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.

And we’re off to the races...

I don’t know a lot about the Aerogee 3000 built by Tino Poutianen, but I suspect it’s fast. Very fast. And also made out of LEGO brick. A rare combo! Part of the unique look comes from the fact that this is larger than minifigure-scaled. That helmet is from the classic Technic racer figures, the larger size making the curved panels and other elements feel just a bit more compact than you’d get with a traditional minifigure. Those curves and the three in-line wheels remind me of vehicles from the Thunderbirds show crossed with Speed Racer – certainly nothing to complain about. Yes indeed, this is one sweet ride.

If you’re looking for other speedy concepts, check out our racers tag!

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That’s one brightly-lit skyline

Spaceships are great, castles are fun, mechs are neato. But sometimes I like to stop and appreciate the LEGO builds that lean more heavily into traditional “artistic” themes. legoapprentice has created a fun neon-lit skyline that just seems cheerful and fun. I like the subtle techniques in play like the varied widths of the windows, and how quarter arch tiles are used in several orientations to create a fluid feel for the skyscrapers. So take a moment and rest here with me, and enjoy the sights.

Once you’ve caught your breath, take a stroll down our Art tag for even more creative goodness.

Eat your heart out, NASA

One small step for a minifigure, one giant leap for minifigure-kind. Builder Centuri Chan has created a fantastic spaceship to get the first two minifigures to Mars by 2028. Nostalgia certainly is a powerful force and the new buildable figures provided a perfect template for Centuri Chan to project their love for the Classic Space theme. This Minifigure Launch System, as dubbed by the builder, is a playful spin on the brick-built mega-figures that LEGO has begun to release. Littered with astronauts and robots, this crawler is on its way to the launch pad for further testing of this minifigure-inspired spacecraft. Two yellow pilots sit in the helmet, just above a wonderful, brick-built Classic Space logo while the rest of the crew tends their various assignments. I love the nod to Classic City sets and Octan with the white, red, and green tanks.

Checking out the back lets us see the boosters that Centuri Chan attached to the spaceman-spacecraft while also making us wonder what exactly the elusive orange spaceman is doing up there.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Cardboard’s Counterattack

It’s the day before a convention and you’ve got no costume. What do you do? All that’s in your room is cardboard boxes, filled with this year’s wave of new LEGO sets. Hmmm, if only there was some way to utilise the cardboard to make a costume…

Perhaps you need some inspiration from the Cardboard Gundam! This fun build by Tino Poutiainen is presented in a tan colour scheme that works perfectly for the model. The eyes are represented by Technic hole bricks and provides the model with a gormless expression. Even the floppy shield is great as the bend represents a fold in the cardboard. The application of stickers prevents the build from looking too plain and with an interesting selection used, see if you can recognise what sets the stickers are from. Armed with what appears to be a NERF gun and cardboard tube beam saber on its back, this must truly be the most powerful Gundam.

So, there you have it. How’s your costume looking now? What’s that? You spent all night building those LEGO sets instead? Good choice.

There once was a little macaw

The smooth body of this little LEGO scarlet macaw, built by Nikita Filatov, contrasts perfectly with the texture of the branch she sits on. Speaking of which, the organic texturing and overall structure/shaping are nicely done in both pieces. The core of the branch has to be pretty strong to support the bird! The only thing missing is a few more tail feathers, but soon this youngster will be taking flight!

We’ve got what you need if you’re interested in seeing more builds of colorful birds! And if you’re looking for a menagerie, we have a whole zoo’s worth of awesome animal builds too!

How can you say no to that face?

Timofey Tkachev has created this adorable build of an innocent-looking puppy. The dynamic pose of the model provides a sense of the puppy’s jovial personality, with its cute head tilt and raised paw. Wedge pieces form much of the face, cradling the lower part of the eyes and surrounding the eyebrows which are portrayed by arch pieces. A number of claw pieces have been placed across the build, representing strands of puppy’s fur. It’s a little tricky to tell what type of dog this model is actually based on, possibly something mixed with a poodle or a shih tzu at a guess. With those loving eyes, it feels as though this pup could get away with anything.

Peace and tranquility and some forced perspective

When I stumbled upon this creation by W.Navarre I had to look twice to confirm it is made out of LEGO. I recognize the minifigure and the cow as LEGO parts but the total shot looks like it’s straight from National Geographic. W.Navarre created mountains as a backdrop. For the mountains, they used different shades of blue which creates the forced perspective in this picture. The dark blue mountains represent the nearest mountains. The further away the mountains are, the lighter the shade of blue of the mountains appear to be. Just like in real life. Using a mirror as a surface to place the build on creates a reflection of the mountains and mimics water perfectly. The total shot of this creation is so realistic it is absolutely stunning! My guess is there are a lot of parts not connected in this build and that gravity plays a huge part in keeping this together which is perfectly fine!

And then the camera pulled back...

When this image of a forgotten temple came to my attention, I knew I wanted to feature it here. Nathan Hake has created an immersive scene that ticks a lot of my favorite boxes. There’s lovely organic building in the trees and vines. There’s interesting part usage in the idol made primarily of golden weapons. And I’ve just got a thing for ruined architecture. Add a dollop of the depth of field from the minifigure in the foreground, and you have something pretty special. But when I visited Nathan’s photostream to learn more, I found that this is only a detail shot of a much larger build. Keep reading to find out just how much bigger!

Continue reading →

A brick-built feline friend for you

There’s nothing that can replace a real, cuddly feline friend, but this adorable life-size LEGO cat by Felix Jaensch is a pretty good contender, at least as far as the realm of inanimate objects goes. While the majority of the build employs the classic studs-up style using mostly basic bricks that’s familiar to LEGOLAND visitors the world over, the result is excellent shaping of the cat’s smooth curves. The grey tuxedo coloring also adds a lot of interest to the build, breaking up the shape. Plus, I’m just a sucker for life-size builds. I’d totally have this in my office—wouldn’t you?

Where’s Herbie these days?

It’s been a long time since everyone’s favorite love-bug hit the big screen. From 1968 to 2005, millions of hearts were warmed by the sentient VW Beetle’s escapades. But somehow, with as awesome as he is, he still winds up broken down and abandoned from time to time. (Lame humans!) But who knows where he is these days? According to Hachiroku92, he’s in a barnyard someplace, needing a little love. This sad but adorable LEGO version of Herbie makes great use of the small quarter-round curved slopes for that iconic body shape, and adds frying pans for headlights. That windmill is excellent too!

Stick around and you’ll find more Volkswagen builds and news in our archives! How do you feel about the new LEGO Volkswagen T2 Camper Van? Tell us what you think in the comments?

The most adorable LEGO Loki you’ll see this week

Now imagine for a moment: you are a world-famous artist and LEGO builder with thousands of subscribers among your social feeds. You combine plastic bricks, memes, movies, and celebrities like no one other, building the reality the way only you can. You know exactly what fans want, and you can give them that and even more. When building a tribute to Loki, how hard could it be to include Mobius on ski jet? But for some reason, TBB alumnus Iain Heath decided not to include Owen Wilson’s latest character altogether. I totally get it: the brick-built alligator Loki deserves its own official LEGO set, but what’s wrong with some fun on a jet ski..?

All poking fun at our friend Iain aside, we love this lineup of LEGO Lokis. Despite the relatively small scale, he’s managed to capture the personality of each of the characters perfectly.

So, head or no head?

Guys only want one thing and it’s disgusting. However, in the world of praying mantises, that doesn’t always work out. It’s the lady who gets the head — literally. Expert builder Djokson sets the table for a romantic candlelit dinner, with fancy tablecloth and a glass of wine. Lady mantis appears to have been stood up by her suitor, until her meal is served on a big platter.

While this is a fun scene, we have to talk about NPU when we write about Djokson’s many ingenious creations. For example, Lady mantis wears pieces of cloth that can only be from either Scala or Belville — two old LEGO themes full of large dolls. It’s just hard for me to pinpoint which cloth piece is from which. However, the eye sockets of each mantis are the shoes of said dolls, with the good old minifigure arms wedged inside them. Other pieces include the rubbery Krana and Kraata from Bionicle, which Djokson uses in the head and stomach respectively. I also enjoy the use of the fantastical key element from LEGO Elves, which gives the elbows a spindly look.

I guess you could say Djokson’s builds make me… lose my head.