that is accurate to its real-life counterpart and surrounded by a beautifully constructed landscape. Love Trains? You can check out more of our articles on engaging locomotives, here.

Who knew a dragon could be so gorgeous?

I have to say, as a writer for TBB, I’ve seen A LOT of custom builds. I spend far too much of my time scanning Flickr and Instagram for the next awesome piece of art to share with you all. Maybe it’s the fantasy nerd in me, but this… is exceptional. This dragon, built by talented LEGO designer, Wes Talbott, is all sorts of awesome. The ombre, rainbow-esque coloring is so perfectly executed! Making it for The LEGO House collection, he fittingly calls it, “Chromalagous” but the beauty goes beyond the color palette.

The placement of the scales is so organic and detailed, it truly looks like the skin of a giant reptile. It certainly doesn’t look like LEGO at first glance. And I don’t know about you, but I find myself with my mouth agape, muttering “how?” questions. Those horns?! I’d love to get a look at the internal structure, but this has to take a great deal of sculpting talent. What techniques does he use to make all those odd angles? Your guess is as good as mine.

Wes is a prolific artist, both in LEGO and graphically. Check out some of his official work in our archives, including reviews of the new 21327 Typewriter and 21325 Blacksmith Shop.

The delicate hum of nature

Hummingbirds are truly miraculous little creatures. It’s incredible how something so small and delicate can achieve such monumental tasks. For example, they can migrate hundreds of miles between the summer and winter seasons. Builder LEGO Monkey pays tribute to these little guys with this great vignette, and the composition is nicely done. The tall blades of grass, “large” flower, and broken stick set the scale well. I’m particularly fond of the little ladybug, created using the minifigure costume element attached to a stud with Black Panther ears to cap it off.

If you like this, check out our other nature related builds! In particular, we have loads of examples of excellent LEGO birds.