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.

The Belafonte, home to Team Zissou, gets the retro LEGO treatment

Every so often, I’ll stumble upon a LEGO model that has accidental Wes Anderson vibes, but this cross-section of the Belafonte from The Life Aquatic is definitely Wes Anderson on purpose. Builder Eddie Marshall deliberately sticks to the look of classic LEGO sets from the 80s and 90s, fitting for a film that was itself a nostalgic tribute to the late 70s adventures of Jaques Cousteau. Eddie captures most of the Belafonte‘s rooms in a miniature tableau,  with most of the crew represented in simple minifig form. Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from dozens of colors, NPU, and amazing SNOT techniques and unwind with a build that could have drifted in from another era.

IMG_5954

If you need a refresher on the Belafonte and its crew, Martin Balazs offers an animated tour of his incredibly detailed LEGO version.

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What can brown do for you?

In a LEGO world of castles and Millenium Falcons, it takes something like this for me to really take notice. I mean, come on, look how fun this is! In Jack McKeen’s own words; “Meet Rhonda Yun in her ‘82 Chevy Gamma Series Campervan. Rhonda is a staff columnist and travel blogger for the Arcturus Tribune. Avid Browntron Enthusiast, she is a do it yourselfer who enjoys long walks along the Arrakis dunes, drinking Klingons under the table, and teaching gundarks yoga.” Maybe it’s just the Schlitz talking but I’m smitten with Rhonda and her Browntron ship. It’s pretty much the Gen-X color scheme and looks like a puffy jacket I had in elementary school.

Browntron Campervan

Giving credit where credit is due, Jack tells us the Browntron inspiration comes from the inimitable Angus MacLane. Here’s another builder Matthew Sklar delivering the goods with some more Browntron fun.

XL-15 Browntron

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How to wring iron elegance from unlikely elements [Building Techniques]

In celebration of spring’s arrival, Flatland Brick shares a charming LEGO build of a gardener tending to the season’s first blooms. The real star of this scene is the wrought iron bench. The builder draws on some clever parts for the ornate metalwork, such as umbrellas for the armrests, minifig hands for the rear legs, and a samurai headpiece for the back. The cleverest techniques are hidden until you flip the build around.

Spring is Coming

Link treads are used to hold the wooden slats in place at a subtle angle. They also offer connection points for the antennae that hold up the horns! LEGO kicked off the trend of finding unusual black elements to use as wrought iron in the earliest modulars, turning screwdrivers, harpoons, and skeleton feet into railings. Flatland Brick shows how much room there is to innovate, especially with parts like the tank treads that offer unconventional anchor points.

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Keeping the space classic, then and now

LEGO builder Monty Matte gave himself a challenge with some simple rules. On the left, he tickles our nostalgia bone with a layout straight out of a Classic Space set from the 1970’s. To the right, the same theme but using an array of modern parts and techniques. Each sits on a 16×16 plate while between them resides some sort of time portal linking the two worlds. Together, you have an interesting composition that highlights progression in LEGO history and offers what looks like some fun playability. The minifigure on the right appears to be an adult building an environment that reflects his childhood. This holds a sweet spot in the hearts of any grown-ass adult with a LEGO room- so basically, everyone in my contact list.

As time goes by: Space 001

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Epic wrap battles of history

Marvel’s nocturnal crime fighter Moon Knight draws on Egyptian history and lore in much the same way that Marvel’s Thor does from Norse mythology. Meaning, very loosely and with little reverence or concern for accuracy. This remarkable LEGO build by PriXard is highly faithful to the source material though, beautifully capturing the outcast god Khonshu as depicted in the 2022 mini-series. PriXard achieves a wonderful eye-catching texture for Khonshu’s wraps throughout the model, using pretty much every white LEGO element I can think of that represents fabric except seemingly for the Moon Knight’s own signature hood element found in the Marvel Studios Series 2 Collectible Minifigures.

Khonshu

A browse through PriXard’s other creations reveals a builder who doesn’t shy away from adding custom cloth elements for wings, capes and the like as needed. They share that this creation is “not completely finished”, adding they “wanted to add more cloth, (though) don’t want to cover the details on the arms.” Understandably, as I think this detail deserves to be seen. Maybe we can convince PriXard to let this dusty deity rest peacefully as is…

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Earthly Phoenix is a heavenly LEGO creation

In Chinese mythology, the peacock is seen as the earthly manifestation of the legendary phoenix, fènghuáng. Builder Jim Jo combines imagery of heaven and earth for this incredible LEGO tribute to the majestic bird.  The peacock model is striking on its own, especially the cascading tail made from an alternating series of 2×1 plates and 1×1 rounds. The use of color is incredible as blues fade into greens. (We’ve noted before, Jim is a master of color!)

De fènghuáng (The Earthly Phoenix)

“De fènghuáng” is perched across a blossoming branch. In order to support the weight of the bricks,  Jim constructed the branch around a custom metal armature.  The pixel moon is built on a transparent baseplate so that it can be backlit. Sculpture, mosaic, and still life come together for a creation as heavenly as the phoenix.

 

 

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Ferrix speeder for Andor butts

Finding an on-screen vehicle from Star Wars that hasn’t been built hundreds of times over in LEGO is tougher than making the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs, but builder Gregory Coquelz found inspiration in a speeder with a few seconds of screen time in Andor Season 1, Episode 3. The Ferrix Riot Speeder has the chunky aesthetics and weathered body you’d expect from a dusty salvage planet. Built at Miniland scale let Gregory pack the speeder with greebles. I appreciate the inclusion of old, yellowed grey bricks from a more civilized era, before bley and blasters.

Ferrix riot speeder

To help the curious view the speeder from every angle, Gregory shared a video that you can see below. Only two more weeks until Andor Season 2 kicks off. No doubt we’ll get more amazing blink-and-you’ll-miss-it vehicles to inspire future builds!

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Microscale Miyazaki (Or how to be inspired by Studio Ghibli without letting generative AI do all the work)

Lately, every social feed has been clogged with AI slop pillaging the surface-level aesthetics of Studio Ghibli films. Here’s a palate cleanser from Joe Lam – a microscale LEGO Catbus and Totoro. Celebrating Totoro, it’s instantly recognizable from just 9 or 10 elements, and the Catbus is packed with personality. The eyes are especially inspired, using Batman logos for the wild pupils.

Joe designed the Catbus back in 2023, but what better time to celebrate the joy that comes from human creativity? And maybe have a look at other Totoro builds that have inspired us over the years.

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“Star Tours, this is serious LEGO site. What are you doing here?”

Disney’s cinematic renaissance might have kicked off in 1989 with The Little Mermaid, but the Disney parks were entering a new era two years earlier with the debut of Star Tours. The immersive ride combined motion simulation with state-of-the-art special effect filmmaking to transport riders into the Star Wars universe, joining a trench run to take out the Death Star. Okay Yaramanoglu recreates the StarSpeeder 3000 in LEGO with a model with the greebles and pinstripes that will take you right back to 1987.

Starspeeder 3000

Use the fast pass and jump right to more pics of Okay’s e-ticket build of the Star Tours speeder

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The Jetsons never had it so good

LEGO builder shiu delivers a brilliant take on the racing future with his eVTOL, Rodenbach. Many lament that the Jetson’s flying car has not made it to us in 2025, but if the Rodenbach is what the future holds, it will be well worth the wait. While this is build is for the future, the shared details from modern cars keeps it familiar, such as the wheel wells even though there are no wheels. Take a look at the builder’s 360-spin to see all the beautiful angles and part usage.

RODENBACH

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I’ve got a good feeling about this LEGO starfighter

Personally, I don’t really understand the Jedi interceptor compared to the larger Jedi starfighters, which seemed to be faster and more maneuverable. But I can not deny that Matt has captured Obi-Wan’s iconic fighter from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith perfectly in LEGO. From the diminutive cockpit to the flip-out wings, which use a clever attachment to allow the wings to open and close. The ship also sits on an angled stand that blends in to the background very well.

ETA-2 Actis-Class Light Interceptor

If you are thinking that something is missing, think again, as Matt has also recolored the model for Anakin’s interceptor as seen in the long shot opening sequence. This view also gives you a look at the back of the creation.

ETA-2 Actis-Class Light Interceptor

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We’re gonna need a bigger truck

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, the movie that ushered in the era of the summer blockbuster and villainized sharks forever. While the back half of the film focuses on the heroes at sea on the Orca, for most of the film, Chief Brody is driving around the seaside village of Amity in his Chevy Blazer.  Builder Robson pays tribute to the film’s other iconic vehicle in a fun diorama of Brody and Hooper confronting Mayor Vaughn about the wisdom of re-opening the beach. Robson’s custom billboard is modeled on the one in the LEGO-made short film “Jaws in a Jiffy” made in support of the LEGO Ideas Jaws set. Robson deftly captures the square-body look of the Blazer featuring the removable back canopy of that era, with custom decals to match the on-screen props.

What the plaque says...

No stranger to tackling Spielberg blockbusters, Robson also made these excellent Jurassic Park vehicles.

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.