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.

Death so flashy you’ll probably see it coming

As this LEGO model by Moko demonstrates, there are three things needed to be a sleek, stealthy assassin. Tight black outfit; check. Awesome hair; check. The ability to get into cool Spider-Man poses; check, check, and check. Not on the list is copious amounts of chrome accessories but this assassin does bling beautifully. With her chrome macaroni headset and the radar dishes on her boots I’d see this android assassin slinking across rooftops from a mile away. I’d hear the schick of her razor claws across my throat and still be mesmerized by her shiny bits as I fade out of existence. What a beautiful way to go! In another stroke of brilliance, her skirt is made from an inside-out rubber tire. It turns out, this wouldn’t be the first time we were mesmerized by Moko’s mechanized creations.

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Want to know how I got these scars?

Gifted LEGO wizard Timofey Tkachev is a master of character work both large and small. If you’re not familiar, we interviewed him a couple years back. Last summer he shared an 80th anniversary Batman bust and now he’s the delivered the Caped Crusader’s most famous archnemesis, Joker. He even left a calling card.

It’s an arresting model, clearly modeled after Heath Ledger’s take from 2008’s The Dark Knight complete with smudged makeup and that oh-so-striking smile. This particular wicked grin is made up of crowbars and horns. The shocks of hair are, of course, a bounty of olive-colored limb elements.

Need more of the Clown Prince of Crime in your life? Be sure to check out Vincent’s recent Joker film take and George Paneteleon’s animated series-inspired rendition.

Netflix and chill

With a global lockdown in full swing, it’s a sure bet that most of us are seeing more of our TV screens lately. Heikki M. has presented his TV and living space. Here we see a clean, brightly-lit, nicely-appointed modern space with a flat-screen TV, wood flooring, and a handsome accent wall. The stereo system and the low entertainment center are both meticulous in style and design. What is it doing being featured here on The Brothers Brick? Can you spot the LEGO? It took me a minute.

It would seem Heikki is quite adept at building interior spaces.

2020 be like...

2020 has been a whirlwind so far. It started off with Australia on fire, then the Coronavirus shuttered the entire globe indoors, the stock market took us to a time when I had other haircut choices and now we have murder hornets. And it’s only May. If this LEGO creation by Eric T is any indicator we’ll be seeing man-eating plants later this month followed closely by taser sharks and then slaughter rabbits. All kidding aside though, this toothy plant is pretty neat. Eric tells us it comes from a Japanese anime called Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? I imagine it would depend on the dungeon. Dungeon Girls…either that’s a cult pulp movie or the forecast for June.

Play(mobil) well?

Once, long long ago, I nearly got fired from my job at Toys R Us. Someone had called in asking if we had Playmobil sets. I thought they meant LEGO. My TRU did not stock Playmobil. When they got to the store, they were NOT happy. I have since learned my lesson. Playmobil is a very different toy line. And then Miro Dudas comes along and makes me question everything all over again. Dangit.

Built as an entry for the Iron Forge contest, this masterful bit of deception uses the minfigure wrench as a key piece. That part creates the distinctive shape of the figure’s hands, as well as appearing as the hands of the clock. You also have to appreciate the 1:1 scale artist tools. I particularly like the use of the 4×4 round plate with hole to form the rim of the open paint jar. I also like the compass – the use of a minifig rapier for the pointy end is pretty neat.

It’s a very nice creation. Even if it does make my head hurt a little.

Don’t go dragon my heart around

Whenever LEGO releases another wave of the Collectible Minifigures theme, I always look forward to what builders will come up with to contextualize them. Usually we’ll get some some cool vignettes, but occasionally we’ll get some great companion builds as well. The Super Warrior from Series 20 certainly inspired Stu Pace. Taking cues from the figure’s design and style, the Hyperzord Ultra-Rex is completely ready to fight off some giant, rubbery monsters!

Beyond just looking cool, the dragon has some fun part usage, too. Check out the microphones that make up the missiles, and the tassle for chin whiskers. There’s even a roller skate as part of that huge arm gun.

Whatever this knock-off Power Rangers show is called, I’m ready to binge watch it.

Forget your screw gun, try this screw blaster instead

There are always some people in the LEGO community who insist that certain pieces are worthless. Maybe it is the Big Ugly Rock Pieces (or BURPs); maybe it is the Juniors airplane; or maybe it is the ubiquitous stud shooter. The latter is much derided by those who wish their Star Wars battle packs came with normal blasters, rather than the huge and ugly things whose sole purpose is to lose studs behind the couch. Kids love ’em, at least. But perhaps the stud shooters are not so useless after all; PaulvilleMOCs shows us how elegant the part can be as a drill, for example, with a wand as the drill bit. Add in a circular saw and a sander, and you have a set of power tools perfect for a job site. This was built for the Iron Forge competition, where the stud shooter is the seed part; so expect to see some more studly builds in the days to come!

What do you get when you have two broken B-wings?

If you have two battle-damaged B-wings in a fight, lug them back to base — put those droids to work and make a C-wing out of them! A couple of years back, I made a list of vehicles that could have been taken out of a page of the Star Wars movies, and I think after a long hunt, this C-wing by Tino Poutiainen would fit right in there up with the rest of them. I love a smooth ship with clean lines and just a hint of LEGO studs spread in the right places. What makes this ship a little unique is its parts usage at the shield generator made up of minifigure legs.

I want to play a game

Only one thing pops in my mind with a scene like this, a creepy scene that Jigsaw would put one of his victims in. This one looks a little harmless compared to the more complex contraptions that we’ve seen in the sequels, but a reminder of the classic cult film Saw, that took the world by surprise with a tiny budget and making big headways. This scene by Douglas Hughes, pictures a classic man-tied-to-the-chair movie trope, but what makes it stand out as a LEGO build are the details. They say the details bring a scene to life. The closed-circuit camera, the air vent, that electrical outlet plug outlet, and the old school looking heater all lend the weight to the sense of reality. What’s the story here? Well, for me, reality kicks in for Saw movie is when the director yells “CUT!” and everyone gets a break and grabs a sandwich and coffee, and that’s my secret on how I get through watching a horror flick.

AI been working on the railroad

LEGO builder Zachmoe took inspiration from a classic mech model by Adrian Florea from over a decade ago, putting together his own spin on a railroad shunter mechanoid, but using some contemporary pieces and adopting a smaller scale. The result is a great piece of clanking robotics. You don’t doubt this rail-riding mech is strong enough to heft a shipping container on one shoulder, but it also has an undeniable character — it would surely give you a wave as it whizzed past. Those minifigure rollerskates certainly make for excellent eyes, but what caught my attention was the trailing clouds of dust sent up in the robot’s wake — a nice touch which creates a real impression of speed. I distinctly remember Adrian’s original model back-in-the-day, and it’s great to see his idea get such a cool modern makeover.

Grab a two-for-one deal at the spaceship yard

The spaceship’s colour scheme would have been enough, but Mansur Soeleman takes it one step further with his latest LEGO model and produces some retro-styled box art to really get the nostalgia pipes flowing. The ship is a greeble-lover’s delight, festooned with a wealth of light grey pipes and grilles, intakes and rockets. I particularly like how tight the blue cabin section is around the trans-yellow canopy, leaving most of the model grey, but enough to make it abundantly clear which LEGO theme has provided the inspiration.

In a brilliant touch, Mansur also built a retro version of his retro-throwback, delivering the same distinctive shaping, but using a more limited old-fashioned brick palette. I admire the building skills in these two models, but also love the extra effort of producing box art and two versions. Fantastic nostalgic fun.

LEGO horse puts on a show

Using LEGO bricks to capture the organic curves of a well-known animal is no mean feat. It’s all too easy for observers to spot when the proportions of a limb or torso are incorrect. They might not be able to articulate exactly what’s wrong, but they’ll know something is just a little “off” about the whole thing. Vincent Kiew‘s showjumping horse, however, is spot-on — a triumph of poseability and shaping. The mane and tail, the ears, the curves outlining the horse’s musculature, are all excellent. But to deliver this in a model which looks good in so many different poses is testament to the builder’s skill. The jockey is as well put together as her mount, and looks comfortable in the saddle whether trotting, galloping, or jumping — the pair are putting on quite a show, as is Vincent.