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.

I’ll take mine on the rocks, please

There are some LEGO builders that I would just love to hate, since they seem to be living the perfect LEGO life, and Markus Rollbühler would be at the top of my list; he’s one of the most talented builders out there with about a billion social followers, he has an enormous and perfectly organized collection, and he even works as a set designer for LEGO, the (pipe) dream job of every aspiring LEGO talent. But Markus is impossible to hate, because he is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, super humble, always offering advice and help when asked, and available to even the most rookie builder. How could I hate a guy like that? I can’t. Instead, I admit that he’s one of my personal favorite builders, regardless of what genre he tries his hand at. In this case, it is a delightful little lighthouse.

Markus shows of his skills by building a compactly small round tower out of tiles, pairing that with a ramshackle hut with a teal roof (got to love teal, right?). Markus is famous for his cheese slope roofs, and really his ability to make a roof out of virtually any piece (see Ninjago City Gardens, a set he designed, if you doubt the truth of the statement). He is also well known for his foliage, and this tree made from yellow feathers does not disappoint. The color scheme is just about perfect, as is the composition, and the building techniques are on point…in short, it’s enough to make one green (or even teal) with envy, except that the builder is just too darn nice.

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The puddle jumper

I have a fondness for tiny LEGO spaceships that have every piece neatly in place, and this micro “space-catamaran” by Christopher Hoffmann fits the bill perfectly. Christopher says he built it several years ago but is just now getting around to photographing it (a delay I empathize with on a deep level) but I’m glad he’s decided to show it off now. While he says the design focused around the then-new X-wing canopy, the part that sticks out to me the most are the large white Technic panels that form the wings, which are a cool-shaped piece that’s surprisingly difficult to integrate into minifigure-scale ships, though it blends in smoothly here.

Stop, hammerhead shark time?

Certainly, if anyone saw a real hammerhead shark, they would stop whatever they were doing out of fear, but imagine seeing this guy? Dylan Mievis’s hammerhead shark figural LEGO build is surely fear and nightmare-inducing.

Mievis mainly utilizes LEGO Technic elements from the Bionicle, Hero Factory, and Star Wars buildable figure lines to shape this muscular anthropomorphic hammerhead shark. Ball and joint elements allow for articulation, while various armor pieces including the shoulder plate serving as the shark’s midriff create a heavily shielded aesthetic. Some small elements more commonly found, such as claw pieces and the printed voodoo ball elements used for the eyes, are also featured in this build. Shark week isn’t for a while, but this model gives us enough of a scare to hold us over.

A medieval winter wonder-castle

Winter wonderlands are a fairly common theme with LEGO builders, and not just houses and villages, but castles as well, like this cozy castle by W. Navarre. I hope they have plenty of tiny logs to burn in their tiny fireplaces. The model features a nice mix of newer and older gray parts for the perfect weathered look and speaking of weather, the scene includes several patches of snow on the roofs and the surrounding grounds. One of my favorite details is the little tower near the left side, which is attached using 1×1 rounded tiles on their side, stuck into the underside of the larger 2×2 rounded plate.

The month is March and Easter is among us

I haven’t actually played the popular game Among Us, but the little people in colorful spacesuits featured in the game sure are iconic. While those guys may not be the inspiration behind this lovely Astro-bunny LEGO build by Joffre Zheng, it certainly looks like a cute mashup to my little eye.

This silly rabbit’s carrot-colored spacesuit is crafted out of orange bricks, slopes, tiles, cones, and cylinder pieces in various sizes. A trans-clear hinged half dome serves as the visor of the helmet, which protects the furry little critter from the space elements. Small light grey pieces such as cheese slopes, round-bottomed 2x2s, tiles, and bricks make up the face, whose eyes are rendered with the signature 1×1 round tiles featured in BrickHeadz sets. This bunny sure is ready for Easter and beyond!

A rustic cottage just in time for spring

We’ve had a couple of warm days here in New York already, which means the time for long drives on scenic country routes is here. Eero Okkonen’s LEGO cottage model is just the type of home one would encounter on such excursions.

What I love most about this brick-built dwelling is its imagined silo incorporated into the home’s build; you can find such a design in the real world. Okkonen utilizes many 1×2 plates in the formation of the dome topping his silo, while the house as a whole utilizes various bricks and differing slope pieces in varying configurations. The stone foundation of the home is rendered with ingots, slopes, bricks, and round-bottomed 2x2s in light grey, which complement the popping green evergreen trees Okkonen primarily fashions out of flower stem elements. Overall this is a timely model for the shifting of seasons.

I am the robot walrus

When I first heard about Mitsuru Nikaido‘s LEGO mecha walrus, I pictured a cyberpunk Beatles nightmare. But when I looked at how well-built and detailed it was, I was only impressed.

What really sells this as a mecha walrus are the green eyes. They give off a ghostly computer-like glow that is creepy and makes the rest of the build look metallic. The tubing also helps, but without the eyes, I would have thought it was just a LEGO Technic-style sea mammal.

The skin even looks like armor plating! Well done, Mitsuru!

Off to an adventure with Calvin and Hobbes

Talented TBB alum Simon Liu brings us the iconic duo Calvin and Hobbes. Simon is no stranger to Calvin and Hobbes LEGO creations. This time he decided to challenge himself by using only 101 pieces. 101 pieces doesn’t sound like a lot, but the figures are quite small so to me it still is astonishing that these two figures consist of 101 parts. Most of the parts used are smaller than a 1×1 brick. Even though their faces are featureless the figures look instantly recognizable — Hobbes’ face is especially well made. I am quite curious how Hobbes’ ears are connected. My guess is through friction and I am perfectly fine with that as long as he doesn’t lose them when they speed of a steep hill in Calvin’s red wagon.

Want more LEGO Calvin and Hobbes creations? Check them out in our archives!

Fifi the Warrior Princess

Dan Ko had me searching the internet for the reference to their creation for a couple of minutes. I can’t find it so my guess is Fifi the Warrior Princess and Tatsu the Magic Whale are figures of his imagination. Which is troubling because I want more Fifi and Tatsu adventures! Tatsu looks so sweet and friendly with its big eyes and sand green fins made out of surfboards. The mudguard and shoulder pad make for a great face. But the best part has to be the round plate used as a single tooth.

LittleJohn says “Hay there, farmer!”

LEGO builder John Snyder says “hay there, farmer!” To which I reply “hay there right back!” Frankly, I know nothing about farming, but I do enjoy a friendly greeting replete with puns so I figured I ought to jump at the chance to feature this John Deere tractor and hay baler. If you’re as a-moo-sed by this as I am, then you should check out -LittleJohn’s other stuff. He’s been building a lot of amazing stuff lately. But before you go, let me try my hand at a farmer joke. Here goes. How did the farmer find his cow? He tractor down. OK, admittedly that could use some work. Sorry, I’m just going to let myself out now.

A darker take on the concept of “Through the looking glass”

When you’re looking for a dark or spooky creation, you know you can count on Corvus Auriac. H.P. Lovecraft Tribute is another prime example of that. It’s a digital render that uses only real-life pieces, a nicely meta “twist on reality.” Seems thematic, anyway. I love the textures in play, and the way the transparent energy effect pieces around the opening portal have shapes the echo the bat wings and organic curves in the frame. Oh, and also echo the organic curves that appear in the elder god who’s reaching through that mirror.

Check our archives if you’re in the mood for even more horrific builds!

TBB cover photo for March 2021: Lifelike Koi Fish

This group of life-sized koi fish by Ian Hou of DOGOD Brick Design has awed us before, but we had to return to it for this month’s cover photo. Not only is this model lifelike from looks alone, it also evokes a feeling of zen associated with koi ponds. Looking at Ian’s photography, these look so good on display, like true sculptures. I would love to have these adorn my home to put me at ease when I’m stressing about building. Hopefully, this cover photo will offer the same feeling of calm for our readers. Once you’ve taken in this work of art, check more of Ian’s creations here.

Submit your LEGO creations for a chance to be featured across TBB social media for a month! Check out the submission guidelines share your builds today. Photos that do not meet the submission guidelines will not be considered, and will be removed from the group.

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