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.

Jumping for joy on the moon

For some, the month of April in the year 1972 may not be memorable but for astronaut John W. Young this date marks the journey of a lifetime – he became the ninth person to walk on the moon. Young’s iconic jumping salute which has been captured both in photography and video is recreated in LEGO bricks by spacemanship123.

This brick-built astronaut seems to make use of a lot of tile type pieces as well as some slopes and a few LEGO Technic elements. A spacesuit does seem like it would be a tough model to design because of its bulky nature and also its requirement for articulation seeing as it is a figural build striking a pose. Designer spacemanship123 was able to make it happen by using various clip pieces in addition to some ball and joint elements. Overall I would say the idea behind this build is unique, perhaps even out of this world! It’s not an everyday occasion that a human lands on the moon, or that an astronaut is built out of bricks.

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Snatcher, no snatching!

I’m a big fan of people using LEGO elements in unusual ways, and builder Djokson hits the sweet spot with Slizzk the Snatcher. Although described as “a pathetic little creature cursed with an insatiable desire to collect all things sparkly and shiny,” I don’t find Slizzk lacking at all. Two LEGO DOTs bracelets create a great color contrast with yellow Hero Factory armor. The black limbs show great articulation, and the end result is just charming as all get out. Sure, I’d probably be annoyed if they stole any of my stuff. But that’s not currently my problem.

This isn’t the first adorable creature of Djokson’s we’ve featured. Hopefully it won’t be the last, either.

A Swedish take on Blacktron

Some say that IKEA is for grownups what LEGO is for kids. I say, why not have both? Builder Kalais seems to think so too.

In probably the first example I’ve ever seen, Kalais used the new IKEA BYGGLEK storage boxes for a very modern-style Blacktron base. As far as getting the Blacktron look, this creation succeeds. From the laser-lime windows to the black and white accent bricks, you know this base belongs to the infamous space-faring evildoers the second you look at it. I especially like the power generator made from large wheels. Very clever!

The one downside about the BYGGLEK storage bins is that they don’t connect as regular LEGO bricks do. If you stare hard enough at the space base, you can see that the boxes are sitting on top of each other instead of locking in like normal bricks. Kalais has made up for that by using black bricks in places to give the illusion of the base being one solid tower.

This is a fantastic example of what you can do with non-traditional pieces like the BYGGLEK storage boxes. I hope to see more people become inspired by Kalais’ creation!

Bow before the mighty Lich King

Sometimes I look at something and think “Wow, that’s a really cool sculpture!” only to realize it’s actually made of LEGO. That was exactly my thought process when I saw Marcin Otreba’s Lich King Arthas from World of Warcraft. What I was first drawn to, oddly, was the base, and no way did I realize it was built out of my favourite plastic bricks.

The way the wedge plates are stacked and the cascading effect of the trans medium blue textured wedges make it hard to believe that’s not actually carved out of ice and snow. Then you zoom and realize this thing is an absolute tutorial on parts usage. So many amazing combinations of sword or blade elements really displaying how even specialized LEGO pieces can be combined in unique and spectacular ways. There so many different textures too, my favourite being the claw pieces simulate the white fur on the boots, and the chains creating the mail on his abdomen. The skull on his shoulder ain’t too shabby either. Be sure to zoom in to notice all fantastic parts usages.

The quintessential pit stop on the old town road

There’s a new build in town and it’s got it all! This LEGO saloon and hotel by Thomas Gion features plenty of interior details, cool techniques, and some sweet brick-built signage. We have “SALOON” in the classic Modular theme font and “HOTEL” in a distinctively Western-style serif font, complete with embellishing and everything. On the facade, the sideways log brick technique works wonders as wood-paneled walls. Thomas also has a water trough made of a translucent blue glass window. There’s also a water pump made of a crowbar and bar holder connection on top of a Technic connector spout. In addition to the neat details at the front of this build, it is fully furnished on the inside.

The floors and walls are detachable for maximum playability. The angled saloon doors look perfectly integrated into the build even with the upper floor removed, with the help of some wedge plates and triangular tiles. A SNOT tile technique is used for the wall frames, creating a very clean-cut appearance. I’m also impressed by the level of detail crammed into the hotel rooms, including ceiling to floor curtains and a mounted deer head.

Here is an up-close look of the saloon furnishing, though it’s not quite the same without the hustle and bustle of its daily customers.

Feeling the itch to go on a road trip? Take a ride through our archives for some more Western-inspired builds!

A little death (star)

Sure you can plunk down the monetary equivalent of a used Toyota and buy yourself the now-defunct LEGO 10143 Death Star II set. But who would you impress, really? Here at The Brothers Brick, you get more kudos and respect if you take matters into your own hands like Rui Miguel Anacleto did here. Even though it’s a wee little Death Star it is expertly constructed and well detailed. And it’s the perfect size and shape to turn it into an ornament for your Christmas tree. Now you have art and practicality all rolled into one. I’d like to see you try that with your 10143 LEGO set. If you do, let me know how that goes.

First contact

Bart de Dobbelaer never ceases to amaze me with his LEGO creations. Ever since his ‘The Life Aquatic With Clumsy Pete’ series, he has been making one astounding creation after another. First Contact is no exception to this. It features an out of this world landscape with a spaceship in a colour scheme that will send you on a trip down memory lane. The space crew is carefully conducting their work without noticing that their presence hasn’t gone unnoticed. Bart is a master at building alien creatures from obscure LEGO parts. He always manages to use the parts that I am never able to think of a good use for.

I’ve got the blues real bad

You’ve got to hand it to this mech for its commitment to that blue outfit. Is that how it works with mechs? They wake up one morning and sift through their wardrobe of sassy ensembles and decide…blue it is! Well, even if that’s not the way it is with mechs, you have to admire the craftsmanship of this LEGO creation by nobu_tary. Gundam fans would recognize this as the MS-07B Gouf, which I was already well aware of and definitely didn’t learn it from looking it up three minutes ago so don’t get that idea in your heads. This builder is on a roll lately with cool mechs. It turns out this mech has hundreds of friends you may want to check out, each with their own fabulous outfits.

Danger in the Shadows

From the early days of the Empire comes Hugo‘s LEGO creation of what truly can be described as “dark times.” Here, two Imperial clone troopers patrol a run-down street while dangers lurk in the shadows. This whole creation looks dirty, and that’s probably just the way Hugo wanted it. From the different shades of grey, brown and tan, the colors flow together to show the grit of the Star Wars universe, as well as the same colors that are shoved into the crevices of the building. Each brick looks like it naturally exists there. I also really like the use of red capes as the awnings on the walls. That’s a technique we don’t see often enough.

The best part about this build is that it fills me with questions: what will happen next? Will the dark Duro figure get the jump on the troopers? Or will the Imperial assassin on the upper level strike first?

Mars: Bringer of War...and also color coordination

I think I’m not alone in assuming, as a child, that we’d have Mars colonization by the time I was grown. Well, we haven’t even sent manned missions out there yet. But when we get there we’ll inevitably need to shoot stuff. Bob DeQuatre shows us what that could look like with this impressive LEGO Mars Corporation Ares Long-Range Artillery Platform. As you may know, Ares is the Greek god of war and Bob tells us this is Mars Corporation’s deadliest vehicle. He could have called it by its Roman mythological name but that would have been…uh…redundant.

Proving he’s no slouch, Bob also built this Hermes Mobile Command Center in the same striking red and white color scheme. Designed for long-range missions, this vehicle can hold up to six passengers as well as the driver and gunner. This makes sense considering Hermes was the ancient Greek god of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves,…and travel. Phew, that’s a lot of jobs! We can only assume all those other things are going on onboard as well.

We’re kind of really into Bob’s stuff. Here’s the proof.

Black Family Tree Tapestry

The Black family had a tapestry depicting their family tree. Gayle Spiller managed to recreate the tapestry in LEGO and it is stunning! The magical artwork was made in the 13th century and contains family members from the Middle Ages all the way through to the present. It is located at 12 Grimmauld Place, which means it is currently owned by a certain mister Harry Potter who is not at all pictured on the tapestry. The Black family having been horrifyingly concerned with being purebloods, quite a few of the family members got disowned for various reasons; supporting Muggle rights or being a Squib. Walburga Black, Sirius Black’s mother, is presumably responsible for removing most of the disowned family members.

This incredible brick version really deserves a good zoom in. Gayle used the LEGO flag for the banners where the family members’ names are portrayed, and most of the hats are brick-built using all sorts of parts, from cones, to skirts to the ruff neckpiece. She even managed to include the Black family coat of arms. You can more find closeups on her Instagram.

An alternative to coarse sand and cold space

Most Star Wars sets and fan creations tend to take the form of ships or other types of vehicles, of course LEGO has welcomed more buildings recently but such builds are still a minority in the theme. Eloi Parizeau takes us to Naboo not in a starship but with his LEGO micro-build of the Theed Royal Palace.

The nicest thing about working in micro-scale is that a builder is able to use small parts that are actually pretty common or easy to obtain, Parizeau’s structural build of the palace consists of some pretty standard parts in varying shapes and sizes such as dishes, cones, tiles, and slopes. The colors he utilizes for this creation as a whole are a little uncommon including pieces in forest green, tan, and sand green. The one part that seems rather unique to me is the rock panel in dark grey.

Using these small pieces Parizeau not only recreates the structure of the Theed Palace, but also the beautiful and lush environment of Naboo, his use of the forest green slopes and bricks along with the trans-clear blue elements brings back scenes from the Star Wars prequel films which portrayed Naboo as a blue planet filled with green vegetation. All things considered, Parizeau’s LEGO rendition of this Star Wars universe building is quite unique. It will definitely be great to see more fictional architecture brought to us by the brick in the future.