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.

New York’s Best and Bravest are life savers

My hair may be turning grey, and I have a job, a professional reputation and responsibilities, but hidden just under the surface is the same six-year-old boy who marveled at his first LEGO fire truck, back in the eighties. With the pandemic, for many of us, the last few months probably haven’t been easy. For me, personally, things could be a lot worse. I am healthy and so are my loved ones, I have job security and can work from the comfort of my home. Nonetheless, I am stressed by the uncertainty and by a never-ending amount of work, in combination with not being able to do many of the things I usually do to relax, such as traveling, meeting friends and attending LEGO events.

One thing that does help is being able to channel that six-year-old. I pop up to my loft and put some LEGO bricks together almost every day. And what does my inner six-year-old lifesavers? Well, fire trucks, of course. With a few decades of building experience under my belt and an adult’s disposable income, they’re obviously going to be elaborate. This pair of vehicles represents a Seagrave ladder truck and an ambulance, as operated by the New York Fire Department (FDNY). They are life savers in a real-world sense, but building them also kept me from going nuts.
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GayFOLs Virtual Pride Parade 2020!

Happy Pride Day! This week I shared with you my experience as an LGBTQ+ LEGO fan and later in the week we heard from members of the LGBTQ+ Facebook group, GayFOLs as they shared their experiences. This year, GayFOLs hosted its 2nd Annual Virtual Pride Parade where group members from all over the world can build Pride-themed MOCs and share and they are compiled into a slideshow.

The first one was last year and premiered at BrickWorld Chicago. In the time of COVID, virtual meetups are de rigueur, so in a way GayFOLs was ahead of its time in more ways than one! Enjoy the parade and once again, Happy Pride 2020!

Contributors: Aaron N., Alan V., Angela B., Ben A., Brad B., Cameron W., Carol N., Christopher M., Danni F., Glen C., Jimi C., Joe W., Justin B-J., Lukas E., Mitch M., Oscar S., Phillip B-J. Pixy B., Ryan M., SJ M., Stacy L., Teddy L., Timothy A.

Praise Tlāloc! Lord of clouds, god of waters, bringer of fertility to the parched land...

The annual BioCup competition is producing a wonderful range of LEGO Bionicle creations in many themes, but my favorite so far is Latin American mythology, with fantastical gods like the Aztec god of death Mictlantecuhtli by Tino Poutiainen. But my favorite so far is the Aztec rain god Tlāloc by Vlad Lisin. Tlāloc has characteristic round eyes and fangs, and wears a verdant crown with clouds encircling his waist. I love how Vlad uses click-joints for Tlāloc’s necklace, and the Bionicle mask at the top of the water flowing from the barrel is a brilliant use of parts.

Way back in 2006, I built the Aztec pantheon as minifigures — strange enough to go mildly viral through the “blogosphere” in the era before social media — but these latest figures show the power of large-scale builds using organic pieces from Bionicle and Hero Factory.

Dancing with the dark

We’ve featured a number of VB‘s disquieting creations in the past. Their latest, The Anito takes it’s inspiration from the ancestor spirits of Philippine religions. Perched among overgrown idols, this mysterious figure gazes at us with piercing white eyes almost lost in a sea of organic curves capped with bony appendages. Is that a white flute the figure is playing? Is this music we really want to hear?

I like the work put into the setting. Those bony elements return in dark tan to form some dead plants, but that’s balanced by a good mix of bright green vegetation. The dark green bits in the foreground include the head of the Norse Midgard Serpent. Mixing mythologies a bit, maybe, but totally worth it for the effect.

As an aside, that idol on the right is uses some big toothed wheels to form the mouth. That’s soooo close to fitting my “Technic Gears for teeth” trope of late. It’s a thing I tell you. A THING. Either that, or all these creepy images are just really starting to get to me.

Simurgh yourself in the lore of this mythical beast

As LEGO builders ourselves we are inherently already fond of the creations we write about here on The Brothers Brick. What makes me take special notice however is something like this Simurgh built by Joss Woodyard. According to Joss, the Simurgh is a unity between land and sky incarnate. According to Iranian legend, the mythical creature is so old that it has seen the world end three times over. Plus it will also rid your surrounding area of snakes, so there’s that. I’m seeing also a unity between System brick and Bionicle. This seems to be Joss’calling card as he has taken us through a menagerie of mythical beasts before.

A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips

This LEGO Fatboy Mech by Marco Marozzi is decidedly rather rotund in the hip and leg area. I believe the medical term the kids used to throw around the schoolyard for this is “fatty-fatty-boombalatty”. But is this mech’s propensity toward tipping the scales a product of overeating or a glandular disorder? The stickers on this chubby chap clue us in that it may have an affinity for Red Bull and, while it is not overly fattening in itself, its high caffeine content could lead to high blood pressure and diabetes. Nasty stuff, that Red Bull but I would say such a thing as I am well north of forty. The crazy kids are into it though and by the time they get old enough to mix it with vodka you have already lost hope for them ever listening to good music. Kids these days! Am I right? Get off my lawn! Anyway, this is a rather cool mech, I admit. Cool mechs seem to be Marco’s thing.

Mictlantecuhtli? No thanks, I just ate.

In Aztec-culture Mictlantecuhtli was the god of death. In Tino Poutiainen‘s LEGO version, he’s…well, still a god of death, I suppose. Perched atop a grey stepped pyramid, this deity has got to be giving that little golden LEGO microfig the major heebie-jeebies. I really like the figure’s bright colors and innovative posing. There’s clever part usage to appreciate, too, like the blue minifigure hoop-blade weapons for bracelets, dark tan Technic rod skirt, and the silver Technic ball ends for earrings. I also dig that brick-built skull.

And yes, I think I’ve identified a new trend. This is the third creation I’ve written about recently with that “Technic gears for teeth” thing. I’m going to have to give it a try myself.

There is a castle on a cloud

What is it about the persistent fantasy of castles among the clouds, whether it is on a floating rock or built on the cumulonimbus itself? It’s certainly pervasive, even being featured in everyone’s favorite space fantasy, ruled by Prince Calrissian. I’m not complaining, mind you; I have a deep love for the idea myself and have been tempted to build something along those lines one of these days. But LEGO builder Caleb Saw beat me to the punch, creating this stunning castle afloat on the aether.

Now, I love domes, and this castle has excellent domes, including, quite fittingly, half of Bespin. There is wonderful variation among the buildings, and yet they look a cohesive whole, too. The tan and dark tan colors look great together here, and the foliage is top-notch; indeed, the vines and trees look incredibly organic. And then there are the clouds. So many round bits that work so well together to create something light and fluffy out of shiny ABS plastic!

Do you love floating islands and floating rocks, too? Then check them out in the TBB archives!

A not-quite standard “Standard”

The Gibson Les Paul was one of the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitars. There are a lot of versions and editions, but this is the first time I’ve seen one made out of LEGO, at least at a 1:1 scale. Builder morimorilego has paid close attention to realism in this reproduction of the “Les Paul Standard”. The body is decked out in layers of red, orange, and yellow tile and brick, with the pickguard standing out in vibrant white. Golden dishes and transparent yellow 2×2 round brick are used for the control knobs, and the output jack is courtesy of a system wheel rim. Those details complement the work done in the neck and headstock, which help make this build feel like it’s ready to play.

Click for a closer look

Music for my babushka

Last weekend, Timofey Tkachev went to see his babushka. There is no place like a countryside cottage to spend long summer evenings, sipping hot tea, and enjoying a slice of a berry pie. But one doesn’t simply go to babushka empty-handed. Being a very talented LEGO builder, Timofey designed something exceptional: a full-sized replica of a traditional balalaika, a Russian stringed instrument. The brick-built design looks wonderful in its simplicity. The iconic triangular shape became possible thanks to the clever use of regular slope pieces. And thanks to the hues of LEGO colors, this balalaika looks almost exactly like a real one.

Kudos to Vera Senyuta for joining the tea party and taking her camera with her. We always love to see custom LEGO creations shot in beautiful settings. For a musical instrument like this one, there is no better background than a couple of birches in the evening sun.

One man’s garbage is another man’s also garbage

If you were to say we post garbage here at The Brother’s Brick you might have a couple of people agree with you. However, this time at least, we are posting garbage with this clever LEGO garbage collector built by R 194. This one has all the intrigue and charm of other garbage collectors you may have met except this one is a robot. Or possibly a person in a mech suit. I don’t know, I didn’t really think this premise through. Still, it’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in my admittedly isolated day. It would seem we are quite fascinated by such a dirty subject. What do you think?

This Star Wars R2 unit is all gummed up [Video]

In the Star Wars universe, R2 units are super useful droids. They can help navigate hyperspace, handle power routing, and even do spot repairs. That’s all great if you have a starship, but what about us here on Earth? What sort of assistance can we hope for? Well, John Cooper has a possible answer: this LEGO version of R2-D2 is a fully functional gumball machine. There’s a crank in the center of the chest, and opening hatches on the front reveal a hidden coin slot and gum dispenser. A hatch on the back protects the accumulated cash. I love the clear dome panels used for the head – the exposed gumballs remind me of an old Fisher Price Corn Popper toy. Sadly this version lacks that pop-o-matic type function.

Curious to see things in action? Check out the video!

John also shared a few behind-the-scenes tidbits about the build with us:
Originally the gumballs were going to come out a simple hinged door at the front. But when I decided to use the three-leg configuration, that tilted the body back. So I devised the drawer to capture the gumball when it exists the sloped vertical drop.

I have a deep and profound fondness for robots with gumball machines for heads. I can only hope this is just the start of a whole LEGO sub-theme.