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.

Totally tubular Technic tread tube

In the 23rd century, biker gangs rule the skies on their modified hoverbikes. The most dangerous of these gangs is the Tunnel Snakes, named for their tendency to use broken flux conduits as their primary highway between crime scenes. This futuristic build by David Roberts makes excellent use of Technic tread links, a part most commonly used in official sets on construction equipment or sci-fi vehicles. But here, these treads are the road through which the sci-fi vehicle travels. There are 40 links in each complete circle, a shape that David has made use of before. But this time the staging successfully implies a much larger scale. It’s easy to imagine the broken conduit tube stretching on for miles across a futuristic cityscape.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Efforts continue in cataloging the mechanical tree of life

The fantastic mechanical creatures of Mitsuru Nikaido have long fascinated me. As I was emerging from the dark ages of my LEGO obsession, the robotic structures of Mitsuru’s models opened my eyes to just what was possible within the LEGO system. While each creature is a dead ringer for their biological inspirations, they also stand separately from them. Their form and selective color-blocking create eye-catching robotic designs. Mitsuru mostly sticks to a light or dark bluish grey contrasting with white and a pop of bright light orange. This simple palette gives a builder plenty of parts to play with though and Mitsuru certainly takes advantage of his options. Let’s take a moment to check out his latest models of a Water bear and a Snail.

Continue reading →

This is what it sounds like when doves cry

Prince is, of course, a music legend who left us too soon. However, he’s also notable for totally nailing his passport photo. I mean, DAMN! How can he look that good? Who doesn’t resemble a crazed maniac in their passport photos? Speaking of crazed maniacs, Paul Hetherington is one of the most talented LEGO artists we know. On the stage of his newest creation, we have the inimitable Prince and the Revolution, but flanking them are Majesty and Divinity, Prince’s beloved doves. This piece also includes Prince’s signature purple piano, firepole, and bathtub.

A closer look at the band members and we see a striking resemblance to Wendy and Lisa, Doctor Fink, BobbyZ, and Brownmark, all of which were carefully crafted from existing LEGO minifigure parts. If you’re looking at Prince and thinking whoa, hang on there Sonny Jim, what is going on here? Well, he is a custom-made figure by Citizen Brick and features Crazy Arms made by Crazy Bricks. Us LEGO people get by with a little help from our friends which, I’m aware, is completely the wrong band and song reference.

If you’re loving this and are totally jonesing for all things Paul, then we got you covered. If, by chance, you want to know what it sounds like when a TBB writer cries, then remind me to show you my passport photo. Oy, what was I thinking with that face? Like a burst sofa!

Refuel, restock, reconnoitre

This vignette by Red Spacecat shows off his latest build, an unmanned combat aerial vehicle. The RQ-190 is being refueled by her crew and prepped for her next mission. This super smooth drone is actually a redesign of a remote-control plane concept that Red Spacecat recently shared. Switching the color scheme of the RC plane to all black just so happens to make the butterfly-inspired design look very similar to a military stealth drone. The angles of the wings hug tight to the curves of the main body and the snub nose lets us see the landing gear peaking out underneath. The slopes and tiles used on the wings make for a smooth, immersive model overall.

The little builds for the tool chest, bomb cart, and fire extinguisher (I assume) are great details for this vignette. The gears used on the ends of the bombs are clever and, though it might not be exactly “legal,” the cut hose used on the tip of the fire extinguisher is a perfect addition. Continue reading →

Smaug the Tremendous taking down Lake-town

To this day it still baffles me that they managed to make three movies out of the book The Hobbit. It’s not a complaint, I do love the movies, but it’s just strange to me. Especially since the book is about a third the length of The Lord of the Rings, which also is three movies long. But let’s not get into that for now. Jaap Bijl drew inspiration from the movie The Hobbit for their latest LEGO creation.

Here we see the dragon Smaug setting flame to Lake-town. The atmosphere Jaap managed to create is amazing. Smaug itself is a miniature and the fire he is breathing is done simple yet really effective with bricks, plates and tiles transitioning from yellow to red. Smaug being dark red makes him feel and look like he is part of the fire he is creating. But what’s interesting is that not a single fire piece was used in this creation, and yet it still looks and feels very much on fire. One thing that also contributes to this great model is the backdrop, which to me hardly even looks like it is edited in. Framing the main scene with a dark brick build archway is a really nice and effective way to set the mood and draw your attention to the center of the picture. However, if you zoom in on the arch you’ll find lots of hidden details in the darkness. Last but not least I would like to note the use of round quarter tile to create those great rooftop shingles.

A not-quite fortress of solitude

Sometimes we all need a quiet place to rest and recharge from our hectic lives. LEGO builder Louis of Nutwood has imagined and built just such a place. With a cottage by the river and a nearby windmill to help with the chores, I can’t think of a better place to lay down under a tree and read a good book until you drift off to dreamland. Smoke billowing gently from the chimney is a sure sign of a warm hearth, maybe some freshly baked rolls, or a tasty pie are waiting for you. The detailed rock work and the outward-facing transparent tiles and plates round out this lovely little scene.

The Battle of Drumstick Glade

As you know over at The Brothers Brick, we love a good brick build insect. And this LEGO creation by Ted Andes features a lot of them! The ants are completely brick build. They are made out of droid arms, clip claws, t-bars, and bricks with studs on 4 sides. They even have a small gaster made out of tooth plates. We are currently watching a battle between the Blackthorns and the Lavender Leaf ant clans. My bet is the Blackthorns are the black ants and the grey ants are the Lavender Leafs. They are fighting over a half-eaten pheasant leg on the ground. I’ve seen a lot of uses for the curved tapered panel but I’ve never seen it used as a pheasant leg. For the foliage, it looks like Ted dismembered a bunch of LEGO flower bouquets. Which seems like a good cause in this case.

Dis is the way.

I know it’s not what Jarek Książczyk intended, but the “Countess of Dis” sounds like a character from Lovecraftian reboot of Sesame Street. “One! Two! Three! Three elder gods! Ha ha ha!” Just don’t cross her even more sinister cousin, the Countess of Dat. But questionable mythology aside, you should take a moment and appreciate the amazing build here. I’m particularly impressed with the way the three main colors unify the build. The dragon wing along the figure’s back has just a touch of red in the dual-molded plastic, echoed in the cloth cape and the banners on the staff. The gold finials on the staff complement the chest armor and skirting, with great part usage like that carriage wheel front and center, and the weapon in the bodice. The black organic curves draw the eye and are matched by the folds in the skirt. Quality stuff.

But is this a build worthy of worship? Well, a bonus supplicant created by Jarek sure seems to think so. I’m not sure exactly what is being offered here, but the use of a gold-chrome hemishere makes it seem like a rare treat indeed. Green Jell-O, maybe? (Who are we to question the desires of the ancient ones?)

If these beings have you wanting to look at other eerie creations, check out more featured builds in our Lovecraft tag!

TBB Cover Photo for August 2021: Home – where fondness meets tranquility

After a weary journey, there is one place that is welcoming and puts the soul at ease… Home! And no matter where your heart lies, this enchanting LEGO scene by Arfelan Nest will take you to a place that whispers tranquillity and blissful peace.

The framing of the build almost places you ready to take your first step to enter, yet is tempting you to come in and restfully explore what lies within. The out-of-focus teapot in the foreground -through to the paneling on the sliding doors behind the garden, set the scene with depth, intention, and true staging mastery. It is then, on closer look, you will find the technical skill tucked away within each section of this well-planned space – the dark green garden bed itself consisting of a slight valley and the simplistic, yet the intentional selection of light grey parts to cleverly convey the placement of stones.

Arfelan’s use of a minimal palette has resulted in a great showcase of intentional colour, drawing your eye in the desired direction for the story to unfold. There is no doubt, that this scene is where fondness meets tranquillity and smiles shine bright… or to put it in another way, this… is home!

Submit your LEGO creations for a chance to be featured across TBB social media for a month! Check out the submission guidelines and share your builds today.

Keep up with The Brothers Brick by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter and Pinterest. And for extra goodies, follow us on Instagram, Flickr, and subscribe to us on YouTube, or join us on Discord.

Save all the bricks and bytes of data by building your own LEGO Floppy Disks [Instructions]

Builder Kos Brick flexes his building skills with these very accurate looking Floppy Disks from the early days before computer hard drives became the de-facto way of booting up Operating Systems and storing data. You can now build your own LEGO floppy diskettes with the video instructions he’s provided. Continue reading →

Winter carols warm the heart

Despite the summer heat, LEGO builder Lukasz Wiktorowicz created a winter wonderland scene of carolers bringing seasonal joy to a lonely cottage. The tree almost steals the show, with leafless branches spindly pointing towards the sky. The use of brown minifigure hands to create additional branch points is fantastic and adds age to the tree. I also really dig the snow work, with clumps of snow slowly falling off the roof and much more piled on the ground.

Yet it’s the minor details that truly make this a wonderland of LEGO. Did you see the crosscut saw laying in the snow near the base of the tree? Or the wood hacked out of the trunk? Or the stump next to the house? Or the hinges on the cottage’s front door? You can’t fully appreciate what Lukasz has built without zooming in for a closer look. And that’s why we’re happy to showcase his creation here on The Brother’s Brick.

Returning home just in time for the harvest

Forced perspective is always a way to get your LEGO creation to look amazing! Haven’t got the bricks to build a really big mountain for the background that you place at an appropriate distance? Just build a really small one! Caleb Saw did just this and it turned out amazing.

I always like it when a LEGO builder manages to capture movement in their creations. It makes the build less static and, if done right, makes the creation come to life. Caleb however did the complete opposite. He captured a moment in which everything stood still. The moment after the woman dropped her bucket after seeing her lover come home unexpectedly. At first I thought Caleb used Fleur’s head for the surprised face, but it turns out to be Luna’s. Which is a bit softer and quite demure which is perfectly for this scene. You can just sense that time stopped for a brief second. Both characters make eye contact and run towards each other. Caleb did this so well that I didn’t even notice the third person tending the crops.