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.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- Heroes on a Half Shell-Turtle Power!

The esteemed Iron Builder competition is firing on all cylinders and the equally ‘steamed LEGO builder Duncan Lindbo has answered the call of duty. This time he’s used the requisite red Technic Rotor Blade to render Raphael’s ninja-eye-mask-scarf-thingy. Thanks to my chosen title, those of us of a certain age now hear the theme song that was the soundtrack to our Saturday mornings and are remembering the sewer-dwelling, pizza-loving crime-fighting antics of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It all made sense when we were twelve! Here’s to hoping Duncan Lindbo continues to be our action-packed Saturday-morning-and-every-other-day soundtrack.

Hero on the half-shell

A brick-built lesson in Finnish architecture

You probably know Finland for a few things: sauna, northern lights, rally drivers, and Eero Okkonen. What you might not know is its propensity for excellent art nouveau architecture. And what better way to show that than with Eero’s fantastic, and enormous, model dubbed the Tampereen Pankki! Eero might be better known for his character models, but he’s clearly a dab hand at LEGO architecture too. This doesn’t depict a specific building, rather it’s an amalgamation of a few different bank buildings in Eero’s hometown of Tampere (hence Tampereen Pankki = Bank of Tampere). See, you’re even learning some Finnish thanks to this build!

Tampereen Pankki

Click to see inside!

Dance me to the stones and back

What do you get if you cross the Giant’s Causeway with Doctor Strange? That’s the vibe I’m getting from Daniel Church‘s kinetic LEGO vignette here. The geography looks quite otherworldly – I love the look of the hexagonal columns. But the meditating chap in the middle adds an extra layer of mysticism. This has to be some temple or shrine at the top of the tallest mountain, where only those seeking true enlightenment will dare to venture. And if you do make it to the top, and you achieve the inner peace you’ve been craving, you may get to see the stones dance thanks to Daniel’s clever mechanics.

The Monk and the Dancing Stones

This 1:1 scale gun is no laughing matter

When it comes to life-size prop recreations built from LEGO, Nick Jensen might be the reigning champion. His latest work is the revolver wielded by Gotham’s Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. This is the perfect weapon for going bat hunting, with a movable trigger and a perfectly purple grip. But my favorite part is the “Bang” flag coming out of the barrel. Thanks to a clever sandwiching of a LEGO net between some tiles and plates, the flag can actually wave. As in, wave bye-bye to the Batman…

The Joker’s revolver

A build from the past gives us a glimpse of the future.

The world of The Wheel of Time book series is both the ancient past and the far-off future. So, it’s fitting that this build by Vladimir van Hoek from ten years ago (long predating the recent Amazon Prime TV series) is just now getting shared with us in the present. The microscale scene of the Field of Merrilor depicts a high-tech castle and neighboring village, in a world where vehicles are powered by primitive sails and advanced jet propulsion. I love the way foliage peeks out from beneath the vignette framework, and the way the reddish brown grill bricks have been laid on their sides to create the rows in the farmland. This idyllic scene is definitely a place I’d like to visit someday…or perhaps I’ve already been?

Futuron Palace

Onomatopeia... Or is it?

This charming abode by Daniel Barwegen is full of mystery. It’s titled “Onomatopeya”, a facsimile of a word that refers to words that imitate sounds (think “meow” or “atchoo”). But with the windmill and lack of fauna, this build seems to evoke the lack of noises, not noise words. That begs the question of why there isn’t anyone here? The little flying utility vehicle parked outside suggests we’re in the future, and the blue sky and windmill again make me think it’s a utopian rather than dystopian vision. But then again, it’s so overgrown! If someone does live here they’re no gardener… I dunno. In fact, just about the only thing I do know is that the Duplo window fits this place so well I almost didn’t recognize it.

Onomatopeya

A mighty modular LEGO mech for marching

This green and white mech by Red Spacecat has more options than you can shoot a rocket at. Giving me some Solid Snake vibes with those multi-jointed legs, this mech can be outfitted with a variety of weapons to suit any deployment needs. Built to the scale of a fairly uncommon figure from the early days of LEGO System sets. One great part used is the long mast piece more commonly found on ships, but my favorite is the double stack of tank-tread parts used for the massive machine gun rounds.

MT-80 VECTOR

Here’s another photo showing off some of the other weapon options, and with the leg armor removed, you can see even more of the great details used in this model.

MT-80 VECTOR

Microscale LEGO probe droid is a mini-masterpiece

When it comes to Star Wars droids, few are as instantly recognizable as the Imperial Viper probe droid. The multi-eyed, multi-armed profile still gives me chills thinking back to the first time we saw it unfolding above the white landscape of Hoth like a mechanical nightmare. Calin has captured the likeness in LEGO masterfully at such a small scale… using a variety of rounded black parts for the eyes, from a train wheel with a red bar in the center, to a tire, and even a helmet or two. The use of angled droid arms is the perfect choice for those spindly claw-tipped limbs. And a pair of fencing foils make for great antennae.

Imperial Viper Probe Droid

A huge collaboration takes on the Pokémon Ultra Beasts!

I love it when a great LEGO collaboration comes together! A group of friends built the Pokémon Ultra Beasts and the end result is pure gold. Take Aidan Hayward’s Celesteela, for example. This is one of the dangerous UBs, (that’s Ultra Beasts) high energy readings can be detected coming from both of its huge arms.

UB-04 Blaster: Celesteela

Celesteela brought friends. Lots of them!

Nothing’s hipper than see-thru slippers

Thomas W had planned a different build for his contribution to a fairy tale collaboration but had to shift gears at the last minute. The result is a happy ending worthy of a fairy tale. This vignette, with its impressive tomes and frog-occupied wishing well, sets the imagination racing with all kinds of storybook adventures. But the real work of art is that glass slipper. There’s a limited number of bricks available in the trans-clear color, but Thomas transformed them into something special anyway, as easy as turning a frog into a prince.

Once Upon A Time

SHIPtember’s never over, we just get SHIPtober

Although they call it SHIPtember, the nature of the beast means we often get enormous LEGO spaceships popping up well into October. Building one is one thing, photographing such large creations is a whole challenge unto itself! SweStar has risen to both challenges in admirable fashion. I love the muted colours on this freighter; the sand green and blue coupled with those pops of yellow and orange looks really good. I really love the fact that they’ve expanded the scene beyond just the Seriously Huge Investment in Parts (SHIP) too. The containers, ground crew, and that adorable orange loader all add a charming extra touch.

RV-16 Freighter Ship

Iron Builder: It’s like a beautiful dance with a LEGO chainsaw!

When a new Iron Builder competition starts up, it’s hard not to feature some of the fantastic creations that come from the parts-usage head-to-head. In this round, both our competitors are trying to best utilize the Technic rotor blade in red. In a strategic move, challenger Duncan Lindbo attempts to cut down his competition with a brilliant chainsaw creation! It’s such a clean model, with excellent lines and a superb use of the seed part. But the log it sits on is equally impressive, all knotted and gnarled on the exterior, yet smooth and ringed where it was recently cleaved. Good luck to Duncan and his challenger Dan Ko as they duke it out!

Chainsaw go brrrr