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.

Go anywhere in the rugged Toyota FJ40

LEGO automotive enthusiasts lost our collective cookies when they came out with the 10271 Fiat 500 set in bright lemony yellow. (I think I peed a little!) It was a previously difficult color to come by but as Jonathan Elliott pointed out, even with the Fiat, there are only 352 parts available in that shade, a large chunk dedicated to minifig hairstyles. This means building your own creations in that tasty color is still somewhat difficult. Boy, don’t I know it! That didn’t stop Jonathan from building a totally awesome Toyota FJ40 though. This model is so accurate it almost feels like you can actually go off-roading in it. While he is no slouch with building LEGO cars, his automotive chops really shined with this one. Check out the archives to see what I mean.

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This AT-Hauler is carrying a light load

The Y-45 hauler first introduced in Solo: a Star Wars Story may have been referred to as a heavy hauler, but this microscale model by Tim Goddard is carrying a much lighter microscale AT-ST. The lift arms are finished with a variety of tiles and modified plates of various size and shape, rather than larger more uniform tiles, which provide a wonderful texture.

The underside is full of great greebly details in dark red, including several Minifig hands, and a set of thin black arms tohold the model up, without distracting from the overall look.

Darn good deals on discount droids

As vast as the on-screen Star Wars universe is, there’s probably no corner of it that hasn’t been rendered in LEGO at one time or another. So, it should come as no surprise that LEGO fans have begun imagining their own corners of the universe to build. Abe Fortier does a particularly impressive job of rendering a heretofore unseen section of Tatooine with his Jawa Rummage Sale custom build. Even without the familiar aliens and Stormtroopers hanging about, this building would be instantly recognizable as a locale on the famous desert planet. Abe makes excellent use of greebling for the sci-fi trimmings, and the oft-ignored single groove side of the masonry brick adds interesting texture to the building. Be sure to look closely at what each of these shady characters is up to, so you can spot all the great gags and easter eggs that Abe has hidden in the model.

Miles better than the rest

From the fantastic Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, comes this impressive build of Miles Morales. Marius Herrmann has used a variation of unusual techniques to capture Miles’ unique style. The model features a great use of Lego rubber bands; around the eyes and chest as well as the shoe laces of the trainers. Hero factory parts add thickness into the form of the jacket and shorts, creating a nice contrast with the skinny legs of the model. The red details of the jacket are well textured, even red whips make an appearance as tassels. The white part used for the upper section of the trainer had us scratching our heads for a bit, it’s actually a Belville bib piece! The inventive use of parts by Marius contributes to this accurate interpretation of the original design.

Terrifying leader or smelly bad guy?

When first introduced in 1977, Grand Moff Tarkin was just the bad guy that dies at the end of Star Wars. Since then, he’s been included in other movies, TV shows, books, and even LEGO. While the few minifigure versions are certainly a great representation, none of them come close to displaying the true power of the Empire’s grandest Moff the same way as this sculpture by Brandon Griffith.

Standing tall as if the Tarkin Doctrine was a set of rules about posture and uniform, he appears as the ultimate example of loyalty to the Empire. The variety of parts used in this LEGO creation is about as varied as I would expect the fictional Grand Moff’s life to be: almost all plate, slope, and tile, with the odd variation like binoculars and a jumper to represent his code cylinders and belt. And while this model has been restricted to only a few colours, the resemblance is unmistakable. Even without different coloured eyes, the single studs make it easy to see the daggers he is certainly staring.

“There is nothing, absolutely nothing, quite so worthwhile as simply messing about on bicycles”

Cyclist Tom Kunich said it best. As an avid biker myself, I love a sturdy frame that can hit the trails without giving me a beating. Let’s go for a ride on the Liteville 601 by builder 1corn.

This build is mostly Technic pieces, which provided 1corn with plenty of rigidity in the frame, essential for a good mountain bike. It looks like the builder was dedicated to making this function with all the different orientations used to model the frame. You just have to appreciate its pragmatism.

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“Come, my friends. The Ents are going to war.”

Without a doubt, the Two Towers is definitely my favorite Lord of the Rings movie. I have fond memories of going to a small town theater with my friend to watch it soon after it had come out. The contrasting story arcs kept my attention in a state of absorbant wonder though I honestly remember the scenes with Treebeard the most. There were plenty of accompanying Lego sets for the movies but in their wake, fans have created intense models of their own to celebrate their favorite scenes. Craig Jansen was clearly inspired by the Last March of the Ents while building this massive model of Treebeard, Merry, and Pippin heading to Isengard.

Just check out the parts Craig used in this model! The first thing I noticed were the eyes. Treebeard’s eyes, almost glowing in the dark of Fangorn forest, have a distinct presence in the film. Craig did really well with them here. I thought those are printed eye studs but upon closer examination, I realized they were black technic bushings with yellow flextubes cut to fit inside. Simple but brilliant, I must say. They give the model Treebeard’s striking glare.

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Crushing it in cross-species cross-fit training

Restrictions on many of our usual weekend activities are finally starting to lift as more and more people around the world get their vaccination shots. But what do you do if cross-fit gyms just don’t come in your size? Improvise! Bart De Dobbelaer demonstrates the importance of using a spotter when lifting weights, or in this case, an exceedingly large caterpillar. It might be hard to tell, with so many black parts, but all three of the ants are quite expressive, including the poor fellow trapped beneath his living dumbbell.

Take the Minnie Winnie on a maxi road trip

With vaccines rolling out and COVID numbers dropping in most countries, many folks are looking to travel again. However, some areas are unfortunately spiking, so airplane travel with strangers can still feel a bit icky. That is why a road trip is a compelling option for many people right now. If you still love the folks you’ve been locked up with for the last several months to a year-and-a-half, then look no further than this neat little LEGO 1977 Minnie Winnie built by 1saac W. This builder has been on a hot streak here at The Brothers Brick lately, and it’s clever build techniques like this are the reason why. I’m loving the iconic “W” for Winnebago. Or maybe it’s an homage to the builder’s last name? Oooh, maybe his last name is Winnebago! How perfect would that be? While you’re mulling that over, check out some other cool vehicles built by 1saac and many others.

This dynamic LEGO creation is a real page-turner

This creation from LEGO builder Pistash is captivating and full of wonderful, captivating energy. The picture is great, but it doesn’t do it justice. Make sure you watch the build in action in the video below. You’re immediately drawn into the colorful layers of the book as it pulls you deeper, deeper, into the story. I really love how the colors on both sides accentuate each other, and the question mark tiles are a really nice touch.

See the book in action…

Solo Transformer Assault Group

One of the things that made The Transformers such a great toy line was the arms race nature of the Autobot/Decepticon conflict that kept piling on the gimmicks for kids to drool over.

“We turn into cars.”
“We turn into jets.”
“Well then we turn into dinosaurs.”
“Oh yeah? We combine.”
“Well then we also combine.”
“Okay, but now we turn into two vehicles.”

And on and on it went, with each new gimmick creating a new set of must-have toys. And undoubtedly, one of the most impressive gimmicks was 1987’s Sixshot, an evil robot with five different alternate modes. Sam C. has taken on the challenge of replicating all six configurations in his custom LEGO recreation of the Decepticon warrior.

Click here to all of Sixshot’s alternate modes in action!

Everyone has their own demons

I do not need to tell you guys that LEGO is a lovely medium to express your emotions. We quite often see creations being made to celebrate special times in a person’s life. Bart de Dobbelaer however shows us LEGO can also be used to express the harder times in life. In this creation, a single white figure is battling their inner demons. The demons look really quite bizarre and scary. The Hidden Side eyes gets used for the demons eyes. This isn’t a far stretch but it is very fitting and creepy looking. Not using white on the demons but going with yellowish-green further adds to the contrast between the demon and the white figure. At first, I thought the mutant T-Rex head or jaw was used for the jaw of the monster but upon further inspection, this is not the case. The jaw doesn’t open horizontally but vertically which for some reason freaks me the hell out. Thank god our hero is equipped with a big weapon to fight this three-headed monster.