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.

Feel the dominating presence of this Halo mech

LEGO builder Zio Chao has built this wonderfully detailed mech from the Halo Wars 2 game. The machine is covered in armaments, although its primary weapon appears to be the huge railgun at its shoulder. This Lego version is fully articulated; with a swiveling waist, movable arms, and an interesting gear system at the hips that allows the mech to pose its legs. With some great shaping across the build, Zio Chao has portrayed an excellent rendition of the original design.

The long prominent legs are used to stomp and stun enemies in the game so it seems fitting that they are exquisitely detailed in this model. A gear track piece runs through the middle of each leg adding an extra level of depth to the robotic aesthetic. The feet, although thin and sharp in design, provide enough surface area for the build to maintain its balance. Continue reading →

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Some new pieces are doing the heavy-lifting.

The release of new LEGO themes often means new parts to play with, and the new VIDIYO theme has offered up some especially interesting new pieces for builders to find uses for. One of my favorite examples of this is the 4-D1 Heavy Cargo Lifter – ‘The Ant’ by Tom Loftus (Inthert). This tiny little ship makes use of two of the new VIDIYO box back pieces to create a flatbed for large cargo.

The box back is equal parts plate, bracket, and hinge, which makes it an ideal framework for a unique spacecraft like this. Below the flatbed, the rest of the ship is just barely larger than its single pilot cockpit, which really gives the impression that this craft lives up to its namesake – a tiny critter capable of lugging several times its own weight around.

Living in the sky with diamonds

Building with LEGO in microscale is something you either like or you don’t. I personally do not navigate towards it but I do really appreciate it when it is done by others. Kitkat1414 is no stranger to building in a small scale. When building in this style, you have to be a lot more creative when it comes to the parts you use. Builders also have to think outside the box when it comes to the construction techniques used to keep their creations together. This specific work by Kitkat1414 contains a lot of minifigure posing stands, although none of them is showing. I also really like the use of swords for the windmill blades. Also noteworthy is the use of the roller skates for door hinges. Last but not least, the Nexo Knights spider transformed into a cobblestone well also deserves a quick mention. Now all I need is a part small enough to pass for a coin to throw into that wishing well.

Research station amid a vibrant reef

Working with a new part can be a challenge. Finding how they fit into the system can lead to surprises and disappointments. Ultimately, dedicated builders like Tom Loftus find a way. Armed with tons of teal from the Ninjago Jungle Dragon and challenged to examine the functionality of the transparent VIDIYO Canopy (as he calls it), Tom found himself under the sea at this Reef Station. He gave me some insight into some of the extra pieces he worked into the model, including finally making use of the drone elements introduced last year.

Read on to see more of the details in this colorful underwater scene

Wall Maria is breached! The Titans have come!

“Are we the prey? No, we are the hunters!” Attack on Titan, or its original title Shingeki no Kyojin, is a tragic tale which starts out as humanity’s struggle against monsters, but evolves into an exploration of the evils of human nature, war, politics, more. Originally a Manga series that has been adapted into a high quality anime show, it has reached mainstream popularity and will now air its final season. Builder Pieter Dennison commemorates the very first episode with the town of Shiganshina being attacked by Titans.

This scene is just draws you in with the detailed buildings and uneven streets, forcing you to take a closer look at the way Pieter manipulates LEGO pieces to give this build a rough, aged feel. There is plenty of subtle use of texture and discolouration that doesn’t distract from the action that takes place. Minifigs representing townspeople flee from the Titan, which devours an unlucky soul. The soldiers of the Survey Corps swoop in from above with Spider-Man-esque manoeuvring gear to take down the grotesque monster. But can they save humanity from this mysterious threat?

This action-packed scene already got one of the opening songs stuck in my head…
“Seid ihr das Essen?
Nein, wir sind die Jäger!”

These Studio Ghibli characters look fantastic in brick form

Tino Poutianen has built this fabulous creation, based on characters from the anime film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. In the build of the ostrich-like bird, named Kai, claw parts have been used to create sprouting tail feathers of the bird. The lanky, tall proportions of the creature are perfectly captured through the use of long plant pot pieces at the legs. The ancient swordsman, Lord Yupa, has a cleverly constructed cloak over his arm with even a croissant piece used for his moustache. Tino has been able to portray the bulbous proportions of Yupa’s costume through a variety of rounded pieces while conveying the mysterious aesthetic of the famous warrior.

Historic Linderei train station at 1:45 scale

Trains remain one of the strongest fandoms out there, bringing tons of people together in the LEGO community. Intent on expanding and upgrading, fans of LEGO trains spend hours and weeks building models such as this for their displays. The efforts often pay off, resulting in beautiful reproductions of real-life landmarks. This model of Linderei Station from 1912 was built by Pieter Post to go along with another builder’s works for a larger display. The beauty of LEGO train builders is they can literally connect their worlds together.

Continue reading →

Advocating for the devil

Mecha maven Marco De Bon wows us once again with the FA-18 “Lucifer.” This human-operated battle bot stands 230 mm tall (about 9 inches) and boasts an impressive range of movement, thanks in part to multiple Mixel joints in each knee. Although, you’d barely know they were there at first glance. Marco has done a fantastic job of shaping the arms and legs in such a way that the major joints remain hidden from view. And the few joints that are exposed blend pretty seamlessly into the robot’s black and silver color scheme. The result is a robot that strikes some very human poses and puts many similarly sized action figures to shame.

Be sure to check out our archives for more of Marco’s marvelous mechs.

Albus Dumbledore and the Office of Secrets

After years of rereading, rewatching, and relistening to the series, Dumbledore’s Office evokes a certain brand of nostalgia for me. It’s an emotion somewhere between being in the Principle’s office and sitting down for tea with my quirky grandmother. Seeing it built with such detail at this scale makes me think of how I felt at twelve years old when the Chamber of Secrets was released, and I watched Harry enter the office for the first time. Even as an adult, rewatching the series on repeat with my brother during quarantine, the stories told and secrets shared in this office are plastered on the walls of my mind. Builder Stefan Johansson uses some magical techniques to create this massive model of Dumbledore’s office.

Continue reading →

Gundam Hazel is ready to hop into action

The Hazel mobile suit from Gundam is a fantastic design, as it portrays a chunky variant of the classic mecha design. It seems fitting that this build is by Two Rabbits, as the name of the Hazel was inspired by a character from Watership Down, which heavily features rabbits. The model captures of elements the original design, such as its broad shoulders and bulbous legs, which have translated perfectly into LEGO form. Covered in vents for manoeuvres in space, the most interesting interpretation, of the mech, is at the legs, where plate handle pieces have been used to represent different segments of the vents.

The version of the Hazel on the left has a booster pack on its back allowing it to blast through space. The rendition on the right features bulky arms which are nicely constructed and attached to the backpack. You can tell Two Rabbits has carefully studied the Hazel, as even the smallest of details have been recreated in this marvelous build.

Check out more articles on Gundam related builds here.

Journey to the bottom of the baseplate bin

Maybe it’s just the bourbon talking, but baseplates can be hit or miss with us LEGO builders. I have boxes full of them, but they reside in the most inaccessible corners of my LEGO room because (again, this might be the bourbon) I perceive them as “greasy kid stuff.” However Walter Whiteside Jr. just might have me digging out my old plates and rethinking my greasy kid strategy. Everything about this particular shot, from the bright yellow submersible to the way he uses the pattern on the baseplates, is phenomenal. The round bits come from this Fabuland set from 1985. In fact, most of these parts take us to about the mid-eighties to the early nineties.

We may have other things to look forward to from this builder. While this shot is remarkable enough to warrant its own write-up, the bit of monorail track clues us in that this may be part of a larger layout. In fact, here’s another denizen of Walter’s amazing underwater world!